Damsel misses the mark in many ways, but really isn't all that bad. It's more of a glaring missed opportunity than anything else.

Though a noble effort, the transition to HD has probably done more harm than good. Challenging gameplay has been replaced with a virtual walk in the park, devoid of damn near any difficulty. If you're looking to relive gaming's past, this one may be better found in the original.

While there is plenty to like about Redout: Space Assault, it just doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the iOS outing. Mechanics issues, not to mention sporadic difficulty spikes, plague the progression through the campaign and rob players of what could've otherwise been a memorable experience. Buckle up, because it's coming in for an extremely bumpy landing.

Padded, mediocre, and tripped up by horribly dated AI and unreliable game mechanics, Aragami 2 is the kind of stealth game that you may want to just sneak past.

Firewalk Studios' debut sci-fi shooter makes an incredibly rough landing with too little to set it apart in a highly competitive genre.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD isn't particularly lengthy or challenging, but it's very entertaining and downright hilarious. As long as you're okay with playing what's mostly a straight port of an Xbox game from 2004, there's a good time to be had here.

Iron Rain is a good game on its own merits, but it's simply not as good as EDF5. It is a pretty different experience that's easy to recommend to series fans that are hungry for more, though.

A sturdy conversion of a robust set of board game rules. The top-down, corridor-heavy setting is reminiscent of Space Hulk, but Legions of Steel places more emphasis on equal fire-fights between the competing factions.

3DClouds' Xenon Racer provides a semi-futuristic racing experience that's a bit rough around the edges, but is incredibly exhilarating, albeit challenging.

Even though Kinetic Edge is by no means spectacular, it does achieve what it sets out to do. This is a platformer that is easy to get in to, which can be great fun with some friends. Its striking visuals also help differentiate it. Despite its shortcomings, there are more positives than negatives on display. All in all, it is a good game that comfortably justifies its price tag.

Pascal's Wager may have been a mobile Souls-like, but don't let that fool you. It's a distinct, enjoyable game in its own right, with a lot of challenges and plenty of characters to master.

A promising opening and some decent, world-appropriate characters are squandered in an overly-prescriptive narrative that ends on disappointing and inconclusive cliffhangers.

Ancestors is a great step forward for the survival genre. It has all the pieces you'd expect, including water and food requirements but also a few unique ones. All of these tie into the game in a much better way than in most other survival games. Plus, its narrative of guiding humankind through its early evolution in prehistoric Africa makes for a great story to play in a beautiful place to do it.

Pagan Online's fast-paced action is weighed down by its disappointing lack of depth. If you want the thrill of being trapped in a barrel full of monsters all day, this game is for you. If not, then it's best to look elsewhere.

Corruption 2029 might be set in a bleak future, but the only thing that looks bleak is the hope for something that's an improvement over Mutant Year Zero. Bland characters, a lack of map environments and weaponry, a streamlined approach to the campaign, and a barebones story that doesn't feel connected to previous offerings all combine to make Corruption 2029 a surprising release indeed. It's a surprise, to be sure, and not a welcome one at that.

Despite checking many of the most important boxes in the adventure game design guide, Retro Machina is a beautifully envisioned world waiting to be demolished. However, all of the best elements are derailed due to monotonous combat and drastically over-engineered puzzles. This will be a pretty ride, but one you might never see through to completion.

Hellpoint tries to incorporate familiar concepts you've seen from more popular action titles such as the Souls series. Unfortunately, it also adds various ideas that turn it into a jumbled mess. Combined with cryptic presentation of information, confusing level layouts, clunky combat, and abysmally bad platforming mechanics, it's one game that you'll say "Oh, hell no" to.

Warlander will cost you nothing to try out and see if its high-paced arcade-y combat overcomes the the tedious visuals and audio.

A testament to mediocrity, but not awful. It can be acceptable if you just want to zone out for a while, but the constant stream of tedium and pointless running back and forth will try the patience of most.

Acceptable, but could have been so much better. Dirty Bomb is hampered by free-to-play nagging, small maps, and too many uninspiring matches.

A respectable recreation of hunting that serves far better as a simulator than an actual game. For some, this will be exactly what you're looking for. For most, probably not.

There are plenty of secrets to find and the design is quite strong, even if I do occasionally find myself in an area I can’t figure out how to leave. It also runs very well, easily granting over 120fps on midline cards, even at 4K. Just Die Already is bright and colorful as well, and it’s easy to pass the time by just wandering and getting into trouble. It succeeds at what it sets out to do. Sure, it doesn’t have tight, rewarding gameplay, but it doesn’t need it. It does have scenarios where old people can get turned into piles of flesh by swarms of bees, though.

King's Bounty II offers numerous options to keep you playing its 40-hour campaign. Unfortunately, it suffers from questionable design, janky movement while exploring, and confusing alignment system outcomes. It can be a treat for long-time fans, but it's also rough around the edges.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is actually a good game. The good found in gameplay, cutscenes, and level design far outweigh the bad found in the campaign's pacing and some grisly missions and boss fights. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, flaws and all, and will definitely be sticking around.

Anyone who likes walking simulators or solid mysteries will likely be satisfied with The Suicide of Rachel Foster. It's got a well-written story and is set in a convincing location. It's also very easy to blow through in a single evening in lieu of watching a similar movie.

In spite of having unique mechanics and a fresh take on the 4X and roguelike genres, Jon Shafer's At The Gates falls woefully short of delivering on both counts with frustrating RNG, mechanics, unintuitive design, and bugs.

This Indian Chronicle holds few surprises for those who played China, meaning frustration and contentment in roughly equal measure. Plus some half-decent artistic flair.

Alder's Blood is a functional game, beautiful, but not exceptionally exciting. On one hand, the game looks great and the writing, while clunky, can inspire a bit of wonder. The gameplay is, however, lacking, as you don’t get too attached to your Hunters, and you don’t do much hunting.

Regrettably, Saints Row does suffer from annoying bugs, glitches, and crashes. In fact, I had to restart the game as soon as I created my character when the menu stopped being functional. There were also some moments when getting inside a vehicle would place the camera inside the textures. Moreover, there were a handful of missions that led to crashes — in a couple of instances, I even had to restart my PC. There was no other recourse but to restart the mission from scratch instead of the checkpoint. Will the frustrations continue to mount? We’ll see. For now, I’ll continue to play more to see the campaign through to its conclusion.

Moments of stealth-flavored enjoyment in The Blackout Club are often overshadowed by the game's unpolished state, with bugs and repetition robbing the game's mysteries with growing frustration.

Despite an overwhelming number of strategic options and features, many of Empire of Sin's mechanics just don't mesh well or they can be completely ignored. Playthroughs will feel roughly similar to what you've done previously, and it becomes a repetitive affair and a chore to see what else you could do.

Flawed in a lot of ways and with some ideas that don't seem fully fleshed out, but a gorgeous and idly entertaining roguelike romp nonetheless.

A decent skateboarding game with an entertaining theme and quirk. The physics and visuals imperfections hold it back for sure but there's still enough there to have a good few hours of fun.

Despite its strong first impressions, Curved Space lacks the true variety to stand out in the crowd. You will find plenty to enjoy over the span of its brief runtime, but it isn't substantial enough to warrant a replay. Only diehard genre fans need apply.

Claire de Lune is a game that definitely has its enjoyable parts, but the heavily-advertised narrative is problematic and many of the platforming sections are downright disappointing. If the price wasn't so steep, this would be an easier sell to those who like challenging puzzle adventure games. All of this along with the bugs and lingering performance issues make it hard to recommend.

Construction Simulator (2022) seeks to give the series new life, but doesn't quite strike the nail right on the head. Its beautiful visuals offer a richly detailed world to explore and work in, but its simplified mechanics and tedious design choices can turn some hardcore simmers away. Yet it still provides an all-round decent heavy machinery experience.

Despite a few glaring faults, EvilVEvil still provides a fun, addictive gameplay loop that can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Don't expect AAA polish and you'll have a great time with this vampiric shooter.

Hypergun is an entertaining shooter best enjoyed over short bursts. While there’s a seemingly endless variety of creatable weapons, grinding run after run gets old fast. Like DevTech’s inability to make the perfect superweapon, Hypergun lacks the punch and polish needed to elevate the game to greatness.

It might look unassuming, but In My Shadow is a deeply enjoyable puzzle-platforming with great shadow mechanics. The difficulty curve is just right, the puzzles themselves are varied and fun to solve, and I just like positioning armchairs for maximum verticality.

Overpass’s unique physics system and emphasis on balance might be enough to win over the most dedicated of off-road racing fans, but its shallow progression systems and monotonous gameplay loop greatly limit its appeal.

Mafia 3 occasionally shows off the fantastic game it could've been, but most of the time, it just leaves you with an impression of - and a longing for - the game that it isn't.

Warsaw is challenging at times to the point of harsh realism and it has an assortment of foes to take out. But, with mechanics that are downright arcadey and odd, Warsaw's missteps mar what could've been a brilliant look at a major event in Poland's history during World War II.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem I’ve experienced in Hood: Outlaws & Legends is the atrocious matchmaking.

This expansion is an opportunity to delve into a somewhat refreshed Total War: Rome 2 that I’m sure some will relish. But no matter how many overhauls take place, it’s a game that can’t entirely rid itself of that 2013 launch baggage.

Rise of Industry has significant depth with heavy focus on logistics and supply management. Unfortunately, there's not much else for you to enjoy.

Necromunda: Hired Gun has some jank and some odd qualities, but when tearing your way through hordes of cyborgs is this much fun, I don't really mind so much.

Airheart is a satisfying game to play despite the occasional annoyance of grinding. With a fun world to explore and lots of planes and weapons to use, there’s plenty to enjoy here. If you can overlook some of the annoyances that come with the rogue-lite genre, then you’ll likely have a good time as you grow in power to finally make that catch of a lifetime.

Mable & The Wood comes with an interesting take on combat, but shoddy controls, bugs, and odd storytelling prevent it from being an enjoyable journey through the game's cursed kingdom.

Disintegration has its fair share of flaws, but it still delivers fast-paced action with a unique spin on the first-person shooter genre.

Losing to a devastating horde in Conan Unconquered makes victory later on that much sweeter. But it's difficult to know if this kind of challenge-based real-time strategy game can maintain a long-term appeal.

There’s the shell of a great game here. One that’s bizarre and genuinely interesting. But while We Happy Few‘s aesthetic design colorful worldbuilding are uniformly successful, they’re crushed under the weight of clumsy gameplay and unnecessary systems.

While the gameplay itself is competent, this is short, shallow game with very little enemy variety, poor level design, and some egregious price-gouging.

Boring, pointless, and jammed with grating characters and obnoxious story beats, The Good Life doesn't live up to its name.

Though it's a small package, Unto the End manages to deliver both an amazing visual experience and surprisingly deep combat systems. You won't want to miss the sort of adventure that will keep you coming back for more punishment, death after death.

The Complex's potential gets lost amid weird subplots, throwaway characters, and a ton of plot holes. With so few meaningful choices, it's not an experience worth repeating more than once.

Hellbound has really good movement and the texture quality looks nice, but it's insanely short, the level design is mediocre, and there's nothing here that FPS fans haven't seen done better for decades.

Ashwalkers flaunts a system of choices, which only matter as a means to an end. The gameplay tends to be repetitive, and the story rarely strays from being formulaic and familiar. Despite all this, the environments are fairly unique and the run time is mercifully short.

Annihilation Line is more Terminator: Resistance. With several hours of playtime alongside new story and characters, it's easy to recommend for people who enjoyed the main game.

Not a bad first try for an indie studio. However, the game lacks originality and quickly becomes a repetitive slog.

A very respectable attempt at creating a 3D puzzle platformer but its pacing issues and somewhat frustrating camera design prevent Skully from being a great game. Still, there's some good value there for those willing to dish out the hefty $30 price tag.

Aquatico is a city builder that barely tries to innovate anything, and anything new is immediately overshadowed by how bland and mediocre the rest of it is.

You're trapped in a maze-like Hell in Scathe, but while the shooting is solid, the rest of the game may put you into a haze.

Override 2 has a lot to offer prospective players. From its satisfying, enjoyable combat to its varied, colorful stages and mode options, the game has everything it needs. Except for people playing it.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered adds some prettier textures and lighting, but fails to make this poorly-designed, frustrating game worth another look.

Tennis World Tour fails to nail the basics and lacks any frills for long term investment. Tennis fans should look elsewhere for their simulation needs.

Windbound has lovely visuals and some solid ideas. But it's held back by how old the game's loop gets. Plus, the sailing is so slow and janky that it really . . . takes the wind out of the game's sails. Okay, I'm sorry about that one.

Not particularly offensive, but too repetitive, poorly written, and dull to inspire much admiration. Hindsight 20/20 has some nifty ideas, but they're not enough to act as a lifesaver.

Haus is a promising addition to Dead Island 2 at first but is quickly made worse by a short runtime and lack of meaningful additions.

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem has all the tools thanks to ARPGs that came before it. Sadly, its online mode has had a litany of issues, the controls could use some tweaks, the loot pool isn't as deep as you could imagine, character skills need some rebalancing, and a slew of shortcomings lead to a questionable launch after four years of development. Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem can surely reach the cream of the crop among ARPGs with more improvements, but it's going to take time.

Days of War tries to be Day of Defeat or Call of Duty 2. It falls short of both, hobbled as it is by a myriad of tiny issues that combine into a lackluster whole.

Vambrace: Cold Soul is an engaging and intriguing offering for roguelike fans, mixing fantasy, anime, and horror. Unfortunately, barebones combat and a somewhat inconvenient user interface can hamper your enjoyment.

Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria blends survival adventure and sandbox together fantastically. A very satisfying and rewarding experience all around.

Ary and the Secret of Seasons has some good qualities. However, they're almost always in danger of being trampled by the game's consistent lack of polish and stream of bugs.

It's derivative, only has three zones, and doesn't have much to offer besides its combat, but Godfall will be enjoyable to anyone who just wants a well-tuned, good-looking action RPG to slash their way through.

The Shore is short and has some truly questionable design choices, but its strong visuals and unsettling atmosphere will possibly make it worth a look for horror fans who don't mind being annoyed.

Warlander's visuals and story are generic and it's a bit short on content, not to mention the irksome bug that removes your permanent upgrades. But the combat and cutting mechanics are extremely entertaining breaths of fresh air that make the game very much worth playing.

The Academy has a weak narrative, poor puzzles, and game-breaking bugs. This is one invitation you're going to want to avoid.

Forspoken isn't perfect, owing to a middling campaign and a need for more optimization. Still, its spell combat system and parkour mechanics are top-notch, with landscapes and abilities that can truly amaze.

South Park Snow Day is an entertaining, if simple, title that entirely focuses on multiplayer. Fans of the show will lap up the humor, but those planning to go in alone will be disappointed.

Space Crew is a reasonable introduction to the Crew series, but it tones down the entertaining chaos and difficulty a bit too much.

The visuals are strong and most of the elements are competent, but this is a middle-of-the-road game that squanders its potential with some baffling decisions.

The arena combat features in Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties are refreshing for a time. Unfortunately, the clunkiness and tediousness from the base game remains. Worse, there's a litany of crashes, and a game-breaking bug that can cause issues with your save.

Anthem offers near unlimited potential, with certain features, taken separately, representing a marvel in design. Combined together and it proves to have a lot of style but very little substance.

Eschewing role-playing aspects, depth, and fan-favorite features in favor of simplified pause-and-play automation, ridiculous map-painting mechanics, and lackluster strategic options, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is one of the most disappointing offerings from Koei Tecmo's popular franchise. It's the Liu Shan, not the Zhuge Liang, of the series.

An interesting concept which is let down by the resource system and the repetitive nature of the gameplay.

Spirit of the North is a decent game let down some by subpar controls and underuse of the player character's abilities. It still manages to be somewhat entertaining but is far from a must-play.

Bee Simulator completely nails the fluidity and speed of bee flight. This is a great tool to have when exploring the world within the game. It isn't a true simulation title. Rather, it throws in a story and collectibles for a wider audience. And if you're into learning new factoids about insects and animals, Bee Simulator wraps all these things into one. Be wary, though, as the NPCs can come off as empty and robotic, sometimes taking away from the immersion.

Instead of a "gritty pirate game," Skull and Bones is a looter shooter on the high seas that keeps stepping on its own toes. I hope future seasons will transform it into a game that's good for more than novelty ship battles.

Although Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections brings along some incredible battle mechanics and detailed customization elements, the game is lacking in a decent single-player story mode. Special Story mode wasn't very interactive or interesting for my tastes.

Modern Warfare 3 sets what seems to be the final chapter in the MW series. But with a short campaign, a lot of the payoff feels unfulfilled. However, the open-world design does freshen up the formula that's showing its age. Be prepared to spend little time getting through the narrative. [Campaign Review Score = 60]

Too many of the old adventure game stumbling blocks (inconsistent progression, unclear or obfuscating clues, unmarked dead ends) prevent this homage to Murakami’s short stories ever hitting the stride its aesthetics deserve.

This is a very enjoyable game, and I'm disappointed that a bug deleted my save. But it's got most of what I look for in action-adventure titles and there's a whole lot to like here, despite how bland and familiar it can be.

Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is not a good game. Its design is archaic, its presentation is lacking, and its story is nonsensical. But anyone who enjoys janky, weird games will very likely have a good time with it. It might not be quality, but it's often very entertaining.

It might be short and simple but that doesn't stop it from being plenty entertaining and gorgeous to look at. If the idea of blasting shadow creatures with an energy beam while standing in place sounds like a good time to you, you'll probably find enough to like here.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has a solid foundation, but is let down by poor design choices and braindead easy gameplay.

Although it has enjoyable movement and a solid story, Aztech Forgotten Gods feels like a shell of a game that's been stitched together.

Intuitive controls and great presentation provide some promise, but Matchpoint - Tennis Championships fails to deliver beyond that point. It's too easy to master, and there's just not enough in the game to keep players entertained beyond the first few hours of gameplay.

Tape: Unveil the Memories has compelling elements, but they're overshadowed by some truly bad mechanics and dull monster encounters.