NHL 13, at its most basic level, is just fun to play when you get right down to it, even for someone who might only watch hockey during the playoffs and Olympics, or not at all.

After all these years, it remains a delight from damn near top to bottom.

In both the Beatdown and the various arenas, each encounter and firefight is smoothly paced and takes advantage of the game's level design. It's a shame there aren't more of both in the Campaign as a whole.

Fortnite on the Switch is still Fornite, albeit with a few graphical concessions. And Fortnite is good.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has ushered in a new era of AAA: one where every studio and their grandmother tries to pack a battle royale gametype into their project. The thing is Activision actually did it right, while also providing a strong zombies outing alongside of its token traditional multiplayer element.

Bloodstained is occasionally frustrating, refreshingly open, and as promised, wholly Castlevania.

Whether you are a Battlefield fanatic or a series scrub like me, you’ll get your money’s worth from Battlefield 1943, as well as an unrivaled experience in the realm of download-only games.

Arc System Works have improved on their formula at its core, but failed to make the package more appealing.

Chronicles of Mystara is worth the purchase for any fans of beautiful sprite-based artwork or classic beat 'em ups. It's only flaws come from the technical limitations of its time and the design decisions that defined the arcade era. Gauntlet, Golden Axe, and Cadash all suffer from similar issues. Thankfully, Shadow Over Mystara trounces them all. It's the king of D&D-themed arcade action games, and should be respected as such.

With Ghost of Tsushima under its belt, Sucker Punch deserves to be in the same conversation as Insomniac, Naughty Dog, and Sony Santa Monica.

Equal parts tremendous and terrible, with a fine line clearly separating the two distinct territories. Unfortunately, since each stage ends on a sour note, the overall emotion one gains is that of bitter disappointment. It's a game that repeatedly starts strong and ends despicably, and as much as I want to adore it, I ended every session cursing its name.

Leaping over buildings, smashing through windows, uncovering police corruption, and rewiring security systems is likely to be a lot more worthwhile than whatever else you were planning on doing.

This is a game that will have you thinking about how intense, perplexing, and perfect it was for days. Like a tiny mouse says early in the game -- "the harder the victory, the greater the joy of success".

While it may bewilder players new to the genre with the sheer complexity of it all, Anno 2070 succeeds at giving the decade-old series a fantastic makeover.

Astro Bot has replaced Knack as the cute Sony mascot and I’m okay with it.

If you missed out on Donkey Kong Country Returns the first time around, or you disliked the motion-heavy controls of the original, pick up this version. With solid tactile feedback, the 3DS edition of the game has cemented itself as one of my favorite platformers of all time without question.

Lara Croft GO is clearly the product of a love for what the Tomb Raider series used to mean.

Not once during my playthrough of Guacamelee 2 did I feel bored or look at the clock.

Persona 5 Strikers suffers from some of the same faults as other Musou games, but this collaboration highly benefits from the strength of the source material. Even if you have no interest in the genre, if you enjoy Persona in any fashion, this is worth picking up at some point as you patiently wait for the next big entry.

With a unique protagonist, killer art style, savvy level design, and ferocious combat, there's little left for an action fan to want, while the role-playing elements have been enhanced to such a degree that the overall experience feels deeper and more compelling than before. If this game is not a success, then truly the world doesn't know what's good for it.

Prison Architect is a blast. It offers an interesting thematic take on a bizarre sub genre of simulations, and while it retains the general complexity and what made that other game so good, it strips away all the fat, keeps it laser focused, and wraps it all up in a lovely usable user interface. It can be a hard knock life, and even with the tutorials you will still learn best by diving in and exploring, but Prison Architect is well worth the time investment required.

Life is Strange 2 represents a sophistication of Dontnod's storytelling capabilities because it effectively adds up and weighs moral decisions to truly influence the narrative outcome. Every ending comes with some degree of complication -- that much was to be expected -- but it's satisfying because they're all befitting of the characters you molded. Whichever direction you took Sean and Daniel's lives, chances are you'll feel responsible for their fates. It's personal. Because it's personal, it's memorable. That's about the utmost positive quality for this style of story.

Silver Dollar Games has wholeheartedly delivered on the promise of the original and managed to outdo my expectations spectacularly. One Finger Death Punch 2 is everything I love about the series turned up to 11, and it’s a fantastic example of how minimalist design can effectively carry a game, even when pared down to just two simple inputs.

Even without those extra options, I think Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness is a wonderful follow-up to an outstanding 3DS gem. It’s fast, fun, and genuinely funny with a real appreciation of ‘80s video game culture. I’ll admit I prefer the single-player-focused design of its predecessor and all the overwhelming systems that went along with it, but even with Cart of Darkness‘s simplified execution, there is still a great deal of fun to be had protecting that princess. Especially if you bring some friends along for the ride.

Despite some level design and DLC uncertainties, N+ is absolutely a must buy for any self-respecting 360 owner. N+ adds lots of new, great stuff to an already incredible platformer; with its multiplayer modes, level editor, and wonderfully intuitive-yet-deep controls, there's enough here to satisfy diehard N fans and franchise newbies alike.

One cannot play through the game without noticing its various flaws, but by the time you’ve simultaneously decapitated four bad guys in one glorious, motion-controlled sword slash, those flaws will be all but forgotten in the flood of gruesome, wacky fun which No More Heroes has to offer.

Shin Megami Tensei IV may have been developed for two little screens, but it's a massive, uncompromising game that feels just as big as any console RPG release. It's as deep and gratifying as you'd expect from Atlus' original key franchise, and now it's fully portable (with a save anywhere function). In fact, the only real problem you're going to have with Shin Megami Tensei IV is keeping your 3DS battery charged up, because it's the best RPG for 3DS to date.

Overall, Firefight is a blast and one of the most refreshing experiences with a Halo game in a long time. Firefight is almost worth the purchase of Halo 3: ODST on its own. It encourages teamwork and it’s a feature that games need more of in this day and age.

Despite its linearity, Ghost Trick still is going to provide you with anywhere between eight and ten hours of gameplay and story, each hour more compelling than the last as the mysteries unfold. Its a completely fresh experience on Nitnendo's handheld, or anywhere else for that matter, and certainly not one you'll want to skip.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled not only succeeds as a loving and faithful adaptation of the classic PS1 release, but it has been turbo-boosted by a glut of welcome new content including characters, tracks, and modes. Though it occasionally shows its age in course design, and erratically pumps the brakes with a surprising difficulty spike, Nitro-Fueled remains a fast and fun kart racer, sure to please old fans and worthy of a test drive from new ones.

Anyone who likes Metroidvanias should absolutely make time for Blasphemous 2. Aside from an underwhelming final act, I had nearly consistent fun with this one from start to finish. From the gorgeous visuals to the customizable combat, your journey as the Penitent One will be filled with steady highs and only occasional lows. It’s a great sequel, a great game, and just a great time in general. If you were a fan of Blasphemous, you’re in for a treat with Blasphemous 2.

Persona Q can be grind. It can be frustrating, and, at times, made me want to fling my 3DS across the room. It's also a heartwarming love letter to Persona fans, and an engrossing role-playing game, among the best the 3DS has to offer. Let go and enjoy the ride.

Kingdom Hearts III might not be the best final entry possible, but I'll dearly miss Sora and his friends.

It’s not going to revolutionize videogames and is definitely not a huge step forward in the series, but it contains some of the coolest set pieces and most incredible boss fights I have ever seen in my entire life. And that makes me very happy.

Mega Man 9 is a fantastic game. The music is incredible, seven out of eight of its stages are amongst the best the series has ever seen, it has butt kicking extra features, a great story, and it's only ten bucks. It's damn tempting to just give the game a 10 and be done with it.

It's hard to tell whether or not Street Fighter X Tekken will blow up like Street Fighter IV did with the competitive community, but given how good it is, I hope it does. Despite the lack of story options, there's plenty of solid gameplay to be had here, and the online features are going to keep people playing for quite a while. Namco has its work cut out for them with Tekken X Street Fighter.

Given that Splatoon 3 shores up nearly everything already present in the series and adds a few extras like Tableturf Battle, it's safe to say that the magic of the series is still alive.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided doesn't succeed in making me care about the plight of humans and augs, but it still pulled me into its compelling cloak-and-dagger world where people in capes can turn invisible and shoot balls of lightning out of their arm.

It's a great game from a studio that's done everything it can with the tools at its disposal to reinvigorate Call of Duty, even if it doesn't refashion the series completely. You won't appreciate that just by playing its online mode, and you will be disappointed if you're wanting the property to be turned inside out and spun on its head. Those that simply love to play military first-person shooters, and were looking for something that finds what life is left in the genre, however, should find themselves perfectly catered to.

Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash.

If you came into this review with the simple question of "is this game a modern-day RollerCoaster Tycoon?" the answer is an absolute yes. I spent most of my time in Parkitect analyzing revenue graphs and tinkering with prices to try and nickel-and-dime each guest out of their hard-earned cash. While I wish the ride creation was much friendlier, managing staff, guests, and park design has never felt better or more complete.

This game is not for everyone, but if there's even a little part of you that wants to hurl daggers at skeletal spiders under extreme duress, I recommend you go to hell. It's fun here.

Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture have created an absolute revolution in contemporary game design that proves beautiful, original things can still be done beyond the realm of first- and third-person shooters. It's just as brave and elegant as Journey, while being as accessible and fun as a cherished Irem classic. Even if you think this game isn't for you based on genre, Sine Mora may unexpectedly surprise and delight you.

All told, Monster Dash is a great title and well worth the meager asking price. You'll get your money's worth, and with Halfbrick promising to update the game with new monsters and levels, you can't go wrong!

ZiGGURAT succeeds where past action-based iPhone games have failed because the developer put the proper attention on balance and controls instead of unlockables and multiple backdrops.

As long as you're prepared to deal with the decidedly smaller community, the Wii U Edition of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the best version of the game. It's essentially the exact same package with a few extras, and a few tiny conveniences that put it slightly over the original.

Jank and sometimes dumb mutant cannibals aside, what Endnight Games accomplished with The Forest with only a team of four people is simply extraordinary. It's one of the best survival games I've played in recent memory.

A lot of love and care went into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, and I hope other developers (including some of Activision's own studios, I'm looking at you Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Prototype) take note.

Two weeks of a workout regiment is not nearly long enough to give a full assessment of how effective it is, but it is enough time to see that Ring Fit Adventure is one well-crafted exercise game. Will it be good enough to help me overcome this lifelong struggle? Ask me again in a month and then five months after that.

Whatever power that be helped Yoko Taro become world famous, to the point where he can keep making these weird masterpieces, in any format: thank you.

It takes more than graphics to make a game, and Final Fantasy XIII offers very little else other than eye candy. Ultimately, this latest addition to the Final Fantasy series is a pompous and masturbatory affair, created seemingly to promote the developer's ego first, and the player's enjoyment second.

Boo Lake might be something of a controversial choice for the #1 spot on this list, but I think this is a phenomenal track.

Black Ops 6 proves that the Call of Duty series is here to stay, and hopefully, it’ll get even better from here on out.

This is a playground that doesn't feel overly gamified. It's something I'd want to periodically return to just to roam around in it and take in the sights.

For me, I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could. A university may be a different ballgame than a hospital, but it’s not a very shocking twist. I’d love to see Two Point County zoomed into something small like a restaurant or sports team, or zoomed out to a city or, well, county. But Two Point Campus is a wonderful return to the universe, and I’ll happily — perhaps impatiently — be waiting for the next chance to visit.

I never want to stop playing Pocket Card Jockey. This game hit me the same way Tetris hit millions around the world back in the 80s.

I adore how none of it feels contrived, forced, or packed-in for the sake of nostalgia. It all flows well, including the natural progression to new tools that mirror the discovery of new villages and vendors in a classic JRPG romp. There's a small sense of rote iteration, especially if you power through the questline with little exploration, but any of those feelings are quickly washed away.

No Vita should be sold without a copy of this game.

With more concessions for higher level play and a deeper meta, veterans will be jumping ship from Wii U to Switch in an instant.

None of Dark Souls II's DLC is particularly spectacular compared to what was already in the base game, but they are great companion pieces to the proper package.

Stray‘s expressive art direction, curious music, stop-and-snap-a-pic lighting, and thoughtful level design coalesce into one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year.

Given more development time, this could have been the definitive entry in the series, but what we’re left with is good enough.

So yes, the game feels pretty solid and good, and if you own the original, I would definitely consider picking up the upgrade DLC from the Nintendo eShop—and if you haven’t played the original Forgotten Land before, now is the perfect time to do so.

Whether you're a seasoned survivor or an all-new player, you'll have a thrilling time with the sequel. It's ideal to start from the beginning, but it's not mandatory – this freaky story stands on its own.

I wanted this game to be exceedingly different, and I don’t believe I got that. It’s still much the same, even if the grass looks greener this time around.

Destiny 2 is an incredibly competent shooter that lacks a strong identity. Just when I think I understand what it’s going for, some off-brand design decision comes into play that shows me I’m wrong. PC players who missed out on the first game will likely have no interest in the actual story, but the missions are varied and exciting enough to be worthwhile. Despite my issues, I can easily see myself jumping back into Destiny 2 frequently enough to shoot some aliens and scoop up some loot.

If you've ever spent an evening huddled around a table telling tales of crypts and wyverns, I highly recommend that you give Card Hunter a shot. Even if you eventually hit a paywall, you'll have a ton of fun, and may even recall some of your fondest role-paying memories in the process.

Everything is pretty clearly laid out for you and none of the puzzles are excessively challenging or logically obtuse, leaving you free to enjoy the humor and absurdity.

It's icky at times, but Madden 17 is definitely a step up. If you skipped a year, now is probably the time to come back around.

I can't get over that. I also can't get over how great of job GameLoft did in porting this classic. Get this game.

New, niggling concerns and abhorrent commentary aside, this is the most playable and robust Madden in years. The Infinity engine is shot in the arm the dulled, increasingly frustrated core gameplay needed. It makes plays more dynamic, fluid, realistic, and satisfying.

It's smart, it's pretty, and it never dwells on any one idea for too long. At its heart is a quality math puzzler, but what makes it shine is the dark comedy found in killing cartoon animals just to satisfy some arbitrary numerical requirements.

TEVI is a pleasant surprise that hopefully doesn’t fly under most radars. Even with my gripes, I can comfortably recommend TEVI to anyone looking for a solid Metroidvania with a bullet hell twist.

Its campaign is a thrill ride of rollercoaster-like set-pieces, huge boss battles, and consistently fast-paced action, and its multiplayer is a solid, enjoyable, anarchic complement. If you own a PS3 and you love first-person shooters, you would do well to add this one to your collection.

A year ago, I couldn't imagine another game mixing tower defense and third-person action as well as Orcs Must Die! Clearly, I was wrong.

It's a beautifully brief journey, but ustwo's reluctance to fully explore its possibilities only hampers its potential.

Octopath Traveler is a small triumph in that it mostly delivers on its promise to give us eight stories worth seeing through.

Bye-Bye BoxBoy! is being billed as the last of the BoxBoy! trilogy and if this is where things truly end I think that’s for the better. Qbby is great and this monochrome world is wonderful, but I feel as though its basic puzzle formula is on the cusp of getting stale.

Triangle Strategy stumbles just enough in those areas to note it, but excels when it comes to tactical combat. It feels right at home on the Switch, as a perfect blend of strategy and RPG to keep coming back to, with just enough reasons to keep exploring post-credits and alternate routes. It may not be a deft landing, but Triangle Strategy is ultimately the tactical RPG I was hoping it would be, holding its own in an increasingly competitive field.

Ratchet & Clank Collection is a reminder of how one developer dared to give some guns to a platforming mascot and made a couple classics in the process. In an era where every third-person shooter comes with bloodstains and a cover mechanic, it's nice to return to this lovable duo and discover that they haven't aged a bit.

If you've never given Pushmo a fair shake before, trying out the free stages in Stretchmo is a great way to start.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is like a good pie, the kind mothers used to make. It's warm and satisfying with a near-perfect consistency throughout. It might be appealing to try and devour all at once, but trying that may leave you with a bit of an ache. No, savor it. It's likely to be one of the best damn pies you're going to enjoy this year.

So long as you can deal with some antiquated visuals and a bit of exploration-based frustration with the ZX games in particular, you'll have plenty of rainy days squared away.

It feels like an experiment, but beyond merely proving that its innovations work, Betrayal at Club Low also manages to be an entertaining experience. This, along with games like Citizen Sleeper, is raising my expectations for RPG dialogue. That it manages to present itself as a complete narrative and aesthetic package is mind-blowing. This is a game I won’t soon forget and one you shouldn’t pass up.

It's simply a second-rate title that might have been good a decade ago, but doesn't need to exist in this day and age.

A truly new adventure, and deserves to be treated as such. As much as it will likely be enjoyed by fans of FFVII, I can also imagine gamers who missed that game playing this could become genuinely curious about going back in time to meet those old characters and learn about how their histories are connected.

Put simply, this is a game in which you get out what you put in. It is incremental in its brilliance. It is a game of pure mechanics and of player skill. It's confusing in a good way and difficult in the best way. From a game design perspective it is perfect, but the ambiguity will definitely push some players away.

Darksiders is one of the best action-adventure games of the current generation. Everything in it, you've played before, but never has such a collection of game mechanics been stitched together so well, not to mention feel like part of a coherent game world.

With a lot of polish in terms of the controls through a future update, this could be one of the finest games on the App Store. Otherwise, just stick to the other incredible versions if possible.

Monaco: What's Yours is Mine truly is a game for anyone and everyone. It is simple enough to pick up and immediately understand how things work, while at the same time offers the complexity to have multiple players spend a few minutes sitting still, devising a self-titled "Best Plan Ever" complete with tracing the plan on the screen with fingers, saying “Ready? GO!”, only to see it backfire in seconds.

The new tactical combat is welcome and there's some real enjoyment to be had in tinkering around with all of the available Functions. However, if parts of Bastion left you cold, then you may find the similar structure of Transistor and its themes will have a hard time winning you over.

I maintain that Castle Crashers is a good game. Great, even, if you're playing cooperatively. But seven years later, I'm not nearly as smitten. I just can't endlessly grind battles like I used to.

When the game is fixated on familial struggles – everything circling patriarch Arakawa, his son Masato, and Ichiban – I'm glued to the screen.

If you're interested in a modern classic that's both a loving retro homage and a cleverly design platformer, go ahead and give Mutant Mudds Deluxe a go first to see if it's your thing. If so, picking up Super Challenge wouldn't be a bad idea, because while it doesn't wildly alter the formula, it complements the series in an honorable way.

Complaints aside, inFAMOUS 2 makes huge strides in almost every facet of development. Story and character, combat, environment, enemy AI, the powers, and visual polish all receive an upgrade in this iteration.

Yakuza 5 is exactly the sort of game the expression "greater than the sum of its parts" was made to describe. Each facet of the experience, taken individually, leaves room for improvement, but, reflecting on my time with Yakuza 5, I can't conjure much in the way of disappointment. Some bumps notwithstanding, it's a hell of a ride, one that I heartily recommend.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker is successful in just about everything it attempts. Not only is its gameplay extremely replayable and constantly satisfying, but it also manages to stack it all on a very solid narrative foundation. Tangibly, it feels like keeping your head down while forces bigger than you decide your fate. Gross. But if you don’t want all the horrible management talk and resistance to unionization to drag you down, you can just go in and hack some ships apart. It’s a serene zero-g experience while a wasp flies around in your helmet. Ignore it, and maybe it will leave you alone. Except probably not, wasps are jerks.

The concept of “flow” was first outlined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and it describes a state of mind when you’re completely immersed in what you’re doing. Time disappears and it feels like you’re in the zone. The common example often given to describe this mental state is the climber who doesn’t need to think about what he does next — he simply moves. You can capture that feeling in Jusant if you allow yourself to get lost in the flow of gameplay. Before you know it, you’ll be at the peak, and all the sweat and setbacks will feel worth it.