If you’re interested in a return tour or want to see it all for the first time, though, consider the Definitive Edition a great way to play a great game.

StarCraft is a masterpiece, a landmark game that remains as entertaining as it was in 1998. The question is whether Remastered's cosmetic upgrades are worth the $14.99, as the unvarnished original and Brood War expansion are already free from Blizzard. There are fans that would like to see the original game entirely remade with StarCraft 2-quality units, effects, and graphics but until that unlikely event happens, StarCraft Remastered will have to do.

There’s just a ton of content packed into FIFA 17 including an updated Ultimate Team that makes this an extremely compelling package. I’ve sunk nearly thirty hours into FIFA 17 already and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. The new engine increases the spectacle of the sport while still keeping true to the franchise. This is a great looking game and easily one of the best sports games of the year.

I can absolutely recommend the game, but for all the good things it does, one which would be even stronger if you weren't taken out of the experience a little too often. I wanted to achieve true transcendence but the limitations the game places on you too often stop it from reaching its full potential. I have a feeling you’ll still want to experience it, though, and don’t be surprised if you make everyone around you do the same.

Infamous is one of the best games so far in 2009 and if you have a PS3 you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Papers, Please is a lean game that knows exactly what it wants to do, and does it with more style and confidence than one could reasonably expect.

The additional content may not be substantial enough to entice seasoned players, but it adds to the complete lore, so hardcore fans may find it still worthwhile. Not to mention that the game adds at least 10 hours to an existing 40-60 hour playtime. Newcomers and veterans who want to relive the excellent story, time-travel mechanics, and combat system will find Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology to be worth their… time.

In closing, I'll say that Star Wars: The Old Republic is a game I never knew I wanted. Years ago, I was upset to discover that there were no plans to continue Revan's story after Knights of the Old Republic II and instead continue exploring the Old Republic universe through an MMO. After experiencing burnout with World of Warcraft, I had resigned myself to no longer play these types of games. However, I couldn't be happier with what BioWare has done with The Old Republic and the experience continues to be enjoyable. The bottom line is, after 42 hours, I'm still having a blast.

In the end, I feel like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battles is a great game just falling short of a few paces from becoming a masterpiece, which I mean in a positive sense because there are rooms for improvement in this already exceptional tactical/strategy game. Ubisoft went above and beyond to prove that they can make a Mario game that can make Nintendo and its fans proud while opening the door for many possibilities in the future.

Far Cry 2 may be the surprise game of the holiday season.

The beleaguered handheld gets a huge boost with this perfectly crafted action platformer. The comedic duo absolutely shines in this superb adventure.

EA further refines its soccer franchise, with marked improvements in the gameplay mechanics, even more modes and updated visuals.

I don’t know what else they have up their sleeves, but these three tables were more then enough to get me absolutely salivating at the idea of more Star Wars content.

This is really a game to check out if your a fan of the genre or series as it is by far the best Battlefield game to grace the consoles yet.

Call of Duty: World at War I believe will surprise gamers with how complete of an experience it is.

The Walking Dead Episode 2 is a perfect, three-hour nugget of story-driven adventure gaming. The immediacy of the gameplay and writing make it easy to boot up the game and instantly become engrossed in a world where nothing is sacred, and anything can happen at any moment. No tutorials needed.

With excellent writing, strong variety, lots of stuff to do and an incredibly fun and endearing attitude, Saints Row 3 is one of the most quirky games to come out in 2011. The combat could still be deeper and the AI is still noticeably weak and coupled with some technical deficiencies and a disappointing extra mode, Saints Row 3 strictly settles for being great, but it that's more than enough to warrant a recommendation.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a great fit on the Nintendo Switch. The portable nature of the game makes it easy to use at a party or game night, while the game's tense nature and challenging, randomized puzzles offers plenty of exciting fun for those willing to learn the game's ins and outs. At 15 bucks, there aren't much better party games you can get than Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

Valhalla is equipped with a number of gameplay systems that clearly echo the last two games and while positive tweaks and light refinements have been made, the overall experience feels overly familiar by now. What Valhalla lacks in originality, however, the visceral and fun combat makes up the deficit and that speaks volumes to me as a longtime fan. Packed with enough content on the disc and planned future DLC, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is another hefty and captivating entry in Ubisoft’s long running historical franchise.

This PS2 tennis game port plays superbly on the handheld, with all the current players and tons of game modes. Online play would have been perfect, but not a cause for complaints.

It’s a short game, taking about an hour or so to reach the end credits but the time is well spent and nothing feels wasted or padded for length. The game’s puzzles are just right, neither too easy or too hard, and in some cases make a great use of the facility’s retro-futurist technology. Some might balk over the absence of enemies or outright peril but hungry aliens, killer robots, or demon possessed soldiers would only serve as annoying distractions and just get in the way. All in all, Red Matter is an awesome science fiction yarn built with an eye for dreamy, retro futurism aesthetic.

Still, Shadow of Mordor is a really fun game that being some innovation to an already strong start with the 8th generation.

Thronebreaker : The Witcher Tales is a phenomenal game that can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys card games or even puzzle games. The port to the Switch was a wonderful decision, but no matter where you play Thronebreaker, you are in for a fantastic experience.

The storyline in my eyes really helps the game progress quite a bit, and fans of Japanese style stories will really enjoy this one.

If Found... is a visual novel that navigates its subject matter with care, its loose hand-drawn art immersing us in a world that we are forced to unmake. Its central metaphor of erasure is horribly effective, forcing us to destroy this fleshed out person's personhood. Through its thoughtful depiction of LGBTQ themes, bold presentation, and penchant for articulating all of the messy particulars of its protagonist's life, If Found... is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale.

Between the base game and the Frozen Wilds expansion, Horizon: Zero Dawn Complete Edition is a forty+ hour experience that should not be missed by fans of open world action games. Three years down the road from release, Horizon feels a little more unfocused to me than it did at launch, but the story, combat and characters are still some of my favorites from the past few years and so I was happy to return to Aloy’s world, that now looks even better. For owners of a PS4 Pro that have already played the game, buying it again on PC for the graphical upgrade alone is maybe a nonessential purchase, but PC gamers who missed Horizon on console have a great game to look forward to.

PlanetSide 2 is a hard game to sum up. It's a beautiful, solidly built shooter that presents large-scale conflict like nobody else in the business. The rest of the game's enjoyment, however, is entirely up to you. If you can dedicate the time to learning the systems, decoding the cumbersome UI, and finding a group of people that you like playing with, PlanetSide 2 will be a blast.

Other than the Cities franchise, the building-sim genre has been a little under represented as of late, and the amusement park-sim world hasn't seen anything this exciting since the early, glory days of Rollercoaster Tycoon. Planet Coaster represents a return to form and sets the bar very high for sim designers in general. Fun, flexible, deep, endlessly entertaining -- and at a bargain price -- Planet Coaster might not be for every gamer, but for fans of the genre it can't be beat.