South of the Circle is the equivalent of a good book. It's fun to sit down, experience, relax, and have the story drift over you. It isn't particularly interactive, and the ending feels a little unsatisfying, but beyond that, it's well told and well executed. You shouldn't pick it up if you're looking to decide who lives or who dies. You get to experience the story as it is told, with a few button prompts for flavor. If that sounds good to you, then you'll enjoy South of the Circle.

Dead Island 2 surely went through a few levels of development hell, so anyone following its path would reasonably suspect that the game might have issues. I can't say that it does anything exceptionally well, but it has enough life in it to avoid major stumbles. For better or worse, it is a by-the-numbers zombie basher that doesn't do anything terribly distinct. Its humor makes it compelling and fun, and it's at its best whenever it relies on that strength.

The presentation could be better, but the mechanics are so solid that most players won't mind the flat appearance and audio. For those looking for a punishing version of Puzzle Quest, Ironcast is it.

A very fun XBLA title and is a prime example of why gamers love the advent of XBLA so much.

In a medium that so desperately craves additional content, Phantom: Covert Ops isn't a bad purchase for VR owners who are hungry for more games, but it's by no means a banner release for 2020. With games like Boneworks, Half-Life: Alyx, and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners this year, the bar for VR games has risen exponentially. There's an exhilarating VR experience struggling to break the surface of this title. Phantom is holding itself back from breaking loose and taking the excitement to the next level. Hopefully nDreams has enough success with this game to carry its vision into a sequel.

With a solid technical background and good multiplayer, Hydro Thunder Hurricane shows the capabilities of the Xbox Live Arcade.

All in all, Broken Sword 5 is a good adventure with good visuals, a good story, and enjoyable puzzle segments. It's not the hardest, it's not the best, and it certainly comes at a price point many won't find acceptable, but it's an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

The game definitely passes, but it belongs to a niche favorable to genre-addict gamers.

It's a solid localization effort, and there is deep character customization, challenging combat and an entertaining, if riskless, fantasy tale.

Overall, I really enjoyed LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Even if you're not a huge fan of the LEGO titles, it's hard to deny that Traveler's Tales has managed to refine the formula of what makes these games work. Toss in the standard co-op mode, which is always a lot of fun, and you've got a great time-waster on your hands here.

A game that has a mature storyline, bloody, and gritty action and some wide-open fun in a scary game world.

Have you ever been rewarded for ripping 250 guys in half with your bare hands? You will be while playing this game, and if that's not reason enough to buy it, then I really don't know what is.

A wonderful idea bogged down by lousy execution.

It's too easy, it's too short, and the overall gameplay is repetitive and highly derivative from what had come before.

The core game play didn't really strike me as anything too special. Running and jumping, endlessly swinging my dagger in levels that could use some better design, eventually got on my nerves.

It has its strengths, including some pretty cool monster design and fun puzzles, but by and large, almost everything it does has been done better by another RE title.

Your enjoyment of Event[0] is going to depend on whether you like chatting. Conversation with AI is the real focus of the game, and even though it is flawed, the system works effectively if you give it a little effort. While the presentation holds up its end of things, the gameplay outside of typing feels stunted; the easy puzzles and very short playtime encompass a story that ends right before it goes anywhere interesting. While it's not the best in its field, Event[0] is still worth trying, so long as you know what you're signing up for.

Carrion is a fun one-and-done game and not much more than that. The concept of playing as the monster in the vents is a cool one, and Carrion executes the fantasy fairly masterfully. Unfortunately, it runs out of tricks before too long and is only saved from tedium by the short game length. It's worth a playthrough if you like the concept, but don't expect anything genre-defining. There's a lot of potential in the concept, and perhaps a Carrion 2 will give us something with more meat on its … amorphous horrifying frame.

It's very easy to see Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions being a love-it-or-hate-it kind of game. It's a fun representation of the insane, over-the-top action of a sports anime, but it's not a very good soccer game. Despite having multiplayer modes, it's unlikely to hold your attention unless you're deep into building up perfect teams of talented misfits. Still, fans of the anime should enjoy it, and newcomers wondering about Tsubasa will probably find it to be a fine introduction to the franchise.

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.

Flock is a cozy game that's done well. The simple act of chronicling creatures is both exciting and relaxing, and the same goes for you flying around without worrying about mastering what could've been a complicated control scheme. The objectives are breezy but challenging, and the game looks rather neat all around. It's different enough from other cozy titles that fans of the subgenre would do well to give Flock a shot.

Evolve has some of the best ingredients to make a good multiplayer experience, but it's up to the community to make this a game that's constantly in rotation.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 is a really fun fighting game when it actually allows you to fight.

It's a surprisingly adept blend of various types of nostalgia and does a good job of capturing the feel of SNES-era style RPGs without overstaying its welcome.

It's refreshing to play Every Extend Extra because it doesn't rely on a convoluted storyline, talking heads, and so on, and I want more of this sort of thing, but blowing yourself up and making chains isn't enough to stand on its own. Even the new boss fights, which flaunt wildly imaginative designs, don't make up for the lacking experience.

Ivy the Kiwi? is a curious beast and certainly worth at least a rental, but it certainly isn't for everyone. Like Let's Tap before it, it feels more like an experiment instead of a tightly focused game.

All in all, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is exactly what it promises: a shinier, more modern, and no less punishing Ghosts 'n Goblins game. It offers various handicaps and advantages, but no matter how many it tosses at you, it won't change one simple fact: You are going to get hit, frantically run around in your boxers, and then die — a lot. If masochism in video games isn't your thing, you'd be better off looking elsewhere. If you want a GnG experience that feels familiar and modern at the same time, look no further than GnGR.

Droplitz is one of those under-the-radar games that, in spite of how good it is, has gotten lost in the commotion and hoopla of the summer games season.