J-Stars Victory VS+ is built specifically for fans of the numerous franchises represented within with an enjoyable story mode, but outsiders will likely find nothing of interest here.

The humor is excellent, the voice acting is stellar, and the story continues to engage and intrigue the player with its dual-narrator structure. If you haven't taken the plunge into Rhys and Fiona's epic adventure yet there is no reason to keep waiting, as Tales just keeps getting better as time goes on. Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 4 can't come soon enough.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure doesn't do much to rock the boat that the series has built over the last couple of decades. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, as the game doesn't ruin what fans have loved, but it also doesn't offer much to bring them back either.

Rocksteady Studios leaves Batman behind at the top of their game in terms of visual presentation, gameplay, and storytelling. While Arkham Knight's innovations are few, they are impactful and smart, and all work towards the common goal of giving the player the ultimate power fantasy of being the Batman.

LEGO Jurassic World hits all the right notes on the nostalgia scale by providing gamers with faithful recreations of the four movies in the series for a really fun experience, but there is really nothing brick breaking this time around.

While not as innovative as it once was in the current gaming landscape, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is the definitive Payday experience on consoles that will provide hours of multiplayer fun.

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is a member of the all too uncommon first-person dungeon crawler club, and while it may be very complicated, it also offers an addictive experience for on-the-go that is bound to be enjoyable for fans of the genre.

The Masterplan is an open-ended heist game that is genuinely fun to play. It has some teething issues, but with continued support from its developers it can only go from strength to strength.

Massive Chalice really has a unique and interesting premise and even with the lackluster combat it's a lot of fun to play. The management of bloodlines and Keeps, the necessity to keep breeding different types of units to keep your army balanced, and a wide array of power-ups you can research make each playthrough feel different.

The Escapists can be hours of fun for those who enjoy a good challenge in a unique setting, but abundant troubleshooting can make this a hard sell for a mainstream audience.

0rbitalis is a real class act, and one of the best puzzle games in recent memory. Minimalism is achieved without sacrificing sophistication, and for such a small game it has the potential for hours of engrossing gameplay.

Don't Starve: Giant Edition could have been the best version of the game yet. Unfortunately a lack of true Gamepad support simply makes it another flawed but enjoyable survival experience.

Ultimately, Magicka 2 fails to adequately build on its first outing. It feels more like an expansion to the original Magicka, or an unusually faithful remake.

The biggest star though is just the overall style of the game, with characters that will quickly endear themselves to every player. Splatoon is easily one of the most unique games of this generation, and one of the best as well.

Sons of Winter puts the series back on the right track, offering the same amazing writing, voice acting, and world, but with more progress and consequence to the proceedings.

House Of Wolves manages to be a well-rounded expansion with a lot to offer and content to experience. Even if that comes at the trade of having max level so easily accessible and the same recycled story environments.

It's a sprawling, ambitious, beautiful representation of a dark fantasy world, and games like this don't come along often. By no means perfect, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt still one of the year's biggest and best releases.

Stretchmo doesn't reinvent the puzzle genre, or the series in which it exists, but it expands and evolves it in fresh and interesting ways.

NERO is pretty to look at but is decidedly lacking when it comes to substance or involving players in the intricate story it’s trying to tell.

Match Three with an element of strategy simply isn't done any better, but this one is having a hard time shaking its free-to-play roots.

It's easy to dismiss this as Hotline Miami with a different point-of-view, but Not A Hero stands on its own merits as a frenetic shooter.

Invisible Inc. is smart and stylish, and delectable for fans of stealth or strategy.

The collaboration between Slightly Mad Studios and its community of fans have led to fantastic results. Project Cars is one the best, and most authentic racing experiences we've seen in quite some time.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood pays homage to Return to Castle Wolfenstein in some really neat ways that fans of the long-running franchise will appreciate. Machine Games does it while keeping their own additions to the series front and center.

Fairly superficial gameplay and recycled ideas hamper Chroma Squad. The game is saved, however, by tongue-in-cheek writing and an excellent premise. Chroma Squad definitely won’t set the pond on fire but is still enjoyable.

Broken Age showed a lot of promise in its development and in the first half from last year. However, illogical puzzles combine with an overall lack of new content in the back half to make for an overall middling experience.

Some gameplay elements haven’t aged well, but others demonstrate that you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken. A must for Ys devotees and JRPG fans.

Capturing the spirit of the past, Shovel Knight once again shines on PlayStation platforms with one of the best platformers in recent years, made even better with the inclusion of cross-buy.

State of Decay’s visual presentation is the most dated that we’ve seen on the Xbox One. Calling this a remaster seems a little disingenuous, as there are so many glaring issues that constantly take away from the experience and overshadow the interesting gameplay ideas.

Without a better story, and the game ending before you can really ever test your mettle, Assassin's Creed Chronicles feels lackluster.

Crypt of the Necrodancer marries rhythm and roguelike in a unique way — It feels accessible, fun, and fairly difficult at any given moment.

Building upon everything right with its predecessors, Mortal Kombat X takes the series another step forward with an insanely fun story that is surrounded by well fleshed out characters and gameplay that takes the best of the past while infusing it with brand new mechanics.

Grand Theft Auto V finally hits PC after over a year of waiting. While the wait was hard it was completely worth it given the final product on display. Improved graphics are just the beginning as the game becomes an entirely new experience on PC.

Titan Souls strips out all of the bloat of contemporary action games, and boils things down to what should be the best bits. Though it might be a little too condensed for its own good.

Taking a trip back to the past, Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures is a love letter to old school gamers, while paying tribute to many of the elements that have haunted the Nerd over the years.

Affordable Space Adventures is a must-have for anyone with a Wii U. It utilizes the Gamepad in ways that few games have before, and truly feels like a unique, yet fun experience.

Not quite content with improving the graphics and lumping in the downloadable content and calling it a day, Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin feels like From Software's definitive vision for the game.

MLB 15: The Show is the most accurate representation of the sport yet again, but feels more like a roster update than anything else, outside of a few improvements here and there.

It’s hard to fully recommend Jaws of Hakkon when it feels so non-essential. There were no unique must-have experiences tucked away within the DLC that would warrant a purchase at $15. If you’re looking for more of the same, you got it.

Seeing improvements in all facets and some unexpected inclusions, Ascendance is a good DLC pack for Advanced Warfare. Hopefully we’ll see more of this going forward.

A slick and fun puzzle experience from start to finish, BOXBOY! will please anyone looking for a great new pick-up-and-play adventure. Just don't expect too much challenge until you dive into the optional areas of the game.

Built for local couch multiplayer matchups with friends, Paperbound is definitely a quality option for parties, but otherwise will likely be collecting dust on your hard drive in the mean time.

Rack N Ruin takes great elements, mixes them together, and then adds a ton of frustration on top. There are things to like here, but they are hidden behind bad controls, confusing design, and annoying gameplay elements.

Following through on the tone of the first episode, Life is Strange: Episode 2 - Out of Time features natural story and character progression with gravitas-laden decisions that will shape the future.

Axiom Verge is one of the purest forms of Metroidvania titles that we’ve seen in recent years.

Game of Thrones Episode 3 is certainly the most consistent entry in the series, with great action and storytelling throughout. The issues from Episode 2 still crop up though, and more concrete progress is needed to truly satisfy.

Offering up some of the most unique gameplay to the genre over the last decade, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D shows exactly why the game was so beloved on the Wii and this time it is actually affordable.

Providing gamers with two very fun and lengthy games within Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, there is no doubt that this is the ultimate Borderlands experience for everyone.

Those that are up for the challenge of Bloodborne are going to find a game that plays better, looks better, and has more to keep you occupied than any of the Souls games had.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 brings back a few classic RE staples, but still won't please most longtime fans. Those seeking standard action will still enjoy the third-person shooter gameplay though.

Cities: Skylines is how city-building games ought to be. It's fun, it's pretty, it's easily approachable, yet, difficult to master. It doesn't have all the features that one might dream of in the perfect city-building simulator, but it does absolute wonders with what it does have.

As second episodes go, it’s a strong one. Plenty of things happen, but nothing too meaningful as it continues to lay a foundation for what will likely become a pretty zany finale. Still, the jokes were funny and there were a few good action sequences.

Battlefield: Hardline is a lateral move for the series. Even with a more ambitious single player offering, multiplayer continues to steal the show, offering best in-class gameplay when it works.

Offering the most captivating gameplay from the series in a long time, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD has finally arrived to the West while looking and sounding better than ever.

Mario Party 10 still offers the same fun and random time that the series is known for. However, it isn't looking to fix any of the previous flaws of the series. If you want more of the same, with a cool new mode thrown in then definitely check this out.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number lives up to original in a number of ways, even outpacing it in terms of stylistic violence. With a story that's all over the map, and constraints often placed on the player, Hotline Miami 2 takes away some of the fun from the original game -- just not all of it.

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. presents a lot of interesting ideas, but never pulls them together to form a cohesive and fun experience. There's certainly a lot here to enjoy, but to get to it you'll have to suffer a little boredom.

Zombie Army Trilogy won't be winning any rewards for innovation any time soon. It will most likely not get any best game of the year awards either. Doesn't stop it from being really fun to play, though. Just a lot of mindless zombie killing fun, which is really all you should have be looking for with this title to begin with.

Ori and the Blind Forest rivals the very best games in terms of presentation and controls. It offers a challenging path for you to follow on this touching emotional journey. So good, so beautiful, you can't help but want more reasons to play.

White Night is a pretty well crafted survival horror game. You’ll get scared. Unfortunately for it, a few niggling mechanical issues linger through to the released version of the game and dampens the experience somewhat. Otherwise, it is a thoroughly enjoyable game, at a very minimal cost, for fans of the genre.

A perfect cross-buy option for puzzle lovers, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is the next great entry in the long running series. This time adding new mechanics and the online level sharing to create near infinite possibilities.

Right in the sweet spot between being fun and challenging.

A melting pot of old and new, Screamride provides players with not only classic coaster building, but also the ability to ride upon those tracks and then destroy everything around them across hours of endless fun.

Offers up some fantastic multiplayer action for those not looking for a serious endeavor. If you can't get four players together though it loses most of its luster.

Q*Bert Rebooted is definitely one character that deserved to be rebooted into today's gaming world, but while it does retain many of the classic Q*Bert elements, spotty controls and inexcusably bad load times make the game extremely mediocre.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse is definitely the best Dragon Ball game in years, though certainly not without its flaws, which shakes up the typical formula and is bound to shape the future of the series.

Homeworld Remastered Collection simultaneously lives up to the legacy of the series while forging ahead with updated graphics and UI elements. Genre fans will love this collection, while others should be able to find something to enjoy with all that it contains.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse offers up unique visuals and gameplay, but largely fails to bring them together into a fun game. The colorful world is worth exploring, but only for those that are especially interested in the different nature of the game.

A rather short game that relies much more on difficulty to make it seem longer. Full of unrealized potential, the somewhat stiff controls do not help while trying to solve genuinely creative puzzles at times.

The Order: 1886 is a great game, as long as you treat it as a mindless shooter and not the bevy of innovation we were all led to believe it was. Graphically appealing, the title shows us once again, we should not judge a book by its cover.

Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is a fantastic victory lap for the fifth generation of the series, offering an extremely impressive lineup of fighters, costumes, and stages that will provide endless fun in both single player or with friends.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the pinnacle of the series thus far on the handheld platform as long as you are a fan and able to overlook the repetitive nature of the game.

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a pretty well-made point-and-click adventure game. Unfortunately, there were some bizarre design choices made and the odd bug that hinder the experience. However, if you don't mind point-and-click games, like solving some interesting puzzles and some quirky comedy thrown in, there aren't many better alternatives.

Returning fans won't get much new worthwhile content, except in the refreshing streaming mode, but if you are new the series this is the kitten kabootle of all things Stardust.

Proves that this series can truly transcend time, with the game being just as fun as it was nearly 15 years ago, while also bringing new additions that will make it near impossible to go back to the original.

Harold is certainly enjoyable to look at, and occasionally is fun to play. The high difficulty level and forced practice sections keep it a strictly middle of the road experience though.

All things considered, this is a solid Total War game that, while being far from revolutionary and requiring just a little bit more polish before official release, will be far better than Total War Rome 2 can ever hope to be.

Criminal Girls: Invitation Only starts off very lackluster with rather baffling gameplay choices, but after unlocking more skills that improve the battles drastically, dungeon crawler fans can easily find a lot of fun here.

Turtle Rock Studios' brand of Asymmetrical Multiplayer in Evolve is right up there with the very best that we've seen, with a complimentary presentation to match. For anyone looking for a reprieve from military shooters, Evolve can be an exhilarating change of pace.

Alientrap has struck a great balance between their core 2-D Platforming and RPG-lite mechanics, and a varied world that challenges players in different ways throughout the course of this tightly paced adventure.

The Lost Lords continues the fantastic story that began in Episode 1, but offers little to those seeking more than just small movement forward. The disparate storylines water down the experience, but new elements add enough to make the journey worthwhile.

Grow Home isn't awfully deep, nor does it provide any real story to hook you, but this game taps into the pleasure centers of seeing something and going there... however you may choose to do so.

If you played this game, and you liked it, 15 years ago when it first came out, you might get a bit of nostalgia from this version. But without the expansions bundled in and practically no changes, there exist better alternatives on the market for you to spend your money on.

Dontnod has done a fantastic job of not only introducing an interesting new world to explore in Life is Strange, but also an intriguing time-rewinding mechanic, and mysterious story that can only grow from here.

Raven's Cry has very few redeemable qualities. Despite having the potential to be the ultimate pirate adventure, and the inclusion of a ton of features, it's not very fun to play and has quite a few technical issues.

The complete lack of context and non-existent story give you nothing to latch on to. The variety of puzzles found in the game don’t have much replay value, and even on the first go round, the more ambitious ones can certainly frustrate.

If you plan on playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this year as your go-to shooter, it’s almost mandatory that you purchase the map packs to go with it. Unfortunately, Havoc isn’t a very good one.

A surprisingly well put together open-world survival game with a lot of moving parts, all of which add up to something pretty fun to play. It’s not going to blow your mind in terms of story, and the mission structure of the campaign is certainly familiar, but Dying Light has cohesion between its parts that make it enjoyable.

Told with a very unique film noir story and engaging characters, Grim Fandango Remastered just oozes with charm all around. While quite complex, the style of puzzles found here is something that gaming is missing today and works just as well now as it did back in 1998, though the controls can get in the way at times.

Taking a cluster of very different ingredients and mixing them into one pot turned out magnificently, with the inclusion of superpowers jumping the series to new heights.

The Alchemist of Dusk manages to stand out from the rest of the Atelier series and serves as an excellent RPG option for anyone with a PS Vita.

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is the Saints Row you know and love, minus the good stuff. A lack of humor, repetitive missions and structure for this short expansion leave a lot to be desired.

An enjoyable entry in the Geometry Wars franchise that manages to add new life into the series, but keeps fans happy with returning classics.

Even better, both Kingdom Hearts II and Birth By Sleep bring their Final Mix counterparts to the US for the first time, with a slew of new content in each that will interest even those that beat 100% of the originals.

Despite the high standard of the property and developer, Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series Episode 1 - Iron From Ice manages to hold up to nearly every expectation and delivers a gaming experience on par with the HBO show.

Filled with a cast that will be familiar to long-time fans of the franchise, Digimon All-Star Rumble offers intriguing battle types that can be fun with friends, but sadly feels like it could have used a good bit more more development time.

If you liked Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, then you will like Temple of Osiris. A few mechanical issues make the experience less than ideal, but this cheap little game can be a lot of action-packed fun.

A great expansion on the concept of the mini-games from Super Mario 3D World. Unfortunately, despite a lower starting price it never offers enough new elements to become truly great. You'll still enjoy every second you spend in this bright and colorful world though.