The battles are tough but fair, the magic and parrying system is satisfying, the weapon system caters to different playstyles, and the Liturgical Horror visuals are hauntingly beautiful.

Gears of War 4 is exactly what you've come to expect a Gears of War game to be over the years -- an impressive visual showcase in the campaign, with the accompanying competitive and cooperative modes to keep you busy long after the credits roll. Its good to finally see a new Gears of War game on the Xbox One. The wait has been long for Gears of War 4, and now we've seen that the wait has been worth it.

Any worry that Halo might be in the wrong hands with 343 Industries has been wiped out by Halo 5: Guardians. Taking what works, removing what didn't, and refining nearly every aspect of the experience, Halo 5 is an immediate classic that is on par with its predecessors.

While the downloadable content is about seven months overdue, and the patches to fix online performance even longer, Mortal Kombat X for PC is better than its even been with the release of Mortal Kombat XL.

It's Skyrim...for Nintendo Switch. Are there some additions? Sure, but nothing that changes that core experience. And that core experience is what you're getting, but with the ability to take it wherever, whenever. If that is worth $60 to you then this is a must-buy.

Darkest Dungeon will push even the most hardcore gamers to their breaking points, but those who are brave enough to take it on are in for a dastardly roguelike rivaled by few others.

While the Rogue like genre may be getting a little crowded, there's certainly room for the likes of Enter the Gungeon. It ticks all the boxes, with gameplay that beckons you to come back for one more run, a great art style and presentation, and seemingly something new discover or unlock on every playthrough.

In a landscape utterly crawling with horror games that hide beneath a cute aesthetic, Little Goody Two Shoes sets itself apart from it's competition by binding charming romance simulation elements, a resource-management system, and heart-stopping horror into a satisfying tome that you'll want to keep in a nice spot on your shelf."

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

Meet Streets of Rage 4 on its own terms and you'll discover a sometimes cheap, yet often rewarding revival of a once dead franchise. The soundtrack is stellar, art design fantastic, animations superb, and controls precise. But if you expected all the former sins of the genre to be absolved after 26 years you'll have to look elsewhere.

The Lost Legacy is a worthy expansion for Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog pushes right up to its own high bar in terms of story telling, visuals and gameplay design. So long as you aren't expecting an adventure of the size and scope of the base game, it'll be hard to leave disappointed.

SoulCalibur 6 is a brilliant return to form for the series, combining a robust single-player campaign and intense, dynamic combat to bring the franchise to a level it hasn’t been at in years. It's time to leave your mark on history once again.

With a killer soundtrack, excellent controls, a great roster of characters, and more, you'll find that there is an excellent time to be had here by any gamer of any skill level.

Not only is this a great Disgaea game, but it is also the best introduction to the franchise or even the genre.

The best Hogwarts experience ever made is finally here. Though it's not without its flaws, Hogwarts Legacy is a phenomenal game that has a lot of great "somethings for everyone." This is by far the best Wizarding World video game to ever come out and stands with a select few games that prove more is more.

The ultimate Risk of Rain experience, featuring quality new content that makes this game extremely entertaining and replayable.

Resident Evil Village is a great survival horror game that leans into the action and silliness of earlier entries in the series to mixed results. It's not as good as Resident Evil 7, and it's not as good as Resident Evil 4. It feels like a strange mixture of the two, and while it seems like it might be able to strike a good balance in its first half, the second half dashes any hope of that.

Black Mesa may show its age in some areas, but that doesn't detract from what is an otherwise stunning achievement. It's not only Half Life at its best - it's one of the finest shooters available today.

Xenoblade Chronicles X embraces the gigantic world found within it and provides gamers with not only beautiful environments, but uniquely designed creatures that inhabit them in yet another gem for the underrated Wii U.

The ideal sequel for those who enjoyed its predecessor. It builds on what worked, changes what didn’t, and delivers a great new map to explore. It is somewhat unique within the looter shooter genre in that it is launching with plenty of content and a stable foundation off which Massive can build something truly great. Could more have been done to grow from the original? Sure, but why fix what wasn’t broken?

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a thrilling, albeit brief, ride with the most compelling Spider-Man yet.

Some things are better, some things are worse and some things are just different. So I don’t think that Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon can replace Sun and Moon, but rather they kind of just sit beside them. I don’t know that I’d recommend one set of games over the other; instead, I’m just kind of glad that I played both of them.

Spiritfarer is an excellent game in its own right, yet its candid handling of death truly sets it apart from its peers. It's addicting gameplay loop is well complimented by its thoughtful story - anyone who likes their relaxation with a side of healthy contemplation will be hard pressed to find a more compelling game this year.

The reverence for the series’ past in both gameplay and the attention to the smaller details is what ultimately makes Lara Croft GO a love letter to the 20-year-old Tomb Raider series. It offers even more of what the original game did last year and with the added benefits of more powerful hardware, making this a no-brainer for PlayStation gamers.

Madden 16 proves that it is far from a mere roster update, with some of the best gameplay improvements in a long time and the incredibly fun and addicting Draft Champions mode.

With massive levels, a multitude of challenges, targets, and assassination techniques, Hitman is IO's most ambitious game in the series. Stealth, action, brutality, hilarity, Hitman debuts impressively in its first season.

Control is definitely Remedy's best game since Alan Wake. The sheer variety in the gameplay and fantastic presentation go a long way in making this an enjoyable experience.

There are no absolute game changers in the gameplay, but there is just enough to make the gameplay more authentic than ever.