If you're a fan of the Sniper Elite series of games then this game is going to be one you want to have in your collection, though only when it goes on sale. Instead of thinking of this as a complete ground-up rebuild of the game, Sniper Elite V2 Remastered just got a brand-new plastic surgeon. So, while the game looks revitalized on the outside, on the inside it's still a 7-year-old game that maintains the internal faults.

At the end of the day, Team Sonic Racing isn’t exactly the game I was hoping it would be, nor is it incredibly close. It’s a good, very competent and fun kart racer, but it doesn’t have as much content or as much of a wow factor as the two incredible games that preceded it. Still, I don’t want to sound as if I don’t like this game or think it’s above average, because I do. It's a good, competent racing game, but doesn't have the wow factor or staying power that I was hoping for.

More entertaining than the slew of games themselves is the bonus and extras that were included. I really hope that other retro collections take note going forward, as SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is the new baseline of effort needed to truly grab someone’s attention, though hopefully they won’t price is as exorbitantly high as this one.

RAGE 2 is a game that is easy to recommend to people who like and are in search of good open world shooters. A masterpiece it is not, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing. Although it’s not as great as I was hoping, I enjoyed my time with this sequel and am glad that I played it. It might not be a masterpiece, but it’s a fun way to spend ten or twelve hours.

There’s a lot of depth and strategy to Fission Superstar X, it’s just a shame that the difficulty is so astronomically high that most won’t get to experience most of it before giving up, as it will take some dedication to make any real progress. Even with constant death and restarts, I enjoyed my time carrying out Doctor Leopold’s orders, well attempting to, as I’m still working on trying to blow up Earth.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark got its birth as a Kickstarter game and delivers everything you want in a 2.5D tactics game to produce an experience that delivers such an enjoyable gaming experience that it surpasses a lot of bigger games at full retail pricing. Beautiful graphics, an incredible soundtrack, a decent story and exceptional gameplay and character development that holds no equal make Full Seal: Arbiter's Mark one of the best RPG tactics games you can ever play.

I came away quite impressed with the amount of fun I was having with the dozens of historical ships and finally being able to lead my shots many kilometers away from my enemies. Suited for the hardcore or casual, World of Warships: Legends has no barrier of entry aside from having to wait for it to download. It’s free to play so there’s no harm in giving it a shot, and you don’t feel as forced to sink money into it as you do with World of Tanks.

I doubt that I need to admit that I was happy to see the credits roll on UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure. While I went in with an open mind – as someone who’s played a lot of kids games and been impressed by more than a couple – I never enjoyed my time with this one. All it did was make me wish I was playing other games, even mediocre ones that I’ve yet to finish. It’s nothing but a series of incredibly repetitive and forgettable fetch quests that offer little in the way of fun, and comes with an absolutely absurd price tag to boot.

While it’s unfortunate you don’t get to play as Brad Pitt, or have much of an overarching narrative tying all the mini campaigns together, World War Z scratches that Left 4 Dead itch that I’ve been craving for a few years now. While it does eventually turn into a grind, facing off against swarms of hundreds of rushing zombies, it never ceases to impress with its technical prowess and core fun of shooting a mass of zombies.

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.

I didn’t realize how much I really loved the original Shadowgate until I started up this remake and heard the iconic opening music. If you were like me and grew up on the original Shadowgate, you owe it to yourself to pick this version up to experience the difference three decades can make. If you’re new to the title or genre, it’s still a great investment that will challenge your puzzle solving skills, even if it can be a little obtuse at times.

If any time at all is spent on polishing up combat and the introductory segments of the game, then Outward could find itself in a much more favorable situation, but unless numerous patches or a sequel are in our future, then we may just have to accept this game for what it is: not great. That isn't to say that there isn't at all an audience for a game such as this. If you get off on diving into the unknown in a truly old-school way, only this time without an instruction manual, then you might consider giving Outward a try. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

While Vaporum does post some entertaining puzzles, they quickly become more of a change of pace tactic than actually something worthwhile. This sad reality combined with the previous disappointments and letdowns means that in all good conscious, I cannot recommend purchasing this game for $24.99 when you can get better dungeon crawlers for less money. When your game thrives on a quality story and entertaining gameplay mechanics, and both of those areas become lackluster and suffer, thus hindering the enjoyment, then it's time to move on. Vaporum may be set in a steampunk environment, but the game itself ran out of steam.

Don’t get me wrong, Gang Beasts is frantic and fun, and there is enjoyment to be had. With 19 different arenas you won’t feel like you are having the same fight over and over, and the environmental hazards that most levels have add a unique spin that creates some memorable moments. Triggering a catwalk collapse on one of the tower levels and seeing my buddy panic and jump his way up the stairs and still fall to his death was one of the best moments I had with this game. Unfortunately, the combat and controls really hold back what would be a fun party game with your friends.

Windscape was an odd experience for me. While I enjoyed the Skyrim-like feel to many of the mechanics, it simply felt like a poor man’s Skyrim for the whole adventure. There’s nothing inherently wrong or poor with Windscape at all, it simply didn’t do anything to impress me and I never really got that sense of vast accomplishment, even when completing a dungeon and defeating its boss. Windscape is completely average, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s tough to keep your attention in the long term.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun took me by surprise and I’m going to have to start thinking of Zen Studios as more than just a great Pinball developer. It packs a decent story, memorable characters, robust combat strategy and challenge, a huge world and plenty of playtime. Currently in Xbox Game Pass, you’re able to try it out right now if you’re a subscriber, but even if not, I wouldn’t feel any guilt recommending Operencia even at its full $38.99 CAD price tag if any of the above sounded appealing to you. While it won’t be for everyone and has its quirks, it’s a specific game meant for old school dungeon dwelling fans like myself that miss the genre.

If I had to simply think of one word to describe Truberbrook, it would be charming. It’s clear that it was crafted as a labor of love, and the impressiveness with its visual style is beyond remarkable. Games like Truberbrook bring back a flood of memories to my favorite point and click adventures from my childhood, and I can easily add this to my list of my favorites in the genre. While it’s not perfect, it’s remarkable, memorable and pleasure to experience.

I really don’t enjoy being negative towards a game, especially a smaller indie title, but there’s no possible way in good conscience I can recommend Crimson Keep in any sort of fashion, especially at the exorbitant $25.99 CAD pricepoint. There are so many glaring issues mechanically that it was a constant frustration to play, devoid of any real enjoyment and doesn’t seem to be self-aware enough to realize it.

As a JRPG, Bonds of the Skies is perfectly serviceable, but really doesn’t do anything new or exciting for the most part, not that that’s a bad thing, but it won’t leave a lasting impression like some of the greats. Staying to the tried-and-true JRPG format works here but it also feels like dozens of other classic JRPG’s you’ve played numerous times before. It won’t wow you by any means, but it’s completely serviceable and a decent distraction for a handful of hours if you’re craving a new classic JRPG to explore.

Going in to this review I wasn’t sure if Sekiro was going to be simply a ninja re-skin of Dark Souls, but there’s more than enough that’s different, and improved, that it stands on its own within the genre, even if it’s from the same developers. Like every other FromSoftware title, the difficulty is either going to be what drives you to become better, or make you shy away. I believe that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is going to be on many Game of the Year lists for 2019, and for good reason.

The Way I See It: If you’re looking for a challenging and engaging turn-based tactics game and you aren’t afraid to get slapped in the face for your hubris, this game should be on your list.

As someone who enjoys this genre, and always has, I wish that Milestone could strike gold and usher in a new heyday of off-road racing games. They have some building blocks in place, but need to try to take more time with their games and polish them more before release. Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Video Game 2 is hurt by this lack of polish, as well as some dated mechanics and middling gameplay, leaving it a mediocre racer overall.

I enjoyed my first foray into ToeJam & Earl and really enjoyed the childhood memories that it brought out. It’s a solid title for a single player playthrough but the multiplayer may not be for everyone, which is unfortunate because it’s great to see a couch co-op title spread itself into an online experience. Fans of the series will definitely and should buy!

I enjoyed my time with Hyper Jam but I don’t see myself going back to it unless they add some new modes and weapons. The shallow unlock system and lack of weapons in particular really hurt the replay value. Once you clear out all of the achievements, which you can knock out in less than 3 hours, there’s little to return to unless you and your buddies are bored one night and want to punch each other until someone falls in front of a train.

While the gameplay will only last you 2-3 hours, depending on your puzzle prowess and knowledge of Artifex Mundi titles, including the short bonus epilogue, once again I did enjoy my time with it, even if it’s a lot more of the same that I’ve become accustomed to. It seems there’s been two more Queen’s Quest titles released, so here’s to hoping that we’ll get to experience those sequels shortly as well, as I had a calming time with this one, even if it wasn’t their best offering.

For someone that wants to experience the chaos of MX bikes racing alongside ATV’s, and even UTV’s, MX vs ATV All Out Anniversary Edition will scratch that itch. It’s a shame that not all of the DLC is included in this version, but the ones that are will add a decent chunk of gameplay to keep you busy for a few extra hours. While nowhere near a perfect experience, it can be fun in short doses and allows an accessibility for newcomers to the series and genre to enjoy while having a decent amount of depth and replayability for veterans.

Outside of some terrible soundtrack music and gameplay mechanic hiccups, The Division 2 is everything you hope a sequel should be. In today's world it's rare to see a sequel deliver a better experience than the original. The Division 2 does just that. So, to sum things up, buy the game. You can thank me later.

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.