The experience is high on satisfaction and low on frustration, making it an undeniably perfect fit for the company's mobile console. It's not entirely flawless, but as Mario games go, it's one of the best.

Rebel Galaxy offers an exciting, if streamlined experience of commanding a large spaceship with a heavy focus on combat. It doesn't do much with the story beyond inviting you into its universe, but the gameplay, Western-inspired setting and procedurally generated nature will keep you playing for many hours.

Beholder feels like it isn't saying much politically, while still shouting at the top of its lungs about what is and what could be. It's an interactive moral dilemma that will force players to rethink everything they thought they knew about themselves.

Audacious is the word that best describes Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. It contains quality material, but it's little more than a preview of something better, and as such, simply should not be presenting itself - deceptively - as a game in its own right.

Perhaps Fear 3 is horror for the squeamish, but if you're looking for something to scare you enough to keep you up at nights, you best look elsewhere. However, if you are in the mood for a fun and solid shooter with a creepy aesthetic, Fear 3 delivers a viscera filled romp that's worth checking out.

A solid, accessible city builder, Tropico 5 gets out of the way and lets you have the fun you came for without pissing around in fiddly details.

The story was engaging and felt like a great nod to the original book, and the world itself felt lively and fun to explore. If you’re willing to overlook a few quirks, it’s a worthwhile pick-up for any detective novel fans looking for a new game to play.

What's here is undoubtedly high quality, but some may find themselves just wanting more of the game. It's a blessing and a curse.

The engine of the game hasn't changed, but the chrome is super-polished and new multiplayer modes are great new features.

BotW is best played on your TV from the couch on a console, and best enjoyed by players looking for a challenge. If you don't like dying, you should probably avoid it entirely, but if you're a persistent sort of player that doesn't mind having to try a segment a few times, it has a lot to offer.

Raskulls is cute, and it's funny - even if it tries a bit too hard sometimes.

The Evil Within is a noble attempt at bringing back classic survival horror, but it could have learned a thing or two from games that aren't almost ten years old. It has its moments of brilliance, scattered through periods of antagonizing design.

If there was any question whether Daedalic is the inheritor of the LucasArts adventure gaming crown, consider it settled. The Night of the Rabbit is an outstanding example of the genre and an impressive next step in the ongoing evolution and refinement of its creator.

Not A Hero isn't a game for everyone. It's flawed, repetitive, but works so well when it works.

Occasionally frustrating moments and hugely disappointing boss fights aside, Shank is a treat for anyone who likes chainsawing bad guys in the face. Repeatedly.

It might have trouble holding a steady pace across the whole game, but Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is an enjoyable platformer with many differing styles of gameplay to keep things interesting. Plus, the sheer amount of collectibles and treasures to hunt down will make it hard for any completionist to put the game down for long.

Still a very good game, but it's on the more pointless end of the rerelease spectrum, and they really should have fixed those bugs.

The story is moved forward, and the quick time events and character development make you wish you could play the concluding episode right now. So, in essence, this episode does its job quite well, I just wish it had more internal resolution.

The first episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series isn't exactly groundbreaking but it successfully draws you in to learn what happens next to the Forresters. The art style and the vocal talents are superb and the new characters feel ripped from Martin's pages, for better or worse.

While the game is certainly not perfect, for the developers’ second attempt at an RTS, Iron Harvest has a lot of potential. Once the multiplayer, competitive, and co-op features are added, Iron Harvest is sure to become a staple of the RTS genre.

Lego Clone Wars nails the Lego look and sense of humor, but completely fails when it comes to evoking the lighthearted fun the series is known for. Surprisingly difficult and repetitious, it seems to be working against the player as hard as it can.

Event[0] has the length and teething pains of a tech demo, but tells a story to beautifully to overlook without good reason.

Epistory doesn't try to do too much, instead focusing on perfect execution of what it does. The world is gorgeously crafted around you as the narrator lulls you into contentment, but the creeping insect enemies will keep you moving and actively entertained.

There's definitely some potential here but it feels like a tentative step in a new direction. It's less sure of itself than Telltale's other premieres.

Prototype 2 is a decent action-adventure with fun combat, but gets a little too samey here and there.

EA's take on the modern shooter is good but not great. The combat is genuinely thrilling, but the heavy scripting and predictable plot points leave little room for surprises. Multiplayer is fun but not different from what we're already playing.

95 percent of what makes up Titan Souls is boss battles, and fortunately, that's the 95 percent of the game that Acid Nerve nails. Its story is nearly non-existent, and its on the short side, but the quality of the battles against the many Titans mostly make up for Titan Souls shortcomings.

This is as close as I’ve ever come to the action Picard experience. The rush of breaking orbit, discovering ancient ruins; these are the surface pleasures of the sci-fi daydream. This game does not offer up the spiritual majesty of truly great science fiction, the full Picard diplomat uncovering new truths about life, but it doesn’t have to. It’s precisely what I’ve been searching for for a long, long time.

Ultimately, Outcasters mostly seems ready to settle into its niche that it’s created. It’s not designed to be the killer app that reels in a mass of new players, but it should attract some. Better yet, since it launched directly into Stadia Pro, it’s there on day one for the folks who are already the most committed. For a platform trying to find its footing in a crowded, competitive space, solidifying the publisher-player relationship is crucial. There will be bigger, flashier, and likely better games to come from Stadia Games and Entertainment in the years ahead, but for now, those already playing via Google’s tangerine-tinted cloud will find they have their first example of a fun, albeit flawed, multiplayer game they won’t find anywhere else.

A simple yet entertaining "city builder" that'll provide a difficult challenge.

Outlast: Whistleblower isn't quite as memorable as its parent game, but nonetheless provides plenty of grisly encounters and tells a more complete story.

Not as good as the original, Hotline Miami 2 delivers a flawed dose of the high speed ultra violence that's fun but not essential.

Space Marine combines gameplay elements to nail the feel of being a 7 foot armored tool of destruction. The game will simply leave you wanting more in both good and few bad ways.

Binary Domain is definitely a very solid third-person shooter, and while it falls short in some areas, there's enough variety in the meat of the game to make it worth a playthrough.

It brings absolutely nothing new to the genre, but it's legitimately funny, brilliantly produced and, aside from some slogging in the middle, moves quickly and smoothly from start to finish. It's not quite great, but it's awfully good.

Tingus Goose is undeniably odd. It’s a shining example of an incremental clicker game, though, managing to blend together a cozy style with genuinely nauseating body horror, making for a memorably haunting experience. For some, it’ll be a little too weird or hands-off with its style of play, but for the right kind of oddball – this reviewer included – it’ll make for a fantastic addition to their game library.

Batman: Arkham Origins is a flawed, but enjoyable game that fails to improve on a winning formula. This is still great core gameplay, solid graphics, great voice acting, and a plot that's a good ride while it lasts. Just don't expect anything new.

Even with its few missteps, Disney Infinity is a magical experience that succeeds in immersing adults and children alike in a robust universe where you will spend countless hours making your childhood dreams into videogame reality.

It's good enough that it's easily worth the $30 price for fans of heist games, yet still good enough for people like me to get it at about a 33% discount on Steam. If it's $20 or less at some point and it looks interesting, get it. The characters alone are worth the money.

Dying Light isn't a bad game, it's just one that feels like it goes on a bit too long, and was too invested in the trappings of an "open world" to make itself really stand out.

Don't let the difficulty of Mordheim: City of the Damned throw you off. The initial experience looks punishing, but a few rounds of skirmish matches will help you understand the mechanics. From there, you'll bond with your squad through the trials, triumphs, and failures you experience together. Mordheim: City of the Damned isn't about winning or losing, it's about making the best of the bloody journey.

While some more star power in the soundtrack would have went a long way, and the way Harmonix artificially pads the game's length with its song unlock requirements is ridiculous, Amplitude remains an exciting blend of rhythm action and electronica that does well by its predecessors.

With a unique setting, immersive story and open-ended character system, The Secret World offers up a great MMO experience that's only held back by problems with replay and weak PvP.

This is The Catcher in the Rye, of videogames. Buy it. Even if you don't ever play it, having it on your shelf will someday get you laid.

Syndicate is a decent albeit uninspired shooter. While there are a few highlights, it mostly feels bland and homogenized from other games and cyberpunk fiction.

Tokyo Jungle is utterly ridiculous but wholly unique, blending challenging gameplay with goofy trappings. Putting a track suit on a housecat to increase its attack stat is a pretty silly thing to do, but the kind of attention to detail you'll need if you want to survive in the urban chaos. The mixture of absurd and serious is addictive and surprising.

Latency issues aside, 90% of your time with PlayStation All-Stars is going to be spent fighting, away from the game's lifeless game modes, unlockables, and challenges. And that fighting, easily the most important factor of the game, is an absolute blast, even if the way it resolves doesn't always feel fairly tallied.

Shadow Warrior isn't free of some design flaws that can take away from the experience, but as an action game, its combat is solidly put together. While not the easiest to use, the various weapons and sword fighting combos you have really make you feel like a badass warrior whenever you pull off a gruesome decapitation.

Overall, much like the focus of its story in the depths of the Interchange, Atomfall is a fascinating experiment that definitely has merits for what it’s accomplished in helping push the singleplayer RPG genre forward. It may not grant all of the 2010s nostalgia some of us want, and certain creative choices behind its structure and gameplay may sooner divide its playerbase, but it’s one you may not want to leave the phone ringing on. [Recommended]

Neverwinter is an extremely fun adaptation of D&D's 4th Edition, with all of its strengths and weaknesses. Though the game is arduously linear at times, they've made the roller coaster gameplay into a wild ride with beautiful environments, and just the right amount of freedom to explore.

Master of Orion is a beautiful reproduction of a strategy classic. The game itself remains almost entirely unsullied, with the most notable updates applying to graphics and interface.

Killzone: Shadow Fall is not going to win over the masses, especially those who never cared for the series to begin with. It is, however, a fine shooter with a fun story, and a multiplayer mode that fans can sink hours and hours into.

Black Desert Online wants to be distinct from other MMORPGs, but it isn't different enough in the ways which really matter. The game's few innovations aren't enough to make up for its myriad shortcomings, making it come across as just another MMORPG.

If you're a fan of Mario Kart, LBP Karting will be thoroughly enjoyable with familiar controls and adorable characters. The planets of the Craftverse are varied enough to keep you playing through the Story mode, while the creation mode gives you all the tools you need to spend any number of days crafting your own unique racing experience.

The vampire powers are a nice game changer and the overall story is engaging. The game still suffers from the typical Elder Scrolls quirkiness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing depending on your point of view.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean is a rollicking good time. You have to play through a few times in order to track down all of the secrets, jokes, and prizes, but even if you just play once, you're bound to enjoy yourself.

The thing that really crushes the game, though, is this: There are "convenient" links to the eShop to buy the full versions of the included games from within NES Remix 2 itself. Absolutely not, Nintendo. Absolutely not.

The things that Exato has done to make Guncraft different from its predecessors have made it a better game. Instead of a clone, they've stepped up and made an engaging game that lets you get your block-building and headshot fix at the same time.

The additions of the wingsuit, dual tethering grapple hook, unlimited C4 and regenerating health system are all fantastic additions that would've made Just Cause 3 a breakout game in the franchise, if not for the dull story, repetitive story missions and technical issues ranging from long load times, to poor framerate and to constant disconnections for a single player only game.

Stories: Path of Destinies is a whimsical, cartoonish story experience that demands a near-methodical approach to navigating storylines. You learn with each run, but it's harder than you think to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Lords of the Fallen, a shameless and sloppy copy of Dark Souls, shouldn't be as enjoyable as it is. Somehow, through all its imbalance and oddity, it remains a surprising amount of fun, even if its propensity to make the player laugh is a sheer accident.

Warlock 2 offers a lot of options for a fantasy strategy fan, and the Exiled mode is fun the first time, but there's something missing in the formula to make it a truly memorable game.

Hybrid is a fast, fun, and innovative online shooter that is hampered by repetitive gameplay and a world so vague that it stops you from ever really understanding it.

Life on the frontier wasn't pretty and neither is Banished, but it does provide an interesting city-building simulation with an excellently designed user interface.

If you can overlook the early game difficulty, Pocket Mortys is a freemium game that is never in your face about taking your money. With short rounds of gameplay and a lot of post-game activities, Pocket Mortys is well worth a download if you enjoy Pokemon and are slowing wasting away while waiting for the third season of Rick and Morty.

It's the same zany Worms strategy gameplay with a few new twists, though not all of the additions improve the experience.

Killer Instinct is definitely fun, if a bit lacking in depth. The lack of campaign mode and limited character options mean it won't take long for you to breeze through the entirety of the content offering, but the online versus should ensure that you get plenty of enjoyment for your investment.

Epic Mickey is the most disappointing kind of game: a high-concept affair that does so much right, it's crushing that the one thing is does most wrongly is not be fun to play. This will be a frustrating game for core and casual gamers alike, but mostly for casual gamers who, attracted by the story and presentation, will be put off by the dated and difficult play.

Playing Rage 2 is infuriating. Despite the exemplary action and fluid controls, the shooter is cluttered with core design flaws that impeded my enjoyment. There is a damn good game buried underneath the low stakes story that’s filled with cutscenes that are interrupted by other cutscenes meant to explain a new character’s contrived backstory, and set in a world that lacks personality. Unfortunately, what we got is Avalanche’s Rage 2. Any game bearing id’s legacy should be all-play and no work, yet Rage 2 is too much work with not enough play.

With a little bit more cohesion and fewer drastic system changes over the course of the campaigns, Hard West could have been amazing. Instead, it's merely quite good.

While there are some technical difficulties that need to be worked out, The Flame in the Flood is still moderately enjoyable.

As a children's game, Disney Infinity 2.0 definitely delivers an adorable casual game experience. But as a game solely for grown-ups, it's a little lackluster due to repetition and lack of online play in the current Play Sets available for Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.

This time around, Kickstarter actually did come to the rescue, delivering a game that is very much worthy of being called the spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. Yooka-Laylee is a game for fans who miss the N64 days of running around a huge, open map, collecting a bunch of stuff and having a bit of a laugh. It's cute, it's funny, and a few minor technical issues aside, it's exactly what it promised to deliver.

Warp is good fun and definitely worth a playthrough. You'll have a great time figuring out the puzzles and popping humans like water balloons. It is an arcade game, so Zero doesn't stick around very long, but it's a fun ride while it lasts.

War of the Roses is shallow and unrefined, but if you want what it's got then you'll have a great time with it.

Dragon Quest Treasures is some of the most fun I’ve had just exploring a game world all year, between its great world design and excellent soundtrack. This treasure hunt is a delight for players of all ages and one of the more unique experiences I’ve had on Switch in recent memory. The strange combat system will disappoint some, but if you can just get over that and a few other little quirks, this is an adventure well worth taking.

The true masterpiece is the endless struggle to create art. Jump scares and predictable tricks in horror games won't work anymore. The story of the artist is intriguing while still making you feel tense and uneasy about what you see. Layers of Fear made story, gameplay, and atmosphere work together in harmony.

A few weaker sections do little to tarnish the fun of this old-school rooted shooter.

Lost Dimension is a fun and deep tactics RPG with interesting mechanics and a horrible story with horrible endings.

A surprisingly well crafted multiplayer shooter full of options, amusing cartoon violence, and rock solid action. That Loadout does all this, and provides a respectably balanced free-to-play ecosystem, is encouraging to see.

The Journey Down: Chapter One combines an intuitive control scheme, HD graphics, and classic point-and-click adventure gameplay to set up an intriguing story. The first episode lags a bit, and the voice acting doesn't add nearly as much as the improved visuals, but still shows a lot of promise for a potentially great series.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a game that takes few risks and pushes few boundaries. It's a Mass Effect game designed to make fans of the series feel at home, but technical issues and lackluster writing leave it feeling like a missed opportunity to regain the prestige the franchise once enjoyed.

Star Wars: Battlefront does a fantastic job of transporting players into the Star Wars universe for a big initial kicker, but that ultimately fades when you realize how light it is on content and game features. A textbook case of style over substance.

The Political Machine 2016 is a fun simulation game to play despite its serious subject matter and repetitiveness. On the plus-side, the game requires no real understanding of US politics to play - Robotic Elvis proved that.

rain's premise is certainly interesting, and as far as aesthetics go, it does put you into a somber, yet intriguing world of dreariness. But rain's gameplay doesn't live up to its setting, and doesn't offer much more than the occasionally tricky puzzle or stealth sequence.

Guild of Dungeoneering is simple, light-hearted fun with an adorable sketchbook aesthetic and delightful humor. It's not perfect, but as obscure indie games go, it's certainly top tier.

NiGHTS into Dreams is a meaningful game wrapped in a package of challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable gameplay.

It's gorgeous in motion, and can be a satisfying little puzzle-platformer, but prepare yourself for some trial-and-error, garnished with repetition.

Papo & Yo isn't always pleasant, for reasons both technical and emotional, but its cleverness is exceptional. It's a world of pure imagination, for good and for ill, and while its puzzles aren't the most challenging you'll find, their presentation is so unusual that you'll race through them just to see what comes next.

Dark Quest 4 was a lively, immersive experience, with a style of play that kept me coming back for more. If you’re a fan of turn-based action, TTRPGs, and fantasy games, you’ll get a kick out of this title. It’s got a rich single-player mode, an in-depth map builder to help you make your own levels, and a multiplayer mode as well.

A superficially-twisted, Dear Esther-like game of linear exploration punctuated by flowery narrative - but scary, it is not.

I love playing Dungeon Siege III despite its many flaws, and if you don't mind that the overall experience is pretty shallow and meant for single player, you probably will, too.

If there is one thing developer Everstone Studio has delivered on, it’s the sheer size of Where Winds Meet. Players will have no shortage of things to do and treasures to uncover as they explore the region and tackle quests and side quests. However, every free-to-play game has its hurdles, and Where Winds Meet’s success will be anchored on how players connect with the storyline and how motivated they become to explore what is, at its core, an overwhelming amount of content. The game’s future hangs in a careful balance between paid premium content and a world with enough rewarding material to keep players coming back for more.

Assassin's Creed Rogue is gameplay-wise more or less an unofficial sequel to Black Flag, in that it inherits virtually every enjoyable element from last year's title. The combat can be a bit repetitive, which is particularly true for those who played AC4 extensively, but it's a solid last-gen entry in the series all the same.

Anarchy Reigns may not have an incredibly in-depth story and also has some nagging flaws that detract from its otherwise entertaining gameplay, but it's enjoyable enough to warrant a playthrough.

Steep is a great accomplishment, but it feels like it was rushed. I expected this game to be a 2017 title, and having it now, faults and all, makes me wish they'd have held off on releasing this game until it received a bit more polish and gameplay refinements. In its current state, it's a frustrating game to play with occasional flashes of brilliance.

It plays out like cold-hearted cash grab, seemingly spat out just so the Wii U has something on its eShop this holiday season. A stuttering, stunted selection of nothingness.

Stunning, detailed, and passionately made, it has many redeeming qualities. Still, test-driving the game via its demo before committing to the full game is advised. Peeking behind the curtains of Hollywood is tantalizing, but if you don’t keep your wits about you, it’ll end in disaster. And in a murder mystery, that can prove lethal.