As an actual game, Risen 2 is mediocre. The gameplay is primitive and the technical problems alone are more than enough to recommend shying away from it. However, as an experience, Risen 2 is highly entertaining. Players willing to overlook the issues with the gameplay will find themselves sucked into a sweeping, high-seas adventure that's rare for the RPG genre.

While there's some good fun to be had from the gameplay, the localisation and narrative issues make Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment a difficult recommendation.

While Monster Racers is an enjoyable way to while away a car trip or fill the time between longer, more substantial games, it is ultimately an inessential addition to most game libraries.

Fairy Fencer F is an enjoyable way to spend the roughly twenty-five hours it takes to complete.

For those looking for a retro RPG to indulge in without the numerous flaws of unnecessary grinding and unbalanced difficulty of the older games, Pillars of Dust offers a fast-paced, well-balanced option. There’s enough humour in the writing to keep it engaging. Although the gameplay gets repetitive and the overall story never takes itself seriously, the game is short enough that it does not overstay its welcome, lasting under ten hours even for the most casual players. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s not an unpleasant stroll for those who want to take a brisk walk down the retro path.

It's a rough ride, but ultimately a fun one. FORCED is a twitchy thinker's punch-drunk romp that wears its scars with pride.

Cris Tales is a joyous love letter to JRPGs, but limits itself to imitating the classics instead of attempting to elevate the genre. A plodding battle system ultimately causes the game to suffer. Cris Tales falls short of its lofty aims, but the zeal and indelible spirit of the game make it more than the sum of its parts.

Overall, Atelier Sophie is a mixed bag with many ideas that will hopefully be refined in future installments of the Mysterious series.

For every step the series has taken forward with this game, a step is taken back. The brevity of the game cuts into the enjoyment one may derive from the improved graphics, interface and plot. The mediocre boss characters and fights almost overshadow the interesting changes made to the hero roster.

Ar Nosurge is an interesting game that suffers from a lack of tender love and care on the localizer's part.

It’s hard not to be impressed with some of the things Midgar Studio achieved with Edge of Eternity. The stunning environments and soundtrack will greatly satisfy any JRPG fan. Combined with its engaging combat system, this should have been enough to make it a well held together experience, but the story’s lack of focus causes things to fall apart. The poor pacing, particularly at the beginning of the game, results in enough pointless running around enough so that it’s easy to look past some of the best features of the game. Edge of Eternity will scratch the itch of those looking for a classic JRPG with a modern touch, but past that, it doesn’t provide enough to create a truly great experience.

Despite its numerous small annoyances, Phantom Brave: We Meet Again is a fun game -- albeit hardly essential.

Somehow, despite the game’s flaws and technical hiccups, something manages to pull me back towards just one more run; if there’s any sign of success a roguelike can aspire to, that’s certainly a good one. There’s no fancy math that calculates the ephemeral fun factor some games manage to capture that makes them better than the sum of their parts. Curious Expedition 2 won’t be for everyone; there are problems not all RPGamers are going to tolerate. But for those willing to try their luck on this engaging adventure, there are treasures aplenty on those islands to uncover, just consider adventuring with the sound off.

Despite the numerous flaws, Kararot still offers a wonderful retelling of the main story, above-average graphics, and a great soundtrack, so it’s worth picking up for established and new fans of the series alike.

Sticker Star is an odd beast, and its RPG aspects are actually the most problematic. Many of the most enjoyable parts come when it can be played as a straight platformer, only to be interrupted when aggressive enemies force the player into another battle without a worthwhile reward.

Last Word is a game I would recommend to try out even just for novelty purposes; it's certainly an interesting enough experience to while away an afternoon or evening.

The Long Journey Home doesn’t outstay its welcome. A successful journey should take most players around ten hours, which is a good length for those who just want to get home and enjoy the accomplishment while the gameplay cycle remains enjoyable. Meanwhile, the way the universe is generated with seeds means that those who are interested in seeing everything the game has to offer as well as find new challenges have many reasons to keep coming back. It never offers the most in-depth or exciting gameplay moments, but the overall experience of The Long Journey Home is an enjoyable one.

I wish that I could call Atlas Fallen an overlooked gem from an overstuffed year of games, but it doesn’t quite reach that bar. It’s not an unsalvageable project and with some refinement in the gameplay, a stronger script, and some better performances this could be a solid action RPG. I didn’t even have a chance to try out the game’s co-op, which could potentially go some ways to opening up the game’s RPG elements. That doesn’t change that what is there is a fine attempt at something new but one that never fully rises to the occasion.

There’s an audience that will be very appreciative of what Arcadia Fallen achieves. It gives players a pleasing opportunity to play themselves as they see it in another world and characters that welcome them for who they are. The game won’t be for those who like to be involved in their character’s actions, but for those wanting a relaxing visual novel, it certainly fits the bill.

Always Sometimes Monsters falls short of its potential.

River City: Tokyo Rumble came to me at a perfect time when I needed both a pick-me-up and a throwback, and it was successful for those reasons alone. While the game is quite easy, even on Normal, I still think it was a blast to play — repetition, silliness and all. River City: Tokyo Rumble feels like a safe game in every regard, but I don't feel like that should be held against it. There's nothing more satisfying than kicking some punk gangsters and chewing bubblegum.

While I certainly enjoyed being able to play through the game again, it's difficult to figure out whom Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs might be for. The option to have it on PlayStation 4 is welcome and if players missed the original game for whatever reason, this is the version to pick up. However, there's not enough new content for those who did enjoy the original to justify buying it again, and for those who did have issues, virtually all of the likely turn-offs remain.

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force manages to succeed despite itself, though not without some misfires along the way.

Death end re;Quest is one of those games wherein I wavered as I played through it. The story was engaging overall despite my issues with the game’s use of violence for shock value, the unnecessary fanservice, and a combat system that made parts of the game a chore to play. The Switch port is also probably not the ideal way to play the game due to the poor optimization though it is serviceable if players can’t access it on either the PS4 or PC. Despite the issues, I would have a hard time denying that I was compelled by the experience more often than not. If asked whether I like the game or not, my answer is yes…but not without some serious caveats.

Dragon Is Dead has a solid foundation with incredibly fun combat and an addictive loot grind. Unfortunately, the game fails to implement systems that successfully utilize the repetitiveness inherent to its genre, and without a satisfying narrative, it becomes simply another action roguelite in a long list. RPGamers that enjoy loot systems and roguelites in general will certainly find something to appreciate here, but the game is unlikely to sway those who don’t already enjoy the genre.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is one of those games that has some great ideas such as building the farm from the ground up and engaging crafting as a focal point. While these risks are welcome and are great additions to this long-running series, there is no excuse for the technical issues that afflict the game, or the gameplay choices that require players to have their farm overrun by ugly makers. Those who love the farming elements will fall into the gameplay without trouble, though I wish the game had done a better job of balancing all of these elements in a way that respected the player’s time a bit better. Pioneers of Olive Town is a good game, but it is hard to recommend when Stardew Valley continues to dominate the farming sim genre.

Ghost of a Tale is and does a lot of things, some impressive but not all of them great triumphs. The game’s stealth mechanic, before it’s traded in for a suit of armor at the cost of greatly-decreased movement speed, is hardly enjoyable, and many aspects of navigating the world are tedious and cumbersome. But the game does put its best foot forward with the world it constructs, especially for those willing to dig through all available lore, and how it presents this world both visually and by incorporating some lovely original music. There’s room for improvement for future chapters — Tilo’s quest is far from over — but what’s here is an impressive, if not flawless, first effort for a new, intriguing IP.

Mystery Dungeon fans will see a few familiar aspects, but constant safety nets and easy combat will not hold the attention of the challenge-seeking for long.

Touhou Double Focus is a Touhou Metroidvania. It's honestly hard to describe it any better than that. If that doesn't sound like something you absolutely must buy, then you probably shouldn't. If either of those words provokes a strange compulsion in you though, it's a charming game that's enjoyable to play for its incredibly brief duration.

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands can take anywhere between forty to one hundred hours to complete, and the difficulty of the game depends on the pace players take. In this particular title, with the right requirements and criteria while performing tasks, Sunshine Islands can be a very rewarding game to fans of the series.

Keeping a quick pace helps to emphasise Fallen Legion's strengths and mitigate its weaknesses. There are times where the game's interesting flavour can't quite mask the lack of substance in certain areas, but despite this it remained enjoyable to play throughout. It's certainly a title worth checking out, and should provide a good few evenings worth of entertainment. Plenty of neat ideas and an interesting, if underutilised, world mark a solid debut title for the developer and put it in good standing for future titles.

In the grand scheme of things, Alpha Kimori is neither a good or a bad game. It falls into the realm of the decidedly average titles, where it fails to impress, but is not overly flawed in any major way. All in all, if the player thinks that they are going to enjoy the story then pick it up, but don't approach it with overly high expectations.

Rise of the Ronin is defined by that divide. Its combat system and historical setting give it a strong foundation, with occasional moments that genuinely stand out. At the same time, its formulaic open-world design and weak character development fail to build on those strengths. RPGamers should expect a game that offers rewarding combat and an engaging setting, weighed down by a predictable structure, pacing issues, and an incoherent story.

Potion Permit is the kind of game that could be fantastic, if it wasn’t currently plagued with numerous bugs. For those willing to commit the fifteen to twenty hours to enjoy the content despite the mountain of technical issues, or those willing to wait for a few patches to iron out the current issues, there’s a quaint title waiting to be explored. Underneath the teleportation issues, combat problems, dialog flubs, incorrect quest text, and soft locks is a game that has managed to capture the ephemeral fun factor of a slice-of-life game, with enough RPG mechanics to keep it interesting while not overstaying its welcome.

It's a simple hack 'n' slash dungeon crawler, and at that it succeeds. But with virtually no story and a myriad of pointless, distracting side quests, the game relies almost exclusively on multiplayer for a complete experience.

Dragon Quest VII is still not a favorite of mine, but this remake left me feeling much better than the original. Its storytelling is far from the potential it could grasp, but each of the scenarios presented manages to be interesting. It's not a good idea to have this be someone's first Dragon Quest, but anyone prepared for a serious commitment will find Fragments of the Forgotten Past to be a solid choice.

Despite its issues and a perplexing plot that fails to answer nearly all of its pressing questions, ANNO: Mutationem has the makings of a strong ongoing property. The mixture of 2D and 3D works nicely with its visual style, and it establishes Ann Flores as a strong protagonist well worth spending more time with. As it currently is, ANNO: Mutationem is a solid but not spectacular title and should be able to establish a fan base, with the scope to expand it in the future.

This game is for those who love constant story beats, and don't mind a ton of it.

Despite all of the areas that The Outer Worlds could do better, it is still an enjoyable experience. Companions and the relative density of the game make the day-to-day quests by and large engaging, while the inclusion of the DLC goes a long way to raising up the interest in the setting. However, outside of it there is little to recommend Halcyon as a place to explore, particularly as players get assaulted by familiar foes more than necessary. The Outer Worlds sets a solid, if unspectacular, base that has plenty of room to improve.

It's cast from a different mould than that of Xenoblade and The Last Story, and while it may not reach the same level as its contemporaries, those looking for a decent adventure should find plenty to like.

As the debut title from a very small development team, Path of the Midnight Sun is a fine effort. It manages to find a decent spot where its visual novel and RPG trappings balance out without one overwhelming or undercutting the other, and the story and characters make for an interesting tale with enough that holds up for its length. It’s a game that allows players to take it at their own pace, to its benefit.

Cladun Returns boasts great dungeon crawling with countless options for customization and optimization to take on any situation. It features a ~25 hour story campaign as well as endless side content. While combat is simple, the controls are responsive and the dungeon design is fun and increasingly challenging. Unfortunately, the game overall comes off as one-dimensional in this respect. It lacks any semblance of a narrative, and the small piecemeal levels and lack of a cohesive world don't offer much in terms of exploration or immersion. It is also graphically unsuitable for the PlayStation 4 and large TV displays. Those looking for a pure dungeon crawl with both roguelike and standard dungeons will find that Cladun Returns delivers way more than its fair share. Players looking for a more immersive, story-driven classic RPG experience should look elsewhere.

Despite these flaws, the game as a pure tactical scenario actually manages to rise above more prominent choices on the DS such as the Luminous Arc series, delivering a unique and enjoyable tactical experience that should engross devotees of the genre.

While the story fails to deliver any sort of insight or even serve the complex subject matter it lazily employs in the opening hours, Mercenaries Blaze: Dawn of the Twin Dragons is a surprisingly layered title which lovingly borrows from the best of the genre, which is best reflected in the game’s battle mechanics. The game provides a solid if unoriginal strategy RPG experience on the Nintendo Switch for series veterans and newcomers alike.

Empire of Sin is a good game held back only by a lack of variety in ways to win, leaving most forms of diplomacy and expansion feeling useless long-term. This makes it feel like the game is punishing the player for playing slowly and methodically as enemy factions will only get stronger as game continues, though it lets players keep each playthrough unique by varying how deep they go into the intricate systems the game provides. However, the combat system is lot of fun and prohibition era Chicago has never felt more alive, so many will find it worth their time diving into the unique setting.

Overall, Hexyz Force is a safe effort, bringing barely anything new to the table, but it will be appealing for those who are not looking for something complicated, or those looking for a decent forty hour dual-story epic.

Cloudpunk is the kind of game that places importance on narrative over gameplay and one that will feel considerably better on different platforms. It offers a memorable narrative with some great characters to meet along the way, and it’s admirable just how invested one can get in them considering their existence starts and stops (in most cases) with an on-screen character portrait and a voice-over. The city is vast and beautifully designed using voxel art, though players on Switch won’t bask in as much of its visual splendor. However, it’s also a game in which the narrative trumps all, even gameplay, with the only player interaction coming in the form of somewhat superficial vehicle sections and the odd on-foot segment. It’s a relatively short ride and well worth taking, as long as one’s expectations are dialed in correctly from the outset.

Sunday Gold has a story that is set in an interesting world, but its focus on a singular plot point, while entertaining, makes other content feel disjointed. As a point-and-click adventure the game lacks stakes as everything can be completed with enough attempts. As a turn-based RPG the characters don’t get a lot of customization, and the most interesting parts of combat are how to avoid spending too much time in it, or dealing with an inventive negative state. However, the balance between both of these average experiences combine into an enjoyable experience that fills its fifteen to twenty hour runtime, but likely only for those actively looking to see the results of such an experiment.

Kingdoms of the Dump displays plenty of effort and ideas stemming from a unique premise. Combat tries something new, but ultimately feels like a complicated way of doing something routine, and the platforming bugs can irritate quickly. However, the heartwarming and remarkably designed party members and its world, with something new to see around every corner, make that irritation disappear quickly. Tone shifts between jokes that don’t always land and serious stakes of world altering proportions make the story feel too disjointed to be a win, but the passion is clear and there is still enough quaint charm to give this quirky title a worthwhile look.

If you're really itching to play another strategy game, or you happened to really love the 360 original, Blue Dragon Plus will absolutely do the trick, but otherwise it's another game that you shouldn't feel guilty about skipping.

Dusk Diver inevitably invites comparisons to both Persona and Yakuza. Yet this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as while it doesn’t have the thematic aspirations of the former or the writing and attention to detail of the latter, the decent combat and low-key charm make it an overall pleasant experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Just keep in mind that it is very much cotton candy instead of a full-course meal.

Upon revisiting the world of Dragon Quest II after a long hiatus, I still found it enjoyable, yet it no longer feels like the epic tale it was long ago. A world that felt so large in its day now feels both short and sweet and somehow also prolonged with unnecessary backtracking and excessive enemy encounters. Nonetheless, the Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Quest II is a fine-tuned port of an old game, with better graphics, music, and solid gameplay. Fans of the series and retro-enthusiasts may find enjoyment with this title, but newcomers to the series may find some of the story and gameplay elements archaic and outdated.

Melding real-time and turn-based mechanics cannot be easy, but Nova-111 does it deftly, with its gameplay being the top priority. Unfortunately, this interactive puzzle game has no story or substance to make it feel like more than a collection of mini-games. The game itself is a blast to play in handy bite sized chunks, and seeing the new ways puzzles, enemies, and mechanics all combine together can be quite fun. The game’s relatively short length also adds to its grab-and-go nature. With puzzles that don’t feel too punishing, it’s easy to jump in and feel rewarded for solving each well-crafted and thoughtful area.

Ultimately, The Dragon Knight Saga is a game at odds with itself. Its solid writing and quest design has to contend with balance issues and a myriad of other minor problems such as a sporadic autosave function that feels more like an afterthought.

Experience Inc. has refined its dungeon crawling offerings, and Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is testament to that. The game does not explore new ground, despite having a premise that would be exciting to explore, but it does feature fun combat and smooth gameplay. This means that despite the shortcomings, the game is one that will be appreciated by dungeon-crawling fans as an accessible title with plenty of cool enemy designs and a labyrinth worth delving into.

This is not the very rare type of licensed game that will convert non-fans of the subject matter, but neither is it an abomination. Dragon Ball fans don't have a great number of solid RPGs set in the universe to play, and this one manages at least that much.

Megaton Musashi W: Wired offers plenty in terms of a dumb, fun giant robot game. While story issues and performance issues on Switch hold it back from reaching greater heights, the depth of the mecha customization and combat is entertaining overall. The entire package is a bit of a mixed bag, but it’s one with just enough not to feel disappointed.

One thing is clear, Dusk Diver 2 knows what it wants to be and does it pretty well. The hack and slash action combat is easy to learn and master, and side content is addictive to complete. Its anime inspiration lends to a vibrant world, great character design, and soundtrack fitting for any occasion. However, the most important parts of the game don’t pack enough of a punch. Combat doesn’t have enough variety, and the story meanders for too long before it gets interesting. What keeps the game moving is the many things for Yumo to do outside of battle, whether that be helping people or indulging in a nice meal. Dusk Diver 2 ultimately isn’t an indulgence, but something one might pick up when they want something comfortable and familiar.

For those looking for an enjoyable retro adventure, Geo Mythica should fit the bill well. The combat ultimately won’t be for everyone, especially as it gets more chaotic to weave around towards the latter portions of the game, but there’s always a fun journey lying underneath it. While the story is fairly predictable, a solid sense of charm permeates everything it does, helped by pacing that ensures it doesn’t outstay its welcome, making for a solid if unspectacular title.

It’s difficult to recommend Sacred Earth – Promise as a standalone title, though certain aspects are definitely laudable. Perhaps once sequels are created to flesh out the world more it will be seen as the precursor to a venerable series. I enjoyed many of the witty lines and appreciated the combat’s intentions, but this is not the rare indie title which will immediately garner acclaim from everyone.

Despite my complaints, I actually enjoyed my time with Don’t Give Up, and I think, long-term, Taco Pizza Cat Games has the ability to create powerful stories that people will want to connect with. The game’s subject matter is of great importance, as is the way in which it connects with the audience. If nothing else, indies like this are showing the value of telling stories rooted in mental illness with both humour and empathy. However, the experience I had with Don’t Give Up was sadly diminished by technical issues and combat that leaves a lot to be desired and ultimately isn’t fun to play. There is absolutely good game hidden within it and damn does it have a lot of heart, but at this time the game misses it’s mark on the technical side, which makes it tough to fully recommend.

Not every game has to push the envelope, and Unlucky Mage certainly doesn't. Yet it could deliver better in terms of story and execution.

This is not the worst game ever. Somehow, the experience adds up to more than the sum of its parts, and it manages to be a mostly inoffensive adventure. Its predictability is a bit like comfort food, in that it recalls a childhood of being easily entertained. The battle system isn't interesting enough to hold up the game on its own, but fiddling with stats to avoid a level grind can be rewarding in its own right. There are probably worse ways to spend a couple dozen hours, but on the other hand there are also better.

Two Brothers will find most appeal with those who grew up in the earlier periods of adventure gaming, when players had to make their own way through the world.

It’s hard to recommend Dandy Dungeon on the strength of any one of its aspects. The gameplay is designed to be repetitive, and does too little to appeal much to either those interested in dungeon-crawling combat or puzzle-solving. The story gels well with the comically exaggerated pixel graphics and silly music, and delivers a good amount of cheekiness, though it’s unfortunately eclipsed by the game’s large amount of grinding. In the end, it’s not a terrible game, but its idiosyncrasies don’t push it beyond average, and may be too much for many gamers to swallow.

There’s just not enough in the overall package to make tERRORbane an enjoyable experience, especially for those looking for something more than flat parody.

Even if you're desperate for a PC game to play with friends, it'll take a major content patch or expansion for this to be a worthy experience, much less live up to its name.

If the game wasn't crippled by its glitches and save data wiping, there is an entertaining experience to be had.

Fairy Tail 2 has a core problem that it fails to solve. Its identity as an adaptation pits it up against both the original manga and the anime, which concluded far before this game’s release, putting the onus on the game to do something to provide an extra spark. While the gameplay systems are solid, they aren’t enough of a positive to overcome that fans would likely receive a more complete narrative elsewhere. Add to that the game’s technical issues, and Fairy Tail 2 ends up being hard to recommend.

Dragon Star Varnir is exactly what it wanted to be: a safe game. Most of the ambition went into the combat system, where it succeeded. There are moments where players can lose themselves in the story, only for the presentation to bring the excitement to a screeching halt. Most annoying is how it feels like it punishes the player for spending too long exploring through the frustrating little sister system that creates some tension, but is much more tedious than it’s worth. These time constraints make the playable cast feel much smaller due to an inability to use them all consistently. Dragon Star Varnir has it’s positives: witches are all heartwarming and interesting in their own way, while combat is also fun, with devouring dragons for cores a notable perk. It is just not enough to take this game higher than being adequate.

Bleach: The 3rd Phantom is not going to snare fresh fans for the franchise, but at least it does not fail so completely as to be unplayable.

I am frustrated with Criminal Girls 2, because on one hand it's a very solid dungeon crawler that most of the time doesn't outstay its welcome. It has the right pacing, the battle system has some neat little quirks to it, and yet the downside is that it becomes grindy in more ways than needed. While I didn't hate my time with Criminal Girls 2, I feel like it needed a much clearer direction to make the gameplay and story components more cohesive, and that's where it fails. If you liked the first game, this review likely won't sway you, but for those who are curious, just be prepared for a lot of scrubby brushes and goo flinging awkwardness.

Citizens Unite! Earth and Space has largely been mentioned as two separate games. That is because both games are played entirely separate and, except for a bunch of side-quests added in with a few new characters and encounters, nothing has been changed to either game to make this content feel like it needs to be there. With no payoff to the game-hopping the release feels longer and is just a detriment to two otherwise average games. If neither game has been played before this is a handy collector’s pack but there is no real need to delve too deeply for returning players unless a collect everything attitude is undertaken. The games look nice, with vibrant character work and their own unique feel in combat and talents, but with minimal character growth to them beyond mere caricatures it feels more chore and bore, than bringing in an excite to unite.

As said at the start, Omega Quintet is a game with appeal to fans of previous Compile Heart games, but is highly unlikely to get many more on board. The battles and exploration are decent, but are completely overshadowed by familiar issues with the rest of the game. There are other titles from the company with more widespread appeal and less aggravating design decisions.

My World, My Way is certainly for players who are into collecting items from battles, and very simple, but sometimes challenging, dungeon-crawling.

For some it may be worth trying out, but there are many JRPGs on the DS right now that are more fun, more charming, more worth your time, and more likely to remind you of the good old days of being a young RPGamer.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from 3D, having never seriously partaken of this series before. The experience, with its annoying mechanics and impenetrable narrative, has soured me on trying any more. Fans of other Kingdom Hearts titles will probably have a completely different reaction as they have already learned to cope with the mechanics and have some clue what the hell is going on. Absent from this conditioning, I find I have no interest in learning what else this series has to offer.

It's a serviceable package, but could have been so much more if its mechanics matched the sweep of its story and the story didn't wear itself out on tangents. The participants in the Holy Grail War are nuanced, cleverly designed characters, but they gutter and die before becoming truly awesome.

Utawarerumono is a property that deserves greater awareness, but unfortunately Utawarerumono Zan is unlikely to help. It might serve some as a brief reminder of events, but taken in a vacuum neither the storytelling nor gameplay do enough to warrant much attention. At least there is the remake of its first title to look forward to in 2020.

Warsaw starts well enough. Its eye-catching premise and style do a good job getting players’ initial attention, while the brisk gameplay loop gets players up to speed quickly. However, the loop gets tiresome a short while in, with rather shallow depth and no narrative to support it, and so the experience of the game itself will not linger too long in the memory. But if nothing else, Warsaw still gives encouragement for others to learn more about one of the darker times in history and find further respect for those who fought through it.

While it might not be the most pleasant-looking game or have a ton of depth, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is still enjoyable and at its best when played in small doses.

Capes starts off with an interesting superhero premise of a dystopian city that is controlled by the villains. At the start, the gameplay can be rewarding and engaging, while the characters are well voice-acted, and the game has some nice tactical gameplay until the mid-game. However, things don’t manage to carry through and the latter parts of the game leave much to be desired. Those looking for a new superhero strategy game will get some enjoyment out of Capes, but could easily find themselves hoping there was more to it.

It's a game that has a lot of promise, but feels cheaply made. There's some great ideas that are overshadowed by gameplay elements that don't add anything meaningful to the overall experience. While I loved the overarching themes and the characters, those elements were outshined by boring, repetitive gameplay, with boring and repetitive tasks that felt directionless most of the time. I can only hope, if a sequel is made, that Gust refocuses on how they want to make the gameplay interesting, because as it stands Blue Reflection lacks meaningful gameplay that doesn't work well with the storytelling it is attempting to provide.

The nostalgia present in the Disney worlds is a treat for all, and it's easy to get attached to the cast. However, there's very little about the gameplay that impresses, and those bits that do try and get away from the uninteresting battles are frequently interrupted or still have issues plaguing them.

Creature Keeper demonstrates a promising foundation, but it requires considerable refinement to truly realize its potential and become a consistently enjoyable adventure.

For all its flaws, it did genuinely surprise me in areas and had twists and turns that were unexpected. It's a pleasantly mediocre game that could have used tons more polish to create a better experience.

Fans of Organization XIII will enjoy some insight into their favorite characters' daily lives, but many fans of the series may be turned off by the lackluster controls and odd story directions taken with this portable spin-off.

Ravenlok is incredibly endearing on the surface with its charming visual style and vibe. It’s just a shame that the underlying game never completely lives up to that charm factor. With combat that ends up tiresome and an underwhelming story, there’s always a feeling that the game is missing something. The game fortunately doesn’t stick around too long, coming in at around six hours, but it’s disappointing that those six hours are not more memorable, as there are glimpses in Ravenlok that could have been something special.

It doesn't pass muster as one of the 3DS's better offerings, but neither did I experience great hatred for Dragon Sinker while playing it. It offers enough engagement to not fade from the mind swiftly, without justifying someone's immediate and unswerving attention due to the plethora of superior options out there. Saying it's better than most items published by Kemco may not be great praise, but it's accurate.

RPGolf Legends is leaps and bounds above developer ArticNet’s original title and features a bevy of perfectly average game systems. However, all these average systems lack any standout hook for the game to hang its hat on and set itself apart from the indie pixel-game scene. This leaves the whole game feeling less than the sum of its parts. While the game wasn’t a standout for me, it was such an improvement that I’d be interested to see if they can take another large step forward in future titles.

This foundation is shaky at best, so White Knight Chronicles needs some work.

It's hard to recommend Operation Abyss to anyone except hardcore dungeon crawler fans. The story just doesn't have the content for a game of this length, and dungeon design issues often make exploration and advancing a major annoyance.

The game sports an involving combat system and a fascinating world to explore, one that is ripe for expansion in a promised sequel. I commend the work that went into this title from Talerock’s dedicated staff. The technical issues that creep up are hard to ignore though, and the localization doesn’t help a game that’s trying to have a spectacular narrative. Hopefully the promised follow-up improves on this first Grimshade.

Despite a lot of issues in the gameplay, I actually had a lot of fun playing Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, and that's largely in part to the humorous script and terrific localization job.

Trying to combine peanut butter and jelly into a delicious sandwich, tri-Ace instead takes two very different battle systems and combines them into something like ice cream with poached eggs on top. The tactical parts alone are decent with lots of customizability and strategies to ponder, and the Valkyrie Profile system is about as good here as it is in the first two games in the series, but instead of meshing and working together, they pull against each other as the player is left wishing he had just one system or the other.

Disgaea 6 ticks many worthwhile boxes for series veterans looking to chase that next stat fix; however, newcomers may find the sweet relief when the final boss is at last vanquished by the auto-battle system to be the only high worth noting, and for all the wrong reasons.

Citizens of Space is an ambitious game in many ways that delivers an incredible variety of systems both in and out of combat to occupy players. To be sure, the game oozes with creativity at nearly every turn. But it takes a risk in going with a story focused primarily on humor, which unfortunately doesn’t pay off, and is instead overburdened with mostly predictable punchlines and tired, overused phrases. The end result leaves the game without much of a narrative, characters with flat personalities, fights that can drag on for a little too long, and lackluster presentation throughout.

Blackguards is a fairly decent first go, and fills up the roughly forty hours it takes to complete, including most side quests, quite nicely.