Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII undoubtedly has a cult, niche following, as games don’t usually receive that many sequels without such a following. However, this is one niche that is as obscure for newcomers as it is deep, and it’s certainly an instance where real-time strategy simply does not fit on the console with a controller. If you’re a fan of this series, save yourself from grief and pick it up on PC.

These are just some of the many signs that suggest the game was rushed past the finish line (including a reference to game crunch), but its problems run deeper than something that can be fixed with a couple of patches. The story isn’t explained well, the dialog is over the top, the tutorials don’t do their job, and the open world is just a boring place to be. While the combat and the linear facilities go some way to redeeming Atomic Heart, it’s not a game that I can faithfully recommend right now.

Madden NFL 21 feels very much like the byproduct of a game being developed in a vacuum, devoid of any true competition. Why bother reinventing the wheel when you are the only person manufacturing them? This lack of inspiration feels like a breeding ground for many of the franchise’s biggest complaints, most of which have been festering for far too long. It’s a good thing that the next generation is on the horizon, because without that new tech boost to hang their hat on, there’s nothing substantial enough to recommend this fumble over last year’s outing.

Anamorphine makes an important distinction by not only exploring the mental illness, but exploring the impacts that it has on those around you.

A flawed start to what might become an interesting journey down the line. While the execution was sloppy, I’m invested in Prometheus and Alice (you never forget your first VR kiss, after all), and am looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Quotation forthcoming.

Sorcery is like baking a cake, but with only a teaspoon of sugar, one egg, a pinch of flour, and a tablespoon of baking powder; all of the ingredients are there, but there's not enough of each ingredient to make the magical game that PlayStation Move owners have been looking for.

The lack of depth and overall variety and longevity make Little Deviants feel more like a $9.99 PSN title over a retail title.

Lethal VR fails to dial up the phasers from stun to kill, a decidedly less lethal experience on PlayStation VR than its original Vive counterpart. It has a really fun arcadey core that could make for some great quick VR shooting gallery moments, but is hamstrung on PSVR by a tightened field of action and piss-poor accuracy using the Move controllers.

With only three levels, and a strangely designed main menu, it feels more like a proof-of-concept that never was fleshed out.

Ultimately, Blair Witch is an intriguing story plagued by unsatisfactory gameplay, with a few neat ideas sprinkled throughout. Your canine companion presents some interesting mechanics, along with altering time through the camcorders, but in the end, even these features aren’t enough to save Blair Witch from being a chore to play. There’s still some to appreciate like the characters and story, which make Blair Witch almost enjoyable.

The final product is a reskin of a paint-by-the-numbers dungeon crawler that is devoid of motivation, originality, or replayability.

Rainbow Moon is not a bad game, but the removal of some systems and the polishing of others would make is stand more than “the game with a ton of stuff to do.”

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

A cute indie game that has its moments of brilliance, that are sadly overshadowed by rather boring gameplay.

Even with all its flaws, major and minor, the game is filled with moments of hilarity and high tension. Playing alone or with friends, the simplistic mission design that always has you sneaking about or sprinting for your life is a blast to take part in. There’s a deluge of customization options that is only matched by the Payday games and the humor is surprisingly consistent. RAID: World War II can be frustrating at times, but there’s a lot of fun to be had with friends.

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

Get Even is almost afraid of what it could have been, settling for a more traditional horror experience instead of becoming what it really wants to be. The genre has been healthy in recent months, but a wildly different approach is always welcome and Get Even only accomplishes that in fleeting moments.

Unfortunately, everything that could be used to make Inversion a unique and standout game - if not a sleeper hit - has such a small presence in the game that it just feels like a squad shooter with decent mechanics and some different ideas.

Knock-Knock is a game with great sound work, a nice, unsettling art style, but several flaws. Its mechanics are never explained. You can expect to replay the entire thing over again to see its “best” and “good” endings.

This remaster seems only well suited for folks who’ve experienced the series before. It’s tailor-made for folks who want to take a trip down memory lane. Even then, you’ll find the same surprise I did—that Onimusha: Warlords is a game remembered as being better than it actually was.

Oceanhorn‘s gameplay isn’t as polished as the SNES title it attempts to emulate, and the level design never evokes the brilliant dungeons that the developer was inspired by. Every aspect of the game feels like a poor imitation even down to the Wind Waker art style that falls apart when seen up-close.

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.

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.

If you’re a huge puzzle fan, like me, there’s something here for you. But in all honesty, there are plenty of puzzle games out there that wouldn’t come with this big of an asterisk. Go play those.

If you absolutely must play this game on the go, and know that it’s going to be an average experience for an above-average price on this platform, then have at it. Otherwise, wait until an inevitable sale.

Having the online multiplayer on the free side of the paywall is a smart move on the part of the developer, but with limited success in finding or maintaining a game, I caution anyone hoping to use this as their online game of choice on Vita.

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.