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.