While I have a lot of issues with the core game I am happy to see the series return. I really want to see the original trilogy get an update it deserves. Would love to play those games again as they are genuinely some of the creepiest games I have ever played, and not for the wrong reasons. Maiden of Black Water just feels like something thrown together to gauge interest in the series return. I wanted to love it, I forced myself to finish it, but I just want the series to return to its roots.

Going in fully understanding that this is basically a NES game at heart with all that implies, you might be able to endure and find some charm in the classic formula.

Sadly Astro Boy boils down to a decent game that simply doesn't manage to be a whole heck of a lot of fun. The flying levels are truly inspired and serve to be the highlight of the game, but when they make up so little of it, it is hard to recommend the overall package.

Raskulls is certainly not a terrible game, just one that will quickly wear out its welcome.

Valkyria Revolution is a title that undoubtedly suffers due to the comparisons to its superior predecessor. However, when viewed as a standalone title, it features an interesting story with a cast of characters well worth exploring. Even though the combat engine is dull and flawed in many ways, it’s serviceable for the scenarios that the game presents and at a bargain price, you could do worse than pick up Valkyria Revolution.

Fighting game fans that are really hardcore into the genre and have some friends that would like to play this locally are really the only ones I could recommend Chaos Code to.

Speed Zone is not a terrible game as much as it is one that seems to try too hard to impress.

Clunky controls and redundant gameplay all point to the guilty party: mediocre game design.

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.

Despite the outside-the-box premise and the unboxing mechanic, this package is a by-the-numbers platformer with a few rough edges. Feel is a huge part of a platformer and in that regard, Unbox: Newbies Adventure is fine for the majority of the time, that is, until the physics decide to freak out.

Power Rangers: Super Legends is a game that will only appeal to fans of the show. The textbook action sequences have been done before and much better in other DS games.

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.

There are a lot of fighting games currently in gamers’ minds, and Dissidia does little to steal any of that mindshare. Without the Final Fantasy characters it would just be considered a mess. The fights are overly long and just not that enjoyable to play. The single player content is sparse at best, and playing online requires constant communication and teamwork that doesn’t feel as rewarding as it should. I tried and tried to love this game, but it kept fighting me at every turn. There are too many great fighting games out there currently to recommend sinking time and resources into this one.

Heart&Slash is a fun game marred by issues that should not plague this type of game. Frame rate stutters, a sporadic camera, and a seemingly useless dodge roll are almost dealbreakers in an action game of this type. Still, when I had a good run it felt good, and I can see the intentions of what the team was trying to achieve.

I would recommend Technomancer only to those extremely interested in the setting and going into it full well knowing that this RPG has issues.

While I don’t think Quantum Rush Champions is a bad game, it just really doesn’t have the “oomph” that other games in the same genre do. The AI can be a pain at times, and the frame rate can drop in some instances that can take you out of the race. At a discounted price, I think fans of this type of game can get their money’s worth out of it, but I would wait for at least a $5 price drop.

In the end the Fighting Force Collection is more of a curiosity than a compilation of classics. Some people have nostalgia for the first game, it was decent. The second game, however, should have remained forgotten. Core Design started strong and ended with a whimper and I would rather remember them for titles like Tomb Raider and Soulstar, and not the travesty that is Fighting Force 2.

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is not a great game, but for those like me who still dream of reliving my childhood, Escalation scratches that itch. The collection of characters make it worthwhile, but not at $60.

The simplistic combat lends itself well to the Wii remote and the special attacks really liven up the otherwise dull back and forth battles.

Kill la Kill The Game: IF is a unique title for sure. It lacks depth and breadth but makes up for it in wackiness and style. Fans of the anime will likely enjoy it, but fighting game fans in general will most likely pass this one by. There just isn’t enough here to make it stand out among the crowd. One thing I can say about it though is that nothing is ever likely to be as bonkers as far as fighting games go…oh who am I kidding?

It saddens me to see one my favorite game series put forth such a weak effort and at the same time see it be localized so poorly with little effort and consideration.

I recommend that if you are thinking of getting this game, try and get three of your mates to get it as well. Then, get your Ghostbusting ass online for some co-op. That way, you may feel like its money well spent.

I recommend that if you are thinking of getting this game, try and get three of your mates to get it as well. Then, get your Ghostbusting ass online for some co-op. That way, you may feel like its money well spent.

High on Life 2 capitalizes on what made the original interesting with its guns and boss fights and falls apart on almost everything else. It feels like it isn’t quite finished when it comes to performance and image quality, and a lot of the humor falls flat. I really loved the original game, but the sequel is much harder to recommend. Thankfully it is on Game Pass, so if you subscribe the barrier to entry is low. Otherwise, I have a hard time recommending this one at full price.

Those who love nostalgia will find plenty of it, but others may want to stay away.

Air Conflicts: Secret Wars is far from a bad game, but it doesn't stand out among the current slew of titles. Not to mention it is a genre that console gamers have all but forgotten. Still, if you have a love for classic dog fighting, then there may be something here for you.

Hardcore fans of the series should give it a look, as long as you can get past the out-of-place story, and fans of the strategy genre will find a little solace here, but everyone else need not apply as Star Trek: Conquest is too simple and too bland to warrant its price tag.

The multi-player is still addictive and beefing up your baller is simple enough for anyone to enjoy, but the problems float a bit too close to the surface for fans of the genre to ignore.

The Amazing Spider-Man for Wii U is a true disappointment, coming out almost a year later with very few added features and diminished visuals.

Titanic Scion is a step forward for the series in some areas but still weighed down by the same problems that kept the original from reaching greatness. If you loved the first game, you’ll find more of what you enjoy here, and the mech customization remains a highlight. For everyone else, it’s a stylish but middling action game that struggles to stand out for long stretches. The original game had a lot of post-game support and with any luck Titanic Scion will as well, because currently it sits firmly in the ‘meh’ category; just another fun, forgettable game.

Instead of a glorious celebration of all things Atelier, Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists comes off more like a misguided attempt at creating a spinoff by toning down all the elements that makes Atelier games enjoyable in the first place.

The track design is superb and there really is an amazing game buried underneath the problematic controls. It is a shame that most people will never be able to experience it due to frustration.

With a colorful cast of characters and some inventive fight mechanics Legend of the Dragon isn’t a bad game; it just doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from the pack.

Code Shifter is a neat idea that simply does not do itself any favors. The game play is fine, just uninspired. I wish it was more fleshed out with more variety in combat and design. The ideas are there even if the game play falls short. Code Shifter is a game aimed at such a niche audience; I wonder if it will find one at all.

The Sims 4 is not a bad game. In fact, I had a great time with the gameplay of watching my Sim learn, grow, and find love in all the goofiest ways I could imagine. It really felt both simple and deep at the same time, and either way you play it, you’ll find something to keep your attention. Unfortunately, the controls are going to be a chore to use more times than not,and even after getting the hang of them, you may still dislike them. I know I did. If only the controls were as good as the game, I would recommend it in a heartbeat to players looking for that simulation game with some goofiness, but with the controls the way they are, I would suggest sticking with the PC version if you can. If you do decide on getting the console version, be warned, you will need to get used to the controls and even when you get used to them, you will still find them difficult to use.

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.

Super Bomberman R is a decent game that asks too much to jump in. I get it, the Switch launch is lacking titles to purchase, but I still cannot recommend this title at its current price. I would wait. This is a fantastic $20-$30 game, and should have been priced accordingly.

A Knight’s Quest has moments of brilliance. I wanted to love it a lot more than I did. I feel like this template could truly be something special to fill a void these other consoles have without a proper Zelda clone. Still, it finds ways to annoy me at every turn. Fix the exploration, backtracking, and mechanical glitches and it could be something special. As it is now it is just another title that will get lost in the sea of games hitting this time of year.

For as good as the narrative construction is, the game falls short of modern standards. At 8-10 hours, it's worth a weekend rental to enjoy the story, but it's hard to recommend a purchase for anyone other than hardcore Silent Hill fans.

Guinness World Records the Video Game isn’t a bad game, but in a market with so many other “party” type games available like Raving Rabbids and Mario Party, there really needs to be more done in order to make this game stand out.

Amikrog gets a lot of praise for its ease of use, its visual style, and soundtrack. Yet its puzzles seem lacking or confusing. Some are just frustrating. None of the puzzles felt really inspired or gave me that “AHA” feeling. Instead, it just felt like I was going through the motions or getting lucky.

Risk: Urban Assault, while flawed and bare-bones, has renewed my interest in Risk. Risk’s biggest issue, pacing, is only half-solved in Urban Assault with the “Fast AI” system. Most Disappointingly though, it lacks any semblance of a campaign.

Carmageddon: Max Damage is fun when it accomplishes what it sets out to do, but the disappointing online and limited modes really drag it down. If it had launched a little cheaper it would be an easy recommendation for fans of the original games. As it stands though, it needs a little more polish to be worth checking out.

Leisure Suit Larry is a franchise that most have forgotten, and others never really cared about. I loved the idea of his return, and after playing it was certainly a nice trip down memory lane. That is about all it is though. Those that have never played the series will find little here, and people like me who have fond memories of the franchise will chuckle at the return, but likely run out of steam before it concludes. Still, the ride is certainly worth checking out if you recall the name Larry Laffer.

I wanted to love LocoCycle, but in the end, I just liked it. It has moments where I had a lot of fun with it, and others where I was forcing myself to play another level. This is probably my least favorite TP game to date, and that is depressing.

I have to give props to Light Tracer for attempting to take a classic genre and flipping it on its head to fit in VR. In some areas it shines, but it is where it counts the most, in the controls, that the game just falls short on. If you have a PSVR collecting dust, then there is value in picking Light Tracer up and giving it a try, if only to experience a platformer in VR. But I would recommend maybe holding off for an inevitable sale.

NASCAR Arcade Rush is disappointing in a lot of ways. I was really just wanting a simple Daytona-style arcade racing game and instead I got an uninspired and frustrating kart racing game with little to keep me coming back. I wanted to love it, I tried to love it, but at the end of the day I went back to better games in the genre. I really want the arcade racing game to have a renaissance, but with entries like this, I doesn’t look likely in the near future.

A mixed bag: lots of good ideas mixed with bad execution. I feel that this was a missed opportunity. If the game had a few more months of polish, we could have had two great racing showpieces for the 3DS launch.

For the most part, it’s a decent Scrabble game that friends on a couch can play and not get into arguments on whether what they played is a real word or not.

The striking visual style, the intriguing premise that’s expertly tied in to the gameplay- it all felt like it was going to be a special experience. But at the end of day, the poor balancing of difficulty and dubious mechanical design choices makes this one really hard to enjoy and even harder to recommend.

Smurfs Kart is a decent racer that is a nice alternative for consoles without Mario Kart. It simply doesn’t have a lot of staying power though. I was done with the game before I finished the main tournament mode and I didn’t find myself coming back to collect stickers. Some type of unlock system or some more unique and inspiring tracks would have gone a long way. Still if you love the Smurfs and enjoy Mario Kart, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Asterigos is a weird game in that it feels like it was so close to being excellent. The weird mix of mechanics do not gel well and parts of the game simply feel unfinished. Still it is a fun romp that could get much better with some patches and tweaks. I think the team behind it did a great job for their first game and hope they continue to get chances to make more. There are good ideas and characters here, it just feels like it needed more time or a bigger budget to reach their vision.

It is a weird package that feels like it made decisions to feel different as opposed to making it a better experience. I loved the original game; I still feel it is the best Supermassive game of this type. This remake feels unnecessary and at times worse than what is already available on the PS5 patch. I am all for remakes and remasters when they give players a chance to check out games not available on that platform. Until Dawn Remake is neither of those things and in fact is a worse experience than the game already available.

Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers is game made for the fans. With around fifty characters to play as, three full story modes to experience and a netcode worthy of the modern age, it’s a title I feel hardcore fans of the series can enjoy.

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.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is an example of a good idea gone wrong. The first game was such a huge step in the innovation of the genre but, since then, online implementation has come so far, and the team behind this series seems to have fallen behind.

A stronger emphasis on an overarching narrative, more flexible range of actions on the field and a proper save system could have made “The Masterplan” into an excellent game. Without all that, it’s merely serviceable.

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.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is an example of a good idea gone wrong. The first game was such a huge step in the innovation of the genre but, since then, online implementation has come so far, and the team behind this series seems to have fallen behind.

Pirate Pop Plus is a neat little game. There’s no going around that. The gameplay is simple but still tight and fun, the progression is there, but runs out of steam within five longer sessions. This is the kind of game that would be a nice time waster every once in a while, but most certainly not for longer sessions. Even then, with the gameplay being so simplistic, players may find themselves bored after two or three sessions. But there are some decently fun times to be had.

Blades of Time is a game that people will forget before they even know about it. However, for those that play it, you will find it has a certain charm that makes it worth seeing through to the end.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is not as fun as Orcs Must Die 3 but there is still some enjoyment here. Coming up with creative trap lanes and watching the orcs run helplessly into them is always a joy. And the fact that the game is on Xbox Game Pass lowers the barrier of entry to test it out; at least if you have Game Pass. But with brutal difficulty, playable War Mages whose albitites just feel lackluster and no real narrative to speak of this entry feels more like two steps back in the series rather than one step forward.

Hyperdimension Neptunia is a decent concept that is poorly executed. The story is forgettable, especially after spending countless hours watching poorly acted cut scenes that have no bearing on the story whatsoever.

There’s nothing inherently broken about Castle Storm, it just tries to do too much for its own good. It doesn’t help that the base concept is still very derivative either, and I couldn’t shake the Angry Birds vibe I was getting throughout.

Probably the most disappointing game I have played this year. It had potential to be one of the most original titles to come along in quite some time. However, the mechanics of just about everything are not the punch line and truly make the game unplayable in certain portions and outrageously frustrating in others.

Dead Island Riptide is by no means a terrible game; it’s just not very fun to play for very long.

Overall this game is a great concept, but considering it is supposed to be Kinect focused it did not succeed. The majority of the time I spent playing was with a controller. The motion controls did not work well enough, and no doubt if they were more precise, I would be giving it a better score. Perhaps with a future update, the game will function as intended, be less frustrating and more fun.

Probably the most disappointing game I have played this year. It had potential to be one of the most original titles to come along in quite some time. However, the mechanics of just about everything are not the punch line and truly make the game unplayable in certain portions and outrageously frustrating in others.

With a combination of linear levels and uninspired level design Fall of XANA does little to entice players into the wonderful world of the show.

Burnout CRASH! suffers from a developer who has take a very simple premise and tried to beef it up make it worth the 800msp asking price.. The only fun mode is Rush Hour and that really isn't worth getting the whole game for.

Plagued with repetition and just poor presentation.

Fruit Ninja Kinect isn't a horrible game, and I would be flat out lying if I said I didn't have fun with it. However, where the original succeeds with a quick load time and short-burst play, the Kinect version simply can't hold up.

Ridge Racer for the PS Vita is the epitome of disappointment. With a serious lack of options and content, racing fans will be let down at every turn by Namco's latest offering. The game is good for a quick pick up, and only then, the appeal wears off after one or two races.

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.

Sure, it is a new map and story, but it is just the same old thing. The DLC lacks the humour of the original game and didn't have the same affect on me. If you must get your Kefling fix, then this will do the job, but I would recommend waiting until it goes on sale.

I can't say I had a bad time playing Clan of Champions, but I can safely say I didn't have a blast with it either.

For your money, it’s not a completely terrible title for big fans of pure stealth titles. Just don’t expect anything amazing.

A disappointing affair that simply does not live up to the expectations of its fans. Casual action gamers may find enough here to warrant a play, but even at that, the short campaign and lack of extras really drag down its value. The useless online mode doesn't help matters, and the convoluted story isn't even worth trying to follow.

Crescent Pale Mist is a very strange game where everything works, but not the best that it could.

It borders on almost too easy at times and the adventure is short, but it will deliver the fundamentals of the past time as well as moments of brilliance thanks to the diverse mechanics. Unfortunately for this little warrior his adventure arrived a decade too late.

With poor motion detection, fewer options and clumsier design, Let's Dance doesn't keep time with the competition.

I recommend renting the game if you have even the slightest interest in either genre or if you find it at around the $30 mark then don't hesitate to indulge. However, don't expect it to change the way you play either type of game.

There is a fun little romp tucked away in here, but you have to dig (and play the game with other people) in order to find it.

There is a fun little romp tucked away in here, but you have to dig (and play the game with other people) in order to find it.

It’s a shame that Monochroma ended up this way, as there are sparks of brilliance buried within. There is a real quality to the sound and level design, which really add to the atmosphere and the puzzles could have been challenging with a little extra work. But the poor controls and the frequent frame-rate issues hamper this puzzle platformer. If you liked Limbo, do yourself a favor and go and download Inside instead.

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.

It’s a short experience and I get what they were going for. I feel like after about two play sessions, most players would get everything they could out of it. There is an online leader board that players can chase for the high score, but other than that, there is not much replay value. Granted, it’s a six dollar game and one that has some easy achievements for those achievement hunters out there, but for the shmup fan, there are better ones out there. If you’re looking for a parody game with some tongue in cheek commentary, there are some here, and a decent shooter to go along with it, but let me be the first to tell you, this is a two-hour experience at best.

The concept is a sound one but the technology simply falls short. I would love to see this idea fully realized and perfected, but I fear that hefty price tag and poor reception may hinder future iterations in this direction.

With its simplistic game mechanics and lack of diversity Happy Feet isn’t going to set the world on fire.

While not going to blow anyone’s socks off, No Time to Explain is an ok game. The platfoming using the laser beam can get frustrating, especially after realizing it revolves more around dumb luck rather than pure skill. There are some unique things to be seen here, but I would highly recommend a price drop at least.

If Tecmo KOEI had poured as much new content into the game as they removed, it would have been a worthy, albeit campy, sequel. Dumb fun is fine, but Ken’s Rage 2 is a ripoff.

Wreaking havoc in the UFO and Big Willy mech is a blast, and there are several genuinely laugh out loud funny parts. In the end, however, its flaws keep it from living up to the example set by its predecessors.

Saborus is a unique concept that simply fails in its execution. This could have been a gem but instead remains forgettable. I wanted to love it more than I did, but it kept fighting me the entire way through. While the novelty is there, I cannot recommend this game outside of a curiosity on something like Game Pass.

If I come off angry it’s because clearly the developers of Supraland know how to make a great game, but I grew so tired of the more obtuse puzzles that I got to the volcano and quit. It just wasn’t fun anymore. In conclusion it’s the puzzles being such a big focus of this game but seemingly such a small focus of the development that I can’t recommend this game. Sure, others might get a kick out of it, but to me it doesn’t work as a puzzle game, the combat isn’t there enough to really comment on outside of it being okay, and the exploration is hampered by the puzzles so ultimately Supraland is a puzzle game that doesn’t really work. When the puzzles are good they still aren’t great, and that’s unfortunate.

An unfortunate victim of movie tie-in deadlines. Saber Interactive should be commended for what they accomplished with such a short production schedule, but at the same time it is hard to recommend dropping ten bucks on anything that lasts less time than the actual move it is based on.

What is a competent platformer with satisfactory puzzles is marred by these terrible moments of me dying repeatedly to unfair AI. The snarky part of me wants to place a picture over the complimentary parts of this review just like this game puts stuff in the foreground so I can’t see what I’m doing just to prove how annoying that is. This game isn’t bad, it’s annoying. With moments of really solid gameplay peeking through maybe pick this one up on sale but otherwise there are better games doing similar things out there. Pick up Unravel 2 instead.

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

Squanders a tremendous amount of potential with questionable controls and a general lack of polish.