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.

The art design is outstanding, and the fighting is solid, but it really just doesn’t do anything to stand out from the pack. The lack of features and paltry online community mean this game is likely already forgotten about.

Killer is Dead is a Suda51 game. If that makes you smile, there is probably something here you will enjoy. If not, then its mediocre combat and weird direction are not going to carry you through the whole experience.

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.

I’ve talked before about how more isn’t always better, and that sometimes less is more. However, in the case of “The Awakened Fate Ultimatum”, it feels as though much of what made the original compelling and unique has been ripped out, leaving a hollow shell behind.

Angry Birds Star Wars is even more expensive on Xbox One, and that hurts. The extra $10 this version costs is insulting as it really should only be that much for the whole package. The crisper visuals and weekly challenges are nice, but if you already own it elsewhere, there is zero reason to upgrade to the next generation of Angry Birds.

Lords of the Fallen is a marked improvement over the original and the mechanic of traversing between two realms makes it feel unique among its contemporaries. If not for a handful of questionable design choices and an overall lack of polish, this could have been something special.

LA Cops is a neat diversion with some fantastic style. I had a blast in the short time I played it, but feel like it grows stale far too fast. This is the perfect game to snag during a sale, it is fun for the time it lasts, I just wish there was more to come back to once the raiding was over.

Damsel is a solid, if not forgettable title that really stands on its visual presentation and tight game play. I had fun with my time, but never felt the need to boot it back up after a few hours. Still at the low price it is worth checking out if the genre interests you. I certainly had plenty of fun digging into it.

The fast-paced action keeps things from getting too boring, and the medals and high scores actually strive to keep you coming back to improve your performance. The lack of depth and strategy will likely disappoint fans of the genre, but if you take it for what it is, it is actually quite enjoyable.

Fans of the series will be happy to know that there is a serious amount of content to be found in DW 6. Outside of the lengthy single-player modes players can also return to previous levels with different scenarios in the challenge mode.

It’s hard not to recommend SNK Vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS simply because it has so much going for it. An easy to use battle system, classic characters, and a solid visual style however, with the aforementioned glitch and poor translation you can’t help but feel a bit disappointed when you power this one up.

The fast-paced action keeps things from getting too boring, and the medals and high scores actually strive to keep you coming back to improve your performance. The lack of depth and strategy will likely disappoint fans of the genre, but if you take it for what it is, it is actually quite enjoyable.

Ranging from the simplistic to the absurd, the Escapist 2 offers a great variety of ways one could escape from prison. Scoping out a new prison for its vulnerabilities and formulating a plan to carry out is a great time, but getting to those thrilling moments of misadventures are often plagued with days of scavenging, looking for those one or two materials I desperately needed and as the tedium began to set in, I wasn’t looking for a way to escape from the prison but rather from this cycle of boring, repetitive gameplay.

If you can get past the snail pace caused by loading, there is a truly great game here just waiting to be tapped.

Banishers: Ghost of Eden is a unique title that just stumbles along the way. It has some severe pacing issues and clunky combat that really drag down the overall experience. I wanted to love it a lot more than I did. It feels like Dontnod’s usual unique take on a genre that feels just a bit undercooked. Still once it drops in price and perhaps receives a few updates, I think this could easily graduate to the status of hidden gem. There are a lot of cool concepts here that I really enjoyed. I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to get to them.

The encyclopedia of DC characters though is impressive, and clearly where they spent the bulk of their time in development. I almost could lose myself in that aspect, and never actually play the game itself. That speaks volumes about a $60 title. I just wish there was more focus on the unique boss battles and ideas that could have helped create a better experience.

Digimon World: Next Order is an interesting game. It is honestly is nothing like anything I have ever played before. The unconventional leveling system, the complex raising mechanic, and the passive battle system all take a while to get used to, and the first parts of the game can be a real difficult time for some, but in all, I think there is room for this game for many RPG fans out there. It’s not going to win any awards, but it is different enough to keep players on their toes and if you let the raising become an addiction to you, it can easily last you a very long time. I would say wait for a little price drop unless you’re a hardcore fan of Digimon.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is most certainly not for everyone.

If you are a fan of the series and can handle some of the hang-ups found in this latest chapter then by all means snatch it up, I know I could use more people online to play with. However, most FPS gamers looking for the next best thing will find Payback a bit too much on the derivative side to warrant its full price tag.

The problem is that the core game tries to be something it was never meant to be and that really drags the overall fun factor well below where it should be.

The lack of depth and strategy will likely disappoint fans of the genre, but if you take it for what it is, it is actually quite enjoyable.

With the removal of two of the most prominent features from the original game and a dramatically shorter campaign, you can't help but feel like the game was rushed to make the movie deadline. It is disappointing to say the least, especially coming from such a huge fan of Hasbro's infamous robots in disguise.

Overall, Fe is a decent little game. While there’s not much to do except solve a puzzle, travel to the next puzzle, solve it, it still has some interesting things going for it. I just really wish the camera and platforming was a bit better, and while I understand what the developers were going for with the minimalist tutorial and explanation in both gameplay and story, I could have used a bit more just to help out in some instances. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not a very memorable one either.

In the end there’s not much to say about The Smurfs 2 because there’s not much to the game. Kids who are young enough will enjoy the storybook and mini-games, but it’s a hard sell for anyone old enough to handle something more challenging. For those with young children who enjoyed the movie it’s not a bad game, but anyone else will find better ways to spend $30.

The wireless multi-player modes are appreciated, but we would have loved to been able to get online with this bad boy, Armored Core has yet to see an true online mode and it seriously would benefit from one.

Brothers in Arms seems to wish they were cool enough to eat lunch with Band of Brothers and ends up taking itself all too seriously. It is an earnest backdrop for a game in which the "fun part" is supposed to be blowing people into tiny bits.

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.