I still get chills thinking about my time with Yomawari: Night Alone. Whether it's a particularly scary moment that pops into my head or one of the many weird visuals that I just can't get out of my mind, this is a game that's going to stick with me for a while.

It's a game full of minor improvements to what remains one of the best multiplayer experiences available but, at this point, there's not much left to improve upon without taking some genuine risks for the sake of innovation. DICE is hitting diminishing returns and I'm curious to see where the series goes from here.

Even when Axiom Verge 2 wasn’t hitting perfectly for me, it feels different and very much its own. Things start out slow, but give it a little time and Axiom Verge 2 really gets going, playing off expectations with clever alterations of the original game’s conventions. It’s dense as ever lore-wise, and it’s got some good music and worlds to move through. It’s a follow-up to Axiom Verge that doesn’t content itself with a simple recitation of the first game’s high points, and if what’s detailed above sounds like your jam, you’ll probably have a good time with it.

Developing this project must have been a massive undertaking, because it somehow manages to not sacrifice the core tenets of the series while staying true to the ever-expanding source material of the Warhammer universe. After nearly two decades of historical battles, having the chance to command a magical undead army is a breath of fresh air.

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.

I’m legitimately surprised by how 24 Killers manages to be so closely related to its influences yet still provide a unique experience. A studio’s philosophy is an intangible thing to try and mimic, but Happy Shabby Games seems to have taken 24 Killers protracted development period and nailed it. It feels like a spiritual successor, directly related to Moon. It features the same askew artstyle, a strange but relaxed soundtrack, and an atypical narrative with off-kilter dialogue. Meanwhile, it’s more player-friendly without being overly modernized or sterile. It’s great to see other developers pick up the torch, as the world could use a bit more love in it.

If you're looking for several hours of story content that's supernatural in nature, yet offers very little additional content post story? Well, Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is probably your thing. Just be aware it reuses some assets in that two hour length and offers very little in the way of options for using your weapon once the story is over.

It's not a perfect game, but John Wick Hex still lives up to its premise and creates a new blueprint for how to adapt a film property. Hopefully, it does well enough for a sequel because I'm dying to step back into the shoes of John Wick.

2.0 feels like a natural evolution, and that's a good thing if you liked the original.

RPGs rarely hold my attention but I happily sank my time into this one no problem. There's enough quality content here that it feels like the developer or publisher is selling itself short by setting the price so low, as I would have easily been satisfied with this at double the price. It's even more impressive knowing the game was developed by three people.

Ryoma's story has finally come west, and it's well worth experiencing if you're a fan of Ryu Ga Gotoku's brawlers.

Even with a few uninspired stages, Skylanders Imaginators manages to nail the childlike whimsy of the beat-'em-up genre so many of us grew up with. It's still a blast with friends, and even more-so now that you can share your creations and tweak them together. The series has shown signs of slowing down in recent years here and there, but it's not done yet.

Although the concept of a "Diablo spinoff for the Darksiders series" had the potential to just be a big bowl of wrong, the mad men and women at Airship Syndicate pulled it off.

In my opinion, the gameplay makes up for the shortcomings of the campaign. And even though the mission-based system feels grindy by design, it’s a fun grind, and one I look forward to continuing. In a year full of RPG releases, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a solid early entry into the genre, and has earned its spot as one of the good ones.

Despite this, The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a worthwhile, bold narrative experiment. It throws away most of the trappings of the adventure game genre that the first season still hung onto; it's more directed, which perhaps makes it less compelling to play, but just as wonderful to experience. If The Walking Dead is more about dialogue and choices than the occasional puzzle and cupboard searching, then 400 Days is an excellent addition to the series.

As far as NES games go, Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is as solid as they come. I said this earlier, but if this came out during the NES’ lifespan, it probably would be well-remembered. Maybe not as well as one of the system’s absolute classics, but at least in the same niche as Little Nemo: Dream Master. Released today, it’s another very curious case of a new licensed game getting released on an old console. That’s already very exciting for me, so the fact that it’s also a well-tuned game is just gravy.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is more Borderlands, and the lighter fantasy fare might actually get people to dive in for the first time.

If you don't mind waiting until late May, Arcade Cabinet represents a decent value for the discounted $29.99 asking price over the $45 you'd pay for the five packs. I'm certain I spent over $50 in quarters in playing these titles for this review, if you'd like to look at it that way.

Ultimately, it boils down to this: ATV Wild Ride is your only real choice for an arcade-style ATV racer on Nintendo's handheld. It's not that there are no other options, but where others have tried and failed, Renegade Kid succeeds in building a solid portable DS racer with ATV Wild Ride.

A calm, cozy experience you can really immerse yourself in for a few hours while shutting out the world and enjoying somewhere somewhat strange yet utterly comforting.

Its focus is rather admirable. There’s no voice acting, the graphics are rather basic, but everything comes together wonderfully to get the job done. Fans of visual novels have been eating great recently, and Tron: Identity is another great morsel to dig your teeth into. Even if it’s not the most transcendental experience, it’s hard not to be charmed by the amount of love that’s been put into it.

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.

I fully expected to like NEVES, as I enjoy most puzzle games, but I really am astounded at how much fun and contentment can come from something so very, very simple.

Shortform horror is well-established within the indie sphere, and you can generally find whatever niche or subgenre you’re looking for. From RPG Maker narratives to raunchy slasher horror, hobby developers have stuck their fingers in a lot of scary places. But through slick and enjoyable writing and a surreality of its own, Anthology of the Killer manages to be more than just another corpse on the pile.

I don't know what to expect from the future of Far Cry, and that's so exciting.

Dead Space 3 could have been the best entry in the series, and in many ways, it still does provide some of the franchise's most energetic, thrilling, entertaining moments. The changes thrown into the game inevitably damage its charm, though, and make this a step down from its prequels.

The quirky story, solid mechanics, awesome boss fights, and gorgeous animations all made it easy to overlook the minor flaws. The unlikely rabbit and turtle duo left quite an impression on me. In fact, I could certainly see Dr. Jonathan Banfield standing beside the likes of Quote, Lemeza, Aban Hawkins, and other indie greats.

While it’s not yet perfect, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is easily the best wrestling game we’ve seen this generation, hands down.