Tom Mc Shea
Bridge Constructor Portal lacks the charm and cleverness that made the original Portal games so enthralling.
Monochroma wastes its gripping premise and eye-catching visual design by having clunky controls and a wealth of inconsistencies.
Dull combat with little diversity banishes Knack to a dark realm normally reserved for the likes of foul goblins.
NBA Live 14 struggles in just about every facet, resulting in an unsatisfying and frustrating version of basketball.
Black Bird's irreverent take on shoot-'em-up is fun while it lasts, but there's not enough content to sustain repeat playthroughs.
The lovely aesthetics and graceful movement in A King's Bird are undercut by a too steep difficulty and imprecise controls.
Yoshi's New Island lacks the imagination that made its progenitor beloved, instead offering a slow-paced adventure that's too easy for its own good.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is as fun as it is flawed, capturing the snarky joy of the webbed crusader amid the repetition of combat and tedious side quests.
It's easy to be overwhelmed by the many problems in Murdered: Soul Suspect, but if you dig a little deeper, there's an interesting story to uncover.
Dragon Quest Heroes looks delightful and is bursting with characters and creatures from the history of the franchise, so anyone who has been glued to each new release since the heyday of Enix will find enough familiar sights to stay invested. However, if you're still puzzling over the differences between Dragon Quest and Dragon Warrior, there are much better fights to seek out.
Rogue Trooper Redux is a fun game, but after plowing through the campaign I'm left wondering why it exists. Why re-release a game that's perfectly adequate but doesn't do anything particularly noteworthy or special? What's even more puzzling is that it ends on a cliffhanger. Considering there has never been a sequel, I would have rather have seen how Rogue's next chapter played out than tread down a well-worn path once more.
The sense of mastery never quite comes, resulting in a game that flashes its potential in one scene only to undermine that thrill soon afterward. Even with its occasional stumbles, though, Dandara offers enough excitement and beauty to push you onward.
Super Motherload offers a peaceful respite from the cacophony of civilization.
Shovel Knight recalls, but doesn't rely on, many greats from gaming's past, but lacks the inventive spark that could have elevated it to classic territory.
There's little in Bleed that hasn't been seen before. But even though it hasn't reinvented how we kill baddies in two dimensions, it's still a fun and satisfying adventure.
This fast and exciting racer continually finds a way to keep you circling around for another lap.
Creepy atmosphere, fantastic combat, and clever storytelling make Alan Wake's quest thrilling from beginning to end.
Creepy atmosphere, fantastic combat, and clever storytelling make Alan Wake's quest thrilling from beginning to end.