While Super Mutant Alien Assault stays true to the arcade inspirations of coin-eating games from yesteryear with fantastic artwork and 2D shooting action, it is cut at the hamstrings from reaching a wider audience by the varying challenge playthrough to playthrough. Random elements, graphical slowdowns from action heavy sequences and a focus on repeating games to grind out for equipment are not for everyone.

Steel Rats races into near perfection, with only a few downsides to controls and aiming. It’s easily one of my favorite new titles released this year.

While A Knight’s Quest can have its moments, the negative outweigh anything positive. The fun is eclipsed by an infuriating nonexistent roadmap of what you’re supposed to do. While I was able to get to the end, for some reason my save file got erased and all of my progress was lost. After that mishap, I had mixed feelings. I love getting achievements and feel I didn’t have long to complete the game which had me upset. However, I realized it was a blessing in disguise and freed me from having to continue getting lost again or wasting hours figuring out where to go next.

Had it included multiplayer modes, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to award Gas Guzzlers Extreme our Highly Recommended award, but without it, prospective players should think long and hard about what they expect to get out of the game.

The two to three hours it takes to complete Toby: The Secret Mine never sees the story build on its initial momentum from the opening scenes. Toby: The Secret Mine is worth seeing but it's only a handful that will find it worthwhile to stay.

With no proper explanation of how things work, you find yourself fighting the game’s menu system more than actual opponents. Matches can take a long time to find, especially if it involves more than a 1v1. I believe if the experience was gained at double or even triple the rate, Absolver would be able to maintain interest from players. Having the same gear for hours and being done with the main playthrough becomes so repetitive that you lose enjoyment. While the combat is superb and the foundation of gear is quite strong, it is not at all implemented correctly. I did very much enjoy my time with Absolver, however, I quickly reached the ceiling on the time I wanted to spend with it.

It tells an excruciatingly sad, very real story about a person who is utterly helpless, and it does so using interesting mechanics and scenarios. The controls, aging graphics and lack of replay value, however, make it a difficult proposition to recommend wholeheartedly, so approach with caution unless you absolutely love similar games.

The story is entertaining, and with Halloween right around the corner, this is the perfect time of year for it. The gameplay is quick to learn, and it is both challenging and forgiving; however $30 is a high ask for this type of game. If you like the genre and catch it on sale, grab it, and you’ll have a good time. At worst, it will make your own family reunions seem just that little bit less awkward.

The Park was my first entry to the genre, so I went in with an open mind, but as I gamer I do prefer my games to have less reading and more doing.

I’m not the biggest fan of modern platformers, many of which take great pride in frustrating players. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Kick & Fennick. Its tight controls, fun physics and progressive pacing made this a real joy to play through, and when the game did get challenging, pushing through felt more like a punch in the air than a kick to the groin. I’d have loved to have seen a bit more personality added, but Kick & Fennick was an overall entertaining experience.

I certainly enjoyed looking at Hunter's Legacy while I was playing, but I can't really say that I enjoyed the act of playing it. The combat is slow and exhausting, and the lack of awareness afforded by the camera when fighting enemies that fly off screen is an enormous pain that leads to countless deaths. There's plenty of game in Hunter's Legacy, and a 100% will probably take close to 20 hours; I just can't think of who would be interested in such an offer, especially with far better Metroidvania games on the market.

A sometimes promising, often frustrating, always underwhelming and overly short shoot-em-up that fails to meet the expectations set by its own title. The art style is pleasant, and the weapon combinations are fun, but that's not enough to drag this game out of mediocrity.

It's fun to look at, has some ridiculous puzzles to solve and has the capacity to charm. I'd recommend taking this adventure for a spin over a weekend, though have a pad of paper handy to make note of anything out of the ordinary along with bit of patience. Just make sure to hang in there until the end. Even with the potholes and speed bumps, its worth the trip.

After finishing the game, the question still lingered in my head: why did this re-release happen? It's not that I didn't have fun with it, but it's such an average game. It does many things well, but aside from the source material, there's nothing here that makes it stand out. Age hasn't degraded the game, although the edges do feel a bit rougher. It's not a bad choice for those wanting some old-school shooting action, but anyone who passed on the game a decade ago can still overlook it now without missing anything.

Siegecraft Commander will grow on you, but how much, I can't say. The controls and the rubbish drawstring aiming spoiled it for me, and with a better implementation of those things, I think I would have found less to fault about the building chain mechanic that could actually have been quite interesting.

The main attraction here, without question, is Dragon’s Lair itself, but Space Ace and Time Warp make the trilogy a well-rounded ensemble. If you don’t already have all of these games in your collection, Dragon’s Lair Trilogy is a great way to fill that void, and the cost of admission is quite reasonable. So, as the narrator says, “Lead on, adventurer … your quest awaits!”, and it awaits you in the Xbox Store today.

After 20 plus hours of gameplay, I am still enjoying slicing and dicing my way through the levels to reach 100%. That may not seem like much of an endorsement to you, but for a dad of three who works 60 hours a week, that's saying more than you may know. My time is precious to me, and when I can find a game that stays fun and enjoyable and helps me bring both my kids and friends closer, I'm all onboard. The few downfalls Zombie Vikings has are in no way enough to hold this game back from being a jewel amongst indie games.

Defenders of Ekron – Definitive Edition is not the game its advertised to be, nor the game you’d want it to be. The second half of the game is a tedious, confusing mess with no real support from the storyline; it doesn’t help it stay afloat. The hour or so of shmup style gameplay that is there is solid, but its blurred by the rest of the game’s mechanics and gameplay elements. The puzzles, while occasionally interesting, are completely out of place. The game overall is a failure. It’s playable, but it’s not likely what you’re wanting or expecting.

As far as an interactive movie, it has enough dialogue choices to let you feel in control but at the same time uncertain the outcome will be good. You can’t play it only once, because you do need to experience a good majority of the decisions in order to figure out how you want the story to end. It’s not going to put you on the edge of your seat, but there is enough content to keep you satisfied through at least a few playthroughs.

Skater XL is a super realistic skating simulator that encourages you to simply go out and skate. If you are someone who loves skateboarding and the thrill of just getting that trick down or making a cool montage to show off, then this is definitely for you. If not, it might be a tough time. Overall it’s a good game, it just feels like it is missing something.

Reviewing The Bunker is a bit like reviewing a movie. I've played it once, but like a good movie, I will want to experience it again sometime in the hopes that I catch a few of the little details that I might have missed first time around. It isn't a fantastic game though, and so I don't have any intention to play it again right away.

I found more things negative about I Am Bread than positive. I understand the attraction to such a meme-worthy game and why some consider it to be a great game. But trust me on this: after about 30 minutes of gameplay, you’ve seen everything I Am Bread has to offer.

Subject 13 stands out with its difficulty range, puzzle variety and collectibles that add context and clues. As long as you have enough patience to handle the sometimes lengthy puzzles and the finicky controls, this game can be an incredibly enjoyable experience that truly tests your puzzle solving abilities.

Those Who Remain, in particular, is about self-reflection in forgiveness and makes you realize you can judge someone on their mistakes yet never seem to consider the sins you’ve carried out. Don’t like all that psychology? The good news is, that ideology is placed in the background and at the core is a great creepy adventure with interesting monsters and clever puzzles.

This is a game purely for the faithful who want a return to the days of old-fashioned hardcore Nintendo games. Folks who like modern day advances such as auto-saves, adjustable difficulty and the like should probably skip this if they want to keep their temper under control.

Despite its pleasant appearances, Lost Sea is a fairly bland and uninteresting game.

Guts and Glory won’t appeal to all audiences, but as a fun game to play with your friends, it’s worth your money. The carnage is so over-the-top ridiculous that it’s hard not to laugh and have a good time at seeing the outcomes of failing certain obstacles. So, hop on your bicycle, get on the track and go break a leg. Literally.

Imagine a game that has the potential to exceed every expectation you had going into it in some regards, but is so poor in others that you can barely stand to play through the worse sections. That, for me, is The Dwarves. It is a huge missed opportunity.

Pixel Heroes: Byte & Magic has got some nice ideas behind it. For the first few hours, it's an interesting and challenging take on retro RPGs. However, it's eagerness to make you suffer is ill-placed and more of an annoyance than a lesson learned. There's an achievement to wipe your party 100 times, but I'm pretty sure I would have experienced some mental breakdown if it got to that point.

This world is a dark place, and Martha is Dead is a reminder of how fragile mental health is.

Unfortunately, Symmetry doesn’t make itself clear fast enough to keep someone playing in the long term. The collection of resources becomes grindy as you try to last long enough for the game to tell you the next story point, with no indication of how or when that next story point will occur, or what you need to do differently (if anything). There’s a lot of potential here, and I’m trying to see it, but I guess this face-hugger is in the way.

The Path of Motus is short and not worth the money to purchase. If you don’t care about achievements, then you’ll get even less out of the game. The story is dull, and the characters are uninspiring. While you won’t hate your brief time with the game, you won’t exactly have much fun either. Everything does seem to run smoothly, and there are fast load times, but that’s seemingly because there’s so little to go wrong. Puzzles seem thrown in to delay you from completing the game too quickly. After gaining all of the achievements, there’s literally no replay value whatsoever.

As a fan of the show, I'm disappointed I didn't like the RWBY: Grimm Eclipse more. I did have fun playing it online and mindlessly mashing buttons, but that thrill didn't last.

Uncanny Valley has a couple of good ideas. Firstly, it has an interesting setting and plot, and the 2D action adventure approach works well at a conceptual level. The introduction of a compelling reason to replay the game, and the various means to progress through it and end it is also very welcome. Unfortunately, the combination of abysmal controls, poor combat and a lot of repetition in almost every area can make it hard to get the most out of Uncanny Valley, and as a result, it's not going to be for everyone.

It may seem from the outside looking in that Earthfall isn’t anything special. Looks can be deceiving. Earthfall is special in the sense that it takes a beloved series with a unique style of gameplay that most assumed to be dead and gave it new life. Left 4 Dead is a series that’s better left to die in the past. Earthfall is a game that you should give every opportunity to play.

If the issues of the game were fixed, it would be an honor to go back and play the game just to continue experiencing the story. Unfortunately, in the present state that the game is in, its impossible to recommend Fall of Light to anyone.

There’s quality in At Sundown, but sadly its biggest strength in online play didn’t work out. There’s not much fun to be had past a couple of matches against bots. I didn’t really get into the “in the dark” element because I didn’t like or dislike it. I was impartial and though I thought it was a neat idea, I wasn’t impressed with the implementation. Without an online presence, the only appeal this will have is to those who seek out games they can play with people they know.

It may sound stupid, but I actually noticed myself actually more aware afterward when kids are around and how their attention and curiosity can get them into trouble. I’m sure parents will enjoy this even more, even though it’s quite an exaggeration. What children do and how it can make you worry of judgment being made based on your parenting skills is an actual reality. If you really enjoy time management based games, this one will be a definite break from the more serious games in the genre.

While Dead Effect 2 had its bumps and rocky moments, I certainly enjoyed playing through the game. I’d even go as far as to say the bad dialogue and accents sort of grew on me by the end. For $11.99, this game feels like an absolute steal when considering the high replay value and three different types of classes to play as through the story. Dead Effect 2 is worth the buy.

The campaign was enjoyable with smooth story progression. Puzzles were clever though sometimes hard to pull off because of the awkward controls. The setting is awesome, who doesn’t like a chaotic explosion in a museum? With a unique setting as well as a cool 3D printing mechanism, I think this game is fine how it is, but could use a little improvement in controls and graphics. It seemed kind of blocky with little detail. Yet I did enjoy what I played and it was nothing short of unique, which made me like it. Though I wouldn’t play it a second time, I would love some DLC to be added.

To summarize, I can't help but position Warhammer Quest as decidedly average. There is quite a lot to do here, and some of it is borderline enjoyable, but so much of it is dull, repetitive and so lacking in a strategic challenge that it feels as if it might as well play along by itself. I can't help but think it's quite a cynical release either, considering it costs ten times as much as the practically identical mobile game, which is a medium that feels much better suited to the subject matter anyway. Steer clear if you're looking for a pulse racing, genuinely enjoyable digital board game, and only dive in if you feel you know what you're getting yourself into.

In the end, the game failed to deliver not only what I was expecting, but what it was advertising from the beginning. With a game that classifies as horror, I’m really surprised that it didn’t do what most Hollywood movies do and throw in a bunch of jump scares. The only real delivery came from the very beginning of the game and after that, it fell far shorter than I was expecting. If you have money to burn and are looking for an escape room game to play, I still wouldn’t recommend Your Toy especially when there are plenty of other fantastic games of the same type on Xbox One for relatively the same price or only a few dollars more that would meet and even exceed the expectations of the player.

A good game should give you a reason to return to it frequently, and Atomic Heist has that quality without question. Yes, it’s challenging and occasionally frustrating, but it’s so enjoyable you just have to try it again and see if you can get farther. Fun games get my vote, and fun, cheap games are even better. With an exceptionally low price, Atomic Heist makes an occasional bout of radiation sickness far more palatable, so get back in there and retrieve that core!

Robocraft Infinity can certainly be a fun and creative game. As you unlock more items, you can build better and cooler looking robots. You can even share your designs online for others to admire and use. If you like building-block type games, this is one you should try out. The customization ability, once you get past the controls, is a rewarding experience; the combat, not so much. If you are looking for a cool new shooter-style game to play with friends, this one doesn’t quite scratch the itch.

What it is is a victim of extremely unrealistic expectations. Perhaps the famous Kickstarter campaign is to blame for that. Or maybe it's our nostalgia-fueled game culture. Or maybe some of us just don't have the patience for really hard games designed for kids.

The gameplay gets more tiresome and unimaginative as you play, ultimately becoming a never-ending slog. Things do take a small turn for the better near the end, but if I wasn't reviewing this game I would have given up long before then.

A mess of a flying and aiming system, Bow to Blood delivers moderate entertainment that doesn’t make me want to continue playing it.

Active Soccer 2 DX plays a simpler game of football than its modern peers, making it less entertaining for solo players, but I think the opposite could be said for when you want a quick match with pals – especially when there are lots of them.

Besides the flaws and lackluster graphics, Revenant Dogma somehow manages to still capture the genre’s appeal.

Solar Shifter EX is a shiny, yet boring entry into the shmup library. It offers a slightly unique mechanic in the form of teleportation that could have made for amazing gameplay, however, the game never really takes advantage of it.

I can almost see the appeal of playing Doddle God on a mobile phone. Perhaps when you're waiting for the next bus, or when your friend is late meeting you. I say almost, though, as I'm pretty sure I could find a million other more interesting things to do on my phone. Or maybe I've just never hit that level of boredom required to find a game like Doodle God fun. However, on a home console system, it's about as dull as you can get and at $9.99, there are hundreds of better games out there worth your time and money

It's unquestionably dull and incredibly repetitive with very few redeeming features. But it doesn't feel like it is maliciously or deliberately bad, and it's definitely not broken.

If you’re looking for a casual puzzle game that you can pick up and drop whenever you’re in the mood, this is a great bit of fun. It does have a lot of great combinations but also a lot that just made no sense. The micro-transaction part is an annoying idea, but in the end, it’s really up to the player to decide if they would like to speed up their game by using their own money. The campaign was a letdown, but I guess it’s better than not having one at all. When they release another Doodle God game, I most certainly will pick it up.

Max Damage is good fun when played either online or in short solo bursts. Despite the hefty wedge of content on offer, I do question the game’s long-term appeal, but I would rather run out of interest before I run out of content, as opposed to the other way around, which is so often the case in modern video games.

While it’s nice to live back in the day, nothing is new enough to want to play Zeroptian Invasion for more than a few rounds. If people have a craving to play those older arcade classics, they can simply play them. There aren’t any actual problems. Everything works and plays just fine. It just isn’t very fun. Nothing new is present, just recycled ideas. It’s like an old classic car that wasn’t restored. Though in this case, it was never actually a classic. It’s a new car bearing a resemblance to a classic.

The best analogue I can come up with for this game is the arcade first-person light-gun shooter, like The House of the Dead or Time Crisis. When taken in that context, Time Carnage makes a lot of sense. It’s playable in small bites, it’s pretty good fun and it offers multiple ways to play. The asking price is just right, and low-risk/high-reward combinations are a winner in my eyes. The complaints I do have should not keep genre fans away from this time-hopping adventure, so leave the DeLorean in the garage and start up your Xbox One instead.

If previous games with randomized elements appealed to you, and you're put off by the big focus on patience and stealth, then Party Hard may be a good recommendation. Players who are up for a challenge and who enjoy action-puzzle games while not minding a slight element of chaos should consider Party Hard — but that's a lot of qualifiers to consider.

With 30 different levels to play through and a satisfying $4.99 price point there's certainly value here for your money, but it's just too frustrating a game for most players to want to go through the torture of completing. Whilst this in itself may attract a more hardcore player than myself, the clumsy and unresponsive controls sadly make for a deal breaker.

Trulon: The Shadow Engine is an okay game and therein lies the problem. There are no major problems, but neither is there anything to distinguish it from any other RPG, so much so that it may as well be called "RPG Game". The card battle system starts promisingly; however, the interesting premise is not expanded upon in any meaningful way. With its increasingly tedious battles, the whole thing seems to lose steam towards the halfway mark leaving little desire to play the game to completion other than for achievements.

Deformers is a bouncy, fast-paced and addicting game. When you get your friends together, virtually or physically, you're almost guaranteed to have a blast. The issues start to rise when you look at the ranking system and Form Ball's ability to provide competition. If you have friends over often or play online with them regularly and don't care much for leveling up or ranking up, this game might be worthwhile. If you are looking for a new competitive online multiplayer game, it's not quite there, especially given that there are not many people playing online.

Korgan is a game that fails on many fronts. The lack of a story is definitely the biggest issue. The world you’re playing in feels empty and lifeless. The characters you’re controlling are forgettable to the extent that you don’t know anything about them other than their class and skills. The enemies are only bad because the game is telling you so, not because you’ve been given any reason to despise them.

Though the gameplay itself is fun, the lack of any balance to the difficulty at early stages of the game — even on the easiest difficulty — is maddening.

Vaccine sets out to imitate the classic horror games of old, and in that regard it is successful; however, it fails in being an engaging and enjoyable experience as a whole. The roguelike elements are not a great match for the classic genre, and the reliance the player will have on luck and having to deal with clunky controls will make the game an easy one to put down. If you are itching to play an old school horror game, then you're way better off just playing the HD remake of the original Resident Evil, than having to deal with the frustration that is Vaccine.

It really isn’t a bad game, for what it is, it just lasted way too long. A lot of work is sadly overshadowed by the flaws where frustration can ruin the fun.

It’s a game that feels very rushed and unexplained. Sure, the concept alone might have made sense in the mind of that of the person who wrote it, but for those of us experiencing it first hand, there isn’t anything exciting or memorable about it. The hour and a half max playtime the game has to offer is a slap in the face when you're presented with the facts that there is just no story or content to offset. For anyone who’s looking for an interesting game to help fill some free time are better off looking at games such as Firewatch or What Remains of Edith Finch, which are more deserving of your time. If you’re an achievement enthusiast, you may be able to justify the $7.99 for the easy completion, though it's probably best to just wait for a sale.

I like the ideas, acting, and creativeness found in Headspun. The dark humor is pretty great and I enjoyed being in someone’s head trying to help them regain their memory. While I enjoyed it, I hate to admit that the game is broken, more so than Theo’s mind. It has some of the worst glitches I have experienced in any game.

At first, it was an eerie nightmare I got excited to become entrapped in. Things start becoming much brighter and the mood is suddenly less appealing. The music even changes (it’s pretty decent though). I quickly began to lose interest because the story never really plays out well. I had some guesses and then it gets even more confusing by the end. It’s even left open for the possibility of a sequel. So the title stays true; it is indeed unknown.

The tracks, power-ups and controls aren't offensively bad; they're just average and lacking in innovation. Coffin Dodgers can be a good bit of quick fun with friends, but don't expect most to stick around for more than a few races or an hour or so for the most dedicated drivers.

Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle looks great and sparks so many nostalgic memories for me, but that is where any happiness from this stops. The game itself is basically hot garbage in a pretty multi-colored wrapper. The boss battles are lackluster, controls are horrible and the story is generic at best, even for a Power Rangers story.

Indeed, I was a sucker for this horror game. It could very well be the worst one I have ever played. Still, that fan inside me kind of enjoyed it. I have to respect the attempt, as if another fan of the genre had decided to make their own version based on previous titles they’ve played. Unfortunately, that’s all it has going for it. I cannot recommend this game because it was poorly done. Everything about it is a disaster. From movement to the clunky item management system, it just doesn’t work smoothly.

Hello Neighbor has been through several alpha builds on PC, yet on Xbox One we're going straight to a full release. However, in its current state with distinct lack of polish and muddled gameplay it feels more like a demo or a modders pet project than anything that should be sat on the Xbox One store. The skeptic in me also suspects that the obscure puzzle design was a deliberate choice to force some hype around the game, as players reach out to internet forums or hit YouTube to watch the many let's play videos doing the rounds for some answers. However, unless you are a streamer yourself or of an age where you can't play real horror games, I can't honestly recommend this to anyone.

Monster Jam: Crush It! is fun for about five minutes and that's only if you skip the stunts and go straight to the hill climb mode.

The levels are difficult, but the real difficulty of the game comes from all the aggravation the player will deal with from their jumps not registering, constant deaths from invulnerable enemies, the irritating progression back to your most recent checkpoint and the constant failures due to not meeting the time constraints. It’s really the type of game that you wouldn’t recommend to anyone based on how much it fails on all fronts.

I hope I've made it clear that I do like 7 Days, and that it has some redeeming features, and it could have been an outstanding game had it been given a longer development cycle. Sadly, though, it’s being launched as a retail release and not via the Microsoft Preview Program despite its many problems.

This is generally a painful experience. It's painful to see the only MLB option on Xbox One flounder again for a third year in its new lease on life.

If Gene Rain ever goes on sale for $5, and you’re desperate for some achievements, then by, by all means, pick it for the points. Otherwise, there is no redeeming value in paying anything for the game. There are no strong aspects. Literally, nothing is done well. I wish I could say "despite all the negatives," but I can’t. Gene Rain is just awful and you should save your time and money.

If you've already bought The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth and you like it, then Afterbirth is basically an essential purchase. On the contrary, if you couldn't engage with Rebirth, then there is absolutely nothing here to change your mind.

Telltale squandered the opportunity to make a great game for one of The Walking Dead's coolest characters. If you haven't read the comics, all you'll get out of the game is a dull story. If you have read the comics, this will likely sting you a whole lot more.

JumpJet Rex is a tribute to 16-bit games from a bygone era of gaming, and it completely nails the feel of platformers from that time. However, JumpJet Rex isn't just a simple homage to classic platformers — it also innovates on the classic genre. The controls and movement of Rex feel superb, and each level is its own delightful treat.

Switching between the two combat styles and exploring the world is a fairly fun experience. However, Mighty Rabbit Studios may have bitten off more than they could chew. Even though all the features made it into the game, a lot of the time it was largely tedious and verging on boring.

It is incredibly frustrating and ultimately lacking in long term fun.

Whilst not strictly a walking simulator (potentially closer to a visual novel), Wheels of Aurelia probably compares best with this fairly new genre of games. It's also probably my favorite walking sim so far with it's continental setting and political backdrop.

There is no reason for anyone (including the most diehard fan) to waste their time, money and hope on this mess. I wasn't kidding when I said that Battle Crashers was the worst game I've played since Frizzy. It really is just dull, unimaginative and embarrassing rubbish.

Blue Rider was supposed to be a new twist on an old genre, but it sort of falls short of the marker. That doesn't change the fact that it was enjoyable and fun.

Energy Cycle is perfect for those who take pride in their gamerscore and are always looking to increase their number of achievements. The game hands out achievements as frequently as parents hand out candy on Halloween night. Those looking for something a bit more than gamerscore in a game might want to look elsewhere as there is little in Energy Cycle that is particularly new or fun.

Nebulous is a successful puzzle game in that it meets the general criteria to be one; however, it does not have any element that draws you in and makes you want to play for hours or even complete the game.

Its cutesy presentation will put some players off and its concept, in general, is probably best suited to a younger audience, but to be fair, it can get challenging in places with some fast-paced resource management required as the game progresses.

There's certainly plenty of hours of game time in Mekazoo and plenty of replayablity; I just don't understand why anyone would subject themselves to Mekazoo.

No matter if I'm playing with my kids or having a few drinks with my buddies, throwing a sphere with a wand has proven to be way more fun than it honestly should be, that's part of its charm. I love local multiplayer, it's what I grew up on and Wand Wars reminds me why it is such a great way to spend my time with the people I love.

The turn-based strategy is solid, but everything else surrounding Acorn Assault: Rodent Revolution is a hard nut to swallow. The repetitive slog and poorly written story make this quirky game uninteresting, albeit weird. I have a tough time recommending this game to anyone including those who enjoy strategy games, as the core turn-based gameplay is not good enough to warrant having to trudge through the issues the game has.

This game has hundreds of levels that you cannot manually choose, cool looking characters that all function the same, easy to use controls and a point system that favors number of kills over survivability. If you're looking for a simple and easy game to play with a few friends, this game is for you. If you're looking for a new and exciting multiplayer experience to really dive into, this one is not there yet.

Wells is an enjoyable game that does one thing fairly well, but won't wow you. Running and gunning through the levels doesn't change much, but the variety of weapons and the core mechanics make what could have been a dull slog into a fun three-hour journey. Everything outside of the core gameplay leaves much to be desired. I enjoyed my time with Wells, and while it does nothing memorable, those who are looking for a short run and gun game could do worse than giving Wells a shot.

R.B.I. Baseball 2017 is not a good baseball game. The game is plagued with bad fielding controls and animations, along with awful base running controls that will make you feel like you are playing against yourself. The hitting and pitching are fine, but not nearly good enough to keep you wanting to play more. The lackluster variety of modes is hindered even more by the absence of online multiplayer, making there even less to do than last year's game. If you are looking for some sort of MLB experience on Xbox One, this is pretty much your only option. If you're looking to play a good MLB game, though, then, unfortunately, you own the wrong console.

Chasing Carrots started with a rather good idea and failed to deliver what it seemed to promise. The driving and shooting always felt slow and unadventurous. Most of the time you could just stop driving if you needed a break from the action. That eliminates the hard edge that a shmup style game needs to be good. Endless mode is fun in co-op or by yourself, but it isn't enough to carry the weight of the game. So even if you've got money to burn, there are much better fire pits to throw it in.

Even though I got pretty stuck on some levels, it felt like Ink's 75 levels just sped on by. It's a quick and inoffensive experience with a fun mechanic that loses the spotlight the longer the game goes on. It's fine but nothing special, unless you always wanted a game that lets you convert the world into bad 90s sitcom title cards.

Battle of the Bulge is a basic board and dice style strategy game that holds true to the genre's format. Although it isn't a bad game, Shenandoah Studio misses the mark on several levels. The lack of an in-depth tutorial or in-game manual leaves you struggling when you start playing as you're trying to learn. The game is very bare bones, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it half is. From a historical aspect, not much is explained as to where, when or even why this significant and important battle takes place. This lack of storytelling leaves me wondering; why pick this particular battle? Although Battle of the Bulge offers several ways to play and a simplistic style that isn't overwhelming, you are still left wanting more from it and not in a sequel kind of way.

The Culling started off slow and slightly unimpressive, mainly due to the lack of training up front. Though as I stuck with it and played match after match and learned nuance after nuance, it slowly started to grow on me. Each game brought a new experience showing over and over how you can never know what to expect. Each encounter was different; sometimes you immediately start brutely bludgeoning each other to death and other times we both went running for our lives the moment we spotted each other. There were even matches where instead of killing each other we just stood around and talked and emoted till someone finally ran up and murdered us all. I have laughed, screamed and even felt like I wanted to cry because of this game and its players. I have convinced several friends to buy this and have all intentions of continuing to play this game with my friends long after I post this review.

Despite a few issues with bugs, I enjoyed my time spent with Bulb Boy. On first appearances, it seems a little childish, but soon the trippy horror sections take you to a darker and deeper place. It is a relatively short game and can probably be completed in around two hours, or a little more if you want to go back and unlock any missable achievements, however, it is priced appropriately, and it would be a shame to miss this hidden curio.