Dragon’s Crown doesn’t offer any much needed enrichment of its various genres, but it makes up for this by committing to its visual identity and the frenetic, empowering possibilities of its game design.

Stranger's Wrath is all about identity. In addition to the themes of its well-rounded story, it feels tailor-made to challenge the critical habit of comparing games that share similar traits just to make critical analysis easier. It has faults, and it's certainly aged a wee bit, but the final product is still an incredibly strong example of thorough game design and solid character work. It's a must-download, by any measure.

Halo: Combat Evolved is a good overall package. Playing the campaign is like visiting with an awesome old friend that you haven't seen in a while. The multiplayer, though, is too barebones to feel like it's worth the $40 price tag. Couple that with the fact that the multiplayer doesn't quite emulate the feel of the original Halo and you're left with a game that is likely to disappoint many longtime fans.

If you haven’t yet gone on the Child of Light journey I implore you to stop reading now and go play this game.

Far from a watered-down PS2 port, Fireteam Bravo provides a full-on FPS gaming experience on the PSP, with some multiplayer and connectivity features thrown in for good measure.

The Last Guardian is proof -- for anyone who doubts it -- that video games can be a unique and emotionally powerful form of participatory storytelling. On top of that, The Last Guardian's visuals and creature design give it a timeless, mythic quality that both call to mind the sweet-natured Ico and the towering scale of Shadows of the Colossus. Exciting, challenging, and full of heart, The Last Guardian is unforgettable.

Minor problems aside, it is refreshing to play an adventure game that offers up a creative science fiction story while providing an optimal amount of challenge.

If you have a computer that is capable enough to handle C&C 3 at, at least medium settings then there is really no reason to get the 360 version as the PC version is hands down the better package deal. However for those who are not blessed with such machines the Xbox 360 version is still a capable RTS that just suffers from lackluster controls.

MotoGP 20 is quite similar in structure to Codemasters’ F1 games, but it’s a more coherent and exciting experience. Be prepared to put in a lot of work to tune the bike to get best out of it and perform well on the track. That’s the simple recipe for success, no slacking is allowed at any point! After all, you have better chances of winning when starting from a pole position instead of back of the grid, so all those laps you spent on free practices will pay off. Despite some presentation issues and the lack of true motive to race other modes outside the career, MotoGP 20’s tight gameplay keeps things consistently interesting and turns it into an addictive and rewarding racing simulation that no virtual speed freak should be without.

For an adventure game, Ether One does some pretty interesting things that allow it to break free from the genre’s mold.

Freedom Planet’s solid level design, clever movesets, and well-executed combat mechanics all come together to achieve a balanced flow, placing a focus on platforming and combat over raw speed. Most importantly, the game keeps a consistent pace, so the faster automatic segments are exhilarating and the slower sections don’t feel like a massive downgrade.

With the exception of the mines being slower and more frustrating and disconnected than the rest of the game, the only thing you’d want out of Ethan Carter is more story and a few more mechanics to keep you coming back for more.

The story is true artistry in motion, keeping things fresh and gripping even hours in, not afraid to take risks or introduce new things in ways that feel organic every single time. The Switch has found another great title, thanks to the port of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Trails of Cold Steel III is a must play if you enjoyed the first two games in the series. The game is not radically different from the previous titles, so if you didn’t love them or just do not like JRPGs in general, it won’t change your mind. If you’re a newcomer to the franchise, I strongly recommend playing the first two games in Trails of Cold Steel series before getting into this one.

Ys Origin is both a great introduction to the series and an interesting diversion from the formula. It’s worth playing, both for fans of the series that missed it on initial release and new players who love a JRPG with retro charm. Although one playthrough won’t take up much of your time, the multiple character setup and additional modes add enough gameplay to justify the price of admission.

Ultimately, my only mark against The Walking Dead is that there aren't a lot of places where players get to use their noggin. With the exception of a scene where you must determine the right sequence in which to dispatch a group of zombies in a parking lot, the game proceeds forward in a linear fashion. Sure, you can mess up and die, but the game isn't difficult, and doesn't have any unconventional puzzle solving, like those found in Telltale's Sam & Max or Monkey Island games.

MLB The Show 18 continues to be one of the best sports games released each year. The action on the field is an incredible recreation of the real-life sport. I do wish that Sony San Diego would take bigger risks each year with its Road to the Show and Franchise modes. But what is offered up in this year’s game makes for a great game of baseball and one that I’ll be coming back to all year long.

Overall this is the strong outing that the FIFA franchise really needed and it came out in a big way and for lack of better terms, scored.

Behind the long load times of ModNation racer is a very visually pleasing and enjoyable kart racing experience that manages to build off of previous kart racing franchises and adding on a huge element of customization that has never been seen in a kart racer before.

If you played through the campaign in Age of Wonders III and you are looking to get a jolt of fresh energy out of the game, then the Golden Realms expansion should have what you are looking for.

Ultimately, Toki Tori is a very simple game. But simple is not a bad thing here. The game has a clear vision of what it wants to accomplish and delivers a fun, challenging, and often rewarding puzzle/platformer experience. If you enjoy these kind of games but hate their cuteness, don't let the graphics fool you. Toki Tori can be a mind stumper, but always a fun time.

It looks fantastic, the combat is epic and thrilling, and the sound design and musical score by the insanely prolific Jasper Kyd round out an impressive sequel. Lack of clarity, some brutal difficulty spikes and some core conceptual and mechanical issues with the game's absolute reliance on co-op are the only sour notes in a dark symphony of epic action.

Still, in a collection of 51 games, it’s hard to expect them all to be winners. While a few additional options would have been nice, Nintendo has still released an enormous package with a ton of value, even releasing it at a value price. I can’t imagine anyone not finding at least a handful of games to enjoy if they pick this up and it could be a great way to stay connected during this time where life is working so hard to keep us apart. I don’t know how Nintendo knew that this was the moment to bring back Clubhouse Games, but I’m grateful for their foresight.

It is difficult to overstate what an achievement Prey's environmental and gameplay designs represent, nor the elegance and real ingenuity behind the many interlocking systems that the player accesses throughout. Whether you approach it as a horror-action game, a stealth-puzzle game or a run-and-gun shooter, Prey will accommodate you. Although it lacks narrative drive or memorable characters, Prey will engage you for hours as you realize the potential for creativity that the developers baked in to every area and moment in the game.

Episode 3 of The Walking Dead finally put interesting characters into a plot that I was actually interested in.. After that, Episode 4 started creating a series of gameplay moments that not only influence the game, but are set up in such a way and smartly enough to influence how the player feels at that moment. While it would have been a better series if they'd had this in place from the beginning, the way that the series has picked up as it nears its conclusion is great, and has me waiting for the end excitedly.

While there were certain aspects of this DLC that felt rushed or outright lazy, the content addition for it felt just right.

NBA 2K19 has a ton of other modes, including a collectible card game, a full-fledged franchise mode, and quite a bit of online play. I could spend another five or six paragraphs going through each of these in detail but it wouldn’t have any impact on my overall feel of NBA 2K19. I come to this game for the career and franchise modes, and I can say both are stellar this year. Combined with a stellar presentation, NBA 2K19 is one of the best sports games on the market.

If you have ever enjoyed a single moment from the last generation games, you need to own SSX. Newcomers should not fear getting their snowboots wet with SSX. Like the other games, it is easy to get into and the online Ridernet helps fuel the flame of competition for many months to come.