Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is a surprisingly sadistic guilty pleasure.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is at once a really fun game and a disappointment. It has a lot of great new features, excellent new Pokémon, some much-needed quality of life improvements, and is generally a solid Pokémon title. However, the first console outing feels like it should've been more impressive, especially given the reduced Pokedex. If you're a fan of Pokémon, you'll enjoy Sword and Shield a lot, and if it's your first Pokémon, it's a good way to experience the franchise's high points. If you're a longtime fan hoping for the Breath of the Wild of Pokémon games, you'll be disappointed.

If you need a quick sword-and-sandals fix and want to fight epic battles in real-time and on a detailed 3D landscape, then Legion Arena might just be for you.

Frame rate problems and a nonsensical story are balanced by one of the franchise's best combat systems, which is held together by a strange patchwork of gameplay mechanics. Some work, some don't, and some are too strange to properly judge.

Although Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is a well-executed title, it's also saddled with outdated mechanics in a genre that doesn't really have that many adherents in the modern gaming world.

It's very easy to see Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions being a love-it-or-hate-it kind of game. It's a fun representation of the insane, over-the-top action of a sports anime, but it's not a very good soccer game. Despite having multiplayer modes, it's unlikely to hold your attention unless you're deep into building up perfect teams of talented misfits. Still, fans of the anime should enjoy it, and newcomers wondering about Tsubasa will probably find it to be a fine introduction to the franchise.

When all's said and done, all the beer is chugged, all the bottoms goosed and the wind broken, as the cigarette smoke clears, Conker: Live & Reloaded comes out as just a bit more than the simple sum of its parts.

Despite my misgivings about the retail product and on-disc content, I can't overstate how enjoyable Tropico 4 and the Modern Times expansion pack are. This isn't the best way to purchase both, though, as you'd be better off picking up both piecemeal, digitally or through retail.

TR-49 is an engrossing puzzle game. The idea of solving a mystery through hyperlinking is novel, and the simplified implementation of decoding pages by matching code references with the title is thrilling in action, even if it doesn't seem that way on paper. The main story is fine, but the story told within the documents will be more interesting to some, and the presentation is also good. The performance issue drags down things, and if that can be patched out, then TR-49 is a game that earns its place in a puzzle fan's library.

Without question, Tetris: Axis is a lot of fun.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfareon the NDS is a title that will forever stand in the shadow of its current-gen siblings, but it manages to be an enjoyable experience in its own right. Shamefully, it bursts at the seams with unfulfilled potential, but maybe future sequels will rectify that.

Everybody's Golf VR feels like a good first step in getting the sport on to a new technology. Once you get used to the controls — specifically controlling the shot direction and amount of power needed — you'll find the game to be very immersive due to its presentation. It may take a while to unlock everything, and while the number of courses isn't as abundant as the older games, there's still enough here to keep you coming back. The lack of multiplayer is a disappointment, though, and the repetitive lines from your caddies can be tiresome, but Everybody's Golf VR is still a game that'll make you spend more time with your VR headset.

Call of Duty: Vanguard drops the ball on two fronts. The campaign is a short, disjointed, and shallow affair, and its Zombies mode is solid but too bare-bones and devoid of content to recommend at the moment. Regular multiplayer matches are where Vanguard shines the brightest, but a lot of that is due to leaning heavily into familiar territory. Vanguard struggles to make meaningful additions to the formula, and apart from new battle pacing options and a generous selection of maps, Vanguard sits comfortably on the achievements of its predecessors. That's not a bad thing, and I enjoyed the online components throughout this review, but it's also not a great look for a yearly release. If you haven't played a Call of Duty title in a few years and don't care for its single-player campaign, Vanguard is a fun and solid entry in the series.

Despite the rough spots, Cars 2 still presents an enjoyable experience because none of the issues impact the core game. Whether you're a hardcore Cars fan or just looking for a kid-friendly racing game, Cars 2 is sure to please. It's perfectly tuned for the younger set, while at the same time packing in enough quality gameplay to keep things entertaining for all the older gamers out there. In short, if you happen to be a parent with kids, this one is right up your alley.

Let Them Come is a perfect small game that you'll want to play in between some of the bigger titles. The shooting feels good, the challenge is present in areas, and the gameplay length ensures that it doesn't easily wear out its welcome. It isn't a deep game, but for the $5 price tag, you're not going to care.

The Tale of Bistun is surprising in several different ways. The story is intriguing not only because it's from a place we don't see much of but also because literature is rarely been done in games at all. The game's length is short but welcome, as a lengthier game would stretch out the repetitive combat a touch too much. For adventure gamers who want something narratively different and don't mind it being something that can be knocked out in an afternoon, The Tale of Bistun is worth a look.

Despite the rough spots, Cars 2 still presents an enjoyable experience because none of the issues impact the core game. Whether you're a hardcore Cars fan or just looking for a kid-friendly racing game, Cars 2 is sure to please. It's perfectly tuned for the younger set, while at the same time packing in enough quality gameplay to keep things entertaining for all the older gamers out there. In short, if you happen to be a parent with kids, this one is right up your alley.

Burnout Crash! is an odd entry in the Burnout franchise. On the one hand, it makes for an enjoyable casual title and is sure to be appeal to the non-core gamer crowd because of its pick-up-and-play nature. On the other hand, core fans of the franchise are likely to be disappointed because it's not the Burnout game they were expecting. With that said, if you can leave your preconceptions at the door, Burnout Crash! just might end up as your go-to title for quick gaming sessions.

In the end, Shu is a well-made platformer that is short but does many things right. It may not be the best, flawless or the most original game out there, but it's a fun and varied journey that's worth taking if you're fond of the genre.

All in all, The Splatters is an interesting puzzle game that is more fun to play as you gradually grow to understand it. It doesn't always do a great job of explaining itself to the player, and it can be frustrating to learn, but when everything clicks, you'll definitely have some fun with it. It's certainly not a flawless experience, but it is worth checking out.

An excellent first foray into the next generation of RPGs for Microsoft. It's both beautiful to see and a lot of fun to play.

The new elements and levels produced for PixelJunk Shooter 2 are nice, but they don't feel like enough to justify another full-priced game. The engine is still the exact same, so while the visuals and art are still high-quality, the imprecise and sloppy controls have also returned.

For the child and the child in all of us, give it a whirl, but if you steadfastly insist you grew up a long time ago, please move along; there's nothing for you to see here.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X is a must-have game, but only if you fall under certain requirements. You have to be fine with more puzzles and obscure item hunts than combat. There must be a comfort level with the various odd camera angles that the game seems to love. The fact that some of the dialogue is off and that some of the voices are laughable shouldn't pose much of a problem to you. You also have to be fine with the graphical improvements being good but not mind-blowing. If you can live with all of this, then you'll certainly enjoy this classic entry in the series because of the story and action. If any of the aforementioned aspects bother you, then stick with the franchise games from Resident Evil 4 onward.

It features a host of interesting mechanics that do a great job of capitalizing on the character and world of Sherlock Holmes, and the six cases are very intriguing. Crimes & Punishments is easily one of the best Holmes titles I've played, and I look forward to what Frogwares has in store for the next game in the franchise.

Puddle is a mechanically sound game that's good for fans of physics puzzles. The presentation is solid, and even though the controls aren't the most optimal, they get the job done and provide enough options.

At 1200 Microsoft points, though, Backbreaker Vengeance feels a little pricey for what's offered. Give the free demo a shot, but don't be surprised if you end up purchasing it later.

A solid and entertaining RTS game, once you figure out the controls, that is.