Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Sproing Interactive Media
Genre: Survival Horror
Release date: Available now

Cursed Mountain is a survival horror game, one that is steeped in mystery and a unique idea, if not just for the mountain and the ghost. It’s most promising aspects are its atmosphere and its capacity to keep you hooked. But the game never lifts its foot off the pivotal stepping stone into the realm of engrossing gameplay.

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Publisher: Southpeak Games
Developer: Collision Studios
Genre: Action/Adventure
Release date: Available now

It’s simply common knowledge that what every kid wants to be when he grows up is a shaman. Now, they can all get their chance to call upon the spirits with Brave: A Warrior’s Tale, an action adventure title set in a Native American backdrop. The concept is intriguing, but gameplay always supersedes any of that. The kid friendly appeal masks an experience that no child should have to go through.

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Publisher: Ubisoft Singapore
Developer: Microsoft
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now

Whether you love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or not, or at least the memory of them, they still keep popping out of the sewers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-shelled tries to bring back what we love about the turtles in this upscale, glitzy remake of the classic side-scroller. The levels and gameplay are reminiscent of the good old days, but it has trouble retaining its original arcade spirit.

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Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Tiburon
Genre: Sports
Release date: Available now

Football season for the NCAA is almost here again. The heated rivalries, the body paint and those adorable mascots are all coming home. With all the fervent school pride and love of the game shown by the fans, it would be no small wonder if they got their fill simply by watching it. But EA Sports helps to scratch the football itch with NCAA Football 10, in which fans can live out their passion and guide their favorite teams to victory.

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Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive, TT Games
Developer: Hellbent Games
Genre: RTS
Release date: Available now

Daring to venture outside the lines of a movie-inspired setting, LEGO Battles invades the land of real-time strategy. It’s a welcome change of scenery for the series, but it might have overstepped its boundaries. This is RTS stripped down to the scaffolding, and the word “tactics” doesn’t necessarily apply. Sure, it might be an enticing notion to battle with all the jovial LEGO icons, as it always is, but the effect wears thin. The problem lies in that it doesn’t feel different to battle with one available army over another. And the cumbersome controls and bad pathfinding don’t make it easy to expand your empire.

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Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Card Combat
Release date: Available now

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009 is an open-world trading-card game. It might have a learning curve for newcomers, but it does have depth that any strategy player will appreciate. Every card is viable, and there is a myriad of ways to customize your card deck to complement your play style. As you get adept at utilizing all the options of monster, spell and trap cards, gameplay becomes a battle of wits with a dash of luck, and it’s quite satisfying to put yours to the test. Though the focus of the game is on dueling, that doesn’t excuse it from it’s otherwise overall shallowness. It’s plagued by a throwaway story and a lifeless city to explore. Mini-games act as alternatives to dueling, but they are nothing more than frustrations.

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Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Tigon Studios
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now

There’s an old saying that goes, “borrow widely, steal wisely,” which is very fitting of the action hero in Vin Diesel’s new game, Wheelman. This mission-based driving opus takes its inspiration from two mega-franchises: Burnout and Grand Theft Auto. From Burnout, Wheelman takes a more arcade-like feel with its vehicles, and like GTA it features the freedom of sandbox gameplay. Though a promising formula, the resulting product fails to capitalize upon what made its predecessors so great: their reliance on the things that appeal most to the players. With its attention divided between car and on-foot action, Wheelman comes up short on both.

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Publisher: SCEA
Developer: thatgamecompany
Genre: Casual
Release date: Available now
Review by: Matthew Dart

If you ever thought that controlling flowers to combat the ugliness of the world (and support the ecosystem to boot) would make for an exhilarating video game, then think no more. Developer thatgamecompany’s Flower brings captivating visuals, musical elegance and a unique play style that anyone can love, despite its hippie premise.

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