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The game boasts some great graphics due to the awesome sprite work, and it has an extremely catchy soundtrack; which is always a nice bonus. I think Team Ladybug managed to put out a game that has something for quite a varied audience. Those that are fans of the novels or anime series will surely find something to love, but those of us who enjoy ‘metoridvania’ type games will find a lot to appreciate as well; and who knows maybe even turn the next generation of fans onto Record of Lodoss War as a whole.

Clockwork Aquario is a wonderful example of how awesome of a time in games we are truly in. A forgotten gem that likely would have never seen the light of day makes an appearance some 30 years later. I had a blast with its simple mechanics and gorgeous art style. If you are like me and grew up hanging out in arcades far too much, this one will spark that childhood nostalgia we all strive for as we grow old and jaded. Definitely recommended.

It’s a difficult game both by design and by the issues I had with it. Still, it tries to capture that old 8-bit feel and does a decent job with it. Even up to the slowdown when multiple things are happening on screen. (Is that a feature or performance issue? I couldn’t tell you) Regardless, I never disliked my time with Trophy, but I can most certainly say it could have been better with some other features and better controls thrown in.

The cutscenes are also worth noting as they employ a graphic novel – panel approach which as everyone knows I’m a sucker for comic – well anything. Everything else about this game though, from the graphics to the voice acting just feels very uninspired and lazy. It’s really a shame because the content is so interesting, the Incans deserve more time in the spotlight and despite this misstep, I hope they get it.

Serious Sam is a lot of fun, issues and all. Not every game has to take the gamer on an epic journey, emotional or otherwise sometimes just having enough baddies to blast and a good one liner is enough. And like I said in the outset of this review I regret waiting so long to jump into this franchise. Even with the issues that I experienced, and I promise you there was many, I still can only think of one word to adequately express what I think of Serious Sam 4… Fun. Serious Sam 4 is just fun, and in a time where real life is so very serious its nice to have a game just be fun again.

There is also an online mode now as well as the ability to play locally with multiple consoles. The fact that none of the games require motion control means that any controller will work, including the clearly superior Pro Controller. I had a ton of fun playing this with my family and it is easy to recommend for just about anyone. Here is to another generation of gamers getting simultaneously angry and overjoyed at the divisive Mario Party series.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain does have small hooks to make sure people come back day after day. I do however think the small number of minigames may be disappointing to some and I hope that maybe with a future update we see more added.

Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All ends up being a game full of wonderfully hand-drawn visuals and extremely repetitive combat. It makes it hard to really recommend this game to anyone other than those that are fans of the duo.

Evil Genius 2 provides multiple traps that can be set up in the various corridors of a lair to thwart the do-gooders of justice. Plus, the system is flexible enough to allow combos such as, freezing an agent with the ‘freeze gun’ trap and then using the ‘giant fan’ trap to blow the cube into a wall of poison darts.

The system is pretty straightforward but players will want to take a look at what the mission calls for as there are times when you can be at a disadvantage if you use the wrong Mobile Suit.