While not without its list of issues, the length of Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Definitive Edition is deceptively long, the voice acting is quite well done, the dialogue is written well and the world has more than enough lore to get lost in. While its console port could have used a little more care and work, it’s still a great gaming experience if you crave those classic cRPG’s from the late 90’s – early 2000’s and want a classic D&D-like experience.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the true sequel that fans have been waiting for. The Unreal Engine 4 powered visuals brings the series into 2020 while Toys for Bob has kept to the original source material while adding some new gameplay elements, a personal touch so to speak. What has also made the jump (no pun intended) to this sequel though is the difficulty and control issues of the past. I really do wish the game was more accessible to new and younger fans alike, as some people may be turned off by this, but I don’t think it’s fair to heavily penalize the game for this fact, as it still is what made the series what it is. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is truly the best game in the series and I do hope we see another one on the upcoming next-generation consoles.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Port Royale 4 being a newcomer to the series, but came away with an appreciation for the simulation and management aspects of its gameplay. While it may seem a little steep being fully priced the same as a ‘AAA’ game, there’s plenty of value within if you’re a fan of these strategic and management type games. It’s very overwhelming to get the hang of initially with the slew of menus, but once you setup some trade routes and figure out how to best trade, you’ll soon be the new conqueror of the Caribbean.

I had a decent enough time with Party Hard, and I look forward to replaying some of the levels to mop up the rest of the 1000 points in achievements. It is a pretty fun game to just pick up and play and have a laugh seeing what sort of ways you can interact with the environment and its characters. If you are looking for a stealth assassin game you might want to check out the Hitman series, or if you are looking for a crazy murder spree then you might be better off playing Hotline Miami. Poor AI of both the police and the innocent people tends to ruin the core gameplay loop, which is to get in, murder, get out and repeat. When the basic premise of a game is ruined by something that is outside of the players control it leads to a frustrating experience.

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition ended up surprising me in the best way possible. While I normally uninstall games once I’m done playing and reviewing them, this one has stayed in my nightly rotation when my friends are on to do a few runs. There’s so much depth and value here with near infinite gameplay that it becomes addictive, as you want to make your characters that much better with every run, even if it borders on being an arduous grind later on. It’s a lot to take in and figure out, and it will feel daunting at first, but put the time in and find some friends to play with and you’ll easily get your gold's worth with Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition.

The idea and gameplay behind Relicta is interesting, as is the story, but the puzzles become quite challenging in certain sections, sure to frustrate some. While it’s quite a lengthy game for its genre, it does feel like it wears out its welcome near the end, as I just really wanted to finish it and be done. While there’s no reason to replay once you’ve completed the story aside from any missed collectables, I’m still glad I got to experience Relicta and Doctor Patel’s journey across the moon.

On paper, Lair of the Clockwork God shouldn’t work. Blending point-and-click with an indie platformer just shouldn’t work; but it does, and brilliantly, thanks to the amazing writing and dialogue that had me constantly chuckling or outright laughing. While it’s a satire on the genres, it also executes them near perfectly, and simultaneously. I legit had a wonderful time with my adventure alongside Ben and Dan and haven’t laughed this much at a game in quite some time. Two games in one; half point-and-click, half platformer, all hilarious.

Darkestville Castle took me a little by surprise, not because of its quality and great humor, both of which I expected, but how authentic it comes across as. It’s as if Darkestville Castle was hiding away all these years, taken straight from the 90’s and only unearthed now for fans to enjoy. It nailed the comedic aspect and gameplay just right, and although I found many of the puzzles a little too obtuse, I was smiling all the way until the credits rolled and should be played by any classic point and click adventure fan.

Skully has a lot of good qualities about it; beautiful graphics, charming characters and I had an overall good gameplay experience. While I constantly struggled with the rolling controls, I still found reasons to enjoy my experience. Skully is not at all a bad game whatsoever and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great time killer. I think for now, I'll keep rolling through the levels and explore some more!

More than a simple sequel, The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters improves nearly every aspect from the original game, yet still keeps the same authentic feel. While the horror aspect has the odd jump scare, there’s a surprisingly lengthy campaign for Mina to adventure in, even if it does become a little tiresome and repetitive by its conclusion.

For a game that’s so gorgeous to look at, you wouldn’t assume that it’s one of the most challenging and anger inducing ones simultaneously. While it’s going to slap you across the face then kick your ass when it comes to its brutal difficulty, it’s also what makes Okunoka Madness so great for those that love the genre. Even though it’s deliberately designed to infuriate you, I still kept coming back for more and more. Yes, I eventually reached my limit and almost tossed a controller through a window, but I’m also not its intended audience.

Bite The Bullet doesn’t take itself seriously, even for a second. The writing and puns within are written well and quite funny if you take the time to read everything. The eating mechanic is an interesting take on the classic run and gun gameplay, and while it works and is completely unique and full of humor, I kept having to stop the flow of moving forward to eat everything I could. For classic Contra and Metal Slug fans, or someone that has always wanted to eat flying robots and bullets, you’ll find an entertaining few hours on your hands that’s satisfying like some fast food. You are what you eat; literally.

If you’re a Souls fan, you’ll most likely enjoy Hellpoint, as long as you can handle its lack of polish and extremely janky platforming. It would have been easy to write off Hellpoint as a simple Souls knock off, and I almost did until I found a friend to play alongside. It’s unforgiving in every aspect and doesn’t hold your hand in any way, something Souls fans will appreciate. The co-op feature makes it much more accessible for casual fans of the genre like myself, but there’s enough content within to really test yourself with for those accustomed to difficult challenges.

I had a hard time with understanding the purpose of Windbound. The concept set forth is relatively easy to understand but the execution fell flat and left me with more questions than answers. Aside from the graphics being gorgeous beyond expectations, Windbound wasn't a game that I found I enjoyed thoroughly. Some gamers may appreciate the survival mechanics and the overall style though. Windbound for me isn't a game I'd jump on my raft and cross oceans for, so I think I'll set up camp and chill on my island.

While the Battle Royale genre is oversaturated at the best of times, Spellbreak manages to carve its own niche with its wildly unique battlemage gameplay and extremely colorful visuals. With the promise of more modes to come, I’m excited to see how Spellbreak evolves over time, as it already feels decently balanced in its current state and a literal blast to play.

More than a simple coat of paint, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 not only brings back that nostalgia and great memories growing up playing every chance I could, but modernizes many of its fundamentals without completely changing everything about the classics that made it so great in the first place. For fans of the classics like myself, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is a perfect example of how to preserve its original essence as to what made it so great in the first place but adding many improvements at the same time, and for newcomers, there’s no better arcade skate game out there on the market today.

Double Kick Heroes a very fun add to the Game Pass library and it’s a blast to play with friends passing the controller back and forth while sipping on a few adult beverages. The soundtrack slaps and the story and dialog don’t get in the way while you’re trying to just chill and have a good time. Double Kick Heroes knows what it is, and it does it pretty well.

No Straight Roads is far from perfect, but when it comes to everything related to its audio, from the soundtrack to the great voice acting, there’s really no better. It’s clear that No Straight Roads was made with passion and care, and it shows with its uniqueness and visual flair. While I wish the gameplay was equally as satisfying as its soundtrack which elevates the whole experience and more than makes up for its shortcomings, I’m glad to have been a part of Bunk Bed Junction’s fight at taking NSR down and restoring order to Vinyl City while rocking out.

When you start to think of the depth of involvement that trains played in the beginning years of any developing nations, Kalypso has done a masterful job in delivering an experience that will leave you captivated and challenged for hours. Railway Empire is beyond deep with the amount of content and management that you will have to commit to, but at the same time it looks beautiful, sounds authentic and provides a level of strategy that will have you wonder where the last few weeks of your life went. Now when you combine all the DLC that has been released since January, Kalypso has bundled this incredible experience together for only $40 which makes this one of the best investments you can make on the Xbox One and should definitely be experienced.

It’s abundantly obviously that Tell Me Why was made as a labor of love, and my time with Tyler and Alyson, while short, was very memorable. More importantly, it made me learn something new, ask questions and broadened my knowledge to other people’s plights that I’ve never had to personally experience. Not many other games have had the same lasting impact that Tell Me Why has.

Not only does Nowhere Prophet reward you for playing strategically, it feels awesome when you start to unfold your intended plan a move or two ahead of time and finish off the enemy leader. There are some really unique ideas and gameplay elements that actually meld together quite well, making for a unique experience that actually surprised me more than I expected and easily stands out amongst other decks of cards.

Battletoads in general is just a fun, silly and all around interesting game, even if you don’t know what's going on or are up for a challenge. If you ask me, anyone and everyone should jump at the opportunity to give this classic reborn a go.

Rocket Arena has an interesting concept and a great art direction with its Overwatch/Fortnite aesthetic and character design, but with a change to free-to-play, I could see Rocket Arena garnering a stronger following given that players are already being asked to purchase premium currency for skins and a Blast Pass to get the most out of it. While fun in short bursts, it took me quite a while to settle on a main, as many characters never clicked with my playstyle, and the poor matchmaking balancing was quite demoralizing as a new player, though bonus points for incorporating crossplay.

While it may not be perfect with its difficulty spikes, performance issues and awkward controls, it more than makes up for it with its clever writing and amazing narrator. With dozens and dozens of hours of content to be had, Dungeons 3 – Complete Collection is an absolutely hilarious RTS with equally unique DLC.

At the end of the day, We Should Talk is a conversation that you probably won’t enjoy a whole lot, or want to have. Not at its price, at least. If this game was a dollar, it would be easier to recommend, but there’s just not much to it and repeat playthroughs get so very, very tedious because there’s almost no variety. I wanted to like this one, I really did.

While it doesn’t have every official golfer, course and tournament, PGA Tour 2K21 a great start to the series that should no doubt keep your interest until the next iteration. The Golf Club series was a decent golf game in its own rights, but HB Studios and 2K’s new partnership seems to be off to a great start, laying solid groundwork for the series and creating an addictive and entertaining golf experience that anyone of any skill level can enjoy. It’s time to hit the links once again and win that FedEx Cup. Fore!

If you’ve played NASCAR Heat 4, you’ll know exactly what to expect from the latest sequel. I mean that almost literally, as the main complaints from the community is that it’s essentially the same game with the 2020 season liveries and driver updates. If you already own last year’s outing, there’s not much reason to upgrade unless you’re a die-hard fan, but if you’re new to the series or skipped a few of the last ones, NASCAR Heat 5 is a great starting point, even for amateurs to the sport.

Codemasters put Michael Schumacher's name to this game and delivered a racing experience worthy of the greatest F1 driver in the sport's history. An incredibly deep and extensive game, F1 2020 has very negatives which is why Codemasters has released what could arguably be called "The Defining F1 Experience" ever to be found on Xbox One. If you are a fan of racing games, pick this up and you can thank me later. Are you in the market for an F1 racing experience that is quite literally second to none? I give you F1 2020 by Codemasters which I'm calling "A Thank You to Michael Schumacher".

Even with its new roguelike progression structure, you almost always get that ‘one more time’ feeling, wanting to progress just one more node before you turn it off. Combat is exciting and intense, especially once you have a string of good hacks installed. Even though it’s incredibly repetitive at its core, it doesn’t ever feel as if it wears on you. If you enjoyed the original fluid combat of SUPERHOT, you’re going to really be excited for what MIND CONTROL DELETE adds to the mix. While it feels more like a great expansion than a fully-fledged sequel, SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE really is super hot.

While Those Who Remain will only last a handful of hours, depending on how much searching you need to do for the items to progress constantly, the gameplay loop is quite dull and never really changes. I did enjoy the narrative once I started to figure out what’s going on and what Edward’s involvement was, but I eventually just wanted it to end. Sure there are multiple endings to encourage multiple playthroughs to make different moral choices, but I was good once I the credits rolled the first time.

There’s a ton of lore and backstory that Warhammer fans should truly enjoy, finally getting to play as The Adeptus Mechanicus faction. While non or casual Warhammer fans won’t be as impressed or enthralled with the attention to detail and amount of lore within, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is an entertaining turn based strategy game that can offer a ton of challenge for those wanting it as long as you can get over the initial frustrations and learning curve like the pathetic organic lifeform the Mechanicus believe us to be.

Sisters Royale offers a decent challenge with its multiple difficulties, but a very short runtime, no unlockables and lack of any progression makes it hard to recommend other than to die hard shmup fans like myself. You’re encouraged to chase for those high scores, yet there’s no online leaderboards to strive towards or show off with. Sisters Royale is a short lived experience that was fun for a couple hours, but that’s about it, even after seeing each sister’s story to conclusion.

Assetto Corsa Competizione is one of, if not arguably, the best racing simulator you can find on the Xbox. Sure, it may serve you some humility with a side of humble pie, but if you stay with it, it will become one of the most rewarding racing experiences you can have on the platform.

While Night Call may be perceived as a simple visual novel by most, and it is at its core, it’s not only compelling but has a unique and interesting backdrop that all comes together well. While it takes a case or two to really get the hang of the best way to play and spend your time and money, it’s a distinctive experience that I’ve glad to have played, even if the gameplay becomes repetitive over time. With dozens of characters to interact with and many branching dialogue trees, there’s plenty to talk about, even if it’s just a few minutes with the stranger in the back seat.

It makes me happy that THQ Nordic and Purple Lamp Studios took their time to make a proper remaster with more than just a simple shiny coat of paint, and it shows in the final product. Other than the multiplayer being a slight issue, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a solid choice for any SpongeBob veteran. It's not very often that a classic is showcased so well that it even makes me reminisce of how awesome my childhood really was. I've always been a fan of SpongeBob SquarePants, from the TV Shows to their games back in the day, and it still makes me happier than Mr. Krabs seeing money, especially this remaster. Well, I gotta keep exploring Bikini Bottom to help stop Plankton!

Disintegration had amazing potential and it still does. I do enjoy the campaign, but I can't forgive or overlook the sheer number of faults and flaws that exist within. I hope that V1 Interactive genuinely takes the feedback from the community and improve upon this game because I see the potential, but the execution is what prevents this game from taking flight. Would I recommend this game at its current $49.99 price? No. Half of that and below though? Every day of the week.

I miss old school point-and-click adventures and forgot how much until I got to experience Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition. While it isn’t without its faults, they are easy to forgive when fans of the genre like myself are so starved for anything new to release. While simply putting a new coat of paint on decade old game won’t make it sit amongst the greats, it was an entertaining and peculiar experience filled with laughs and giggles I’m glad I got to experience, even if I had to look up a walkthough more than a few times to see the credits roll.

Once I figured how to best utilize the dual currency system and escape with my rope as needed, I started to enjoy my time with Demon’s Tier+ much more. While the grind is long and arduous, there’s plenty of replay value within for those that want a challenge to unlock everything it has to offer, including multiple tiers. Highly addictive twin-stick gameplay combined with tough-but-fair roguelike elements make for quite a decent experience overall, one that had me trying “just one more time”.

Atomicrops could have been an amazing roguelike, and I say that wholeheartedly. I usually really like roguelikes for their fast pace and cutthroat nature of them even if I'm not overly skilled at them, but I do quite enjoy them. The lack of focus with gameplay really made this experience difficult unfortunately. Sadly, I'll have to get in my UFO and get transported somewhere else. Until next time, earthlings.

Project Warlock is an interesting blend of nostalgia and modern but works quite well overall, save for a few minor issues. I can appreciate someone loving a genre so much that they want to create their own take on it, but it’s even better when they succeed, like they have here. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but for those like myself that grew up on 2.5D games like these, I came away more than impressed.

I would have never imagined that taking Pac-Man’s core gameplay and spinning it into a hacker game with a cyberpunk backdrop would make sense or work, but here we are. Cyber Protocol may be repetitive at times and challenging with its trial and error difficulty curve, but at least the soundtrack is absolutely kickass throughout. I’m a sucker for anything cyberpunk, and if it has a kickass synthwave soundtrack, consider me sold. Needless to say, Cyber Protocol checks both of these boxes.

The Persistence nails the eerie tonality of a horror sci-fi set in space, but has an interesting enough narrative that stands out, even if it only comes in small chunks when you finally make progress. Mechanically it may be a little clunky with its VR roots left over, but the audio is so finely crafted that it makes for an immersive horror experience, even if it’s one that probably won’t get much replay, if at all, after you’re finished your mission.

One slight problem I came across, which wasn't mentioned in our original review, is that sometimes there is this graphical shifting hue that seemed to make focusing on navigation and targeting a real challenge. It didn't happen often but was distracting and really took away from the feel of the game itself. I wish it wasn't there, but it's a small price to pay for a fun and entertaining experience. For $49.99 World War Z GOTY still brings about a lot of enjoyment. I do though wish that they dropped the price to $39.99 (which oddly it is if you get game pass ultimate) because the content that is technically "new" outside of the zombies and the 3 stages is all cosmetic and things that have been released already.

If you enjoy puzzles games and have a like-minded friend, then We Were Here Together should definitely be looked at. I figured that since I reviewed the previous game with a friend, I would try this one with a different one to see if I had the same result in communication breakdowns. Sad to say, the results were almost identical, even with a completely different friend this time around. When frustration sets in and things don’t make sense, I promise you, you’re going to end up blaming your co-op partner, regardless if it’s their fault or not. We Were Here Together will give a cooperative adventure unlike any other, but it will surely put your friendship to the test, one that I almost failed, again.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Maneater, but what I got was an odd mixture of Grand Theft Auto for its threat level and Assassin’s Creed for its map markers, all while being a shark. While it has its flaws and can suffer from fatigue in long bursts, it’s also a unique experience (I’ve never heard of a shaRkPG) and can be quite entertaining and comical. Oh-oh, here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up. Oh-oh, here she comes. She's a maneater.

There are moments in Moons of Madness that are fun and interesting, but they are spread pretty far apart by backtracking, menial tasks and simple puzzles. The voice acting, the environments and your characters animations are great, but the story is all over the place and after its six hour campaign it is very easy to forget.

I admit, I completely misjudged Super Mega Baseball 3 from its cartoonish looks, expecting a wacky baseball arcade game with a ton of over the top power-ups. What I got was a pretty decent baseball simulator that just happens to have a cartoony aesthetic. Don’t let its visuals fool you. Super Mega Baseball 3 may not be officially licensed by the MLB, have actual team or players, but it does offer some decent baseball gameplay for casual or serious fans of the sport.

Overall, I found myself quite happy with Minecraft Dungeons. Developer Mojang Studios, along with Double Eleven, have taken the Minecraft franchise into a new realm as an ARPG that succeeds on many levels. Sure, the game may not be as deep as the hardcore ARPGs out there, but its simplicity, along with the hidden depth of character management (e.g. artifacts, armor, weapons), makes for a deeper game then some may initially think. The fact that you can be any level of gamer, from casual or new to a diehard one, and enjoy the game’s content is a testament to what they have created. You can’t go wrong with this title, whether you play the standard version on Game Pass or if you decide to purchase it outright on its own.

While Arcade Spirits won’t be for everyone, especially since it’s a visual novel at its core, it’s really meant for gamers of my generation that have fond memories of going to arcades back in the day and craves that nostalgia. Even though there’s no real ‘gameplay’ aside from dialogue and decision making, it’s done in an interesting way with a narrative that, while quirky, had a lot of charm to it. More than a simple story about working at an arcade in the year 20XX, Arcade Spirits tries to delve deeper into something more meaningful with its array of interesting characters, though it’s completely up to you how you want to forge your relationships.

It’s obvious that a lot of work and care went into crafting the unique experience Telling Lies gives, it simply takes some out of the box thinking to really appreciate and hours of patience to piece it together. While I enjoyed the outcome and its complexity, it’s tricky to recommend unless you’re the type of person that would enjoy snooping through hours of private video conversations and can somehow keep track of it all.

While MotoGP 20 will be challenging for novices, it’s still accessible with its assists and options to make it possible to still be competitive in races eventually, though it will take quite a few hours to get to the point of actually winning as there’s not much in ways of a tutorial to ease you into the gameplay. For vets and MotoGP fans, there’s enough here to keep you challenged and tons of new additions that should appease you for another year until the next season starts.

While flawed, especially when it comes to controls and a quite short runtime, I still enjoyed my time with The Inner Friend. I may not have completely understood all of its symbolism, but if you take it like more of an experience than a game, you can appreciate it more without your typical expectations. Bizarre and odd at times, but surreal for the majority, The Inner Friend tells its story through fantastical imagery, but it’s up to you to determine what all of it means to you.

Deliver Us the Moon isn't perfect; in fact at one point the game broke transforming my screen into a rave light-show you'd have to warm people with epilepsy about. It's hard on the eyes, the challenges can feel impossible on their first shot, you control like a block of ice filled with helium but I'm glad I played it. It's different and doesn't demand much. It's a relatively short and sweet game with a story to tell and is done in a way that makes you listen. Maybe, should the developers feel compelled to fix a few of these problems, Deliver Us the Moon could go down as a truly great game. But, until that happens, I guess we'll have to settle with an okay game that shouldn't be passed over with at least some consideration.

Sim fans are surely the ones that will get the most out of Construction Simulator 3: Console Edition, especially those that know the industry, and even though it’s very rough around the edges and visually dated, I still enjoyed my time with it for the most part, aside from the constant battle with the camera and controls.

SnowRunner is a huge improvement over the game that preceded it. It is also a title that can be challenging but yet rewarding. The visuals are top notch, the audio brings the in-game world to life and the control and game camera are much more fine-tuned. Yes, there are a few hiccups now and then, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. If you are looking for an off-road simulation game that is not only different from the rest out there, but one that will give you a challenge and a lot of gameplay, then you can’t go wrong with SnowRunner, as there is no better game in the genre.

With a Story and Arena mode along with the two included DLC’s, there’s plenty of content to sink your teeth into if you can get over the cumbersome and confusing menus. Once you learn its intricacies and how to upgrade your characters efficiently, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition becomes a much more enjoyable turn based card battler. The writing is well done, combat is incredibly strategic and there’s plenty of depth for anyone looking to be a space mercenary and earn their citizenship while fighting aliens and raiders.

HyperParasite is an interesting concept with fundamentally decent gameplay, but where its shines is its heart, as you can tell a lot of passion went into this project. Having seen it evolve over the past year and a half proves a lot of work has gone into making it the best game it can be. It’s hilarious, has tons of pop culture references and more than enough glowing neon that you’ll know what to do with. If you’re a twin-stick shooter fan, HyperParasite is worth checking out and infecting the human race for as long as you can handle its challenging difficulty.

If I were to recommend Gigantosaurus to anyone, it would be best suited for kids aged 7-10 years old, and fans of the show of course. I feel like the story is basic enough to understand that kids will hopefully feel engaged. I will not recommend Gigantosaurus to anyone over the age of 10 years old though. I find that a certain people will enjoy this, but I feel like the negatives are outweighing the small positives Gigantosaurus has to offer. As for my view, Gigantosaurus should have developed a little more before coming out of its shell. Gigantosaurus: the Game is simply a gigantic basic kids game and nothing more.

The story is interesting, characters have growth and mystery, acting is done wonderfully and the multiple endings means you’ll always have some sort of surprise by the time the credits roll again. My first ending was dramatically different from my second, so I’m glad it wasn’t just minor differences for the outcomes as a way to sell the multiple ending angle. The real question is, will you choose to smash or blow up the toilet?

Sayonara Wild Hearts is more of a hyperactive dream pop music video than it is a video game, and that’s a great thing when a lot of what is released these days is gritty post apocalyptic shooters. Sayonara Wild Hearts is a breath of fresh air, an absolute joy to play and has some of the most interesting achievements this achievement hunter has ever unlocked.

As an MMO, Bless Unleashed it perfectly serviceable, but those that want to make rapid progression are going to be sorely disappointed and frustrated with many of its draconic design choices. MMO’s are hard to review, as they are constantly evolving, being updated and changing with what the community and developers want. As of this point in time, I can certainly recommend giving Bless Unleashed a shot since I still find myself logging on every day, and given that it’s completely free to play, there’s no real reason not to. Be warned, as you’re in for a long and arduous grind if you stick with it, and it’s incredibly challenging when it comes to combat in the later dungeons, but I only expect Bless to improve in many facets in the future.

I honestly expected Roundguard to be a simple Peggle re-skin, but came away very surprised that this wasn’t simply a 'shoot and wait' experience. On paper a roguelike dungeon crawling Peggle game shouldn’t really make sense or work, yet Roundguard has manages to give an exciting experience that is just as addictive as the game that the genre is best known for, and in some ways, surpasses it with its depth.

There’s no doubt that Underhero was made with a lot of love, as it shows in nearly every aspect, not just its visuals and audio, but the clever writing and depth of the gameplay. While you’ve probably not heard of it, Underhero really is fantastic experience start to finish. While I normally love betting on the underdog, you’ll definitely want to bet on the Underhero.

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.

No game is perfect and I don’t believe giving a game a 10/10 means that it is perfect. However, I believe that Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a masterpiece that deserves the highest praise that I can give it. Moon Studios is a shining example that a small team working with a lot of heart and passion can create something beautiful, fun and challenging. It expands on the original in every way and you will not find a better game in the Metroidvania genre. I personally can’t wait to dive back into the game on a harder difficulty.

Darksiders Genesis is heavily flawed. If you're thinking it's simply Diablo with a Darksiders skin you're going to be disappointed. Darksiders Genesis is a cheap Diablo knockoff that doesn't provide the same spectacle that made the previous 3 games the iconic status that they are. Despite all of that though, I LOVE DARKSIDERS GENESIS. Yes I'll tolerate the worst map ever, a camera and movement system that makes me want to hunt down the developers and deal with all the problems of level design and boss development, because I enjoyed playing the hell out of it. A game doesn't have to be perfect to be fun and Darksiders Genesis proves that to be true.

For newcomers, WARRIORS OROCHI 4 Ultimate is easy to recommend if you simply want a mindless button masher, enjoy killing thousands of enemies with ease, don’t mind outdated graphics and repetitive missions and audio. There’s not much thinking involved unless you’re trying to follow along with the narrative and keep track of the insane amount of characters, but generally gamers that play Musou’s know what they are getting into. If you’ve ever played a Dynasty Warriors in the past, you’ll also know what you’re exactly signing up for, albeit with a ton more content this time around.

Two Point Hospital to me is one of those games that I will love for a very long time and I'm so glad I waited for it to come out on console. It was well worth the wait and easy to recommend because of how much fun it can be. I enjoy planning out how my hospital will look, how much staff I have on shift and how much money I'm planning on making. The graphics and animation alone are of good quality and it was so refreshing to play a great game that flowed very well, made sense and looked amazing all the way through. Now, I'm sorry, I gotta go. I need to deal with a group of patients coming in suffering from being lightheaded... oh well, off to the De-Lux Clinic!

While some of the puzzle solutions are a little obtuse at times, much of the progression will simply come from trial and error and talking to everyone you come across. Edgar: Bokbok in Boulzac never takes itself too seriously and contains a funny, strange and wacky story that’s worth the journey, even with the minor frustration. While I did expect it to have more humor, Edgar and Precious had enough moments that made me smile throughout, as it should for you as well, just wait for a decent sale though.

Rebellion absolutely killed it with this release of Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Everything we love from the Sniper Elite series is tailored into an intense yet amazing experience that will satisfy any zombie craving you could ever want. When you take a game concept and simplify it, you have a greater chance at perfection and Rebellion came damn close. A few graphical bugs were really the only negatives, which is honestly, an amazing thing to say given how other top tier games have far more going wrong for it. Priced at $49.99, Zombie Army 4: Dead War is one of the best shooters for value that you can find on the market.

For around $5 you can experience an interesting Danmku game that is retro inspired but lacks replayability and features unless you want to constantly try and beat your own high score. With an online leaderboard I would have had more motivation to play long term, but you’ll even attain all the achievements in just a handful of runs.

I wouldn’t usually categorize a game as ‘metal’, but that really is the best description for Valfaris. I’m not great at Valfaris, given its challenging and difficult gameplay, but I never really became discouraged with it to the point of an uninstall or great frustration. I’m slowly making progress and is an easy recommendation if you’re into challenging games with a retro look, feel and kick ass metal soundtrack.

The amount of content is within is quite decent and I have no complaints with regards to that, especially since most puzzles, unless you're a puzzle wizard, will take you about 20-35 minutes to complete. I'd recommend this game to anyone who can see past the mundane nature of a puzzle game with a few quirks here and there. As for me, I'll leave the shards right where they are for now.

Rugby 20 is certainly a passable experience for the sport, one of the better ones in previous years, but it doesn’t do much more that’s exciting. The lack of licensed teams was its biggest letdown, but those wanting an authentic Rugby experience really has no better option out there right now, even if it’s a moderate try at best.

Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame 3 adds a few new features this time around, though none make it feel like a drastically different game from the previous year(s). While it may just feel like another lap around the track, it is a slightly smoother go this time around.

The Mosaic means to me that you can paint your own picture based on what you choose. If you choose to stay in your bubble, not taking chances or try anything new, you'll never grow and you'll stay miserable. If you choose to embrace what's around you, a whole other world opens up. With the glitches, UI issues and visuals aside, Krillbite Studios did well. The Mosaic is easily a game you need to try out and experience. As much as I want to keep playing Blip Blop, there's a whole world out there. Time to put the phone away for a while and do something different for a change.

I enjoyed my time with Journey to the Savage Planet, not only for its simplistic gameplay and exploration of an interesting and beautiful planet, but especially for its humor. Even the way that you hold items in your left hand throughout is funny, as is every email and commercial you receive on your ship. Typhoon Studios has created something special in their very first outing as a developer, and while it may not be perfect, it sure was an interesting Journey to the Savage Planet.

While many might find a point and click adventure like this mundane and basic, it’s a widow into the past, showing how far gaming has come in such a short period of time. While some might find the length disappointing, it’s at least priced to match at just a few bucks. If you’re not a master at puzzle games, you might get an hour or so of gameplay out of it, but for most others, Without Escape will easily be beaten in a single sitting.

While it’s obvious at times that this was originally a mobile game that’s been ported, given its extremely repetitive background music and uninspired enemy variety, I still enjoyed the gameplay enough to stick with it to the end. The writing has some humor to it, but is cliché and predictable as can be. Even so, for whatever reason, this has easily been my favorite KEMCO title to date, even if it feels like I’ve already experienced much like it before.

The world and narrative does a great job of immersing you into a bleak and desperate world, only to be constantly taken out by long loading times, pop-in textures and terrible combat. While I wasn’t a fan of the survival elements, those that enjoy their challenging games should thrive with the difficulty. You can’t save everyone, sometimes not even yourself, but Pathologic 2 surely is an experience unlike any other, for better and worse.

Sometimes you need a break from all the shooters and action games. This is where Fishing: Barents Sea Complete Edition comes in; when you just want to sit back, sail your boat across some open water and commercially catch some fish for some profit. Just be prepared to sink a ton of time into it if you want to make any real progress.

If you’re a twin-stick or roguelike fan, Dead End Job is worth a look, even if it’s not perfect and does suffer from repetitiveness quite quickly. While I enjoyed my time with Hector busting ghosts, it’s a fun little title to play on a long weekend with its variety of enemies, items and levels. A completely serviceable title that fans should be able to sink a few hours into before moving on from their dead end job.

Going into Disney Classics: Aladdin and Lion King I had a good idea of how punishing the game would be along with some classic graphics and sounds. However, with the rewind and auto-play features in the game it made the punishing levels a bit more tolerable, or at the very least, a whole lot less time consuming. With these tweaks, if you haven’t beat these titles as a kid, then you have the tools to do so, and if it’s new to you then you will definitely not have a problem.

I do feel that if you're going to pick up Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, prepare to be patient and be prepared to have zero help from the UI or prompts to help you along your journey. Ater playing this for an extended time, I feel like Hyena bait, not quite the queen of the jungle that I should. As I said above, when a video game isn't willing to at least teach you the basics before throwing you in the deep end of the jungle and waving you goodbye, that's a big red flag for me, a big red flag I can't ignore even with the graphics and audio being stellar.

While there’s a plethora of technical issues, I’m hoping these will eventually get fixed, as aside from the bugs, Blacksad is very well written, contains a ton of twists and turns and takes place in a fantastic 50’s noir backdrop. I admit, Blacksad is generally more interesting because of its anthropomorphic characters, but it surprisingly doesn’t feel out of place or odd once you get sucked into its dark world.

Music based rhythm games are one of my favorite genres, and it’s been quite some time since I’ve enjoyed one this simplistic in premise, but challenging at the same time. Obviously your enjoyment will depend on how much of an AVICII fan you are and if you want to challenge yourself to climb the leaderboards, but if you fall into those categories, AVICII Invector is a great way to spend some time experiencing the work of the late, great AVICII.

I really enjoy puzzle games, even those with some steep challenges, but for some reason, Felix The Reaper frustrated me more than usual with its steep difficulty, and moments of ‘fun’ were far and few in between. Levels should only take a matter of minutes, but when I’m repeatedly trying one for over an hour, it’s hard to not let the frustration set in. If you really want to challenge yourself then Felix The Reaper is a great choice for those that truly want to test themselves with some punishing difficulty. For the more casual puzzle fans, it’s hard to recommend as you’ll get stuck quite early on, something that even Felix’s charm and dance moves can’t overcome.

Bioshock is my favorite game of all time, and the Helios drew me into its environment and story very similar to how I was drawn into Rapture 12 years ago. The story telling and voice acting are all top notch and are backed up by an atmosphere that many Bioshock copies have tried to mimic, but I felt never got quite right. Close to the Sun is a joy to play through if you don’t get too frustrated at the chase sequences and as long as you like hunting for collectibles to fill out some backstory.

Simulacra is one of those games that you don't expect to be a horror game, but when you start playing, it's extremely clear that something's not right, and even for someone who usually steers clear of anything horror, I still enjoyed it. Was it my cup of tea? No. Was it mind-blowing to the point that I was speechless? Again, no. But, that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it! Folks that like horror will find this game very interesting and potentially creepy. I now feel I need to clear my cache, browser history and hope whatever was in Anna's phone doesn't come to mine.

With the release of Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Editions, Beamdog has once again delivered an experience that will last well over 200 hours combined and produce stories that will captivate your imagination and leave you spellbound. What would normally cost you $49.99 is currently on sale and can be found for only $29.99, which makes this release from Beamdog a must have for anyone who is a fan of RPG games.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts offers a lot in a surprisingly small package, however, with all the glitches and errors, there is just some guilty pleasure I get when I drop a sniper from 500m+. With a lackluster story mode that means relatively nothing, some graphics that are good but not great, an army of glitches at its disposal and no bullet X-Ray kill cam, this game is far from perfect, and at $40 maybe even a bit overpriced. When you think of all the content you get for that price however, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts just may be on your radar.

I didn’t expect much from Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure before I started it. Now that I’ve finished it, though, I’m quick to admit that I was wrong. While this game won’t set the world on fire, and isn’t the latest Batman: Arkham Asylum, Toy Story 3, Cars 2 or Marvel’s Spider-Man, it’s pretty solid and enjoyable. Kids should enjoy this simple platformer and may even find fun in going back and finding all of its collectibles. Don’t expect something that will have tons of replay value, though.

In today's world, you can pay full retail price for a RPG experience and most people expect a grand cinematic interactive experience, and an overwhelming majority of the time they are disappointed. Not in the pretty graphics, or the sounds, but in the story. Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 provide what could arguably be called the greatest RPG experience ever found on a digital platform (even better than Final Fantasy VII). Yes, the graphics are dated, but now they are 4K dated, and the audio sounds better than ever before, and the story you find in both games is the reason why for $49.99, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Editions is the best value for money that ever existed on any outlet to date.

While at first glance Children of Morta may simply appear to be another typical roguelike RPG hack and slash, it all comes together in a wonderful and charming way, making you forget that you’re generally repeating dungeon runs back to back. While the lack of online co-op was really the only negative I have, the rest of the experience with the Bergson’s was a very memorable and entertaining one throughout.

For those seasoned anglers, you’ll appreciate just how much detail went into the over 1000 items, nearly 150 fish, numerous fishing holes and detailed gameplay. While I may be a fishing beginner, I really appreciated just how in-depth The Fisherman: Fishing Planet really was while also never feeling too overwhelmed with its steady mission structure or the option to freely do whatever I want and still progress. If you’ve been curious about the sport, or simply can’t wait until next summer to do the real thing, The Fisherman: Fishing Planet has more than enough content to keep you busy until the next fishing season begins.

At the end of the day, Need for Speed Heat is a decent arcade racer that racing fans will enjoy, but shouldn’t be expecting a top tier title like others in the series or in comparison to premier arcade racers like the Forza Horizon. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a new Need for Speed game, this brings police chases and big crashes to an average at best title.

If I was to score the game solely on my experience and comparing it to others in the genre, it would have received a much lower score for its lack of track variety and dull gameplay overall, but I’m not basing this on my experience; I’m basing it on my daughter’s, who now gets to play a video game as one of her favorite YouTube stars. If your youngster is a Ryan’s World fan, they’ll certainly enjoy this youth friendly outing with Ryan and all his friends for a few laps around the track, even if it can’t hold a flame to classics in the same genre.

Pig Eat Ball is one of the most creative, weird and oddly satisfying indie games I’ve played in quite some time. Weird is really the most descriptive way to put it, as there’s nothing really like it out there. Even still, there’s hours of content to be had and plenty of laughs if you’re like me and can’t get over that you need to earn pearls from bearded clams.