Gears trumps all previous console games, including the fabled Halo franchise, for its production values and addictive multiplayer. This title will have a greater impact on 360 owners than "Halo" did on the original Xbox.

If FIFA 16 can turn a hardcore fan of hockey into a newly minted fan of football, then you know the game has something special to offer gamers, regardless of their previous experience with the franchise.

I'd say the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC is the add-on to acquire. It's full of fun and feel-good moments. In fact, I'd say that it's so good that it makes up for the lack of a happy ending.

People have been saying it for years, Hideo Kojima is a visionary comparable to a movie producer. He is capable of capturing depth and emotion in his characters like few others have been able to master. This time around, he's had the help of amazing graphics to tell his story. The environments, character models, and even the little intricacies of each weapon Snake holds bring a sense of realism to the title.

Monster Hunter Generations is about coming into your own. We’ve always been hunters, but now we’re hunting our way. The Hunting Styles are an incredible means of being true to yourself. Even better, we can spend more time enjoying our newfound individuality and actually savoring the game, because we can spend less time grinding for specific materials.

All of the game's elements mesh, from the music to the storyline, from the puzzles to the control system. I can't find anything nasty to say about this game. Ubisoft have certainly done their homework.

Ni No Kuni easily stands with the best Japanese RPGs of this generation, and I believe it will stand the test of time to become one of the beloved adventures that people remember for years to come. This is the game for everyone who wishes they made RPGs like they did "back then," but who also loves the advancements we've seen in graphics, sound, and gameplay systems over the years.

You can't put a price on imagination, and this game has that in spades.

It's Madden like you've never played it before and that's something we haven't said in a long time.

It has a great division of labor between its school and battlefield segments. The characters are all quite likeable. The three storylines are different enough to beg additional replays, as is the promise of knowing everyone has unseen potential to become the units you want them to be. It’s a fantastic game that will easily become one of the NIntendo Switch’s most memorable titles.

NBA 2K17 is a must for any fan of the franchise or the game of basketball.

Excellent detail comes through in terms of the characters, items, and environments. Sure, there aren't a lot of different locations, but everything looks great with lots of depth and dimension.

To say that the Lead Blocking Control completely revolutionizes Madden is the understatement of the year.

At its core, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is lovely. The campaign is clearly crafted with care and is filled with personality. Each ally and enemy is detailed and expressive. Its challenges are never too demanding and the floors of the Last Resort are fun to explore alone or with a friend. ScareScraper can also be enjoyable, if you can get enough people to join you in tackling a tower. Really, ScreamPark is the only blemish in an otherwise delightful game.

Company of Heroes is an amazingly fun RTS game that doesn’t sacrifice depth for entertainment. It’s fast-paced, rivaling some action adventure games.

Perhaps the best way to describe Borderlands 3 is to say it is exactly the game you would expect it to be. There are plenty of familiar faces, and it has the same sort of ambiance and atmosphere. People will still keep going into quest after quest for the same reasons (loot). While it might be difficult to accept the new villains after a great one like Handsome Jack, the twins are fine. Most importantly, the new Vault Hunters work well and the game is as fun to play alone as it is with friends. It looks, works, and plays well, and fans of the series will be more than happy to join the Crimson Raiders.

Probably the biggest compliment I can give to the developers of Black Flag is that they did a fantastic job of refining the things that needed to be refined and leaving alone what didn’t.

Super Mario Odyssey feels like a new glove that fits like an old glove, the new high point of a decades-long evolutionary process that is so smooth, so finely-tuned, that playing it nearly feels like an extension of yourself. It creeps up on you, the scale and design of it all, in a way that often doesn’t dawn on you just how purely grand it is until you stop playing and reflect on your experience. In a year full to bursting of huge, great games, Super Mario Odyssey stands out by acknowledging what’s cool and works about games today. It trims all the fat and doubles-down on not a gameplay loop, but a gameplay flow that feels effortless the whole way through. Even when you lose, when a challenging bit sends you sailing into the Nintendo-y abyss, you just keep going. Super Mario Odyssey is here to remind us how uniquely compelling jumping and flipping around a colorful video game space is and lets us indulge as long as we can stand it.

There is a lot to Days Gone, and it is a larger game than people might expect.

A great Wii U game. While the control scheme is unconventional, it's fitting for a game that goes out of its way to surprise you with additional modes, trophy rewards, hidden locations, and a spin-off with gameplay never before attempted within the series. Which, in a way makes sense.

With such an engaging storyline, refined combat, and content that perfectly complements the time period, Assassin's Creed III is a revolution, not only to the series, but to the genre itself.

Finally and for the first time in gaming history, an Elder Scrolls title is making its way to a Sony console and the prognosis is in: The Elder Scrolls is as great an experience on the PlayStation 3 as it has ever been.

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.

As fully featured as any console game, and every aspect feels like it was given the proper care. Liberation is part of a beloved series, and it can be proud standing beside any other of your Assassin's Creed favorites. If you've been looking for a reason to pick up a PS Vita, this is probably it.

Although the game's difficulty gets really ramped up by the end, this is undeniably Metal Gear. Bonus for the Modern Warfare-style extra ops and various obligatory Easter eggs hidden here.

This is the perfect sequel. It reaches a hand out to those who didn't enjoy the first game, while keeping its fiercely loyal fans happy.

The premise is fueled by historical accuracy, so there is a lot of realism to the gameplay, yet this isn't just a game for nerds. It's deep, but the curve is gradual, which will accommodate a wide range of gamers.

An intense gaming experience from start to finish. The story is conveyed much better than the average FPS, the gameplay is varied enough to stay fresh, the graphics and sound both deliver, and the multiplayer is addictive.