While The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a beautiful game and aesthetically unique compared to other RPGs, it's the core gameplay and super slow pacing that stops this from being something I'd recommend over more standard RPGs that do almost everything else better. I'm sorry, Yuu, you're probably one of the most adorable protagonists I've ever played as, but that just isn't enough!

Trinity Trigger still scratches a specific itch very well. This Mana-inspired game brings the three-player co-op fun back from the Super Nintendo era, but now without the need for a Multitap. This is a good romp for a single player, but it is best suited for a pair or a trio who want to traipse through a fantasy world slaying foes and finding treasure chests. This won’t rival the highs of action RPGs, but it’s an adventure well worth playing.

The entirety of Disc Jam depends on if you’re into playing Disc Jam competitively online. If you’re not into that, then this game is probably not for you. The Ghost Arcade is the best mode aside from online play, and while it’s nice that it’s there, it’s just the same thing with an offline hat. On the bright side, online runs very well and thanks to cross-play with PC, the player base should stay strong for a while. The disc-throwing action is very fun, but with limited ways in which to do it, Disc Jam is a one-trick sport.

When a developer is able to marry the perfect controls of this game with content and gameplay that are equally polished, we'll really have something. And judging by Team Fusion's admirable first effort on Wii, they might just be the developers to do it.

The lack of meaningful level sharing or communication with the full Mario Maker community that has come up over the last year is sad. The local level creation is nice when it’s available, but that’s probably not going to be very often. The ''Maker'' part of the title seems less to matter. While I never made too many levels to begin with, having the possibility missing is something that can't be denied.

Aragami is a perfectly adequate stealth game. The gameplay loop is short, as it often is in stealth titles, but that loop generally works well. Enemies exhibit nothing in the way of complex behavior, but that doesn’t make pushing through a group of them, silently killing as you go, any less satisfying. Aragami is a stealth game out of time that could have been quite beloved in 2006. Today, however, it will have to settle for pretty all right.

The style remains, even if the game is relatively cookie-cutter.

Technically sound and built on a solid gameplay engine that provides a fast and frantic experience. It’s an adrenaline rush that fans of racing games should not miss out on.

Overall, I think that Koa and the Five Pirates is a great reworking of the Summer in Mara world and characters. Being a 3D character platformer just makes the gameplay feel fast-paced and welcoming. Like I stated, for younger players this is a great introduction to these types of games if you’re looking for something that might be even more accessible than Mario. For platforming veterans there’s some decent challenge in getting gold medals in every stage, but other than that it might feel a bit too simple. The game might be unpolished in a few places, but there was very little that hampers the gameplay experience. Leaving the door open for future Mara adventures, I think that these characters really lend themselves to different genres and experiences. Even if I didn’t pick up on many of the callbacks to Summer in Mara, I could tell that the developers really like these characters and this world they’ve created. Perhaps it’s time to explore the RTS or RPG genre in Mara?

SRPG fans will have some fun playing Luminous Arc 2, but if you’re not a fan of the genre it's not a game you’ll be playing over and over.

As a standalone game, Wario Ware D.I.Y Showcase is a fun WiiWare title that is somewhat shallow.

Ultratron is a perfectly fine twin stick shooter and it is certainly worth playing. Sadly, it is too flashy for its own good and this creates problems that are uniquely its own.

It is slightly fun for a while, but once the novelty of a Spanish-speaking DS wears off it starts to feel more like a class than a game. However, if you are learning Spanish or wish to learn Spanish, I can’t think of a better tool to have in your hip pocket.

Chicken Wiggle is an intuitively-designed, tightly-controlled 2D platformer that has the potential for an unlimited amount of content. 3DS owners that pick this game up are getting a great value, despite a few minor issues that I had with the game. Atooi has once again crafted a fine, challenging platformer that is easy to recommend to any fan of the genre.

A Normal Lost Phone does a lot of things right: unlocking story bits is interesting, the phone premise pays off, and the atmosphere sells Sam’s character. Seeing such delicate subject matter in a game is nice, but the end game felt a bit preachy without offering anything too helpful. I would definitely play another phone-snooping game with more surprises in the story as I wasn’t blown away by any revelations here.

FIFA 11 doesn't feel particularly ambitious, but it's still a well-made game.

Mixes elements of classic Mario games and sidescrolling shooters with touch screen controls for an experience like you’ve never played before.

Bike Rider DX 2: Galaxy is easily one of the better-playing indie platformers you can find on the eShop right now.

Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a very enjoyable puzzle platformer. The game often surprises you with the solutions to different puzzles and overall is a very rewarding experience. Those seeking out an interesting twist on the platforming genre will find a lot to love in Max’s latest adventure.

Whether you happened to cross paths with this odd little genre during its brief popularity or Sublevel Zero Redux will be your first dizzying journey, you’re in for a great blend of retro game design with a twist of modern mechanics. While I do wish the art and mechanics worked a little better together now and then, it doesn’t hamper the addictive gameplay to any significant degree. Grab some motion sickness medicine and get ready to spin and shoot.

If Super Mario RPG helped you become a master of timing-based moves, Ikenfell offers a warm and satisfying playthrough. Undoubtedly, though, some will find the non-combat elements overly simple and the battles too demanding.

Overall, your mileage is going to vary in What Comes After. It is a very short experience, clocking in at just around an hour long, so even if you find the gameplay to be a tad tedious, the game at the very least does not overstay its welcome. If you're more interested in narrative as opposed to gameplay, you will likely find some enjoyment here, but those who are more interested in gameplay should probably steer clear. What Comes After has a lot to say, and even if a shoddy translation takes the impact down a bit, it's still worth a look if its premise has caught your eye.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a decent arcade racer with a whole bunch of additional content that helps pull it out of mediocrity. The single player campaign is set up for greatness but ultimately fails to amount to anything beyond basic races and time trials. The customization is incredible, if a little hard to come to grip with. Hopefully, the upcoming post-launch update will clear these issues up. For now, there is a lot of potential. Check back around the time that patch hits for my final scored thoughts on the game. In the meantime, if building tracks and customizing cars can make up for some rough edges in other departments, Hot Wheels Unleashed may be worth checking out.

That all being said, Princess Maker 2 is a game worthy of your time, if you’re interested in gaming history but also if you want something that has held up as being genuinely fun and compelling 30 years later. It’s certainly not for everyone, but as a menu game enthusiast I enjoyed myself thoroughly and will keep playing, if only so I can finally make my character into the Princess the title suggests.

Atelier Resleriana is in a lot of ways a love letter to the rest of the series. While Atelier Yumia was looking forward, Atelier Resleriana shows that Gust is more than willing to look back at the things that made the series beloved in the first place. While I really enjoyed my time with Atelier Yumia, I think Atelier Resleriana will be my favorite Atelier game of the year. This is a review in progress due to the fact I’m not quite done with the game and can’t speak to the completed story, but I think the gameplay and characters show just why so many fans like myself have fallen in love with the Atelier series. It incorporates classic Atelier gameplay with fan favorite characters while still including fresh gameplay ideas. While this was definitely made with existing fans of the series in mind, Atelier Resleriana is something that new fans can also appreciate as well.

The game manages to keep the hectic and wild spirit Mario Party is known for while eliminating superfluous gimmicks and features that slowed the pace down instead of making it equally interesting for everybody.

Trainer battle is the focus of this game. It would be a shame for Pokémon gamers not to experience this new style of battle, as it's fairly different from the usual Pokémon fare. Who knows, it may even sway older gamers with its decidedly 'older' look.

Descenders joins the reawakening of the skateboarding and cycling genres by offering a unique take on a specific form of cycling we haven’t seen in a long time. While the gameplay is thrilling and does its best to stay interesting, mechanics that are at odds with each other mean you will be forced to choose between having that exciting arcade experience or maintaining the roguelite run through the sometimes intense difficulty. Whether taken seriously or just for fun, Descenders isn’t consistent, and considering this specific port has some rough edges graphically, you may just want to focus on using it for its multiplayer.