I think most of us of a certain age has seen the movie Heat, robbing banks man; paper chasing. Well, the video game Payday is a lot like that movie, in its players take on various heists of money, diamonds, and more dangerous things. If they prepare correctly these crimes can go off without a hitch and so much as a roach being stepped on. However, in my experience in Payday things devolve into shootouts with the cops, exchanging hostages for more time oh and like a week of not being able to play due to the servers not working.

As a fan of the No More Heroes and Suda51 in general, it pains me to see the series stumble in this way, as the insufferably dull combat and a cast of uninteresting villains has me pondering, “will there truly be no more heroes?”

While Rebirth 2 is a massive improvement over the PS3 version in terms of performance, I felt the newly included mechanics and playable characters didn’t quite add enough to warrant double dipping for those like me who have already finished the title once before.

The single player game is all but useless here unless you love repeating the same things over and over again, but when you get a solid group of players together for a six-man castle romp, things really open up.

Those who have never bought into the series will not be blown away by the new additions. Those who love the games will enjoy this one as well, even with some touchscreen missteps.

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.

The game clocks in at less than three hours with a skilled gamer at the helm, but kids interested in taking Sid and his friends on a fun journey will find plenty to love.

NBA 2K21 is a tough game to review. On the court, the game is mostly very good. The passing and dribbling feels excellent and the My Career mode is certainly well-acted. It could easily be a high 8 or 9 if the whole progression system didn’t feel so broken. If you know how aggressive the microtransactions are going in, and are willing to either stall your progress or spend the money, you’ll find a really good on-court game here. If not however, it’s likely to be a very frustrating experience.

With its odd and yet striking visual style, State of Mind presents an intriguing world, in the precipice of a revolution. Following the exploits of a deeply flawed and complex character, the journey through the streets of Berlin is a fruitful one that I’m sure to remember. However, a myriad of pacing issues as well as a lack of interesting gameplay elements makes it very unlikely that I’ll be visiting the year of 2048 anytime soon. Perhaps we’ll see in thirty years.

The gurus at Atlas have once again graced us with a fantastic piece of gaming art. If you own a 3DS, then you owe it to yourself to try this great game.

Book of Shadows is a very interesting game. I do enjoy good visual novels, and for the most part, this game tells a rather compelling tale. Granted, it won't be for everyone, but if you don't mind a good amount of gore and some really creepy set pieces, then this game will not disappoint.

Tron: Catalyst is one of those games that’s easy to admire, even if it doesn’t quite hit every target. It builds a compelling world, executes an interesting premise, and looks incredible doing it. But by the end, the cracks start to show. Combat could use more depth, the Glitch mechanic feels underdeveloped, and the world; despite its beauty it really lacks things to do. Still, for fans of Tron, isometric action games, or stylish sci-fi in general, this is a strong entry. I’d love to see Bithell take another swing at this universe. With more time and ambition, a follow-up could turn these sparks into something explosive.

Not a bad game by any means; it is just not going to appeal to those who are not fans of the show.

Resident Evil 6 is truly one of the best experiences I have had with a game this year. It is just loaded with content, and playing co-op with a friend is definitely a blast.

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.

High on Life is a fantastic experience hindered by some technical shortcomings. The world and characters are simply fantastic and it is genuinely hilarious, which is one of the hardest things in gaming to achieve. This game shot up my list of the best of 2022 from the outset and it didn’t disappoint by the end. I really enjoyed my time with it and look forward to what the team works on next. The fact that it is available on Game Pass is just icing on the cake. I can’t recommend this game enough, it is a wonderful way to end the year and more than worth playing through.

While it still isn't perfect, Godfather II is leaps and bounds above the first game, and one of the most engaging titles I have played all year.

I really enjoyed Shank. It was a somewhat short experience of around four hours, but the entire time I was having fun. The combat and the platforming all flow so smoothly throughout the game.

Looking past the dumb mini-games and small issues, I can see just how enjoyable Thunder Wolves can be. If you enjoy a good action title with a lot of explosions, you may want to check it out.

For ten bucks, this a decent platformer that I think people will enjoy if they like the trial and error kinds of game that require a little bit of thought.

I loved Dead Island when it came out, but I wonder who this collection is for. The games included are not that old, and with Techland’s newest entry leaps and bounds above what these games did, it is hard to go back. Still for $40 for the pair one cannot argue the amount of value packed into this package.

There’s supposed to be four Kirbys racing at all times and the lack of an online player base and the lack of four player split-screen multiplayer just makes it hard to recommend this game at all. It’s a good game marred by the fact that like a lot of great multiplayer focused games, the player base is lacking and the game suffers for it. I would give this game an 8 had it not been for the fact that the online player base isn’t very strong and I do not want to recommend a dead game to people. At least it has an offline single player mode I guess.

There is plenty of game to warrant your $60 and the flavor of the franchise is written all over it.

With a solid online component, a vastly improved career mode, and plenty to unlock Full Auto 2 is a great addition to the PS3 library, let’s just hope the developers take their time and give us a true sequel next time around.

I wanted to love Hard Reset Redux, especially after coming off Doom, which had scratched that 90s FPS itch I have almost annually. There just isn’t enough here to satisfy. Gunplay feels weak, enemies are boring to kill, and the world wears out its welcome quickly. Nothing about this game is overly offensive to the senses, but it just never stands out from the pack either.

FUEL has a ton of potential, and moments of brilliance stashed under its rough exterior. The problems are hard to ignore though, and unless you have a ton of time to dedicate to it, the races will likely grow boring long before you uncover half of this massive world.

From the view to all the fancy stuff you can do, Madden is the football game. But, if you are tired of all that realism and just want a blast from the past, or just want to get your kid into football, Tecmo Bowl Throwback is the game for you.