After only eight levels plus the easiest final boss ever, even the most dedicated fans will get a day’s enjoyment out of this game and then never look at it again.

In the end, Ragnarok DS is a forgettable title, for which only die hard fans of the franchise or RPGs need apply. All others would be better off ignoring the title, and picking up one of DS's other-- and much better-- RPG offerings instead.

Despite all of these issues, though, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz has a weird, hypnotic charm.

Frankly, I liked this game better the first time around. FD2 doesn’t have the style that the first crack at this franchise had.

NBA Live 08 is a disappointment in no small part because EA impressed early with the sports potential of Madden 07.

You're better off playing the online Line Rider, which gives you the same experience at no cost whatsoever.

Sonic 4, on the other hand, should have had a different title, like Sonic the Hedgehog: Re 1&2, because that is what the game feels like. The game may make gamers question if Sonic Team can make a proper, new Sonic title, instead of throwing together elements from over ten years ago and expecting us to be satisfied.

A strictly average game. There's really nothing here to distinguish it from all the other licensed games that get shoveled onto the Game Boy Advance every year, and even less to distinguish it as a Thunderbirds product.

Yet the quality of execution on nearly every other front is lacking, and every involved party, from Hardy Boys authors to developer to publisher to gamer, really deserves better.

With a little extra time and resources, I imagine Poi could be made into a tighter, and all around better experience. That being said, it still does suffer from a general lack of creativity. Despite having its own aesthetic and musical sensibilities, Poi’s structure and mechanics are simply so close to those of Mario 64 that it’s impossible to avoid making comparisons. Also, it feels somewhat unfair to Poi that if was released in such close proximity to Mario Odyssey. However, putting it all into perspective, we are left with a perfectly decent game. Poi does nothing to move its genre forward and even though its wanting for polish in many areas, its faults are small enough that they will likely prove little more than minor annoyances for those looking to kill some time after they complete Mario’s latest.

Let’s be honest, presenting a point-and-click adventure in the form of a point-and-click operating system is kind of genius, even if the idea doesn’t fully translate to a console like the Switch. Of course, there is a certain benefit to the fact that this isn’t a game driven by twitch reflexes; the cumbersome nature of the touch and controller inputs serve only to slow the gameplay, rather than outright ruin it. Still, the frustration presented by these control issues alongside the failure to realize the potential of the concept and story are still very real and are likely to impact the overall enjoyment of any gamer longing to live their fantasies of being a white hat hacker. By no means is the overall experience beyond redemption, but one can’t help but feel the PC is the better fit.

Alphadia isn’t in the same league as a game like Chrono Trigger, but it gets the job done and will scratch the old-school RPG itch in a way that some players will enjoy. For anyone else, it’s likely that Alphadia will feel too archaic and rough to maintain their interest for the duration of the game.

More importantly though, the mere fact that Activision and Vicarious Visions have allowed these major problems to go unfixed for three titles needs addressing; Guitar Hero is one of the biggest franchises in gaming right now so this continued level of near broken gameplay is inexcusable.

AquaMoto Racing 3D certainly fills a hole in the water racing genre, but ultimately it’s a shallow reflection of other jet ski greats and lacks the variety and imagination of its water-borne brethren.

I’ve Got to Run: Complete Edition! offers more modes and options than a lot of other games in the endless runner genre. Unfortunately, most players will probably find themselves over this one pretty quickly.

Clunky controls, claustrophobic environments, mundane combat, and a brief story mode all conspire to make this a forgettable experience.

As I said above, Frontier also doesn’t really offer much challenge until later in the game. A lack of difficulty isn’t always the biggest problem if the gameplay is irresistibly fun regardless, but Frontier‘s battling tends to become too formulaic with no significant strategy or planning needed to barrel through opponents.

MySims Kingdom for DS ultimately fails because it never really lends itself to any one solid gameplay philosophy.

Unfortunately, good artistic design just can't fully make up for a few glaring flaws. If you can see past those flaws, though, you'll find an enjoyable game that will help you waste a few hours. If not, this might be one to leave off your Christmas list.

Operation Galuga might be flawed, but the heart and devotion that WayForward is known for shines through. What I hope is that this serves as the foundation for more entries in the series to come and that WayForward is given another shot at getting things 100 percent right in a sequel. Until then, Operation Galuga will do.

It’s hard to recommend Working Dawgs: A-Maze-ing Pipes to anyone but a tiny subset of the most ardent of pipe-laying fans—those who own only a DSi or 3DS.

Ultimately, Kolumno is an interesting concept and will likely be appealing to some players. There is gratification to be had when completing the levels and watching them play out perfectly feels like viewing a satisfaction compilation video on YouTube. However, the frustration in repeated failure on the same level or the controls that are awkward enough to break the relaxing feeling of the game overshadowed the positive moments.

I play a good amount of indie games yet this game, I believe, is the first game I have played by a Peruvian game developer. My first playthrough left me scratching my head at the cryptic story. It was only after reading an article on Peruvian funeral traditions did I begin to see the story and its metaphors with more clarity. It is experiences like this that make me happy as both a gamer and an anthropologist. As barriers for video game development become less and less of an obstacle, gamers are more and more likely to come across games made from cultures they have never been in contact with. I am thankful for the opportunity to both play this game and learn just a little bit more about Peruvian culture.

The game has nearly all the elements of a sleeper hit: interesting premise, compelling art design, eclectic sound, an interesting weapon creation system, and some unique gameplay mechanics. Unfortunately, all of that is drowned out by a few critical design mistakes, chief among them being a broken platforming system that leads to far too many senseless deaths.

It should have only been developed for the PC, and that fact is made glaringly evident while attempting to maneuver around the awkward control setup.

In short, if you’re a Switch owner who has played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to death and you’re looking for a cheap change of pace- or if you’re a fan of supporting indie titles- you might consider Meow Motors. On the other hand, if you’re just out for a kart racer, you might be better shelling out the extra money for Nintendo’s game.

It’s fun in spurts, but overall a disappointment that hopefully doesn’t consign this series to years in limbo.

Kidz Bop Dance Party: The Video Game is not a bad game. In small doses it's actually pretty fun, but the more you play, the shallower it feels. It's one of those games that will be great for the target demographic, but everyone else should just leave it alone.