Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is a somewhat uneven sequel. On one hand, its new playable characters create some of the most ingenious stretches of retro platforming in recent memory. The myriad abilities at your disposal create an open-ended experience, and dismantling tricky challenges with your broad toolset is one of the game's greatest pleasures. But difficulty spikes and a few sequences that clash with the game's fixed trajectory jumps can make some stretches feel a little tedious. At its best, the game synthesizes the appeal of NES platformers with great boss fights and simple but nuanced systems. At its worst, it emulates the frustrating elements of games from this era with a little too much accuracy.

While Children of Morta stays pretty solidly in the tradition of recent RPG/roguelikes, its packaging — graphics, design, story and characters — elevate it above the pack and players who have grown weary of the genre will find it refreshing. It’s challenging without (usually) being unfair and while there is plenty of varied combat, there is a story with some heart and soul for any player looking for a break from constant hack and slash. It’s still a roguelike, so any player intolerant of the genre’s “die and try again” conceit will not suddenly become enlightened, but fans of the form will enjoy one of the more interesting and appealing examples in recent memory.

While Huntdown's cloying one-liners and disconcerting framing can occasionally come across as grating, its captivating gunplay successfully mixes the chaos of classic run and gun games with the methodical cadence of modern cover shooters. Dashing through murderous strikes while you slide under incoming bullets creates a sense of cool that the game's writing fails to deliver, inching it a little bit closer to the heights of its many points of inspiration. It may be somewhat short and fairly straightforward, but Huntdown's gameplay largely succeeds at emulating the type of testosterone-fueled bedlam perfected by its silver screen counterparts.

It is hard to believe that this game is produced by a small developer, only costs $15, and is downloadable. Not only does it contain almost all the features of a full retail fighting game, but it does almost all of them better. Most critically, the online is perfect and the tutorial actually teaches you how to play fighting games.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is not a bad fighting game, but I would rather play almost any other fighting game that came out this year before it. I didn't find the fun that I was looking for, and considering that this is a $60 retail title, I find it hard to recommend over games like Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Persona 4: Arena, or even the older Tekken 6.

Once again this is a quality piece of downloadable content for Skyrim which adds at least another ten to twenty hours worth of playtime. It would be nice to see some more interesting quest types than simple dungeon crawls through the same environments and more emphasis put upon Solstheim and its inhabitants. Dragonborn is worth the price if you just can't get enough from the Elder Scroll's universe.

There are some technical issues that you’ll need to look past but if you’re able to, you’ll find a game with incredible controls that is just waiting for you to step up to the joysticks.

The SOCOM goodness lives on with another blockbuster tactical shooter, featuring massive environment, interactive vehicles and slicker visuals.

Virtua Fighter 5 is a decent game that is certainly worth $15, I just don't think that people will continue to play it for long before they return to their preferred fighters.

The games might be as old school as they come and the lack of Metal Slug and other top tier SNK titles are missed but the SNK 40th Anniversary collection is more than a compilation of the company’s early hits. The clean interface, breadth of games, added console ports and new playback options represents a new beginning for legal retro game emulation.

If Hideo Kojima’s non-conventional storytelling, flair for the cinematic, and fourth-wall-breaking silliness gets you out of bed every morning, then Death Stranding is going to appease, surprise, and maybe even delight.

I can recognize that Salt and Sanctuary is a well-constructed game and that there’s a lot of depth and challenge here for those that crave such things from their entertainment. It just isn't for me and I don’t think it ever will be, as I'm not the target gamer here. From that perspective, I can't give this game any less than 4 stars. It delivers on everything a fan of the Souls series would crave, and does so with style. If that's your thing, dive right in there and go conquer some brutally tough fights.

Agent 47 makes his debut on the 360, with a crafty action game that manages to blend all the different genre elements into one solid offering.

With dragons to fight, weapons to craft, a home to make, and children to adopt, Skyrim: Special Edition represents the better gaming experiences I’ve had from Bethesda. Their fantasy games are more visually and narratively interesting to me instead of the the cynicism and nihilism that lives in the Fallout series. And because of its wintery locale, Skyrim is a really cozy game to play on a cold, rainy day. Unless you’re still playing it, picking up Skyrim: Special Edition is a good enough excuse to enjoy the video game equivalent of comfort food.

As it stands, Mortal Kombat 11 is violent and extremely brutal but at the same time insidiously sexy and suave. Its more grown-up take on matters enhances its cast’s appeal and that’s all the personal preference I need to keep up with often unfair gameplay.

The combat in the game is very entertaining and combine that with a very solid storyline and you have a game that will make any X-Men fan very happy.

Thwarting Dr Robotnik's nefarious schemes have never been this fun, especially with the blue hedgehog on the DS. Good clean fun for Sonic fans all over.

The games and their level design definitely hold up in 2018, with plenty of content and charm to keep you coming back. On top of this, the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy is not a full priced game. If you love Spyro, and like what you see and hear of the game, then there'll be no catches to disappoint you. What you see is what you get, and what you get is a blast from the past, with an amazing and impressive passion put into bringing the games back, better than ever.

Aside from a few missions which have some unexciting objectives, you have a game that combines fun stealth with a good storyline.

In a way, The Legend of Grimrock is a lot like Dark Souls. The game rewards calculated, meticulous play and any severe injuries or deaths are likely a result of not taking in your surroundings. There are a lot of ways to die in Grimrock and if you're not paying attention, taking the time to search out better gear and learn to craft potions, you're going to have a difficult time with it. However, there's a great feeling of accomplishment as you traverse each floor, defeating powerful monsters and figuring out puzzle solutions on your own.

Even though DiRT Rally 2.0 has such a realism on the surface and under the hood, it still goes with the video gaming first. Tuning the car has a clear cause and effect relationship, as one can expect from a game, and career races have five restarts to resort to in a case of complete disaster. Indeed, DiRT Rally 2.0 might be closest thing to driving a real rally car, but at the same time it’s not like driving a real rally car, no matter how brutally authentic it can at times feel. After all, you don’t need a driver’s license (or a death wish, judging by some of the tracks!) to be able to play and appreciate it and the game is fully content with that.

Fifty dollars might seem like a hefty price tag to pay for a set of games, considering the “latest” game in it is six years old, but the Borderlands Legendary Collection offers so much value and content to justify the price tag. However, it is possible to buy the games separately if you’d like. With the literal hundreds of hours of gameplay that can be played anywhere you go, The Borderlands Legendary Collection belongs in every action game fan’s Switch library.

Little Nightmares II builds greatly upon what the first title achieved, and pushes with great effort to accomplish even more in its setting, design, and gameplay - and it absolutely succeeds in every area of the game. From start to finish of this 4-5 hour experience, you’ll be sat on the edge of your seat, wanting nothing more than to go back in the opposite direction, but the world design and your curiosity will compel you to delve ever deeper into the horrors that await. I am confident that fans of the first game will absolutely love this installment, and any newcomers should go back and play both of these games without a doubt. The settings are both creepy and beautiful, and I really hope to see more from Tarsier Studios in the future.

A smooth flowing basketball game, complete with a huge franchise mode and Live online play.

Death of the Outsider’s existence as a stand-alone game is a curiosity. Though it may appear to be, Death of the Outsider is not a great entry point for new players. The story delivers payoffs on characters that you need to already be attached to and it doesn’t lay much groundwork for you to get attached to them. For fans of the series, it is a great exploration of Billie and Daud’s relationship. It’s also a fun way to let loose and play Dishonored the way “you’re not supposed.” Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is not a must-play, but it is a great addition to series and a satisfying ending to the Kaldwin-era.

Despite a learning curve that could use some work, there’s a lot to like in Two Point Hospital. It continues to find ways to make you laugh deep into the game without ever drawing too much attention to that aspect of itself. The controls are so intuitive that for the first time I don’t see any real downside to playing a simulation game on a console over a PC if that’s what you prefer. There’s plenty of content to keep you occupied for a long time as well. If you’re a fan of simulation games, Two Point Hospital is a must play. For those this is a new genre, though, I definitely think you should give the game a chance. It isn’t perfect but it’s a good time if you’re able to really learn its systems and understand everything a great hospital needs.

SteamWorld Dig isn’t ground-breaking, but its tight action platforming and satisfying gameplay hook will easily keep you entertained for several hours. It’s perfectly designed for a handheld experience, allowing you to pick up and play for a few minutes here and there, progressing a little further each time.

Now in its third installment, this FPS franchise continues to impress us with some pretty realistic battles, enhanced online multiplayer and much expanded gameplay.