Altogether, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is a decent enough wrestling title on the PSP, but I think it also lacks a little polish, especially with the visuals.

It's definitely something I'd suggest checking out when it goes on sale, but until then, you can hold off on Deadpool.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed isn't a bad port. Warts and all, it's a faithful reproduction of a Wii game that is fun but not exactly a title that too many would consider to be a timeless classic. At a low asking price, it can be good for those who really want every Star Wars game they can get on the system. That said, it would've been more interesting if Aspyr were more ambitious and went for porting the PC/PS3/Xbox 360 version instead. That would've been a treat for longtime Nintendo die-hards.

There's a fascinating game hiding in After Us. The melancholy tale of resurrecting a desolate Earth makes for an interesting premise, but it isn't told in a way to make you care much about it. The platforming generates some good moments, but it is also clunky in places due to the physics and lack of explanation in the tutorial. The combat is rather unnecessary and unexciting, but it is functional, while the presentation remains fetching. Patches are still being created to tweak the game, and there is some potential to fix the technical issues experienced in the early portion of this playthrough. For now, it isn't a game that you need to seek out and play if there are other options to tackle.

A decent game marred by glitches and rushes.

If you have a Nintendo DS, though, this game is easily passed by, and for one reason – Brain Age is the same price as Dr. Sudoku, and has far more than just Sudoku.

If you can get past the jankiness, Slitterhead has a certain quality that makes it oddly compelling. Everything from the plot to the gameplay and the graphics is a strange combination of insanely dated and bizarrely structured. It's a bizarre, shambling mess of a game that has a flavor all its own, but it never quite manages to come together into something cohesive.

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.

Final Fantasy Dissidia NT is a tough game to like. It's a bare-bones arcade port with a scant new roster, convoluted mechanics, and a story mode that leaves much to be desired. If you're willing to push past all of that, there's a lot of fun beneath the awkward exterior. Players have to be enough of a Final Fantasy fan to persevere and enough of a fighting game fan to feel comfortable with the mechanics. There's something here for fans of the franchise who are willing to put in the effort, but as a single-player game, it pales in comparison to its predecessors.

Juicy Realm has the presentation nailed down, but everything else is merely serviceable. The shooting is fine, and the guns can be wacky, but the roguelike elements are lacking, dampening any reason to replay the game once you beat it. The short length doesn't help things, either, and while co-op is a nice touch, it doesn't extend the game's longevity. It's a fun title while it lasts, but don't be surprised if you quickly forget about it.

Samurai Riot is a passable experience. The fighting mechanics are fine, and the moral choices add something to the game, even if the story that accompanies it is rather uninteresting. The pacing, however, detracts enough from the game that unless you want to see all of the potential storylines, you'll stop playing if you can muster enough interest to finish one storyline. If you plan on playing this with a friend, then it isn't a bad purchase, but those looking for more from their beat-'em-ups can skip this one for now.

To be fair, it hasn’t broken any new ground, didn’t dazzle me with its graphics, and included that same annoying pseudo-speak that all of these games seem to integrate.

It's not possible to really say it's good, since low expectations are almost required to enjoy Ty 3, but it is distinctly not bad.

It just isn't much fun. While the concepts lay the groundwork for another fun and innovative title, the execution is totally botched, leaving you with a game that makes you tense and angry nearly every time you play it.

Juiced--as much of a shame as this is because it actually tries out some very good ideas and could have been a contender with some fundamental changes--is more akin to "Street Racing Syndicate: Champion Edition." Take that as you will.

The modelers did an absolutely fantastic job of virtualizing massive crab boats and making it believable. The waves, water swells, storms, ice floes all make for a very immersive environment that just feels right. Real voices with real crab fishermen (and women) and tons of video make the title slightly more robust. Unfortunately, there are clipping issues and some bugs that make what would've been a very polished game feel like it released maybe just a bit too early.

Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure is a game with lots of heart but very limited appeal. The stages are fun enough if you're looking for something simple, and the lack of failure states means that younger ones who are getting used to video games won't experience frustration often. However, the stages lack any variety or challenge, and the small amount of content means that only those who don't mind repeating the same stage will be fine with the game. For everyone else, it makes for a decent rental but nothing more.

Controlling Harry in his battles against the Ministry and Voldemort while exploring a sandbox-like Hogwarts is a concept that seems to write itself. However, instead of the excitement and magic that surrounds Hogwarts, you get the monotony of backtracking through an incoherent castle combined with the "excitement" of cleaning up someone else's messes.

EA games never fail to impress with the overall presentation on any of their sports titles, but sometimes it seems like that's all they were focused on when developing the game. Sadly, NBA Live 08 falls into this trap.

By itself, Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings game is fine. The aesthetic is accurate, and the emphasis on cooking makes it feel very different from many other games of this type. However, the game feels like it is lacking in other areas that are seen as genre staples, making the game feel rather light at first glance. This is before you start to compare the game to other licensed cozy life sims and see that those games have much more to offer before the amount of stuff to do starts to dry up. Again, this game is fine, but there are better examples of the genre.

With randomly generated levels played at a breakneck speed, Velocibox is definitely for those who thrive on frustrating challenges. Few will have the patience to get through to the next stage without quitting in frustration, let alone fuss with online rankings.

Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity isn't that bad. The campaign is a decent length, and despite the limited combat system, the fighting can be enjoyable if you play in short bursts. The enemy monotony does drag down the experience if you want to play for extended sessions, and the presentation could certainly be much better, fan-made game or not. While it's not the best action RPG on the system, it's worth a shot if you've already exhausted the others.

Overall, Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is a completely mediocre game. That isn't to say it can't be fun or doesn't have strong moments, but somehow, none of what it does really stands out. It's interesting to see a long-running franchise finally get its chance to shine outside of its home country, but Xuan Yuan Sword 7 doesn't do enough to set it apart from the crowd. There are a lot of interesting ideas here, and I look forward to seeing what the next entry shows off.

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.

If you have the choice, check that you're really a huge fan of the show by reciting Hurley's winning lottery numbers, and then either play Via Domus on a PC or rent it.

In the end, theHunter: Call of the Wild is a more defined niche game in what is already a niche category. There isn't much appeal for hunting games to begin with, and an even smaller group wants a hunting simulator, especially when there is already a free-to-play version. However, this is a game that requires patience for both the hunting process and the bugs that come along with it. If you can live with that, and you're lucky enough to get a friend or two to join in, then you'll find the game to be a good time. Otherwise, try out the free-to-play version to see if this pacing is right for you.

If Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time had been released when the show was still popular or even alongside the 2017 release of the last season, perhaps it would be more understandable. Instead, it feels like a game without a purpose. It's stunningly average and plays exactly like the long-forgotten cheap tie-in titles that once dominated the market. It gives the simplest fan service and the least challenging take on the character, but it occasionally shows signs of greater ambition. If you're a fan looking for a chance to play a Samurai Jack game, this is probably your best choice, but for most people, it would make more sense to watch the final season of the show without adding in a playable clip show between the series' two most dramatic moments.

As mentioned in the beginning of the review, your impressions of Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland are going to depend on how you feel about a game that takes its presentation and design strictly from that 8-bit generation of gaming. The game looks and sounds absolutely gorgeous on the presentation front, and the game does a good job of applying the Super Mario Bros. 2 mechanics to its game world. You'll wish the camera issues from the HD mode were fixed and that the cheap hits from enemies and their placement weren't present in the most annoying of areas. The game is fine, but the frustration from these issues and the relatively high price for such a short experience prevent it from being an all-around great title for fans of nostalgia.