I'm far from a puzzle enthusiast, but I loved my time with Slayaway Camp: Butcher's Cut. The puzzles are short and addictive, and the ridiculous slasher movie setting really lifted the mood on what can often be a fairly somber game genre. Difficult enough for puzzle fans but equally accessible to everyone else and likely a real eye-opener for those unfamiliar with this type of game. With heaps of content and genuinely fun gameplay, I can't think of anyone who shouldn't pick this up.

At the end of it all, Drift Zone truly feels like an unfinished game. It lacks the polish that many other current racing games have, and doesn’t bring anything new or interesting to set it apart from those games. The lack of a tutorial makes the game complicated for those new to the concept and puzzling for those who know the basic mechanics, but not how to implement them here. The only real variety comes from the cars which unfortunately don’t really vary at all. Even when considering the obvious price difference, if you’re looking for a game with strong customization including varied tuning options, a catchy soundtrack and the possibility of completing a handful of tracks within a 7-hour period, then you’re most likely better off looking for a Forza or Need for Speed title.

When I first started playing Steven Universe: Save the Light I was excited, but quickly that excitement turned to boredom and frustration. Several of your teams' special moves cause the game to freeze, and about 30% of the map was unreachable as it just wouldn't load. So when I learned of an update in the works, I became optimistic. I thought, okay, we'll postpone the review and wait for them to fix the issues. Then the update came, and I couldn't lie to myself anymore, this game is just not fun. I was ready for the game to be over right around the three-hour marker, which for a game that's around ten hours long, that's not good. So if you love Steven Universe and "like, just have to consume everything," then get your rescue on. For everyone else, there are much better RPG's for you to spend your money and time.

Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock is a pleasant diversion from tactical games like Fire Emblem, especially with the addition of resource management. It’s also a bit lighter than your typical space-battle simulator since movement is simplified to be not-fully-three-space. It will play well with Galactica fans in this anniversary year, as well as gaming tacticians in general, but its advanced learning curve and higher-than-average price will make it a tougher sell to others. Still, if you fancy yourself an armchair Adama, using your spare cubits to buy Deadlock would be a decision worthy of the support of the Quorum of the Twelve.

Quantic Pinball tries to stand between the greats, but doesn't present anything memorable. Honestly, it feels more like a beta than a full release. The name of the game is plastered in the top right corner, and the play area is presented in a little box, with a splash covering the left and right sides. It's bland. Space Cadet Pinball from early Windows operating systems came free and pre-installed and it too had more depth and design than Quantic Pinball has. Unless you’re a hardcore pinball enthusiast, it’s probably best to avoid this game altogether. If you have $5.00 to burn, there are tables in Pinball FX 2 and 3 for the same price that offer more than any of the 7 levels in Quantic Pinball could.

Unfortunately, what starts out as a proper room escape game quickly flops due to the abysmal story as the uninteresting characters and the confusing plot leave players disconnected from the game overall.

Darkest Dungeon is sadistic. Its gameplay is unforgiving, with any situation taking a turn for the worst at any moment. The art style is gritty and monsters unsettling. Its narrator speaks of hopelessness even in the brightest moments. Playing the game will make you question your sanity because despite its unpleasantness it's incredibly addicting. The turn-based combat is challenging but rewarding, making every adventure an intriguing risk worth taking. The adventure may not always be satisfying, but there are many harrowing tales just waiting to be told.

Emily Wants to Play Too is a definite improvement over its predecessor. The game follows the same flow as the first game while introducing new characters and ideas to help the game feel fresh. The new office location is terrifying enough to keep the player on edge, and the size is just big enough to help the game to feel larger than the original.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia is solid. It’s the Wave Racer 64 of 2018. The game is easy for anyone to pick up and play. Even those who aren’t at all interested in racing will find enjoyment in the game. With a variety of different modes across 10 different tracks and the ability of online and split-screen play, the game includes the right amount of content to justify the price. Aqua Moto Racing Utopia is a game well worth the time and money. Don’t let this game pass you by!

Little Triangle is a great game. It brings forward unique characters and interesting level design and finishes it off with genuine difficulty that starts out smooth but will ultimately quit holding your hand by the second world. Granted, while there are a few issues with the performance stutters and double jump mechanic, it’s something simple that a patch could fix. These problems, however, are minute when compared to all the great aspects the game presents itself with.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition is definitely a bundle that holds weight with content and replay value for the decent price. Other bundles of this kind normally cost double the money and offer less in value.

If you are looking for a true dungeon experience that offers significant challenge and great depth or even just a classic style game to enjoy what made these style of games great in the first place, then this is definitely not it. All technical difficulties aside, this should be far more than what it is for what it claims to be.

As for Rento Fortune: Monolit Tycoon, it’s best to spend your fortune elsewhere.

Shift Quantum is a fantastic little puzzler that goes for broke creating unique spins on its core mechanic. It’s stumped me on more than one occasion, but its quick levels and pick-up-and-play nature made it easy to put down and try again when my brain was ready for the challenge. It’s too bad the packaging is mediocre, and there are some small but glaring oversights, but those issues aren’t aggressive enough to ruin the core experience if this is your type of game.

The laughs alone are worth the very low cost of admission.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is in no way a bad game and indeed worth playing through even if only once, just for the experience alone if the subject matter interests you.

The first playthrough of Ghost 1.0 took around 10 hours to complete playing on classic mode. Players can expect a longer playthrough for higher difficulties, especially if you plan to collect everything. The $9.99 asking price is a blessing. Do yourself a favor and play this game! You won’t regret it.

This game is a like a slot machine that forgot to let the player win every once in a while to keep them playing. All things considered, it’s just a very poor experience; and if you bought the game, I hope you enjoy losing. Don’t give this game a chance because it isn’t going to give you one.

Let’s face it, Asemblance: Oversight isn’t just more of the same in terms of the confusing puzzles and the forgettable story, it’s even less of a game than the original just by how much shorter it is. How this game even got made into a sequel is questionable, and the developer taking the game in the same direction as the original hurt it more than it helped. Do yourself a favor and save your time and money. Avoid this game. Avoid this series.

If you’re a fan of point and click games, or the Telltale adventure series, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday will be a no-brainer. However, it’s the game’s historical setting that should be the major draw. The Iranian revolution is not something that’s covered often in Western media; I personally knew very little before playing the game, yet here it’s proven to be a fascinating period of time.

It’s an admirable attempt with a clear love for the era, but you will likely not spend too much time playing it. Since the achievements are extremely easy, many may buy this just to grab them, however, unless you are a super fan of the nostalgic vibes this game is dropping, you are better off skipping this one. There are a lot of other games that can give you the same nostalgic feeling, while still adding new mechanics and creating a better overall experience.

It’s a game you will want to like and respect because of the retro feeling that it provides. Having goofy characters and themes does help, but everything else seems to fall apart as you realize you’re just not having all that much fun. It’s a short game that allows you to get all but three achievements easily. You likely won’t have the patience to play the more difficult modes. Cooperative couch play is a minor bonus but there is no online to be seen. I commend the approach but don’t feel it harbored any real interest. Void of any replayability or extra content, Coffee Crisis leaves us with a short and unrememberable creative idea.

Whilst I enjoyed the game’s story, soundtrack and unique possession based puzzle system, Wailing Heights does suffer from too many quality issues to be a straight-up recommendation. The game in itself is short but seems to be dragged out by overly repeating conversations and environments. That said, if you can overlook the negatives, Wailing Heights is still a fun and memorable adventure game that should appeal to old school point and click fans and more so with the spooky season just around the corner.

With Polygod, the consistency of having to repeat the first two-three levels over and over, never really making any further progress, easily becomes exhausting. The player really needs to ask themselves if they’re ready for that type of commitment before investing.

The game is simple and allows for you to pace it however you please. The glitches in the game and some poor design choices leave it buried in a heap of rubble without any feeling of real accomplishment after you finish. Because of the negatives, I would have to say this game is just pretty mediocre.

There is a ton of content and the price of the game is easily justified. I would like to stress that at times, this title can feel slow and may be one you won’t have enough time to sink into for enjoyment. If you’ve played the actual board game I would highly suggest giving this a shot. If you haven’t, I still think it’s worth a roll of the dice.

Everything about the game seems to make sense. It also isn’t anything you’ll fall in love with. Without substance, I can’t imagine anyone spending more than a few hours playing. Luckily the game is also on par with its price point. If you like easy achievements then, by all means, you can do it in one small gaming session. On a mobile device, this would be a pretty good time killer, but I can’t really say the same for a console.

Nefarious attempts to show the other side of a classic video game power struggle, but like many evil schemes it just doesn’t pan out as intended. For all its ambitious goals, it buckles under the pressure at every turn. The blueprints are there, but it lacks the workmanship and polish to truly strike fear into the weak-minded masses. It might be good for a few sinister chuckles, but that’s about it.

No, it’s not an amazing new franchise you’ll desire more of. You will, however, enjoy what you experience. There’s a happy medium of enjoyment without becoming something you’ll want to play all the time. If you’re looking for something creative that doesn’t take itself too seriously, then maybe Pizza Titan Ultra is something you can have fun with but not take too seriously.

Even being one of the only party games on the Xbox, it sure didn’t seem to try very hard. There seems to be so much more they could have done and added, but there really isn’t much to do or unlock. Not all of the mini-games are bad. I actually really enjoy roulette. Some of them are completed in under a minute, reducing even more what was already a minimal game. I thought it was almost decent, but lacking online support and giving little effort to expanding a basic concept, Vegas Party may not be one you’d want to attend.

Hollow Knight is an immediate classic. You’ll be rewarded with every second that you spend playing this game, nothing feels wasted or left as an afterthought save for some minor pacing issues. Team Cherry has crafted a tight, responsive 2D side-scroller that deserves your attention & support as it’s truly a modern masterpiece.

Shadow of Loot Box is a game that addresses the concept of loot boxes but doesn’t really drive the nail inward on how hindering they can be when it comes to a game. The added satire towards games like Fallout 4, among others adds a bit of comedy but are so short-lived that you’re immediately thrown back into the emptiness of the world around you. What the game has to offer is great, but if the game decided to add DLC in the future, not only would it add-on perfectly to the joke that was being delivered, but it would help to further expand the concepts the game bases around. In its present state, the game is decent, but some players may find it needs more.

There are clever dialogue moments and lots of humor thrown in showing that it was a fun project that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The music is an absolute pleasure and I was impressed with how many tracks are present, changing as you play. The overall mood for Desert Child is casual. You can play it without stressing about losing. You really cannot lose. Just based on your actions the game might take longer to complete. It’s a somewhat brief experience but is entertaining. Nothing in it will blow your mind but you won’t regret your time while on Mars, chilling and making your dream of success a reality.

While seeming like just another shmup, Final Star excels in being entertaining while still being a challenge. It’s not overly difficult and you can enjoy multiple playthroughs. It’s pretty short, but you can replay missions as well as the entire game while maintaining your precious upgrades. There are a few negatives in certain enemies and useless feeling powers, but the positives outweigh them. Choosing what upgrades and what ship you play as is a delight. Mini-games provide a nice break when some missions are tough. The graphics look fine and the story is easy to follow and satisfactory. If this game ever gets a sequel, I will be looking forward to it.

I was quite surprised by how good of a title this was. While seemingly simple, Hive Jump gives all the tools for you to have a great time doing the repetitive missions. Each idea created was well done, and I found myself wondering what really could have made it better. The one thing I felt truly missing was the online cooperative. I just never got a chance to play it how it was probably meant to be played. Luckily, as a singleplayer experience it still holds its own and doesn’t leave you wondering how you’ve ended up having no real-life gamer friends. Hive Jump won’t astonish you but it will be something you can enjoy spending a lot of time on.

While I felt the beginning of the game struggled to keep my attention, I really enjoyed the rest of it. However, there are several things I think could really help improve the experience. I didn’t particularly like the character design but did have a great time surviving. The excellent fast travel and saving system made death not so crushing. At times the pacing was a little awkward and I cared little about any of the characters, however, I believe overall it was a better-than-average survival game.

If you don’t mind grinding through to unlock everything, then it’s a pretty enjoyable experience. If you’re an achievement hunter you will probably like how you must obtain everything in order to get all of them. This is especially true with beating the game while only using a specific type of weapon. It encourages you to do everything possible in the game. However, if you don’t like replaying things numerous times, then it will be a short experience with a “that wasn’t worth it” feeling. The biggest sting here is the price tag which, unless you fall in love with the combat system, may lead you to feel dissatisfied with your purchase.

Where The Bees Make Honey just didn’t quite hit home. It tried too many different things and forgot about the core puzzle stages it should have instead put all focus into.

The flaws outweigh all positives. I enjoyed the world and the idea behind the story, but it’s nearly unplayable. I just don’t think it was ready to launch when it did, needing vast improvements in the most important areas. There were several occasions I force quit the game to take a break from the mess. I couldn’t even start to name every annoyance I had while playing. Even the starting screen makes no sense. You’re always on “New Game” and must scroll down to “load game”. Why would I want to start new? It should not be my first option. I’m really disappointed. I think there was a total miss on what could have been an exceptional adventure.

While you won’t be “wowed” by Legend of the Tetrarchs, you won’t be disappointed. It does enough to be unique but still feels like a classic. There are great systems in place to make it a new experience. The downfalls are with the map and quest descriptions not giving you enough information. What really stings is the character development. There isn’t any. It causes an odd and offset balance to traditional RPGs. There are great ideas for leveling up and equipment, but poor execution with the story and basic principles of the task at hand. I think it’s a very decent RPG, but nothing you’re going to want to play a second time.

The appearance of DragonFangZ is pretty, but the concept feels like it deserts you from the beginning. You like what you see, thinking you’re going to have a blast in some dungeons. Then you die. No problem, let’s attempt it again. The cycle continues and unless you fall in love with the game, you’re going to despise it. It might not be fair for me to come to such quick judgment, only having played for a couple of hours. However, I do think it’s fair to say that I’ve played enough to know I never want to load it on my Xbox ever again. I guess if you’re playing on a portable console such as the Nintendo Switch you may find a little more value inside. On the Xbox, it just doesn’t deserve the attention.

The presentation was nice, but it had very limited gameplay. Awkward physics worked very well for duels though they were almost depressing during the mini-games. Watching the clock tick as your character makes no progress because you can’t move deters your desire for more. It’s going to have a niche group of gamers that love it but most people can look elsewhere to have a duel.

After the final scene, I wanted to experience more of the world with Ted. It was short but very pleasant. I laughed at a lot of scenes and I think the characters are great. Flint made a nice counter personality to Ted, being extremely nice but also sarcastic and could keep up with the banter. While not being overly challenging, you’re allowed to enjoy the story. The pacing is near perfect, allowing you to easily backtrack to areas that are still relevant. I don’t have anything negative to say about the game. It’s well worth playing through until the end. I was never bored and loved clicking on everything to see what outrageous dialogue would be spoken next.

Game nights are a remarkably popular way to engage with friends, which has led to the resurgence of tabletop board and card games of late. Pandemic has had quite a following, and this digital version does have its plus points – easier logistics, lower cost – and it will be familiar to those who already play the board game. For those who haven’t played before, the lack of a meaningful tutorial will be an obstacle to getting into it. However, its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass will greatly lower the risk of trying out the game. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t feel so good… hope it’s nothing serious.

Starting over never felt like an issue. It was pure fun growing in skill and developing your knowledge of the monsters. The combat system worked near flawlessly, and even though you were doing the same thing every dungeon it didn’t feel tedious. It was a challenge you wanted to complete. There could be some added bosses and traps, or even some kind of challenge mode. The lack of story didn’t prove an issue, as it didn’t even feel needed. If you’re into roguelite games or hate them, I suggest giving this a try.

Xbox really isn’t the place you should be playing Trover Saves the Universe, though it is preferable to dropping dough on an expensive VR setup. Even when played on a TV it’s still a solid puzzle-platforming experience, and none of the humor gets lost in translation. It’s a game every bit as funny and nonsensical as you’d expect from the mind behind Rick & Morty, which alone would be enough to give it a glowing recommendation.

This isn’t the worst physics game by any means, but there isn’t much to it. With nothing fun to unlock and no sense of accomplishment in gaining three stars, you find yourself bored very quickly. Reload times are fast and the instant retry is great for when you want to test out the level first and mess around before you make an actual attempt. This is probably better on a mobile platform where you can use touch controls to determine the force at which the little square guy flies. With an analog stick, it’s like being in a constant sand trap. I can’t say I hated Midnight Deluxe, but I can say I didn’t really like it either.

Knights of Pen and Paper beckons to the days of old, and in this way is extremely charming. It gives the feeling of control in a way that most RPGs just don’t. It made me want to go dust off my old D&D manual and call up a couple of friends to get the old campaign running strong – but still misses the mark with some of the more grind-heavy areas. Overall, I think this game has quite a bit going for it and is worth a play. If you love old school tabletop games or maybe just are curious what some of the buzz is about, then definitely check this one out.

Like usual, there is a mix of good and bad elements. I would say Lake Ridden has an equal amount of each that balance each other out. The quality of visuals and sound are high and the puzzles can prove difficult to most people. However, the backtracking and lack of a believable story set the game at just being pretty decent, but nothing you would rave about to all your peers. A map would have been a great addition to exploring, allowing you to mark areas of interest or just simply help you find your way if lost. If you have a craving for a supernatural puzzler, you’ll be content. If the story is what you’re after, you’ll likely be disappointed.

What IN-VERT does well is that it provides you with decent entertainment at a great price. Without extra modes nor a very good story, you might give it a few hours and never play it again. The exclusion of level creation seems to really weaken the release on Xbox. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just missing what sounds like more than half of what the game is meant to be. If you’re hunting for achievements, you’ll be happy to know it’s quite an easy 1,000 Gamerscore you can get without even having to beat half of the stages.

The story isn’t anything too great, with underwhelming character development and a boring plot. Not being able to control up and down for dashing feels like it’s an attempt to make the game more difficult. Overall, I enjoyed what I played but there were a few letdowns.

One person made this title. I can’t imagine the dedication it takes to complete a project by yourself. The ideas and design feel like they could be escalated with a good budget and a team of people. It’s a mixing pot of potential that seems to fail at almost every corner. Having something mimic a play-to-win structure without the actual option to pay real money is confusing. Not being able to feel comfortable with the movement was the biggest issue. I didn’t hate what I played, but I didn’t really like it either.

I thought that, overall, the game was decent. Nothing really awed me and only a few things really annoyed me. However, these annoyances ruined any real interest I had to begin with. I can’t imagine even playing on harder difficulties where you actually lose your gear. I will emphasize the fact that this game could be a lot more fun with multiple people. You can play online cooperative as well as couch co-op. It seems it’s always a lot of effort to add online multiplayer support so, I must say, it is respected that it was included. This may only really appeal to people who want a game they can play together with a friend or family member, or to a die-hard “play every action RPG” gamer. Otherwise, you won’t miss much by not playing it.

We’ve established there is some pretty spectacular music but no actual racing in Music Racer. So the developers got the name of the game at least half-right. If it were a better rhythm game than it is, I’d be a bit more willing to recommend it. What we have here is more of an interactive album, which has some gaming components added in to justify calling it a game. This may support the title’s album-like price point, its only other major positive attribute. For gamers looking for good music and 1,000 Gamerscore, download away. For those of us looking for more compelling gaming, Music Racer is more AM radio than high-end stereo.

The work you must do every day can be quite repetitive, and doesn’t do anything but give you money to pay random bills. It’s a bit of an obstacle that slows down your enjoyment of the story. However, everything else is excellent and this “job” just becomes part of surviving so that you can continue your rise in importance. At a time when working from home has been a bit of a drag, it was nice to go to work in a video game. It was like switching realities.

With minor changes to this, there could have been some kind of charm that a lot of people could like. But sadly, none of these design choices were executed and we’re left with an unmemorable game that released a while back on the Apple store and was free, minus in-app purchases. With that in mind, I imagine the price tag is basically unlocking the game without having to actually spend the money to play. At least there’s that.

The biggest issue is that this experience is just way too short, especially for the amount it costs to have it. You can get many of the books at this cost! If you haven’t read any of them, then I would highly advise against buying this game. If you have, then I would just give you a little warning. The gameplay is mediocre and the story is a lesser version of the movies. The only real delight you’ll get from it is the fact that it has characters from the Goosebumps universe. I dream for the day we can see a larger universe to explore with many more references to the books, besides just the handful they keep reusing.

I’ll stop short of calling it a masterpiece but it is certainly exceptional. It plays out almost like a movie or a book. There seems to be an underlying message about family, loyalty, and that strength can be found in morality. I often got lost in the game for hours without ever feeling bored. Each week is like a mini-episode leading up the finale. I would not hesitate to play a sequel if there ever is one.

This was a tough review because it really is a great game, but it didn’t keep my attention which makes me conclude that, aside from some boss battles, it’s just kind of boring.

Dunk Lords is a very solid title with great gameplay at its heart. It takes that old school NBA Jam torch and runs with it and, more importantly, adds its own spin. It’s a fun time, especially if you have people to do couch co-op with. It’s an overall great time.

On the outside looking in, there is a lot to like about a crazy dating simulation. Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, the game makes it absurdly difficult to win the affection of another. The scenarios faced are not only crazy but on the brink of being too immature. I have laughed at all kinds of nonsense in my life, but this nonsense was not clever. It was shock humor that leaned more towards shock than humor. While I enjoyed the art, it didn’t really match the context of what was being said. Everyone has different tastes in comedy, but I find it hard to pinpoint anyone I personally know who would laugh at anything being said. There were some good things about my experience with Monster Prom XXL, but most of it was a letdown.

A fresh breath of air, Nine Witches has whacky charm. There were only a few things that could have used a tune-up but even those don’t deter from a great time. I finished it in around five hours and loved every minute. An even longer adventure would have been awesome. The mixture of combat and talking to ghosts really set it aside as a unique gem among the genre. Sometimes the story was a little hard to follow but the pacing was still perfect. I never felt anything was rushed or too slow. The writing and humor were incredible. My hope is that more content with the same characters will be created. It’s franchise-worthy in my opinion!

There is a redeeming quality, and that’s the creative world and interesting crime scenes within it. But the clumsy navigation and fairly frequent bugs stop it short of being remotely entertaining. It seems like it is unfinished. There is even an option in the menu (to quit out) which is still not translated into English in the version I played. For the longest time, I didn’t even know what this option was because I didn’t know what it said. It ended up meaning quit, which is exactly what I’ve decided to do.

The only downfall was the difficulty. I’ve played a bunch of point-and-click games based on Monkey Island and always had an objective or at least an idea of what I had to do. I could figure it out in a reasonable amount of time. Here, I was lost more than a few times, trying to combine and use items on everything in the world. Besides that, which some people will absolutely love, I definitely enjoyed my time exploring the geekiest world I may have ever been to in a video game.

It was terrible at first but the game got a tiny bit better as I played. However, there is absolutely nothing to do besides the one campaign. It’s extremely limited. There’s so little to do that it’s hard to even talk about it. After gaining a few of the generals, it becomes a mindless dump and fight. You dump all your troops absolutely anywhere, then just start the battle and win. Sure, there are a few good ideas but they were barely scratching the surface. The controls are so difficult to master that even after more than ten hours of playing, I was still struggling at times to figure out how to do specific actions. And there really aren’t many to know. At least the game doesn’t come with a big cost associated with it, so if you’re an achievement hunter it might be worth your completion.

There are plenty of things I wish were different. The loot system, the map, the small text, gear being underwhelming, the damage types being confusing, lack of bosses, and lots and lots of running in the wrong direction while following the trail. That’s a lot of major stuff. Yet it’s still an awesome game, but unfortunately the bad is always louder than the good. While I think of these as negative, others may like it and disagree entirely. I believe it is indeed a pleasure to play but I also wish certain things were different.

For what it is, it’s an extremely well-done game. You won’t be bragging about your perfect mows to anyone but it’s not about the adrenaline rush, it’s about the learning experience you can bring to you in your own life’s decisions. You’ll know more about mowing and a little more about running your own small business. Well, at least I think it helps. I could be wrong, but it will look good on my resume!

The story is excellent, the characters work well, and the art switches between colorful and gloomy whenever it needs to. Can too much of a good thing be bad? It really depends on you. If you have the patience to read through bucket loads of text (I suppose that’s why you’re here instead of YouTube) then you’ll adore this game. If you get a little impatient, you’ll probably end up fast-forwarding through most of the scenes until you get to one that looks like it’s important. I will admit, as much as I loved the story, some of the conversations just didn’t seem like they were going to end.

This is a great game. It’s simple yet challenging. There’s an actual desire to get the maximum score (maybe for me because achievements are tied to it). There is just enough challenge without being a lost cause. If you’re a sucker for time management games, you will not be disappointed! Well, at least I wasn’t. But I also loved a phone game called Sally’s Salon. If you want to sweat at the same time you’re smiling, then this is for you.

One of my favorite genres, Metroidvanias, have a sense of progression. Beating bosses to get special abilities to allow you to traverse into areas you couldn’t get to before. It gives you a curiosity about what lies down that path. In Sheepo, I always knew what these paths would have. Either a feather or a new area to find a boss and get more feathers. It was too much rinse and repeat for me. Not being able to fight anything made for some boring backtracking. The fast travel is awful, making it almost easier to just walk to your desired designation because some of the travel points were in obscure areas. I just couldn’t find any “wow” moments. It’s a pretty bland experience that had some creative platforming puzzles; but with the controls not being too accurate, it felt too much like a chore.

A lot of things combine to make an enjoyable detective adventure. You have moody music, pixel graphics, animal characters, stealth, conversation decisions, and dark noir crime drama. The biggest downfall is sadly the story, specifically the last chapter. Again I don’t want to give anything away because it is worth playing and some will find the twist awesome, but I was not a fan. I would definitely like to experience more of the city, especially as a different character. It’s the type of game setting that opens up a lot of options for sequels or DLC. And if that content is created in the future, I will be thrilled to jump back into the crazy animal city.

If you’re after a story, you won’t find much of one here but that’s okay because this genre is really aimed at having a fun time avoiding obstacles and getting to the finish line of a level. There was no real magic about it, and maybe there would be if this was made in the 90s instead.

Without just playing it yourself, it is hard to grasp all of the options that are available in this game. It’s even weird to mention a lot of them because some are such small pieces of the game, yet are really well done. You have an arcade in the town, and you can build mini-games to play, for example. There are events like a Halloween themed one with hide-and-seek. If you like dancing they have that too. How about a blimp that drops random gifts and everyone tries to snag them first. There is so much going that you may feel almost stressed. There are a handful of side quests that are time-based, but everything else you can kind of do on your own. Just let the years pass and take your time if you’d really like. I just wanted to rush through it because my time in Sandrock was taking too long and I have other things to do. I say that after spending 8 full days playing it. If you choose to pick this title up, please remember to feed your cat if you have one. Your time starts to vanish as soon as you hit “new game”.

There’s plenty of horror games out there consisting of a lot of walking with heavy focus on atmosphere and the story. While this isn’t much different in those regards, it does shine above a lot of the others because of it’s use of lights and great graphics. The plot twist at the end will be worth the playthrough, and the multiple endings and collectibles give you something else to go for after finishing. Though this isn’t anything groundbreaking, it is quite impressive for what it is. While I have played many horror games similar, I quickly forget about them. But I believe this one will stick with me for a very long time.

There are some redeeming qualities, such as the level design, puzzles, and the ability to replay levels at your leisure. However, the camera and jumping controls really make the game almost uncomfortable to play. The puzzles are fairly easy (minus one extremely difficult mirror one) and can be somewhat enjoyable. Each level serves as its own little world, keeping you from becoming bored. There may be some people who enjoy it, but the vast majority likely won’t have enough patience to complete the story (even thought it’s pretty short).

This game is amazing for what it strives to be. It’s an escape room-like horror game where an evil puppet chases you and is filled with cheesy dialogue. The experience was so entertaining and I didn’t mind replaying some of it to get achievements I missed. Most people won’t even have to follow any walkthrough, which is a nice change of pace for games with puzzles. Overall, I did not go into it expecting it to be that great. There are tons of horror games out there that are sub-par and all seem very similar. Some monster or ghost is chasing you and it’s all very dark. Puppet House is different, and that is what I liked about it. While the story wasn’t all that special, it also didn’t take itself too seriously. It’s meant to pay homage to the older stuff, attempting to give you nostalgia (if you’re old enough). It was also paced very well, with a few little jump scares and a satisfying ending.

On the surface, the game looks nice, and the thought of playing inside someone’s story is quite awesome. But with so many bugs, annoying encounters, and obstruction of sight, there are too many flaws to make this very enjoyable. Also, a lot of what you do in the game is very mundane. Especially at the end, when you have to do chores. Get the plates, put them on the table, get the drinks, get the food, put the food on the table. Clear the table, get the coffee, and take the coffee to the people. That’s a whole lot of stuff to do that isn’t very entertaining. I also don’t understand why a group of people would drink coffee after having dinner and alcohol, at night, before bed. Pretty strange! Of course, there will be some people who enjoy it for what it is, similar to when people say art is subjective. There will be a few who adore it. But everyone else is a different story, one that Sid would not like reading.

The aim to make the story sad was completely pushed onto the player without choice. The writing went a bit overboard with it, trying to make the player feel sad, at the cost of being over-dramatic. Too many characters were absolutely too cruel to be believable. I went from feeling sorry for Olive to absolutely hating her. Decisions just didn’t make sense when put into the real world, which is what this game was trying to demonstrate. As far as the actual gameplay goes, it had a few good moments. Some were entertaining, while other times it felt a little bit underwhelming. Running around in the house, in particular, was poorly designed, having a lot of breaks in the walls as you turned the camera. It was an okay experience with some enjoyment to be had, but with a story that had some potential but ended up being off-putting.

This is a short, easy, almost mindless game. If you’re an achievement hunter, you will enjoy it more than the average player. The graphics aren’t bad, and neither are the sound effects. But without being able to run, backtracking or looking for notes with codes can be a little tedious. The puzzles are incredibly easy, using a trial-and-error method to figure them out. This is your average game, not attempting to pull out any surprises. It has a decent story premise, but doesn’t force you to live in it. You’re just visiting briefly. Some people will enjoy searching around the prison, while others will feel the game is missing more than just other people.

I enjoyed playing through the game and figuring everything out. There is some room for error, but it’s great that you can replay the day and get faster each time. The controls were all fine except when you had to input numbers. It was likely made more for a mouse and keyboard, and it was specifically more difficult to open the safe. You would click the wrong buttons often because of the movement of the cursor. I didn’t encounter any bad bugs, besides one that kept the hunger icon zoomed in once, even when I ate. It’s nice to experience it, but you may not be playing it long or ever again. But I don’t regret getting a chance to escape a kidnapping while needing to pay attention to details so that I could put everything back the way it was before I touched it. It might not be for everyone, but those who love attention to detail will find this game appealing.

While most of the game wasn’t too difficult, there were some challenging puzzles that might make you run to a guide on the internet. The story is pretty good, and the reading of journals was welcome. I really liked not having to worry about fighting things or jump scares. It lets you become engrossed in what’s going on and gives you the freedom to do the puzzles without too much stress. They took the game’s death to a step further by playing them out as a mini cut-scene. While I have some gripes with navigation and the ability to skip dialogues, most of the experience was great. If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventures with a love for sci-fi and horror, you won’t want to pass on this!

This might not be a great collection of games, but it is a collection. You can’t just go buy these all on their own in the Xbox store. The menu system is great, and the options to save anywhere and rewind, while not anything new, are appreciated. Some people will love the games I hated, and hate the games I enjoyed. If you have already played some of these, then you know what to expect. But it can also be a good time for newcomers to these titles.

Finding a car in a parking lot has been a subject in a few other forms of media. Take, for example, the classic show Seinfeld, where the group can’t find their car, and a lot of funny things happen during their search. Then in other video games where you park a car and do a side quest, only to forget where you parked the car and run around the blocks looking for it. At least it’s happened to me. It’s not a strange thing to dream about, because there are times when some people can’t find their cars. It has happened to me at a concert, and I couldn’t find my group. But I have learned from these mistakes, and now I either mark it on my phone or I glance around for a landmark I can remember. So it hasn’t happened to me in a very long time. Besides what I liked and didn’t like in this game, there wasn’t much to do, so I didn’t have too much to talk about. The game is incredibly short and doesn’t place your car in a random location. It is always in the same spot, giving no real depth to what was already thin.

There are a lot of funny moments to experience. I really liked the humor, and it was wildly entertaining to run around and experience the interesting characters and the town. The game can be pretty difficult, with a lackluster hint system and too many items to interact with. The dream system was really clever, but at times, it could cause some headaches with figuring out what to do. A little adjustment with interactions and the hint system would have went a long way.

I could not get enough of this game while I was playing it. I played for hours every day trying to get everything done. When I accomplished everything I could, I searched for more information on the third protagonist that hasn’t been released yet. It’s the first game in a long time that I couldn’t put down, and when it was time to, I had a hard time doing so. I couldn’t even cover half of what I wanted to in the review. There’s crafting, lockpicking, sneaking, extorting, TV night, poker, and the list goes on. There are so many great moments to experience, and many people will want to do every escape method and bond with every single character. The new game plus works perfectly, and with so much to do, you may spend as much time as I did while being incarcerated.

Even if you can beat the game pretty fast, there are a lot of reasons to start another week. Getting to see new situations as well as trying to complete every scenario can be a good time. It’s quite simple, though it will test your attention to detail and memory to do simple tasks (like turning the closed sign). Things can be funny, but maybe not laugh-out-loud funny. There are some scenarios that can be frustrating, but play them enough times and you’ll get the hang of them. There is a serious frame drop that happens near one of the doors, and it is annoying enough to ruin your overall experience. Every time I suffered through the slowdown, I wanted to just exit the game. And without even turning off the lights first.

This is a short but sweet mini-horror game that you can pick up for an afternoon or spread out over a few. There isn’t really much to come back to after you finish it, but this is fine because you’ll likely know what you’re getting into if you pick it up. Besides the cool horror part, they have decided to add some silly parts, like balloons falling when you make it through the job. This works fine in similar titles like the Before Exit series, but I’m not a fan of it being in something that’s supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Luckily, there isn’t too much of it. When it’s all said and done, the goal of the game was accomplished. To give you a short experience that you can think about and enjoy. To create a creepy atmosphere that has a few jump scares, but doesn’t go overboard.

Working at a gas station and spotting anomalies can be pretty addictive. Trying to complete every last one of them is part of the fun. This series has taken a lot of strides since the first installment, where you worked in the market. They added more mini-games versus mostly just putting things away or organizing signs. There could still be some improvements. The movement can feel pretty awkward. Some of the objectives can be hard to figure out. It’s one of those games that, if you’re hunting for achievements, it can be easily done while being somewhat of a grind at the same time. I can’t wait for what crazy job is in store if they bring in another installment, and what improvements we can expect!

The game does a wonderful job of capturing the past. From the visuals to the music and dialogue, it’s all very well done. The story is okay, but the ending seems a bit far-fetched. The pacing wasn’t bad, but I do think this game could have had a few more puzzles. I do wish there were some more areas to explore, instead of being in the same places for so long. The running button and lack of checkpoints were annoying, but the game is fairly short, and you likely won’t be playing a second time. The gaming world is full of fantastic games and amazing stories. While this might not make any of those lists, if you’re looking for a decent detective game with a very twisted ending, you may want to give this a few hours of your time.