While the ties to the AMC series are fun and interesting, Saints & Sinners is simply a better game.

The price agrees with the limited scope, but I would have loved to see each attempt at survival find a more varied tack. Island Time VR is a fun little vacation for a short time, but I wouldn’t want to take up permanent residence.

It’s refreshing in its earnest nature, and is actually more hopeful than nihilistic. But it is still on the simple and tropey side.

Online play is very rewarding, but is over-emphasized at times. With such a massive world to explore, and an addictive leveling system, fans of this genre will be busy for months to come.

A great throwback aurally and visually, but the frustratingly tight timing required and delay of PaRappa’s audio samples make it a chore to play. It’s a shame that the menu wasn’t reworked to highlight the additional arrangements or to take advantage of how control schemes were updated over time, and I’d rather just listen to the songs than hear PaRappa freestyle his own messy groove over the tracks for the sake of a high score.

The humor is why I stayed up late playing, and it’s that humor that prods me to recommend this title to Vita owners. Even if you don’t like toilet humor, which did get rather old about halfway through, there is an option to cut it down or remove it entirely. It’s still just as funny without it. The important thing to remember about this Big Cynical Adventure is to not expect a deep story throughout. It’s about as deep as a toilet.

If you are looking for a personality soaked nostalgia piece, that is as charming as it is challenging, then 8Days should fit the bill quite nicely. Though far from perfect, its charm helps cut through the frustrating quirks and lackluster checkpoint system. For some reason, even war crimes are more fun in 8-bit.

There are neat bits and pieces here, but it all feels messy and undercooked.

Is it a great game? No, not really. I’d struggle to even call it good at times. However, it’s a bizarre and sort of charming throwback title that seems to have been made in a completely different era.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is tailor-made for super fans of the franchise. While players may feel like a lackey at the start of any new Conquest campaign run-through, rising up the ranks and having the Prime Minister agree with your suggestions can feel rewarding. If you enjoy making decisions about whether to increase ration development or to collect tribute on a monthly basis, or politicking in general whereby interacting with important people gets your heart racing, then by all means check out Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. The rest of us will get by on regular Dynasty Warriors 9 just fine.

A decent game that should find a home with people wanting a solid JRPG. A couple of nagging flaws keep this game from fully reaching its potential, but even with those, there is still plenty to enjoy here. A serviceable story provides good balance between humor and drama but is killed at times by awkward dirty jokes.

If you want a game with decent combat, it might be a good idea to check J-Stars out. However, if graphics are important to you, you might want to take a pass on this one.

Deadpool is a weekend rental for sure, or pick it up on sale; just don’t rush to buy it at full price.

The story may put some off given its plodding pace and numerous quirky side stories, but most people who are interested in this game likely enjoy exactly that kind of storytelling.

If you can get through the glitches and barebones plot, there is a good game to be played. I had fun with Blackgate. I will be playing through it again because this is the style of game I really like. It certainly could have been better, but Blackgate is still an above average experience.

Hardcore Hatsune Miku fans might find something redeeming here, but even then they won’t be getting much for their $15 or more they spent. Even within its limited scope of being a virtual concert, Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live is a disappointment.

Bus Simulator is honestly more entertaining than I thought it would be. Driving a bus, picking up passengers, and ensuring you give them the correct change may not be as thrilling as traversing planet Pandora in search of loot in Borderlands 3, or surviving Hell on Earth in the upcoming Doom Eternal, but Bus Simulator is an immersive experience that I can see myself revisiting on a rainy day.

On one side of the coin, Outcast: Second Contact is a warranted revisit of a beloved title. It has a fantastically well-constructed narrative that’s a genuine treat to delve in to. However, on the other side of the coin are the terrible combat controls, embarrassingly low-fidelity voiceovers and a bland, bug riddled world design.

Need for Speed Payback feels like the natural evolution of the series, and that’s a good thing considering the game ends with a great tease for a potential sequel. While I finished the story in around 15 hours, it’s worth noting that there are a ton of side events and collectibles that I failed to collect in that time. I could see myself easily doubling my time within Payback, and do so with a smile on my face the entire time.

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.

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.