NBA 2K22 has a few things that make this upgrade feel worthy. The new play mechanics are excellent, and it continues to excel on the presentation front. The microtransactions are still super gross and I wish some of the other modes such as Blacktop would get a proper overhaul as they are starting to feel dated. Still being the only NBA game in town it does upgrade nicely. I found myself deleting the old version to play this one, and not being a huge NBA fan that is saying something.

With so much focus on creating an interactive experience in games today it is always nice to see one that simply focuses on being fun. The Club may not be the most intricate experience you will have on the consoles this year, but it certainly will be one of the most intense.

If you enjoy difficult bullet-hell games then you will probably enjoy SideScroller. On the other hand, if constantly dying and repeating the same sections of the level over and over again makes you want to quit, this game probably isn't for you.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 is everything a sequel should be. It builds on the strengths of the original with its stylish visuals, tight controls and a fluid combat engine that reminds me of how I felt when I was playing some of my favorite 2D platformers in the past. If not for the low degree of challenge and obnoxious Amiibo addition, it could’ve been a perfect game.

I feel like the best way to describe how I feel about Dying Light 2 is by saying: “I don’t mind it.” It’s got some good things going for it and when it takes off, it gets going well. The problem is it takes a long time to take off. The story gets better eventually, and parkour skills take time to acquire, and the combat boils down to block, dodge, and swing. There’s a lot to do here, but I feel like the mechanics of the game itself gets in the way of really letting the player explore what’s around, and in the end, the rewards just may not be enough to bother with a lot of them. That’s not to say I didn’t have a fun time with the game. I did. There are some great shining moments here and when the story ramped up, I was in it until the end. If you have the patience to get to it, you too can have a good time, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it will take some time to finally get to it.

MAG is yet another fantastic addition to the PlayStation 3 library and one of the most addictive online experiences I have had in quite some time.

TGC2 represents my introduction to this series, as I did not play the original entry. Quite honestly I found this advantageous while writing this review, because I didn’t have any preconceived notions about the series going in. While this created some challenges for my initial onboarding into the game, I feel like it allows me perspective to judge the games merits objectively, without chalking weaknesses up to “well it’s better than the last one”. In general I feel like this is a solid budget title with a fantastic course creator and a lot of options, but it’s hard to recommend it to less hardcore fans of the sport.

Hyper Light Drifter is a sensory overload from a visual and audio standpoint.

Fans of UFC will get the atmosphere of a real UFC match, while fighting and sports game fans have enough here to have some good fun.

The series is getting long in the tooth, but I still think it has plenty left to offer, and if they continue with the vehicles in future games, I hope they iron out the problems presented in this version.

I love this world; the actual battlefields are beautiful upon spawning in. From the lighting to the landscapes the artists on this team have truly given us some spectacular looking playgrounds. Some of the best I’ve seen in an RTS game, sadly by the time the battle is over they will resemble a scarred warzone but still no less beautiful. The characters in the Usonia campaign were very well done, which was helped by excellent cutscenes and voice over artists. I am now playing through the main story in order to fill in some of these holes I have by starting with the DLC campaign, but I am loving every moment of it so far. I am so happy to return to my love of RTS games and found that in my absence the genre has grown and changed in a fantastic and wonderful way.

I am addicted to Hot Shots Golf World Invitational. It still has a lot of collectibles, a good challenge and, overall, a fun experience. The only things that irked me are minor problems that can be overlooked, but also can be frustrating to deal with at the same time.

The game is quirky and humorous and full of things to see and do. So much in fact that it should keep you occupied for months on end.

I may have not been around in that era, and don't have those roots of gaming, but if you can bring the style back and make it work in 2010, you are definitely doing something right.

Robocop: Rogue City is an absolute gem of a game. While not as polished as a AAA title, it still manages to look great in motion and function just as well. The bugs I found were minimum and usually happened when I killed an enemy near a guardrail, for some reason they are all programmed to fall over no matter how far away from the rail they may be. But I never ran into any real issues here, Rogue City is as solid as Robocop himself. I would be remiss if I didn’t shoutout the excellent audio in Rogue City, from the excellent Peter Weller reprising his role as Alex Murphy/Robocop to the inclusion of an EXCELLENT piano version of the classic movie theme if you are a fan of Robocop, Rogue City has been made for you. Playing Rogue City, I couldn’t help but think that Teyon has done for Robocop what Rocksteady did for Batman. They managed to highlight another side of the character in the interactive space by allowing players to really embody the ‘cop’ part of Robocop.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst is exactly what I wanted it to be. A proper clone of a genre I still love to this day, with enough new to make it feel modern. The platforming is tight, the challenge is solid, and everything just feels good. I grew up loving these games, and while I am not quite as skilled as I used to be, I still enjoy the challenge they deliver.

By far and away the best thing about Tales of Kenzera: Zau is its narrative, Surgent Studios have proven themselves to be quite the masterful storytellers. A story tackling grief, acceptance and loss is rare in this day and age and the team have done extremely well of making it relatable. Not only that but the world and imagery in Kenzera is some of the best I’ve seen and I hope that this is just the beginning for these tales of Kenzera, as I am certainly ready for more.

Star Wars Outlaws is a rollercoaster of a game that I loved and hated in different ways. I could be having the time of my life one minute, and the next be frustrated and want to turn it off. It feels like a game that with some tweaks, could be a classic. I think after a while it will iron out and be remembered as a truly fun and great game. As of now it has a lot of issues out of the box, and its inconsistency makes it harder to recommend outside the most hardcore of Star Wars fans.

Pandering to the shmup and zombie crowds, there is enough genuinely good game to win a following. Beyond torching the undead, however, there isn't anything truly remarkable in the title. Despite the varying modes and simulated goals, the underlying objectives don't change, which manages to make zombie fires downright pedestrian.

Ghostrunner is a game of pain and suffering. Repetition sets in. It never deterred me from hitting continue though. This marks a nice balance of forcing players to master their combat, while also intriguing them to keep going. I absolutely had a blast and cannot wait to see the upgrades on next-gen consoles. This is not a game to sleep on, just be aware it may cause nightmares.

Toy Story 3 is a marvelous achievement in the world of licensed family games. I found myself more addicted to it than some of the more mainstream titles released lately. It appeals to anyone who enjoys solid gameplay, and especially those that have a love for Pixar's trilogy.

I hadn’t heard anything about Heading Out before it landed in my lap for review, and I am so grateful it did. I absolutely loved the gritty, 70’s feel of the racing and multiple vehicles. And I already gushed over the awesome soundtrack and radio personalities, as a fan of the talk radio in the recent GTA games this felt right up there as far as production value, content, and laughs. Mix all those things together and you end up with one mesmerizing road trip, that fans of the genre will be glad they took.

From its solid character customization to its strategic and enjoyable combat, it’s yet another great JRPG to grace the 3DS.

Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity is a decent game. The gameplay can get slowed down by the story at times, but when upgrading abilities and hitting that Zen moment while speeding through a level, it feels pretty great. Even if it is just a short time with the game, it’s still a pretty fun time. I would suggest picking it up if you are a fan of the trial and error style games like Velocity, Trials, and others where you don’t mind trying to perfect your time.

Aftermath is an interesting title for this expansion to World War Z. The very definition of the word is the “aftereffects of some sort of significant unpleasant event, but honestly this expansion is anything but unpleasant. Sure, there are some frame drops, and the FPS mode is gimmickier than anything else but this is an extremely solid update. The addition of the extra class in the Vanguards, the extra story missions as well as the Horde XL update adding more hordes of the undead to take down and what you get is a very pleasant update to an already stellar co-op zombie shooter.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a fantastic companion piece to The Expanse show, telling a prequel story with so many weighty decisions that include the lives of various crew members is “classic” Telltale. Even when players make a seemingly good choice you can’t help but think about what sort of negative connotations its going to yield later down the road. I enjoyed virtually every moment of The Expanse, this is Telltalle at their very best anyone who is a fan of their past work shouldn’t miss this series.

Despite my many grievances, once I actually learned how to play the game, I did have fun. However, getting to that level of competence was certainly not helped by the game in any way, shape or form and as it becomes more and more difficult to find matches online as the weeks go by, I can’t help but wonder if it’s even worth it to take a risk boarding what may very well be a sinking ship.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a rather fun co-op game. It’s made for co-op and should be played in co-op. While I’m against the solo play, I will say that solo players will have some rough times trying to get the AI to cooperate with you. But with a squad of four players, tagging enemies, syncing shots, and doing crazy stunts like jumping out of a helicopter onto and enemy base just to see what will happen is what really makes this game special. There are some issues here and there, and while the game can be difficult, it feels fair for the most part. The run and gun shooter fans may be put off from it, but I highly suggest Wildlands to players that are looking for a fun co-op shooter with some more tactical aspects. There’s a lot here for anyone who likes making their own fun in a giant sandbox.