Despite its B-game charms, it is difficult to recommend Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood outright. Many of its elements feel somewhat incomplete or lacking. Even the competency of the combat only works on a surface level and is unlikely to keep people coming back for more. Still, there is some joy to be had here, even if some of it is unintentional. There may not be a gripping story or numerous engaging gameplay systems, but with the right state of mind there’s a decent, mindless weekend brawl to be had.

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.

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.

It's hard to imagine just what the developers were thinking when creating The Witch and the Hundred Knight. Metallia is so immediately distasteful that most players will be turned off in the first hour, and players who stick it out longer will likely grow bored and annoyed.

Ultimately, Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is a much, much better game than its predecessor. While the script isn't as funny as the first and tends to cross the line of good taste a few times too often, the improvements to the gameplay, the more diverse cast, and the better developed world all solidify it as an actually enjoyable game. It's much shorter than the original Hyperdimension Neptunia, clocking in at a little over twenty hours, but in many ways that's a good thing, not a bad thing. I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised.

It's difficult to justify players paying full new game price for Bound by Flame, particularly for the premium cost PS4 version. Ultimately, the game has an interesting premise and selling points that on the face of things are worthy of attention, but the scope aimed for is such that the resources and timescales devoted to it sadly had no hope in achieving.

As it stands though, it is a fascinating strategy RPG that anyone who loves strategy RPGs needs to play.

Ragnarok DS could have been a happy marriage between the addictive combat of an MMORPG and the enjoyable stories found in the best offline games.

Ultimately, Lord of Arcana does not succeed as a viable Monster Hunter clone, both because of the broken battle system or the lack of variation in the missions available, there's enough to turn people off from the title.

If even just a few more features had been implemented into Legna Tactica, I would find myself singing a different song at the end of this review. It is by no means a poor effort, but the main element RPGamers will expect from a TRPG — the tactics promised in the actual title — just never feel very engaging. By the time the scope of battles offers an enjoyable challenge, the game is already nearing its end and fatigue is setting in; it's too little, too late. Narrative, graphics, and music all clock in somewhere around average, with some facets, like the soundtrack, having a slight edge over others. As budget titles go, players can do much worse. Legna Tactica may satisfy some bite-size appetites, but don't expect it to scratch any Final Fantasy Tactics-sized itches.

Making it to the big top is a mechanically sound journey with a lot of great characters to choose and varied enemies making each combat fun. Unfortunately, the journey to each combat is fraught with graphical gaffes, sound repetition, and story doled out in odd intervals. Good old Uncle Jack can’t save this from falling out of the spotlight making The Amazing American Circus worth a look only for those that enjoy circus acts or deeper than expected card battlers. Everyone else can pull away from this mediocre performance.

R.A.W is a waste of time, energy and money, as you get very little value and content, and no reward other than a sore thumb and a sour attitude.

In the end, Cross Edge is a disappointment.

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.

It is quite possibly the easiest RPG ever made, which will unquestionably turn off many people, but if that isn't an issue for you, there's plenty of style and charm to be found.

The Good Life has a name behind it in SWERY, and as such, the story brings all the insanity and the confusion one has come to expect from his previous titles. There is scope for the humour to work, but factoring in fighting with the camera and struggling with the controls the whole experience is just not worthwhile. In a self-fulling prophecy, Naomi points out a lot of faults in games that The Good Life just blithely repeats itself. Throwing a crazy ad-lib together and keeping fingers crossed the game works may have worked in the past, but this game has none of the fun or the charm to be successful nowadays.

There were many times when I started to become invested in this game's world, and enjoyed what it had to offer. Then one of the issues unfortunately present in the Vita version would stop me in my tracks. After about the twentieth crash that forced me to restart the game and endure its beginning load times once more, all the mercy had left my system. Dex is an interesting title that ought to interest many — just not with the Vita version.

In the end, there's simply nothing interesting or worthwhile about Valhalla Knights 3.

Though the combat holds up, it’s just too difficult to find a way to recommend Element: Space as a whole. There’s not much of interest from a narrative standpoint, while all of the good points about the gameplay are offset by the technical problems. It’s a shame, as there’s a good base underneath it, but even with giving leeway based on the small size of the development team, the annoyances currently outweigh the good.

To be honest, I have a difficult time even calling Hometown Story a game, as its gameplay mechanics have almost nothing to do with its progression. Without a massive overhaul of how progression in the game works, it would probably have been better served as a visual novel, and even then, it would have been a pretty poor one.

Paranoia offers a unique premise with a ton of potential and under which many interesting scenarios can unfold. The balance between oppressiveness and humor is executed well, giving a very unique feel to this particular dystopian setting. Unfortunately, the developers are unsuccessful in using these to flesh out the world and narrative or to create characters that feel alive. While there are some cool ideas like termination booths, treason level, and cloning, they are executed a bit too close to the letter of the source material and don’t translate to a fun experience in a CRPG. The game is an interesting experience purely for its world and general atmosphere, but ultimately it fails to come together due to the lack of depth in its mechanics, character development, and world lore.

Although X-Men Destiny is extremely short, wrapping up at six hours or less, the game's many customization options, including three power sets with multiple individual power options, three playable characters with different backgrounds, and two factions to join, give it a lot of replay value. Unfortunately, other elements of the game are not up to snuff, and it's difficult to recommend as a full-priced product.

Ultimately, the one thing that Daggerdale manages to accomplish is providing a proof of concept: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition can work well in a video game. Unfortunately, Daggerdale is not that video game. Buggy, flawed, and bland, Daggerdale is the dice without the creativity of the players throwing them. While I'm sure we haven't seen the last of 4th Edition in the video game world, it's safe to give Daggerdale a critical miss.

Combining tactical RPGs and soccer is a good idea that could be further developed and improved upon, but Ganbare! Super Strikers really misses the mark in execution. The lack of substance that prevents the game from soaring once the novelty of the premise wears off and the flaws in the balancing become noticeable. As someone who generally prefers to play games single-player, the game failed to impress and I doubt this will hold much appeal in the multiplayer department for anyone who isn’t already a hardcore fan of both soccer and Tactical RPGs.

Varlet has a few interesting elements. The story is enjoyable enough to experience, with a welcome cast, and it’s quite enjoyable to listen to. However, the gameplay is ultimately little short of a disaster. While Varlet does a lot wrong, players can still readily get through it. However, the worst failing the game has is that it feels a significant improvement could simply come from excising much of its gameplay.

It’s very hard to find the positives from Arc of Alchemist. The music at least alleviates some of the monotony and players won’t need to spend too long with it to spark the ending credits, but the combat and systems contrive to make the gameplay far from enjoyable, and the story is almost not worth mentioning. One can only hope that it allows lessons to be quickly learned ahead of any future action RPG endeavours.

This was supposed to be the first entry into an episodic game, but there are currently no announced continuations, and it is doubtful any who played this game are eager for more.

If simply tossing many hours at a game is all that is necessary to deem it worthwhile, Agarest certainly qualifies. Then again, I could take a similar amount of time to watch videos of stupid things people have uploaded to YouTube and probably learn something useful, a claim Agarest cannot make.