It has merit, and its best qualities still manage to shine through on the small screen, but it's definitely not the optimal way to enjoy one of the more celebrated RPGs of the last generation.

If you wanted something vastly different, like Assassin's Creed III's The Tyranny of King Washington or Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's Freedom Cry, it looks like you'll be waiting until March and the release of The Curse of the Pharaohs.

If you miss your S.E.E.S. pals or Phantom Thieves buddies, then look no further than the boogie bliss of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. While it's a rhythm game still best suited for portable, if you're a fan of the Persona soundtracks, it's a sweet way to enjoy its excellent music all over again. Though without a story mode unlike its predecessor and a so-so rhythm game still at its core, both games end up feeling a little lesser, reserving these entries for only the most dedicated and eager of fans.

If you miss your S.E.E.S. pals or Phantom Thieves buddies, then look no further than the boogie bliss of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. While it's a rhythm game still best suited for portable, if you're a fan of the Persona soundtracks, it's a sweet way to enjoy its excellent music all over again. Though without a story mode unlike its predecessor and a so-so rhythm game still at its core, both games end up feeling a little lesser, reserving these entries for only the most dedicated and eager of fans.

Wondering what this whole "roguelike" thing is all about? Then Abyss Odyssey could be the game for you: It's a fine introduction to the rules of the genre, with some helpful training wheels to prevent newcomers from being discouraged. If you've suffered the scars of past roguelikes, though, you'll find Abyss Odyssey's lack of challenge a significant downside.

The Legend of Korra is a game that has a clear understanding of the source material, but without the budget to really dig in and do that material justice.

Instead of a heavy narrative, the game is more of a resource management sim, with the resource being the other characters. When taken like that, it's a solid puzzle game with some rough, repetitive edges.

Dead Kings brings back the challenge rooms from Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations. That means a dark, dank underground setting full of platforming and puzzles. If puzzles aren't your thing, Arno's latest tale may not be for you. For everyone else, it's a solid, but unspectacular addition to Unity.

Lego Batman 3, like other Lego games before, explores a wealth of characters and locales from the universe it focuses on. Unfortunately, it doesn't come together as well as it could have. The tone is inconsistent, certain levels won't hit fans emotionally, and the inclusion of celebrity cameo characters detracts for the experience at times. It's good, not great.

If you're a basketball nut who is happy to focus on MyGM while leaving MyCareer for docked mode, I'd say NBA 2K18 is worth picking up. Glitches aside, it comes surprisingly close to matching the PS4/PC/Xbox One experiences, which is a hell of a feat on the part of Visual Concept's engineers. And on a game-to-game basis, it's an absolutely pleasure to play...But like the series itself, it's also fundamentally flawed. And sadly, I don't see that changing any time soon.

If you're a big fan of these light novel characters or the anime they've been in, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax might be your jam. If not, this fighter is accessible, but that accessibility makes many characters on the small roster feel the same. A solid effort, but there are better 2D fighters out there.

Dead or Alive 6 carries much of the franchise's risque DNA, but shows a bit more initial restraint. The more revealing costumes are unlockable and the jiggle physics tend towards a bit more realism now. Combat remains accessible, but new moves like the Break Blow and evasion add new layers for DOA vets. Dead or Alive 6 could use a little more graphical polish and its netcode needs to be better, but it's a pretty good fighter all around.

Farpoint is a game that does it's job well, showing off PlayStation VR and the PlayStation VR Aim Controller. The act of shooting feels great and intuitive in the game thanks to the controller. Unfortunately, while VR adds to the experience, it doesn't hide what's a fairly rote and basic shooter from an earlier era of gaming.

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.

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.

Pure Chess looks gorgeous, and offers an excellent single-player experience. But while playing the AI opponent is fun, the game's woefully underdeveloped online mode makes playing against humans decidedly not.

Party Hard is good clean fun, but that fun tends to devolve into waiting and tedium towards the end of any level. The core gameplay is an idea that can be expanded upon though, and the developer is already adding new content to the game to resolve the issue.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment does its best to provide a comprehensive experience, featuring online-style combat and dating sim aspects. Unfortunately, while it does a decent job of presenting the Sword Art Online world, the game itself is only good, not great. Sword Art Online fans will probably have fun though.

An aging engine takes one last shot at an aging console before Infinity Ward turns its full focus towards the next generation. The developer does a great job with the some of the set pieces, but most of the campaign is still basic, refined cover shooting. A decent last hurrah on the PlayStation 3, but you may want to invest in the PlayStation 4, PC, or Xbox One versions if you're looking for the full effect.

Full Throttle has a great cast of characters and atmosphere, but with its remaining irritating action and timed sequences, bland puzzles, and an unnecessary fresh paint job, the game carries its old flaws to a new generation, and ushers some new ones in as well. Luckily, with the seamless swap to its already-fantastic original pixel art (whose immense detail is commendable, even in 2017), clicking through Full Throttle's charming love letter to wheels is still pleasant.

Sea of Thieves is a feast or a famine. When you're playing with friends, it's an enjoyable voyage across a beautiful ocean, finding buried treasure and getting into trouble. When your group isn't up to snuff, you can find yourself lost, bored, and confused. There are highlights to the experience, but I wish it was a more consistent one and there were more opportunities in terms of player customization. After a year or two, I think Sea of Thieves might be a complete winner. Right now, it's uneven.

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.

A host of graphical improvements and some new missions can't hide the fact Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD needed to do more to bring the Vita game closer to the outstanding Black Flag. Ubisoft Sofia did what they could, but the resulting game is still an average, limited Assassin's Creed experience. If you haven't played it, try a demo. If you have, there's no reason to play it again.

Double Dragon IV feels like the developer Arc System Works discovered an unreleased old NES game and emulated it on PS4. Its graphics, sound, and gameplay are utterly authentic to the period. Unfortunately, so are its cheap shots and frustrating design elements. It's certainly a lot of fun to play for a while, but once its nostalgic novelty wears off, only hardcore retro fans will likely want to come back for more.

Velocibox is an ultra-minimal endless runner that offers a rock hard level of difficulty that'll test your reflexes to their limits. If you're up for this kind of challenge, it's addictive and fun. If not, you'll probably find it too frustrating to be worth persevering with.

I enjoyed my time with GreedFall, but it's already failed to leave a lasting impression on me. Its best moments shine bright and show how much potential Spiders has to develop in this style of RPG, but it isn't cohesive enough to work in concert. GreedFall is certainly worth checking out if you're aching for the old days of BioWare, but it’s a tough sell for most others.

Gears 5 survives on its solid cover shooting gameplay and a campaign that isn't afraid to pose difficult questions about problematic topics. But the largely stagnant Horde mode and general mess of an Escape mode really pull the sequel back from being a bold step forward.

The final version of a game released in 2012. That means it includes three years worth of available DLC, but it also means the graphical improvements weren't as grand as they could've been. DOA5 is still a solid fighter, but a lack of ambition, focus on DLC, and severe bugs in the Xbox One version means it's not amazing.