The ‘floaty’ combat still caused me to make mistakes hours in and I had plenty of unfair deaths causing level checkpoint restarts. While I wasn’t a fan of the indoor level design, the boss stages made the effort of suffering through them worth it in the end, as did eventually unlocking and upgrading enough abilities to feel like an unstoppable ninja by the time the credits rolled and starting New Game+.

ReCore is a game that is surprising in many ways. First off, with gameplay mechanics that were not advertised, the larger than expected game map, and the RPG elements found within, most will discover that there is quite a bit to do in Far Eden. That being said, the glitches, the long load times, and the uneven pacing of the story towards the end is some cause for concern.

I have to admit that I am not too particularly fond of the visual presentation of the game itself. I'm not a fan of the geometric layout and design, nor the music, but while I can play some different music through a different source, I can't do anything about the graphics. That's normally about the time when you start to realize the sad reality of Serial Cleaner. There's little replayability for a game that's based off one core aspect, and something like this unfortunately starts you off right behind the 8 ball. Couple this with mediocre music and a graphic style that is almost an insult to the 70's with its bland atmosphere, you understand that $14.99 seems to be too much to pay for a $4.99 game. Sadly, while not true organized crime, $14.99 for Serial Cleaner is feels like organized theft at this price.

Definetly work on the camera...and add a jump button!

If you see this title being offered around the 400 Microsoft point range, give it a try; if only to battle the exploding penguins and evil Lighthouse.

Even something as simple as web-slinging provides a thrill, as players can delight in utilizing the speed of a swing to shoot Spidey forward before letting him freefall towards the streets below, only to anchor a nearby object with a web strand via the right trigger mere seconds before he goes splat.

One of my biggest positive impressions is that the visuals are fantastic; the detail that went into the robotics, the space station itself, the surrounding outside area, and the holograms that pop up, as opposed to boring menus full of text, are a huge plus and very impressive! However, I do feel that a little more work could have gone into the in-game player experience so that it doesn't simply fall into the 'walking simulator' category. On that note, if some sort of fixes or changes are made in the gameplay areas that just don't make sense, than by all means, it could be a phenomenal game, but for now it's no where near out of this world.

When it was all said and done, this pixel drenched platformer really surprised me. For $4.99 you get an incredible challenge. Think about it, a game cheaper than a fast food value meal that provides you an experience that is fresh, challenging, and very rewarding. Sure it has a fortune cookie for a story, there is no training to get you up to speed on the gameplay mechanics, and some of the later levels are downright rage inducing, but given its price you can't really beat its simplicity and content for the asking price.

As a whole, Ninja Pizza Girl is a simple premise with some silliness behind it.

Should you plunk down $14.99 plus tax on the 'Gamepad Edition'? In simple terms, I would say no. There is little to no replay value, mediocre music, and if you already own the Kinect version then you already have the best version available. On the plus side though, if you don't have a Kinect, then consider yourself blessed as you won't have to waste money on Air Guitar Warrior: Gamepad Edition.

Aside from all the quest issues, I like the idea behind YouTubers Life 2. To me, it perceives itself as a fun and unique gaming experience, though feel like it’s not polished enough to where I’d spend a ton of time in it. While I've not played the first YouTuber’s Life, I think I’m going to find another place to live and move out of NewTube City.

Priced at under ten bucks, it’s hard to not find some nostalgic enjoyment within, even if the knockoff games aren’t quite the exact classic games you remember playing decades ago. While the story is a very brief jaunt, you’ll no doubt want to come back now and then for one or two of your favorites, though I wish every game had the Leaderboards to entice more plays and virtual quarters.

Technical issues aside, TERA is a blast to play with friends if you have a perfect group composition to run endless dungeons. The combat is fast, exciting and skill based, so you better know your stuff and practice as much as possible. That being said, the bugs and flaws also can’t be completely ignored, as it’s rampant and incredibly unoptimized.

Somehow Dog Days make the first game look good; sequels are meant to surpass the previous iterations; sadly this takes a step backwards somehow.

In conclusion, this game is a double edge sword. If you are buying MVA at forty dollars and not really expecting much out of it, then fine. I've so far gotten myself to level 17 and I need to get to level 25 to unlock everything. Do I have a desire to keep going? Sadly, no.

Albert & Otto is a game that should appeal to those who’ve been itching for more LIMBO-style gameplay. That being said, anyone who buys it needs to know they’re not getting a full game for their money, as it is only the first episode of what is yet to be a full story. Then again, it’s not like this thing is over in minutes, given that it at least offers a campaign that hovers around the two-hour mark depending on player skill, and one in which going off the beaten path is rewarded with collectible shards.

Don't get me wrong, the simplistic core gameplay mechanic of destruction can provide hours of enjoyment, but there are also hours of waiting, and it is the latter point that takes away from the overall enjoyment of it.

All in all, SNK PLAYMORE has more than fulfilled expectations of what would be expected from this series.

Legendary Eleven is basic, and that’s what makes it work. Newcomers and casual soccer fans can simply jump in and enjoy themselves, and there’s just enough content to make the purchase worthwhile, more so if you have a friend to play online with.

If you can get a few friends to give this a chance, I think you’ll get a LOT of play out of it.

Overpass is a racing game that defies the genre, as it’s not what you would consider a true racing game. It is more of an off-road, slow paced driving game where you need to discover the best way to get from start to finish. It is one that will no doubt frustrate you often, and one where the sound may grate on your nerves, but the foundation of something special is here. I truly hope that this is not a one-off title, as a sequel to fix some of the annoyances would make this a game that driving fans must have, but as of right now, Overpass is an experiment that has many redeeming qualities, but the negative ones hold it back from being the great gaming experience it could be.

Overall, this isn't the quintessential Kinect game, but really, the only reason is because it's strictly a Michael Jackson game, and MJ isn't for everyone. That being said, this is what a Kinect game should be.

War Hospital tells tales worth hearing and shows a side of the Great War not usually thought about. While it may not be as exciting as being in the thick of battle in the trenches, it’s a unique side of War that’s equally as important. Do your best to prevent casualties of War, but prepare your heart for not being able to save many.

If you’re looking for a fun and action-packed arcade basketball game, you’re unfortunately going to have to look elsewhere. NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is a disappointing and overpriced step backwards that suffers from the changes that were made to it, not to mention greed. As much as I looked forward to, and wanted to enjoy this one, I never found it to be all that fun.

The graphics and sounds will only keep the spirit of the Old West alive as you take out hundreds of outlaws with a few pulls of a trigger. Add addictive multiplayer modes and a low price tag of $29.99, Dead Man’s Hand is easily the best buy so far of 2004.

Super Mutant Alien Assault is an experience you may enjoy if you enjoy playing for a game for a few simple few minutes at a time with complete randomness and challenging difficulty. That being said, while it does have some replayability to it with its randomly generated levels and weapons, there’s simply just not that much depth to be had if you’re looking for something a little bit more.

The title had promise and looked like it was going to be quite fun to play after playing through the first level or 2, but once the novelty wore off that’s where the game then became repetitive and quite frankly a bit boring.

Next time EA you need to give us your full game the first time around, don't make us buy Fifa 06' just to turn around and release Fifa 07' a few months later being a much more polished and complete game.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is sure to be enjoyed by fans of the genre who will enjoy their time with a narrative heavy experience. At the same time, seasoned RPG players might have higher expectations than they will receive from Swansong. To be more specific, if you're a fan of tabletop RPGs or have pre-existing knowledge of the predecessors then I'm not sure Swansong will be for you. I have overall enjoyed Swansong despite all my complaints as it has a well thought-out storyline and great mystery to it, which ultimately is what truly kept me interested in continuing the journey but it is quite expensive when not on sale.

Overall, a Knight's Quest has a lot of charm, happiness and heart to it. The huge world Rusty is in is fantastic, leaving you wondering where you'll wander next. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the inventory system as the 'glitches' seemed to make picking up certain items impossible. I also wasn't a huge fan of button mashing and having abilities that really didn't have that much power, but I did enjoy the experience overall regardless of these issues. I would recommend folks that are wanting to try out a Knight's Quest just be aware of the glitches and the style of combat. Other than that, I am going to let Rusty adventure on his own for a while.

Overall, Midway has put out a solid wrestling product that should compete with its rival very well.

It is much more of a simulation than any of the other fishing games out there. There are not crazy camera angles or strange arcade play modes.

It has flaws, like a missing online multiplayer component, but it’s a fun way to spend a half hour or hour here and there.

Twin Mirror on Xbox is a good game, and for fans of the genre like myself, it's a solid experience. For those who aren't as keen on the genre, nothing here is going to change your mind. With its compelling story, some fantastic characters, decent gameplay and moments of something that could have been brilliant, I enjoyed both my playthroughs. I was, however, left wanting more from the title and it feels like it sits in the shadow of its better DONTNOD adventure games.

It’s one of those rare games where you know exactly what you are getting before you play it. You simply need to trust your instinct on this one.

A nifty 3D interface showing the arcade cabinets themselves is a nice touch, giving you an impression of browsing the arcade looking for the best spot to dump your quarters, and the soundtrack (licensed eighties rock) is a nice touch, but I still want more.

For $9.99 (Cdn) Toby: The Secret Mine is a short adventure that is worth looking into for the art design alone and I would love to see the story of Toby told in a graphic novel medium. That being said, it's gameplay, although standard, doesn't bring anything distinctly unique to the table and often the puzzles are just too simple. It's also unfortunate that the game is fairly short and doesn’t offer any replay value at all to allow you to squeeze a few more hours out of it.

While Phantom Trigger looks attractive and very inviting, the lack of any meaningful progression and repetitive combat throughout really hinders its enjoyment.

A limp first-person shooter that forgets strategy and adaptability for linear play.

Graphically, this game isn't as crisp as the EA titles, though I would say Activision did well to represent all possible sponsors to give this a better sense of realism and the game does have a lot to work with for future years.

This title is already very popular on Live, but the patch would make it 10x more enjoyable.

The modes may be limited, and the graphics bare, but when you have friends over and enjoy slicing each other up and using giant foot powerups to stomp each other, Oh My Godheads can become quite fun. An introduction at the beginning would have been very beneficial, as there’s a decent amount of strategy involved once you know the whole move sets and abilities each Godhead can use, altering how the match plays out. If you regularly have friends over and are looking for a new game to play with them, Oh My Godheads is a decent option to go with, but with a price of $19.99, if you don’t fall into that exact category, the single player value simply isn’t there by a long shot given the shallow gameplay versus the CPU.

I’ll say it, Breakpoint is broken. I think for a full retail game, it’s unpolished, underdeveloped and inexcusable for the poor choices in its development. It’s an incomplete game, and what is there is full of gameplay glitches, numerous bugs and game breaking moments that really make you wonder why you paid your money for this. Despite all of this though, I love every minute that I play. I know these issues will hopefully be addressed in upcoming patches, but for now despite all these issues, the core of Ghost Recon Breakpoint still delivers an amazingly entertaining experience. While it’s far from perfect, it’s not far from fun, and in the end, if a game is fun, then it should be played and enjoyed right?

It's abundantly clear that the game developers wanted to create an enjoyable title that engaged a range of age group and gameplay styles. What's really nice is that while they haven't perfected the formula, they have taken a big step forward.

Honestly, this truly is one of those kids only games.

I’m not sure if anyone was really clamoring for this double pack on console, but here we are. While not a bad pairing, the main issue is that both games, Commandos 2 and Praetorians, suffer from showing their age. Time has not been kind to them, and while they’ve been given the “HD Remaster” treatment, it’s still quite a rough go visually and mechanically. I actually ended up enjoying Praetorians moreso than Commandos 2, but time has not been kind to both games.

The biggest disappointment that I have with Elex isn't the poor control system, or the colossally horrific voice acting, or the overpowered enemies, or the character modeling from the 1990's. No, my biggest disappointment is that all, and I mean ALL, of these issues could have been addressed and refined if given two things: more time and more money. I feel that Elex could have been one of the best open world RPG games we have seen in quite sometime had it had the time and funding to develop into something wonderful, not just passable.

While fans of the original Redout might be wondering why Space Assault isn’t a lightning speed racer like its predecessor, it’s a competent on-rails shooter, but doesn’t really stand out either. The visuals will most likely impress you at first, but once you start to get into the core gameplay, you might start to question some of its design decisions like I did. I didn’t hate my time with it by any means, but I can’t seeing myself hopping back into the pilot seat any time soon.

If you're buying Splatterhouse (past or present) you're most likely getting it for the over the top gore and violence which granted; should be the main selling feature of the game. Unfortunately the rest of the game outside of combat and voice acting bring down the whole package so much that it becomes mundane and a chore.

You should have been able to make four video games with these guys let alone one! For all that is holy, let the gamer have the freedom to do what they want in a game, to make choices, to figure out things for themselves. Please don't tell us exactly what to do, it makes us feel like idiots and trust me, we don't need any help with that.

Being such a huge fan of tower defense games, I was giddy like a teenage girl at a Michael Jackson concert at the chance to play Hero Defense, but after running into all these glitches and problems without anything adding to the merit or value of why I should care about the story of the game itself, it literally left me deflated. I love this game, I really do, and I feel now empty inside that such a game has so many issues (the camera system being the worst hands down) that prohibit that enjoyment. Starting out I was set to give this game an easy 90 to 95 score, but as I kept playing the score kept going down and down to the point where I should start looking for other games to play.

With a unique Synergy system and Breeding, Monster Crown differentiates itself from being a simple Pokemon clone. Sure there are a ton of similarities, and while it is a shorter affair, the monster variety was what kept me wanting to play, more so than the narrative itself.

Blacklight Tango Down delivers stunning graphics, hundreds of ways to customize your character, 12 multiplayer maps with more mulitplayer modes, plus innovative ranking and upgrading systems.

Tap Wizard 2 is an extremely grindy game. Even though you can AFK for much of it, it does take checking in every so often to actually make significant progress. Interestingly, there’s no Quick Resume support on Xbox, so going to another game closes it completely and puts it into ‘offline mode’. Some might be confused with a $18.99 CAD game where you don’t have to play it very much, but I’ve been hooked, checking back in every chance I can to get one more upgrade so I can make it just that much further on the next run.

I highly recommend the game to folks that are fans of Pixar and to those that have younger children in their household.

While a few things could use some revision work, overall this game is a masterpiece for Tolkien fans and shouldn't be missed.

Looks like some good mindless fun. The main problem is the 'mindless' part; like so many of these games there’s not a lot to it beyond slashing through crowds of anonymous enemies while getting incrementally more powerful the more you do it.

It is unfortunate that this installment is overshadowed by so many faults because the nature of the original game lends itself well to the Xbox visual capabilities.

While the action is intense the first time you take control, this coolness becomes a novelty after a while. The missions are real basic and offer little flavor once you've played through the first few levels.

This is a great game for the younger crowd. How about working on a serious fighting title now? You know, for those of us who enjoy more involved fighting games?

Sure, if futuristic racing is your absolute happiness and joy, then obviously you’ll probably enjoy the aesthetics alone, but for everyone else, there’s more frustration than fun. Xenon Racer is trying to be Ridge Racer though looks like it’s two generations too late and is topped off with terrible drifting controls and unbalanced difficulty from the get go.

It's very rare when I can't get past the first few hours of a video game. I'm no professional gamer by any means, but I take pride in doing the best I can with what I am given. As per my gaming style, The Forbidden Arts is not my type of game, as I didn't mesh well with the combat and the overall gameplay experience. However, with all my experiences aside, those whose game style this matches should have a phenomenal time with it. I fell in love with the visuals, music and the overall concept of The Forbidden Arts; that's what drew me into it in the first place. With that being said, I don't forbid you from trying The Forbidden Arts out for yourself. This one was just not my cup of tea.

For $14.99 I really don't feel comfortable recommending that you pick up Deadbeat Heroes. While the humor is mediocre at best, I haven't witnessed so much failing since the new Star Wars movie (and yes, that is my opinion of that too). Deadbeat Heroes offers little in terms of gameplay enjoyment, meaningful quest experiences, absent replayability, and offers a militaristic dictatorship hold over progress and failure where you end your gaming experience more angry than overjoyed. This game would be a considerable pick up if it were priced at $4.99, but at $14.99 I can't recommend subjecting yourself through the forced aggravation that Deadbeat Heroes brings to the table.

All in all, the gameplay is very realistic and well done, but the game did let me down after I had so much fun with the first one.

I liked the fact that the game wasn't overly complex with many different weapons and things like that, so that you were free to concentrate on playing and enjoying the game, the story, the puzzles, and the quests.

I would recommend it to any parent looking to play games with their kids.

In the end we are left with a mobile game on a big box that just doesn’t have any staying power to keep most of us captivated.

I appreciate that there’s a new take on a seemingly ancient genre, I just wish it blended together more smoothly and the controls weren’t so awkward. The difficulty curve is extremely sharp and will take hours to feel natural. While constant unlocks are something to work towards, they are simply cosmetic and there’s little left for any gameplay depth or longevity.

There’s very little reason to replay the game once you’ve completed the story unless you’re searching for all the hidden collectibles. The gameplay is very repetitive and generally devolves into you frustratingly getting lost and going in circles until you happen upon an object you missed the first ten times you walked by it. Perception has some great ideas and concepts though, and there’s definitely some tension and suspense that highlights the horror aspect, but as a game, it’s more unsatisfying than it is entertaining. I applaud its uniqueness and blind girl heroine, but there’s too many shortcomings and bugs to offer it a full recommendation.

Although Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 4 looks better and has seen noticeable improvements in its menus, career mode and some of its racing mechanics, it’s simply not fun due to punishing physics and cheap A.I. A lot of this could be addressed with a patch, but I have no idea as to whether Milestone sees the shocking difficulty curve as a problem. Skip this one. For now, at least.

If you are looking for a great 4 player side scrolling adventure then look no further.

As we wrap up our adventure through the Star Wars Universe, it's important to note that this game has some amazing aspects to it, but in the end, it's the core story that disappoints most.

Environments, character design and voice acting are the big three standouts of the game, but at the core it is still just another first person shooter.

This game is fast and furious. There is constant action similar to the movie and there is rarely every a dull moment.

For what it is and who it caters towards, kids that have lots of energy should really enjoy pretending to be a super hero with a plethora of super powers.

Given that Anoxemia is only a few bucks, it’s hard to knock it too much, and if you can deal with the frustrating controls and the seemingly unfair deaths, there is a decent amount of gameplay here with almost 40 levels to explore. With a few checkpoints thrown in between each level, I would have enjoyed my time with Anoxemia so much more, but there were times where I was wanting to hold my breath, hoping it would be over sooner than later.

If you're into the controller breaking frustration of the classic Ghost 'n Goblins or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, then Cast of the Seven Godsends is right up your alley. This game will make you literally stress test an Xbox Elite Controller to the breaking point, but yet when you beat one of the mid bosses, or one of the massive level bosses, you're filled with such euphoria it's like you won the lotto.

While not the most memorable campaign of the series, and nowhere near the quality of Modern Warfare II’s epic setpieces, it’s a serviceable entry, but feels more like filler that should have been DLC rather than a fully-fledged entry that brings new excitement and potential fans.

Even though I think the difficulty can be a little over tuned at times and the checkpoints are a little too spread out at times, for every moment I had frustration, I was still compelled to move forward and try again and again. Sometimes you just need a game where you turn off your brain to slash and blast everything in your way and can have fun doing so with some over the top violence, Wanted: Dead delivers that, even if it does feel way over the top with its style.

The play controls are oversensitive, the building mechanics are poor at best, the game delivers no incentive to play past the first level, and it slows to a crawl should you build too many towers.

They tried to bring us a game in which there was sex, but they don't deliver. I would have been happier with brief movie clips of nude or scantily clad models, than with this silly imitation of intercourse.

Ary and the Secret of Seasons feels like needed to be worked on just a little longer. There are far too many glaring issues that need to be addressed before I can give someone at least a 'Give er a try' recommendation. I mean, I can't tell you what to do, but I would proceed with a bit of caution while playing through Ary and the Secret of Seasons. It has a fantastic idea at its core, but this one I just can't fully stand behind right now.

The only reason I could find for a person to finish this game would be if it was their first exposure to the Revenge of the Sith story.

The Way I See It: A fun, simple though at times frustrating romp through the adventures of Ben Tennyson which will keep young fans of the series entertained, and the rest a little lost and confused.

Overall, there just isn't enough here to justify your time or your dime. Risen's got some depth and some detail, but you won't be able to get around the frustrating controls, irritating character development and levelling system, difficult combat, and sheer unfriendliness long enough to enjoy the story or the visuals.

JAM Live Music Arcade actually helps you develop your hearing through a musical interface that you can control. This amazing software is easily worth the 800MS price point it's asking and if you enjoy music or music games, then it's a must have addition to your gaming collection.

So while the Crash series really doesn't bring anything new and exciting to the table with this new chapter in the story, its still a fun game to sit down and run through.

Overall SSW is a decent game and you'll find some fun for a while with both single player and multiplayer.

The Town of Light’s narrative is incredibly heart wrenching, and at times very disturbing and difficult to watch without eliciting some sort of emotional response. The ending I received will be remembered for quite some time, and I appreciated the short live action summary once the game was concluded, but that made me realize something very important; The Town of Light would have been much more engrossing and powerful as a short film instead of a game, it simply feels like the wrong medium for such a tale.

While the potential for what one could do in the video game world of Constantine was unlimited, it is ultimately not realized due to the fact that action is the same throughout the whole game and is only carried by adding a slightly different objective for each stage.

For 800 MS points All Zombies Must Die does provide some entertainment, however with the absence of online co-op play, lackluster graphics and sound, this is a game that will become very boring very quickly.

What Kung-Fu for Kinect does better than most games is make you sweat. Seriously, 10 minutes in and you’ll be needing a drink and a towel. It’s a very physical game, and swimming punches and kicking repeatedly can become quite tiring.

At the end of the day, whether Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island is worth a purchase will depend on what you’re looking for and how much you’re willing to spend. Longtime platforming fans who’ve been looking for something to tide them over will find things to like about what is a decent game, while others may balk at a $15 price tag for just three hours of gameplay.

Bus Simulator aims to be just that, the defacto simulation experience for not only driving a bus, but all of the other work that goes into running a transportation company for a large city. Yes, many will find the gameplay quite repetitive and dull, but there’s a certain calmness to it that I enjoyed and found relaxing. Yes, it’s a seriously niche game that will cater to a very specific audience, but if you’re in that demographic, there’s no better options out there, even if it’s not very pretty to look at.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 is a big improvement from the previous game in many ways, and while this is a good thing overall, there’s a lot of tedium having to do many of similar events repeatedly. While some will enjoy searching the worlds for the collectables and unlocking all of the trucks, once you’ve completed all of the events and have all the vehicles, there doesn’t seem to be much longevity afterwards. For those that really enjoy monster trucks, Steel Titans 2 is a fun excursion as long as you keep your expectations in check and want to have some mindless fun with larger than life trucks.

While I’d categorize Firefighting Simulator - The Squad more of a simcade than a pure simulator, it does have some enjoyment to it regardless of its many shortcomings. Even though it has a lot of ‘jank’, I found myself trying to do just one more mission until the late hours of the night. Aside from playing alongside from friends though, there’s not much longevity here, as the gameplay loop doesn’t change from start to finish. On a half-off sale I could recommend Firefighting Simulator - The Squad for a few hours of entertainment, but at full price (currently $38.99 CAD), it’s a bit too pricey for what it offers.

As with the first game, Overpass 2 is not what one would consider a traditional racing game given the events you participate in and the sim-like management of your team. You will be frustrated when you first start playing, even if you’ve gone through the tutorial, but push through and it gets somewhat better. Like the original, the foundations of something cool is here. I know when I reviewed the first game, I hoped that there would be a sequel with improvements in various areas, and although there are some, Overpass 2 still has annoyances that continue to hold the franchise back. The experiment of the first game continued with the release of a second, but the result is one that feels like it could have used more time. So, the major question is: “Dare I wish for a third kick at the can?”. In some ways yes, but they need to take the time to make improvements, or the third time could be unlucky.

As for Crackdown 3’s value, there is no doubt that you’ll get your best ‘bang for the buck’ if you subscribe to Xbox’s Game Pass given its inclusion in the subscription service; however, as a game that you buy on it’s own, it is somewhat tough to recommend as a must buy at such a high price. In the end, Crackdown 3 could have been so much more, but for what it is, it is a title that you just put your brain on pause, work at getting your “kills for skills”, blow sh*t up and save New Providence city, while sometimes taking a break to play in the Wrecking Zone now and then. It’s a simple premise, but it is one that can be fun.