Nights of Azure is a game of wasted potential. The game's dark tone and setting is ultimately ruined by the excessive presence of comic relief, which takes a lot of the tension out of the terrible choice Arnice has to take to save the world. With an experience that gets stale way too quickly, Nights of Azure true saving grace are the game's two main characters and the development of their relationship, which takes some interesting turns. A shame, as the game could have been so much more.

Dead Reset is worth experiencing for its performances, its tense atmosphere built on strong lighting and sound design choices, and well-paced story that makes you want to keep finding out what will happen next, but its entertainment value wanes after you've hit the credits. It's less enticing on replays or 'resets,' and its worst attributes don't help carry the experience beyond a single play through.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey was such an interesting idea on paper but from its complex and unexplained environment to the severe lack of exciting objectives and goals to work towards, the game doesn't quite manage to entice the player to make the very best of humanity.

MXGP Pro is the best of Milestone's Motocross series of games, that much is certain. It doesn't differ too much from their previous Supercross title, which is a negative, but certainly offers their best outing on two wheels so far.

The Council began strong, but for whatever reason has become weaker with more or less each episode. This finale feels like the death rattle of an interesting, albeit failed experiment.

Redeemer is a flawed title at best. It's a brawler at heart and succeeds on that line, offering visceral and often entertaining combat. However, the inclusion of cheap enemies and a hugely fluctuating difficulty curve makes for often irritating experiences in a number of levels. Though not a large concern for the genre, the story is a mess throwing in characters and concepts with no explanation.

The Resident Evil multiplayer curse continues. Resident Evil Resistance presents some promising ideas, and messing with people as the Mastermind has its moments, but unsatisfying action, clunky level design, a lack of content, and manipulative microtransactions snuff out the game’s potential. Sadly, trying to wring more than a few minutes of fun from Resident Evil Resistance is futile.

Kapital: Sparks of Revolution is a perfectly serviceable city building game that attempts to add class struggle and other aspects such as state corruption and intervention into the mix. While it doesn't achieve everything it set out to do, the ideas are there and offer something interesting to play. Where it added some of these interesting ideas, it has also sadly skimped on other core areas; there is only one map, and the balance isn't great with the game constantly threatening to overwhelm you. All things considered, I'd still recommend it for fans of the genre, just with the knowledge that it isn't the most detailed and better options exist.

Although I'm not yet ready to deliver a definitive verdict on FBC: Firebreak, my current impressions are definitely positive. Despite being Remedy's first foray into multiplayer, the Finnish studio crafted a fun co-op shooter with a lot of personality, thriving on the unpredictability offered by the Remedy Connected Universe that makes it easy to look past some of its issues, such as the unsatisfying gunplay. With a promising content roadmap, FBC: Firebreak has a bright future ahead, and it'll be interesting to see whether it will manage to stay as fresh as it does in the first dozen of hours or so. [Review in Progress]

A quality title, without a doubt, but definitely polarizing and not for everyone.

Forspoken is a fun action game that shines best when you're taking advantage of the great magic parkour to soar through the fantasy world of Athia and blast enemies with overwhelmingly cool spells. However, its content is underwhelming, its RPG systems are weak, and its visuals are less advanced than advertised. As such, Forspoken's potential is largely unrealized in its current state. It's still a decent romp for genre fans to go through, though waiting until it gets a discount or is added to one of the many subscription services is recommended.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood just never finds the right groove. The game’s needless RPG elements, microtransactions, and sloppy non-linear structure are obvious mistakes, but it also has some surprising basic level design and pacing problems. Wolfenstein: Youngblood can still be good, visceral fun in fits and starts, but overall, the game lacks the maturity of the elder Blazkowicz’ adventures.

A competent collection which vastly improves the two Dead Island games included, adding a third game which can be fun in short bursts. Both Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide never looked better, with a slew of technical enhancements and solid performance which makes revisiting both titles quite enjoyable. Most the gameplay issues, however, haven't been addressed, so those who couldn't stand the original releases won't change their opinions with the remastered releases. Solid games, for sure, but not for everyone.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends offers a barebones experience that is best played with a dedicated team of wolves. Those seeking fame and riches on their own may find themselves lamenting the lack of content both available day one and what's to come in the first year roadmap. Hood may certainly grow in the future, but the first impressions leave much to be desired.

Shadow Warrior 3 offers some competent (albeit mostly borrowed) core shooting mechanics and first-person platforming, but uninspired, repetitive level design, irritating enemies, and a withering onslaught of dad humor may leave you longing for relief before the game’s relatively-brief campaign wraps up. Shadow Warrior 3 isn’t without its moments, and may be worth a shot at a considerable discount, but this franchise is still eclipsed by the FPS big boys.

Devolver Digital and General Arcade have slapped a new coat of USA flag paint on From Software's patriotic action game without smoothing out any of the imperfections that come with a combat system that's aged less than gracefully over the past decade.

The Suicide of Rachel Foster tackles challenging subject matter and bravely invites comparisons to recent indie favorites, but all the ambition in the world can’t make up for an unengaging story, clunky gameplay, and some unfortunate tone-deaf moments. If you loved Gone Home or Firewatch, you’re better off just playing them again – Rachel Foster is a ghostly shadow of those classics.

Konami's first anniversary collection for their 50th anniversary contains some notable arcade classics, but the fact they've been previously released digitally with more options should appeal to only the most ardent of nostalgic fans.

Devilian is a well functioning MMO/ARPG but has nothing to set it apart from others, except possibly visuals. The real money elements aren't intrusive and wont force you to spend money, which is always a positive.

Skully is a masterclass in bad platformer design. Characters that are a chore to handle, sloppy level design, lousy camera controls, irritating puzzles, and a general lack of personality combine to create a profoundly tedious experience. If challenge is literally all you care about (even if it’s wildly unfair), Skully might be worth a shot at a steep discount. Everyone else should spare themselves the headache.

Should Jon Shafer’s At the Gates be judged for what it is now, or what it has the potential to become? The experience is hamstrung by glitches, oversights, and unfinished systems, but playing a 4X game from the perspective of the barbarians remains a fantastic concept and some of that Civilization “one more turn” allure is still intact. Forgiving types may want to give At the Gates a try now, but most others should probably leave the game out in the cold until a few updates are released.

Murderous Pursuits is an entertaining, inventive, and accessible online multiplayer experience hobbled by its technical issues, stingy amount of content, and lack of polish. The game’s developers are promising to brush up and expand the game over the coming months, but will it ever reach its full potential? Only time will tell. There’s fun to be had at this murder party, but you’re probably best showing up fashionably late.

I still enjoyed this new package. Secret of Mana was always about charm and personality over polish. Yes, the game remains a bit of a mess, but that special spark at its core burns brighter than ever. If you loved the original game, or are just in the mood for something light and quirky, this remake strikes true.

While at the shorter end of the scale for Metrovania games, the $9.99 price fits this indie title perfectly. Exile’s End might not be the best sidescroller on the Playstation 4, but it undoubtedly has a difficult charm that should feel right at home for players that grew up in the NES/Amiga era.

Alone in the Dark is the best entry in the franchise in over two decades, although there wasn’t much competition for that title. So-so combat, technical issues, and a frustrating lack of consistency sometimes cast a shadow over the game, and yet, there’s still something enticing here. The game’s intricately-designed Derceto Manor hub, thick Lovecraftian atmosphere, and surprisingly-varied level design ought to be enough to light a spark of enthusiasm in some hardcore survival horror fans’ dark hearts.

It has some good elements, but they are often covered by the average, meaning little gets the chance to stand out. Were it a little tighter, a little faster and not requiring you to do so much busy work, I could see this being a more enjoyable experience.

Operation Babel feels too similar to its predecessor with a weaker cameo-focused story & reused assets but exceeds it in every other aspect of gameplay. The new subclass system provides extra control on party depth.

Pace yourself in the Blackout Club and it can be a fantastic game for a long time. From its various enemies and threats to its sinister suburban setting, the game feels great to play with friends, just as long as you don't spend too much time with it at once.