Despite the lack of choices, Game of Thrones: Episode 3 is probably the best episode of the bunch.

Short and sweet, Planet of the Eyes guarantees an evening’s worth of entertainment. It’s not the most difficult puzzle platformer, but it provides enough of a challenge to stay satisfying as the player explores the mysterious world they’ve entered. Paired with some gorgeous artwork and solid writing, it’s hard not to be won over by the time the credits roll.

Every aspect of the single-player campaign is poorly executed and designed. And when you finally push through it, the ending leaves far too much open to feel any sense of closure - you can tell that a sequel was always planned from the get go. Bad news Kaos and THQ, if this is what you give us, we don't want anymore.

A ridiculous amount of playtime and enjoyment. We poured over 15 hours into TDU2, having only pushed through a small sliver of the mulitplayer experience, and just a sixth of the way through the game's leveling system (60 total). As frustrating as the first hour or so may be, the sheer amount of content and scope of the islands is enough to warrant a thumbs up from us.

Skate City is buoyed up by its excellent and mellow lo-fi soundtrack, a veritable repository of chill beats to skate to. This defining aspect helps elevate a simple concept to put you in the right mood to engage with it. While the visuals are nothing to write home about and the finnicky controls can sometimes cause frustration, there’s still something special about chilling out with a 20 minute skate session after a hard day’s work, and discovering yet another great lo-fi tune. However it should have launched for consoles with at least all of the content and modes from the mobile version, if not more for its bigger platform debut. While Skate City is a relatively engaging and mellow experience overall, it’s one I have a hard time recommending on console at its new premium asking price.

While less emphasis on DLC, a practice mode, and a better explanation of the submission game would have been helpful, EA Sports UFC gets a no-contest from this reviewer.

The plot is rather generic, the voice acting is inconsistent, the framerate struggles at times and graphically the game is average at best. But none of that should be enough to dissuade any RPG fan from buying this game.

It’s a great proof of concept as to why mobile and console gaming can complement each other, and don’t always need to be separated.

Despite the enforced name change due to issues over the rights to the Harvest Moon name, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has managed to bring the GameCube game kicking and screaming into the modern age. Between the original’s restrictions and the removal of some of the more in-depth features, it doesn’t manage to compete with more modern and intensive farming sims like Stardew Valley. Despite its relative simplicity, though, A Wonderful Life is still a relaxing experience that builds upon the solid foundation of the original and is the most comprehensive version of the GameCube title so far.

Even with inconsistent visuals, Immortals of Aveum is an enrapturing experience. Its combat gives players a stunning amount of choices and emboldens them to become the ultimate murderous magnus. The narrative doesn’t give into the most bland fantasy clichés, either, and instead tells a well-constructed tale with flawed characters that are given the space to grow. It’s a magical first effort from Ascendant that has set the stage to grow into a spellbinding series.

A pleasant little surprise. Its twin-stick controls work great on the handheld, there’s no forced touchscreen use, its art style and music work well and its core gameplay is solid for a while. Flame Over isn’t perfect. It is, however, fun.

Just like Until Dawn before it, Man of Medan is a knowingly schlocky and incredibly fun horror movie in video game form, tailor-made to bridge the gap between those two mediums. It’s never truly terrifying, but always edge-of-your-seat thrilling right through to what can be quite an abrupt ending. As jarring as that may be, it’s a great way for Supermassive to leave players wanting more and ultimately keen to check out additional short-form, budget-priced entries in the intriguing Dark Pictures Anthology.

Another visually noteworthy PSVR game, Archangel blends immersive storytelling with a complex rail shooter to let players live out their mech fantasies. Very little replay value and a high launch price tag of $40 for a three to five hour game may drive away some, but Skydance Interactive has managed to capture the enveloping magic of virtual reality to tell a personal narrative while at the same time creating a strong VR rail shooter as the vehicle to tell it.

Trek to Yomi is a challenging, relatively quick trip to the past that is sure to entertain fans of old samurai films. The mechanics are easy to pick up, but difficult to master. The story is engaging, and surprisingly branches with different endings. With a campaign length of around 5 – 7 hours for most players and priced right at $19.99, this is a game that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Repeating sections is not easy with no real save management, and the 2D combat may not appeal to everyone, but it’s hard to ignore the authentic look and feel that such a design choice adds to Trek to Yomi. If you’ve got a day or two to spare, this is one to not overlook.

If you're looking for a good title to help your kids from always wanting to mess with your $300+ PS3, inviZimals offers them plenty to do and see.

It’s great that a game that many may have overlooked on the Wii is being given a new lease on life on the latest generation of consoles. A new coat of paint and some fun new gameplay features makes Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy! a very easy game to recommend to those seeking a challenging but super adorable adventure.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an incredibly deep and intricate game that looks beautiful, but it has a fair amount of stumbling points in its quest for realism.

On the surface, everything about Merryn’s adventure is absolutely charming. The deeper you and Merryn go, the game loses its luster, but it’s still worth undertaking the journey if this style of adventure game sings to you. Just be aware it may not be a complete pleasure cruise.

With friends it’s a blast, probably even better while drunk.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is anything but hollow. There is an almost unbelievable amount of story content, with side stories piled high on top of that.

While Absolver is up and down in a lot of places, the game just doesn’t come together well. There’s something about the underlying design that makes it feel disjointed. Most of this comes from the quasi-open world aspect, but the ridiculous level of grinding involved and the disconnected PvP mode makes Absolver feel like a game that’s at war with itself.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst proves that without a shadow of a doubt, the series deserves a home on the console. The great depth, compelling combat and interesting enemies provide an fantastic counterpoint to the Monster Hunter brand, while also providing an exciting new sandbox for players to explore. Unfortunately, there are plenty of shortcoming associated with mediocre port work that prevent this iteration from fulfilling its full potential.

On the surface it would appear that Livelock is trying to bring something new and interesting to the PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, though perfectly competent as an action game, ends up falling flat on execution. The predictable storyline, inconsistent production values and lackluster variety mar what could have been a fun distraction during the summer’s AAA famine.

Despite a few missteps in terms of the combat, if you’re a fan of detective games then Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a pretty easy one to recommend. Getting to do things like interviewing witnesses or performing chemical analysis on suspicious evidence is an absolute blast. The island of Cordona is chock full of cases for you to investigate and while there are a few technical issues with the open world setting it’s easy enough to forgive when sleuthing around is this much fun.

Sky Force is a fun diversion, and fans of the top-down shoot 'em up genre should definitely consider picking this up.

Most of the success of Murasaki Baby relies wholeheartedly on its art style, and thankfully it does pull the game pretty far. But, the puzzles are more about execution than thought, and even though the story felt like it went much deeper than I had expected for a portable title, it still falls short from being memorable.

The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince definitely lives in a story gamer’s wheelhouse, but there’s plenty here to satisfy those who may not care about a story in games. But I bet you will care about this one by the time you reach the end.

If you are in the market for an RTS experience that will test your mettle and only lightly dent your online wallet, then Under Siege is a game you want to look into. Those wanting something that stays closer to the traditional formula of games like Starcraft won't find much comfort here.

However, despite the new content, it would be tough to tell players of Blood Ties that The Nightmare Princess is worth its $50 price tag, seeing as its repetitive, core gameplay is exactly the same, and the environments are still a bit bland. If, on the other hand, you are a newcomer to the series, its unique and strategic style of gameplay makes The Nightmare Princess somewhat of a novelty, and quite possibly worth your time.

While the battle system is decent, especially when done on the Vita, the parts in between lack any kind of draw to keep me interested.

Whether you’re a fan of action platformers or you’re a Cobra superfan, there’s a lot to like about Space Adventure Cobra – The Awakening. While it only covers the first 12 episodes of the show and completes The Ultimate Weapon arc, we’ll hopefully get a sequel that completes the story (the show ran for 31 episodes and gets increasingly out there as the final episode deals with the body of Adolf Hitler). With great presentation, this is a real treat for fans of the show.

Even with some of its mechanical and story-telling shortcomings Rise of New Champions is a fun time that shows why this is a beloved series. There’s a lot of joy to be had in following Tsubasa’s story and creating your own and the flashy football action has some shining moments. With some more tuning and gameplay focus, there’s a really bright future for Nankatsu’s football star.

With two controllers, you're getting the best PlayStation Move title available.

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.

A Juggler’s Tale is enjoyable for what it is, but it doesn’t quite reach the particularly memorable nature of similar indie games it so obviously takes inspiration from. There’s a great introspective narrative with some brilliant themes regarding personal freedoms and cutting the strings of toxic relationships throughout, but a short runtime and occasionally obtuse puzzles and mechanics leave it feeling a bit more tangled up than it should by the end.

With a great musical score and just the right level of cute without being annoying, Battle Princess of Arcadias is a game worth checking out.

While it started out as a great experience, sadly, much like the floppy tentacles of Octodad, Dadliest Catch couldn’t hold itself up and began to flail wildly all over the place. The hilarity and novelty wear thin quickly and there was too often that my tentacles became glitched inside of random objects or the environment itself.

While The Bunker is a rather straightforward adventure game, its FMV trappings are enough for it to stick out from the crowd. It’s proof that full-motion video doesn’t have to be campy in order to succeed, and can be just as viable as any other form of animation for the right type of game. Check it out if you’re looking to experience a solid story, and play something a bit different.

For those looking for a blast from the past, Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition fits the bill pretty nicely. The Vita plays the game without breaking a sweat, and the controls map pretty well.

Simply speaking, what you’re getting here is a good, polished expansion to an already good game that was absolutely bursting with content to begin with.

Provided you haven’t driven yourself mad with the many touch slashing games already available on a multitude of touchscreen devices, Draw Slasher is a serviceable game to help you spend a few hours killing enemies with your fingers. Like I said though, you should wait for a sale because it isn’t anything you have to play right away.

Shows that licensed kids cartoon adaptations don’t have to be mediocre, and that they can be filled with the same charm as the television shows that made them beloved in the first place.

The Mage’s Tale isn’t a game that shows hints of what the future may hold for virtual reality, but rather an example that the future is now. It stands on its own as a genuinely fun experience that shows this space has started to mature.

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition takes the much maligned English version of the much lauded German original and gives it a fresh coat of paint that feels right at home on modern consoles, yet still retains some of the original problems that kept it from joining the point-and-click pantheon of greats. It’s got a great new art style and a fantastically intuitive console interface, but never breaks out of a kind of plodding mediocrity that keeps it from moving up from being just okay to something better.

If you’re a fan of rhythm games then it’s definitely worth checking out Mad Rat Dead. The vibrant punk aesthetic and catchy soundtrack alone makes it worth a gander. But for those of you that are rhythmically challenged then this is a harder sell. The repetitive levels and dull story aren’t going to do much for those gamers that are just looking for a fun platformer.

It’s just incredibly okay, when it should just be incredible.

Knack 2 is an improvement on the first game in every way possible. Mark Cerny and his team have proven that they can take criticism, iterate on it, and then give players even more for their money than was expected.

No question, ONINAKI has reignited my long extinguished JRPG spark. I’ve actually been looking forward to booting up my PS4 every day to follow Kagachi and Linne’s journey. It’s not a slam dunk game; there is a lot of predictability in the storyline, but even then, I’m compelled to see this through to the very end. There are Daemons I absolutely do not enjoy having in my party but will eventually grind out simply to view all of their lore and max out skill trees. All in pursuit of that feeling of accomplishment for hitting the one hundred percent completion mark, or perhaps in this case, my next Platinum trophy.

A terrific game. While not much has changed between this game and the first, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The storyline is more engrossing than ever, and players will always be compelled to push on… for humanities sake, and for the one individual with whom you start to develop a relationship with.

If you’re willing to brave the wonky controls, bland looks, repetitive sounds and wholly uninspiring story, there’s a content-rich base-level appeal to Earth Defense Force 2025 that will draw you in.

It has fun melee and vehicle combat mechanics, and it has an engaging upgrade and customization system in place. While things did begin to feel old after a while, players can still get many, many hours out of the game before that happens.

Unless you are down for hours of aimless fieldwork, it may be best to avoid this rustic chore.

The Bureau is a decent game that fails to bring anything new to gamers’ tables. With a period alien invasion having been done before in titles like Resistance, gameplay mechanics ripped straight from Mass Effect, and XCOM elements wrangled together, The Bureau feels like an unpolished conglomeration of games that have come before it.

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.

A moderately fun action-adventure title that creates an interesting, albeit confusing experience to play through, which just needed a little more polish, spark, and character progression to make it great.

The story aspect feels a little bit forced and awkward and level selection is limited, but if you are absolutely dying for a match three game on your Vita and/or PS4, Sparkle 2 is an ok experience that feels just like the match three titles of yesteryear that gave me some fun for a few hours, and yet is not enough to draw me back in to my old habits.

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.

A bit of an improvement over the first Game of Thrones episode. Although the character transitions are a bit confusing and making decisions doesn’t seem as impactful as it should, Episode Two is by far more political and more interactive, giving players a chance to both think critically and have some QTE fun.

Within Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky you will be treated to a game featuring a unique storytelling angle, amazing art design, a roster of a dozen compelling and unique characters and a beefy campaign. It legitimately feels like a successor to the Valkyrie Profile series, from the people that made the series what it is today. Despite its repetitive nature, this is still an adventure that is worthy of exploring, as long as you have plenty of free time on your hands.

Iron Rain feels like it should have come out over a decade ago. There are a few fine ideas and some fun moments, but this kind of game just doesn’t hold up when there are so many other fantastic titles releasing so frequently.

That is kind of the way Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China feels like in general — it starts out okay, but soon becomes dull fairly quickly thanks to a lackluster plot and uninspired gameplay.

Max & the Magic Marker makes for a decent kids game to add to your Move enabled collection, but despite having some interesting gameplay points it stops short of doing anything deep with the mechanics at hand.

Paperbound is a riot, and a ton of fun to play with a group of people.

Ark: Survival Evolved has a bunch of interesting ideas. But by attempting to be a jack-of-all-trades, it doesn’t really feel like it has mastered any particular element. This doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had in the ARK; if you enjoy the brutal survival mechanics on offer here, then you will likely spend many dozens, if not hundreds, of hours in the quite lengthy grind as you conquer the primitive world.

For Virtua Tennis to survive, it needs new ideas, and a more robust experience wrapped around the fast-paced experience.

While I loved getting that classic RPG nostalgia, much of the game found certain levels of tedium that quickly drove the experience of Pier Solar from nostalgia to a chore.

Considering it’s for the PSP, 2010 FIFA World Cup, in the end, is a decent football game. It does have its flaws–visuals are poor, gameplay is identical to past iterations in the PSP FIFA series, and you may be better off waiting for FIFA 11. However, audio is spot on, and a broad range of modes adds plenty of replayability and value to the title.

The RPG elements of the game really do hold it back, as they feel under developed and tacked on, but the solid fighting mechanics and the ability to create something unique is a great draw that may keep me coming back just to be able to go Super Saiyan.

Like gamey meat, it’s not for everyone. Some players may want more to do than run around looking for seagulls and messages in bottles in between story moments and the occasional “fight” sequence. The story (which we have not spoiled here) is likely to resonate with many people, but for some it won’t be enough to overcome a lack of fun gameplay to take players in between exposition. It is a worthy attempt, but just falls a bit short.

It is a succinct experience with lots of different choices that change the story and lead to different sorts of outcomes. It is well performed has good transitions, and there are no overly-complicated inputs. That it basically requires you to get an outside app and use your phone and goes a little overboard with quick time events is a bit of an annoyance. But, it has an interesting story to tell about a woman who has been through terrible things and finally has a chance at answers and, if you are smart, a happy ending.

For every smart gameplay change there is a missing feature or a worthless addition. The yearly release schedule is clearly making it difficult for the team to fix issues while also adding new features, so they’ll have to make a choice sooner rather than later if trying to juggle both each year is worthwhile. For now, WWE 2K17 is barely off Jericho’s list.

It never quite reaches its full potential, but as long as you don’t mind that it’s quite grindy in places, then it is a worthwhile adventure. There’s also a couch co-op mode which is perfect if you have been looking for a simple RPG to introduce to a younger gamer or if you just want something low key to play with a friend.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a fun enough game in its own right, but it’s encumbered with the weight of near-ancient game design practices. It’s new bright visuals bring Bikini Bottom to life in a whole new way, with character animations now better portraying the classic cartoon than ever before, but its gameplay is still firmly anchored to 2003, some of which has been negatively impacted by its updated visuals. At its core, Rehydrated is a repetitive and cumbersome 2003 platformer. A bit of water in 2020 isn’t enough to soak new life into this old dried up sponge.

Maneater’s bite comes from its stunning underwater animations, comedic notes spread throughout the game, and the fact that you get to play an entire game as a goddamn shark. There simply isn’t anything else like it, even if it does follow some of the more rote open-world playbook rules when it comes to progression and collectibles. A choppy framerate in intense sequences is really one of the only things holding the experience back, but like a fisherman without a hand—or a leg—it doesn’t stop me from heading back to the open water for more. Am I still scared of sharks? Hell yeah, more than ever, but at least now I can be scares and fascinates me.

I like the idea of Gang Beasts on paper. Hell, I even like Gang Beasts when I see other players play. The jelly physics of up to eight players smashing into one another and trying to toss each other over the edge is great fun in theory, but becomes more of a frustrating chore and test of patience in practice.

Layers of Fear 2 excels in many aspects of psychological horror, but it also undermines itself. While it creates many layers of fear, there’s little connective tissue between them to make the narrative coherent enough to engage with. Overly video-gamey segments reveal the mechanics underneath, removing the tension in favor of fail states and cheap game over screens. However, its binaural audio and moments of reality-warping terror do wonders to instill a sense of unease in the player. It’s worth peeling back the layers in Layers of Fear 2 for all of the moments that don’t rely on the old horror tropes, but this journey into madness falls just short of being a pleasure cruise.

It’s easy to see the flaws in Rubble Without a Cause if it’s compared to its predecessor. Chapter 2 simply shines half as bright as A Knight to Remember.

Lost Sphear has all the makings of a classic RPG, along with some of the trappings expected with the genre.

The concept of using metrics based on your character’s own movements to manipulate a living infographic that you need to platform on is one that sounds great in design, but the execution of said concept needs to be tweaked before I could recommend that anyone spend much time with Metrico. Sadly, it does feel like you’re just bringing work home with you.

StarBlood Arena is VR’s Overwatch. Oozing with personality, it explodes with a style and grace that one might not expect to come from the scrappiest corners of the galaxy. The tight, frenetic combat takes some standard shooter ideas and literally turns them on their head, putting you in the pilot’s seat in a way only possible with virtual reality. If you haven’t taken the plunge, StarBlood Arena is a damn good reason to get PSVR. If you already own one, I’ll see you in the arena.

Beyond the addictive, puzzle-like challenge of hitting those high scores, there’s a fantastic sense of speed here. When you’re belting around in the F1 car, just scraping past trucks and getting through minuscule gaps in the traffic, things feel suitably rewarding. It’s just such a kick in the airbags that for every time that feeling reveals itself, there are two more times when you’ll be frustrated by one of Danger Zone 2’s bugs or general inconsistencies.

Even with its limited modes and maps (or rather, map, singular), Midnight Murder Club makes for a wildly good time if you can sign up a few friends. It might lack the flash and panache seen in modern live-service titles, but if you’ve been yearning for an online shooter that emphasizes gameplay and good times over all else, look no further.

Killing Floor: Incursion is perhaps everything you might expect from a first-person zombie shooter in VR. It checks all of the boxes, sometimes to its own detriment.

Trüberbrook is a very impressive mystery adventure game that will leave players wanting to experience more of Hans Tannhauser and the charming town of Trüberbrook. The unique, hand made graphics are one of the biggest, and most impressive features of the game and will likely leave you wanting to see more games made in the same style.

Even though it was a short game, The Inner Friend lingers in the back of your brain long after you put the controller down. It’s an emotional journey exploring childhood fears and trauma, and might just have you pulling out your favorite stuffed animal for a reassuring squeeze.

Sometimes half a head is all you need, as Henry Halfhead is an imaginative and fun time for gamers of all ages. With a surprisingly impactful narrative and some creative puzzles, this goes beyond a simple sandbox and winds up being a PS5 game with a lot of heart that you should check out.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception features an interesting story and great cast of characters coupled with excellent 2D visuals and voice acting, making it an easily entertaining experience in spite of its few shortcomings. While those looking for a complex and deep tactical RPG experience may find themselves disappointed, fans of the visual novel genre and the Utawarerumono series will definitely enjoy Mask of Deception and will end up looking forward to Mask of Truth.

The combat is refined and easy to get into, and the amount of things to do and stuff to unlock will keep players coming back.

While there are a few too many barriers to entry, there’s no denying that Gundam Versus provides some incredible robot-on-robot action. Each individual Gundam brings with it its own intricacies to master, and it’s highly satisfying once you’re flying your mecha around like its second-nature. There’s still room for improvement, as the single-player modes are uncaptivating at best, but the competitive multiplayer is top-notch.

When it comes down to it, Nier is a decent game that has some very cool ideas behind it, but overall falls short of what it could have been.

DICE needs to untangle monetization and progression, keeping any elements that give players an advantage in battle away from real world money. Progression should feel like a reward for playing the game, not paying the game. It’s disappointing that this conversation needs to surround such an amazing title. Star Wars Battlefront II is an insanely fun and full featured experience no matter which corner of the galaxy or era of the story you go to.

Much like the anime that came before it, Kill la Kill: the Game is weird, wild, and loud, but also a bit shallow. But unlike the anime, the Game doesn’t have the same feeling of scale to it, the same feeling of unrestrained creators working with a healthy budget and top-tier industry names.

It may lack any distinctive feature that helps it truly stand out from the pack, but fans of motorcycle racing can’t go wrong here.

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.

To put the game into perspective, it's like Monty Python got together and said "Let's make a video game."

For about $20 USD, Frantics will provide gamers and non-gamers alike something entertaining to do at a get-together without burying their face in a small screen.

The Chant is a fine first offering from Brass Token. It may be a bit rough around the edges, but overall, this is the perfect thing to play for those long, dark nights coming this season. With a short playtime and three different endings to unlock, this should be fun for others to watch as well. It may not be the scariest game to release this year, but The Chant has a freaky design to its creatures that will unsettle some late at night. Balance your chakra and join in The Chant if you’re looking for a decent spiritual adventure.

While Déraciné is worth playing and figuring out for yourself, it’s hard to recommend with enthusiasm. While intriguing and mysterious, the storytelling does have fundamental issues that make the overall mystery feel unearned and the tension intangible.