Maiden of Black Water polishes an old formula almost perfectly, though the game itself isn't so polished in spots. Buy it anyway.

With a cleverly reinvented guitar and whole music video channel of songs backing it up, Guitar Hero Live is the rhythm game for the people who got bored of rhythm games.

Syndicate is a step in the right direction for the series. It’s not as innovative as it could be, but it’s an entertaining adventure worthy of the name Assassin’s Creed. Buy it.

Life is Strange makes some odd design choices, but its ability to make your choices feel important to its strong leading protagonists more than makes up for it. Buy it.

Metal Gear Solid Online is designed well enough that you can eke a little fun out of it, but be prepared to test your patience for the trauma that accompanies trying to find a stable online session.

Despite the Zelda name, Triforce Heroes feels more like an uneven spin-off than a core part of the franchise’s storied legacy. The frequent hopping between difficult combat and relatively straightforward three-man puzzles feels a bit disjointed and empty without the series’ usual sense of adventure and advancement. Still, if you have a couple of friends who want to goof off with their 3DS systems in tow, you could do worse.

Currently, there's still a lot of Halo 5 to love—and just about as much to raise our eyebrows at—but the multiplayer is the winner here. Even Warzone's card-collecting gimmick hasn't stopped us from loving the series' biggest battles yet, while our experiences in Arena have ranged from solid, standard Spartan blasting to some of the most eye-bulging fun we've had dueling on Xbox Live in years.

A great racing game for the younger or more casual gamer, and for fans of modded cars. Others should try it.

Series fanatics probably shouldn't cancel their pre-orders, but they should definitely check their expectations about ambition and next-gen series boosts at the radioactive vault's doors.

This is the most complete version of Football Manager yet, offering up something new for both seasoned veterans and newcomers alike.

Battlefront scratches that itch for Star Wars wish fulfillment, but when the twinkle leaves your eye, there's not much left to discover. Try it.

As the conclusion to a more than 17-year-old saga, Legacy of the Void isn’t a great place for newcomers to jump in. For those who want to wrap up the story or see the pinnacle of the series’ multiplayer, this is probably your last best chance to jump on for a good, long time. Try it.

There's little to complain about on a technical level, but Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros quickly becomes a repetitive slog.

Probably the best JRPG this year, and definitely one of the best in a good long while. If you think you can stomach the early difficulty, try it.