With changes to its gameplay engine, combat, visual style and choice-driven narrative, The Walking Dead: The Final Season starts out on the right foot. Though there are moments that take you out of the immersive story, its gripping conclusion sets up what looks to be one of the franchise’s best season in years.

Like the world it’s set in, Days Gone is a game that’s a little rough around the edges. Yet it persists, taking characters that are easy to write off and fills them with a surprising amount of heart.

A great starting point for newcomers and a refreshing return to the glory days of skateboarding for veterans of the franchise, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 does everything you want and a bit more. While customizing stages is a little wonky and the character creator is remarkably boring, the game is an absolute joy to just hop in and play.

In Nightmare is a beautiful landscape touching on the process of working through trauma and bad memories. With stunning visuals and incessant monsters, you’ll feel like a child again.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a fantastical reskin of Borderlands filled with charm, humor and lots of action. The fantasy theme is enough to keep things feeling fresh, but still familiar to series veterans. Gearbox delivers another solid looter-shooter RPG but with a more welcomed emphasis on the role-playing aspect.

Back 4 Blood is a fun spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead franchise. It’s entertaining, graphically well-done and offers a lot of customization for all kinds of players. While the game will get old for some, others will find ours of entertainment cleaning things up with their friends.

A modern port through and through, Dragon’s Crown Pro offers a more visually and aurally excellent dungeon-crawling beat ’em up adventure that you’ll remember for what it exactly was five years ago.

Cat Quest is a simple and charming RPG that still manages to be deeper than it first appears and is a nice bite-size adventure compared to the many all-consuming ones you can already find on your Nintendo Switch.

Though not the optimal way to play the game, Doom comes to the Nintendo Switch more or less intact and will it does nicely fill the void for anyone looking for solid single and multiplayer FPS experience on the go.

Saturnalia is a game on the shorter side (well, if you are as bad as I was at it, it may go longer) but in terms of indie horror, it lands on the successful side of the fence. The kaleidoscope-esque quality of walking through the darkened streets with nothing but a match to guide your way will leave you with an anxious knot in your stomach. Saturnalia won’t be for everyone but if you love how artistic that indie horror can be, you will definitely enjoy yourself.

While Yakuza 6 takes a small step backward in its combat, sidequest content and presentation, its attention to detail with its engrossing, dynamic story paired with its near-infinite replayability makes this a thoroughly enjoyable, if only slightly disappointing, chapter of Kazuma Kiryu's life.

The Pathless is about the journey. Your freedom to explore and take in the rich, breathtaking environments at your own pace is highlighted by the game’s satisfying traversal system and lack of clear cut directions. The puzzle-platforming and combat mechanics are simple but provide a refreshing break from the potential monotony of dashing through this mythical world.

While definitely a niche title, Capcom Arcade Stadium is perfect for those looking for a classic arcade experience. It’s a wonderful old-school arcade simulator featuring 32 different titles with a ton of options to adjust everything from visual appearance to in-game settings. Local multiplayer and online tournaments and leaderboards keep you engaged and make this worth every token.

Blood & Truth from SIE London Studio sets out to put the player in the starring role of an action movie by combining a polished, set-piece driven first person shooter campaign with the immersive qualities of virtual reality.

Despite a barebones story, this is the 3D Sonic games fans have been waiting for for a long time. Solid graphics, great voice acting, tight assisted gameplay (to help from jumping off rails) and really fun boss fights make this a game worth investing your time into.

I’m not a fan of the genre and despite my complaints, this game’s story kept me intrigued throughout. And the additional side stories in Doki Doki Literature Plus! help flesh out the characters and supplement the darker more disturbing moments of the game.

Pokemon Let’s Go is one part nostalgia trip, and other part re-imagined classic. It’s familiar enough for those who have previously adventured through Kanto but contains some new additions to keep them busy and engaged even after the main adventure ends.

Even if you have never cared for hero shooters, I urge you to give this one a try. It's free-to-play, and if you have any love for superhero properties you'll find a character you love among this motley bunch. It is certainly inspired by games that came before, but its fast, frenetic pace and secret strategic weight make it something completely different. Like a sidekick growing into his mentor's mantle, this one is ready to fight crime in the mean streets of Marvel Manhattan.

Pokemon Let’s Go is one part nostalgia trip, and other part re-imagined classic. It’s familiar enough for those who have previously adventured through Kanto but contains some new additions to keep them busy and engaged even after the main adventure ends.

From presentation to gameplay, NBA 2K20 does an amazing job at faithfully recreating an authentic basketball experience. If you can look past the microtransactions, you’ll find a really great basketball simulation.

Terrible puns aside, Shadow Warrior 2 is wildly good fun. The immediate gratification of the combat is what keeps the game enjoyable throughout, but Flying Wild Hog has backed this up with several layers of RPG mechanics to support and enrich the game’s strong sense of variety. Find some friends to experience the game at its best in co-op mode.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a good refresher to a franchise that was slowly falling into obscurity. While not being the heaviest hitter back in ‘06, the HD remake trims a lot of the fat and refines areas that were not as strong.

If you are a fan of top-down roguelike dungeon crawlers, keep RAD on your radar. Bonus points if you like this kind of 80s neon aesthetic and the world-building it provides. It’s a good choice for those who just want a quick gaming session—or a long one if you really want it.

A Memoir Blue is a very personal story that paints a beautiful picture and emotionally captures players.

Kombinera promises a classic Atari experience and delivers on that. With the help of developers Graphite Lab and Joystick, they’ve created a puzzle game that constantly delivers enough twists over time to stay fresh. If you’re looking for a classic Atari experience and a solid puzzle game, this is for you. I’d have loved a bit more personality to it and the option to tone back the moments when bright colors assault you between worlds but the game itself is a very clever puzzle experience.

BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! is a solid puzzle platformer, especially if you have that itch for short and on-the-go gaming sessions.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun-filled cosmic adventure. No aggressive microtransactions, no tacked on multiplayer, just a good ol’ fashioned single-player adventure with MCU-worthy blockbuster sequences and heartfelt story moments. The combat offers just enough variance and depth to remain entertaining throughout your playthrough but the magic truly resides within the colorful cast of characters.

Little Rocket Lab succeeds as a welcoming entry point into automation games. It also succeeds as a thoughtful experiment in merging mechanical depth with human-scale storytelling. It may not satisfy players looking for endless complexity, but for those who want to tinker, rebuild, and unwind, it’s a quietly confident success.

Though admittedly light on gameplay, the strength of Finding Paradise’s characters, story and music will easily sweep you into its universe. It’s a worthy successor to To the Moon, telling a distinct, beautiful, and impactful story that will have you in tears by the end … and eagerly wondering what comes next.

Even though the game itself looks stunning and sounds beautiful, the movement mechanics are eye-twitchingly slow and there is a game crashing checkpoint bug. While not as disturbing as people claim, the story of Martha is Dead is a punch in the gut for sure.

Decades after paving the way for later quirky, comedic adventure games with anime influences, the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy brings the minimal updates needed to touch up an enchanting, silly and timeless collection.

Star Wars Squadrons is a complete, albeit, small package. It really delivers the most authentic Star Wars dogfighting experience to date. The music, the visuals, the details inside your ship, the sounds, it’s a nerd’s dream turned into reality. The learning curve in the game is a bit steep, but rewarding along the way. If you’re able to, try different compatible gaming peripherals to get an even more enhanced flight experience than I did.

In the best way possible, Darksiders III is a game that feels restrained in its design. Its game structure, systems, and mechanics are all incredibly lean, providing just enough depth while also avoiding getting bogged down by bloat.

Fantasian was designed by legendary RPG king Hironobu Sakaguchi as a love letter to games like Final Fantasy 6. It doesn’t really reinvent the wheel as it more adheres some pretty stickers to a wheel we’ve already watched spin for years. But for those looking to take that old wheel for a spin, you’re in for a smooth ride.

The PC version is undoubtedly the best way to play the game, even if it does come stuck with Denuvo. But great graphics options and optimization for mid-tier and up PCs will keep it relevant in the PC community for years to come.

While its heavily pixelated art style might not be for everyone, if you are into retro-style RPGs, Dread Delusion will be right up your alley. Enjoyable exploration, memorable characters and truly striking artwork make this one a winner.

The Sims Mobile satisfies almost everything a Sims fan could want from a smaller, portable counterpart. Considerable customization options will please designers who don’t mind a slow but steady unlock progression. The rest of us will be more than content with storylines to direct gameplay flow and convenient pacing options for both hands-off players and micromanagers.

Laying an excellent foundation for a new IP, Control features a well-crafted world that ignites the imagination. It’s dark, twisted, and a little bit weird in the best way possible.

Cursed to Golf really takes golfing to the next level. The wide variety of holes, traps, and Ace Cards really makes you want to play this game over and over again. With a golf game taking a risk to join the Roguelike genre, it swung and definitely did not miss. You will find yourself playing Cursed to Golf many times over just so you can finally see if you can conquer Golf Purgatory and ascend back to the real world.

Amnesia: Rebirth is terrifying, with the capability to break even the most seasoned of horror fanatics down. A treasure in the rare cosmic horror genre, Rebirth’s biggest weapon against the player is their own mind and it uses that weapon with the precision and finesse of a master artist. If it were not for the cliche story and lack of self-contained experience, this game could have easily made it’s way to the top of the series.

With Seasons, EA has delivered one of the most robust, complete expansions for The Sims 4.

Forspoken presents a genuinely human story blended well with combat and a variety of exploration options, setting it up to be PlayStation’s next big franchise.

Despite another slow start to the episode, a classic suspenseful cliffhanger has us yearning for the conclusion to this emotional and heartfelt prequel.

Supplemented by a beautiful score and packed with sidequests and replayability, Ever Oasis proves a sorely-needed bit of refreshment for 3DS owners waiting for a title they can get lost in.

Wayward Strand is a game that celebrates the fact that everyone has a story. Beyond some minor annoyances, it’s an absolute gem in the world of storytelling and fans of the medium should not miss out on this.

Torchlight II offers the same dungeon hacking, loot-acquiring thrills of a big-budget Diablo at a fraction of the price without a paralyzing amount of content. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys this style of game. It's a great fit for the Switch's portability.

I strongly recommend Monster Hunter Rise, but this isn’t World. It’s harder, less environmentally appealing, and more focused on the rivalry between the hunters and the monsters. Gaining the pieces to build that armor or make that weapon is sometimes a bit more of a grind as the RNG isn’t quite as good but the satisfaction as always is there and strong. But amazing combat and great rewards keep the fun moving, albeit very differently from its most recent predecessor.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 is an extremely satisfying game to play. It captures each and every aspect of the characters as portrayed in the movies, comics, and shows to parade them at their very best.

Although the graphics can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, the gameplay is a lot of fun, immersing the player in the intricate politics of vampire society. And you get some wicked powers too.

Last Call BBS isn’t going to keep you locked in for weeks, but if you’re old enough to remember computing in the 90s, this is an absolute trip down memory lane. So make sure the line’s free, and download this off the World Wide Web today!

No, it’s not a full-blown Animal Crossing game, but who could expect it to be? If you need something charming, addictive and inexpensive to distract you, Pocket Camp is the perfect handheld vacation.

A world filled with mystery, beauty, and adventure, Microids put plenty of love in care into the game’s themes of history. World Before beautifully combines classic storytelling with the art of world storytelling, not to mention the intertwining tales of two characters from different eras in time. It’s like a book that takes you in many unique directions within the same story and it’s good fun.

At the end of the day, what’s even more important than aesthetics and game mechanics is: Did I have fun? And the answer is yes. I had a great time playing Fear the Spotlight. It was a fun, relatively short survival horror game that is great for anyone who wants a retro throwback, or just a plain old fun spooky time. Plus, it’s priced at just $20, so as far as video games go, it’s a relatively cheap investment and is perfect to complete over a single weekend.

A really fun playing baseball game that mixes arcade with authenticity while featuring some of the sports most legendary players while featuring satisfying pitching and batting mechanics. The new and returning ballparks look great too and add to the environment. However, lack of features like a proper create-a-player mode, Home Run Derby mode and even something small like Replay Mode leaves Super Mega 4 Baseball just shy of a Grand Slam but is a good solid swing up the middle for a base hit to give the team the lead.

Burnout Paradise Remastered is an enjoyable revisit to one of the best arcade-style racers of the era. For PS4 owners who may have missed out or want to go back to Paradise City, this is the package for you.

Blanc is a cute and entertaining game that will test your team work and puzzle-solving abilities.

Nintendo and Mages does an excellent job taking one of the first visual novels and one of the rarest Nintendo games and bringing it to a modern audience with fully revamped art, an orchestrated soundtrack, and fully recorded voicing. The mystery is a blast to solve and the characters are delightfully terrible at hiding things which gives the whole thing a classic Murder She Wrote vibe. Lack of replayability may make the price point hard to justify for a 30-plus-year-old game, but the experience is excellent, especially for people like me who have always wanted to play this but never had the ability to.

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is one of the most adventurous party game collections yet, concocting interesting gameplay ideas and challenging its players to put their best self forward in front of friends and online audiences. With the exception of one glaring misstep, Jackbox Games continues to innovate and build upon their winning formula.

While the dialogue, of which there is a lot, can sometimes revel in its corniness, there is a lot to love in this strangely multifaceted game. Much lighter than the dark and brooding trailers suggested, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a game that somehow mixed XCOM’s military strategy style combat with a social sim in which your character helps friends with their personal problems and forges bonds. Small strange slice-of-life options, like having the ability to have characters change clothes every day or customizing various room,s turns this into a game that you almost feel like you can live in. Which is a good thing because I did not want to leave it.

Out of the Park Baseball 20 is one of deepest baseball games I’ve played. From the power of Live Start and historical teams to the creativity of Perfect Team 2.0, the game is a solid, all-around sports strategical gem. Combine the rich depth and pre-game control with the smooth looking gameplay, and Out of the Park Baseball 20 is a base hit in the gap for strategy enthusiasts.

The gameplay rewards you with lots of variety, while the graphics are still top-notch. WWE fans will feel like the wrestling lords have blessed them with tons of content. The single-player modes are easy to dominate (if you want them to be) but not all of them are worth sticking around for. The hustle and grind of Showcase mode might be a turnoff to some.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle offers its own take on the turn-based strategy genre while managing to be fun and deeper than you'd ever expect, even if the experience is over with just a little too soon.

The Longest Five Minutes embraces bits of the best and worst of old-school RPG nostalgia at times, then kicks them all to the curb with its own twist. RPG fans will find it worth playing for the superb music, adorable sprites, and the enjoyably unusual structure of the tale as a whole.

Serial Cleaners is an interesting puzzle game covered in blood and grunge with a fun ’90s spin. Pop on your yellow rubber gloves and get to cleanin’.

The wry, self-aware writing remains Nerial’s strong suit, uplifting the gameplay and drawing players in until they, like the game’s protagonist, are eagerly reliving lives over and over again.

The Wardrobe – Even Better Edition is a colorful and fun old-school puzzle game with colorful animations and silly pop culture references.

While its character design is nothing groundbreaking, the focus on individual skill and quick reaction times make for a stimulating and entertaining experience. If you are prepared to overcome a relatively high skill cap, LawBreakers adds just enough flavor to the genre to warrant your attention.

The Disney Afternoon Collection is nostalgia done right. While it could have been a little more fully featured, it contains several classics games absolutely worth revisiting, or even checking out for the very first time.

Rocket Arena is a fun game that offers a lot of features that players ask for all of the time in other games. You’ll have to ask yourself if you like this style of gameplay and the art style, but the game is well designed and a blast to play. If it goes free to play eventually, I think it can have sustained success.

Despite having a clunky interface, the game itself is wonderfully well crafted. The dirt and terrain feel very real and learning to control yourself is both challenging and rewarding without ever getting frustrating. The DualSense controls are an absolute benefit to playing the game on the PlayStation 5 by allowing haptic feedback to the bike itself in a very well crafted and realistic way. Character customization suffers pretty hard but beyond that and the interface, the experience itself is really well done.

In Sound Mind is frustrating at first but will draw you in with dark themes, bright colors, engaging environments and some pretty awesome gameplay mechanics. It’s not the scariest game that will release this Halloween season, but it’s certainly a competitor.

Peach Beach Splash is a lovely addition to the Senran Kagura franchise. The game acts as a wonderfully fun third-person shooter, with immense levels of customization available right out of the box. Unfortunately, it does at times feel held back by its over-the-top, lewd, anime roots.

Overall, Sky: Children of Light is a stunning, beautiful game that should be celebrated for its success as it is in the game. It's a wonderfully fun indie game that thrives on friendships, caring for others and your world, and creating something from a long-lost life.

Yakuza Kiwami represents a solid reimagining of the Kamurocho of old.

A high octane visual thrill ride that offers an intense workout, DOOM VFR is on par with some of the best VR first-person shooters out today. It may feel that some aspects are broken, but the game’s few limitations can be chalked up to the hardware for the most part. Especially for those who own a PSVR Aim Controller, DOOM VFR is a must-buy.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library that brings with it Nordic mythology, a gorgeous hand-drawn art style, and difficult boss fights. It’s great fun exploring the maps and figuring out a boss’ attacks, though the combat can become tedious on occasion.

Monster Prom: XXL is a much-needed change from your average party game and something that can liven up about any get together (whenever get-togethers can happen again). Luckily it also has an online multiplayer. Creative characters, funny dialogue and random happenstance make each play through a strange experience. If there was a wider variety of art and a bit more polish put into the interfaces this would be a perfect party pick for a night with friends. It’s still enjoyable, but there’s a lot I’d love to see improved upon as well.

If you have even one friend who will come over to play this with you, Kirby Star Allies is worth a try. Though shallow on the puzzle platforming side, there’s enough going on with different friend combinations to make combat varied and enjoyable, especially once you turn up the difficulty post-game.

With its continued focus on fast-paced bloodshed and the addition of some modern touches that help give it more depth, Doom: The Dark Ages is a seriously fun splatterfest that both franchise devotees and modern FPS gamers will love.

Skyrim VR is the best game available on PSVR right now. The ridiculous amount of content, gameplay, and options combined with flexible movement controls make up for the aged graphics and bugs. This is a must-play for anyone who owns PSVR.

If you missed Bulletstorm the first time round, The Full Clip Edition leaves no excuses to impoverish yourself of this cult classic any longer. While there’s not a whole lot of compelling additions to the remaster, the ever gratifying pulpiness of Bulletstorm’s inventive and versatile gunplay – juiced up by a healthy assortment of technical improvements – justifies a return to the maniacal playgrounds of Stygia, even if some of the game’s more outdated components remain in need of a revision.

The Banner Saga 3 fails to deliver the complexity of choice some were hoping for, but the compromise allows for a deep narrative enhanced by intelligent combat additions, excellent art direction, and its melancholic soundtrack.

While it’s a bizarrely difficult racing game for one to be heavily marketed towards younger kids, Hot Wheels Unleashed somehow matches to capture everything we used to pretend Hot Wheels were when we played with them as children. The stages feel real and the sense of perspective is amazing. Fully customizable vehicles with one of the best track editors I’ve ever seen make this game a fun toy chest to play with.

The marriage of co-op gameplay and the story of two unlikely partners and friends is an almost perfect combination right up until the last few minutes of the game, though I expect feelings on that to vary. It could use another round of technical polish, and you’ll need a friend to play along with, but if neither of those is a problem for you, then you won’t want to miss this adventure.

MLB The Show 17 takes smart, calculated approaches to improving its gameplay while expanding the Road to the Show Mode with its addition of an ongoing narrative. In an attempt to solidify an excellent baseball simulation experience, one with more control over minute details in all available gameplay modes, the development team builds upon a solid base.

Call of Duty WWII embraces the series’ beginnings and tells its story through a gripping, thoughtful campaign, continued excellence with Nazi Zombies mode and an expanded (but still formulaic) online multiplayer experience. Anybody who remembers the good old times they had with the franchise’s earlier titles should eventually take a look, as Call of Duty WWII is a return to form.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix is a great value for fans of the series looking to have most of the games in once collection on their most current console with several upgrades that even those who own the previous collections might want to consider upgrading for.

Simple, yet satisfying, Radical Rabbit Stew isn’t a particularly lengthy game, and I would’ve loved to have had more worthwhile collectibles to gather along the way; but, it hits the spot just the way a well-made stew should.

Fire Emblem Echoes is not here to make waves in a tried and true formula–certainly not as a remake of a very old game. But it’s one of the most competent remakes that I’ve seen in years and more than enough for anyone wistfully longing for a new series entry.

Snipperclips is what you make of it. It’s a non-stop puzzler joy that you can share with friends to demonstrate what the Nintendo Switch can actually do. There’s fairly little depth in terms of replayability, but at a budget price, it fits the niche that can serve seasoned players and newcomers, alike. Try getting through this without a laugh or two.

Inmost tells a disturbing yet beautiful tale set in a complex world. It balances both narrative and gameplay surprisingly well and offers an experience that will keep you engaged throughout. Despite some small issues, Hidden Layer Games offers one of the best indie game experiences in a while and is worth your time if you are a fan of platforming and puzzle-solving.

Just Dance 2017 on the Nintendo Switch is a great debut for the genre on the new console, and speaks to the promise of more great Joy-Con motion-controlled games to come.

The story is so engrossing and with the noticeable improvement in graphics, it becomes almost a new game entirely. Fast response interactions with people and objects, as well as easy mobility, make this game very easy to navigate. Telltale games did an amazing job remastering a game that was great to start with.

Simply put, Arcade Edition finally brings Street Fighter V to a recommendable state. With plenty of single-player content and new wrinkles in the accessible gameplay, it can actually be a good time to sit down, learn a character and just get better.

Taken together, Prey is a brilliant but flawed descent into a world of science gone wrong, driven by a well told, cerebrally satisfying story which makes up for the mechanical inconsistencies of the experience. Comparing Prey to Bioshock only reveals the relative cracks which explains why the former doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the latter, so it’s instead best to enjoy Prey as its own thing, forgiving its flaws to marvel at the results of Arkane’s intelligent approach to game design.

The Touryst overcomes its considerable flaws thanks to its vibrant personality and resplendent environments.

Though lacking the difficulty, complexity, and ribbing humor of its successors, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is an aesthetically pleasing and fun enough remake of a beloved GBA title.

The big hits are back and just as good as I remembered. Volleyball and soccer also medal in this version. However, Nintendo Switch Sports is lacking in overall content out of the gate.