There is so much to enjoy about the title that one can overlook the various combat blunders and need of day-one patches. Having received early access to the title for this review, The Sinking City has some optimization bugs to work out, but that doesn't impact the quality of the title (in the digital age, everything gets a day-one patch anyway). Despite these shortcomings, the title is a must-play for fans of detective thrillers, puzzle-solving, and cosmic horror. Dive into The Sinking City and welcome our Cthulhu overlords with open arms.

Cursed Castilla EX remains a fantastic and tough platformer. The look is authentically retro, and the controls are as tight as ever. The challenge is ever-present, but nothing feels unfair, except for the requirements to get the "good" ending. The game feels like it comes in at just the right length. For adventure platformer fans, Cursed Castilla EX certainly belongs in their library.

All in all, Judgment is a solid addition to the franchise. Like Yakuza 0, it is kind of a back-to-basics offering, and it's self-contained in a good way. It contains pretty much everything you'd expect from a Yakuza title. It's well designed and easy to play, and that makes it a boatload of fun. If you like Yakuza, then you'll like Judgment and if you've never played a Yakuza game, then this is a great place to start. Additionally, you get a free copy of Virtua Fighter 5 in-game, and who can complain about that?

Mech Rage is a game that you play out of curiosity or because you want something that wraps up quickly. It does the shooting elements well enough, but some fights can feel like slogs due to the puny amount of damage you deliver. The overall length of the game is very short, but that ends up being a positive given the generic story and the lack of variety in the presentation. The title isn't easy to recommend unless you can find it on sale.

Warhammer: Chaosbane isn't noteworthy. If you're a fan of the franchise, it might meet your need for Diablo-style beat-'em-up action. If you're not, there's little to recommend it over the horde of other available games, especially since this is selling at full price. Like Diablo III, perhaps Chaosbane can eventually update enough to fix its mistakes, but until then, it's a game for Warhammer faithfuls only.

Like much else in The Raven Remastered, the music is serviceable but feels like a missed opportunity to leave a stronger impression. That's probably a good way to sum up The Raven Remastered: serviceable but underwhelming. The title shows plenty of promise with its characters and story, but the sluggish gameplay, questionable acting, and mediocre audiovisual presentation drag it down. Mystery fans and avid Christie book readers will find something to like with The Raven's narrative, but the rougher edges make it a tough experience to recommend to all but the most dedicated and patient of players.

Outer Wilds is a genuinely delightful experience with a lot of bright points. It somehow manages to take the idea of a game about repeatedly dying in terrible ways and makes it enjoyable, relaxing and enthusiastic. It won't be a game for everyone due to its self-guided nature and its focus on puzzling things out for yourself, but it's exactly the game it needs to be. If you long for the space travel that No Man's Sky couldn't provide, give Outer Wilds a shot. It might not have a billion worlds, but each one is worth a visit.

Your appreciation of Gods Remastered is going to come down to whether you're familiar with the original. By today's standards, the general movement and combat is clunky, and the enemy appearances can be considered cheap. However, changing any of this would run the risk of destroying the memories that old players have of the title. If you've played the game before, this will be a nice nostalgia kick. Otherwise, new players might be better served elsewhere unless they are really into retro titles, warts and all.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition won't win over any new fans due to the core act of long battles against hapless minions, but existing fans will love the sheer amount of content here. With the many long modes available and all of the DLC present, this title offers some real value, and while the presentation isn't breathtaking, it is good enough to keep up with the relentless action. For fans of the series, DW8 on the Switch is well worth picking up.

For those with the patience to navigate the corridors of office spaces looking for the correct crumpled-up note, or those captivated by the idea of a British political thriller in video game form, The Occupation may just be your cup of tea.

Golf Peaks is a gem of a puzzle game. Everything — its controls, presentation, and premise — indicates simplicity, but the ingenious puzzles won't let you breeze through this. It's an addictive enough title because of this, and while this is light on content, its relaxing nature means you won't mind too much. If you need a game that acts as a nice break from the longer and more stressful titles on the system, Golf Peaks is it.

Observation is an enjoyable experience. It has its flaws, ranging from an awkward UI to tedious puzzles, but they are overshadowed by the excellent plot and atmosphere. It's pretty much a one-and-done experience (aside from a few collectibles), but the game provides a genuinely fun time. If you're a fan of sci-fi drama in the vein of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, give Observation a shot, but be prepared to work through some rough spots.

As the first part of the second major story DLC for Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Fields of Elysium is both impressive and disappointing. It is impressive in how it adds to the already vast world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey and disappointing in how the gameplay loop, while tweaked, doesn't really change from what was found in the main game. There's a lot of potential here, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Ubisoft delivers in episode 2.

Your enjoyment of Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is going to be dependent on how much you value the lore of the series. As this contains both the early wacky adventures and introspections of each of the shinobi, fans of the characters will love the treatment. Otherwise, the combat holds up, even without the use of items and combo moves. Although the other modes are filler, the presentation looks and sounds excellent. If you're a fan of the series but didn't play this game on the 3DS, Burst Re:Newal is worth checking out.

Guns 'n' Stories: Bulletproof VR is a disappointment. The guns feel worthless due to the "bullet sponge" nature of even the most common enemies. The game does a poor job of letting you know where enemies are, and getting through stages is difficult due to the fact that the game doles out foes in all directions at the same time without any indicators. The levels are also long enough that you'll grow tired of the shooting if you don't have an automatic weapon. Even with a decent but uninspiring presentation, there's not much reason to give this a look when other, better implemented VR shooting galleries exist on the platform.

Fans will certainly appreciate God Eater 3 as a solid continuation of the franchise. Newcomers, however, will probably have to force their way through a significant part of the experience to feel the same joy. There is a solid monster-slaying action-RPG buried under here; it's just a matter of how deep you're willing to dig to uncover its treasures.

R-Type Dimensions EX is a solid tweaking of a remaster that was pleasing to begin with. The original titles are classics, and while their difficulty is well known, the tweaks and additions make this more accessible to new players by getting them interested in playing the game the right way. There's already plenty of good shooters on the Switch system, but EX is still a great addition to that growing genre library.

When considering the sum of its parts, Abzu is a masterfully crafted experience from start to finish. It's a beautiful re-creation of the underwater ecosystem, from big predators to schools of colorful fish. Add to that the mystery of exploring an unknown civilization and a musical score that is beyond captivating, and you are in for a treat for all of your senses. It's not for everyone, but if you let it, Abzu may captivate you.

All in all, Team Sonic Racing is a good, but not exceptional, kart racer. It fails to meet the heights set by its predecessor, but it's still quick, peppy and a delight to play. If you're a fan of the characters or kart racers in general, Team Sonic Racing is absolutely worth a shot. Most of its flaws are nitpicks or easily overlooked, and it's hard to dislike such a charming game. Now if only we could only get some non-Sonic characters next time….

Assault Spy is a hidden gem that you rarely see nowadays. It may look a little unpolished at times, but the combat system feels so good that you won't mind much about the aesthetics. The main campaign with Asaru may feel short to some since it clocks in at about six hours, but the unlockable difficulty levels and a different story perspective for Amelia gives the game some longevity that most don't expect from a game developed by just one person. Assault Spy is a great complement to any Platinum Games title, and fast-action fans should check it out.

Blood & Truth ends up being a strong title that adds more value to the PSVR platform. It may just be an evolution of the light gun game, but the immersion and action movie sensibilities coupled with a better-than-expected story for the genre does wonders as far as making it stand out among other VR titles. Provided you can handle the bouts of motion sickness, Blood & Truth is a VR game that's worth experiencing.

Genesis Alpha One is a game with some good ideas but no elegant way to execute them all. The merging of ship building and exploration is quite good once you understand how to do it. DNA splicing is also a neat little touch, but it doesn't fix the fact that the clones are as dumb as bricks and about half as useful. Planetary exploration feels fine, but the gunplay is undercooked. All in all, there's a decent title here if you're able to overcome all of its issues.

Just Deal With It is an example of a title that just wasn't planned out well. The inclusion of online play is fine, but it's wasted since there hasn't been an online community to speak of since the game's launch. The forced multiplayer means that there's no real way for players to learn the games on their own, and the use of power-ups feels arbitrary. Unless you want a more expensive way to play these games with friends locally, your best bet would be to check out YouTube tutorials for these games and break out a physical deck of cards.

Because this is literally just a collection and not a remaster or update, there is little reason to upgrade for LEGO fans who already own the three games. If you're new to the series or if you've only managed to play one of the three titles, the LEGO Marvel Collection is an easy win. Yeah, it can be a tad repetitive at some points when the games are played back-to-back, but this collection packs hours of fun for all ages into a budget-friendly package. It's also a great way to get your Marvel fix while you wait for Avengers: Endgame to hit Blu-ray.

Utilizing thought-provoking puzzles and intuitive gameplay makes State of Mind a fun experience that keeps us hooked until the very end. With so much to look at and explore, the title does an excellent job of world-building and creating a fully realized society. It's a deep game with much lore that adds to the genre. Where State of Mind excels in providing excellent gameplay, visuals and plot hooks, it falters in being able to answer many of the questions that it poses. Depending on which ending players arrive at, you could be left asking, "Is that it?" Despite its flaws, however, State of Mind kept us hooked until the very end. If one can overlook the plot inconsistencies, State of Mind is a deep story about the "what-ifs" of humanity's future.

Katana Zero is a mesmerizing title. The narrative twists and turns in odd ways, and the payoff is both open and satisfying. The action is crisp if you can commit everything to memory well enough to create small, bloody masterpieces. With a familiar yet attractive presentation, Kata Zero feels right at home on the indie-loving machine that is the Nintendo Switch.

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.

While Salt and Sanctuary is truly its own game, with themes and elements appealing to fans of the genre, there were moments when it was too similar to its predecessors, and some unnecessary mechanics were added in an attempt to separate itself from the pack. Sometimes, paying homage to something can get caught up in the fine line of copying. However, it is a title that fits well with a "pick up/put down" pace and gives players a lot of choice in how they wish to play. Salt and Sanctuary provides ample replay value in a fun title that is fast-paced and challenging enough for anyone seeking a "Souls-like" game.