The entire game has a feeling of misdirected effort, as if Rockstar sat down to rejuvenate the franchise without knowing particularly how and simply stuck every idea, gimmick and cliché they could think of into one big ball, like some sort of Katamari of game elements with the old GTA feeling at the core.

By no means a bad game, Out Of the Park Baseball is just not quite as clutch in game-winning situations as you might like, but anyone who loves the game of baseball should give it a try.

Despite my qualms about the closing hours of Death Stranding, I truly enjoyed about 30 hours of it. There are plenty of moments where tone-setting music sets in and the vastness of the landscapes smothers you with solitude and despair. Collecting materials and contributing them to an online structure was engaging and even downright addictive. Moreover, the foundations of the plot intrigued me so much. I think that's what pains me so much about Death Stranding: I can see its potential, but the game went too far in too many disparate directions.

DmC: Devil May Cry is a hard game to judge. On its own, without any preconceptions based on the franchise, it's a serviceable if unexceptional action title. It's a good way to waste an afternoon or an ideal rental. It is, however, a poor Devil May Cry game.

It’s hard to rate this game, as it is meaty, contains a gameplay formula that people are used to (despite its lumps), and contains just enough good to counter the bad.

qomp2 is an interesting title that certainly isn't for everyone. The limited controls make for an equally frustrating yet rewarding experience once you master the mechanics. The difficulty starts off fine, but the quick ramp-up will throw people off guard. The infinite lives, generous checkpoints, and some of the more helpful options help mitigate the ramp-up, but don't be surprised if you get stumped often. If you have a high level of patience and a love for unusual concepts and controls, you're the perfect candidate to enjoy the qomp2 experience.

It feels like Ubisoft's teams forgot everything they learned from excellent titles like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Die-hard fans of the franchise will find a lot to like here, but everyone else should go back and try the older, and better, Ezio-focused games.

If you're looking to satisfy that RPG itch on your brand-new, current-gen console, you can certainly to do so with Inquisition.

If this is your first chance to play Final Fantasy IV, it's not to be missed, but if you already own the PlayStation port or the original SNES version, think about it twice or even three times.

Far Cry 2 looks and sounds great (voice acting aside), but it has some gameplay mechanics that make progression through the game world a frustrating task.

The Walking Dead is still one of the most tightly written and plotted games on the market right now, with some of the best characters, and I'd still recommend it over the comic book to most people. This is a particularly obnoxious chapter, though, where the first playthrough is intense, often frightening, and emotionally draining, but then it caps itself off with multiple cheap deaths and the realization you cannot prevent or even affect most of what's just happened.

If you're looking to challenge yourself and don't mind spending a bit of time memorizing the table and modes, Marvel Civil War isn't a bad choice, but it isn't among Zen's best.

Invisible War kind of looks like it was meant to be a much, much better game than it is, with a lot of half-finished ideas that aren't taken quite far enough.

As a whole, Assassin's Creed III feels lacking. Considering how positive most early impressions were coming out of E3, perhaps my expectations were set too high, but there are clearly a number of disjointed elements that feel half-finished or poorly thought out. This is the issue of having so many cooks in the Assassin's Creed III's development kitchen, and the final product ends up being far more disappointing than I would've expected. It's not without some merit, and it's not something to skip if you're invested in the universe or overarching story, but if you found your interest waning with Revelations, AC3 could be the final nail in the coffin for some players. It's worth a rental, but I wouldn't classify this as a must-play game.

Sk8land is the best attempt yet to convert the old boy of skateboarding to a portable.

Until Fallout: New Vegas gets a major patch that fixes the problems, it can only be recommended to gamers who have a high threshold for frustration.

Perhaps an online component would have improved on this, but as it is, it's only half of the game, albeit a pretty entertaining half.

This is definitely a good-looking $15 game, but there's just not enough meat here to sustain it for a long period of time.

The NHL 2K series which in my opinion had a stranglehold on NHL games for so long seems to have been done in by the loss of ESPN sponsorship as well as a completely inexplicable complacency in the department of upgrading and redesigning the game.

Even after 14 years, Red Dead Redemption remains a good example of how to do a proper Western in video game form. The main adventure is more focused than the sequel due to the relatively smaller cast and scope of your travels, but there are also plenty of side-quests that make it worthwhile to divert from the main questline. Undead Nightmare remains one of the better zombie games out there, and it still feels distinct after all these years. You just wish that there was more work done to the graphics outside of adding HDR and upping the brightness, especially since they're charging $50 for a 14-year-old port. The game is still worth adding to your library, but you might want to wait for a very good discount.

I stuck mostly with the on-field stuff, and it was solid enough for me to keep tinkering around with rivalries, tradition and the spread offense. But it won't make fans of the pros change their allegiance.

The focus on combat makes the game boring, and the lack of good puzzles and platforming of the same caliber as in Sands of Time make Prince of Persia: Warrior Within a slow ride that many fans should honestly stay away from.

For every new mechanic implemented, there is something else botched just enough to render the neat new aspect moot.

The refinement of an excellent skateboarding engine with a surprisingly boring game built atop it, coupled with some fairly lame humor.

Taken as the sum of its parts, FIFA 19 is the most complete and beautiful soccer game around. Upon closer inspection, the latest entry doesn't shine as brightly. There are some admittedly great additions to this year's offering, but they don't add enough to the game to make it worthwhile for returning players who are invested in single-player content.

The locations look decent, if not a bit overwhelming at times, and the gameplay is solid, with the exception of a few hiccups. Newcomers can have fun, but the frustration factor is high, only rising as you progress.

While some of the missions are entertaining enough for a quick diversion, the game's overall quality is lacking, with uncharismatic and unengaging characters everywhere you turn, tired clichés, and sloppy gameplay.

Its lack of content and essential features holds it back. Not counting any repeated playthroughs or attempts, you'll likely see everything there is to see in a couple of hours. While new and potentially free content is on the horizon, the current price of $30 feels a touch steep. When Demeo adds some essential features, like a level editor or a save function, and some more dungeons, it could become one of the go-to VR experiences for RPG fans. It hasn't reached that lofty goal yet, though.

If you remember the original fondly, then you have nothing to fear; it hasn't been broken. If you're not a hardcore strategy gamer or if you were weaned on them in this century, you may find the archaic mechanics and limited scope a little on the disappointing side.

It shows off the dragged-out combat and its new 'rougher, meaner' attitude like a four year old happily waving around what it found in the cat's litter box, and all of the really good parts seem to go right under the radar. You have to actively work to get to the fun parts, in other words.

Rarely have games floored me with their animations and graphics as much as Odin Sphere did, but that is almost all that is worth recommending.

No More Heroes on the Switch is an overdue and no-nonsense port. While it doesn't add much, it looks and runs great, finally allowing more people to play the title on a current-gen system. It's still plagued by a few design decisions and incoherent pacing, but it usually makes up for that with its over-the-top action and storytelling. Regardless of whether you've previously played the title, this port is the one to get if you're eager to (re)discover what No More Heroes is all about.

Overall, Watch Dogs 2 is a solid title that improves upon the original in gameplay and plot but still has some flaws. It's too easy at times, and the plot isn't structured well enough to have the desired impact, but that's easy to forgive when you're setting up a Rube Goldberg contraption to send a hacked car covered with sticky bombs into the middle of a group of gang members. It won't drastically change your mind if you disliked the first Watch Dogs, but if you found it flawed but fun, you'll probably enjoy the bulk of the sequel's improvements. The drop-in multiplayer and freedom of gameplay do a lot to keep the title feeling engaging, but it depends on a player's creativity in order to thrive.

Sam & Max: Save the World Remastered is a welcome sign of life for a classic adventure IP. It feels like it's the start of an effort to properly revive the series in small steps, and that would be great news on its own. The remaster is handled decently, and it achieves what it sets out to do. It updated everything that it needs to, and it looks decent enough on modern systems it. While certainly small in scale, it shines with some good writing and humorous stories that I still enjoy every time I play through it, and that's the lifeblood of any strong adventure experience.

In the end, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection nails the visual update but stumbles when it comes to gameplay. Hardcore fans of the franchise can look past the rough edges and find the fun buried underneath, but if you don't feel like putting forth the effort, you'll probably be happier playing the original arcade game via Capcom Arcade Stadium.

It just doesn't come together as well as it could. It feels like the development team has branched out to try new things, but none of the good ideas and changes were followed through, making them feel like shallow attempts to change things. This would likely not have been a criticism if we were talking about a runtime of fewer than 30 hours. With a runtime of 50+ hours, though, these sorts of things eventually come crashing down as player fatigue sets in. I still enjoy Valhalla for what it does, but it hurts to know that this could've been a tighter, greater game that delivered on its ambitions rather than merely hinting at them.

It isn't so much consolitis that consigned the sequel to the pit of disappointment for me, nor is it crying over PC-flavored milk because it doesn't try to harness what the platform is capable of doing. Instead, the wholesale changes reflect a deeper problem in assuming that your audience isn't as smart as it was to enjoy the first game. It makes the only answer that of dumbing down the sharp edges in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.

There are occasional strong moments, but unless you're desperate for more of the Dragon Age setting, it would be best to replay Dragon Age: Origins or Mass Effect 2 instead.

While the battle system is intuitive and deep at the same time (which I feel is the best formula for a Strategy RPG), the rest of the game suffers. The story is long-winded and uninteresting, the world map segments are bad both graphically and control-wise, and the load times are too frequent and too long, to the point of being almost intolerable.

Your outlook on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is going to depend on your perspective. As a historical document, it chronicles Atari as a company but still seems focused on the 2600 and old arcade stuff above all else. As a game compilation, it still feels lacking in the latter half of the company's game history, as some of the more interesting titles from the 7800 era onward aren't here; one can argue that the company's output at the time doesn't make the job any easier, though. There are certainly enough curios to keep existing owners of Atari Vault interested thanks to the presence of new titles here, but it could've used more curation to make it an item that's worth celebrating.

From an objective point of view, it suffers so many technical flaws that I would normally caution against purchase. However, from a subjective perspective, I enjoy the setting and ambience so much that I recommend it despite the bugs and inelegant performance.

When Revengeance is firing on all cylinders, it is a sight to behold. Watching Raiden tear through enemies while a dynamic speed metal soundtrack plays in the background is undeniably impressive. After spending an extended amount of time with the game, though, it becomes obvious that beauty is only skin-deep. Revengeance is more impressive to watch than it is to play, but it's certainly no Bayonetta.

Unfortunately, it all adds up to be a less-than-stellar experience for Battlefield 4. There is little doubt that the game will see patches to address some or all of these issues, but as it stands, it has an underwhelming single-player campaign and an unstable multiplayer mode that severely hampers enjoyment.

A surprisingly challenging experience.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the video game equivalent of a Michael Bay movie. There's a lot of flash and not much substance.

For the price, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is a solid purchase, even if it's not exceptional. It's a bare-bones fighter that has the most basic of extra modes and features, but the main game is good, and the price point is hard to beat. The game is easy to pick up but difficult to master, giving you a great value for only $15. In the end, it's another release of Virtua Fighter 5. If you enjoy the series, you'll love getting a cheap and improved version. The comprehensive tutorial also makes this a great starting point for series newcomers. If you've never liked the series, though, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown won't change your mind.

Even though Toy Soldiers: Cold War has a few new features, it doesn't seem to have quite the depth of the original.

While they did add various goals to keep console gamers occupied, they end up turning the game into more of a stressful mess than the passive pace of the original.

Trails Into Reverie is a hard game to recommend at the best of times. Are you a long-time Trails fan who wants one last hurrah with some of your favorite characters? Do you find it exciting to see how that baker NPC turned out? Then it has a lot to offer you. As a stand-alone RPG, however, it's almost inaccessible, and you should play the other games first. The extremely poor QA work in this title means that even die-hard fans will likely have a hard time enjoying the game; the well-translated script is surrounded by a truly unacceptable amount of bugs. If you're still on the fence, I'd recommend waiting for a patch. Otherwise, it's a crappier experience, as without those problems, Trails into Reverie could've gotten a much higher score.

Beyond the already present fans of the series, anyone looking for a fun game that can be picked up, played, and put down at whim, will find what they need here.

Personal Trainer: Cooking is perfect for bored housewives (or husbands — let's not discriminate) who have extra spending money and a passion for new flavors and tastes.

While it's true that it doesn't really breath a whole lot of new life into the series, it still should be able to conjour up enough interest in Sims fans.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV is a rather bloated blockbuster crossover event that's shaped like a JRPG. If you're a die-hard Trails fan with a deep love of the franchise, then seeing your favorite characters interact will probably make up for the somewhat disappointing story. Anyone else should stay far away until they've played the first three Trails of Cold Steel main games in the series, and looking up the other games in the franchise couldn't hurt. I had fun with ToCS4, but it's a bit of a mess, and your enjoyment will depend on how much that mess appeals to you. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the series, but I can only hope the next game is more focused than this offering.

This is definitely the greatest example of comic book fan-service ever conceived, but the gamer side of my brain has too many issues with the title to let it off the hook for those reasons alone.

Overall, The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is average, so if you're looking for new material for virtual get-togethers, this is a serviceable option. Fibbage 4 is dependable, and Junktopia was a pleasant surprise. The enjoyment of Nonsensory and Quixort is heavily dependent on the prompts that players receive in each of those minigames. I can't imagine anyone willingly returning to Roomerang.

Pretty graphics or no, so much of the gameplay of Company of Heroes 3 is flawed in one way or another that it's difficult to recommend it. From campaign-breaking bugs in Italy to the inept AI that renders most Africa maps unsatisfying, the game came out in such a state that it's hard to believe it's part of the same series by the same developer. To the development team's credit, the game has been patched several times since release, but many of the issues persist. There are occasional glimmers of a brilliant game, but with so much of the content damaged by bugs, it is impossible to recommend it over replaying one of the other games of the series.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a beautiful but ultimately hollow game. The fantastic presentation props up a story that is less personal and engaging than in the first game, and the gameplay feels like an afterthought. It was great to see Senua again and to see her outside of the grief-misery she was enveloped in during the first game, but beyond that, there's not much to Hellblade II. It's a short and less memorable experience that shows off Ninja Theory's visual craft to its fullest — but it achieves little else.

Old World has its moments, but it's a very niche offering. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't hardcore about 4X games because the learning curve is brutal. However, if you've played the rest and you're looking for something new, and especially if the overload of stats is something you find compelling, check out Old World. At the very least, you get to enjoy Christopher Tin's majestic soundtrack.

At best, it's an incremental upgrade to Madden '13, and while it's a solid effort, it's hardly worth getting excited about.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is a mostly solid, if somewhat unambitious, Assassin's Creed game that is dragged down by a shockingly poor PS4 release. I look forward to seeing how it runs on a PS5, but the last-gen version is hard to recommend due to the sheer amount of issues that I encountered while playing through the game. If you discount those issues, Valhalla would be a comfortable 8.0, but one can't just ignore those issues. Fans looking to continue the franchise's story should wait until Valhalla receives a series of patches or until they can pick up a next-gen version.

Overall, there is a lot to do here, but between the amazing and fun moments, the collection interjects a myriad of frustrating, irrelevant, or tedious content. Given what's included, the $40 price tag is fair, and you'll have at least 30-40 hours of gameplay to enjoy.

It's frustrating, though. There are so many great ideas on display in Deus Ex: Invisible War, but the implementation is spotty at best.

If you're the type of fan who will play through the LEGO The Lord of the Rings story mode and then return it to the shelf, then you should run out and buy it right now (or order it online and choose priority shipping). If you're a LotR fan who has never played a LEGO game before, you'll likely be pleased at this very faithful - and slightly whimsical - adaptation. If you plan on investing the time to dig into every nook and cranny of this title, the path ahead is a long and arduous one, Frodo.

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is definitely a step up from Disgaea 3, at least as far as appearances go. It captures the beloved gameplay elements from previous entries and provides an astounding amount of content. Disgaea 4 can be a little cumbersome at times, and it hasn't streamlined its presentation much since the original, but the fun combat mechanics and interesting cast of characters help differentiate it from its competitors. I wish the humor had resonated with me a tad more, but I definitely had fun with Disgaea 4.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole on the Switch is a flawed game with bugs, small performance issues, and long loading times. While the game is a fun but weaker successor to The Stick of Truth, it doesn't look great in its current state. Even with its flaws, it's still an enjoyable journey, but it's not worth the high price tag until most of the performance issues are addressed in an upcoming patch.

I stuck mostly with the on-field stuff, and it was solid enough for me to keep tinkering around with rivalries, tradition and the spread offense. But it won't make fans of the pros change their allegiance.

Overall, Company of Heroes 2 doesn't capitalize on its own strengths and ends up paling in comparison to the juggernaut that started the franchise.

Tetris Forever is a package of two halves of varying quality. Even though it hasn't been discussed much in this review, the documentary portion maintains the level of quality seen in the previous Gold Master Series titles from Digital Eclipse. There's an extensive amount of information about the game's lifetime. On the other hand, the games are fine, and some are outright brilliant, but the package can feel disappointing for many. The game selection doesn't contain many of the more memorable iterations in the series, and other versions of the same game could've been excluded. This may not be anyone's first choice when it comes to playing a few rounds of Tetris, but it's a good way to chronicle the history of this influential title.

The Fable franchise has always been ambitious, promising big things and often failing to deliver. Unfortunately, Fable III suffers from the same plight, serving up a mediocre experience that's difficult to get excited over.

If you're a hardcore fan of the Blue Bomber and don't otherwise have access to the games, the Mega Man Legacy Collection is a convenient way to replay these Capcom classics, but as a collection, it doesn't compare to Rare Replay or even the last-gen SEGA Vintage Collection games that were put together by M2.

NHL 19 is vastly better than its predecessors in terms of value and pushing the franchise forward, but it still falls short of a significant upgrade in many areas. If you haven't purchased an NHL title in a while, this is a good year to jump back in and experience one of the better NHL games in recent memory.

As a karaoke game, Party is the best available, even if it's presented in the worst way possible - a way that, again, you might love if you own the "Best Of" collection for American Idol.

This isn't a perfect fitness game by any means, but it's a viable option to get the family off the couch and keep them in at least decent shape until you can go outside again.

Despite the negative aspects pointed out in this review, 0D Beat Drop really is a solid puzzle game. The mechanics and the gimmick make it a good alternative for puzzle fanatics who are looking for something different from their routine. It's just too bad that the implementation of some of those mechanics wasn't as polished as one would have hoped.

The overhaul of the Uber-Trick system did nothing to enhance the experience, (quite the opposite) the GUI presentation was bad enough to be called insulting, and there is the distinct possibility that this incarnation may alienate past fans of the franchise.

Dragon's Crown Pro makes strides in updating the side-scrolling beat-'em-up genre by incorporating light RPG mechanics well. The overall setting and simplicity of getting into the game are intriguing, but the art style is jarring, and the story paper-thin. While I understand the latter is not the reason to play this type of game, it's frustrating to see and feel how flimsy it comes off. The gameplay is solid, and the innovations are intriguing, but the rest of Dragon's Crown Pro is rather shallow.

It's not quite as polished as Namco's XBLA updates (Pac-Man Championship and Galaga Legions), but for the retro fans out there, Infinity Gene still provides plenty of entertainment bang for your buck. Go in knowing what to expect, and you won't be disappointed.

The developers for EA Sports WRC have said they are working on the issue, but after so many Unreal Engine 4 and 5 games have suffered similar issues upon release, it is harder to accept this wasn't fixed before release. It's harder still with a rally game, which demands fine control from the player but undermines itself with stutters that often result in significantly punishing outcomes. There is a lot to like about EA Sports WRC, and with a future patch it may become buttery smooth. That isn't how the game was released, though, and while a smoother version of this game would be easily recommendable, it's best to avoid EA Sports WRC in its current state.

Like many yearly sports games, WWE 2K26 works best if you haven't played the previous title. If you skipped a year or two and decided to return, you'll find the new modes, big roster update, and further solidification of the gameplay mechanics to be big improvements over what was available before. For everyone else, the slight improvements to existing modes are far outweighed by the increase of nickel-and-diming players who've already paid money for the game. The changes to the Season Pass system make the game too grindy for anyone who won't dedicate all of their free time to this title. This isn't bad, but only die-hard fans will get excited over WWE 2K26.

Overall, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a solid port on the Switch with a great presentation and familiar gameplay mechanics. The gameplay is solid, and the environment has changed up just enough to warrant another look for fans of classic JRPGs. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to play Nightwar elsewhere, you'll be pleased to know that it looks just as good on the Switch, with little compromises in visual presentation.

Tricky Towers is recommended if you know you're going to be playing it with people all the time. Although the online community is practically nonexistent, the chaos of local multiplayer makes it a game that you can put in constant rotation without anyone getting tired of it. While it does have a good, clean presentation, it doesn't have much to offer in the single-player department to keep players engaged.

Forza 5 will do as a holdover racing game for now, but for all the bombast that next-gen brings, the game is awfully stagnant, and its lack of competition has never been more apparent.

I loved and hated Hitman: Absolution. It wraps its stealthy assassinations within a slim and challenging margin of comfort. Often, that's due to clunky mechanics that don't share the same kind of experimental freedom as other sandbox games, especially when unexpected glitches can ruin a half-hour of careful exploration. You can expect many hours of gameplay against a detailed backdrop of revenge, murder, and deliciously unsavory characters and comic book-styled villainy. It's not as beautiful a kill as it could have been, but the lengthy contract can still make a compelling argument for giving this wetwork collection a second look.

In summary, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 drastically improves the graphics and gaming engine once again, though much like the Tiger Woods franchise, if you've played one, you know what to expect.

There are some technical problems and crash bugs that need ironed out (especially for ATI users, from the sound of it), and the feel and responsiveness of the controls could have been better. The AI is lacking, but those special slow-motion moments when you score a particularly nasty headshot or a grenade blows a guy into thirds are rewarding and add to the cinematic feel.

Eternal Sonata is a beautiful game. It has excellent music, a reasonably well done dub and a curious and interesting setting. This doesn't change the fact that it is far too easy.

The Evil Within has its fair share of problems. The uneven camera, the forced letterboxing, some frustrating one-hit kill scenarios, oddly paced chapters, and sub-par story/character development keep this from being a must-play experience.

With a little more polish, LEGO Batman 2 could have been a high point of the franchise. Instead, it's merely another enjoyable entry in the lineup of LEGO games.

This title is slow with a capital "ssssss," taking nearly a full minute to load tracks or save your game.

Its story and characters contain charm, its premise is tolerable and fun, it looks good, and it's a neat twist on an established genre, even if there hang-ups due to said twist. For what it's worth, I actually enjoyed this game far more than "Odin Sphere."

If you’re a devout Street Fighter fan, chances are you already picked Alpha Anthology up. Folks who are fans of the fighting genre in general can’t really go wrong either, especially with the $30 price tag.

It's a near-perfect adaptation of an average slasher/monster film. It's a fun romp through a horror movie, and the tension of all characters being able to live and die contributes well to the overall feel. At the end of the day, though, it's not exceptional and lacks replay value. A $60 price tag is too high for the experience, especially with companies like Telltale Games and Dontnod Entertainment offering similar experiences for lower prices.

In spite of a beautiful HD update, Tekken 6 on the PS3 just doesn't hold up as well.

In addition to solid racing, there's just enough extras in this game from the hilarious agent, to the off-track drama and persona building that make this worth investing some time in.

It's easy to recommend Death Road to Canada to anyone who's into either zombies, roguelikes or both, as it comes with its pros and cons. If you hate roguelikes, you probably won't enjoy this one, but if you're on the fence, be assured that this is one of the best executions in recent times, even if just for the absurd story and setup.

At its barest elements, Dissidia: Final Fantasy is phenomenal.

When the game works, it is head and shoulders above any other title that uses the license. When it fails, however, it descends into frustration and tedium.

The perfect place for a beginner to the series to start. Almost everything in the game has withstood the test of time and has been streamlined and smoothed to make it as accessible as possible to all players. However, this means that long-time veterans of the Tiger Woods series won't find much changed from last year's offering, either.