A visually resplendent strategy game that makes every turn feel important and every approach viable.

Satire and nostalgia are not enough to make a game good. Games should be fun, and Barrow Hill: The Dark Path is not.

As a piece of art, I quite appreciate Virginia. but I certainly won't be revisiting Virginia in the future.

If you own PSVR, PlayStation VR Worlds is something you will need to try out, just be aware this is an overall shallow experience.

Certainly anyone who missed out should prioritize Return To Arkham. Otherwise, you should at least take a peak at what the upgrade looks like first and decide if it’s worth it. You know, just like any remastered game. These are tricky releases, people. They aren’t ideal.

The Ashes of Ariandel breathed new life into a game that was already strong and vital, and set the stage for the final chapter in its dark saga.

The controls are tight, combat is simple, and Uplay still sucks, but this game isn't half bad. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

A few minor shortcomings aside, Battlefield 1 is just the type of reinvigoration that the franchise needed.

Here They Lie is grotesque and horrifying, but it’s also a thought-provoking, philosophical head trip that makes some of the best use of VR to date.

Racing in VR is a thrill, but playing Driveclub again isn’t, which makes Driveclub VR a pretty unenticing offer despite the game housing more content than other VR titles so far.

Battlezone forgot to include a reason to keep playing with it, leaving players with a hollow and repetitive package from a developer capable of much more.

WWE 2K17 is fun. But much like a loved one who has a substance abuse problem, I know it could be better, and I want it to be better, but it keeps messing up.

Despite a few minor complaints, at its core Aragami is a pretty decent game. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but its heart is definitely in the right place. While it will most likely please stealth fans and Tenchu fans in particular, I don’t think it completely fills the hole a decade has left.

Super Stardust Ultra VR brings a luke warm side dish that was nuked in the microwave to the table.

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour isn’t the best version of this seminal game, but it’s still a really good one, and offers a lot of bonus content that’ll please longtime fans.

A weird, often impenetrable experience, The Silver Case is ultimately rewarding.

Breakneck speeds, industrial music, and a shiny metallic beetle in a cybernetic reality come together to make one of the most original and difficult rhythm games in years.

It may be neither the numbers-haven that Path of Exile is, nor the speedrun-viable shooter than the new DOOM is, but Shadow Warrior 2 strikes an excellent balance between the two; there’s loads of ways to customize your play style and oodles of loot to keep you entertained, but there’s a really robust shooter underneath—something I feel it does much better than Borderlands, if I’m honest.

Batman: Arkham VR is a jump forward in gaming. Now the industry is only a hop, skip and a jump away from letting the players take on the superhero role fully with fighting and flying. I recommend this to any Batman fan who has the chance to play it.

While Trails of Cold Steel II doesn’t always lend itself to on the go gaming, it deserves a spot in your Vita library regardless.

Rez has never looked more mesmerizing or been this fluid. The VR ads a new layer on the experience making it one of the most engaging and hypnotic games I have ever played in VR.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a ride Jigsaw himself would have built. A torturous ride through hell, filled with decomposing pigs, creepy dolls, and enemies with any number of limbs imaginable. This is an easy recommendation for horror fans, even more so for those who truly enjoyed Until Dawn.

For anyone wanting a confusing yet ultimately rewarding adventure, Obduction delivers in spades.

Mafia III’s ambitions are large and its narrative vital, but ultimately this satisfying revenge yarn is hampered by dated mechanics and progression systems that belong in a 2007 GTA knock-off.

With a wealth of new content to enjoy, on top of the already excellent and expansive base game, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration just about makes up for its late debut onto PS4.

Ember offers a fun RPG experience from a rising indie developer reminiscent of classical games of the genre. Technical flaws and over-simplified mechanics mar an otherwise quality experience.

Event[0] feels a bit like getting HAL9000’d by BMO from Adventure Time.

Edge of Twilight: Return to Glory is a janky and odd little game, but its creativity and heart carries it far enough to merit a cautious recommendation.

Paper Mario: Color Splash is an absolute delight.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 is a fantastic sequel to a fantastic game.

This is the best entry in the series. While the campaign isn't my favourite it still has a lot of character, the graphics are unmatched, the new Horde mode is fantastic, and it is all around one heck of a good time.

It’s not quite the next big step that some may want, but Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice is nevertheless a fun, funny little platformer that’s a worthwhile romp for fans of the genre.

I never got hooked on Minecraft because I never felt any real satisfaction from building a new mansion or creating a town with friends. Dragon Quest Builders delivered that feeling to me by making me care for villagers and setting me on some great RPG-like quests. It is easily my preferred title in the crafting game genre.

XCOM 2’s console version is a buggy mess cobbled together from a far better game, and the worst possible way to experience the game.

It sure would be nice if the gang could clean things up on the technical side as this season marches towards what we all have to assume will be an epic finale.

If on pitch action is what you value over everything else, then you can’t go wrong with PES 2017.

Mr. Robot 1.51exfiltrati0n successfully captures the intensity and paranoia that defined the show at its core.

In the end, Rise of Iron is literally just more Destiny. It doesn’t address any of the issues that you might have had with the original, and it doesn’t really flush out the existing world either. It is simply a new set of story missions, a strike, some quests, and another raid.

Oceanhorn is a passable-at-best adventure that just made me want to go back and play the games it took everything from, because they did it better.

A charmingly old-school and endlessly engrossing title that boasts over a hundred hours’ worth of content, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past earns a slot in any JRPG lovers’ library.

This is one of those games that could use a little more time in the oven.

The introduction of “The Journey” makes a traditional game mode into something new and exciting, complete with a storyline, character back-story and more.

These are stories worth telling, and if you've somehow avoided all of the spoilers so far, taking a journey through Rapture and Columbia is a great way to spend a rainy weekend. But if you already own them, you don't need to double-dip outside of a deep sale and thus, a chance to venture into Minerva's Den.

The Song of Seven Chapter One delivers a fun, though flawed adventure game.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is the perfect game for current-gen owners who have always wanted to rob a bank, but never wanted to go to jail.

Forza Horizon 3 is an invigorating open-world racer, although it may be a little too familiar to anyone who’s been down this road before.

ReCore feels like the first quarter of a 40-hour game. There’s a lot of fun to be had, but the abrupt end section and its forced side missions just left a bad taste in my mouth. I really, truly love ReCore, but I know I can't possibly give it a higher score than this.

While Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse feels a little too similar at times, it’s one of the tightest JRPGs on the 3DS.

Unbox took me back to a time when games were about fun.

Shiny tries its best with a winning aesthetic and concept, but technical malfunctions and clumsy controls ultimately keep it from being worth most peoples’ time.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Bioshock had a lovechild and named it Valley, a sleeper hit that deserves your attention.

The Tomorrow Children is one of the most boring, pointless games I’ve ever played, and even the thirstiest mining and crafting fans will surely be bored to tears.

Championship Edition 2's drastic changes to the classic Pac-Man feels like a misstep. You can touch the ghosts without dying and the speed and danger of the original are missing because of this.

Mother Russia Bleeds brings drug use, killing animals and women, and loads of gore to the beat'em up genre, but lacks originality and is riddled with bugs.

King Oddball is a game that loses its luster really quickly. What could have been a surprisingly clever play on the Angry Birds formula ends up being a dull affair by its lack of variety, weak level design or replayability.

Bugs and hiccups aside, Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is staggering for an inaugural effort, especially when you consider that it's the first ever game from Central Africa. It needs some polish, but the core base is there, and the team really knows how to tell a story.

If Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, then Nuka-World is the crappiest place in the Wasteland.

The actual affair of playing hockey is more exciting than it's been in years.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice has some flaws in its testimony, but it’s ultimately a winning entry in the prolific series, and a welcome return to form. No objections here.

If you enjoy a rather interesting, but occasionally frustrating approach to the physics of movement in your platformers you will also probably like this game.

Resident Evil 4 remains in a league of its own, but this port dampens the enjoyment with an unwelcome jump in resolution and some odd control issues.

With stunning hand-painted graphics and simple platforming and puzzles Seasons after Fall is sure to be adored by many.

A really complex building mechanic mixed with an overly simple battle system are just a few of the problems that plague Robot Arena III.

With this much depth in each Hitman mission I barely notice the monthly release schedule.

If you're hankering for a first person puzzler and/or you're a sci-fi nut, then you will probably love The Turing Test.

It really is the F1 themed racing game that The Codemasters should have made all along.

Legion absolutely feels like an expansion that will improve on everything good Blizzard can deliver, and will hopefully shape into an absolute monster of an expansion.

The Final Station ends up being a linear game in the end (I dispelled the illusion of choice by playing it again and finding not much changed), but this short train is worth riding at least once. Combining light simulation aspects that only get better over time with a survival mode with diminishing returns is an interesting concept that shouldn't be ignored.

The real disappointment of Livelock is that it doesn’t do anything particularly original or interesting. Everything works well enough, and there are definitely moments of fun to be had when you’re making scrap metal out of your foes. However, there’s nothing that lets it truly stand out amongst other top-down shooters on the market.

God Eater 2 Rage Burst is the easiest hunting game I’ve played yet. Standard missions and hard missions never presented a genuine challenge for me to overcome, and I can’t imagine veterans of the genre will feel any different.

Chambara lacks solo play, but its fast-paced kinetic action makes for a thrilling co-op experience.

N++ has an excellent blend of stylishly simple visuals and taxing puzzles, all put to an excellent soundtrack.

It's bringing back some old school PC sensibilities and I can respect that effort, but it doesn't go far enough. The entire experience is short-lived, clocking in at just a few hours, which is only enough time to get marginally invested before the curtains close.

Phantaruk is a first-time survival horror romp that, sadly, tells better than it shows.

This vertical scrolling shoot’em up adds a number of modern refinements to the genre’s common conventions; that said your personal enjoyment of the game might depend more on your opinion of the genre as a whole.

Hatsune Miku Project Diva X is a complete retooling of a series that didn’t need it, hobbled by a sub-par tracklist and an overall lack of substantial content.

This is the best game based on the popular anime series Attack on Titan, but with repetitive combat, it gets dull fast.

What Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars really needs is just a set of tweaks, because the foundation is clearly there. If you're the type of person who loves spending time crafting the perfect plan and becoming immersed in a completely new world, it's worth diving into.

While it does feel like the series hit its plateau a while back, Worms W.M.D is a welcome addition to the series, being beautifully crafted and as fun as ever.

Alone With You might not innovate in the gameplay department, but more than makes up for it with a narrative that’ll leave you torn, contemplative, and heartbroken.

The fact that Phantom Brave holds up over 12 years later on PC is a testament to NIS' conventions sticking and working.

While The King of Fighters XIV isn't as flashy or good looking as other recently released fighters, it is jam packed with content by comparison having 50 characters playable on the disc.

Shattered Skies commits a crime much worse than simply being a bad game; it’s dull. It’s also uninteresting, static, and barren.

Exhaustingly trite and mechanically shallow, A.W. Phoenix Festa is a waste of memory card space better occupied by something like Steins;Gate.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is not only the best FPS on the 3DS, but perhaps one of my favorite FPS games ever.

By daring to make a statement, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided succeeds in being a nuanced, mature gaming experience that pushes the medium forward in major ways.

Layers of Fear: Inheritance far too reliant on jump-scares, while somehow not even fully understanding what makes those scares effective.

No Man’s Sky is a shallow package of undercooked ideas that will ultimately go forgotten in a year full of other, better releases.

None of this stops Dead by Daylight from being enjoyable at times—or even tense—but a horror experience it is not. Nor is it particularly well fleshed out, well documented, or even well executed.

Telltale’s take on the Caped Crusader has a confident storyline that captures the essence of the iconic world well, and establishes an intriguing tale for future installments to expand upon.

Progression can be slow at times, while still feeling too brief in the grand scope of the game, and the combat can be a bit of a yes/no gear check, but critically, none of this mars the experience, nor can it ever upset the beauty of the game’s randomly generated worlds, the vibrant colour palettes, the stunning parallax, and the overall “feel” of the game.

If you love grinding for hours in dungeon crawlers after doing a three-hour long tutorial, this is the game for you.

It’s fun and challenging, albeit a bit easy, but enjoyable nonetheless.

For the price, Zombie Night Terror is a fine way to spend a weekend or more.

Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a smoother, more polished version of the same cheesy, excellent product that Sandlot’s gotten so good at making.

Fall Flat’s weird controls can frustrate at times, but it still manages to be enjoyable and hilarious throughout.

Song of the Deep is also a great game. Its spunky protagonist had me rooting for her until the heartwarming conclusion, and I didn’t want to leave the game’s enthralling world. It’s one of the most original titles of this year, and certainly one of the most fully realized.

You might pull your hair out trying to complete the story mode, but you'll have a blast doing it.