In the end, Table Top Racing: World Tour is fine. The physics can be wonky at times, and the upgrade system is laughable given the large coin payout per race, but the racing itself is solid enough that a few people will be able to overlook those flaws. It's a solid single-player experience due to the game's overall length, but with inactive multiplayer community, it becomes a tough sell. It's cheap enough that people who don't normally play multiplayer in their racing games won't mind anyway, but for those looking for a more complete arcade-style racing experience on the Xbox One, World Tour falls squarely in the middle of the pack.

As a fighting game, Street Fighter X Tekken is a solid offering that is sure to appeal to both Street Fighter and Tekken franchise fans. If the PC is your only gaming option and you play primarily offline, then go ahead and pick up this one up. You won't be disappointed. If you also game on a console, though, there is little reason to go PC. Sure, you can get a higher resolution image and minimal loading times, but in terms of overall patch level and feature set, the PC version is currently inferior to the console options.

Layers of Fear really brings a lot of improvements that amplify the game's strongest aspect: its immersive atmosphere. Audio and visuals are almost impeccable in this release, and they're truly worth experiencing. That said, playing through all of the content on offer in this remake/remaster collection does stretch the gameplay a bit too thin over its runtime, and it slowly wears out its welcome. What remains is a repetitive and sometimes tame horror adventure game that's worth experiencing for its presentation alone.

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

When the credits roll on Outer Wilds: Archaeologist Edition, you'll feel sad that there's no way to experience it with fresh eyes again. You can play the main story for close to 15-20 hours, and the meaty DLC adds another 10 hours or more, but this isn't a game that you'll return to after completion because you've solved the puzzle. As cool as the little pocket galaxy is, if you have another system besides the Switch that can run Outer Wilds, I'd recommend playing the game on the other system instead. Outer Wilds simply isn't meant to be played on a handheld console.

At the end of the day, Active Life Explorer is one of the better minigame compilations for the system and a good entry for the series.

All in all, as a single-player experience, Phantom War is short, fairly sweet, and utterly unremarkable. The saving grace and the final nail in its coffin come from a single point: the multiplayer mode.

In all, The Bigs is a decent baseball game for the Wii, but it really plays more like a game of real baseball than one is led to believe.

Serious Sam 3: BFE is a game worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of old iD Software titles like Doom or Wolfenstein, or the even the Serious Sam series itself. If you're a gamer who's only played modern FPS titles, you'd still do well to see what Serious Sam 3 has to offer. It's more unique nowadays, and it's polished just enough to be an enjoyable experience.

The Callisto Protocol is frustrating as a game because it's so easy to see how it could have been great. There's no single thing that drags down the game, but it's an endless stream of annoyances that are exacerbated by the constant reminders of better titles. The Callisto Protocol can be fun, but it's constantly getting in the way of its own fun. It's possible that patches might smooth out some of the combat issues and improve the game a fair bit. At launch, though, it's more frustrating than fun. There's a lot of potential for a sequel that takes the lessons to heart, but for the moment, you're better off waiting for a sale.

Ultimately, Scene It? Movie Night: Mega Movies offers up a competent Scene It? experience at a budget price. If you're a Scene It? veteran, your 800 Microsoft points ($10 USD) basically get you a stand-alone DLC pack with new questions and movie clips. It may not be flashy, but it's more than functional. If you're new to the franchise, however, you're probably better off keeping an eye on Amazon, where the Box Office Smash! bundle (with Big Button controllers) can often be had for less than $15.

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.

The concept behind PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe is good. Mixing a beat-'em-up with garbage collection seems like a strange concept, but it all works thanks to the pacing of each segment and the simplicity of the mechanics. It's the little things — the paltry move set, the small opening for successful garbage collection, the need to repeat levels, the ease with which one can lose track of where they are — that pile up to drag down the experience a peg. It is still worth checking out for the semi-distinct nature of it all, but be sure to temper your expectations.

Tsukuyomi is an odd duck of a game. As an off-brand Shin Megami Tensei card battler, it's pretty fun, despite some obvious balance flaws and a low budget. The story isn't anything great, but it was enough to bolster the gameplay, and I had a good time playing through the main story. For a game that prides itself as being the work of Kazuma Kaneko, the AI-bloated art style deeply detracts from the experience. It's a fun enough experience, but it has enough warts that it can be tough to recommend.

Crime Boss: Rockay City has done something that few other games have accomplished since the advent of patching. The team has taken what was a very bad game at launch and made it good enough to be enjoyable. The missions may be short, but the lack of lag and the presence of better-than-expected AI companions makes each encounter fun. The presence of the player XP system makes the tweaked campaign and online modes worth grinding through. Coming in at a cheaper base price than its Epic Games Store launch price, Rockay City is a decent purchase for those who were disappointed with Payday 3 and exhausted with Payday 2.

The aspect that should pain gamers the most is the unfulfilled potential that the series has had since the first sequel.

It's not bad for a game that started as a literal pretender.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a fun game that is simply buried under too much to be really great.

TopSpin 2K25 feels like a reboot of the series rather than a proper sequel. The lack of game modes really makes the title feel like it's starting from scratch and trying to nail the fundamentals before approaching more offbeat stuff. Despite the occasional missing inputs and stuttering from time to time, the game remains enjoyable enough that you'll want to master the controls and get in a few matches against others quite often. It needs work for future iterations, but for now, TopSpin 2K25 is solid enough.

Undertow is a good fit for the Xbox Live Arcade. The action is fast and uncomplicated, it has plenty of options for the single-player and multiplayer experiences, and the tight controls do a good job of making the player want to partake in the action.

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.

Overall this game is actually well done and can be considered pretty fun, aside from the repetition, especially if you can find friends to play with, but it is also not aimed at the older audiences.

For Sparta is fine once you accept its general simplicity. The attempts at adding depth, such as the enemy variance and the multitude of power-ups, work rather well, even if it veers toward silliness, and the core gameplay remains tight and easy to understand. The lack of actual variety in the backdrop can become problematic, and the lack of any real progression can be a deterrent for those who aren't into classic high score chases. For those who are, For Sparta is worth looking into, especially considering the low $1.99 price tag.

Like any of the Mario sports games, Mario Sports Mix is best enjoyed with friends.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is an average but reasonable send-off to the franchise.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Video Game is fine. It would've been nice to get some of the events from the Mario & Sonic series ported over to make this feel more robust compared to Sega's older Olympics titles, but what's here plays well enough if you don't mind some quirks — especially with the team games. The focus on multiplayer is warranted, since that's how the general public will approach it, but it would've been nice if there were more for the solo player to do. If you're looking for a party game and not a serious multi-discipline sports simulation, this isn't a bad choice.

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.

F1 2009 falls squarely into the category of average racer.