It looks like a budget game, feels like a budget game and is a ton of fun for the price. Stupid, campy and one of my guilty pleasures for the year.

While it’s not a title that will redefine the genre of beat-em-ups, it can be a relatively good time given you can grab some friends to play with.

Bullet Soul is a little on the short side, even by shmup standards, with only five stages available to take on. However, the Steam version is priced competitively, and like all decent shmups, Bullet Soul provides some decent replay value incentives with multiple characters to experiment with, additional gameplay modes and the never-ending high score chase. While this isn’t the most overwhelming amount of additional content ever seen in a shmup, Bullet Soul’s overall package and price point is fair. It should entertain newcomers and enthusiasts alike.

So if you can put up with the weak control scheme, there are some truly inspiring moments that can occur. Scribblenauts had such a huge vision I can't help but love it, and although sometimes it makes me want to throw my DS across the room, I'm still glad I spent the time playing it.

Realizing just how damn hard Strider gets towards the end and of course just how generic the original Street Fighter game is compared to the sequel are reason enough to purchase this collection.

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.

Kung Fu High Impact is a great Kinect title, provided you aren't expecting a deep brawler experience. It's accessible, since you don't have to mimic specific gestures to succeed, and the tracking implementation is in the top tier of Kinect games. Kids can play it easily by flailing around and mine loved being able to beat up the bad guys with minimal frustration. I had a lot of fun with the game's cheeseball story, and kept finding myself drawn back to it to progress in the story and challenge myself with more difficult custom fights. If you have a Kinect, this is worth checking out.

For Honor is a unique game with an outstanding combat system. The problems it faces are its release window (I mean look at the games currently out or on the horizon!) and the dedication it requires. Casual players need not apply, as you will be slaughtered endlessly on the battlefield. I feel like For Honor will get a smaller, but highly dedicated fan base as it goes on, but for those looking for an approachable experience will likely fall on their own blade.

If you’re a fan of iOS games that you can play in short bursts without much investment, Zombies and Trains is a solid option for only .99 cents. Don’t go into it expecting the kind of addictive experience that you’ll play for hours on end, though.

Again, this is an impossible game to sum up into so many words, and the polarization on how “good” it actually is will never die. One thing is certain though, this experience will not be forgotten for years to come.

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

Bonkies has a place in the party game universe, and it succeeds in making an entertaining night for players that have a good grasp on video games. Unfortunately, for the players looking for a new couch co-op game to play with non-gaming friends, this may end up being a one and done kind of game. Luckily, there is a single player that is pretty decent for when the friends actually do go home. If you’re into puzzle games with a deliberate frustrating twist, this is your game. If you don’t think you can handle the semi-rare feeling of completing a level, you may want to wait for a price drop, at least.

Visually the game works on some levels and fails miserably on others.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a nice throwback in the series. While it is more linear than its follow-ups it still packs a visceral punch worth checking out. For those that exhausted the original it might be a tougher sell, but for anyone that passed it up the first time around it is definitely worth a look. Those slow-motion shots still never get old, even to this day.

LEGO City Undercover is a solid exclusive title for Nintendo’s machine; especially with the severe lack of software currently on the market. If you own a Wii U and can tolerate the shortcomings of the LEGO series it is easy to recommend. Those who have grown tired of the massive collect-a-thons though might find themselves rolling their eyes again at the tedium that ensues.

It seems every time I review a game by the boys at Vicarious Visions I am impressed with what they tried to do with the innovative controls and Spider-Man 3 for the Wii is no different.

It does a nice job putting you back in the zombie infested streets of Raccoon City, and it offers up some decent co-op action for those with the patience to persevere. It may have it faults, but I still think Resident Evil fans as well as co-op shooter fans will still get some enjoyment out of Operation Raccoon City.

Sure it isn’t going to go down in history as a great platformer, but I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it. It reminded me of the progress of our medium as well as the days when every company was trying to get in on the character platform action. I like to see forgotten games get a second chance, and THQ Nordic seems to be doing the legwork. Just spread it out and bring these to other consoles. Everyone should be able to stroll down memory lane at some point.

I was surprised that I came away from Crow Country enjoying myself. As I said, I am not a fan of these PS1 graphics games, I lived thru this era and I am ok that we don’t have blocky and shiny graphics again. But Crow Country smartly focuses on the puzzles and its creepy atmosphere, which it absolutely nails both of these aspects. Combat feels like an afterthought by comparison but honesty its not even a problem at the end of the day. If you are nostalgic for survival horror games of yesteryear, then head down to Crow Country.

Not knowing what to expect with Filthy Lucre and also having some trouble with the game in the first hour caused me to write this game off when I first fired it up. However, after a little play time it turns out that this game isn’t so filthy at all. Filled with cockney rhyming slang and cheeky chappies, Filthy Lucre could be a nice little distraction from all of these big triple-A games that are currently banging on our doors. However, I still don’t know what a Filthy Lucre is.

A surprisingly charming RPG.

Stikbold is not going to set the world on fire, but it is one of the best competitive/co-op experiences I have had in a while.

Plan your actions, think strategically, and a lot of fun can be had.

The poor visuals and hard to read text further alienate this game from users, but if you can manage to look past these shortcomings you will find a unique and truly engaging experience that is well worth your thirty bucks.

TemTem is an extremely well-made monster collecting RPG that in my opinion does enough to differentiate it from the competition; even if just. My biggest issue with the game is the label it has for being an MMO, while it is always online, and you will see other human tamers running around the world and can interact with them; once the story is done and players have collected all the creatures there may not be much left to do outside of various events and tournaments. The developers have stated that they are not planning for any more creatures, or any other expansions; that just seems like an odd stance for an MMO which usually continue for years through more content. If you can get past that, there is an enjoyable story, mechanics and loads of activities and creatures to collect. While players may not be playing TemTem for the next 10 years, if Pokémon games are your jam, then TemTem will offer you a great experience for the foreseeable future.

Still Wakes the Deep is a fun romp for its short playthrough. The lack of environmental storytelling and exploration is really where it falls apart. Still, this being on Game Pass makes it worth checking out for sure. I enjoyed my time with it, but I don’t think it will stick with me like titles such as Soma and Amnesia have.

Fighting EX Layer is a hard sell to casual fighting game fans. Its lack of modes is its biggest downfall. For those who grew up with Arika’s work though it is a pure joy to play. I hope they continue to support the game and add more and more content as it goes on. Perhaps it will be featured at EVO next year instead of just a side option. With the announcements of new characters, stages, and even crossover characters, the future looks bright. I just hope the momentum continues.

There are so many cool ideas scattered around the game that the sore aspects really stand out even more. Growing up such a huge fan of the Mega Man series has certainly left me starved in recent years, and Mighty No. 9 fills that void well. There is a great game buried in here, one that kept me coming back like the Mega Man titles I grew up with, but the rough edges really shine bright just when I start looking past them.