Sons of Sparta should have been a slam dunk, but it just has too much holding it back to be a classic. I loved the idea; it was the execution that disappointed me. I want to know more about the Greek era of Kratos, really looking forward to the remakes, but this origin story falls flat at times and the simplified Metroid aspects are not tailored to the character or the game.

The online component was definitely more entertaining than the single-player game, but it also comes with its own set of setbacks that keep it from being as user-friendly as I would have hoped for. Still PS3 fans looking for a solid JRPG experience will not be disappointed as long as they know what they are getting into.

F1 Race Stars isn't a bad game. In fact I had a lot of fun playing it, especially offline with friends. The problems arise from its lack of creativity in power-ups, and the bland career mode. There just seems to be so much filler for a game that should shine through simplicity. When it gets that core concept right, it excels. The rest of the time you are left wondering why they made the decisions they did. Fans of F1 looking for a solid kart racer (imagine how small that window is) will be pleased, but there are better options for everyone else looking for a solid title in this genre.

Despite its shortcomings, Painkiller is well worth it.

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.

The fact of the matter is the scenarios in the game make it worth playing through alone and the addition of a new type of online play solidify a weekend full of good times. While it won’t wind up on any award lists or personal top ten games of 2007 Kane and Lynch has a certain charm that will entertain fans of the genre long enough to make it a Blockbuster night.

The Move controls may be great, but the game seems irrelevant in the current landscape, bringing nothing new to the franchise, genre or console.

Yonder has some interesting aspects to it, and while they really tried to throw in everything and the kitchen sink into it minus combat, many of them fall flat or shallow. The exploration is the best part of the game by far, and while the other parts of the game may be to shallow for me, others may find enjoyment out of them. Even then, the pacing is well done and players will have a pretty view the entire time. I’d say wait for price drop, but when that happens check it out.

With a friendly price tag and polished visuals you will be hard-pressed to find enough faults to not recommend this game to anyone who enjoys space shooters. While online is sorely missed and the flawed mission design will ensue rage there is still plenty here to enjoy.

Fallen Legion is a title that showed promise, with great 2D sprite work and a combat engine that is reminiscent of Tri Ace’s classic, Valkyrie Profile. However, due to a myriad of factors, it falls short of fully realizing its aspirations due to its humdrum story and chaotic, oftentimes dull combat.

At the end of the day, the humor alone can’t carry this title away from the chains of its boring, repetitive combat and poorly designed world.

I had a great time with this little downloadable shooter, and I think that anyone who is nostalgic for another game of this type, or even a Call of Duty veteran, will find something to love here.

Overall, Warriors Orchi 3 Hyper is a good game, but not a great game. There is lots of fun to be had. Unfortunately, there are some graphical issues and game play repetitiveness, but then again most fun things in life are repetitive in their own way.

For the same price there are much more enjoyable games to be had, and this one is best left in the abyss.

Felix is a fun game; this package just doesn’t pack a lot of punch. One game with variations does not feel worth the asking price. Unless you have an extreme affinity for Felix the Cat this is a hard retro release to recommend. I had a good time revisiting this game, but it just falls short when it comes to value. Only bother if you are a huge fan of the original games.

With an interesting premise and a solid combat engine, Reynatis has the foundations of a good game. However, the myriad of questionable game design choices, ugly visuals and an uninteresting story makes for a hard sell for anyone but the most enthusiastic action RPG fan.

The gameplay is solid and the online mode works fairly well, but a severe lack of features really dampens the experience for those expecting more from EA’s latest.

As a huge fan of Star Trek I absolutely loved this game, I recommend it to all the fans of the show. Unfortunately I don’t think anyone else will suffer through the endless space combat, and the storyline with characters that they have never heard of.

Still, if you have some friends over or some online buddies that have the game and want to have a decent time solving puzzles while trying not to kill one another, Tiny Brains offers some decent fun.

Gotham Knights did an outstanding job at making me really feel like I was a vigilante protecting the city, the immersion level is Gotham Knights greatest achievement.

Although even with its problems I still found myself having fun, trying to figure out your plan of attack when the enemy could drop a satellite on you at any moment, or freeze half your base, and watching those oh so iconic Tesla coils charge up and fry some poor soul who walked just a little too close is always fun.

Unless you intend on playing this strictly with friends I recommend passing on Mario's latest sports endeavor. There are much better party games and mascot sports titles available for the system.

I think when a game is ported to a more powerful platform, it’s a great opportunity to truly make the game shine, not make it worse by omitting key functionalities. Still, for fans of the genre who love beating down countless enemies as cute anime girls and don’t shy away from a serious challenge, they can expect to have a good time with Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors may seem like your standard hack n slash game based on an anime, but with the online co-op, it really makes things fun and keeps things fresh in what is, essentially, an automatic "you win" game.

By the way, the first half of this game is the anime portion. The second half is locked behind finishing the first half and is a new story made for the game where you create your own character and level up and is probably more like the game I thought I was getting. I have heard this second half is decent but I’m not going to slog through this mess to unlock it while listening to the two characters repeat the same lines over and over and over again. I could turn off the voices but that means I turn it off even for the story beats which defeats the point entirely. An update that unlocks that second mode automatically would maybe get me to rethink my score but what this is now, I wouldn’t even tell fans of the show to play it.

While not quite as deep or addictive as Nintendo’s title Hot Brain does a nice job of bringing a quirky niche genre to the PSP and I highly recommend everyone looking for something new a whirl.

If you’re big into side scrolling beat ‘em ups, Dusty Revenge is not a terrible choice for your money; just remember it’s all about the game play over the story and sometimes that game play is a little off.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress is a prime of example of if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Overall, this DLC is around two hours, which is perfectly reasonable for it's price tag, but that all depends on just how much Darksiders you want. With the main game dropping at least 40-50 hours if you do it all, this extra dungeon doesn't bring nearly enough unique aspects to make it seem worthy of the cost considering how much you already got. As a bonus for pre-ordering the game though, it fits it purpose nicely, adding more content to an already outstanding package.

I’m a huge zombie fan and have been for years. I never thought I’d get to see a game combine these two elements together to include an extremely humorous tale.

Players looking for the full Assassin’s Creed experience will be better off with Black Flag, but anyone looking for a more streamlined, less daunting game will find a lot to like here.

It’s simple but deceptively deep and addictive. It’s not the definitive title in the series that will turn naysayers into fans, but at a modest $6.99, it’s a good distraction to have on the go.

Legacy seems to have taken quite a few cues from Dragon Age: Origins when it comes to interesting settings, characters, and plot details and thrown them in with the fast paced action of Dragon Age 2.

Chasing Aurora is fun while it lasts, but none of it has a huge shelf life. Each game type feels relatively familiar, and while novel, none of them scream for repeat performances. It might have been easier to swallow at $5 or even as much as $10, but for $15 this game feels overpriced for what you get. The ideas are sound, but the concept simply fails to deliver reasons to come back. I suggest waiting for a sale or price drop before diving into this unique, but limited title.

After a while, Jagged Alliance became repetitive. While I liked the mechanics and the thought put into the combat, due to some overly simplistic things, I found that doing missions that felt pretty much the same began to get to me over time. Still, I found the entire experience at least interesting, even when the story was kind of dragging along. At the end of the day, Jagged Alliance: Rage! is a decent little game with some annoying bits thrown in. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but it can keep some strategy fans busy for a little while with some fun thrown in for good measure. I’d just wait for a slight price drop before entering this jungle.

In the end, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is nice to see. I love that the series is making a comeback. I just wish we could get the original trilogy on modern consoles. Those games are lost to time and would benefit from just a remaster at this point. Still more survival horror is always welcome and we are truly living in an embarrassment of riches in the genre. I wish it was on the same level as others coming back, but for that we need the original trilogy. Make it happen KOEI Tecmo!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD is exactly what it set out to be; a re-release of one of the most obscure fighting games of our time. The price is really ridiculous, and obviously set to take advantage of the rare group of players who really want the game.

At the end of the day, Gods Will Be Watching is a title I’m sure to remember for some time for its many intense moments, but in the back of my mind, I’ll always ponder what could have been if they’d fully realized their ambitions.

For the price and the amount of game play here, highly recommend this to any fan of the genre.

Bard Gold is a decent little indie title, but it’s one specifically aimed at people who are into these roguelike games. Side scrolling, with a little dose of death and progression goes a long way to keep the game entertaining enough, but it just doesn’t do enough different or interesting things to garner much attention.

A fun and addictive little puzzle game that makes its transition to the PC market well thanks to keyboard/controller support and removal of ads/microtransactions. It’s just unfortunate that the asking price is a bit steep for the content on offer.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia scratches that itch I get every couple years to play a wave racing game. It is rough around the edges, and lacks a good collection of unlockables, but the core racing is fun. For those like me that are tired of waiting on Nintendo to resurrect the king, this is a great substitute.

The story and combat were all engaging and fun, and even the bosses; while certainly difficult they did cause that ‘sigh’ of satisfaction after vanquishing one and as gamers know there is no better feeling coming off a difficult challenge. While I don’t mind the pixel graphic games, I would love to see us move beyond that as the indie developers as a whole seem to be overly relying on them. Omegabot isn’t a bad game by any means, and proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve, in a world where you have to be unique to stand out it stands in the middle of the pack, not great, but not at all terrible, but worth a shot if you are having Mega Man withdrawals. (thanks a lot Capcom)

Players won’t find combat in Lifeless Moon, instead this game is made for fans of classic sci-fi, the stuff from Rod Sterling’s Twilight Zone, the kind of sci-fi that makes you think about it after you turn it off. And for all those reasons I really enjoyed this game, while I did find it overly easy at times moving through the world and the various biomes and figuring out its story was the real payoff, and if you like that type of sci-fi then you should check this one out before you get lost in Starfield.

CoD: RtV is exactly what you would expect from a pint-sized version of its console brother. While the auto-aim and brain-dead AI make the game a cake walk, it still satisfies in small doses which is the definition of portable gaming.

Wheelman is a good game, with a bit more polish it might have been a great one. Having some good dialogue, a great soundtrack, and pretty cool premise helps distract from the pop-in that comes up every once in a while.

Glitches can be patched, but the bigger problem is that the overall feel of the game just doesn't work. The batting is way too easy, even on higher difficulties. The fielding mechanics seemed tacked on to the right analog stick simply for the sake of being different.

Mad Riders is not a bad game, just an unfortunate one. Nail'd is now in the bargain bin along with some of the older MX vs. ATV games, and they are much better. This feels like a stripped down version of Nail'd and one that is not nearly as entertaining. The lack of diversity and progression are disappointing, and the stiff controls don't lend themselves well to this type of game. If you want an off-road racer for your console, there are a lot of other, better choices out there.

Need for Speed Undercover is a solid if not predictable step for the series. The lack of difficulty and frame rate issues are at the top of the list of its problems, but if you are a fan it is worth checking out.

Overall the quirky storyline and the witty dialogue help push The Baconing above the label of 'Another boring button masher'. Those that played the first two games may feel that they have had their fill of Spanktopia; but as a first time visitor, I found it to be a very enjoyable game.

Viking: Wolves of Midgard is a solid clone of the genre, but ultimately feels half-baked. The asking price feels a bit too steep when compared to other games, but I did have a good time playing co-op. I just wish there was more, and it was more polished. This will be a great game when it drops in price, but for $60 it is hard to recommend it over others doing similar things.

It has a few issues, but The Crew is a fun game with an action movie story that I think many will enjoy especially in co-op.

The single player is an interesting concept, but too short to make much of an impression. Playing with random people online didn't provide a satisfying experience, when I did manage to get into a game. Unless you have people to play with, let this one pass you by.

In the end, I think Moons of Madness is an ok game that could have used a little more fine tuning with both the story and the horror/survival mechanics. I would never say this is a bad game by any means, but it is most certainly a forgettable one. I feel like I have seen something like this before in multiple other games and remember them much more than I did this one. At the same time, if you’re looking for a horror game that has some interesting mechanics at times and some decent atmosphere, I would at least wait for a price drop, but would consider this if you haven’t tried it.

I just want to play a great pirate game; I feel like nothing has been able to top the experience of Ubisoft’s 2013 Assassins Creed: Black Flag. Even their own Skull and Bones pales in comparison. Flint: Treasure of Oblivion has an interesting concept by exploring Captain Flint from the Treasure Island novel. But the execution here makes it hard to recommend; ranging from minor issues and frame drops to confusing game elements and a lot of pointless wandering around the maps make this one feel like it should have just remained lost at sea.

Full Frontal Assault takes the series in a direction that seems fitting. It is just a shame that the pieces didn't come together as well as they could have.

Yakuza: Dead Souls is not a good game. In fact, I had almost no fun while playing it, and I love me some zombie slaying of almost any variety. The cumbersome controls, broken camera and poor design really took away the bright spots the game managed to shine through on occasion.

Forspoken is a solid action RPG that sadly falls short due to some of its design. The world is just not that interesting to explore and the weird dialogue can detract from an otherwise interesting narrative. I enjoyed my time with the game and if you do dive in, I recommend simply mainlining the core story as it keeps the repetition to a minimum. If you are a sucker for tons of mindless side content though this game has it in spades. I truly wish it was just more interesting though.

The average core mechanics combined with some novelty touch-screen innovation makes a game that just feels too safe and too familiar. However, if you're a fan of the franchise or fancy a throwback to the days of property exploitation, then you can't go wrong with this title.

All in all, Zombie Driver HD is not a bad game. There is sadly no multiplayer to speak of, which is a missed opportunity in my opinion. Being able to tear up the streets with a friend would have added to the enjoyment. The game does offer enough content for a good time, and the improved HD visuals make the on-screen carnage really pop. If you are a fan of car combat games and killing mindless zombies, I suggest checking this one out.

When it’s all said and done, MX Vs. ATV: All Out is an ok racing game. There’s a few issues here and there with the physics that could get to me, and the fact that if I crashed it pretty much meant a last place finish for me, but I can commend the game for improving from their previous outing with Supercross. I pretty much disliked that game, while this one has some tweaks to the controls and enough content to keep me trying it out. Obviously, only motocross fans should apply here and with the cheaper price, the extra DLC, players can find some enjoyment here.

Storm is a soothing puzzle game that teases the brain just enough without getting frustrating, and that is a win in my book.

Sure, diehard wrestling fans will enjoy the fluid gameplay and the chance to play as some of their favorite TNA stars, however more casual fans will become quickly dissatisfied with the lack of variety.

And if nothing else, the sheer speed alone has me wanting to come back to this game. So pick up a controller, strap on your helmet, and hold on to your butts because Nail'd will give you the ride of your life.

As a whole, Arc Rise Fantasia is a very average game. There is not much that really stands out. The story is fairly interesting, and the battle system can be fun when you are not in a boss battle, but there are many parts of this game that needed to be improved.

I didn’t really talk about the story on purpose, and that’s because its extremely short. While I enjoyed my time with High on Knife, that time is only a few hours to see the story and maybe one more to wrap up side quests and things. And as fun as the new pinball type B.A.L.L. gun is, I had hoped for something that would add a new weapon and a new personality to my arsenal. Alas, the BALL gun is worked by three chubby members of the blue man group and only ever talks in ‘meeps’ and ‘oops’. Again, gun is DOPE and adds a lot to the gameplay, just wish it was voiced like the others. The most damning thing here though is the narrative just abruptly ends. I don’t want to spoil it but while the developer’s kind of make a joke about the ending and how it just fades to black; the overall experience just left me with a lot of questions and an unsatisfied feeling in my stomach.

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.

Despite having one of the most generic titles I’ve heard in a while, Neon Chrome has a lot going for it – a solid rogue-like, with plenty of upgrade options and exciting action. It’s such a shame that the HUD issue put a dampener on things. As it stands, I would have to recommend waiting on this until a patch it released to address the semi game breaking bug.

Overall Super Bomberman R is a great take on the classic formula. I enjoyed what it delivered and the extra characters add that nostalgia meter rise for me. I just wish Konami was bringing them to more franchises outside of this one. Still, this game serves its purpose and it is nice to finally see it on other consoles outside of the Switch.

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

Alpha Protocol is not a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination. Instead it is a collection of truly next-generation ideas wrapped in a last generation package.

The graphics are good, and the game is fun to play especially online.

I didn’t hate King’s Bounty II; I loved the combat system. The hex design and the battlefields are all highlights. However, the things that can be done in-between those fights is where the majority of the player’s time will be spent. And it as much as I usually enjoy exploring RPG’s, there was no joy in navigating the overworld in King’s Bounty II due to the ridiculously slow movement speed. Those that are fans of the franchise will no doubt find much to love here with the fun combat and varied units and even decent main story.

A solid game that overcomplicates its genre roots with its unique twist. Production values are solid, but also bland when considering this is a game with little diversity in the game play.

I didn’t mind Citadel. It was the first of its style that I have ever actually played. I now realize the open world sandbox “do whatever you want” kind of games are not really for me, but I can easily see fans of this genre can have some fun here even with the shallow quest system, some clunky controls and the technical issues.

For 20 bucks, you get a halfway decent fighting game that does very well at trying something a bit different. It has some flaws with its combat, but I still found some combos and strategies to be fun to execute. If only there were some people playing the online, it would have made the game much more enjoyable, but until it gathers a following, solo players will finish its offerings within a few hours. It’s a hard sell currently, but for those looking for a different take on the fighting game genre, there’s much worse games out there to play.

Power of Illusion finds its roots in a classic platformer, and its gameplay lives up to that legacy. Unfortunately, the other gameplay elements really break up the action; object manipulation by painting is novel but awkward, and the side quests are just pure filler. Despite those slowdowns, it's a lot of fun to play. For fans of the original, it's a walk down memory lane, but it's also an excellent platformer that stands on its own.

So how do I review something that I can barely play? I suppose I can start by not recommending it as that section is so brutally unfair that it’s not fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten frustrated at a game but this game got me there. I am disappointed because this game was really cool until that point and I am sure it is really cool afterwards too but I’m not going to sit there and bash my head against something that clearly puts luck over actual skill.

The more I played of Steel Seed the more I felt like that old saying where the kid asks for McDonalds and their mom says they have that at home. Yea, well Steel Seed is like the Stellar Blade we have at home. While the game itself is competent, its greatest sin for me is that it just wasn’t very fun. This seed didn’t bring forth the crop I thought it would, and I suggest just skipping this one.

WRC 3 may have a professional sounding name, but the game is more of a disappointment across the board. The amount of content is both impressive and disappointing at the same time. Nothing here will drag players away from better experiences elsewhere, and the sheer lack of modes just makes it feel like a rushed effort. I really wanted to like WRC 3 much more than I did, due to the fact that I am a sucker for the genre, but sadly it is nearly impossible to recommend to anyone without mentioning competitors in the process.

This is easily a 30+ game, so don’t grab this game if you want a quickie game to blow through in 10 hours, or if you don’t like reading.

The humor is fantastic, the level designs are truly fun and the gameplay is a classic formula that takes no chances, but still delivers a good time.

Skull & Bones isn’t a horrible game at all, but its not the game that we wanted. I mean all they had to do was just remove the assassin’s vs templar story from what they had with Black Flag and let us be pirates. I don’t know, I am just a black guy with a laptop and a big mouth; I am certain that game development is more difficult than all that. Skull & Bones offers some fun and often times thrilling combat, but the downtime and story in-between all that is just not interesting. This game is going to end up being another victim of chasing that ole dragon which is live service game success. Its not for every game, and hopefully, prayerfully developers will stop trying to attain this high and just set this fad out to sea.

Overall, UFO Dad should be given some praise for attempting to break the mold of the traditional match-three puzzle game and adding something new to the mix. However, it is held back by game play that quickly becomes tedious rather than addictive.

While the tedious missions and fussy camera system will likely cause frequent bouts of controller throwing, swinging through the city is still as fun as it ever was and with so much to see and do there is plenty here to warrant your $60.

When you add it all up you get a package that feels poorly constructed. The port feels sloppy, the separation of online and campaign is mind-boggling and the repetition mixed with attempts to be more serious falls flat.

It’s crazy to believe that I can be down on a game that is really fun to play both offline and online. Somehow, Square-Enix has thrown so many things into the game that either you must pay for, or grind for weeks to unlock. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue if it was just cosmetic items, but characters who have different stats and special moves that could possibly throw the advantage to the player that paid money. I just can’t get on board with that. Still, there is a free version of the game for anyone to play and see how they feel about the game. If you enjoy it enough to spend some money, you can, just keep in mind, this game can be really fun, but the grind can be real.

While it may not be completely sure whether it wants to be a solid single player experience or a multi affair, what is here is solid. As long as you know what you are getting into before diving in, you won't be disappointed.

Scrap Metal is definitely a solid addition to the XBLA library and definitely shines when played online.

The Station is a decent outing that falls short in some key areas. I wanted more back story, more intrigue, and more interesting puzzles. Still, I had fun with the short romp and the ending, while predictable, is still fun. I would love to see this team craft a bigger sequel with a proper budget.

Not quite the best licensed game, but still above and beyond most of the drivel currently out there.

Raw Danger is one of those games that will find a small audience that will love it. Despite its technical issues the game offers a solid narrative that is interesting enough to keep players hooked until the end.

The unique art style and characters give the game personality and the level design and action are engaging.

If the idea was to preserve the original experience as much as possible while bringing the visuals up to modern standards, Secret of Mana fails with its slew of technical issues and unimpressive graphic design. If the intent was to forge a brand new experience based on the original, Secret of Mana fails as the dated combat engine challenged me in all the wrong ways and the added elements like voice acting fell flat with poor performances all around.

Ninja Pizza Girl showed a lot of promise. The gameplay was solid enough, a lot of the music choices were great, and there were funny and quirky ideas. Unfortunately, the game frustrated me in several other areas. While the game had many rough edges, I still saw charm and effort put forth by Disparity Games.

All in all, Strikers Edge is a moderately fun game with limited long-term appeal. It’s sincere enough but, ultimately, rather forgettable.

While King of Arcade can be funny, the few laughs it evokes aren’t enough to help this game rise above just being mediocre. There will be some who will see this game as away to relive those memories of playing arcade games in dimly light rooms for hours with friends around cheering. It can be that, to some extent, but the lack of care that’s on display with the actual arcade games themselves hurts King of Arcade, especially when Arcade Paradise exist and did this better.

Despite my less than enjoyable time with Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, I can’t help but appreciate its existence as the precursor to some of my favorite JRPGs of all time. However, as is often the case with pieces of history, it’s best left in a museum to be admired for all future generations.