Though animations are nicely captured, the way they blend into each other is extremely wonky; herky-jerky movements are the norm, and getting temporarily stuck on another wrestler of part of the environment is nearly as common.

Despite the major frame-rate drops and the repetitive quests and gameplay, Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment is fairly entertaining, thanks to a fast-paced combat system and a large amount of weapons and skills to pick from.

Those 13 years should have led to something better, and it’s surprising that they haven’t. Alan Wake’s gunplay has gone from dull to frustrating in the sequel, while its venture into true survival horror has been plagued by predictability and amateurish jump scares. Its narrative has a few memorable moments and is able to periodically use its outlandish antics to its advantage, yet it is still dragged down by its refusal to provide enough rewarding resolutions to its litany of riddles. Alan Wake 2 doesn’t improve on what made the original such a cult hit and is instead an uncharacteristically rough draft that needed more edits. It’s not a lake or an ocean. It’s a disappointment.

There are some truly fantastic ideas that are here, but the whole thing feels like it should have spent much more time in the design phase. The game’s dearth of compelling content makes the experience a chore, and it’s hard to empathize with any of the characters in any meaningful way.

Everything about Batman Arkham VR is about putting you in the shoes of Batman. So, it’s unfortunate that those shoes don’t ever move. And for a character with endless depth such as Batman and Bruce Wayne, Batman Arkham VR seriously lacks the depth of a game that represents the first time gamers get to experience being Batman.

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.

There’s real challenge to be had with the game’s true-to-life physics, and varied weather and track conditions. But the game feels lacking in presentation. It needs something to inject some adrenaline into the career mode. Reading tweet-like messages from your agent gets old, fast. Still, for diehard motocross fans, this is your game.

Observer is brilliant in dozens of ways, yet deeply flawed in just as many. The quality of its story ranges from a confusing mess to some of the best written characters of this generation. The game’s biggest issue is its inconsistency on when and where to deliver its moments of horror. There was little to keep me going besides the next opportunity to speak to a troubled citizen of futuristic Krakow’s most interesting building block.

It’s really rather unfortunate just how much is missing from Blue Reflection. The bones of a good story and combat are there, with likable enough characters, but that’s it. The lack of options in both the school life and the Common are just deflating. The game feels like a Persona starter kit to a certain extent; it just needs more polish and more to do.

Causal racing fans looking to simply mess around with their dream cars will find more tension here than it is really worth to get what you want out of the game. But, hardcore racing fans who have no concept of repetition being a bad thing, will find the game’s 22 different locations and five very diverse race types an interesting departure from the status quo.

Vita’s already seen a number of dating sims, but none of them combine action-RPG gameplay with visual novel elements like A.W.: Phoenix Festa. Because it handles both of these decently, it’s worth checking out for fans of the Asterisk War franchise and anyone who thinks they might enjoy such a combination. Unfortunately, it’s way too light on narrative to leave much of an impact; for a game about a tournament, it lacks the sort of excitement and tension you’d expect, and even the dating sim elements pay off in thin dividends.

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.

The proverbial meat of the experience consists of interesting concepts that are executed poorly. Much like what the player will encounter during several puzzles, gameplay itself feels like an ill-informed leap of faith that elicits more far exasperation than elation.

When the final Stormtrooper is slain, only one word comes to mind that describes Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II: disappointing.

Deathwing has so much potential sitting there with the Dark Angels alone, not to mention roaming a Space Hulk, it’s an absolute shame it falls short of the Emperor’s expectations.

This is an average game wrapped up in an abysmal marketing choice. Avoid for now, just be sure to give it a second look if it hits an amount you’re willing to pay.

Root Letter has many interesting ideas, but they never fully gel together at the end.

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

R.B.I. Baseball 2015 isn’t a bad game. It’s not a genre-defining game, either. At $20, there are certainly worse things you can throw your money at (I’m looking at you, Yorbie). If you need a quick arcade baseball fix, then R.B.I. Baseball 2015 can hit the spot. However, when last year’s MLB 14 The Show can be had for a mere $5 more at this point, you may want to save up a little bit to experience a more complete package.

After the strong start with The Mad Ones, I can’t help but feel disappointed with Hide and Seek.

The Escapists holds the methodical tedium of a prison life simulator with some escape mechanics built in, rather than a thrilling game in which you plan your escape.

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

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

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.

It just doesn’t work.

If you are looking for a top-down car combat racer with a ton of content for a relatively low cost this could be a title to check out, but if you are looking for a well polished game that does not need a number of hours to crack the surface, you should probably pass.

The game does deliver an initial burst of exhilaration, but this is unfortunately unsustainable beyond a few outings. When the dust settles, what remains is a run-of-the-mill class based shooter, set in a series of drab environments. This is a genuine case of getting what you pay for.

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