Many of the additions feel like things that they didn’t have time to add to the last game, and the whole experience feels uninspired. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but Warrior Within is one big letdown.

Just Cause 2's exploration and destruction isn't even that in-depth; it's quite generic, actually. Last year's unfortunately overlooked Red Faction: Guerrilla was far more explosive and destructive than Just Cause 2, not to mention an overall better looking, playing, sounding, and interesting game.

What Odin Sphere does not do very well, however, is the control, as it is extraordinarily unresponsive at times, as well as poorly mapped on the Playstation 2 controller.

For others who appreciate a little strategy to go with their shooting, Brothers in Arms delivers a rather intense war-playing experience that goes along with a fascinating story told from the perspective of the soldiers who lived it.

Lots of great stuff but this raucous attempt at racing needs some settling and organization.

There are just too many other, better racers on the PS2 that you should play even before OutRun 2006 comes to mind.

If you're not going to play this game online, you don't need it, you won't like it, and you'll be mad that you paid full price for it.

Just recreating the city and getting the web slinging right is impressive on its own, but they aren’t enough to keep the game from getting stale too quickly. The game can be beaten in less than ten hours, and while that’s only 50% if you haven’t gotten all the bonus hidden stuff, there’s not really anything interesting enough to entice you to keep playing.

The weapons and the kinds of weapons you can put together really make for some really kick ass kills. Additionally, there are some RPG-esque elements which I liked, as well. But what really killed it for me was the clunky and often unresponsive controls, in addition to the repetitive combat which could've used a lot more diversifying.

The addition of hotswapping makes the campaign mode a pleasant diversion for a few hours, but after a while you’re going to want to go online and you’re probably going to be let down by the lack of gameplay modes and technical problems that EA is working on, but has yet to fix.

Without question, Ninja Gaiden 4 has amazing combat. Yakamo journey will send you head first like a blood-soaked death tornado. Those seeking old school gory action will love it, and its challenge will satisfy long time fans of the series. If you can turn your brain off and enjoy its forgettable story, there is a fun game here. But its lacking in depth for those looking for the next great ninja revenge tale.

Despite all of its time in development, Prototype feels hollow and uninspired. There are a number of great concepts here, such as the shapeshifting and being able to run vertically, but everything else falls apart when you realize how boring many of the missions are, how boring the world is, how boring the game looks, and...well, how boring the game is, overall.

Alien: Isolation desperately tries to give us something fearsome and memorable. But the inconsistent approach leads to periods of tedium thankfully interrupted by flashes of unmitigated terror. If you can revel in the highs and forge through the lows, you should emerge satisfied. If, on the other hand, you’re more sensitive to design, control and mechanical issues, you’ll be a bit harsher on the game.

Western RPGs have come along way in recent years. And in a post-modern design world — one with Baulder’s Gate IIIand Expedition 33— I fear that Bethesda’s designs have gotten stale and bled into other studios. It feels basic at everything with subpar writing, a weird mission structure, and combat — while good, it isn’t anything new and different. Those looks for a by the numbers RPG with guns might still find the fun here, but it doesn’t really do anything to set itself apart from pack. It’s Borderlandswith a different skin and I expected more.

Even slightly improved AI would have made the game much more engaging, as would more effective bullets, varied mission objectives, and more freedom to carry whatever guns you wanted.

The shooting is solid, the graphics are fine, the sound design and musical score are acceptable if uninspired, and yet the game is significantly less than the sum of its parts.

It’s simply too frustrating to lose a match because of imprecise controls and a lousy putting system.

If you're looking for a deep hack and slash title along the lines of "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance," look elsewhere. Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an over simplified attempt at a genre that begs for more. This just isn't hack and slash done right -- it feels more like an arcade game than anything else.

NBA 2k23 is more of the same thing, but refines the formula for fans of more realistic sports gaming. While its microtransactions are obstructive as ever, Jordan’s Challenge is a labor of love for basketball fans. You’ll get to play moments of history with an authentic flair to it thanks to some beautiful old-school filters. And while the graphics are slightly inferior and it lacks The City, last-gen is still a viable option to experience this brushed-up basketball simulation.

Call it my unyielding love for the franchise, but Sega needs to amp up their game if they want to earn my respect back. Sorry Sega, but a few new animated cutscenes I can watch on YouTube for free and a bunch of hackneyed ports of games I’ve purchased dozens of times aren’t enough to justify the price tag. Going back to the song “It Doesn’t Matter,” maybe someone should let Sega know that pride comes before the fall.

Technical problems kill any value that Kinetic might have.

Tacoma is not going to win any new fans who weren’t already interested in story-heavy adventure games, but if you enjoyed Gone Home, you’re likely going to find Tacoma a pleasant evolution of that narrative style with a few much needed improvements to the interactive aspects of the gameplay.

It offers plenty of foes to strike down with a wide variety of cool attacks, lots of classic characters, and enough ally and party micromanagement to maintain some sense of role-playing and strategy. But the story falls flat, the pacing is off, and above all else, the combat mechanic is inherently flawed.

A proper long-term gameplay mode would've been nice. Rookie Challenge is decent, but some extra meat is needed to justify the price-tag.

There are several great ideas here, but they're sort of mired beneath the weight of a generic shooter. The multiplayer isn't overwhelmingly great, either, and despite a really solid story with a lot of potential, a few compelling characters, and an immersive, challenging environment, Spec Ops: The Line doesn't make good on its lofty claims.

Personally, I had fun with Return to Arms, despite its flaws… until the end. I won’t spoil anything, but after 20 hours, one would expect more than the anticlimax at the end of the journey.

A fun game – for a few hours. If you’re playing the series for the first time, the game is certainly better than the first NFL Street, but it still lacks replay value.

It's completely average. As a next-generation title, its visuals leave a lot to be desired. And when you're not peeved at how boring it looks, you'll be peeved at how dull it sounds.