In the end, the game's biggest sin may be not embodying U.A.'s "Plus Ultra" spirit, and simply settling for being a decent, good-looking fighting game take on a popular anime franchise.

"Onion Games has done it again.” For fans of the developer, that’s pretty much all I'd have to say to convince them it’s worth it.

Damsel is an intense, occasionally frustrating title, for those who have quick reactions, an eye for planning, and a patience for repetitive death. Those who like their games challenging, twitchy, and demanding of player improvement should consider joining Damsel on her wild ride into the night. But those expecting story, adventure, or even mercy will likely find themselves thirsty for more.

Castlevania: Requiem is a complicated thing. It's both a wonderful package of two incredible moments in Castlevania history and a bog-standard port.

Black Cat's DNA was already spliced into side activities in Spider-Man so her appearance makes sense, even if the "to be continued" ending is a bummer.

If this is your first go at Space Hulk it is an excellent place to start but you have to be willing to learn to walk again as it takes no prisoners.

With a stronger connection to the world and a more rewarding progression system, Nine Parchments could have been more than a fleeting arcade fancy. If you can find it on sale (which it has hosted many times since launch) and can wrangle up three other people, it's a decent party game that will fill a single afternoon.

This is a game I can not stop thinking about. I think about it at work -- either remembering crazy moments I didn't see coming, or reflecting on recently discovered information and its implications. This is absolutely a "thinking man's game," and it's one that I hope other developers (or Mr. Pope himself) decide to ape and expand on. Despite the fact that this isn't a detective game, I've never felt more like a dick.

A good game that's robbed of greatness by a lack of ambition and terrible toys-to-life implementation. Everything it gets right – the clever mix-and-match shipbuilding, the combat, the controls, the imaginative alien worlds, the decent space opera storyline – can’t escape the vortex of tedium that comes with pedestrian mission design, planets that are mechanically the same, and the crushing knowledge that people who buy just the Starter Pack are getting an unquestionably inferior experience.

This is a larger than life series that deserves a lot of love and care from its creator: and with VI, it got it.

It's not quite as good a package as my favorite Jackbox Party Pack, but in my opinion, Party Pack 5 is much better than last year's offering. None of the games seem to be here just to fill out the pack. If you're looking for something to do with a group over the upcoming holidays, there's plenty in Party Pack 5 to keep a whole bunch of people engaged and laughing for hours.

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.

If you have been waiting for something approaching a new Super Monkey Ball, or just want a pretty direct translation of the Marble Madness formula, Marble It Up! has you covered. Just don't expect a lot from it and you will probably be very satisfied.

The wonderful art, music, and lore deserve to be in something more original than Dragalia Lost. There are a hundred different versions of this game already available on app stores and it doesn’t do very much to hoist itself above the competition. This title may represent Nintendo’s riskiest attempt at breaking big into mobile gaming, going with an original IP instead of known property, but it also represents its least creative.

The quality of any given WWE 2K game is a gamble year to year, but 2K19 manages to claw its way up from being buried alive by the travesty of last year's entry. Daniel Bryan's Showcase is a clear highlight as are the mostly welcome mechanical changes. Here's hoping they don't regress again in 2019.

My opinion of The World Ends With You: Final Remix is one of indifference. All the consideration that went into making the original a compound piece of craftsmanship, inseparable from the device on which you played it, is absent. In its place is a more user-friendly experience, and while I'm not against taking a traditionally difficult game and making it more accessible -- something Square Enix already did when it ported the title to mobile devices -- Final Remix's failure to utilize the extent of the Switch hardware shows a lack of understanding as to why so many people consider the Nintendo DS original to be the masterpiece it is.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a passionate retelling of one of history's most violent, bare-bones, and overwhelmingly macho tales. In that capacity, it does a great job. But it's not quite the masterpiece it could have been, let down by repetition, unlock grinds, and a lack of polish in narrative and mechanics.

A short, dark trip through the nightmare of youth; growing up, discovering yourself, and existing among a society that rarely understands. Sure to be a divisive title, there are those who will find The Missing overpriced and melodramatic, while others will be taken by its surrealist story of undying friendship, ironically becoming an indelible memory to those who dare to experience it.

My Memory of Us is a joy to play. It's a well-crafted game that is clearly made by a team equipped to tackle such a heavy subject matter. Even without directly showing any Nazi symbols, the story is heart-wrenching and manages to pay tribute to the sacrifice of those who fought against them.

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.

This is the absolute premier way to play the game. Arena of Valor may have been born on mobile, but on Switch is where it feels at home.

428: Shibuya Scramble may be a ten-year-old game, but it’s such a unique experience that it feels like a slightly flawed, modern classic even today.

I have a lot of quibbles with Super Mario Party that could have drowned it, but the extras pull it up above water.

A lot of the issues are tech-related: crashes, geometry bugs, load times, and framerate can all be fixed with patches. As of now? The interesting puzzles and fantastic music are not worth suffering through the bugs, lackluster models, and mediocre combat and skills. If your interest is piqued here, wishlist it and come back at a later time; I have no doubt that this game will reach its potential, but it's just not even close right now.

It succeeds in pulling off the gargantuan task of getting people to care about Mega Man again.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission, like its titular hero, gets the job done.

Alexios is one of the most memorable protagonists in all of Assassin's Creed, even if I never once actually thought of him as an assassin. In a lesser game, he'd probably be forgettable. But Assassin's Creed Odyssey is superb in nearly every aspect. It's the most impressive Assassin's Creed, even though sometimes it feels like it's Assassin's Creed in name only. It's as broad as Atlas' shoulders and as strong as Hercules. This time, Ubisoft hit a real Homer.

Jake Hunter: Ghost of the Dusk feels like a game that could have been released in 1987 with little to no changes. Hell, even the story feels straight out of the '80s even though it takes place in our present day.