The often-copied GTA gameplay style has been given a new leash of life with character leveling and a truly superb online play.

Yakuza 6 offers one of the finest, most realized crime stories of the medium. It also marks the conclusion of Kiryu Kazuma’s story, granting him an ending befitting such a well-rounded character. And the best part is that you don’t have to be a Yakuza expert to appreciate how it all ends.

This expansion adds a few sidequests and features, but doesn't do much else to address the original's shortcomings. Might be a fun choice for new fans.

So should you take the dip into Destiny 2? If you are looking for something to sink your teeth into, have a ton of time on your hands, and like shooters, there’s a lot here to get behind. But if, even for an instant, the thought of grinding out slightly better pieces of equipment in a near endless loot to get just to see a number go up just a tiny bit, seems unappealing, you are going to have some issues with Bungie’s future shooter. In the end, I think it may be just a bit to close to the original for me.

Sony's MLB series goes from strength from strength, with a more refined controls and tiny improvements and creates a very satisfying and emmensely fun baseball title.

It absolutely harkens back to my own time as a tabletop gamer, with both D&D and CCGs, and its story treats those memories like they’re a treasure, rather than a punchline. Will you enjoy it as much if you don’t have those memories to draw on? Well, if you like fun, and can stomach learning something new, then I don’t see how you get out of this without having at least a little.

There is no disputing that NHL 13 is a fantastic game of hockey. For me though it was missing that big new feature that would make it feel significantly different from last years outing. And as good as the new skating feels and the new modes are, they aren't enough to keep this game on the same high pedestal of NHL 12. If you missed last years game then NHL 13 would be a great point to jump in at, however for those still enjoying last years game I would say there isn't enough here to warrant the upgrade.

The exploration is awesome. The upgrade system is awesome. The game was just awesome. Its available on damn-near every platform and if you haven’t played it yet you definitely should.

As a finale to a trilogy, The Banner Saga 3 delivers its long-awaited conclusion, told through a sharp character-driven narrative. Although the mash-up of tactical gameplay, Oregon Trail decision segments, and serialized fantasy drama haven’t evolved much, they effectively carry the emotional weight of a banner years in the making.

In many ways, Battle Chef Brigade Deluxe is a perfect video game. For starters, it looks like one instead of yet another movie wannabe. It teaches, entertains, challenges, stresses and eventually rewards you, like any true video game should. In times when big games are high on cinematic violence, indie titles like this should be cherished. And who knows? Maybe the game urges you take the frying pan out of the kitchen cabinet and try out some cooking yourself, even if you don’t fancy yourself exactly a master chef. I, for one, played with the thought what taste gems the ingredients I use in the kitchen would break into!

As a conclusion to the franchise (no doubt pending an awkwardly justified fourth game and spin-offs), Resistance 3 manages to send it off as gracefully as possible.

Orcs Must Die! 2 perfectly combines the strategic thinking of tower defense games with the frenetic action of an old-school shooter, with plenty of laughs along the way.

Octopath Traveler lovingly embraces old-school RPG conventions while offering its own refreshingly modern take. Through placing sprites in 3D environments, incorporating a separate storyline for each party member, and spicing up battles with fist-pumping turn-based combat, Square Enix makes bold choices to reinvigorate the genre. Thankfully, many of them pay off, resulting in a game that has tugged at my heartstrings and fully engaged me to follow the paths of these eight wayfaring travelers.

Bye-Bye BoxBoy! is an excellent sendoff to Nintendo’s underrated square mascot. With nearly two dozen worlds of 6-8 levels each, there are at least seven hours of gameplay, not including extras. If you’ve played the first two games, you know what you’re in for. Though the core concepts are identical, Qbabies and special powers keep the geometric puzzler fresh. If you haven’t experienced the BoxBoy! series and can only pick one, Bye-Bye BoxBoy! has the most variety, providing the most value. Otherwise, picking up the whole trilogy is a great solution for anyone seeking ingenious portable puzzles in bulk. Bye-Bye, BoxBoy! We’ll miss you!

You have nothing to lose if you want to try Stretchmo, so go ahead and download it! Odds are you’ll fall in love with it like I have with all of these games, and this latest entry is still a ton of fun to get into and tear apart. Play it, buy some levels, and achieve puzzle platforming bliss on the go.

Not only is the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection a great bundle for fans of the series, but it also makes some important small tweaks to help broaden these games' appeal. The new checkpoint system helps address the overbearing difficulty of the original releases, a very welcome change that will undoubtedly alleviate many headaches. The core gameplay remains as strong as ever, defined by responsive movement and white-knuckled boss encounters. While each entry's unique systems may not always succeed, the underlying gameplay is so strong that even the weakest outings are engaging challenges. And when everything works in concert, like in Mega Man Zero 3 and 4, the combination of slick movement, great boss fights, and rewarding unlock systems make for some of the most compelling 2D platformers in recent memory.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes represents Traveler’s Tales finest work with the LEGO property. All of the requisite hooks are there: a fun story, good humor, solid gameplay and healthy challenges. The studio’s reverence for the source material really pays off in the end, with content and character options that should be more than enough for any type of Marvel fan.

For those looking for a challenging yet accessible platformer with deep mechanics and plenty of personality, there are few games that rival OlliOlli: Switch Stance. Whether you're a skateboarding junkie or haven't scaled a half-pipe in your life, Switch Stance is worth a place in your growing Switch library.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a superb experience from start-to-finish that cuts itself short long before it feels appropriate to do so. There’s a stinger twist ending that sets up an inevitable sequel, but it’s difficult to be excited when it feels like I should still be playing.

Transistor isn’t perfect, there are issues with the combat system and sometimes the art gets in the way of the combat itself but that isn’t enough to deter this masterful execution of storytelling.

Whether you’re coming back to the game for a second time or you’re a new player, this is a game that has something to offer for everyone.

Child of Light is worth checking out, even if you don’t normally follow the role-playing genre. And although there are a few downsides, it is still one of the biggest surprises of 2014 so far.

Moonlighter is a fantastic and unique adventure that can be played for either five minutes or five hours at a time. The gameplay works significantly well on the Nintendo Switch, making it a perfect pick-up-and-play game. Whether you just want the simple serenity of running your own shop, or the big adventure of beating each dungeon, you will find a great time with Moonlighter. You should definitely invest your gold into this title.

Fancy sailing around the galaxy in a pirate ship? Action RPGs don't get any better than this, with fast-paced combat, deep gameplay and fantastically stylized visuals.

There is no question that inFamous 2 is one of the most enjoyable experiences thus far in 2011. inFamous 2 is quite the epic experience and one that if you enjoyed the original you have to pick up this game and see what Cole has in store for himself this time.

As far as puzzle-platformers are concerned, Creaks doesn’t quite break the mold. It makes a fun first impression through a neat call to adventure but it wasn’t long before I developed a wandering eye. Throwing in new obstacles injects excitement when things get overly familiar but the trick eventually loses its luster. Creaks stands out by its beautiful art style, especially when it comes to the various paintings found throughout the mansion. Amanita Design has made a puzzle game that offers just enough accessible cerebral challenges. Though by no means a poorly constructed piece of software, Creaks’ minimalist approach to gameplay is entertaining in the moment but doesn’t quite leave much of a lasting impression.

The true beauty of a minimalist story tied with absolutely stunning visuals and emotionally resonant music make for a genuine masterpiece. Gris is an absolute gem of a work that definitely deserves your attention.

While there are new additions that make Super Mega Baseball 3 a worthwhile sequel, I hoped for more features – especially given its much higher price point. Just as its predecessors delivered, it’s a great game, but feels somewhat schizophrenic when you stack up what features have been added versus what has been passed on. There is a major emphasis on some inclusions that feel like they’d be more at home in a realistic baseball simulator, yet some very fundamental inclusions for an arcade baseball game are still absent.

EA introduces new GameBreaker and Rivals features into the Tiger Woods franchise, creating a solid but unspectacular golf title.

The aesthetic design was pleasantly beautiful, the score was catchy and memorable without any dull moments, the characters were interesting and quirky, and the game stayed relatively simple without sacrificing any of my interest. There is a lot to love about The Sexy Brutale, but unfortunately, the game doesn’t take many big risks. Other than the unique hybrid between genre and mechanics, there seems to be a lot of wasted potential, or rather potential that could have benefitted from a little extra time and effort. I’m by no means disappointed, but I really would have liked to spend more time learning about the characters through something like additional puzzles or manipulation of the time mechanic. That being said, it does provide a great experience to anyone who is looking for a puzzle game with an interesting set of characters. It won’t blow you away, but it’s definitely well worth your hard earned twenty dollars.

Torchlight is a great downloadable title that should not be missed by anyone who enjoyed the Diablo titles, or anyone looking to get into the game type because they will have a lot of fun with this game.

If you don’t mind a rather extreme challenge, I can’t recommend Ape Out enough, a perfect marriage of style and execution that’s difficult as hell while also managing to be an exciting power fantasy. Every step of the way is exciting and fun, and even when you’re running up against a wall, it has that “one more run!” power that gets you to keep trying, and then whoops, hours are gone. Ape Out is definitely worth checking out and returning to for a quick and excellent experience.

There is so much material packed into Mortal Kombat X that even with a $60 price tag, there is value for the cost.

Danganronpa 1-2 Reload takes two fantastic point-and-click visual novels and ties them up in one discounted package. Between both games and some surprisingly fun post-game alternative modes, Reload offers over 60 hours of content. If you’ve already played through these games, the only incentives to double-dipping are if you want both games in the same package and the ability to play it on your PS4. If you haven’t experienced the series, then this game is the best way to get your fix of high school murder mysteries, trigger-happy courtroom action, and psycho bears. Oh my!

Katana Zero is a short but sweet experience that captures the stylistic flair of Hotline Miami mixed with a cyberpunk theme, while making a name for itself with its polished gameplay but without feeling tedious or overstaying its welcome. It’s a title that left me satisfied, but not amazed. Despite a slight lack of challenge and nuance, the game provided a fun, fast-paced experience that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Limbo’s idea of a challenge is to lure you into false solutions until you happen upon the one that works, that is to say, if it works within the parameters of your limited movement. But the harsh truth is that trial and error is actually quite easy once you accept its inevitability. In fact, at that point it even manages to be minimally frustrating. The real issue is that it’s just so overwhelmingly dull, so mentally unstimulating, akin to floating in some kind of... limbo. Hm.

Though I would have appreciated an in-game help guide to keep the inner workings of battles in check, I genuinely enjoyed its complex intricacies once I got the hang of it.

Is the Switch version the best way to experience Dark Souls? Probably not, and I can’t imagine new players coming to the game for the first time trying to learn Dark Souls in the handheld mode. My advice for Switch owners who have never played From’s masterpiece: play it docked and on the big screen first. For those Souls veterans who just can’t get enough of their favorite game, be prepared to retrain your muscles, play in a dark room, and be a little amazed that you’re holding the game at all.

Gravity Rush uses all parts of the bull, from motion to touch controls, and none of it feels ill-suited, unnecessary, or poorly crafted. For Vita owners, there's no reason not to give this a shot.

If you have any interest at all in Pokémon this game will surpass your expectations.

In the end, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds does what every good DLC should set out to do: give players more of what they love. Needless to say, if you enjoyed the base game, you will undoubtedly enjoy The Frozen Wilds as well. Given the game's success up to this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the Banuk isn't the last new tribe we'll encounter. For now though, just remember to dress in layers and stay warm!

The worst thing I can say about Rhythm Heaven Fever is that it doesn't seem like it utilizes the Wii all that well. It looks sharp, but not in a way that it couldn't have on a portable. The motion isn't used, the IR is optional, and it only uses 2 buttons. That's not to say that the game is bad because of it- it just doesn't seem like a good fit for a home console, especially one as unique as the Wii.

Superhot‘s time manipulation is a fun mechanic that allows you to play a first person shooter in a way you couldn’t elsewhere. Despite a few shortcomings, the game does a superb job of mixing the first person shooter genre and puzzle games into entertaining experience.

The game has a great world where you can buy cars and clothes, fight with Triads, race cars, or just cause havoc if you like and it all amounts to a great time. Sleeping Dogs seemed like a game that was headed for disaster and pulled a complete curve ball and turned out to be pretty great.

SteamWorld Heist quickly seized my attention with its interesting world and charming characters, but its addicting combat and rewarding RPG mechanics are what really made the game hard to put down.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd is absolutely charming and it’s not only due to its cutesy looks. With a dimensional world of multiple planes hovering in the middle of nowhere and tons of text to read through, the game could pass for a foreign cousin to the equally engaging and prosaic-heavy Torment: Tides of Numenera. Both games share a fact the flashy presentation is not always needed to tell immersive stories. It’s the quality of the writing and the riveting dialogue that count towards the long hours lost in front of the computer. When all is said and done, Trails in the Sky the 3rd comes out as a balanced, thoughtful and inspiring JRPG.

There’s something to be said for a stripped down to basics game experience, without too many complications or intricacies that get in the way of the fun. Pistol Whip is entertaining and another of the growing list of successful arguments for VR as a near-staple for gamers. As a music game, it doesn’t have the depth or addictive appeal of Beat Saber. It can be fun and is one of the better action/arcade games in the VR space, but given its limited playlist and mechanics, I suspect it doesn’t have the long-term appeal of other, more fully-featured games.

Little Nightmares is based entirely on its visual appearance but at the same time it couldn't exist as anything else but a game. Unfortunately, it's the insecure practicalities of the gaming mechanics that somewhat detract from an otherwise sublime performance. Full of subdued innuendo, Little Nightmares is like a demented puppet show or diorama, somehow lifelike but at the same time disturbingly artificial. It certainly doesn't look like your typical game and is a nightmare worth experiencing.

Black Ops 2, in thematic solidarity with the sacrifices of its protagonists, will likely not be remembered among the best of its brethren. And yet, the best Call of Duty installments yet to come will succeed because of the work that Treyarch has done here.

The PC version of L.A. Noire may have some minor flaws but the inclusion of the DLC and just the fact that this game is incredible is enough to justify picking up this package.

Gorogoa is worthy of everyone’s attention. Writing about it doesn’t do the game the favor it deserves so walk away, grab your Switch, a cup of tea and unwind through the calming waters of Robert’s evocative creation!

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 continues to be pure magic and no matter how many times it gets ported onto the hottest new thing, the experience will never be diluted.

If you already own it, I wouldn’t recommend picking this up even if you are fancying a second playthrough and own it elsewhere (why waste the money on a game you already have?) but for first timers, go for it. It’s fun, well made, and hopefully if it does well, we’ll see some sequels set in their weird post-human no-electricity world.

The sequel to the Battlefront series dazzles us with exciting single player modes, space battles and superb online play, all wrapped in the same solid visual engine.

Owlboy is obviously a labor of love, and not some cold and calculated syndicate product. Altogether, it would have needed some outside help to do doctoring, especially to the latter half of the game. In the end, Owlboy is true to its inspiration: a retro-platformer both in good and in bad. It’s a shame that it couldn’t grow beyond that.

Overall, Vermintide 2 suffers in the minor aspects of its design, but its core combat and basic structure is strong enough to make up for most of the frustrations. Not every implementation is well executed, but it succeeds in the areas that it needs to.

SCEA releases arguably the last football game for the PS2, and signs off on a high with this superb combination of exciting gameplay, good visuals and depth.

I cannot recommend this game enough if you are a fan of slow-moving tactics genres. If you aren't, well, I would still give this a try if you have some cash burning in your pocket. It really is just that much fun!

With an emphasis on player choice, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has leapt to new heights, truly becoming a full open-world RPG. The fluid parkour and engaging stealth mechanics are still here, joined by enhanced combat and progression systems established by its recent predecessors. With a beautiful recreation of ancient Greece, a compelling story of intriguing mysteries and intrepid characters, and genuinely exciting moments, this odyssey remains engaging throughout. It’s easy to recommend this epic journey to veterans and newcomers alike, but of course, the choice is yours.

When you combine the classic mode with the story mode and all the customization you can have with characters, there is just a bundle of things to do in this game.

Anyone who has played the first Telltale game or has watched the series owes it to themselves to give this table a shot.

Overall, Slayaway Camp hits the mark when it comes to being an homage to classic slasher films. It is cheesy, filled with murder and crazy kills, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. While the puzzles can be challenging early on and easy towards the end, they are still fulfilling to complete and that sense of accomplishment doesn’t go away at any point. While it would’ve been nice to see some additional kills and hear some additional lines of dialogue from the narrator, it still works for what it is. Slayaway Camp is one of the best homages to classic slasher films and should be an easy buy for any horror buff looking to pass the time.

The post-game content can be a complete nightmare for clueless newcomers because Disgaea 4 demands you to learn its systems in-depth so that you can break them in your favor. That being said, with lovable and quirky characters, amazing voice-acting, great writing, and excruciatingly complex gameplay, Disgaea 4 Complete+ is a dream come true for strategy game fanatics.

While it lacks the processing punch of a PC-tethered headset, the mobility and no-strings-attached freedom of the Oculus Quest has allowed me to dive deep into the headset as a fitness product, and Beat Saber, Box VR and a few other titles are in regular rotation. Synth Riders has the potential to challenge those products if it can expand the range of its playlist and offer a few more bells and whistles (like a campaign) to the generally solid foundation. Synth Riders’ approach is definitely influenced by Beat Saber but it has expanded the earlier game’s vocabulary and mechanics in several interesting ways.

Invisible Inc. is a game with a lot of hidden depth that is waiting to be explored and exploited; and while the story is severely lacking it’s still worth the $20 to checkout and run through a few times.

If you're a fan of the fast paced racing then WipEout Pulse is a must have for your PSP.

While my challenge seeking heart and likely inexhaustible patience were hoping for our reward to be a secret new area, an Ultimate Boss or heck, a minor change to the ambiguous ending to Dark Souls II’s main story, Crown of the Ivory King was not just a delicious (and at times bitter) cake to go through, but it also provided me with a cherry top that was clear interpretation of what our player character was able to ultimately accomplish.

The Coalition has done a superb job of reminding us why we fell in love with Gears back in 2006.

Lara gets a total makeover, delivering what Angel of Darkness should have years ago.

The sequel to the surprisingly good actioner does well here, as the chance to play as the bad guys and enhanced AI keeps it entertaining throughout.

Yoku's Island Express is out on basically everything, and wherever you can grab it, I heavily recommend it. The game is just an absolute treat from top to bottom, perfect even for people who aren't particularly interested in pinball. It puts these two genres together extremely well, making them both feel fresh and fun in a way I haven't seen in a good bit. The kind of imagination and design on display is always great to see, and you'll find yourself wishing for more as soon as the credits roll.

Command and Conquer Remastered Collection is not a remake or reboot, but instead makes the original games — two of the all time classic RTS titles — accessible to gamers that might be turned away by 25-year-old graphics and clunky controls. The Remastered Collection looks and sounds as great now as you probably thought it did then, when your unjaded imagination allowed you to render a stack of blurry sprites into a fully animated super soldier. Command and Conquer was fun in 1995 and thanks to this new edition, what made it great still shines through.

Freedom Finger is best enjoyed when stripped of the jokes that beat themselves over the player’s heads. An annoying cast of characters that just can’t seem to shut up and bad political jokes that are tired before they fall flat get in the way of what makes this particular shmup really cook. The soundtrack is fantastic on its own but the way the levels and enemies engage with the different songs is really unique and offers its own special challenges that more than pick up the slack left behind what amounts to be a less pointed version of MAD Magazine’s style of humor.

The Book of Unwritten Tales doesn't do anything wildly different from other graphic adventures but it does one, important thing very well: it tells a fun story. Delightful characters, hilarious self awareness and good puzzles make this an adventure both novices and veterans will want to take.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is one of the best games available for the Vita and a fine action RPG in its own right. Past some dated visuals and a sparse story are enticing battles and exciting exploration that can suck you in with a ruthless efficiency. If these kinds of character progression treadmills are your thing, don’t let it pass you by.

Its varied just enough to make the entire experience quite refreshing. And really that’s what Watch Dogs 2 comes down to. It’s a refreshing and easy going world to be in. Even when the narrative tries to up the stakes you can go on hacking the world and making it do whatever it is you want to do. The game is opened up just enough to allow for the insane to happen and when it does Watch Dogs 2 really shines. It’s not a momentous step forward for the franchise but anyone sitting on the sideline worried that Ubisoft slept on the criticism of the first, fret not, Watch Dogs 2 is a better game in every way from its predecessor.

Hands of Fate 2 leaves much room for imagination which is welcomed in this age of hyperrealism. Reading the text descriptions and imagining the events in your own mind can be more exciting than watching a fancy cutscenes. Not that the game lacks in presentation. The character models on the battlefield are chunky and likable, fighting out in nicely detailed and varied surroundings. A moody incidental soundtrack accompanies the events. And then there’s the infamous dealer, back from beyond the 13th gate. His room is at the same time homey and intimidating, as his scarred eyes peer at you, judging your play with a sneer. In the end, Hand of Fate 2 gave me more excitement than some recent big-budget dark fantasy games. It relies wisely on ageless means of gameplay and storytelling. If the first Hands of Fate was journeyman's practice, the art is mastered in the sequel. At a mere $25, the game is the best entertainment for chilly winter evenings.

FIFA 16 is not a huge step forward for the franchise. The play on the pitch continues to get better and better and the refinements this year are all welcome. I especially was impressed with the overall flow of a match. It continues to get closer to feeling like the real thing while still being one of the most enjoyable sports games on the market.

If you have any interest at all in Pokémon this game will surpass your expectations.

Overall, Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones is a clever, well-designed puzzle-platformer. Its color palette may be a little bland and washed-out, but the gameplay certainly isn’t. With some planning, a little patience, and a plethora of ruthless death animations, Stealth Inc. 2 is a fun and rewarding experience.

Because the only way to access the new DLC is to have finished the main game and/or its first expansion, From Software is obviously counting on players to be high level, committed fans, and ready for a final, "ultimate challenge." The Ringed City is exultantly that but at times -- especially in the longer, gauntlet sections -- the game's unrelenting parade of enemies and ways to die becomes unpleasantly fatiguing and a decidedly chore-like experience. Fans of Dark Souls who have come to love the series will appreciate most everything about The Ringed City and the ways in which it represents both the evolution and end of a very important franchise.

Pinball FX3 is a well-constructed platform for the old pastime. I appreciate Zen Studio’s take on pinball, favoring video game logic over a realistic one, while keeping consistent physics intact. Its online infrastructure and single-player progression are what keep me coming back and craving more, and this system can only continue to improve its appeal as more tables launch. But even as it is now, Pinball FX3 should be enough to make pinball wizards flip out.

If you enjoyed the original and are wondering if this is a worthy successor my answer would be absolutely there is plenty of new content, and the online play is quite the treat.

However in the end if your wondering if its time to upgrade to the Playstation 3 version of Singstar, this first entry is a great start and just show’s all of the great that is to come from Singstar on the PS3 in the future.

I thought Outer Wilds was going to be more of an RPG, and I sort of wish it was. The more engaging gameplay elements — the story and its mysteries, the fascinating and beautiful planets, the thrill of exploration and discovery — always took a backseat to the puzzles and physics, which were intriguing but sometimes felt like an arbitrary impediment that drained some of the delight out of Outer Wild’s often genuinely unique experience.

Sony ports their premier MLB franchise to the handheld, and far from being a dumbed down version, this could be the definitive baseball experience rivaling its console counterpart.

Katamari Demacy: Reroll alludes to an age of game development where larger publishers were still willing to make risky, experimental titles. It may not upend the industry, and it may be relatively short, but this a game so confident in its own style and unique mode of play that it is hard to ignore its considerable charm. It has aged well because aside from its many sequels, no one has attempted to make anything else like it. And sometimes the music swells in a way that makes you forget you are an uncaring cosmic being creating space garbage to cover for your dad getting wasted and accidentally destroying the night sky. Katamari Demacy is the type of singular strangeness that should be experienced at least once.

Resident Evil: Revelations is a great return to form for the Resident Evil franchise and a wonderful start to 2012 in terms of gaming, if you're looking for something to play on your 3DS or something to play in general, do not hesitate to pick this up.

Still, whether this is your first Splinter Cell or your eighth, you deserve to give it a shot because while it’s not the best Splinter Cell, it is one of them.

A stark and slowed down shooter that behaves more like a puzzle game, filled with neat out-of-game menus and secrets to find, Superhot is one of the coolest things I’ve played in a long time.

A great game but is definitely more of an expansion then anything.

The 21 tables that you get are a great value for the $30 price tag too. Nothing will ever replicate the actual experience, but this simulation comes about as close as anyone has.

Overall, Storm Island is a ton of fun.

This is a game where the grind itself is the context for enjoyment, and while that’s not a bad thing, when that grind runs its course, there’s going to be nothing left to hang your hat on. Thankfully though, the foundation is just that good, and I don’t regret the hours I have poured into The Division 2. If only other loot shooters, released earlier in the year, had learned and applied the lessons Ubisoft did.

Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is yet another great addition to the series. Lucid Games has added innovative features that makes the series feel like a step forward but also manages to give fans a game that stays true to its roots.

Overall, Flat Heroes is a fun little game that I recommend in short micro bursts. You may get bored during longer play sessions, but this is the sort of game you can return to again and again. That is, of course, if you can get past the entry barrier of the primitive and simplistic presentation style. But I have always been a gamer about fun first and foremost. I will play a simple looking fun game over an incredibly looking mediocre game any day.

It's hard to criticize Tekken 7 for skimping on the offline content when the fighting and the feel for the game are this good. I applaud Harada-san and his team for sticking to the basics and believing in what they're doing, only letting their guard down to let the ridiculously embarrassing story mode slip in. It comes down to a question of Western abundance versus Japanese purism whether Tekken 7 hits the sweet spot. I know I will vouch for the latter any day over superfluous frills. Tekken 7 is the most fun and exhilarating I've had with the fighting games in years and I have pretty much played them all. Virtua Fighter 3 might be forever etched in my heart as my favorite beat 'em up but Tekken 7 is the best these days offer. There are fighting games. Then there's Tekken. The king is back.

While the inclusion of a 9 person multiplayer is indeed intriguing, there just isn’t enough to Runbow to really make you along want to come back, let alone the 8 other people you can possibly finagle. It’s simplistic jumping on levels for time trials, or it’s overly-chaotic racing around the same platforming levels. It’s not like the WiiU is hurting for good 2D platformers that you can play instead.