One thing is for certain, FIFA Soccer 13's development team has managed to drive this yearly franchise forward by delivering an authentic and true to life soccer experience. The new suite of features only serves to enhance an already stellar experience.

With challenging puzzles, beautiful visuals, the inclusion of previously released DLC , a bonus Wii U level, and local/online play, Trine 2: The Director's Cut is well worth the purchase price. This downloadable title is easily one of the best games available on the Wii U.

Crashmo is a brilliant puzzle game, full of unique mechanics and a slew of puzzles that will have you coming back for more, as long as you can deal with the demanding difficulty from the start.

Setting aside it coming from such a small team, I think The Ascent is miraculous in a couple of ways. First, the detailed world-building, environmental storytelling, and atmosphere are maybe the best expression of the cyberpunk aesthetic I've ever seen in a game. Second, the developers have seemingly cataloged every annoying mechanic in RPGs and action games -- from death to rapid travel to inventory management -- and found a way to make them less onerous or disappear altogether. The Ascent is not an easy game, either mechanically or thematically, but it is completely engaging if for no other reason than to see into a very convincingly realized future.

New Tales from the Borderlands is immensely entertaining, exceptionally well written, and acted with pitch-perfect attention to character. I wish the action wasn’t so restricted to quick-time events, because a full-on action game with such quality of humor and characters would be a hands-down GOTY contender. After replaying the original Tales from the Borderlands, it was obvious how much the new game improves on the first. Any gamer that appreciates great writing, fully dimensional characters, and a wide gamut of humor will love New Tales from the Borderlands.

Nioh 3 is the most ambitious and densely featured entry in the series, with a vast world to explore and extremely satisfying systems and combat to master. It does for the Nioh franchise what Elden Ring did for the Dark Souls world. Nioh 3 offers a huge amount of content and flexibility. It can be immensely challenging, but there are plenty of ways and an array of tools and approaches to mitigate the difficulty. Nioh has always perched between being niche and mainstream. Nioh 3 should help this excellent series broaden its audience while appealing to long-time fans as well. Lovers of Soulslikes, Team NINJA's games, and well-made action titles in general won't be disappointed.

It’s smart, the jokes are funny, and the story is incredible with some excellent twists. I fell in love with its canvas visuals and character interactions, making this one of my favorite point-and-click adventure games in recent memory. It plays wonderfully on console and its charm is never lost. Its relatively short length isn’t a detriment in the slightest; It only encouraged me to fall for it over and over again.

Though it’s not as polished as the 2018 original, Spider-Man Miles Morales is a smashing success. It looks sensational and is an absolute riot to play. Miles’ story brings all the drama and feels it needs to and highlights a community outside what’d normally be on the drawing board for a game like this. Despite some bugginess, this is the game you want to show off your impressive new hardware. I can guarantee I’ll be slinging from Harlem to Hell’s Kitchen daily for the foreseeable future.

Returnal is so much more than a rogue-like bullet-hell game. It tells a captivating, mysterious, and oftentimes haunting narrative with gorgeous, unsettling visuals and compelling voice acting. It offers a wide variety of collectibles, health upgrades, and unique features to give you a fresh and varied experience with each cycle, and gives players shortcuts so they can continue to press on with the story rather than have to complete every single biome time and time again.

Grand Theft Auto V isn’t exactly a next gen masterpiece but it is undeniably the undisputed king of open world games.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is the kind of game that provides experiences unique to the video game medium. It is also the kind of game that pushes the visual novel genre’s boundaries, and serves as an excellent example of what non-video game players might not know they’re missing, if they’re not willing to try different kinds of games. This is a game you will tell everyone about when you’re finished playing it, and at the same time, just like this humble reviewer, you won’t want to share why. For less than $20, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a highly recommended and very unique gaming experience.

Fans of old school 2D JRPGs, who would like something made today that resembles the great Super Nintendo and PS1 classics, need to play Chained Echoes. It’s a wonderful game. It’s more ambitious than the common indie throwback JRPG, but has many of their modernizations. Every single element of Chained Echoes is full of loving attention to detail. Hopefully Chained Echoes is a success and we can see future projects from its creator. I’ve already ordered a physical copy.

Golf Story is a smashing success and does so much more than it needs to. While the game would have been well received simply for its golfing aspect, Sidebar Games has built a great narrative and world around it.

Overall, Life is Strange 2 was not only better than I expected, but I believe it would have been a hit even if no one had ever heard of the first game. It was beautiful, with the mechanics all improved on the original and the choices more meaningful than ever.

This DLC is definitely a must buy for diehards but is something casual players really need to think about before making the plunge. Keep in mind though that Ultra Street Fighter IV is what this fighter should be and it has been perfected through hours of hard work to get it there.

Basically, if you enjoy 4X games or are a Civilization fan, you have to pick this up. But you didn’t need me to tell you that. It’s already on your list and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is already in the download queue. If it’s not, you’ve got time right now to remedy that.

Overall, Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials is a simple game, but a very good one. I heartily recommend it to anyone who’s willing to put up with a bit of trial-and-error.

Wumpa Fruit has never looked as delicious as it does in 4K. While the water could stand to look better, everything from the character design to the beautiful attention to detail in the stages and the pop-up book overworld, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time would look like a Pixar movie if not for the button prompts. The storytelling and characters are hilarious, the attention to detail is incredible. PlayStation’s original mascot is no longer a Sony exclusive and now there’s no excuse not to try the renaissance of Crash Bandicoot that is It’s About Time.

A dream come true. It is the near perfection of the music/ rhythm genre.

With charm, wit, and brimming with positivity, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic new direction for Playtonics dynamic duo. It features classic gaming tropes while remaining fresh, simple yet fun puzzles, responsive and easy controls, and a difficulty curve which feels tough but fair. This is a love letter to side-scrolling games while still being wholly unique. It has amazing underwater controls, a pun-filled sense of humor, and some of the best music I have heard in gaming to date. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair strikes gold, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for their next adventure.

Cadence of Hyrule is the Legend of Zelda game I didn’t know I wanted, and now can’t live without. It’s perfect for both bus rides and extended eyebleed caliber play sessions has the raddest soundtrack of the year, and is randomly generated to ensure infinite replayability. It’ll be in my rotation for a good long while, and deserves a place on your Switch wishlist, Zelda fan or not.

This is one game that all 3DS owners should definitely consider, and for fans of the Fire Emblem series purchasing it is a no brainer as there is really not a lot to complain about here.

They’ve done it again, and created something that is truly impressive. If you enjoy puzzle games, pick this up. If you want a deep and meaningful story, you can also get that here as you can plod along at your own pace, stopping at all of the terminals. If you just want something pretty to look at, boot up The Talos Principle and see how high you can crank the visual settings.

The level design is beautiful as the colours pop from the screen and art design is equally fantastic.

Wolfenstein: The New Order doesn’t reinvent the franchise or give us anything particularly innovative. Yet what it does do is excel at giving us a deep shooter experience unlike we have seen on the Xbox One to date. This visually remarkable game features memorable characters, a terrific soundtrack and frantically entertaining gameplay. Wolfenstein: The New Order is hard to put down and for good reason – it simply kicks ass.

If tight, challenging combat, and infinite replayability in a charmingly depressing setting is your cup of tea, Dead Cells is the game for you.

Telltale Games clearly has another hit on its hands and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds… or more appropriately how I choose to unfold it.

Metroid: Samus Returns doesn’t merely hope to satisfy a sense of nostalgia, it transcends those aspirations to become a much more compelling experience. It takes nearly everything about its predecessors that made them great and introduces new elements that make gameplay feel fresh and exciting.