Ultimately this feels like a one trick pony that has been stretched to every conceivable limit. Though it may be initially enchanting, it won’t take long before Grimm’s spell wears off, leaving players wondering if getting some pizza is really worth all of the hassle.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a solid LEGO experience — certainly in the top tiers as far as LEGO games are concerned — but still just a LEGO experience that isn’t looking to change the status quo while bringing the heart and soul of a critically and commercially lauded film to your console, brick by expected brick.

Prison Warden is what will offer me some longevity in this game, since I can mess around with how the wardens affect the gameplay, and how each map runs differently. I get bored easily, and I will say that I found myself unchallenged after I got the hang of things. Prison Warden can help with that.

NERO is not fun. NERO might have a powerful story. NERO might look pretty. But NERO is not fun. Nor enjoyable. Or engaging. Or really anything that may have driven me to want to keep playing.

Not much about the game stands out as must-play, but it’s a good recommendation for RPG-loving friends who are looking for a sci-fi/steampunk RPG to play.

Both on its own and as a piece of the cumulative ZE puzzle, this easily has the best narrative I’ve seen in a game so far this year and should go down as one of the all-time greatest stories told through the medium.

The game’s presentation feels very dated, graphics performance fluctuates, players new to the franchise may feel left out in the cold, and the story is somewhat predictable. Yet, despite these issues, the game is ultimately very fun for RPG fans, both Japanese and Western, thanks to the meaty campaign, countless strategy options, and numerous unlockable and upgradeable skills and roles. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a perfect time-sink to game away those lazy summer afternoons on.

Grand Kingdom’s blend of board game-style map exploration and intriguing lane-based combat is something you won’t find anywhere else on PS4, and that’s really what makes it something to be savored.

It’s an unoriginal platformer built around nostalgia that plays an awful lot like Mega Man, except it’s not 1987 anymore.

Impressively updated graphical prowess for a unique visual styling isn’t enough to save it from a myriad of cheaply laid gameplay issues.

Soul Axiom is an incredibly uneven game that feels disjointed and unpolished. Moments of beauty in its futuristic overworld are only temporary, as half of the game looks completely out of place. It’s incredibly disappointing that the game isn’t able to come together since some of the puzzles are delightful to figure out.

It’s training tools raise the bar at which other fighters are measured to, and it’s a real triumph in that regard. Whether you’re a veteran or a newcomer, there’s a lot to learn here.

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a more relaxed entry in the series, and I enjoyed that particular aspect of it. Unfortunately, it’s also becoming clear just how little the series has grown over a whopping 17 entries, a condition likely due to the annual nature of its sequels.

The chaotic action really pops with sketchy cartoon visuals — I especially loved the visceral satisfaction of knocking my opponents into background objects and watching the debris fall. This isn’t as tight or polished as some of the other stuff out there (Naruto Shippuden’s latest installment comes to mind), but it’s well-worth a look if you’re a One Piece junkie or just a fighting game fan looking for a little anarchic fun.

If you loved the original Mirror’s Edge, you will likely love Catalyst as well. On the other hand, the same issues that some people had with the first game are still present in Catalyst. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to win over any non-fans of the franchise. Yet, I wouldn’t say that is a bad thing. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst knows exactly what it is, and more importantly what it is not. It is a stylish platforming game that just so happens to be in the first-person perspective; it is not a shooter, and it is not for everyone.

Oxenfree deals with some heavy topics in just a few hours, and manages to do something genuinely interesting with them. A phenomenal conversation system anchors most of the experience, but there’s many mysteries for dedicated players to solve. Oxenfree is a game that rewards players that go the extra mile, and how much you get out of it is directly tied to how much you put in.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is an outstanding remaster of a game many JRPG fans missed on PS2. Perhaps its most striking feature is the refreshing availability of information that comes with its fantastic interface, from easy-to-read maps to detailed descriptions of each item that comes your way.

For those of us that have played Dead Island before, there’s not much in the Definitive Collection to drag us back. Lack of adding previously missing features like split screen and the inability to import last gen character saves make playing Dead Island again feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.

With good presentation, deceptively easy to pick up combat, and great team mechanics, SMITE will be one to invest time and money into.

It’s not perfect, but SOMI gets major points for trying something new and exploring mechanics that other games don’t. Maybe it’s time to look a little deeper into the mirror that Retsnom offers and reflect on your own reasons for avoiding indie games.

Anima: Gate of Memories is a crushing disappointment.

Another huge issue is that Mutants in Manhattan just generally lacks polish.

With accessibility to spare, a real commitment to diversity and an infectious sense of innocent fun, Overwatch feels like an important game — the sort that can bridge boundaries in the oft-segmented gaming community. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that this may just be the project to revitalize lapsed or disheartened gamers’ interest in the medium, or the one to bring new players onboard the FPS wagon.

Homefront: The Revolution fails to stir any real revolution of its own in the genre of first-person open world games. It still has a unique premise with the notion that a unified Korea could ever overtake the United States, but the game is simply adequate. Couple uninspiring gameplay with occasionally broken physics and stupendously idiotic AI, and this is a purchase for fans of the franchise only. Otherwise, just go play Far Cry.

Shadwen makes a lot of smart decisions, and I’ll definitely miss its rewind system in other stealth games, but it never fully comes together as a whole. There’s just not enough enemy variety, and the 15-level campaign grows tiresome as the end nears. Throw in one of the most anticlimactic endings in recent memory, and a lot of the initial goodwill is used up. While far from perfect, there’s still enough ambition here for stealth fans to appreciate, but Shadwen isn’t Agent 47.

Shadow of the Beast hits many right notes for that old-school difficult feeling, even with infinite lives.

Defying the odds, id Software has made DOOM not only a relevant series in 2016, but a great one. They’ve also managed to create three distinct modes that all have their own appeal and feel to them. It’s an amazing package, and one that I’ll continue to come back to.

I absolutely adore VEV: Viva Ex Vivo‘s concept, which only serves to make me more disappointed in the final release. Exploring these different microscope slides should be exciting, but instead players are left frustrated due to awkward controls and bored by how little there is to do.

If you’re playing it for the first time, this is as good a version as any to get a taste of the excellent blend of turn-based strategy and real-time action that made the game such a hit on PS3; if you’re a returning fan, on the other hand, you might be slightly disappointed to learn that this “remastering” doesn’t look much different from the original version (or offer any new content, for that matter).

If you’re a massive fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, or not at all picky about your hack-and-slash titles, you might get a kick out of MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can say is worth the investment for anyone else; outside of a decent multiplayer mode, the game only has a mind-numbingly dull campaign to offer.

If Borderlands and the MOBA genre could have a baby, I imagine it would look something like Battleborn. Gearbox Software’s signature style shines here, even if the humor falls flat most of the time.

In some ways it feels like I’m playing Uncharted for the first time again, living that sense of incredulity and adventure as we join Nathan Drake and his charming half-tuck for one final adventure rooted in love and sacrifice. It’s a bittersweet feeling, but they’ve gone all in to make sure that A Thief’s End is the Uncharted finale that the fans deserve.

Ray Gigant doesn’t play like your average dungeon-crawler, and that’s refreshing, but it also doesn’t do enough to warrant more than a hesitant recommendation.

There’s a lot of interesting ideas, but very few are capitalized on in any captivating way.

The Magic Circle will appeal to anyone who can laugh at themselves.

Chapter 3 had me smiling the entire way throughout, and sometimes even laughing out loud. As Graham matures and makes more meaningful connections during his time in Daventry, it seems like the tale being told deepens too, and I can’t wait to see what part of Graham’s life we get to be a part of next.

The stealth gameplay is satisfying, but a game can’t be this difficult while also being unfair to the player. The technical issues that bring down publisher tinyBuild’s latest game are disappointing and really tarnish a solid base.

An incredible eleventh-hour treat for fans who have invested their time and money into the handheld. If you enjoyed Guacamelee!, you’ll find a lot of what you loved in that game has returned. Vibrant colors with a unique “diorama” artstyle really pop off the screen, and its inventive gameplay successfully combines touch-twitch antics and old-fashioned role playing.

Rocketbirds 2 is a game strictly for fans of the series. With imprecise controls yet precise aiming requirements, you can expect to curse your way through most of the game’s boss fights (especially those that take place in the air, or under the water, or in space, or, well, anywhere the camera changes perspective).

Alienation is another extremely polished game from Housemarque that takes well known game mechanics and combines them in unconventional ways for an experience that is not only satisfying to play on the surface, but has a layer of depth that most other twin-stick shooters cannot claim.

If you’re in the mood for something that will really test your strategy-building chops, Invisible, Inc. Console Edition should be somewhere near the top of your wish list. It’s a tantalizing combination of turn-based tactics and stealth, wrapped up in the shell of an unforgiving roguelike where every single decision matters.

KOI is a game that almost went somewhere. While it has a pleasing aesthetic, and peaceful ambiance, what’s on offer is woefully short. So the score earned here, for the first game developed in China and released for Western audiences on the PlayStation 4, should serve as a sign for any other developers in China to strive for something more.

Overall, this is one action-RPG fans won’t want to miss.

Grab your sword, prepare to enjoy that character creation menu, and get ready to spend as much time in the hospital as in a 3D dungeon labyrinth.

The game is polished and runs very smoothly. In my two complete playthroughs, I only noticed a couple of slowdowns that happen in massive battle scenarios, and an odd issue where crates can visually clip and disappear when you get close to them with the camera, but neither come close to being gamebreaking issues.

Nevertheless, this is title crafted with care and a gaming heritage that ought to tickle any player — the Ammoconda, for instance, shoots out bullets in the vein of Snake. Toss in co-op gameplay, excellent writing and a genuinely entertaining sense of humor that is often self-referential and never trite and you’re left facing a competent shmup that is familiar, yes, but damn entertaining.

This is a huge, gorgeous adventure by any reasonable standards, and while retro gamers will probably get a kick out of it more than anyone, it’s not content to rest on its laurels and exploit nostalgia. For every way it recalls classic titles like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Teddy doles out a few original ideas of its own. Excellent level design, a number of fun-to-use items and the creative “Musicom” system, which lets you communicate with NPCs using music, prove that LookAtMyGame’s wonderful little indie goes beyond its inspiration.

Dark Souls III is another punishingly hard game in an era of hand-holding that masochists will appreciate. While enemy AI is laughably dumb, those same enemies can take you down in no time flat. This is a game that forces you to learn its intricacies and quirks, and use them all to your advantage. Sporting a wonderful environment full of color, suffering, death, and a small amount of hope, fans can expect to sink several dozen, if not hundreds, of hours into the game, if they haven’t already.

The appeal might not last forever due to a lack of content and depth, especially in the game’s story mode, which doesn’t fully explore all the great wacky ideas it seems to have. Even so, this is a standout indie that will bring a lot of people back to the couch — both the literal one and the figurative one of their past.

Nights of Azure is a bit shorter than your average JRPG, but it jam-packs a ton of variety into its 20-25 hours of story — and if you stick around to collect everything afterward, you’ll have even more time to sink your teeth into the game’s various systems.

This is the game rally fans have been waiting for. DiRT Rally boasts a simple title that reflects its deceptively simple goal: to be the best rally game, or even the best racing game, released to date.

As usual, MLB The Show remains the series to beat in the baseball simulation category (not that there’s much competition). Unlike last year, which served mostly as a spit-shine to a venerable series, MLB The Show 16 features meaningful upgrades, including a few new modes to change up the way baseball is played.

Trillion: God of Destruction is a bold experiment by Compile Heart, but unfortunately, it’s one that doesn’t work all that well.

Candlelight is a lot of great and fun ideas that feel more disjointed than cohesive. Rather than teach the player or provide a challenge, it throws things at you as if to say “hey, check this cool thing out,” without utilizing that mechanic as a lesson to overcome future challenges, instead getting redundant by often falling back on very basic platforming in the later levels.

“Adorable” is about the biggest compliment I can give to Catlateral Damage as a whole. As a cat lover, I relished the chance to vicariously experience the destruction they cause, only to find that knocking things over ad nauseum wasn’t all I thought it would be. In any case, there are plenty of laughs and smiles to be had if you’re of a mind to enjoy this silly “Simulator” stuff, and creator Chris Chung has seen fit to stuff the game with a plethora of cutesy collectibles (including a surprise “Pawlatinum!”). Go in with modest expectations and a lighthearted attitude and you’ll be sure to have a good time.

Outside of some blocky textures, there’s nothing terribly wrong with Aegis of Earth — but there’s also nothing groundbreaking here, either.

Overflowing with buckets of self-aware humor and charm, and bringing the beloved point-and-click cartoon adventure into gorgeous HD, this should be a priority for both fans of the original game as well as anyone looking to play an important and influential part of gaming history.

A lot of thought and care went into this game, more so than expected at first glance. While République can be a little rough around the edges at times, its flaws are never so pronounced that it ruins the experience.

Salt and Sanctuary is fairly shameless in the way it replicates elements from games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but that’s not really a bad thing when you see how it all comes together as a polished and thoroughly enjoyable final product.

Senran Kagura Estival Versus sure has a lot of fanservice…and, unfortunately, not a whole lot else.

EA Canada went to great lengths to listen to their critics from the previous release and have made a bunch of much needed improvements to EA Sports UFC 2.

The Division is something special that’s never really been done before in games, and while I don’t expect perfection from such a bold experiment, I’m impressed with what they have been able to pull off so far.

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is definitely an entry for hardcore Empires fans — with the same repetitive combat, and even reused graphics and audio assets, this release will not do much to convert anyone who isn’t already heavily invested in the series.

[There are] so many ways to take on this single mission, part of the fun will be seeing other players’ creative ways that they assassinate the targets. If you’ve ever wanted to play the part of a super agent in a large sandbox, this is as good as it gets. With a fairly robust content creation engine, and future missions promised throughout the coming year, it looks like Hitman will be the weapon of choice of stealth gamers for the foreseeable future.

There’s replayability in the different modes like Daily Drive, Infinity Drive, and Boss Rush for those that like to buckle down and test their skills to get top scores on leaderboards. There’s the campaign, which has an interesting story with different dialogue per character. There’s extra stuff to buy with credits (earned by your scores per level) like game altering fun features, or concept art and codex entries to further learn about the characters and enemies.

If you’re a huge fan of Nippon Ichi’s games, then this is the game for you. However, the same reasons that fans enjoy their games are the same reasons to avoid them if you’ve not liked their work up to this point. The story is absurd, bordering on nonsensical at times. The graphics are disappointing at best, laggy at worst. Combat has a unique multi-weapon approach, but still mostly boils down to mashing the Square button until you can occasionally use a special ability.

For those that miss the ’90s and its truly classic FPS titles, then Gunscape is going to be a real treat.

Ironcast has a fascinatingly complex base game, filled with myriad details to keep track of and a brilliant sense of strategy. Unfortunately, while serious tacticians will find themselves enjoying the nightmarish difficulty, anyone looking for a lighter challenge will be left in the dust, as permadeath and a merciless RNG slow progress to an unsatisfying crawl.

If you’ve already got the game in to-go form, there’s really no reason to opt into its release on consoles; this version is just as fun and cerebral as the mobile experience, but it’s held back a bit by its lack of portability. That’s not to say anything is necessarily lost, but it’s definitely a pick-up-and-play experience that’s better enjoyed on the move — “GO” is in the title for a reason.

Far Cry Primal evolves the series through devolution, bringing an incredible prehistoric landscape to gamers in 2016. Consequently, the focus on authenticity draws a disconnect from the player and fails to offer relatable characters or a meaningful narrative.

Distinctive characters, detailed maps and a lively sense of chaos all add up to one of the finest family-friendly multiplayer experiences on PS4. There’s also solo play this time around, and while that suffers a bit from balancing issues, it’s nice to be able to squeeze in a little experience-building and item-collecting in between rounds of online action. Overall, though, it’s the childlike qualities at the center of GW2 that are the most important — a seemingly limitless energy, a fearlessly goofy aesthetic and a commitment to making playing fun above all else.

As of the time of this review, Street Fighter V is a showcase of potential, but little else.

What Layers of Fear lacks in complexity, it more than makes up for with atmosphere. It’s a bizarre and thrilling ride that doesn’t even considering letting up as you traverse a truly broken mind. The concept is incredibly novel and well portrayed, the wellbeing of your limping vessel never coming into debate as he works on his masterpiece. It’s just a shame that, even with all the literary influences, the phenomenal and thought-provoking ambiance isn’t backed up by the writing or voice work that can both feel flat and uninspired more often than not.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia is the best entry in this mini-series.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 should feel like a love letter to longtime fans, who will adore the enormous roster of 61 characters and breathtakingly beautiful visuals. On the other hand, the game shouldn’t be counted out for newcomers, either; while they might not enjoy the hackneyed shonen story elements or lack of tutorials, they’ll almost assuredly get a kick out of the hyperactive and highly variable fighting style.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is an exceptional crossover with the Warriors series, standing just behind last year’s Dragon Quest Heroes as the best the franchise has to offer.

This is a rare game that tackles strong morals and emotions under the guise of a beautiful walk through the wilderness that always manages to keep you on your toes, a walk you’ll be hard pressed to ever forget.

From the moment that little ball of red yarn tumbled down the old woman’s steps to the last bit of yarn that I strung from place to place in the old woman’s memories, I enjoyed almost every step, swing, and catapult. The emotive little Yarny had me feeling for him as I traversed the dangerous terrain with his ever unraveling figure. Though the gameplay falls victim to ebbs and flows of being too frustrating at times and too easy at others, it was still an overall enjoyable experience.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth isn’t a perfect video game interpretation of Bandai Namco’s long-running franchise, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for fans who have been waiting to see the series get on Pokémon’s level. The core gameplay is simple but addictive, making this a perfectly accessible jumping-on point for both casual and hardcore fans of RPGs and Digimon.

What we have here is a deceptively challenging game wrapped in a slightly sarcastic package, with a few rough edges.

Megadimension Neptunia VII is a mixed bag, with great combat elements and parody sadly shuffled together with overly padded plot, repetitive boss fights, and boring story presentation.

An admirable effort, bringing together characters from a number of visual novels and gaming franchises and pitting them against each other in a solid, energetic brawler. It’s a shame that there aren’t more interesting modes in which to test your fighting mettle, particularly when the two story modes offered are so dull and impenetrable, but at least there’s some good multiplayer fun to be had — just don’t get too interested in completely even-handed competition, as I highly suspect there are serious balancing issues at play here.

Not A Hero is a thumping good shooter experience made all the more exiting through an intriguing art style; unrelenting gore and a relatively non-linear composition to pleasantly fleshed out levels.

It’s the most real feeling simulator of war out there and that in itself makes This War of Mine: The Little Ones quite terrifying and truly memorable.

A competent twin-stick shooter that lacks true depth. Local cooperative play is always appreciated, however, and the inclusion of such a rare feature is something that newly-minted developer Blazing Badger absolutely deserves commendation for. But with only one level layout, gameplay can become repetitive fairly quickly.

For now, there are a few things to be ironed out, but with constant updates and support, this is a game that will be worth coming back to as it evolves and changes in the future.

The story is straight from the movies, and is enjoyable for kids of any age – indeed, fans of the Marvel universe will likely have fun here too. Some technical hiccups and the occasional unclear objective can hamper your progress, but these can all be overcome in a game that exudes a fun-loving attitude throughout.

It’s hard to pinpoint why it suffers with fatigue quite so badly but, irrespective, it’s fully worth having in your library, albeit just for that one night in with your friends you’ll all remember for a long time to come.

Though some elements feel like relics of its portable past, like comic-book-style cutscenes and a lack of voice acting, there’s no denying it’s still a hell of an aesthetic accomplishment.

It’s a brilliant, beautiful, masterfully crafted work, and the more you discover, the more apparent it is.

Klaus is a subversive, ingenious little puzzle platformer that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who claims to be a fan of video games.

While this one can unfortunately get bogged down in repetitive busywork, and lacks the fun sense of exploration that comes with better map design, there’s still plenty to enjoy: the stylized characters and environments look excellent on Vita, the score is impressively eclectic and the gameplay offers a highly satisfying challenge for completionists.

Fans of cult sci-fi films and/or Mystery Science Theater 3000 will get quite the kick out of The Deadly Tower of Monsters.

Exploring the title’s creepy, masterfully detailed environments is nothing short of a joy, and sorting out the harrowing tasks of inventory management and limited resources is tense in just the right way.

If you’re a big fan of Assassin’s Creed, or enjoyed ACC: China, then you can pick this up without hesitation. It’s more of the same gameplay-wise, but completely different story and setting-wise.

There’s a lot to do in Rebel Galaxy, it’s just a shame that it’s all too often the same things to do. That’s the selling point for this genre, yes, but there’s so much repetition that I never felt particularly engaged.

The combat, while a little uneven difficulty-wise across the game’s campaign, nevertheless manages to hit the sweet spot between simple accessibility and strategic depth.

It’s colorful and quite ridiculous; it’s simple, accessible and well populated. Hardware: Rivals has most of the ingredients present to cook up a fantastic arcade experience, but it’s missing a vital ingredient: fun. The sluggish pace that permeates everything from movement and destruction to respawning and leveling up constantly holds it back.