While not perfect, Supermassive Games hears players and House of Ashes is the best release in the Dark Pictures Anthology to date. The improved game mechanics, environment and story make it a creepy experience that is perfect for Halloween.

While there isn’t anything to make Evil Dead: The Game stand out among the other asymmetrical survival horror games, what the game does, it does really well. However, that sameness will get old fairly fast.

While in a weird spot with rosters and some tough gameplay elements, NHL 21 takes chances and provides depth and enjoyment to the multiple gameplay modes. It’s not perfect, but it shines among other sports game releases this year.

Deck 13 have vastly improved upon their formula, and hopefully, this is a sign of great things to come. But for now, The Surge falls short of being anything more than a serviceable title that sticks to what it knows.

Namco Museum on the Nintendo Switch offers a few arcade classics on the go but not really much else. The lack of online or even local multi-Switch play for all but one title, no real extras and the fact that the selection is kinda meager make this a pass for most people. It’s the absolute minimum to expect out of such a title.

Need for Speed: Heat is the kind of game that reinvigorates the franchise. With so many things to do, so much to explore and unlock, it’s a complete experience with an extreme racing intensity that's somewhat hampered by tedious grinding at later levels and the extreme difficulty of high Heat levels. If you haven’t gotten into a Need for Speed game in a while, this is probably the time to finally hop back in.

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.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning on the PS4 is a fun and well-written game that, unfortunately, is nearly ruined by the remastered version’s ridiculously long load times. If load times don’t concern you, then you may enjoy this underrated action-RPG that was originally developed by a fantasy “dream-team” that included author R.A. Salvatore, comic artist Todd McFarlane, and game designer Ken Rolston.

Before We Leave puts creativity to the test and while it has potential, it fails to reach beyond the stars and truly embrace the vastness of exploration and city-building.

If you are looking for a game with a lot of substance, then Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus isn’t the game for you. But, if you want to kill a few hours trying to solve a mystery, then you can do a lot worse than trying to save your favorite uncle.

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.

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.

Tormented Souls is a great addition to your Halloween lineup by appealing to the new generation with good music and good graphics but catering to the older gamers with nostalgic gameplay, storyline and mechanics. It’s not perfect but it’s a good time.

Dead or Alive 6 is certainly a looker; make no mistake about that. It’s even really fun to play at times, and anyone from season veterans to button-mashers can get in on the action with no problem at all. But everything else about the game makes it difficult to recommend unless a free-to-play version launches down the line.

With a touching look into the backstory of Gamora and Nebula and an existential question over the morality of life, Guardians of the Galaxy episode 3 sets up an emotionally provocative endgame with a superbly fleshed out group of characters.

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.

Despite it being a short game outside of its high replay value, Shu is a charming and beautiful 2.5D platformer that has a lot to offer between its calm stages and its more frantic moments.

I’m not really sure what my favorite part of Heidelberg 1693 was, really. I love the aristocratic time period, the colors and varying environments. The ending is a hell of a lot of fun as well but I won’t spoil that for you. If you are a fan of platformers or even on the fence about them, this is one of the good ones that will win you over with its looks alone.

A solid arcade style professional football game that still makes things work without the NFL license thanks to the NFLPA so gamers can still use their favorite current players and the legends of yesteryear. The fields are beautiful, the plays are pretty satisfying and the Wild Card system is, well, wild. Uniform options can get crazy which is fun as well. Many of the attributes and labeling of the player cards are off but once you get past that, you have just a good old solid arcade football game.

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.

The awkward story mode, lackluster roster and poor presentation overall don’t live up to the standard of the series. Though casuals should probably proceed with caution, Infinite has a decent game just lying beneath everything bad about it; it’ll just take those patient and forgiving enough to find it.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet needed to be playtested a lot more before release. There are some genuinely jarring issues, but they don’t take away from the fact that there’s a really fun game here at its core. The storyline is better and more real than almost any Pokemon storyline I’ve seen in years. It’s hard to miss the flaws in this game, but if you’re a fan of the series, it’s far more interesting than it is disappointing and I’m glad I spent my time playing the game.

An oddly-paced episode is made up for with a deep characterization of the Guardians of the Galaxy, further supplanting the series as a character-driven comedy adventure game. With an unclear look into where the future lies, the next chapter could make or break this series.

Where Winds Meet is one messy and unapologetically dense online game. It tried to mix all the good and the bad of open-world games and staple features of live-service releases -- whether it actually works or not. But it's the first time a wuxia game, or even an MMO in general, has truly felt like a living, breathing world -- not just a theme park of instanced dungeons and fetch quests. Anyone hunting for their next timesink, whether solo or with friends, will find Where Winds Meet surprisingly easy to get hooked on.

Just Dance 2018 was a fun game, but not one that left me breathless. The addition of Kids Mode was smart and will appeal to an even broader audience. But this franchise needs some competition in order for them to amp up the content of the game because frankly, it’s just not worth $59.99.

What you get with Team Sonic Racing is what you honestly better than you might expect from any modern game bearing the Sonic moniker. It’s a flawed but mostly competent kart racer that is budget priced and might be fine for kids who like the blue hedgehog and his furry friends.

After a disappointing second salvo, The Council episode 3, “Ripples,” rebounds with full gusto. Bringing a narrative and gameplay balance, players are given a better picture at what the series aims to accomplish and keeps them hooked onto what happens next.

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.