Sure, there are graphical issues, slowdown, and the game is rather easy in areas where it should provide more challenge. However, the story is goofy enough for some laughs, the ability to switch between 4 weapons in battle is fun, and despite its repetitive nature, the combat does enough to keep you interested.

If you've played the PlayStation Move version (which is easier to control and doesn't have fingers getting in the way of the screen) on the PS3, then leave this one be. It's the same 60 levels, plus a few Vita exclusive levels added for good measure. But it's not enough for warrant a second purchase.

It’s serviceable. Both in that it’s fan service, and that it’s a game that can only be described as workable.

It doesn't have any particularly horrible problems or glitches, but at no point is any part of the game especially impressive or enthralling either.

Quantum Physics nerds are sure to get some nice laughs out of the jokes tossed into the story, while the rest of us will still laugh at Schrödinger’s Cat’s antics.

Whereas the characters, gameplay, and stages pack a fair punch, overall it suffers due to dire loading times and a stale state of a single-player experience.

While the concept of Oh…Sir! The Insult Simulator is undoubtedly novel, it is disappointingly lacking in its execution. Its charm, which in itself is already given to subjectivity due to differing tastes in comedy, wears off pretty fast and the game soon degrades into a repetitive and predictable slog.

You probably could have guessed this by now, but Dolmen should have released before Elden Ring. All Soulslike games from here on out will constantly be in that game’s gigantic shadow. It’s not that there’s not enough room in this genre for more entries, especially ones that are in such a wildly different setting. It’s just that whatever games release in this space must now meet such incredibly high standards or face intense criticism and likely faltering sales. Dolmen will surely appeal to those who want a Soulslike adventure in a sci-fi setting, and perhaps were disappointed by 2020’s Hellpoint release. Just go in with lowered expectations owing to a smaller dev team, and perhaps you’ll have some fun smashing enemies to bits.

There are some really great ideas found within Touhou Double Focus, but they aren’t fully executed here. The gameplay needs to be tighter if it’s going to focus on difficulty, and it pales in comparison to other difficult platformers like Shantae. If you get this as part of the physical copy of Touhou Genso Wanderer then by all means check it out, but Double Focus leaves a lot to be desired by itself.

The timing of the release of The Complex is questionable considering the pandemic that’s currently sweeping the globe. Once you get over the similarities between reality and video game, the plot is a great if brief distraction for a lazy afternoon. It’s another smooth blend of movie and video game, even if there is more movie footage than gameplay, but this formula seems to be working well for Wales Interactive.

While it marvelously blows up during the final moments of its descent, Fort Solis is a mostly successful voyage. Puzzling together what happened at the station is an engaging exercise that incentivizes players to inspect every computer and voice recorder in order to shine light on its dark mysteries. Its narrative doesn’t seem to branch much or push forward in any new directions, yet it achieves its modest goals rather well. Fort Solis was misused as a facility by its staff, but Fallen Leaf and Black Drakkar have utilized it well to tell one effective sci-fi thriller.

The Shoot is a decent game overall. It doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it perfectly fills the void of a truly fun-to-play, laid-back shooter that's been missing on the PlayStation 3.

Lifeless Planet released at a time when the game has the biggest chance to make a name for itself. It’s just a shame the end result feels more like a prototype than a fully fleshed-out game.

Almost everything from The Dwarves‘ gameplay to the presentation seems unpolished. It’s a real shame, since there are some good ideas, and the book it’s based upon is ripe for a video game adaptation.

It’s a bit rough around the edges, but Foreclosed’s story and style are worth a look, especially for the PS+ launch price of $15.99 ($19.99 normally). When I think of my time spent in Foreclosed, I think it made for a good, short adventure that had me impressed by its presentation, but ultimately left me wanting more. More story, more combat, more world building, more consequences from my actions. Just about the only thing I didn’t want more of would be the stealth sections. So, with any luck, the open-ended nature of Foreclosed’s endings, combined with enough sales of this game, may result in us seeing a sequel down the line.

Ripping off enemies’ bollocks and ripping through their throats may feel rewarding, but it doesn’t make up for the game’s lackluster storyline, lack of any online multiplayer element, and poor overall effort put into the game.

Edge of Eternity just sort of is. There is nothing really memorable here, just a bunch of ideas that don’t really deliver much of a kick. The UI is just disastrous, turning any task into a kick in the privates and the combat is just flat, with nothing really exciting about it. The basic premise of the story is strong enough and the characters aren’t horrible, but the dialogue felt rushed far too often.

Despite some of the sound issues, Crazy Taxi still looks great, plays great, and is sure to get everyone from the hardcore to the casual involved.

It's in no way a bad game, especially once the Galleries are factored in, it's just not, at all, a good one. There was potential, and the campaign's story and mood are easily the best in any hunting game, but, in the end, it simply doesn't hit its mark.

As someone who plays every NHL yearly release all year long, it is unfortunate to see just how badly this has gone. I can somewhat understand taking out 6v6 online play if it wasn’t ready, but taking out features in Be a GM or making Be a Pro completely unplayable is just ridiculous.

As far as VR turret shooters go, Gunjack sets the benchmark fairly high. Its lack of a concrete story may be a turn-off for some — it does have its roots in the mobile space — but that feeling of gunning down ships from the comfort of your cockpit is as exhilarating as it is immersive. At the risk of sounding pejorative, CCP’s spinoff can in many ways be likened to VR junk food — short, sweet, and fulfilling in the moment. Just don’t expect a VR experience for the ages.

The gameplay remains the same, but the graphics have been upgraded to 1080p at 60 frames-per-second. But with the painful omission of custom soundtracks, there is little incentive to re-visit the game once you’ve completed it, and even less after you collect all the stars in the campaign (which will be quite a challenge nonetheless).

There are a lot of good pieces in place here, with the gameplay mechanics and the co-op, but they’ve been packaged in a very scant box that doesn’t do them justice. Ancient Amuletor needs to be more than a short PSVR experience that is barely longer than the demo that’s already available for free. Perhaps all of the elusive “Coming Soon” content will fix that, but at launch Ancient Amuletor finds its quiver running out of arrows too soon.

A bland beat 'em up plagued by monotonous gameplay and an extremely inclusive story.

God Mode would not feel out of place in a traditional arcade, and I could see many people pumping quarters into a machine to play this game for hours.

For fans of the first game, and fans of JRPGs structure, White Knight Chronicles II is an engrossing trek through a large, beautifully rendered world. It's a game that provides a large foundation of content to explore, which is only prohibited by its average gameplay.

It’s just a shame that the actual gameplay ends up being underwhelming, and the art style prevents anything from being frightening. Blood Drive could’ve been something special, but a general lack of polish really hurts the overall quality of the product.

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.

I cannot recommend it to you unless you love its aesthetics and fanservice.

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

Those who are able to accept Metal Gear Survive for what it is will find one of the most captivating survival games in recent memory. It’s an incredibly unforgiving experience, which can definitely be detrimental at times, but one that ultimately feels fulfilling.

Super Neptunia RPG feels like a good idea gone awry. On paper, having everyone’s favorite Hyperdimension Neptunia characters come together for a more traditional JRPG style makes plenty of sense. That’s especially true since the classic JRPG style is a wealthy mine for comedy. But instead, Artisan Studios made a game that looks and feels cheap, due to a bizarre focus on platforming that detracts from the experience more than it adds.

There are a lot of great strategy games on the PlayStation 4. Maybe, if that weren’t the case, it would be easier to forgive 1971 Project Helios being a bland adventure with largely forgettable characters engaging in claustrophobic encounters against enemies that all sort of blend together. I mean, it works well enough on the system. The loading screens are a little long for something so basic, but that isn’t an egregious offense. You can even see how sometimes it is trying to push people to be aggressive. Unfortunately, I found it completely unappealing in every way, which isn’t great when it was surrounded by better games every time I turned on my system.

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.

If positioned as a PSN downloadable title, All-Star Fruit Racing may have been considered a great budget offering, however launching the game at full retail release brings with it higher expectations. Where some of them are met with easy to grasp controls, plenty of customization and the odd thrilling circuit, there are a number of minor faults that sour the overall package.

I was utterly surprised and impressed at how smooth the online matches were, and just how much I enjoyed it overall. For the first of its kind, Burning Skies does a hell of a job replicating the online multiplayer experience found on consoles-complete with lobbies, matchmaking, voice chat via Party, social aspects via Near, and leaderboards.

It’s a real shame that even though the game looks so bright and colorful the whole package is just incredibly dull. With only a handful of game modes, a bland story, and no local co-op mode to spice things up a bit, it’s not going to take you long to tire of this. Even if you’re a fan of the anime it’s probably better to give this one a miss.

Morphite is exhausting in its meandering loop of planet-hopping, and it doesn’t work hard enough to keep the players’ interest.

If you can see through the repetitive, sometimes frustrating gameplay, then you may get your fix here.

It’s a shame that Twin Mirror manages to create such a compelling and interesting opening but just doesn’t manage to stick the landing. It definitely didn’t take me on the same kind of emotional journey as some of DONTNOD’s previous games, and unfortunately I found myself not really caring too much about Sam or the residents of Basswood.

Fantastic fun. Brawlers tend to be easy to get into but there were times I sincerely had trouble putting down the controller.

Frustrated as I was during a few Form Ball matches, I was still invested and focused on them, and prancing through a few opponents to pop the ball into an empty goal is an incredibly satisfying feeling. So is smashing into another Form and sending their soon to be carcass miles into the air will never get old, but these moments are exceptions to the rule. Deformers has a broken and inconsistent core, and I can’t fathom how any future patch or update can change that.

PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is a simple experience that is designed for younger gamers, and more specifically fans of the TV show. Anyone who is looking for a throwback to older platforming titles will find a bit of it here, but will quickly realize just how low the bar was set on developing something that could have been more than a decent kids game.

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.

While I was on board at the title screen, it didn’t take long for the disappointment to set in. There’s an unearned self-confidence in the writing that is hampered by stilted dialogue and shallow characters, and the exact opposite in the gameplay, where YIIK feels afraid to actually be a 90s-style RPG. It’s obtuse and poorly balanced, making each encounter a frustrating exercise in attrition. YIIK has big ideas but they rest on top of a shoddy foundation, one that crumbles the more you try to stay on top of it. I’d rather just play EarthBound again.

Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier features a story that manages to excite and get players invested in despite it not going too deep into the lives of both apes and humans. It’s also an important experiment in storytelling, and one that largely winds up being successful.

Its charming world and creatures will keep most kids entertained, and playing with them as you explore the world can be rewarding. With most puzzles able to be solved in a few minutes' time, Okabu can be repetitive and slightly dull, but if you can get past the slow start there is an enjoyable game to be found here.

Mind Zero has the makings of what could be a decent dungeon crawler while tripping all over tropes that could be avoided. Poor graphics aside, story segments get boring while watching text boxes spew pointless dialogue, and the dungeon crawling and battling is the only actual bit of gameplay that there is.

Overall, Fantasy Hero: Unsigned Legacy is a fun and enjoyable game. While it does get old fairly quickly due to its lack of a compelling narrative and its repetitive missions, the number of skills to level-up and the number of weapon upgrades to choose from keeps the game entertaining.

Late Shift is an excellent FMV game and a unique point in interactive cinema. It’s a vastly interesting new way to allow the viewer to change the outcome of the movie they are watching, but has the very odd position of trying to sell itself as neither a movie or a game, but at the same time, both. What I am most interested to see is how Late Shift impacts the future of media. It might just be a flash in the pan, but if we end up one day having an Oscar nominated film that is also a Game of the Year contender, I can safely say that Late Shift will be seen as the original piece of interactive cinema that provided the catalyst for that potential combined media future.

There’s some good stuff here and it is definitely a piece of gaming history that should be honored and remembered. It just doesn’t compare to more modern conveniences in cooperative RPGs, and things like needing to constantly create new lobbies or make sure you have a certain number of party members can hold you back.

Lost Sea harbors (see what I did there?) a good idea and bright visuals with flawed execution.

The matchmaking is currently a mess, ranked play is currently inaccessible for many, and there’s no semblance of a campaign to keep players busy while the online is being worked on.

While the game isn’t perfect, it is clearly ready to take on all comers and creates a firm foundation for EA to build upon for years to come.

Splatterhouse is a bloody beat 'em up with an overabundance of violence and a somewhat coherent story. What it is not though is a good game and something you could recommend with a straight face.

For all of its issues, Rustler is a fun little game that tries something a bit different, recapturing a long-lost element of game design and adding a fun new twist. Its humorous and satirical elements help keep it light-hearted, and though it occasionally has some comedic misses, its also full of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. I’d hope to see some adjustments to the combat system as well as a general cleanup of the odd variety of bugs encountered, but as a whole Rustler is a clever and fun title that has zero shame being exactly what it is.

A description of the gameplay, the setting, and the story all seem great in theory, but my short time with Contrast left me with more disappointment than satisfaction, particularly on the gameplay side of things.

Loadout isn’t some new breed of free-to-play, but it does a very entertaining job of balancing what you can play with when you can pay. Being a low level isn’t painfully boring, and gaining experience or good weapons doesn’t require real money.

Hellpoint is a sci-fi Souls-like with one killer feature: local split screen co-op. The rest of the game lacks the polish of its obvious sources of inspiration, and ultimately the technical issues including a wildly inconsistent frame rate, hit detection problems, and interface glitches hold Hellpoint back from achieving more. But if you’re looking for a Souls-like hit that you can take with a friend, you may want to check out Hellpoint, albeit with tempered expectations.

Override: Mech City Brawl has high aims, but feels a bit clumsy in its execution.

NBA Live 16 has a few new modes and features that help elevate it above last year’s offering, but that’s practically a footnote when you consider how the game flubs some of its basic controls and AI.

HD conversions are a great idea and for some games they work, but not this one. If you are in the mood for a good shooter on the PSN, this is not for you.

Well worth the base price for players looking to find a great third-person shooter with a good deal of ever-evolving content.

Infernium attempts to pay homage to older games, and mostly leaves the player alone to discover the world on their own. Problem is, many of the connections between levels only make sense to the developer, and while the game’s scares may cause a good jump or two, they are easy to see coming after the first few times.

It’s pretty, charming, original in its execution and its obvious from the get-go that it was designed with a love for video games and a passion to do something different with them.

It’s a garden-variety platformer, featuring garden-variety combat mechanics and a garden-variety narrative.

The Inpatient is one of PSVR’s best. It’s a shining example of presence and engagement. The visuals impress and it uses a ton of clever tricks to fully immerse the player in the experience of living out Blackwood Sanatorium’s final days, making me feel like I was actually there.

While many a fan of the franchise hopes Crysis 2 and 3 rereleases are also on the cards, this particular outing doesn’t inspire much confidence that those two games will receive the love and care they deserve.

A good game that easily could have been great with a few tweaks.

Despite its brazen disregard for social appearances, Our World is Ended lacks drive and confidence needed to help a weird story come together in the end.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a really great idea for a game. It could have been really high quality all around, but maybe certain things were overlooked while focusing on the story rather than getting feedback about gameplay during development.

Drive!Drive!Drive! provides a fresh idea in a very established genre that doesn’t often see them anymore. While it’s easy to dismiss the track-switching action as a gimmick, it actually adds a whole different dimension to racing. There’s a lot to like here.

Road Redemption may be fun for a short period of time, but it’s not something I will find myself going back to play. It’s not a bad game, it just doesn’t stand out among the array of options available.

The London Heist and Ocean Descent are good VR experiences book-ended by mini-games that range from the woefully mediocre to the staggeringly dull.

While there were many compelling reasons to take a chance on Golem, there were far too many technical issues marring the overall experience. When consumed in bits-and-pieces, the component parts could all stand on their own with little problem. It’s only when these individual parts coalesced that the seams begin to show a bit more prominently.

If you really love this type of game (tunnel/artistic), you may enjoy Entwined. But I ended up hating the mechanics, and that ruined the experience for me. The emotions didn’t come through, and the colorful visuals didn’t make up for it.

It’s highly unlikely that The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is going to be winning any awards for originality or genre-defining evolutions. That said, it’s a perfectly competent tactics experience, set in a world that many have grown to love. If you’re looking for solid gameplay mechanics, featuring an interesting narrative and meaty campaign, this may be just what the Mender ordered.

Having only one bullet is a nifty gimmick which can introduce some level of strategy to the madness that unfolds, too. Modifiers and an assortment of game modes help to increase the title’s longevity, but there isn’t a whole lot of content to speak of, including one of the shortest campaigns we’ve ever seen.

Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is probably a safe pick up for diehard fans, a gamble for those with a little bit of familiarity like myself, and a dangerous choice for anyone outside of those two categories. For a title based on a world filled with magic, the game itself has very little of it to be found.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm might not be the blockbuster shooter title that the PlayStation Move is waiting for, but if you're looking for a fun arcade shooter to play with a friend, this might be your cup of tea.

The game works well for what it is trying to accomplish, and that is to really make you feel as though you are right there on the field, standing in the players cleats. Those that are trying to get this as a replacement for Madden will be sorely disappointed.

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.

From its sometimes frustrating platforming, to its button mashing combat, Tron: Evolution has many shortcomings. Even with these issues, fans of the Tron universe will get some enjoyment out of this game, and all in all it is not a bad rental, but for those who are not interested in the franchise, its best to steer clear of the game.

Overall, despite the occasional combat snag or nagging disappointment I couldn’t play as Franky, One Piece: World Seeker absolutely shocked me with how good it is. It’s a massive, familiar, comfort food sort of open world game, that just happens to have the upbeat vibe, wacky characters, and bright colors of One Piece powering its engine.

Front Mission Evolved is a bold risk, a gamble, and a new direction for the series. Unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives making a purchase a tough decision when games are expensive.

John Daly's ProStroke Golf is a realistic golfing experience hampered by limited content and horrible presentation.

A game that, while technically sound, doesn't have near enough content to draw in the average player. Add in the fact that there are really only 3 environments in the game and it can be beaten in under 4 hours, and you have a recipe for a perfect weekend rental.

I genuinely applaud Nippon Icchi for trying something new and doing up a fresh IP. However, the design of the game is currently flawed. Give users a bit more speed and proper implementation of analogue controls, and this currently boring and frustrating affair might be a whole lot more fun.

This is an online based brawler with limited combat options, limited number of levels, a non-existent community from the start and a bot system that will never give you the same experience as playing a regular match.

Hell Warders has a decent game hidden under its rough exterior.

Solo: Islands of the Heart is perhaps the most introspective game to release this year. The gameplay may not have much to do with the story, but the puzzles are decent roadblocks on the journey.

The Church in the Darkness is a smart stealth game that impressively warps to reflect your actions. It lets you get in and break out as you see fit. While failure still feels like failure, success is sweet and varied. Once it gets a hold of you, you may not want to break out, at all.

That is the problem with Bladestorm: Nightmare – it loses its appeal too quickly. Between the monotonous battles, boring story, and ugly visuals, there isn’t much there to hold someone’s attention. If you want to have some fun with it, rent it for a day or so. After that, Nightmare is pretty much worthless.

Goat Simulator is unapologetically absurd but fails to meaningfully give players anything to do beyond the occasional ridiculous party trick.

There’s a small shimmer of something fun and interesting under the 13 years of rust that coats Cel Damage HD.

Nothing more than a major step backwards for the franchise. With a poor camera, tacked on QTEs and a laughable story that takes itself far too seriously, Ninja Gaiden 3 is far and away the worst game I've played this year.

Flyhunter Origins features a wacky and fun story, and gives players a beautiful view at what the world look like at the size of a tiny bug. This, however, is marred by the game’s incredible lagginess and short length, but during the short time that it took me to complete the game, I had fun.

Dark Rose Valkyrie is an unexpected experience and could be the best game from Compile Hearts yet. An undeniable mixed bag, the game provides deep and complex combat and character progression systems as well as a unique narrative and objective that’s somewhat held down by its repetitive and tedious missions as well as its dated 3D graphics. Fans of JRPGs, especially those by Compile Heart, that are able to forgive some of the game’s shortcomings will definitely appreciate and overly enjoy the game and the amount of depth and complexity it can provide.