Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z sullies the name of the franchise. It fails both on a gameplay level and on a comedic level, and really doesn't offer anything worthy of its price tag.
X Rebirth is a broken game right now. The UI is clunky, flying feels awkward at best, and you're often left to figure out how to play without any real sort of guidance. This could end up being a fine game once modders are able to essentially remake it, but there's no real reason to pick it up at the current moment.
Cities XXL feels more like a sidegrade than a true upgrade, as it offers little more than a performance patch for its $40 price tag.
Contrast had the potential to be the breakout indie game of the new generation, but has managed to fall drastically short of what I had imagined.
Lords of Shadow 2 had limitless potential in front of it, and could have been the best Castlevania game of recent memory, but poor design choices, a questionable story and flawed mechanics will kill most players' interest before they even get half-way through.
Abyss Odyssey set out to redefine a genre and create something that we'd never seen before. It's just a shame that it forgot what makes the genre so enjoyable in the first place.
Anomaly Defenders doesn't do enough to break away from the traditional tower defense mould, leaving behind a serviceable but mostly forgettable game.
Daylight works great if you're just looking for a few cheap scares, but if you're itching for something more, you should look elsewhere.
Sniper Elite 3 may have the outstanding gunplay of its predecessor, but inconsistent AI and a myriad of bugs keep it from hitting its mark.
While not as bad as many had feared it would be, Battlefield Hardline simply feels unnecessary and unless you'r a diehard fan of the series, there's not much reason to pick it up.
Dead Rising 3: Apocalypse Edition is a mediocre port of a very good game. Fans of the franchise and newcomers alike should both seriously consider picking it up on the PC, but it might be worth waiting to see if the noted issues can get smoothed out first.
Need for Speed: Rivals will wow you initially, but there are too many missteps for it to keep you engaged for a sizeable length of time. The nonsensical story, surprising lack of features and an online component that may as well not be there overshadow the fantastic driving mechanics and lead to a rather monotonous game.
Madden NFL 15 may not be the first Madden game released for the next generation of consoles, but it stands as the series' first truly "next-gen" iteration. That said, a couple of major issues keep it from being as great as it could have been.
Rollers of the Realm just never lives up to its potential. Here's hoping that this mediocre offering doesn't spell the end for this genre, though, as I honestly feel we would be worse off for it.
Evolve can flourish when you have a team of dedicated friends ready to play, but those rare moments of brilliance spent fighting against the monster are simply outnumbered by the moments you spend fighting the actual game.
The Elder Scrolls: Online is a nice distraction for fans of open world RPGs and MMOs alike, but there's not enough here to keep either crowd around for very long.
Cloudbuilt is a fantastic platforming game that's simply held back by substandard controls.
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes some improvements to what is one of, if not the, best RPGs ever made. That said, it may not have done enough to warrant the extra cost when compared to simply buying the original.
Sacred 3 has stripped away most of what makes an ARPG great while doubling down on hopes that its silly narrative will be enough to keep you going. This could very easily end up being a guilty pleasure game for a lot of you; however, there's simply not enough here to make it worth a full price purchase.
Gauntlet scratches the nostalgic itch perfectly and does right by its predecessors, but outside of a long slow grind there's nothing here to demand that you keep coming back once you've completed your quest.