ons of gameplay, awesome new abilities, and probably the most enjoyable time anyone would really spend in Hell. Yeah I’m sold and you will be too.

The non-linear progression is a welcome change.

If you are willing to put the work into the game, then Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- is awesome, simply awesome. It’s a game that you will be playing for years to come, not just a flavor of the week.

My favorite part of all of it was the way that Bungie forces you to employ new tactics and new styles of play. They force you to break out of your comfort zone to try and new load-out or a new way to play through a level you have been through a hundred times before.

It’s not mind blowing and it isn’t going to be winning any game of the year awards, but it’s an inexpensive title that you can have fun with, especially if you have a dedicated group of friends to play it with.

I’d recommend The Crew to anyone who has a dedicated circle of friends who would play with them, who all have great internet connections. If you do, this game is pretty awesome, and possibly even a better format than a lot of other driving games out there. If you don’t, the game can get frustrating at times. This is a “your mileage may vary” sort of game, good, but really only appealing to a very specific type of gamer.

The narrative woven by Game of Thrones is a compelling one, filled with intrigue, conflict, and death… lots and lots of death. I’d highly recommend it to either fans of the books, the HBO series, or Telltale games in general.

Nintendo continues to prove why they are the legends of the industry. They deliver time and time again with solid titles, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one such title.

A well written piece of game comedy, and those might be even rarer than the dramas, horrors, and mysteries we have seen throughout gaming’s history. Tales from the Borderlands is undeniably fun, and I can’t wait to see what further episodes bring.

Pokémon games have been around for almost two decades now, and whether it's an entirely new set of adventures or updated classics like Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, the core gameplay formula remains virtually untouched. More features are added to burst the seams of content, with extra activities from the originals carried over.

Pokémon games have been around for almost two decades now, and whether it's an entirely new set of adventures or updated classics like Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, the core gameplay formula remains virtually untouched. More features are added to burst the seams of content, with extra activities from the originals carried over.

I’m going to be honest with you, I haven’t finished Escape Dead Island yet. I just can’t bring myself to. The game plods along at a snail’s pace and just never hooks you. It’s certainly not the worst game I have ever played, but it’s bland and generic and feels rushed and unfocused.

I expected the next-gen version of WWE 2k15 to offer a lot more than the last gen version that came before it. While the differences are noticeable, the extra features aren’t exactly mind-blowing.

If you want a fighting game that is easy to get into and even easier to enjoy Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the only fighting game you need to have.

There’s nothing to make it not an enjoyable experience, but for those that lovedFar Cry 3, for all of its beautiful distractions, will find hours upon hours of glorious gameplay waiting for you.

It’s more than just a great game, it’s damn near perfect, and I don’t say that about many games. The attention to detail Rockstar has put into this new version is above and beyond what we are used to getting and set a new bar for all other developers out there wanting to re-release a great title on next-gen platforms.

LittleBigPlanet 3 is by far the best in the series. It is the breath of fresh air the franchise needed going into the next-gen cycle.

No matter how many hours you invest into bettering your situation, it's a constant struggle to survive in This War of Mine.

So far I have to say that Assassin’s Creed: Rogue is a lot of fun. It’s not really hugely new or innovative. Frankly it feels like Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag all over again. However, Black Flag was an OK game so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The game has a lot of content, but struggles with keeping you coming back for session after session.

There are tons of things to do in the game, with even more in the multiplayer and side quests. Hours of play long after you think you are done.

Inquisition will most likely suffer the same fate as its predecessors. It’s a fun game that will probably never achieve a broad fan base, but there will be those that love the game and will go to great lengths to defend it with rabid aggression. All told, I was expecting more but I’m not really that surprised. I had fun and that’s what counts.

Simply put, there’s no reason for an owner of an Xbox One to not have Halo: The Master Chief Collection, well unless they happen to also be a robot. Robots can’t make good decisions.

Minutes is a game that challenges and stimulates whilst being both simple in premise but difficult to master.

It’s fun to get up and wiggle my hands to music, what can I say?

Overall, I would say that Civilization: Beyond Earth was fun, at least as fun as Civ 5. It just wasn’t mind-blowing, which is a shame because all the Alpha Centauri fans out there were kind of hoping for that.

So that’s my final opinion on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The single-player is phenomenal, and the multiplayer is good but limited by its own unlock system.

As a casual styled Dark Souls type game, it’s quite fun.

Though the story and gameplay are a bit mismatched, there's a lot to do and see in this game's charming world.

Smaller roster, fewer options, and a disjointed single-player make this less impressive than previous WWE titles.

NBA Live 15 is a definite upgrade over the previous year’s edition, but again, that really isn’t saying much.

Sunset Overdrive is the freshest game of the year, and if you aren’t excited to play it then there will be tons of mundane repeaters coming out soon enough to keep you busy. For those of you looking for a little more than the norm, Sunset Overdrive is the game you’ve been waiting for.

Just be forewarned—it took less than twenty minutes as a casual player to build up a sweat, so make sure you plan your wardrobe and company accordingly.

An incredibly fun update to an already fun game.

While there are some flaws in the narrative setup of the story and the manner by which players are able to get from beginning to middle to end, all in all it is what I always expected it to be: a fun, funny experience with colorful characters, colorful environments, and colorful loot throughout it all.

If not for the unfortunate frustrating points, which really take you out of the bleak atmosphere, I would say this would set the bar for horror excellence. Unfortunately, these small drawbacks will cause you to frequently put the game down, and that simply doesn’t mesh with a horror tone.

Project Spark is a very good game, certainly worth your time, and since it’s free-to-play it’s also worth your money. However, it’s also a frustrating game, requiring hours of devotion in order to make something worthwhile, and even MORE hours of devotion to grind out the items you need for your Magnum Opus.

It's absolutely a pure Bayonetta game, it's an absolute blast to play, and it absolutely belongs on Nintendo's growing roster of excellently crafted games for the Wii U.

I enjoyed the revamped MyCareer and MyGM modes, but in the end I really just wanted to spend more time online. The online suite is nice, of course, but the gameplay simply hasn’t changed much. Basically NBA 2K15 is an expansion pack for NBA 2K14, and it’s a good one!

A technically proficient racer with a social side that can be fun. But overall it lacks some things that make racing games great, especially ones that insist on arcade style progression. Hardcore racing fans will be pleased by the bevy of cars available and may enjoy creating a club with their friends, but players like me won’t be converted due to the lack of customization and/or arcade style gameplay.

The game takes about 15 hours to complete, but more than half of that time is spent wandering around and waiting for something to happen.

If you're not a kid, I can say with certainty that this game is not one of those kid-friendly games that also appeals to adults. If you have or know a kid, she or he might be temporarily diverted by the cool Invizimals, but I suspect that most kids who are old enough to read the game's text will be quickly bored.

Gaming at its best if you can afford to track down the extra characters. Trap Team (along with any other Skylanders game) is fun for gamers of any age as long as you can put down that bloody shooter and play something more akin to the platformers of gaming past.

Forza Horizon 2 is just a better game than pretty much every open world driving game before it. I mean it. It may not revolutionize the formula in brand new and interesting ways, but it understands what it’s trying to be.

It retains all the action, polish, and fun factor that makes the series wildly popular with a wide range of gamers. However, the game gains little and loses much on the small screen. As much fun as it is to play, it's going to be more fun, more attractive, easier to control, and hopefully more online-capable on the Wii U.

It will appease hardcore fans of games like Assassin’s Creed and the Batman: Arkham series, while introducing new gameplay mechanics that fundamentally change the structure of the game. A unique experience for any gamer indeed.

The sixty dollar price tag is a bit much to take, especially if you already spent sixty dollars on the original two years ago, but if Persona 4 Arena has been a staple in your fighting game library, Ultimax gives you more than enough content to satisfy you for another two years, and hopefully with patches and DLC it will get even better.

It doesn’t feel like you are actually playing a new game in the franchise, rather it feels very much like you are playing an updated and expanded version of last year’s game.

If you're a fan of the Dynasty Warriors gameplay and the lore of The Legend of Zelda series, you will absolutely fall in love with Hyrule Warriors and enjoy the extensive list of replayable modes. For those of you who feel this is a taint on the Zelda brand, I can assure you that nothing but care and dedication has been given to the mythos of the franchise. That said, the gameplay itself can become quickly repetitive without a difficulty challenge besides beating the enemy to the punch.

There is plenty to keep even the most ravenous Marvel/Disney fan busy for a long time.

Veterans of the first game and newcomers alike will enjoy its huge catalog of songs and fun features. If you like Final Fantasy and its music, you should absolutely grab a copy of this game.

It’s because Bungie knows the areas they need to play it safe, and because Bungie knows the areas they want to attempt to explore and make better that I am glad this is the game I have waited for all year long, and why I feel this is another example of why the next-gen console cycle is ready to take off into new, exciting, and interesting ways.

NHL 15 shows a lot of movement in the right direction on the new platforms and is a strong basis to make even better games for years to come.

The Sims 4 is a core game, pure and simple. It is made specifically so that more content can be pumped into it via DLC. The overall functionality of the game is fine, with no real breakthroughs, just a little simplification and minor tweaks. Nothing groundbreaking here.

If you still have the dancing bug in you, give Dance Central: Spotlight a shot. If not, well, it’s not like you are missing out on much other than a short 10 track offering.

First Light is an excellent introduction to the inFAMOUS series for new players, and series fans will enjoy this game's story and focused gameplay.

Tales of Xillia 2 is most notable for its unusually dark storyline and strong character development. It's only truly worthwhile when played as a sequel, however, and is dragged down by poor design decisions.

Some story elements and newly hatched characters are a bit flaccid, and there is a remedial quality to the puzzles, but they are small criticisms that are overshadowed by great artwork, remarkable music, and well-blended gameplay from both universes.

It makes you look at humanity in a different way with each play through, not just the harsh and unforgiving humanity that exists in the zombie apocalypse, but the harsh and unforgiving humanity that exists around us in the world we live in now.

Its later levels can be a bit frustrating, but its espionage challenges are enough fun that you'll want to keep trying until you reach the final mission.

Thanks to the strongest story since the original Disgaea, a battle system that is easy to pick up but has plenty of complexity, and the crazy amount of fun extra activities that can extend playtime, Disgaea 4 is a must-have turn-based strategy RPG.

It’s almost a good game. For some of you that will be enough. It’s a neat little diversion and it’s fun in spurts, and maybe that’s all you are looking for. However, there are many other better RPGs to play out there with better stories, and better systems.

Ultimate decision time. Madden NFL 15 could be skipped, but you’d really dislike yourself if you missed out on all the good this year’s installment brings. So stop debating, stop delaying, stop procrastinating and get your copy--you’ll be glad you did. See you on the field!

What I love most about the Ultimate Evil Edition is how it does deliver the content in a fresh way and is not just a simple port.

It certainly rides on the coattails of 2033 Redux’s release, but it’s still incredibly fun. If anything, it’s a testament to how much fun Last Light was to begin with.

Metro 2033 Redux is remaking done right. This isn’t a cash in in any way shape or form. It’s simply a much better version of the original Metro. It’s a perfect purchase for either newbies who haven’t experienced the first game, or vets who want to experience the game again in a brand new light.

Most importantly, you get from Hohokum what you put into it. Players who investigate the nooks and crannies, seeing everything in each world, will be rewarded.

I don’t think Sacred 3 knew what its own genre was. If it was self-aware that this was nothing more than a hack and slash dungeon crawler, it could have gone the extra mile and given it a refreshing arcade feel, like Dragon’s Crown did. However, Sacred 3 thinks it’s a serious ARPG, and as a serious ARPG it simply falls up short.

Simply put, The Last of Us: Remastered is just better than the PS3 version.

Though it's still fun to battle opponents without having to fray my cards, dish out game night snacks, or use up gas to go where the in-person action is, I'll likely return to my Magic 2014 stock, and hope next year's entry provides more sustenance.

I feel that Episode four breaks tone, theme, and characterization in ways that make the series feel like it took a sharp left turn somewhere. It’s hard to talk about exactly why without giving plot specifics.

Larian Studios has delivered on our wishes by providing a world ripe for discovery, and gameplay that gives as much freedom and roleplaying options as we could ever hope for.

Overall, it was a fun ending to a great series. Its ending isn’t satisfying at first, but it grows on you as you think about it. This is the sort of ending that has you talking with your friends for days about it.

For puzzle lovers, you can't do much better than Pushmo World.

This is just another movie tie in title, and nothing much more. It tries to tie in the original cartoons, the movies, and the video games, but it fails. It just feels like a corny fanfiction crossover plot painted over a mediocre third person shooter.

If you like EA’s first venture into the MMA world, you will probably like EA UFC. If you are a UFC fan, you will definitely like EA UFC. Heck, the roster is over 100 fighters huge, and that’s saying something. However, if you are a fighting game fan, this isn’t the game for you. If you are looking for a sports like simulation experience, this isn’t the game for you. If you aren’t looking to play with other players, this isn’t the game for you.

It's lovely and challenges gamers in an unusual way, but it is also hampered by an awkward (and possibly painful) control scheme and dropped frames.

Though no MMO can be all things to all people, WildStar is impressively fully-featured for a launch game and should keep most players busy for a good long while.

Overall, I think anyone who takes a chance on this unorthodox property will have a positive experience, and hope Nintendo will build upon this franchise.

The story is genuinely interesting and kept me playing far after the fun had drained out of the game. But in all honesty, I cannot recommend it. With a couple tweaks, this could have been an awesome game, but as it stands Murderer: Soul Suspect is dead on arrival.

Ultra Street Fighter IV is undeniably enjoyable.

I loved The Wolf Among Us: Episode 4:. It wasn’t as active as other episodes, but I feel like I finally have a grasp on what is going on.

The game was designed to put control into the player’s hands and it succeeded. I thought the concept was incredibly epic and it didn’t leave me with that “I wish I could do this” feeling I get from some games. The power to play the game how you want is also a bonus. Also, if you’re looking for a game with a ton of replay value, Watch_Dogs will definitely do it. While I figured Watch_Dogs would have been a more sophisticated version of GTA, it isn’t. It can be frenetic at times and sometimes, that’s all you need to have some fun.

In technical respects Tropico 5 feels more like an expansion rather than a successor in the series. Many parts of the gameplay feel similar to past titles, but the inclusion of the era system, an overall campaign that is brimming with choices and consequences, as well as a plausible maiden attempt at multiplayer gives long time fans something new to try out.

Its mechanics are shallow, its gunplay is simple, and its story is something out of World War II obsessive’s wet dream. However, the things it gets right it does really well. The stealth is handled perfectly, the inventory and character progression are really well done, and the combination of regenerating health and pickups is actually something I wouldn’t mind seeing in future shooters.

Like Bastion before it, Transistor is a lovingly crafted game by a dedicated and tight knit group of developers who strive not only to present us with a technically polished title, but one that keeps us interested throughout the entire journey.

Just like many of the game's secondary characters, it will be difficult for most players to be convinced that experiencing Chou-Chou's charms is worth the attendant drudgery.

Despite my criticism of some of the modes and gameplay mechanics, Mario Kart 8 is still an amazing game, and as intense and addicting as its predecessors. I may wish for a better Battle Mode and more online features, but I have happily raced hundreds of matches, and expect thousands more for many months, and even years, to come.

A phenomenal game. The episodes truly do feel like they are getting better and better with each passing one.

The "Denpa" Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll's title couldn't be more accurate. Of the three games available thus far, it is the best and does a wonderful job of encouraging players to keep going further into dungeons and interacting with the virtual world.

It’s not a horrendous travesty that all action RPG players should avoid, and similarly it’s not a stellar blockbuster that all Dark Souls addicts should pick up. It just feels very mediocre and generic. Nothing stands out about the game and nothing really holds it down aside from its graphics at points.

One heck of a good time. It feels like a lot of love and care was put into the game, in an attempt to make it appeal to both hardcore fighting game fans and anime fans, and it does! If you are looking for an awesome fighter with some unique systems, check this one out.

This isn’t a game production made from the ground up. This isn’t a labor of love or a risk of innovation. It’s just another action game with a coat of Spider-Man paint. If that’s all you want, then feel free to pick it up, but don’t expect anything profound. In a way, Spider-Man hasn’t had a truly good game since Maximum Carnage for the SNES and Genesis, and as long as Spidey keeps showing up in movie tie-ins, we likely won’t see another quality Spidey game for quite some time.

Playing Child of Light is such a delightful and immersive experience that it's sad to see it end. Minor quibbles aside, this is one of those titles that anybody who loves games for their artistry won't want to pass up.

Kirby Triple Deluxe is an amazing game with tons of replay value and is one of the few games that makes the most of the 3DS' capabilities. It's a sure winner and will long be remembered one of the best games the 3DS has to offer.

Despite a few control issues and the desire for more engaging audio and visuals, the brimming content and excellent gameplay in Mario Golf: World Tour leaves the flaws well behind. The pace is perfect, whether you spend just a couple of minutes on challenges and training minigames, or breeze through eighteen holes in under half-an-hour.

Pacing issues and juvenile sexuality will turn off many players to an otherwise solid game.

It’s a real gem of an experience and for $10-$15 dollars, depending on whether or not you have a PlayStation Plus account, it’s certainly a game worth spending your time and money on.