Atomfall is a fascinating yet familiar game. The story is mysterious, even if the ending might not be that conclusive. The freedom that lies within is very appealing, as is the predominant use of melee versus firearms. The presentation is fine, and while other elements of the game (like stealth) are flawed, those issues are outweighed by the previously mentioned positives. Atomfall is well worth checking out for those looking for a very different experience.

Soul Hackers 2 is a good — but not great — entry into the franchise. I had quite a lot of fun with it, and I think the cast is one of my favorites in the SMT games, but it has a "low-budget" feel that is difficult to escape, and the Soul Matrix concept feels lackluster. It has a good combat system, fun character customization, and everything I'd expect from a SMT spin-off. For some fans, I'd imagine that the change from the franchise norm will feel refreshing.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising does what any good sequel should do, and that's take what works in the first game and amplifies its strengths while also fixing some of its shortcomings. The addition of new moves involving a special meter deepen the overall fighting mechanics, but it still retains the simpler control scheme for newcomers and as a comprehensive training system to help genre rookies get acclimated to the overall Arc System way of fighting. The character roster feels much more substantial and in line with what's expected from a modern-day fighting game, while the rollback netcode gives people more confidence in entering online bouts without fear of most network conditions creating an unplayable experience. If you can shake off the fact that a good chunk of the game is directly lifted from the first title, you'll greatly enjoy Rising.

It's not going to be the new gold standard in fighting games, but Injustice is a fun time, especially with friends, and you can't ask for more than that.

The ball-rolling stages alone are reason to knock down the score several points. However, for a family with kids around eight or nine years old, My Frogger Toy Trials is easily worth the $30 price tag more so than many of the licensed kids' cartoon games out there.

If you're fine with the game's length, Gunborg: Dark Matters delivers the kind of tough, skill-based experience that is currently en vogue. The various tools in your arsenal are enough to get high combos and more powerful attacks, while the controls give you enough precision to make tricky jumps and dance around your enemies. The level design gives you plenty of chances to put those skills to the test, while the high difficulty level feels fair but makes even the easiest difficulty level feel like anything but a cakewalk. If you don't frustrate easily, give Gunborg a try.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an interesting, experimental and awkward game. When it shines, it really shines, but moments of iffy design both leftover from the NES era and baked into the new gameplay changes drag it down a little. It's a fun game if you're willing to look past some rough spots. It's different enough from other Fire Emblem titles that longtime fans are not necessarily going to love it, but it's also good enough that those who don't normally like Fire Emblem may enjoy it. It's a welcome breath of fresh air for the franchise, and it's a solid send-off to the 3DS for the Fire Emblem franchise.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a solid game. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, but it more than manages to seal the deal.

While the short-tempered may start to throw controllers or systems after a few rounds, everyone else will appreciate the game's simplicity as well as the fact that this has the most levels of all available versions, making the $2.99 asking price well worth the investment.

Stick It to the Man is a charming and delightful little adventure game. It doesn't have the most content, but it's a fun experience.

With accessibility its central focus, Related Designs has done an admirable job with Dawn of Discovery to allow the player to tackle things when he wants to rather than making unforgiving demands with unclear deadlines or obstacles.

As lighthearted as this title is, it will mercilessly test everything you have as a gamer, and it will rest in your library quite a while before you beat it on your own and test out the extras.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time pays homage to the original game mechanics in lieu of simply starting over like many franchises have.

Ultimately, how much you enjoy Grounded is going to depend on how you play and if you choose to enable any of the customization options. In the default state, if you're looking to adventure through the story, you'll have a fun time, but Grounded is at its best when played as a survival sim. Focus on exploring the world, and let the story happen in the background. It may be a slower pace, but it's also more rewarding.

All in all, The Escapists 2 is a bigger and better version of the original game. The core gameplay loop of improving your inmate and finding materials and resources to escape is really engaging, even if it can be remarkably boring at times. The new features are mostly hits, and even when they're misses, they just need to be fleshed out, rather than being bad additions to the experience. The Escapists 2 does a solid job, and it's fun to play. Its only shortcomings are some awkwardness with the controller and the general tedium and punishing nature of the game.

MVP 07 NCAA Baseball lacks flashy visuals and the all-important big league license, but the quality of the gameplay is undeniable.

Fans of the Battlefield franchise will find that despite its flaws, Battlefield V warrants a return trip to World War II. If we look at raw numbers, there's less content than before, but the quality of the maps remains the same, and free DLC is on the way. Some old modes, like Frontlines, feel like a slog, while new modes like Grand Operations feel quite quick despite having longer intended play times. The game looks gorgeous, but it still has some graphical issues that need to be ironed out. Despite all of this and a number of bugs that are already being addressed by DICE, BF5 still manages to retain all of the traits and quirks that make the Battlefield series feel exhilarating.

Batman: Arkham Origins is more of the same, for all the good and bad that implies. It is effectively more of the same gameplay, in the same locations and against many of the same villains.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has never been a bad game, and neither is Ultimate. It's important that you know exactly what you're getting into, though. It's been built to appeal to a fan community of die-hard experts, who spent 10 years playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at increasingly high levels of performance, who own their own customized fighting joysticks and who've been researching their team for the new game for the last six months.

The mini-games are actually quite fun, and only Tetherball and Wall Ball stand out as weaknesses. If you're looking for a great family game or something to hold the kids over until the next Spongebob or Naruto game, then EA Playground is a great choice.

When it comes to multiplayer matches, this one will be the reigning king in my Gameboy for a long time to come, though I admittedly won't be popping it into my link port-less NDS again.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has never been a bad game, and neither is Ultimate. It's important that you know exactly what you're getting into, though. It's been built to appeal to a fan community of die-hard experts, who spent 10 years playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at increasingly high levels of performance, who own their own customized fighting joysticks and who've been researching their team for the new game for the last six months.

Unravel is pure charm from start to finish. It's not going to redefine the platformer genre, but it's a wonderfully atmospheric and enjoyable title with solid gameplay and delightful visuals.

It even plays a lot better than "Donkey Konga."

The game is simple to learn, yet lends itself to intense, challenging battles that can really get your adrenaline racing.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a delightful remake of an excellent game. A lot of its strength is predicated on the fact that it was built on an already exceptional Zelda game, and if you have any nostalgia for the Game Boy version, you'll be charmed by this update. The game's only real flaws are its overall short length and the frustrating frame rate issues. If you're a Zelda fan, it's still absolutely worth checking out, and if the frame rate issues get patched, this title will be the best way to play the handheld classic.

Hue may be a short experience, but it is a very fun one. The color-changing mechanic is handled quite nicely and adds a little something to the basic block-and-switch puzzle the game uses most of the time. The puzzles don't get complicated until you're much closer to the end of the game, but they never feel frustrating enough that you'll be forced to quit. The story is fine, but it is the presentation that players will find quite charming.

For good or ill, Tokyo Mirage Session #FE: Encore's biggest strength and biggest weakness is that it's pretty much the same game you may have played on the Wii U. It runs better, it looks better, and it has some nice quality-of-life improvements, but it's basically the same game. Is that worth $60? It depends on how much you enjoyed the game in the first place, or if you missed it due to it being a Wii U title. Anyone who is a fan of Persona-style games will almost certainly enjoy it. JRPG fans hoping for something to tide them over until Persona 5 Royale should find a comfortable home in the weird world of Tokyo Mirage Sessions.