Split archives aside, your love of Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 will be dependent on how much you love the NES and how you feel about this mix. Half of these games are better represented by their arcade versions, and depending on your platform of choice, you may already have access to them via the older Namco Museum compilations. However, NES originals like Splatterhouse and Dragon Spirit are as excellent today as they were decades ago, while the demake of Pac-Man Championship Edition simply has to be seen to be believed. For the investment price of $19.99, retro fans will like this title quite a bit.

Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli is a very tough, rewarding game that caters to a more hardcore audience. Racing simulation addicts and car buffs will love the way the title looks and handles.

As a final verdict, I'd recommend Bolt for anyone old or young who liked the movie and enjoys platform-style adventure games with a healthy mix of fighting.

Ultimately, the objectives in Alienation aren't anything special, but the good shooting mechanics and abundance of things to do make up for that.

In the end, Rime is a solid adventure game that is an absolute stunner in the presentation department. The puzzles may not be that difficult, and they start to repeat in the latter half of the game, but they remain enjoyable. The game also has a very good length, so the journey is enjoyable as long as you don't mind the sudden flurry of exposition at the end. Itmay not have the kind of grand mystery that keeps players coming back, but Rime is certainly a game that's worth playing at least once.

Control is a fun follow-up to the sort of weird surreality from Alan Wake without being a direct story sequel. It has distinctive visuals, a dark sense of humor, lots of fourth-wall breaking, and enjoyable combat. If you're looking for a shooter with its own sense of style and a solid amount of content, look no further than Control. Just don't start getting paranoid about why your controller wasn't where you last saw it....

All in all, Texas Cheat 'Em plays fine, and the cheating aspect is handled really well.

Overall, Gamedec delivers on its premise. It's a fun and intriguing story with plenty of choices to make and cases to solve. It never gets remarkably deep in lore, world-building, or character development, but it pulls off the decision-driven storytelling quite well. The limited scope hurts the experience, though. Environment maps can be small and feel on rails even when they're not, and some cut corners distract from what is a thoroughly entertaining narrative experience.

Worms WMD is resetting the series and delivers in all the important areas while adding some minor improvements. If you like Worms and specifically want a portable version of it, this a fun investment of your time. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's probably the best version of the game currently available.

DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is one of the most distinctive murder mystery games on the market.

It seems more focused on addressing complaints and shoring up weak points than it does in reinventing the wheel. It largely feels like an excuse to introduce the Star Wars juggernaut to the franchise, and it's certainly a good move. The Star Wars characters and play sets alone make it a worthy purchase for young fans of the franchise. Having Tony Stark and Han Solo team up to beat up Syndrome is just icing on the cake.

Valfaris is solid. The pacing is great, and with the exception of the back half, the difficulty curve isn't too bad. The juggling of weapons in relation to their balance is well done, and the constant boss fights are a fulfilling challenge once you overcome each foe. Provided you enjoy the Nintendo-hard games of the past, Valfaris is well worth checking out.

Overall, the Universal Classics Pinball pack is a great addition to Pinball FX 3. If you can live with the lack of original voices or movie scores, you'll find each table to be well thought-out in design, with plenty of opportunities to trigger missions and special events. You'll also find each table to be generous in handing out high scores, which is perfect for increasing your wizard ranking. For genre fans, this is certainly worth picking up.

Compared to the first volume, Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 feels like a better package of games all around. While there are still a large number of arcade-to-NES ports here, the genre variety is much broader, and fewer games have made appearances on previous compilations. There are still a few clunkers here, but most of the titles are solid, and while nothing is as sought-after as Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti was, there's still a good collection here. For the retro fans, this is worth checking out for $19.99.

The challenges may seem a little silly, especially when the game performs rather realistically, but they add depth and nuance to the gameplay, which is already pretty refined.

Despite the various technical flaws, Disney Infinity is entertaining, and that's all that really counts.

Codemasters and Sumo put up a valiant effort, but even they can't take more than the Wii gives them, and the Wii simply doesn't provide them enough to work with.

It is a solid puzzler, plays great on the handheld, and is very easy to consume in small bites if you're limited on time.

Embers of Mirrim is a solid puzzle platformer. The parts that involve individual thumbstick coordination can be tricky and frustrating at times, but the platforming and twin-stick puzzles provide just the right amount of challenge. It's also forgiving enough for all skill levels, so everyone can enjoy it without getting too hung up on certain parts. Platforming fans, Embers of Mirrim deserves your attention.

Colossal Cave is a good adventure game that will appeal more to those with some nostalgia for classics and classic sensibilities. The limited inventory system and the slightly obtuse puzzles might not gel if you've only been exposed to modern adventure games. That said, the sense of exploration is still strong, and the point system gives the game some replayability, which is something rarely seen in the genre. The reimagining of the original game works well, and genre fans who are keen to see where it all began should pick this up.

The Adventures of Pip is an example of a perfectly fun platformer. It doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but it's a solid and well-made game.

For quite a while into the campaign, Resistance 3 was destined to be a near-perfect shooter for me. I'm doubly disappointed the first half's stellar gameplay and quality narrative elements couldn't last the whole way through. In the end, this is a good game, but it's definitely several steps away from a great game. Value is reasonably a top consideration in game design. It's commendable to produce a 10-hour game, but Resistance 3 is not a 10-hour game. It's a seven- or eight-hour game stretched on the rack, and that kind of torture hurts.

Yes, ilomilo may be designed to appeal to casual players, but there is more than enough challenge present to satisfy hardcore gamers. It's rare when a game has universal appeal, but ilomilo nails it.

All in all, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a solid collection of games. They have their flaws, and some of the game design choices may feel too punishing for a modern audience. When you're playing them, it's easy to see why Crash maintained a solid audience despite years of neglect, and it's even easier to see why people are excited to play them again. The port is done well, and aside from a few flaws, the trilogy should be an enjoyable experience for anyone who's looking to replay the original PlayStation mascot's adventures.

It's similar to games like "Morrowind," so if you enjoy a somewhat slow paced game that's open-ended and challenging, you'll also enjoy Gothic 2.

If you can get over the forced replaying of the same levels, then Jydge is an excellent twin-stick shooter. The gunplay and level design are well done, with some real enemy challenge to accompany your ability to destroy a good number of things in sight. The variety in your level approach is a good hook, the presentation is nice, and the tools are all enjoyable to use. Genre fans will enjoy giving this one a spin.

Overall, Double Dragon and Kunio-Kun: Retro Brawler Bundle is a very good compilation. The games are classics, with enough oddball gems to intrigue anyone looking for the oddities in the Famicom lineup. A majority of the games here are translated Japanese titles, so much of this content will be new to most players. The upgrades in quality mean that you're ultimately getting a better version compared to a straight rom dump. These are still difficult games, and the lack of extras feels like a missed opportunity, but this is a great title to add to any retro fan's library.

In the end, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is still a force in video game golf. The mechanics are solid, and the changes to the swing system give the game a little more depth, even if it means that veterans have to spend some time to re-learn the system.