Despite its age, Melty Blood is a deep and engrossing fighter with a lot to offer. Whether it’ll have a lasting place in this ever shifting anime fighters market is unclear but I’m glad to see it finally released in the States all the same.

Dungeon crawlers are rare, and even more so on Xbox consoles, and this one is definitely worth unwrapping for players that have the time and patience.

Cold Darkness is another fun DLC release, but again it’s one that won’t last players long. If you prefer to play these extra modes over and over again, it’s considerably worth checking out. Yet that’s the problem; these feel as if they should have been in the core game or in an extra menu or bonus mode at launch.

Ratchet and Clank is a prime example of a genre of game we don’t get too often anymore. Top that off with the fact that it is immaculately constructed and this game is a must own for every PlayStation 4 owner. Insomniac Games continues to prove why their games are always highly anticipated, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Stranger in Sword City is a brutal and uncompromising experience that’s well worth overcoming. It features some interesting gameplay ideas along with a terrific art style and an OST to match. If not for its few notable flaws, it could have easily been the best dungeon crawler on the Vita.

Newcomers can jump in, old fans will experience lots of ties to the previous games both visually and lore wise, and if this is indeed the final Dark Souls game in the series, it went out with its monster arms swinging high! It’s fitting that the end would come like this, not dead and buried but at the pinnacle of its hollowed life.

Gryphon Knight Epic is one part fantastic, with a touch of frustration. With a few tweaks and some better design it would be something I could easily recommend for everyone. As it stands though, grinding to upgrade my abilities simply holds the title back from being great. Still definitely worth checking out though when time and money permits, or if you happen to catch it on a decent sale.

Overall, Nights of Azure is a rather unremarkable ARPG that just happens to have a gorgeous art style and a fantastic soundtrack. Even though it’s not likely to become the new flagship franchise for the developers at Gust, it’s a solid attempt at a new genre and a good distraction until the next Atelier title releases later this year.

Stories is a game that has a lot of heart. Sure, there are plenty of things in this game that I have seen before in some form or fashion, but it never stopped me from having a fantastic time with it.

I hope the narrative goes deeper as each episode progresses but if episode one is anything to go by, it should be an exciting and engrossing ride.

Overall I liked this episode much more than the first. It was exciting, I had a moment of shock, I felt angry, I felt hatred, I felt more feelings in this episode then anything the first provided. Maybe that’s how it was planned from the start? Though it feels like it’s building up to a final showdown and the anticipation for the third and final episode in the miniseries is dreadful.

I’m not going to pretend that Enter the Gungeon is for everybody, it’s not. If players can’t stand the idea of starting over from scratch mostly after each death or don’t have an appreciation for games like Binding of Isaac, there isn’t much to change their minds here.

Republique has a great dystopian style world and a set up that had me hoping to overlook its simpler graphics, dated animations, and odd stuttering moments but the one thing that could have pushed this over the edge is fun factor, and that simply wasn’t there.

MLB: The Show 16 is one of the best baseball games I have ever played. Granted, I haven’t played many in my life, but this one really does have some great things going for it.

The Resident Evil fans should really pick this up even if it isn’t the best game in the series.

Hyrule Warriors Legends feels rough in several areas, and most of it is likely due to the hardware constraints of Nintendo’s handheld. There is simply too much going on at a time for the little system to keep things in order.

What shocks me the most is that this was a Kickstarter game, and actually managed to get funded. It has all the hallmarks of one of those games that sneaks on to Steam and sells for two bucks, but still manages to make you feel like you’ve been ripped off. Avoid this game like a well used litter tray; it’s more of a dog than a cat!

Quantum Break is a Remedy shooter at its core, and fans of the developers know what to expect coming in. The merger of TV and gaming has been sought after for years, but they have somehow managed to pull it off. It works, and that is probably the biggest shock out of the entire package.

Salt and Sanctuary is a great game- built on a solid combat engine and a world that begs to be explored. If it weren’t for the numerous bugs and the pedestrian difficulty, it could have been something truly exceptional.

DiRT Rally is a tour de force for rally games, and a return to form for Codemasters. It is brutal, unforgiving, and most of all extremely rewarding for those that enjoy true rally games. It is not for everyone, and its simulation aspects will turn off a ton of gamers, but those willing to stick with it will find one of the most finely-crafted racing games of the generation.

The gameplay which I would say is part platformer, part destruction, part puzzler, all feels rather well done. The interface is a little basic, the story is throw away, and at times and the screen tearing can drive me absolutely bonkers when it happens. Otherwise I found an extremely enjoyable and unique title.

Slain! has the looks of a classic 8-bit inspired game, but in execution, it is a mess and a half. I really think the game is not finished.

Trillion: God of Destruction is a game with a unique concept, expertly executed with clever mechanics and solid writing. It’s easily the best I’ve seen come from Idea Factory/Compile Heart, and an experience that reaffirmed some of my own personal traits not just as a gamer, but as a human being. If you fancy yourself brave enough to face Trillion, be wary – you too might not be prepared for what’s in store.

For gamers anxious for a great puzzler that they can hit the road with, Dokuro is a great choice. Fans of the genre will love the art style, characters, and cleverly designed traps. Casual fans of this particular style of game though may find themselves boxed in by some random spikes in difficulty and some occasional glitches in the touch controls. In the end, those of you looking for a fun and unique experience will certainly be satisfied here.

Racing games are not nearly as prevalent as they used to be, and arcade racers even more so. Trackmania Turbo scratches an itch I had forgotten I had, taking me back to the days of massive arcade cabinets and split second failures. The progression is addictive, and the wacky track designs kept me coming back. This is one racing game I think everyone should take for a test drive.

Senran Kagura: Estival Vesus might not do anything extremely different, but it’s apparent the fan base is perfectly happy with that and, ironically, so am I.

I certainly had my doubts about Pokkén when I booted it up for the first time, but it’s safe to say that it’s thoroughly won me over. The vibrant visuals with some spectacular animations, along with a combat system that’s deceptively deep but simple to grasp makes Pokkén easy to recommend to anyone, whether they be a fan of Pokemon or not.

Fans of UFC will get the atmosphere of a real UFC match, while fighting and sports game fans have enough here to have some good fun.

Cel Damage HD is not going to blow anyone away, but it is a solid weekend romp. It has aged well over the past decade, and for anyone who has never played it, it is a nice change of pace. Still, without online and a severe lack of modes the fun wears thin quickly. This is one to wait for a sale to snatch up.

Everything about Assault Android Cactus feels perfect. From the controls and gameplay to sound and design.

For the Warriors fans that are looking for hack ‘n slash with small RPG elements involved, I’d say go for standard Samurai Warriors 4. It is a much more condensed game that is a lot of fun to play. People looking for more strategy in their Musou games can find it here, but keep in mind, many of the strategy elements can come across pointless after a while.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a gem of a game that deserves to get more attention on its second time around. Those that have nostalgia for platformers from the 16-bit era owe it to themselves to check out this quirky experience. There is a lot to love about the half-genie, and certainly not enough of these types of games currently available on home consoles.

One things is for certain though, The Division is a great step in the right direction for people coming together to take down the enemy or working alone. They might have similarities to others that they have followed in their footsteps, but everything looks to be coming together extremely well and I have faith in the Division’s future.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is a must-have for players that enjoy the series. It is a lot better than my memories led me to believe, and I cannot stress how good the dungeon design in this game truly is.

While not a bad game, it doesn’t actually stand out even with the ridiculous premise.

Given another year or two this might have turned out to be a solid Hitman alternative, but as it stands Alekhine’s Gun fails on every level – poor AI, abysmal frame rate, sub-par visuals, and horrendous shooting.

At the same time, this series is one of the best strategy RPGs I have ever played and while not as enjoyable as Awakening, it’s still a great title and worthy of the Fire Emblem name.

While the core gameplay of Fire Emblem: Fates remains intact and enjoyable, the poorly conceived release model, along with a predictable story that feels incomplete holds it back from true greatness.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Joe Danger when talking about Action Henk; the influence in both gameplay and design is there for all to see. But Action Henk falls short in too many ways, allowing Joe to speed off in to the sunset, leaving Henk in his dust.

For those that never had a chance to experience the action and zaniness of it, this is a solid package. It’s funny, has interesting combat, and a unique fantasy storyline that feels dark, yet whimsical and fun. Just don’t expect to be blown away. If players are looking for a solid if somewhat convoluted action RPG, this just might do the trick. It’s a game done just a little bit better than the original release.

Regardless of the limited content, SUPERHOT is certainly one of the most innovative FPS games I’ve played in recent years, and well worth playing for anyone who’s tired of the same old formula.

Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops is not a bad game, it just has that mobile feel to it that hinders it in many ways. The progression of the player’s soldiers, the slow movement, and short missions don’t really translate well to the controller.

Rocket League lives up to the hype surrounding it. For Xbox One players who have been envious of PS4 and PC players, your moment is here. Everything works even when it shouldn’t, and the game provides hours of entertainment. Solo it is fun, with friends it is a blast. This is not a title to miss.

That aside, what you see is what you get, more walking dead, more split second choices, and dialog (with excellent voice acting as always) This won’t create any new fans of the series or bring anything extremely different to the foray, but it’s still a solid first start to a 3 part miniseries. I do hope the other two episode play out just a little longer than the 90 minutes this lasted, but otherwise, I’m definitely down for the next episodes.

Gears of War Ultimate edition seemingly does well enough on PC and everything that was on the Xbox One version is offered here.

Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign for Xbox One may be late to the party, but there has never been a better time to jump in. For players who have already treaded these waters, there isn’t much here for a revisit, but if this is your first time, it is well worth the investment. With tons to unlock and great core game play, this is one puzzle game I can see myself sinking plenty of time into before all is said and done.

Hitman GO is a unique spin to a franchise and feels like the perfect combination of puzzle and strategy game, especially in quick bursts. I can only handle so much in one sitting, but every time I do play, I find myself sucked in just a little bit more.

Full of heart, charm, atmosphere, and survival, it’s one river trip worth taking.

That said, I absolutely loved my time with Primal though and to see a game set in this time period, with no guns, and with high production values just seems completely experimental and bold.

Mega Man has never been known as a walk in the park when it came to difficulty and this port tries its best to stay true to the original feel. Fans new and old should most certainly check out this collection. I highly recommend it.

With a cheap price tag and bland visuals, this is an easy title to ignore. However, for anyone who enjoys character actions games with deep, engaging combat, I cannot recommend it enough. I found myself tearing through repetitive wave after wave because of how much fun the combat is. What it lacks in presentation, it more than makes up for with game play.

Hopefully, after a few updates and some online stability patches, this game will be a shining example of a great fighting game. Until then, it is a mess and a half and one that I wouldn’t spend $60 on.

All that being said, Level 22: Gary’s Misadventure is a pleasant and refreshing stealth focused game. Not once did it take itself too seriously, or try too hard. Its light-hearted approach to the genre felt like light relief when compared to games like Volume or Metal Gear Solid. Go Gary, go!

It is a surprisingly competent shooter that breaks the mold, both stylistically and thematically from other titles in the genre. The added single player components and all around improvements make this a worthy sequel that no one should miss.

All in all, Factotum 90 is not a bad puzzle game. I had a decent little time with it and at the cost of six bucks, I’d say puzzle fans should give it a shot.

Unravel is disappointing on several levels, simply because it rarely steps outside the box mechanically to deliver a fun or interesting experience.

For the 15th anniversary and the first Digimon game to be released in the west in over seven years, the fans deserved better than the localization effort put forth here. Still, despite these issues, the core gameplay remains strong and stands as a fun game to play- just not to read.

Yes Layers of Fear has a ton of jump scares yet everything else comes together as well to offer players a feeling of truly descending into madness. Sometimes a game comes along that sees a team of people coming together to create something unique and scary all the same. That’s Layers of Fear in a nutshell and it scared the living hell out of me.

Project X Zone 2 is a deeper, more satisfying experience as it is greatly improved from the original in every single way. It’s a shrine to a great cast of characters we’ve grown fond of over the years, carefully crafted by people who love these characters just as much as we do.

Arslan is a fun distraction and even more so with a friend. If fans of the warrior’s games can enjoy this story and the themes preset here, I see no reason not to love it. I didn’t know anything about Arslan or its history, yet still I was hooked.

Dying Light The Following is a decent length expansion that will last players around ten hours and adds a nice little chunk to the core gameplay that can extend the overall package of Dying Light, even with newer features in the be the zombie mode also.

XCOM 2 does everything Enemy Unknown did and improved on it with more variations as well as some very interesting game mechanics.

Megadimension Neptunia VII is a bubbly game that I could easily see getting worn out with its abundance of releases. However, coming into it as a new player I really enjoyed the ride.

While sparse on content, the actual fighting of Nitroplus Blasterz is surprisingly deep and enjoyable.

Firewatch left me both disappointed but also pleased. The system performance on PS4 is a bummer and I can overlook it, as this is a game about its story and choices in dialog, so performance never affected my input to the gameplay. It just simply feels rough around the edges and it shows.

LEGO Marvel’s Avengers still boasts enormous amounts of content, and those that have not grown tired of the formula will find plenty to justify their money. Still it feels like the series is on autopilot and with LEGO Dimensions still fresh in everyone’s mind it can be hard to justify spending another full sticker price for what feels like a rehash.

The DLC isn’t the best I’ve played but it’s not the worst, it got me really excited, but then was over before I knew it.

Despite these flaws, Final Fantasy Explorers offers a good time with friends taking on iconic enemies from the FF universe- just don’t expect much of a challenge.

Amazing Princess Sarah is a solid action platformer that is fun to blast through, and for $5 it is hard not to recommend it to fans of the genre. Low replay value aside this is an enjoyable romp, granted you have the patience and skills to finish these treacherous castles.

If you have any interest in logic puzzles and want to explore a pretty interesting world, the Witness is a must own.

I cannot recommend this game enough if things like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and He-Man make you smile. This game will have you grinning ear-to-ear from start to finish.

The game play is not going to blow anyone away, but it was interesting enough to keep me entertained for long enough to get my money’s worth out of it.

The one thing Tachyon Project has going for it is its price. $10 isn’t that so much to pay for a game that has a decent amount of content in it. But having played many dual-stick shooters in the past, there is nothing really here that stands out as excellent. Just average.

If puzzles, adventure, mystery, exploration, a race against time with an evil rival company sound exciting, and your PC can handle it, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a can’t miss experience.

Gravity Rush is truly a unique experience.

Clockwork Tales of Glass and Ink will last players around 3 or 4 hours depending on how fast puzzles are figured out or how much abuse the hint system gets. It’s best to just get absorbed into the world they created and figure it out as best players can.

The Deadly Tower of Monsters is unlike anything else in its genre. The theme and presentation carries it for the entire ride, and even though the combat can be mundane at times, the set pieces and commentary more than make up for it. Fans of classic B-movies would be remiss to pass on this quirky action title. Its personality and charm make it worth playing through on their own.

Even with those technical flaws, Atelier Escha & Logy Plus is still an RPG well worth experiencing for those who have not had the chance to check out the original. It’s debatable which of the two versions should be considered the “definitive experience”, so I would simply say that you can’t really go wrong with either.

All in all, Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is still a fun RPG that fans of the previous game will enjoy.

This War of Mine: the Little Ones is pretty fully featured. While not for everyone, it offers a decent experience of survival, base building, and time/resource management. The combat can be weak, and the story or at least the one it’s trying to convey is weak. Still, for the fans of survival games like Don’t Starve, there’s something to be had here.

Oxenfree needs more polish on Xbox One to prevent the crashing, but otherwise it’s a wonderful hidden gem for me.

Being a fan of puzzles games I can handle all the issues at play here, and it makes for an interesting adventure at the least. If the genre never did anything for you personally or you have a passing mild interest, this won’t be the game to convert folks or even give players their money’s worth.

It’s always difficult to talk about pinball tables. While tables are subjective in many ways, I can say I enjoyed my time with both, but had much more fun with Might of the First Order. Both tables are a fine addition to the Zen Pinball series, and fans of pinball should more than likely pick this pack up.

For those that already made the journey though, this PC port feels more like a gesture of good faith, than a reason to return to Gransys. Still for those that have forgotten the glory, or never gave it a chance, this is the version to own. I enjoyed revisiting this forgotten gem, now please can we just have a sequel, oh and make sure it has the original intro song. Still a classic.

Resident Evil Zero Remaster is exactly what the name implies. I had a blast returning to this entry, which is easily my least played in the series. It does enough different to help it stand on its own, even if some of those mechanics are archaic by today’s standards.

Gemini: Heroes Reborn is certainly not a bad game, it is just excessively forgettable.

Get Together will no doubt be an essential purchase to those who are fully invested in The Sims 4. But if you are looking for something to add some deep meaningful content, then save your cash.

There is a lot to EDF 4.1, but nothing about it is going to change players’ minds if they never enjoyed the series. The same rinse and repeat game play exists, the performance is still questionable, and the repetition is real.

Tharsis is a game of management, analysis, and some dumb luck. There were times I found it highly enjoyable, but there were more times I found it frustratingly unfair.

Turok Remastered is exactly what I expected it to be, and I enjoyed the nostalgia trip. I hope they continue with the series, as Seeds of Evil is still my favorite in the franchise. Turok was a series that definitely had its chance, but I don’t think ever got the proper game it deserved. I love revisiting these old N64 titles in a new light, and who knows, perhaps in a few years the dinosaur hunter can once again become relevant in gaming.

While still a fun time, Trine 3 is rather short lived. The game will take most players around four hours to complete, even with the side missions that crop up over time. It’s sad to see, but in those four hours, I had a blast playing it.

I completed Kings Quest Chapter 2 and I muttered to myself “That’s it?” It’s not a horrible chapter, but it’s a far cry from the way the game started out.

In the early hours of Trails of Cold Steel, I was skeptical that it could live up to the lofty standards set by Trails in the Sky. However, after my first year spent as a student of Class VII, I can confidently say that it has, and knowing that this is just the beginning of a new series fills me with great anticipation.

SteamWorld Heist is another gem. The universe and its inhabitants are joyful to play with and kept me coming back for more. Image & Form took a bold step by not opting for the easy route, instead choosing to expand on an already interesting theme. Heist is as good as any full priced 3DS game out there; and in most cases, even better.

DARIUSBURST Chronicles Saviours not only provides an authentic arcade experience for a classic shmup, but also reinvigorates the series by adding a great deal of meaningful content that makes it one of the biggest releases for the genre in recent years.

If everything read up until this point has you nodding in agreement or wanting to check this out, forget the numerical score, the $60 price tag might just be worth it. Otherwise wait for a price drop…if it ever happens.

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is not a good game. Perhaps if there was a single player campaign, some competent combat, or even some unique online modes, it might be redeeming, but as it stands it is a textbook example of how to ruin a great idea.

For five bucks, you get a pretty decent fighting game on Xbox One that you and some fighting game friends can have a fun time with. It is unfortunate to see no online play as this game would greatly benefit from it, but I could see a small grassroots scene for this game at local tournaments if enough people give it a shot, and for the price and what you actually get, I think it’s well worth it.