And the sad truth is that those who can’t play for scores upon scores of hours and refuse to spend more money to get the game’s best stuff will likely feel the consequences in online play as they go up against those who have. This could potentially put a serious damper on online fun as time rolls on.

Battleborn has laid the groundwork for a decent online cooperative and competitive shooter, but most players would do will to hold off until it rectifies its balancing issues and dearth of content.

The better the game, the more money the company made; the more money the company made, the better games.

Rollers of the Realm aimed for the big points and, while it might not be dead centre, they’re mostly on target.

Outlast II is, in the end, a case of wasted potential. It revs up its scare engine to maximum RPMs in the moments after its opening crash sequence, then quickly fizzles in the first major encounter, which I suspect will leave most players cursing at their screens in frustration as they die half a dozen times without any idea where they need to go or what they must do in order to not die a grisly death at the hands of a crazed woman who enjoys nothing more than repeatedly killing us with a sharpened crucifix as we blindly stumble around in the dark...What, that doesn’t sound fun to you? Me neither.

A sloppy camera, meanwhile, adds frustration to the proceedings. Players rarely have a good handle on distances involved in jumps to swinging platforms or teleports through 3D mazes or any of the other dangerous maneuvers frequently required. Expect plenty of aggravating deaths.

Gotham Knights isn’t really broken, it simply falls short of what has come before. Superhero games come with lofty expectations these days, and it’s unlikely this entry will meet them for most players. It’s safely skippable for now, but maybe check it out once it arrives on your favourite subscription service.

I had fun with it for maybe a dozen sessions spanning a total of a couple of hours.

So there’s definitely no shortage of stuff to do. The campaigns alone will fill at minimum a few weeks of nightly play...The question is whether it’s any fun.

The Walking Dead: Michonne ends up an entertaining, if not quite as satisfying, addition to Telltale’s slowly evolving series. At its worst it simply provides more of the same action and difficult decision making that fans seem to love, and at its best it delivers fresh canonical insight into one of The Walking Dead’s most interesting characters.

A special kind of frustration swells up from playing a game that delivers pristine action mechanics set within a creatively vapid world.

Much as I hate to admit it, strong storytelling – which is so rare in big games – is often only half the battle. It’s a shame to see it tarnished by mediocre action.

Just seems kind of small and limited to me. I think people might expect a little more from an Animal Crossing game.

This may have stood a minor chance in the bone dry days of summer, but with so many truly remarkable open world experiences currently on offer at the moment, it’s tough to see why anyone would opt for Elex II.

Sunset is that rare game that endeavours to challenge players to be entertained by something other than action.

Civilization Revolution 2 isn’t a terrible game by any stretch, but I’ve a feeling it will be long forgotten within minutes of sinking my teeth into a full-featured Civilization game set in space.

It might be the closest the game industry has yet come to imagining the mix of tension and monotony of routine life in a world of undead.

Play it with a few good friends or family members and it can be the video game equivalent of a bowl of soup for your soul, leaving you smiling, content, and just generally feeling pretty good.

Ultimately, Liberation features a fantastic premise with an evocative heroine that sadly doesn’t measure up to any of the games in the main series. If you are an Assassin’s Creed nut who really wants to see the fictional universe from another perspective, give Liberation a whirl. If you are just looking for some more Assassin’s Creed action, the other six games are better than this one.

NaissancE is a beautiful game, but without much direction it can feel like a never ending mire of running, jumping, and falling. That being said, is the game worth spending $20 on? Certainly.

It may not be more than the sum of its parts, but it’s still a fun action adventure and definitely a worthy sequel to Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Just don’t expect to be blown away by the sometimes convoluted story.

Elegy for a Dead World may have its issues, but it provides the spark and kindling for a blaze of creativity. It ought to prove plenty of fun for anyone who chooses to keep feeding the fire.

I can say, though, is that it feels very similar to the Dynasty Warriors games I remember playing a decade or so ago. I don’t feel like I’ve missed a lot. I’m not blind to the fact that there is an outrageous amount of content here, including a huge array of playable characters, multiple campaigns to work through, and even a camp-building mode that gives some creative purpose to your killing. I suspect the right player could invest scores of hours in this game and still find more to do. But I’m pretty certain that player isn’t me.

A pretty big disappointment.

Unrest is a bold, powerful, and interesting game. I’m just not sure how much fun it is.

For a moderate increase in price, you end up getting a lot less in terms of content.

The Xbox One edition I tested stuttered noticeably about once or twice per race, sometimes more. Even the slightest frame rate hiccups in racing games can result in collisions with potential to send you from first place to last in a blink – especially if they happen on a corner versus a straightaway. Frame hitching cost me a number of races in Need for Speed, and each was a maddening experience.

Mario Party fans will likely find themselves wishing for something more.