Heroland has charming character art, hilarious dialogue, and a unique premise. Unfortunately, its style can't make up for its repetitive, monotonous gameplay and unwieldy length.

Great mysteries are hard to write, and there are many more failures in the genre than there are successes. Despite some stumbles in the final chapter, I still consider The Raven to be a success.

I doubt I will look back on Sorcery Saga: Curse Of The Great Curry God fondly, if I remember it at all. If you cornered me and forced me to give it a compliment, the best I could come up with is that it is mercifully short.

Based on what The Teal Mask does well, it should have been a great piece of DLC expansion. Unfortunately, it is unsurprisingly held back by the same issues that detracted from the base game. While The Teal Mask certainly manages to provide more of what made Scarlet & Violet fun, it also includes more of what held it back from greatness, resulting in an experience whose enjoyment is even more fleeting than the base game’s. The Teal Mask’s story cliffhanger has got me looking forward to The Indigo Disc, but the gameplay leaves me anticipating it in a less positive way.

I know that while I definitely enjoyed this game, it was difficult to work within the time constraints. There was more I wanted to enjoy, but I wouldn't be able to; not without repeating a lot of the same stuff in a second or third play through the game.

If you’re just here for the gameplay, then you’ll get a lot out of Torchlight III. But the balance is askew if you’re wanting a substantial story and cast to support the wending journey from point A to B with no deviations in between. Perhaps future updates will refine the weaker points in the game, but at the moment, Torchlight III is far from the definitive entry in the series.

Biomotor Unitron does a more than admirable job of living up to my childhood dreams. The game is pure fun, unique in the face of its inspirations, easy on the eyes, and surprisingly snappy. After finishing the game, despite accomplishing everything and developing every part I could, I immediately started a new game with a different character. This was partially to check out the other Unitron designs, but mostly because I had such a good time. Biomotor Unitron might seem daunting at first, but keep in mind the port is packaged with a virtual manual that is useful for deciphering its intricacies. If any part of this game draws your curiosity, I highly recommend giving it a shot. At its low price point, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

As much as I wanted to love Syberia, I was never fully grabbed and, in fact, was repelled by its straightforward and slow puzzles and the story that goes nowhere (and not even fast, at that!). If Amerzone was pure pulpy fun, Syberia is one of those disappointing magazines with an amazing cover illustration.

When all is said and done, your satisfaction with the DS version of MUA 2 will rely in large measure on what you expect going in. The game is relatively short, but you're supposed to play it more than once.

The mystery of what FFXIII holds is far more pleasing than the experience itself.

There is the seed of an interesting, enjoyable, funny, and simple SRPG in Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes, but it's buried in fertilizer.

If you must eat, you can eat a Big Mac. And if you must play a traditional RPG, you can play Galaxy of Pen and Paper. In both cases you are also likely to get your money's worth. What you are less likely to get is something truly memorable.

If you happen to fit into that selective pool of gamers who played the original Collar X Malice and liked it, you’ll undoubtedly find something to enjoy here! Collar X Malice -Unlimited- is probably my favorite experience with an otome fandisc thus far. Despite some of its noticeable hiccups, I can’t recommend Collar X Malice -Unlimited- enough for players who enjoyed the original title.

Though the beautiful anime-style art may entice fans of traditional JRPGs, the game has more in common with management sims. The meat of the game is in managing resources and building up your fleet, while the story and characters leave much to be desired. If intricate systems and pouring over market predictions are your cup of tea, then climb up on deck. Otherwise, I recommend keeping your feet planted on solid ground.

Opoona is yet another example of a game where very little is actually broken, but very little is noticeably good, either.

Darkspore may touch the imagination in ways Diablo doesn't, but the gameplay cannot move beyond the mechanical and the meaningless.

Risen 3 is enjoyable most of the time, and I was only truly frustrated once or twice, but after twenty hours I felt I had seen all the game has to offer.

Those who want a good strategy RPG will appreciate the battle system, but may find themselves growing weary of the lengthy story scenes. Still, fans of both genres will find something to like in this game. Maybe they'll even grow to appreciate a genre they weren't looking for.

It was difficult for me to give a proper overall score for the game. Despite my many criticisms of the game, Fragments of Him definitely succeeded in leaving a lasting impression. At its core, Fragments of Him is a hopeful reminder that death and existence are not mutually exclusive — the fragments we leave behind transcend the border between worlds.

For many, Valkyrie Elysium may be average at best. However, what ticks it up a notch for me are the themes, elements, and pieces of the Valkyrie franchise that I know and love. Many games have tried to copy the series, only to fall short and become little more than superficial knock-offs that take the combat and little else. Developer SoleiL has managed to take the soul of the Valkyrie games and put it into a new vessel. It may look and play differently, but it certainly has the heart of the series in it. Though Valkyrie Elysium is much better than I’d expected, I’m hopeful the next entry in the series will be less restrained and “safe,” opting for crazier and flashier instead. In the meantime, I’ll continue trying to will Valkyrie Profile 3: Hrist into existence. Maybe this time, it’ll work.

The simulation and visual novel elements are great, but the RPG elements are not.

I guess if I had to summarize my experience with Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns, it would be this: do not buy this game. Do not rent this game. Do not borrow this game from a friend.

It's not a great game, but Eternal Poison is a game that I have no major complaints about.

It's a relatively inoffensive JRPG.

Re: Hollow Fragment is an appropriate title for yet another shallow licensed game.

I wish I liked The Outbound Ghost more than I do, but I am glad games like it exist. There will always be genres and ideas that big publishers and developers don’t see as viable, and the indie space is a perfect place to explore them. I don’t recommend The Outbound Ghost at this time, but I hope the developers continue to improve it with patches and continue to make games in genres they care about. While there is a lot of promise here, The Outbound Ghost just doesn’t reach its potential.

Maliki: Poison of the Past feels to me like a bouquet of flowers, with the occasional thorn hidden within its attractive exterior. With the air full of the enticing aroma of blooming petals, you easily forget the one or two moments of discomfort you suffer to appreciate its best qualities. Load it up, take a deep breath, and enjoy.

You get a whole lot of game for the humble price tag, and I’m very interested to see what projects we see from Brownies in the future. EGGLIA Rebirth would be a very easy recommendation with some tweaking and a few overhauls to its weaker systems, but even in its current form there’s still plenty to enjoy.