Road Redemption isn’t what I hoped it would be, and that may not be entirely the game’s fault. Nostalgia can be a cruel mistress. However, the flaws on show here do prevent the game from standing up on its own, and although it can be fun and engaging sometimes, I would recommend waiting for a price drop before picking it up.

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?”

I was excited for the return of Gungrave. Especially since PlayStation VR had been so impressive for me recently diving into the technology. Sadly this experience is just not worth dropping the cash for. There are a ton of better VR experiences for Sony’s headset.

As far as Switch ports from the Wii U go, this is right up there with the best. Nintendo has done just enough to make it look and feel better than I remember on the Wii U. Also not unlike Mario Kart 8 they have included all the DLC, including the aforementioned Luigi add-on that is basically an entirely new game. There is a lot packed in here, and for those that never invested in the Wii U, it is more than worth the price of admission. It might not be the most memorable Mario game ever created, but it is still better than most platformers available on the console. Even when Nintendo doesn’t set the world on fire, they still manage to impress.

This is actually a decent HD remaster. For a game that I played a ton of when I was 15, it was still fun to go back to with a new set of eyes and experiences under my belt. It may be a much more simplistic adventure compared to other action games nowadays, but checking in on this gem was enjoyable all the way through. Fans of the old series will have a fun nostalgia trip while players that missed out on it at the beginning of the PS2, can find some old school fun here and the $20 price tag is perfect for this one.

I can’t speak highly enough of this game despite really not being one for horror. It felt fair. It felt accessible (there is an Easy mode for people who want to feel less helpless). The original game has always been touted as a classic and I see why. This game was fantastic and despite it only being January I can definitely see this as a game of the year contender. Spectacular work and a must have.

In essence Blood Money and Absolution is like watching the series find its footing. I feel like both games really paved the way for the extremely successful reboot of the series. Both seem to bring ideas into the newer games. It was neat to revisit these older games, but $60 for both without the option to purchase them separately feels a bit much. Toss in the fact that Xbox One owners could already own them, or purchase them for a fraction of the price has to be factored in.

Playing The Cursed Kingdom really makes me want to check out the previous games in the series. It was so refreshing to see a game like this, especially one that plays and looks as great as it does. Any fan of 2D action games should pick this game up without question, and don’t worry if you’ve never played this series before, I was able to enjoy it fully with absolutely no knowledge of it. This is one newer game that harkens back to the old days that does it well and will be remembered for a nice long while.

Whether it is fatigue or poor implementation, Just Cause 4 doesn’t feel like a true sequel. The issues I had with the third game have been fixed, but I still fell off this game much faster than I had anticipated. I adored the second game, dealt with the third one, but this fourth entry just lost its appeal far too quickly. It might be time to rethink and restructure the series, or perhaps move on to a new idea.

Nippon Marathon in theory is a good idea, but when it came to actually playing the game I did not enjoy myself and I really wanted to. Maybe there’s fun to be had if played with friends but I was so put off myself that I wouldn’t force any friends to play it.

After the short reign of Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has now become the de-facto game of choice to play at the office as well as the home. It encapsulates the timeless elements of the long running series and sprinkles a wealth of content unmatched by its contemporary rivals. Simply put, it’s couch gaming bliss.

Shoot ‘em up fans will find a very nice set of games here. The HD upgrades look great and the music is fantastic. People looking for a trip down memory lane will have a good time as well and players looking to see the old school in action will get to see R-Type in its original glory. This is one mini collection that is done right and still keeps the old school feel while looking fresh.

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.

I won’t say that GRIS is bad. It is not even remotely bad. What GRIS is is disappointing. It can’t decide whether or not it wants to be a fun platformer or art piece, and the reality is that it could have been both. There’s a lot of hyperbole out there right now about this being a must play and I have a feeling a lot of people that do will be disappointed by this title. If GRIS goes on sale I would say pick it up if the art style seems appealing, but otherwise don’t look to GRIS to be the new LIMBO or INSIDE because the puzzles aren’t as deep and the gameplay isn’t as prevalent.

World of Final Fantasy is a nice change of pace for the series’ formula, but it relies too much on simplistic tactics to be a standout. I love the two main characters and the ideas behind the combat, but the dungeons feel padded out and the combat is just not that interesting.

I was impressed with my time with Mutant: Year Zero. It has the feel of a quality strategy game mixed with some good stealth and battle preparation. The characters are fun, and while the story is lacking, it kept me going. Players looking for that XCOM feel with the difficulty to go along with it will have a good time here. Casual fans of the genre need to heed my warning: this game is not going to be easy, but with planning and taking your time, it can be very satisfying.

Hitman 2 is not leaps and bounds better or even different than its predecessor, as it feels less like a sequel and more like the second season. However, it manages to hit the mark where it truly matters with expansive level designs and a wealth of gameplay options that makes playing through the same missions multiple times consistently fun but feel different every time.

This series started as a budget title and still looks like a budget title when compared in both depth of gameplay and graphics to other full priced games. It’s hard to recommend this title at $60 to anyone but the hardest of hard core EDF fans.

Overall this pack wasn’t as great as Volume 1. Attack From Mars is by far the stand out and worth at least half the cost of the pack, but the other two tables just weren’t as much fun and it’s hard to recommend this to everyone. This isn’t because of Zen Studios ability to recreate a table, but because of the choice of tables to recreate. I’m hoping the next round of Williams tables maybe dives a bit farther back in time with things like Pin-Bot, where I feel their 3D models could breathe new life into a more simplistic looking table. I would recommend Volume 1 for anyone wanting to check out the old Williams tables before Volume 2 (and don’t forget to pick up the free table Fish Tales).

Anyone looking for a fun time with friends or a new breed of arcade shooter should pick up Rival Megagun and any fan of game music should definitely listen to Dominic Ninmark’s soundtrack. Stellar work all around.

My Hero One’s Justice is not a poor offering, just a thoroughly uneven one that only the hardest-core Manga fans will be able to immerse themselves into. I enjoyed the fast-paced, accessible fighting with an art style that looks great in action, but everything around that gameplay leaves things to be desired.

The only downside to Return of the Obra Dinn is that I foresee someone attempting to copy this game’s formula, and it will fail. There is not a single piece of this game that can’t be deduced from the information the game presents. I feel copycats will understand the general concept but not succeed in tying up every loose end like Pope did here. All four years of development are on display. Return of the Obra Dinn is a unique experience worth every penny. I can’t recommend this game enough. There is nothing quite like it.

Maybe they can turn this game around. Maybe they can fix the bugs, add some actual life into the world, and make it to where playing with friends is more than just a co-op buddy. They did a lot for Elder Scrolls Online, maybe they can do it here, but I’ll be the first to tell you to wait until that happens before taking these country roads home.

There is something magical about this trilogy. Sure Crash had more fanfare, but Spyro feels like a piece of history lost. Going back to these games was a pure joyful experience. Whether it was my fatigue of current titles or just that I crave colorful platformers, I cannot recommend this game enough. Even with its blemishes it was a title that I spent the most time smiling while playing.

Darksiders III is a game that fans like myself will enjoy. While not as polished as the first two entries it continues the story of the Horsemen respectfully. I want to see how this saga ends so badly, and I hope THQ Nordic gives Gunfire Games more time and more money to craft the next entry. The rough edges are going to drag some people down, but I promise the conclusion is worth the ride.

Battlefield V was a nice return for me. With a few little issues here and there, I was able to look past them and get a nice multiplayer focused game that has seemed to improve a lot since Bad Company 2. Emphasis more on teamwork and class roles has given it an identity and is more than just a spawn, kill, die game. Battlefield fans should pick this one up, and I think casual first person shooter fans looking for a quick fix with some pretty great visuals can’t go wrong here either.

The easiest answer I have for that is to just not buy this game, even now that its price has been dropped to $30. Adventure Time fans deserve better. Kids deserve better. If this game goes on a deep discount I’m sure there’s at least $10 worth of content here, but honestly there’s still better games to spend that money on.

GRIP is a fine racing game. It has some fantastic moments in its fast speeds and impressive maneuvers. While there are some issues here and there with the devastation of crashing, and the online being laggy at times, I find that at its heart, it’s a great racer that tries something that hasn’t been thought of in a long while. It’s a buy for racing fans, but I would hold off until a slight price drop, at least. Maybe by then a few patches and sort out a few things.