All in all, Strange Brigade is a solid and enjoyable co-op shooter with a lot of heart. It doesn't necessarily redefine the genre, but the combat mechanics are fun, the traps are delightful, the variety of characters is interesting, and in general, it's just a whole lot of fun to play. Get together three friends, burn through a horde of zombies, and you'll have a fantastic time. The only caveat is that the game should be played co-op. It's a tougher game to justify when you're playing solo.

Overall, Summon Night : Twin Age might be passable for people with fairly low expectations, but the drawn-out combat mechanics, poor party support, and agonizing voice acting really drive a knife into this title's back.

The concept remains solid with an adventure mode that's endearing if you like silly stories and can overcome holes in the narrative logic. The modes really play around with the formulas of both games well, and the amount of content can keep a puzzle fan busy for quite some time. The lack of an upgrade path for existing owners and the marginal improvements for the Switch 2-exclusive version make it difficult to recommend a double-dip. If you never bought the game before and don't mind sticking with offline play, then you'll have a good time with this title and can give this a higher score. For everyone else, you can safely steer clear from this version.

Need for Speed Unbound is a solid comeback for the series, provided you can deal with some potential annoyances. The risk/reward system functions well in creating tension during all parts of a race, but the grind is an annoyance until you get better cars or parts for your initial ride. The presence of elements borrowed from other racing titles is done well enough, but the story can be a chore to sit through if you aren't already using this slang every day. Overall, Unbound is a solid racing title that should hopefully start bringing the series back to prominence.

It's not a masterpiece, but it's hilarious, brilliantly moody, and worthy of attention from any fan of adventure or humorous games - or graphics effects nerds.

A vast array of technology makes room for endless infrastructure combinations with a wonderful level of detail. A lack of content really brings down the game a few notches because the gameplay begins to feel repetitive after a while. Although the title has a lot of awesome details with science fiction flair, it doesn't bring any new surprises after a single playthrough. Whether players are seeking a challenging simulation or a chill Martian sandbox, Surviving Mars is a title that is worth a try.

Penumbra: Overture focuses on delivering immersive gameplay by providing an engaging storyline, a surreal atmosphere, and a very creepy playing experience.

With all of its improvements, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is easily the best LEGO Batman game, but it doesn't quite take the crown for best overall LEGO game.

It's difficult to give a score to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. On the one hand, some of the improvements are quite good. The inclusion of extra levels for each game to make them more accessible is always welcome, and the improved modern controls are certainly welcome unless your muscle memory is attuned to the old tank-style controls. On the other hand, the very slight graphical improvements are overshadowed by the fact that the game design fails to keep modern controls in mind, and no other changes have been made to bring it up to modern standards. Considering the pedigree of the games, the result is a package that's fine but could've been much, much better.

The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match is a great example of how to update a good fighting game. The title doesn't make any changes that would drive away old fans of the series, but it makes a few good ones that would entice new fans to give it a try. With a solid package behind it, only the die-hard SNK haters would be resilient enough to turn down this game. It's a great addition to any fighting game fan's library.

In the end, NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a fun game that may not excel from a gameplay standpoint, but its fun arcade action that has become rare in the genre. Basketball and sports fans would enjoy Playgrounds 2 if it weren't for the grindy implementation of card packs and in-game purchases.

Hybrid does some interesting things with gameplay, but it is ultimately tripped up by poor matchmaking, periodic lag and an unbalanced meta game. Genre fans will enjoy the change of pace, but most players should probably look for greener pastures.

The success of any rhythm game is largely determined by its selection of songs, and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA is the first American release that can compete with its import brethren.

As a whole, the Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials DLC pack is fairly good. There's balance in the number and variety of events, and while there are some challenges that fare much better than others, there's more good than bad here.

Ultimately, Watch Dogs: Legion – Bloodline is a bit of a mixed bag. There's fun to be had here, but the story driving the expansion could have spent more time in the oven. Being able to play as Aiden and Wrench is a nice addition, with each offering a distinct style of play.

In some alternate reality where the Guitar Hero developers had been hit by a bus before making their game, this title might have a chance as a party game; as it stands, it doesn't even rank second place.

There's enough variation between the two games to keep you coming back to both versions, and plenty of characters and moves to keep you thoroughly occupied.

What The Fall Part 2: Unbound lacks in difficulty, it makes up for in intrigue. The transformation of narrative from horror to sci-fi makes you look at the series in a new light, and even though the questions about humanity and robotics have been brought up before, the game's take on them remains interesting enough that you'll want to see what's in store for the third game. The gameplay length is decent, and there are satisfactory combat and puzzle elements. If you've already checked out the first game, you should take a look at Unbound as well.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order can best be summed up as average. It's neither bad nor exceptional. It's fun to play for Marvel fans and those who get giddy at the idea of Ant-Man fighting a giant Ultron-possessed robot or Ms. Marvel teaming up with Spider-Gwen. At the end of the day, the branding is about all that makes the game stand out. If you're not a die-hard Marvel fan, there isn't a lot here for you after the initial rush wears off from brutalizing baddies with the superheroes of your choice. The fun is still there, and in co-op, the game gains a lot more fun.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is worth picking up, and the fact that the online portion of the game is still active certainly makes for an appeasing purchase.

This game is the absolute antithesis of what you should get to show off the power or the playability of the Wii.

Hard Reset might not be the shooter for everyone, but I think it's worth checking out. My review is based on the game post-patch 1.01, which eliminated the weapon cooldown system and allowed users to change difficulty mid-game.

At the end of the day, Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn is the chance to spend more time with the Arise characters, and the experience is wrapped up in a lengthy DLC package. If you loved the cast of Arise enough that it's worthwhile to chill with them some more, then Beyond the Dawn may have its value. Beyond that, it doesn't add anything to the experience, especially with the hefty $30 price tag. If it were more tightly designed and more creative, it would've gone been more appealing, but as it stands, it's something for Arise faithful only.

For newcomers, this is a great entry to use as a jumping point into the series. For series veterans, the changes, omissions, and small additions make it a lesser product than its predecessor, but if you're interested in the lore, 4-II is still worth checking out.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is the video game equivalent of giving your old car a new paint job and a spoiler and claiming it's as good as new. The combination of the dated Tomb Raider areas, mixed with the uninspiring and boring Tomb Raider: Anniversary alone, feels like a patch job, and the addition of the Wii elements to the original versions of Tomb Raider: Anniversary only serves to increase the feeling that most of this game is just new elements stapled haphazardly onto a prettier version of a 10-year-old game.

All of the arcade greats are here, although it is plagued with load times, arcade-imperfect porting, and unnatural-feeling Wiimote controls. With such a massive collection, there should have been more extras, but with seven games on one disc, it is definitely something that should not be missed by fans.

The repetition is quite high, but it plays almost identically to Dynasty Warriors, so it might be a good addition. Still, the total number of levels is rather low, so you can run through a character’s story in less than an hour.

This is not a game for the weak minded. One must be mature enough to look beyond the glitz and glamour of gaming to appreciate what Crusader Kings is: an uncompromising exercise in strategy and planning.