A great conclusion to this underappreciated puzzle series, Bye-Bye BoxBoy! is a must buy for anyone who enjoyed the previous games. It also serves as a nice jumping on point, giving players tons of new, fun puzzles to work through with some cool new mechanics.

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.

Just like with the previous Mega Man Legacy Collections, Capcom brings together a group of standout games in their most accessible and affordable form to date with the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection.

Starfield is the most potent value proposition for Game Pass, being the killer app for the subscription service. It is also the best, most ambitious game in the Xbox Game Studios library to date. It would not be a stretch to say this could be one of the most ambitious games ever made, and that it followed through with many of those goals with relatively low compromise.

The complex and engrossing world of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is one that sinks its teeth into you right from the beginning, and as you journey through it you never want it to let go. We had to wait awhile for it to finally arrive, but our patience was rewarded with a definite game of the year contender.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a bold shift in direction, one that succeeds more than it stumbles in the pursuit of its new design.

Other games may have it beat in terms of pure gameplay, but GRIS is in a league of its own as a gaming experience.

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.

Katana Zero is a fantastic 2D action game, it's a great stealth game, and it has an interesting story and universe. The action is fast, fluid, and will have you coming back for more over and over again. But this is just a taste of what could be.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a delightful and fantastic JRPG experience. A long story full of adventure, character, charm, and whimsy will keep you playing for dozens of hours without breaking a sweat.

Post-launch support will ultimately determine Shadowlands' fate, but as it currently stands World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is a fantastic expansion that once again proves why Blizzard's 16 year old juggernaut remains the king of the MMORPG genre. While we may be touring Azeroth's afterlife ourselves, it's clear World of Warcraft won't be sauntered off into the great beyond any time soon.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp isn't a perfect title on its own merits, but it's addictive, stylish, and fun. The wonderful characters make up for an uninteresting and predictable plot. It'd be great to see more Advance Wars and other Wars titles make their way over to the system, but adding matchmaking for online play would be a must.

It's been a long wait, but Aloy's new adventure into The Frozen Wilds is every bit as fulfilling as the main game.

The collection is a faithful representation of the arcade classics with a rich and deep museum to fill your brain with enough Street Fighter lore and history to last you for years.

Grounded is a charming survival experience that mixes exploration, action, and crafting into one grand package. There are plenty of options for those wishing to get immersed in the world, and anyone willing to put up with the odd multiplayer requirements will surely get hours of enjoyment out of this game.

Being a game that will no doubt test your reflexes and tenacity, Disc Room will make the number of deaths you have in a Dark Souls game look miniscule in comparison.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus proves that graphics are not the only factor in what makes a game great. Although it can look very rough around the edges, the package here is an extremely fun one that hopefully outsources the overdone formula from previous titles.

EA still has some tricks up their sleeve on the gameplay front that can continue to make FIFA an enjoyable, albeit complex, sports sim.

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

Somewhere between a remake and a remaster, the work done to the original Gears of War is evident at every turn. You'll come to see the impressive new coat of paint, but you'll stay for the timeless multiplayer.

Command & Conquer Remastered isn't just the best way to replay these classic RTS', it's one of the best and most consumer-friendly remasters ever made. Welcome back, Commander.

This high stakes laser light show by no means is perfect, but it is a blast and one hell of a way to kill an evening online or locally.

There's no massive additions or changes in the transition to Switch, and some gameplay frustrations still remain that likely shouldn't. But fans will be very happy with what's offered here and newcomers will find this to be the definitive way to experience Suda51's masterpieces.

The game’s protagonist and accompanying cast of characters are fun to watch, and the hacking mechanics are better than ever. It’s just too bad that the overall story is forgettable, as it never really sucks you in despite its best efforts. Even so, those looking for an open-world experience mixed with fantastic hacking mechanics likely won’t be disappointed with what Watch Dogs 2 has to offer.

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City is a worthy finale for this game and the series in general. Taking every trick that they’ve learned over the course of the series and seemingly packing them into one final journey, The Ringed City is sure to please if you’re into the masochistic nature of the series.

L.A. Noire: The VR Case File is a bold, inventive, and engaging VR title, marking the first tentative steps into the next step in VR gaming. You'll feel like a true 40's detective, and you'll love every second of it. Being able to drive around a realistic take on LA is just icing on the cake, but it's some pretty sweet icing.

Project Cars 2 takes everything that made its predecessor great, and improves and expands it to perfection.

Maintaining all the charm of the original, now with upgraded visuals, Katamari Damacy Reroll is as quirky as ever with its fun level design and standout music. Hopefully this will lead to a brand new game in the series or at worst remasters of the other games at some point in the near future.

Superhot is a fascinatingly unique take on the shooter genre. Its time manipulation mechanics truly alter the gameplay, making it feel more like a puzzle game than a standard shooter. Great visual and audio design push the game to even higher levels, but the experience might feel a bit short for those who aren't total completionists.

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.

Offering a splendid amount of content in one package that can be enjoyed in both single and multiplayer, the colorful Runbow easily deserves a spot in the party game lineup for any Wii U owner.

Avoiding the series’ recent downward slide, F1 2016 has managed to revitalize the series with the return of Career mode in one of its best entries to date.

Tons of unlockables, fantastic visuals, a catchy, upbeat soundtrack, and unique gameplay combine to form a gaming experience like few others. If you have a friend who is into couch co-op and can be at the ready to play Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime at a moments notice, then the game will certainly be a favorite. However, for those that have a more solitary gaming experience, the lack of an online multiplayer component could be a deal breaker.

There's no massive additions or changes in the transition to Switch, and some gameplay frustrations still remain that likely shouldn't. But fans will be very happy with what's offered here and newcomers will find this to be the definitive way to experience Suda51's masterpieces.

Borderlands 3 delivers the game fans have been waiting for.

For a series that has been hiding in the shadows and deemed a cult classic franchise for quite some time, Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist Of The Mysterious Dream proves that even though it may be the underdog in a genre saturated with many, many entries, it can come out from the shadows and prove that it's a one of a kind experience.

Like you would come to expect from the franchise. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles features both classic detective and Ace Attorney series tropes that come together around some very intriguing mysteries that will keep you busy for many hours across the interconnected story of the collection.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a product of its time as both a hardcore-adjacent PS1-era JRPG and as a host to several problematic romance mechanics. Its plot is exciting yet generic and is wildly insistent about how certain characters should end up together. But beyond that, you'll find a brilliant and modular character stat-building system, glorious battles, some fabulous character portrait art, and a wonderful 32-bit-inspired world for you to explore.

Arkane leverages Prey's strengths in gameplay with a rogue like twist on story delivery for one of the best DLCs of the year.

Cult of the Lamb is a fun and worthwhile experience, just an experience I thought that I’d be able to get over and over again. Though it is cut too short, building a cult full of my favorite animal, crusading through lush environments, and vibing to the art and music is a perfect weekend retreat, even if it doesn't last long enough to convert.

Subnautica: Below Zero doesn't reach the same heights as the first game, but it's proof Unknown World's 2018 survival game wasn't a fluke. The act of exploring a mysterious underwater world whilst trying to survive is nearly as captivating in Below Zero as it was then. I'm still not a fan of the survival genre, yet I loved every moment I spent with Subnautica: Below Zero. I may know most of the tricks by now, but that didn't make the experience any less magical.

The collection as a whole might not bring much to the table beyond the games it transfers to a newer console in better shape than before, but when the games are this good that is enough.

A rogue-lite with more substance than most, Galak-Z is equal parts brutal and beautiful. If you can hang in long enough to conquer the steep difficulty curve, what lies within is a rewarding, nostalgic trip.

10 Second Ninja was already a very fun and enjoyable game in its initial release on PC, but now coming out as the more content heavy 10 Second Ninja X, console owners get to join in on the action with the best version of the game so far.

Hitman 2 is the series at its very best — players can play with a razor sharp edge and cut surgically through a level or take a blunt approach and make hilariously bad decisions and deal with the brutal outcome.

A Plague Tale: Requiem deserves your time in every sense of the word and it is a story that will live on in my mind for years to come. The powerful, emotional heartaches that you will no doubt experience by the incredible cast of characters continue to impress after the credits roll.

Death Stranding is equal parts amazing and exasperating. It features stellar acting, graphics, and sound. It’s a revelation in many of its gameplay mechanics, while also relying on typically frustrating things like fetch quests and inventory management. What it does without exception though is meld the gameplay with the message, creating something truly unique in the end.

We didn’t get it with the last two entries in the series, but Far Cry 5 feels like the generational leap that fans have been waiting for. This installment certainly feels like the biggest in terms of content and it just might be the best Far Cry game to date.

The Evil Within 2 is just like its predecessor: a mixed bag. While it had the potential to be something absolutely brilliant, Tango Gameworks has attempted to both cram too much in and offer too little at the same time.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla takes all the previous systems introduced in Origins and Odyssey, and streamlines them into a more focused experience. The game may have some flaws, and it's a shame to see the combat remains mediocre after all these years, yet Valhalla is easily the best entry in the recent trilogy. Grab your axes and shields: it's time to go a-viking!

It’s showing its age and still suffers from the trademark Bethesda bugs, but The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is a good enough excuse to warrant a return trip or serve as an entry point to this massive game.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy not only does the original games justice, but successfully expands on the original vision behind them. This is Spyro at his very best.

Years and several Soulslike games later, FromSoftware revisits another of its iconic franchises and mostly soars with awesome visuals and combat. While difficulty is always going to be a factor in these games, the sudden challenge spikes will alienate those who lack the patience for finding the right build.

Serving as an excellent teaching tool for aspiring artists, Art Academy: Home Studio takes the franchise to new heights with well designed lessons that aim to make players the next Vincent van Gogh.

Mortal Kombat 1 is one of those rare legacy games that manages to improve very element it inherited from it's predecessors. Superb graphics and a rich combat system come together to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience that will leave fans of the fighting game genre begging for more.

The Last Guardian is a marvelous achievement in a number of ways. Its story is subtle, but beautiful. Its world is fascinating and mysterious. And Trico will go down as one of the best characters ever made for a video game. Players are in for a wonderful treat, but that quality comes at a cost. The game struggles to run well at times, and the controls can be a chore.

Following off the stellar Metro 2033 and Last Light, Exodus feels like a misstep for this series. This series has built a reputation on its quality, but Exodus falls flat in some ways that truly matter.

MLB The Show 23 will have you practice your best home run calls because the latest installment in the iconic franchise knocks it out of the park. The game’s new storylines mode, improved animations, and latest gameplay changes are worth the price of entry to your favorite ballpark this year.

Monster Hunter Stories remains a blast from beginning to end, offering tons of content and a unique take on the Monster Hunter formula.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a delectable rogue-like that kept finding new ways to bring me back to the dinner table. Addictive run-and-gun gameplay, a colorful art style, and hilarious writing come together to create a memorable first course for 2024.

There are very few games as perfectly suited for the Nintendo Switch as Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, offering players an impressive lineup of games to play in a variety of different ways that makes it a must own party game for the Nintendo Switch.

As far as the basic HD remastering is concerned, Capcom has done a great job of updating and improving on the Gamecube release.

It fulfills a certain niche not just with being a roguelite, but a create your own adventure sort of way while doing so. Most games of the genre have this appeal somewhat by having things like weapon variety and perks; Loop Hero takes it to a whole other level of customization with not only just the classes and weapon types, but the entire terrain is your playground.

Taking Swedish mythology and crafting a puzzle-based horror game will definitely please Wii U owners who are looking for something fresh and interesting to play. The Wii U version has a few very small issues, but overall it presents some great new takes on the Gamepad, that fans will definitely want to check out, as long as they can get past a couple of small missteps.

For better or worse Tekken 7 stays grounded to its arcade roots. The console fighting game scene seems to have changed in the meantime.

Mega Man 11 offers a successfully modernized take on the classic Mega Man experience and should please fans both old and new.

Madden NFL 18 marks a second consecutive year of Madden football in a holding pattern. Features and additions to this year's game either just don't feel noteworthy, or miss the mark entirely.

Watching the rise of John Cena was electrifying, and the general gameplay improvements have made this the most competent Wrestling game to come out in decades. With an almost overwhelming amount of content in this entry, it's going to be hard to find time for many other games coming out this year.

Don't let the LEGO license fool you. This is the Star Wars game we've all been waiting for.

DrinkBox has succeeded in not only making a fantastic game, but also making the PlayStation Vita relevant again in a time where most have left it for dead. Severed is the call to all gamers to dig out their dusty Vitas once more, as the neglected handheld has quietly acquired one of the must-have games of 2016.

With easy to learn, hard to master controls that build up as you progress through the game, and an addictive scoring mechanic that is always pushing you to master the game, OlliOlli 2 is a great addition to any PC gamer's library.

Even with no new upgrades, Final Fantasy VII on Nintendo Switch is without a doubt the definitive way to play the game on consoles with the ability to not only play at home, but also take the game on the go.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is an apex of joy on any day you decide to play through it that not only solidifies Burning Shores' effectiveness but also secures the future of the franchise strongly.

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.

Groundbreaking and unforgettable, Danganronpa V3 is set to become one of the most relevant titles of the generation for many people. Supported by an intelligent and hilarious script, this visual novel presents the most delightfully complicated mysteries, and shocking plot twists that put in question philosophical concepts like the truth and reality.

Kirby: Planet Robobot is a great new addition to the classic series. Aside from the new mech suit it doesn't do a whole lot different from its predecessors, but that shouldn't bother those who just want another great 2D platformer for their 3DS collection.

While the game has problems typical of many JRPGs, it also has iconic qualities - a subversive, resonant plot that overturns expectations of how a typical heroic journey progresses, and presents us with fallible protagonists who encounter and experience human loss in different ways. This is a refreshing take on a genre usually populated with idealistic heroes and ultimately happy endings, featuring a memorable battle system and killer soundtrack.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is one of the best in the Mario RPG series, and this 3DS remake only makes it better. The story, characters, and world are all a blast to explore, and longtime Mario fans will love every second.

Just as powerful as ever, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons still is one that every gamer truly needs to experience in their lifetime at some point.

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.

With two new modes and a ton of improvements and additions, Football Manager 2016 is another great entry into an already stellar series.

Tearaway Unfolded takes the enjoyable platformer from the PS Vita and makes it even better on the PS4. It might lose a little bit of its luster in the transition, mostly due to the two year timespan in between, but fans of Media Molecule's gaming style will find a lot to love here.

TrackMania Turbo is a fantastic arcade racer that really stands apart from the crowd with its electrifying sense of speed and endless thrills both online and offline.

While Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore may not have quite as much Fire Emblem influence as some fans may want, the two series go very well together with a unique premise and Mirage system that is overlaid upon a pretty traditional turn-based system at its core that will satisfy both fan bases.

True Colors is a big step up for the series and shows that Life is Strange is in good hands with Deck Nine.

Swamps of Corsus is a must-buy for fans of Remnant, and a great excuse for curious outsiders to finally check the game out. Remnant: From the Ashes is not the prettiest or most original Soulslike out there, and the lack of an in-game lore depository remains an issue, but it makes up for these quirks by offering the widest variety of modes to engage with. If Remnant: From the Ashes didn't have enough meat on the bone before, it certainly does now.

Respawn did nothing to reinvent the wheel, but instead married a bunch of popular gameplay genres together into a cohesive whole, wrapped up in well-crafted Star Wars story. It may not be KOTOR levels of greatness, but it's good. And I think that's exactly what fans needed right about now.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam hits a sweet spot between realism, fun, and required teamwork that few games do.

The game has a home in the competitive fighter circles but also is a rich, rewarding experience for Persona fans and has aged very well. It’s also refreshing for players who want to enjoy a robust fighting game that doesn’t rely on decades-old gimmicks and bleeding-edge 3D graphics to cover up shallow gameplay. With this updated release coming to 3 of the most massive install bases in all of home gaming, it’s a great opportunity for newcomers and veterans to check this one out again.

With great netcode, a large roster, beautiful graphics, and beginner-friendly footsie-based gameplay, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising might be what resurrects this fighting game franchise and makes it stick around this time.

Though the steep difficulty may make it less accessible to some gamers, FAST Racing Neo looks fantastic and performs very well in action, making this one game to not let race past you.

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.

Built around a captivating story told from two sides, the usage of a world map together with the classic style battle system makes Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia yet another must play game for the franchise.

Episode 5 is truly a culmination of the Life is Strange journey that provides a very satisfying ending to this really special game that must not be overlooked.

Right in the sweet spot between being fun and challenging.

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.

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.

Life is Strange has been getting better with each episode and with the best story by far found in Episode 4 – The Dark Room, the upcoming finale is setting up to be mindblowing.