An average Action-RPG that features everything that the genre is known for: hordes of enemies, plenty of loot, and an expansive set of skills to choose from, but there is nothing to set it apart from the crowd.

Sadly, poor handling, catch-up AI, framerate drops and a general lack of polish to all aspects of the game render what could have been a success into a middling arcade racer that is less than the sum of its parts.

Overall, Dungeons & Dragon: Dark Alliance is a fantastic example of a third-person action RPG, offering a great amount of story and lore through varying missions. With only a few minor setbacks aside, I’d have no problem saying that Tuque Games has brought my Drizzt Do’Urden and companions fantasies to life in all of the best ways. I’ll be seeing this game through to the very end without a shadow of a doubt, and have no issue recommending it to anybody that enjoys action RPGs. Grab some buddies and head to Icewind Dale — you won’t regret it!

Dead by Daylight has the potential to become a cult classic among asymmetric games. Everything is finely balanced and the way that all of the random elements can alter a match adds an intriguing level of depth to the title. The chase, from the standpoint of both Killer and Survivor, is an intense, adrenaline filled, and nail-biting affair. This could be an ideal title to drop in and out of while grinding through the achievements and leveling up characters, but that concept of drop-in game reveals the achilles heel of the title: the waiting time to play. As a survivor, it seems to take numerous attempts to find a server and you have to be patient. With a few more tweaks, there is a good multiplayer survival horror title here for horror fans.

Underwhelming RPG elements and character customisation, poor loading times and a map screen that now seems to have a mind of its own do hold back the game from being something great. Those with a penchant for a tightly woven narrative and tactical thinking will enjoy the experience, but it is difficult to overlook some of the more glaringly obvious problems.

What works in Pixel Heroes is a successful blending of that classic, turn-based RPG gameplay with a modern, rogue-like twist. The shoddy UI, lack of a "stash" feature, and general lack of polish hold it back from being a resounding recommendation, but those who look back fondly on the realms of Alefgard and Corneria should definitely check it out.

When the Xbox version of SYMMETRY is updated to add a lower difficulty level it has the potential to be a great introduction to the management genre and satisfying for casual and experienced players alike. However, at time of writing, the steep learning curve, high difficulty level, and occasional game-breaking bugs make it more fitting for hardcore fans of the genre and people whose love of challenges is matched by their patience.

Micro Machines once meant something to many people. In fact, today it still does carry a nostalgic allure for many who have been playing this series since it first hit consoles way back in 1991. This title carries the name of the famed toy and video game property, but it offers surprisingly little of what makes that name memorable. It abandons its legacy in crucial ways as part of a gamble to stake its claim as a worthwhile competitive multiplayer experience, but it misses that mark so greatly that there's nowhere left for players to seek consolation. If you're interested in preserving the shiny aura that surrounds the brand name, don't play Micro Machines World Series.

The online is mostly where they lie. There's problems with games being abandoned, players not playing and the game not actually letting you play. On top of that, games can simply just go on for too long and they eventually just become tedious rather than fun. If you are just looking to play Uno then this offering will fulfill your desire, but with a game that is simply called Uno, what else would you expect?

The repetitiveness of levels and enemy encounters, the barebones story, and the constantly frustrating fighting mechanics – the game’s main draw – are all a reminder of how far gaming has come. Rather than build on a foundation set by juggernaut titles like The Simpsons and X-Men, ZHEROS copies their blueprints exactly as they were.

Black Mirror will leave you feeling a bit torn. It's a good story told in a good location, accompanied by an ideal soundtrack. The fact that it is carrying on with the same family from the original games is the icing on the cake. Sadly, it is let down by too many problems, including annoying movement and camera tracking, poor facial character designs and other issues that mount up to make the game more of a struggle than it should be. It's hard to recommend the game at its current price point, but a discount might warrant a purchase for those who like a good supernatural tale told via point and click gameplay.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is misguided by the unending trend of games going open-world. The idea may have been born with good intentions, but blatantly copying all of another series' structure is a bad look, undone much further by the fact that it does all of those same things very poorly. It's unclear for whom this game was made as it feels more like a middling title we rarely see anymore, possessing neither the polish of AAA nor the admirable quirks of an indie. It's a narrative bore, a technical dilemma, and a structural collapse. If fun was ever in the crosshairs, the subsequent shot is way off target.

There's a definite sense of curiousity felt when playing 'n Verlore Verstand, but ultimately it just doesn't hit the mark. The game just has too many negatives that outweigh the positives, like a dodgy camera, lack of direction or a collectible tracker, and frustrating elements throughout the enigmatic title. It does redeem itself slightly with a thoroughly listenable soundtrack and some lovely environments, but sadly these are not enough to make this game any better than just okay.

With competent, if simple, hack and slash action, a short but varied story mode and a decent amount of outside content to encourage replaying, it's a game that fans of the show or the genre may find enjoyable. However, if you're just looking for a quality game to spend some time with, RWBY shouldn't be your first or second choice thanks to a total lack of character development that leaves half the game's heart simply gone and enemy design that would be worthy of a low score.

Exploring the facility and discovering the nuances of the plot are certainly the highlights of this game, but the lack of direction is a double-edged sword, giving players the opportunity to discover as much as they can but often leaving them unsure of what exactly they are supposed to be doing. The survival elements of this survival-horror also aren't as fully realised as they could have been and only appear during the short second half of the story. With a length of only one to two hours, it’s easy to finish a single playthrough in one sitting and still have plenty of time to go back in for more, but once you have discovered what secrets are lurking in the basement, there is very little to entice you back other than finishing up any missed achievements, of course.

Earthfall is a decent try at filling the Left 4 Dead 3 hole in our hearts, but it's rarely strong enough to be anything other than a lesser imitation of that classic series. Occasionally, the AI director will put on its best show and it'll feel exactly as fans of this sort of game want it to feel, but those moments are too few and far between. With flat characters, AI issues on both sides of the war, and above all else, some glaring pacing problems, Earthfall is a tough sell when the game it's cribbing so closely is backward compatible and still superior a decade later.

If you grew up playing Q*bert, the Rebooted package is both a revitalization of a formula that you already enjoy, as well as a nostalgic trip down a colorful and snake-infested memory lane. For everyone else, however, it doesn't have the lasting appeal of a contemporary puzzler.

Gungrave G.O.R.E proves that keeping with a series' core elements, no matter how old, can be a positive weapon to use when bringing an older franchise back to the masses. Its arcade-style gameplay loops offer quick ten-minute bursts of explosive action that are thrilling to play out while challenging to master at higher difficulties or chasing top ranks. Iggymob has created a game that brings nostalgic PS2-era mechanics to the latest generation of consoles and Xbox Game Pass, and you should definitely check it out. Grave remains the badass hero we need in our lives.

Think of the Children is carried by how fun it can be with friends. The silly situations, crazy cosmetics and chuckle-worthy court dialogue are best enjoyed with others. But the flaws become overwhelming in single player where levels aren't balanced for the lack of players, leading to a lot of frustration to merely beat the game, much less be eligible to get the coveted A+ rankings. Local co-op only and lacking controls and mechanics are other reasons that make Think of the Children a niche recommendation to only those dying for couch co-op experiences because the game is a disaster for solo players.

Valkyria Revolution comes from a line of highly-acclaimed titles, but this one undoubtedly misses the mark. Gameplay takes a backseat thanks to the primary focus on long, drawn-out cutscenes that take up a solid 70% of your playtime. Even when it is at the forefront, that gameplay is outrageously easy and complimented by braindead AI that will rarely do what you want. Worst of all are the constant loading screens, sometimes in the middle of combat. Still, the game really feels like a war and the combat is still fun if you're looking for something simple. The payoff of the story is ultimately worth it, and the party members are fleshed out and have their own personalities, which helps to get through the cutscenes. The bottom line is that there are much better JRPGs out there if you have access to a PS4. If you've played them all or if Xbox is all you have, this is a game that can be worth your time.

Redfall isn't a bad game per se, but its lack of a clear vision or sense of direction prevents it from being anything more than just decent at best. It spreads itself too thin and overextends beyond Arkane's wheelhouse, falling back on systems and mechanics borrowed from around open world games and beyond that don't really gel with one another, and leaving Redfall a game confused. Enemy AI is largely pretty shocking, which stops the big multi-faction fights being as interesting or intense as they could be, and while gunplay and abilities do feel good, you're constantly re-gearing up for an endgame challenge that never comes, upgrading to new gear simply to tread water against the same threats as before at a slightly higher level. There's definitely a decent time to be had with Redfall (especially in co-op) in spite of some baffling design decisions, but given Arkane's track record, it's hard not to be deflated by what Redfall could have been compared to what it actually is.

Dead Effect 2 is a game with big aspirations that simply doesn’t reach the heights for which it shoots. Every neat premise is compromised by shoddy balancing, uninspired combat or strange design decisions. While there is a ton of content with 20 story missions and a bunch of additional game modes, none of it is as fun as it could have been.

The AI poses no challenge when compared to human players and there is only one difficulty for bots, so multiplayer is the place to go to get the most enjoyment. Unfortunately, with only two game modes and six similar maps, even with the ability to play online there just isn't a lot here to keep players captivated any longer than short-term.

Mighty No. 9 fails to fill the shiny blue, metallic, oversized boots of its predecessor. The game manages to capture the essentials of the previous titles without capturing the essence.

The level design and watered down combat leaving the game feeling more like a button mashing grind than the deep combat intensive hack and slash that it could have been.

The story is unique but it can be difficult to follow at first as you will become confused by the unusual cutscenes that play at the end of each level. If you persevere with the game, though, it is a rewarding experience that will offer you plenty of content.

The Dyatlov Pass Incident is one of the most fascinating real life horror stories of the last century. It's a topic built to be adapted to different forms of media, arguably video games more than any other. Somehow Kholat is given this head start and trips all over itself. The story fails to take off while the gameplay only serves to annoy. It's never scary, save for a theme song that even then is played so often that it loses its effect. Horror and walking sims are my two favorite genres in the medium, but Kholat serves as another unfortunate reminder that they don't belong together.

Away: Journey to the Unexpected tries to do a lot at once, which is a tall task for a game mostly built by just a pair of people. Ultimately, its strange direction lends to the charm of it all, but it's also clear the game is lacking in a few key areas — namely, shoddy combat and inconsistent level randomization. Still, it was billed as a "feel-good" indie and I'd have to agree. Despite its faults, I'm happy to have played this weird game.