Ark: Survival Evolved is a game full of rough edges. It's also a game full of some amazing moments over my total playtime. It's the kind of experience that has a lot of boredom and tedium, and a great deal of looking the other way in the face of bugs, but also some clear water cooler moments. There's something very cool buried in here, though I can't tell if that's because of some developer decisions or in spite of them.

Deadlight: Director's Cut looks fantastic and has a very intriguing storyline. Its platforming puzzles are also generally really enjoyable to solve. However, a few annoying gameplay flaws, occasionally awkward controls, and very short running time really take the edge off the experience, and ultimately the game falls short of its considerable potential.

Demon Gaze is an enjoyable and enormously addictive title that strikes a good balance between endearing JRPG-style narrative and compelling dungeon-crawling exploration, let down only slightly by somewhat repetitive combat.

With a bit more time in development, Dead Rising 3 for PC could have been the definitive version. Unfortunately, an above-average game is hamstrung by a port that runs poorly on stronger PC hardware. Crashes and framerate issues abound. If you really want to play Dead Rising 3, your best bet is to wait or pick up the Xbox One version.

A polished title with a couple of nice ideas completely undermined by boring mechanics and obtrusive, game-breaking monetization.

If you've played a Telltale game, you should have a basic understanding of how Blues and Bullets plays out: tightly scripted scenes, moral choices, QTE battles, and not all that much interaction from the player. But its well-crafted film noir atmosphere—along with some honest-to-god puzzles—make this adventure more than just another copycat.

While it packs few original features, this vertically scrolling shooter still manages to be enjoyable. It's challenging, audio-visually interesting, and the bosses and level layouts are nicely designed to give your reflexes a decent workout. Just don't expect it to keep you occupied for long.

On Tokyo 42's website, the developers boast the game as a beloved blend of Syndicate and Grand Theft Auto, and honestly, they couldn't be more wrong and right. It's both those games in spirit, but twists them into something wholly its own. Tokyo 42 is an isometric cyberpoppunk action-shooter with a city that's worth getting lost in.

Like The Heist, Turf War is an okay addition to the overall package.

Mojang spins up its own take on the Diablo dungeon crawling formula. While it looks like it might be "Baby's First Diablo," Minecraft Dungeons has a good degree of challenge available for you and three friends. It's more focused on lowering barriers by streamlining the acquisition of loot, instead of miring you in pages of stats. There's a decent tail of playability with three levels of difficulty, but you'll have to look to potential post-launch content for the length of experience some dungeon crawling fans crave.

Saints Row: The Third time travels to 2020 with a solid remaster. This is the same game you remember from 2011, with all of the DLC and content packs along for the ride. Developer Sperasoft has redone some of the models, especially with regards to the vehicles, and added an all-new, more realistic lighting engine. Unfortunately, it still doesn't quite measure up to the original PC release, and all the bugs of the original are still here. Still, Saints Row: The Third is a wonderful experience despite all its flaws, and that remains true of this remaster release.

An enjoyable trip down memory lane – but a lane that has had a few new architectural additions that have not all been sympathetically worked into the landscape.

Yo-kai Watch has a great degree of potential, so it's tragic to see Level-5 squander it over fears of upsetting their massive cash cow. (In Japan, anyway.) This sequel carries the same sense of spooky whimsy as the first game, but unfortunately doesn't lose the underlying tedium. If you're looking for an alternative to Pokemon, you might want to see if the next game fixes Yo-kai Watch's woes—if it gets localized, that is.

Ghost Recon Wildlands is all over the place in terms of its quality. Some missions are frustrating, the game is not without its technical and design flaws, and its sandbox action can sometimes be repetitive, ludicrous and over-the-top. On the positive side, the game packs a vast amount of missions to keep you busy, features a magnificent open world, and is simply highly entertaining to play - especially cooperatively. Don't go in expecting perfection, but if you're into shooting, sneaking, and driving, Ghost Recon Wildlands is a lot of fun.

Practically oozing fan service from every pore, Burial at Sea is both as glorious and as imperfect as Rapture itself.

Quantic Dream has come a long way since Indigo Prophecy, but some things haven't changed. The presentation has gotten much better, but Cage's writing is still not up to snuff. There are definite highs in Beyond, but not all of the elements of the game or the story work as a cohesive whole.

Despite looking and playing like a 90's throwback, Mercenary Kings adds character and weapons customization options, and a novel mission structure to create a game that feels contemporary. Its content can feel somewhat repetitive, but by the time it does, most players will have already got their money's worth.

Like Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, Nitroplus Blasterz brings together various characters from Nitroplus properties. Unfortunately, fans may not know these characters, many of whom have never been published in the West. That leaves a solid, but rather basic fighting game to draw players in.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is a Telltale game. It does what the studio does well, and falters where they normally falter. The first episode kicks off the overall story with some interesting moments, but Telltale's Batman adaptation had a stronger start and more interesting mechanics to paint over the formula.

Although this gives us more of a grounded portrayal of Reid’s character, it makes the game frustrating and overwhelming at times. Vampyr is full of promising concepts, excellent character building, and lifelike communities, but ultimately Reid's bloodlust can't help but get in the way.

The awesome environmental destruction returns alongside the hammer, one of the best gaming weapons ever. And the game has been redone in 4K resolution with improved lighting and textures. Unfortunately, the bad stuff still remains: shooting and driving feel floaty, enemy response is tuned too high, and there are a number of glitches present. As such, the remaster merely brings a great game into the modern age, without the improvements that would mark a better re-release.

The new generation of Sims begins with what feels like a bare-bones starter kit. It packs top-of-the-line Sims creation and house building tools, but styling options and activities are distinctly lacking. Add the contents of its first expansion, and Sims 4 will probably feel like the game it should be right now.

Dead Star is a dynamic and entertaining mash-up of top-down shooter and open MOBA variant. It initially seems simple and straightforward, but the more you play it, the more its tactical and strategic depths become apparent. Ultimately, it's a really enjoyable game that offers intense, competitive PvP action, from exciting one-on-one dogfights to pitched battles involving many players.

The game has lost some of the wonderful trap creation of the earlier titles and replaced it with a dose of fanservice. The challenge swings between simply walking the dumb AI into your elaborate traps, or outright exploiting it so that the cheap bosses don't kill you easily. But it's still Deception, and you're not going to find another game quite like it. If that's your jam, you'll still find a fun time here.

There are some things that drive me crazy about Code Name S.T.E.A.M's mission design, and I really think the difficulty balance could have used another pass, but these issues are balanced by the excellent mechanics. Intelligent Systems know their way around the strategy genre, and it shows in Code Name S.T.E.A.M's deep roster and intricate level design.

Ironclad Tactics isn't quite SpaceChem Deux but it is, in its own right, rather brilliant. If you're willing to deal with the fact it's a wily, unpleasant bugger who will occasionally gimp you just because, it's more than worth the purchase.

An engaging and quirky game that packs some intriguing puzzles... as well as some that are almost too easy to solve. The narration sometimes feels like it's trying just a little too hard for its own good, but the overall experience Pneuma: Breath of Life delivers is an enjoyable one.

Madden 21's gameplay takes some appreciable steps forward as the generation comes to a close, with The Yard providing some casual fun. The experience is marred by an abnormal number of bugs though, and the single-player modes remain a major sore point. Ultimately, it's able to pick up a few yards on the way to the next generation of consoles, but just a few.