I now know why people fell in love with Bastion. It’s a perfectly proportioned, well packaged, beautiful escape into a foreign world with compelling music, art, and narration. There’s no real added benefits to playing it on the Xbox One besides a few more achievements, but then again, it doesn’t really need any upgrades. It’s fairly perfect as it stands.

Sure, parts of Life is Strange: True Colors are really bleak, but ultimately it’s an uplifting, heartfelt story about what it means to find your own version of home. It tells that story in a way that feels perfectly sincere, which is something that is hard to come by in games nowadays. True Colors has officially redeemed the Life is Strange series in my eyes.

I think my biggest complaint is that there isn't enough of the game, which is often my complaint with short good games. You just want more!

SteamWorld Heist II is a phenomenal title that offers you the best when it comes to short, tactical encounters with thrilling turn-based gameplay. It’s not without its frustrations when it comes to story progression, but pushing through will reveal to you a game with incredible mission variety that you can mix up even more using your crew. Thanks to its checkpoint system and no punishment for mission failure, it’s incredibly approachable and opens the turn-based tactics genre up for anyone who doesn’t want to play something as intense as XCOM.

Though The Sexy Brutale fumbles a few times -- especially near the end when it rushes toward a narrative payoff -- it never hurts the experience. Uncovering the mansion's secrets and the twisted plot that dooms its guests is exciting. Compared to almost any other puzzle game, The Sexy Brutale's dark tone and inspired art stand out from the crowd. Solving murder might not be the most cheerful work, but it's one hell of a good time.

Ape Out is a marvelous example of what can be done with gaming when a handful of talent think outside the box. Challenging, occasionally annoying, but addictive gameplay, painted in gorgeous splashes of colour and quirky, attractive visuals, all backed with a breathless score. This odd release is proof positive that creativity in gaming remains alive and well. Go Ape.

Mortal Kombat X's impact isn't as explosive as 2011, but it's well polished and a worthy successor.

It simultaneously succeeds as both an action platformer and a Metroidvania with RPG elements, and it's a must-play for fans of either genre. I'm already excited to play as the other two characters eventually, but I also can't wait to see what the future holds for this franchise long term -- because there's a lot to build on.

In short, Last Specter is the best Layton yet. The inclusion of a warp system, lack of matchstick puzzles, and memorable cast makes it just a notch better than the Curious Village. However, the series still inconveniences players who play primarily for the story or those, like me, who want to enjoy the story first and puzzles later. There are many players who feel a need to complete every puzzle as they progress. These players won't run into the problem of puzzle tollways or losing track of a previous puzzle's location. However, until the series finds a way to accommodate both types of players, I can't say the game is a must-have for all.

Danganronpa 1-2 Reload is an easy recommendation. It’s a visual novel, yes. You’re going to spend a lot of time reading. However, just about everything you read will entertain you in some way as you watch these incredibly strong personalities play off each other.

To the delight of many, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is less X and more traditional Xenoblade.

Throwing, catching, and defending throws have seen some welcomed, long-ignored additions that get a couple yards closer to faithful simulation. You can decide if that's enough.

As always long term support remains to be seen, but for now, WoW is still one of the best MMOs out there.

I found myself falling in love with the Advance Wars universe for the second time in my life, despite occasionally going back to my still-working GBA copies.

While Freedom Planet isn't a perfect experience, it is still a very enjoyable and easily one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog-esque games I've played in years. If you were looking for something to scratch that 16-bit Sonic itch this might be it. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the questionable story, voice acting, and late game bosses.

The lack of a viable “Be A Pro”-esque mode is noticeable -- especially in light of the cheaper FIFA 10’s robust single-player -- but World Cup’s core game and online modes are top notch, a few missteps notwithstanding.

Gravity Rush has everything it needs to be something great, but it takes all the wrong forks in the road and ends up rather unfulfilling. It's a real shame, too, because you it's so clear how brilliant it truly could have been.

The Frozen Wilds doesn't feel like a must-play add-on, but it's more Horizon Zero Dawn.

To be fair, Dragon Sword is a blast to play and there’s nothing that really comes close to the same experience on the DS. But when it takes roughly five or six hours to complete a game -- and most of those six hours are spent reliving some of the best moments from the first hour and a half -- something feels a bit off.

Offers the simplicity and elegance of "One Note Samba" or "Blister in the Sun," the directness of the art of Mike Mignola or Pendleton Ward, and the understated but endlessly variable gameplay design of arcade titles like Pac-Man Champion Edition DX or Super Mario Bros. It's one of my favorite games of this generation -- a title that offers a much stronger education in game design and a more pure, direct, and genuine experience than most games on the market.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is worth checking out for PS3 owners who like hardcore action games and have never played the Xbox 360 version. The new additions, however, simply aren't worth replaying the game for if you have the original version, and the removal of the blood has done the game a significant disservice.

Any fan of the series will be more than happy with their experience and I can easily say that as a fan myself, I'm quite pleased. The developers have done a wonderful job in providing a title that lives up to the Contra name.

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection brings together some of the greatest fighting games of all time - many of which are still top-tier titles today - complete with slick online gameplay and a fully-featured training mode, all for 40 bucks. Though SF30 doesn't quite live up to its potential as a comprehensive historical document, ultimately, The Fight is all that matters. In that regard Capcom, some 30 years later, just scored another K.O. We await your return, warrior.

These musical minigames are ones that will make you laugh, challenge your sense of timing and reflex, and keep you coming back again and again. You'll fall in love.

Surf 'n' Turf is a great little expansion, perfect for Overcooked 2 fans who want to feel more challenged. I was worried it was going to be too short or too similar, but none of those fears panned out. The levels are tightly designed and genuinely satisfying to solve. This DLC is peak Overcooked.

While Obsidian isn’t known for survival games, it ended up making a great one.

You need to buy into the theme to an extent to deal with some of the shortcomings.

Cleverly designed, overwhelmingly cute, and devoted to fun, Kirby Mass Attack is a game that should become part of your handheld library without question.