It’s bit of a shame, then, that The Missing locks a poignant message behind such a tricky game, built from bricks of pain. On the other hand, all the hardships are there for a reason: to understand J.J. and what she has to go through to accept herself. A unique and powerful experience, I can tell that the game will linger long in the mind after finishing it.

What Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption ultimately lacks is the kind of flexibility and variety that makes the Souls games so engaging. I actually think that Sinner’s bosses are interesting, well-designed and sort of terrifying, and in the context of a game with a fleshed out story, character-defining progression and better pacing, those bosses could be memorable level-ending encounters. In its present form, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption feels like a proof of concept tech demo that badly needs to have a real game built around 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.

What it comes down to is Rockstar’s intent to build a strongly realized and true to life facsimile of the 1890s — which they’ve done extraordinary well. So well, in fact, that I can’t ever go back to the first game anymore because I'm completely spoiled by this game’s offerings. Red Dead Redemption II is video game escapism at its finest and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else this year that comes close to matching its accomplishments.

Overall, The Escapists is not a game that I particularly enjoyed, but at the same time I didn’t dislike it either. It was a decent time, but that fun was rather short-lived. The game suffers from a lack of explanation and there's no real indication on what you can actually do. The depth is there, but only if you're willing to do and try every combination of actions and items over and over. The crafting system is mostly guesswork and random chance. But the freedom you have in planning your escapes, the strategy aspects, surveying the area and pulling off your breakout, are thrilling in their moments.

While on paper the changes seem incremental - and if we’re being honest, they are - DC Super-Villains feels like a big step up and a welcome evolution. I’m certainly feeling better this go round than I was at the end of the last, and am even planning some trips back in to clean up and collect what’s left to find. Plus, they got Mark Hamill back for The Joker. That alone means it can’t be all bad.

The Gardens Between remains one of the best puzzle games released this year, a combination of simplicity and lateral thinking, wrapped up in an endearing visual package. The story it tells is impactful, relatable, and human, enhanced by the excellent ambient soundtrack. If only there was more of it.

Given all the recycled and only slightly re-touched assets and somewhat underwhelming presentation in the story modes, SoulCalibur VI feels more like a re-release with some additional content than an entirely new entry. It plays perhaps a bit too safe, wary not to change anything too much, apart from making fighting feel flashier and easier. However, it’s also somehow comforting that the game finds its footing in the familiar turf. Now, I can carry on where I was left off ten years ago in SoulCalibur IV (let’s just pretend that SoulCalibur V never existed) and quench the thirst the way-too early axed Lost Swords left me with.

Still, as rich in content as Black Ops 4 might be, it does exclude a segment of shooter fans that have no interest in multiplayer or competitive gaming, or don’t have a community of gaming friends to play with. Solo players can have a lot of fun with Black Ops 4, though ranking up in multiplayer can be a bit of a frustrating slog through hours of humiliation at the hands of experienced series veterans. The new Blackout mode is probably the best point of entry and promises to be an entertaining game of choice for months to come.

Insomnia: The Ark has an exceptionally cool premise and a very complex story to tell but the game that Mono Studio built to house its vision doesn’t always do a great job. It simply moves too slowly and lacks a central narrative drive. It’s burdened by combat that is both hardcore and limited, and by lots of smaller issues that add up to a bigger overall impression of messiness and missed opportunities.

This colorful battlefield will likely be one you return to every time you have friends over, and have a score to settle. It was a lot of fun playing Oh My Godheads with friends, and tackle some of the trials on my own, too. With its unique take on some classic game modes and a simply beautiful art style, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and easy party game.

There’s no way I wouldn’t recommend this game, but just know you’ll probably be done in about two hours. To me, a two-hour game that leaves me wanting more, is far preferable to a 40-hour game that’s stretched itself too thin, and I really only found myself wanting more because I just liked it so much.

Thanks to the randomness ingrained with the other games that ensues no two sessions are alike, we could easily stick to the games we liked and still feel like The Jackbox Party Pack 5 was a great way to spend an evening with friends.

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!

Starlink doesn’t have many bells and whistles as a game, but the figures are just so dang cool and easily customizable that I can see it really appealing to a wide swath of people. The core gameplay is fine and while it’s nothing to write home about, it does enough to support what comes together as a very impressive experience. Starlink doesn’t redefine the toys-to-life genre, but it does have some of the most beautiful figures I’ve seen and a pretty good game to complement them too.

Super Mario Party’s core Party mode and excellent minigames are the true Super Stars in this package. However, they’re diluted by the extra modes. While some are genuinely creative and engaging, such as the team-based Partner Party and the fully cooperative River Survival, others feel like afterthoughts. Everything included can still be hilarious fun with a good group of friends, but a sharper focus on the classic board game/minigame combo and an increased online presence would have enhanced its longevity. As it is now, Super Mario Party may not be the life of the party, but it’s a solid step in the right direction for this long-running series.

Flood of Light is a beautiful and fascinating game with a story that feels new and effectively told through pieces of text and mystery. The puzzles are fresh, and gain challenge and new mechanics as you progress, never feeling old or exhausted. The hand-drawn art style combined with amazing audio will allure you into the enchanting Hope City while you search for answers. If you enjoy puzzle games and subtle but intriguing stories, then you should definitely play Flood of Light.

Assuming one doesn’t fail too many missions, The Slater is a relatively short game with virtually no replay value as trying to get a better overall score isn’t much of an incentive to laboriously move through the same sequences again. Somewhere deep down I think that The Slater has a decent premise, but there is so much wrong with the execution I had a hard time finding it.

HEVN is a patchwork of sci-fi, survival and puzzle game influences that almost feels reverse-engineered. All games are the product of thousands of hours of labor and the sincere effort to create an entertaining result. In the case of HEVN, I wished the focus of all that effort had been on a smaller, more original game that started with a compelling character and story that suggested the most appropriate genre, instead of the awkwardly seamed collection of bits and pieces it ended up being.

NHL 19 has hockey coming out of its ears. There’s enough content here to last a good while or at least until NHL 20 finds its way on the shelves. Offering different levels of realism on a large scale, from controls to team management, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

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.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is definitely one of the most faithful recreations of the D&D experience in digital form and those with patience, a love of numbers and a willingness to tolerate a bit of opacity and imbalance have much to look forward to. There’s something a bit overwhelming and unfriendly about the game’s mechanics and while Pathfinder’s faithful translation of D&D and city building elements are unique, a lot of the setting, story and characters are a bit too “standard CRPG.” There is room for improvement and growth through patches and content, and it will be interesting to watch Pathfinder: Kingmaker evolve.

60 Parsecs!, unfortunately, fails to provide that basic working mechanic that makes it entertaining from moment to moment. It suffers from relegating you to the role of decision maker only, when most games also let you play through your decisions or give you something meaningful to do in between them. 60 Parsecs! is perhaps worth a look when it shows up in a Steam sale, but it doesn’t deserve a place on your must play list.

With 50 songs and multiple skill levels to test yourself in, there’s definitely a good bit here to dig into. I wish the game was a little more involved and the soundtrack was more memorable, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless and has enough charm to make it worth finishing.

That the whole story ends here, with the franchise that started this wild ride, in a manner that leaves the fates of its characters in limbo, is somehow fitting to The Walking Dead as a whole. In the end, we were the real monsters.

In many ways, The Midnight Sanctuary is an epitome of a Japanese storytelling; its pacing, nuances and paradigms – and of course, presentation. You can take a look at these screenshots and think the game looks kind of silly but I’m confident that it would be nowhere as absorbing if it were presented in a typical anime-style or photographic quality. If anything, the naïve graphics accent the chilling factor of the intriguing story that whispers through this midnight sanctuary.

Despite an hours-long tutorial, it takes some time to fully understand the mechanics of Valkyria Chronicles 4 and it remains a challenge from start to finish. That said, the time spent with engaging characters and their stories is immediately rewarding and it’s hard to resist being pulled into the drama, sacrifice and yet somehow buoyant positivity that motivates them. The focus is on tense and often tragic battles, but both fans of the series and newcomers to the franchise will appreciate Valkyria Chronicles 4 as an excellent sequel and the most accomplished realization of the concept to date.

CrossCode is a superb passion project that has numerous qualities making it definitely worth playing. Even though the story didn’t work too well towards the end, it certainly left me wanting more. The strong character writing made getting to know the colorful cast highly enjoyable. The gameplay has a lot going for it and maintains a solid degree of variety without breaking consistency. CrossCode is definitely a game of the year contender for me that continues to impress.