Everything about this game seems to flow perfectly together. It's light, yet heavy. It's fun, yet serious. It has the style and feel of Guilty Gear, the craziness and fluidity of Marvel vs. Capcom, and the familiarity of Dragon Ball. All of these things blend together very nicely in order to create a game that can truly be enjoyed by everyone. I can play FighterZ any time with anyone and have an absolute blast with it. Whether you're a hardcore fan of the genre or not, this really is the fighting game you've been looking for.

Unravel Two is a game with many layers. On the surface lies a cooperative puzzle-platformer about two adorable yarn creatures. Underneath are meaningful narratives about escaping to safety and working together to form a brighter future. Even deeper are bittersweet and heartfelt messages about companionship, love, and the ties that bind. Coldwood’s little game about two tiny Yarnies on a grand adventure has an astounding depth that is fun to unravel.

If you're looking for a soothing and highly approachable puzzle game with a lot of content on offer, then Bejeweled 3 is a safe bet, it's one of the greats.

If you like, or have played, a game like this in the past, you'll love AJE. If you haven't, just prepare yourself for a lot of study.

Dead or Alive 6 has its place in the today’s gaming. It’s a fast, flashy and content-rich fighting game. I’m happy that Dead or Alive is back and is relevant again, and it’s always a pleasure to play as the game’s pretty cast. I also love NiCO, she’s such a bad-ass intellectual and the best new character in fighting games in ages (she wins over Tekken 7’s Lucky Chloe for being smart instead of a fluffy teen idol).

MLB 13: The Show is admittedly a small step forward. It has cleaned up some of the rougher edges in both the Franchise and the Road to the Show mode while maintaining its near-perfect on the field action. What else can I say, MLB 13: The Show remains one of the pinnacle sports franchises in the business today.

For those unaware, Wasteland 2 was a kickstarted game that amassed nearly $3 million in donations back in 2012. The developer inXile Entertainment clearly spent their time and resources to make a fantastic experience that has an identity to stand on its own despite being clearly inspired by other games in its genre. I’m truly grateful that I gave Wasteland 2 another chance, and I recommend you to do the same as well. If you want a stylish, character-driven adventure in the pits of despair, Wasteland 2 is here to scratch that itch!

Book of Demons is an approachable, addictive action-RPG with a few new ideas but overall, an admirably lean approach that doesn’t allow feature-creep or overly ambitious design muddy the fun. Distinguished by its paper book aesthetic and player-friendly mechanics, Book of Demons is thin on story and level-by-level lacks variety but the ability to determine the length of each play session means that it won’t overstay its welcome.

The second title in the KUF franchise shines, as it seemlessly merges strategy elements with full-blooded action on the battlefield.

A rehash of what we saw on the current gen consoles with a bit better visuals.

Sonic Mania is a wonderful celebration of what's made Sonic so great in the past while also striving to push it forward. This isn't to say it's perfect – it has some of the problems of the previous games as well – but it's such a perfect encapsulation of old Sonic games, it's impressive. If you've ever been curious about what makes these old games special, or if you're just interested in revisiting the series you loved as a kid, this is the best way to do it. It's the old and the new wrapped together in a way that makes both shine. I hope this team goes on to do more, and eventually break themselves away from needing to remix old levels and just make their own.

This isn’t so much a game as it is an experience and it’s something that I recommend everyone should experience. While the controls can be troublesome and there are a few gimmicky moments, this is probably one of the most emotionally powerful stories of the year.

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

When you eventually get going, the game is surprisingly addictive and moody, with bare-bones execution that still maintains an excellent attention to detail and an effective audio design rising up the hair on your back. The wicked gameplay loop of trying to survive and escape is equal parts fun and frustrating – as it pretty much should be.

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.

Forsaken continues Destiny’s great tradition of taking a lackluster opening salvo and beefing it up with content that makes the game feel complete. Were it not for the superhuman light level climb in front of me, I would have absolutely no issue recommending this the same way I recommended The Taken King. If there was a version of original Destiny you had to play, that was it, just as Forsaken is the definite version of Destiny 2 - as long as you’re willing to make that climb.

If you are a fan of Nintendo Sports titles of past years, then get to the present time and pick up a copy of this game, it's worth it.

Serious Sam 3: BFE does one thing: lets you kill HUGE numbers of aliens at a nearly unrelenting pace. But it does that one thing well. If that sounds like a good time to you, then I recommend BFE without reservation. For everyone else, this is great throwback to the way shooters used to be that is definitely worth a look.

Photorealistic graphics are great but there’s something really nice and comforting about the retro-inspired visual aesthetic. The portable nature of the Nintendo Switch is absolutely perfect for this kind of game. Like the title screen suggests, pull the Switch off the dock, pour yourself a drink, grab some salty pretzels, and make yourself comfortable.

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.

It’s frustrating how close to a masterpiece Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is. It has the looks, the atmosphere, the swordplay and the heart. If only it had more focus on the storytelling and gameplay. First, it’s the burdensome narrative that almost drowns all the sensibility stored in Senua’s tale. It takes far too long to actually care for her. When the narrative finally starts to ease off towards the end of the game, it’s the repetitive gameplay that gets in the way. The game drags on for its own good, making it too often boring and laborious. All the same, Senua’s trembling journey is a one that needs to be seen to the close to get its true meaning. I realize I might have sounded quite harsh in my critique but my heart told me to rate the game better. After all, Senua's cry for help made me shed tears.

Its fluid mix of combat, platforming, and smart humor made me enjoy each of my 100+ run throughs just as much as any other. After spending nearly 20 hours with the game I can honestly say I’d love to jump right back in, if only to conquer the castle just once more.

Despite a handful of persistent flaws, Don’t Open the Doors is a charming, hilarious, and memorable experience that completely engrosses the player in its world of violence and absent-mindedness. With its satisfying gameplay and nonstop sense of humor, it does quite enough to be worth a spot in your library. It's not a masterpiece, but Don't Open the Doors is good old-fashioned breezy fun with a superb sense of humor that pushes it into greatness. Plus, it’s just cool to play something made out of clay.

Once players overcome the initial learning curve, Europa Universalis IV will prove a memorable strategy experience that provides as much fun stories as it does sheer tactical complexity.

Despite that restriction, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Shadow Bug. The slow start is a bother, but the game quickly wins you back when it removes the training wheels. The speed of the gameplay never got away from me, and even with the bosses throwing up major hurdles, taking them down feels like a huge accomplishment. This is one game that I can perform my recommend-jutsu on!

Or if you are the one reading right now and you like Castlevania and have always wanted to see what the fuss was about for Rondo of Blood, then this is a great game to go check out, I would highly recommend it.

This is by far the best FPS on the Wii to date; the controls are very intuitive and responsive, and that really have driven the game into a very fun game to play.

Oh... Sir! is mostly a delight, a fun little game about just insulting your opponents until you've humiliated them enough that they concede. Though some of the writing isn't to my tastes (and of course, more words would be appreciated), the actual back-and-forth insult trades are really enjoyable. It's fun to string together just the right words to take the opponents down. It's going to be one of my go-to games for when I just need to kill a little bit time, and I hope to see the developers improve on this concept.