The end result is a slower-moving game with plenty to see and do.

Mini Ninjas may not blow down any doors, but it is unique and very well executed. It's also fun, with appealing visuals and interesting environments designed for exploration. In some places, the game may fall a little bit short, but don't let that fool you. In the end, it's all Ninja, and not to be underestimated.

A pleasant experience that can become frighteningly addictive. There’s nothing quite like the joy of seeing your hen lay a golden egg after months of pampering, and a hundred other little events are similarly fulfilling.

Freedom Wars is definitely something I’ll go back to over time, because I’ve never managed to actually “complete the sentence” and I’m sure there’s something insane at the end of it. If you think you can grasp the combat and missed it the first time around - the latter’s most likely true - then it’s time to plead guilty.

Sword and Sorcery has some great, unique storytelling elements that give the game a chill yet mildly creepy vibe, though I assure that’s a good thing. From the quirky names (Logfella – the woodsman/farmer type, Dogfella – your dog, Gogolithic Mass – creepy antler dude) to the surreal, earthy, and dreamy atmosphere, to the utmost commitment to using second person narration, Sword and Sworcery portrays an off-the-beaten path story with intrigue galore. If you’re looking for all of this in a handheld game experience, Sword and Sworcery will be the perfect fit for you.

I loved my time with I Am Dead so much I wish there was a little bit more of it. Hanging with Morris and Sparky is a chill, relaxing time, even if there’s an undercurrent of the sad afterlife coursing through the world. It might be that juxtaposition between the reality of death mixed with the playfulness of the world that makes I Am Dead so memorable and fun.

It’s a clever little romp to play around for a few hours, and it’s a fine way to spend a couple of days trekking through dungeons and finding new cards and pieces of paper.

Steredenn Binary Stars might look like a generic shoot-’em-up on the surface, but it offers quite a bit to be excited about. I found the wonderful selection of weapons and multiphase bosses an absolute delight despite the relentless difficulty. While the all or nothing nature will be more than enough to turn some people off, for those who welcome it will without a doubt find themselves proclaiming, just one more run.

Deru: The Art of cooperation is a delightfully relaxing puzzle-solving experience that leans into its tone and provides a mellow fun whether you’re sitting alone or with a friend on the couch. The levels are challenging without being aggravating and it’s clear just as much thought was put into its presentation. I just don’t expect you’ll be playing this at a rooftop party with Karen anytime soon.

River City Girls is a great brawler, and though I wouldn’t say it rises above its genre, it’s still an excellent example of one. Either solo or with a friend, you’ll have a good time.

Mon Amour is straight to the point. It’s a bunch of Flappy Bird-like single-screen levels where you try to survive and kiss people while aiming for a high score. I enjoyed my time with it, even if the chase for the leaderboards didn’t grab me. This is a wild and wacky arcade game worth checking out if you’re seeking an afternoon of fun.

Refinement along the troublesome fringes would take a good game and make it fantastic, but even still, F.I.S.T. is a fun ride. Contrary to the aforementioned buzz, though, truth be told, it isn’t quite at the same level of Metroid Dread (but what is?). This team is clearly onto something, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their next effort in this space gives Samus a real run for her money.

Train Valley is a fun train-routing puzzle game with a dash of strategy thrown in courtesy of the ability to construct your own rail network. It feels like a mashup of Conduct Together with the train routing of something like Mini Metro, where you are constantly connecting stations together and finding the optimal routes. The addition of the pause mechanic makes the game much more relaxing and less hectic, and is great to get a short train-puzzle fix. The more in-depth economic railroad simulations might be my ideal speed, but this was a fun break from them and I enjoyed my ride through Train Valley.

Parts of its design feel dated today, sure, but considering this game is 21 years old, it holds up remarkably well. I was happy to be reminded of one of my favorite GameCube games and its eclectic cast of characters, and I can only hope that they will live on in some future Ubisoft game.

Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation - The Endless Seven-Day Journey is good and sometimes great. If you love old Animal Crossing and modern Persona games, the slice of life experience here may get its hooks into you quite deep. It’s not perfect though, and I think your mileage is going to vary on some of its slower aspects. Still, I can’t believe this was released worldwide in the first place. What a time to be alive.

In between fights, you slowly walk around the world, occasionally running into spirits that offer up quests, Scandinavian folklore, and really sweet-looking pixelized animations. It’s a dark quest that definitely tugged at some parent heartstrings as I played it, but the blending of all the different inspirations and styles coalesces nicely. The genre blend bingo has a nice prize at the end of it, even if it’s a little depressing and difficult.

In the end, L.A. Noire holds up. It’s a little odd to play as an open world game because of it’s strong focus on story, but the immersion is unreal. Every aspect of my detective work felt like a genuine adventure in a world I could never be a part of. There’s plenty of content here to be played, and I strongly recommend giving L.A. Noire some time, even if you’re not a shooting, car chase thrill seeker. The focus are the cases themselves, and that’s awesome.

The rush you get from tearing through endless enemies and escaping impossible situations is what ultimately matters, and you will get it in the DS version.

The Siege of Spinner Cay will tide you over, but it won't blow you away.

Through all those old-school problems, The Dragon’s Trap is still a strong and engaging Metroid-esque platformer that features a pleasant interconnected world filled with areas packed with secrets and grand old-fashioned platforming. It’s well worth overcoming the outmoded aspects to experience a fresher take on a great game.

Another excellent side-scroller with a special focus on variety.

The improvements made in de Blob 2 make it a much stronger game than the first, but likely won't be enough to convince players who were jaded after the first game.

Wolfenstein II is a deep and varied shooter. Its story, with few exceptions, is excellently written and performed. A reliance on long, pre-rendered cutscenes may bog down the pacing now and then, but even in those moments the story was compelling enough to keep me going.

World of Final Fantasy Maxima remains a rather fantastic game. Despite the story not being much to shout about, there is so much to like about the journey. The interactions between characters as well as the gameplay are incredibly well crafted. Maxima's presentation is halfway there between the higher-end versions and the PS Vita release. The textures aren't as flat as on Vita, but there is some blurriness to be seen. Overall though, this is one of the better full-blown RPGs on the system, with a no-nonsense approach that kept me coming back.

Overall, if you are already a fan of visual novels as a whole, Worldend Syndrome will probably be successful at drawing you in. If you’re not already a fan of the genre, it isn’t likely to change your mind. Between the lengthy prologue and the slightly disappointing shift in gameplay that comes after it, Worldend has a lot of potential for its storytelling that it constantly seems to put just out of reach in order to pad out its length and starve the player of interesting information until the very last second, before repeating the same process over and over again.

Overall, Astrologaster is a fun romp through 16th century England. It chose its lane and fully committed to going full farce, turning out to be a very well conceived and interesting game. I enjoyed it, even if I felt at odds with some of the conclusions the game took from dialogue choices. The gameplay was always intriguing enough to keep me going. And somehow, in a world of pandemic and astrology TikTok, this game feels relevant even while it lives in the past. If you’re looking for something a little different, with unique gameplay, and a very entertaining soundtrack, I’d definitely suggest giving Astrologaster a try.

Glee-Cheese Studio’s motto is to develop innovative games with a strong artistic identity. With A Musical Story, they have done exactly this. It plays and looks like no other rhythm game out there and, to me, is close to faultless. I am very excited to see what they will produce next. Here’s hoping for an album release of the soundtrack on streaming services… Please!

Band Hero is clearly aimed at a very specific audience, and for that audience it's a goldmine of content that they'll enjoy. For guys like me, who actually like rock music, I'll stick with something a little more hardcore.