Considering my entire knowledge of the series before this installment was all based around memes, I’d say Battletoads far exceeded expectations. That said, the shortcomings it does possess keep it from joining the ranks of brawlers, like Streets of Rage 4, as a genre-defining title.

Describing its world as an “ancient German future,” Lichtspeer is filled with amusing overtones, and the enemies themselves are often ridiculous and fun. Whether it’s viking penguins aboard longships or blue-skinned giants in sunglasses, there’s a comical feel to the whole thing that helps keep it entertaining.

With its hand-drawn environments, plentiful jokes, and reasonable 8-12 hours of play, Demetrios has a lot going for it.

A deceptively complex game that may not offer much replay value, but has that certain quality that’s able to captivate attention for some time. It may get repetitive, and there are definitely moments of frustration, but it’s innovative and enjoyable in small doses.

When the journey was over, with the credits rolling, I found myself left deep in thought, reflecting on what I had just seen unfold and the meaning of the journey I had embarked on. In this way, Somerville does succeed in delivering that punchy, thought-provoking crescendo and conclusion it was always building towards. I just wish it hadn’t been such a slog to get there.

While I had some grievances with the Threat Levels for solo players, and had wished for a few more objectives to bolster the current roster and help reduce the monotony of playing multiple Incursions in a single session, I kept finding -- and continue to find -- myself eagerly wanting to hop back on and earn level up my Operators a little bit more. Just how long this feeling continues to linger at the back of my mind, ultimately comes down to whether any post-launch updates will come to the progression to make it feel more rewarding and less grinding.

The developers deserve credit for trying something different instead of just being another SSX clone. If you are willing to fully embrace and appreciate what makes Steep unique, namely its take on group play, the ability to create your own authentic looking videos, and freedom to explore a mountain at your own pace, your trip to the Alps will have been one worth taking.

If you have some people to play The Dark Pictures: Little Hope with, it’s definitely a fun way to past the time, especially around Halloween. If you’re planning on going at it alone, though, it’s not a bad experience but you may be left feeling a bit unfulfilled.

The art style in Dyscourse gives much of the game a surreal feeling. Since most of the “action” is through dialogue and decision-making, there’s not a lot of complicated mechanics to work out, and it’s an easy game to pick up and play no matter your skill level.

As it stands, this is a tough one to recommend as long as the bugs persist, but it may be worth checking out after a patch or two to resolve the more blatant issues.

Jailhouse Block excels at illustrating the dynamics between all of these characters, and it all comes to a head when the player is finally presented with a heartbreaking choice near the end of the episode.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is an exceptional grouping of semi-connected detective stories. Experiencing a whodunnit while marginally helping piece the mystery together was a great combination. While much of the investigations are too guided, getting to watch the suspects react as you place down piece after piece of evidence is completely worth it. The game never works better than it does when you just get to sit back and enjoy watching the story unfold.

A faithful remaster of a game that time has not been kind to. It fails at modernizing it for 2018 standards, making it feel like a clunky mess to play. It pains me to say this because of how beloved the series is.

It will get repetitive; it is formulaic; and you’ll likely have to fumble with maps and keys. These are to be expected, if not enjoyable. But you’ll run into a newer, far more potent problem: it isn’t doing anything new.

By simply being an interactive experience, ‘The Longest Road on Earth’ won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the genre or want some ‘chill out time’, or even just want something to serve as food for reminiscent thoughts, I implore you to find a moment to take a stroll down this road. If nothing else, it’s a reminder to stop and smell the roses every once in a while. Life’s too short not to.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town does have that compelling farming gameplay loop that we’ve seen time and time again in different series, but it lacks depth — much like the rest of the game — to keep farming sim veterans coming back. At a time where the likes of Stardew Valley continue to push the genre forward and provide greater longevity, it’s difficult to recommend this rough-around-the-edges excursion to Olive Town.

I plan to spend many more hours in the game completing my Pokedex, challenging Tera Raid battles with my friends online, and hunting for shinies. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet just have some kind of glimmer that still makes it worthwhile enough to overlook the shortcomings.

Blackwood Crossing is not a universal recommendation. There are those among us who prefer fast-paced action or daring adventures to the calm and introspective nature of this kind of game. However, for those of us who appreciate getting lost in a good story and taking in gorgeous scenery, it’s a no-brainer.

Far Cry New Dawn is a standalone sequel to Far Cry 5, but it adds nothing of meaning or value to the original story. If you just want more Far Cry, this is worth checking out. Otherwise, you're not really missing much here.

Days Gone is an alright first step for Bend Studio. It's a competent open world game with massive, diverse environments for you to explore, even if there aren't actually a lot of interesting things to do. It's also very vanilla, and there just isn't much substance beneath its glossy surface.

If you’re looking for a very simple, very low-key game you can dabble in for a few minutes each day, then sure, Cozy Grove might be up your alley. Just don’t expect much depth or nuance in the way of gameplay here.

Fenix Furia is, if nothing else, a story of perseverance and dedication. Though numerous delays cropped up, pushing the release back more than six months from schedule, Green Lava stuck to their guns. The result is a finely-tuned and much-improved release of a game that was already damn good.

Episode four’s finale has me eager to jump into the finale and face what comes Javi and the group’s way, but I really hope Telltale nails down the pacing for episode five. A slow chapter can be forgiven, but three consecutive bad chapters really weakened an episode that had far more potential. Sure, it’s an investment for the payoff, but its closing moments aren’t enough for the 90 minutes of buildup prior.

Its more direct focus does nothing to water down the grand, and often times hilarious, experiences one comes to expect from the franchise. It may not add much that is new, but it is a prime example of why you shouldn’t mess too much with a good thing.

If you want a pretty easy anime game with a fun story and an honestly very easy platinum, this game is for you, but it is hard to recommend outside of a preexisting base of Fairy Tail fans.

Though it drags a little during the middle, episode four did manage to hook me back in by the end. I’m intrigued to see exactly how the series pans out considering the state of the Guardians by the episode’s close. In that sense, Telltale has succeeded in setting the stage for its finale, and I’ve now learned enough about most of its leading characters to really care and get behind their cause in episode five.

Minecraft: Story Mode season 2 kicks off with a really strong debut. The writing and characters are sharp and humorous, and the story has me intrigued so far. I’m still very skeptical about your choices really having consequences in the game, but who knows? Maybe they’ll have an actual impact on events this time.

It is tough to get a real feel for the way that The Lion’s Song will continue to play out through only one episode, but Silence still serves as a great introductory chapter.