Level-5 is more than capable of dumping out healthy portions of its secret sauce on top of its games, but the combat of Ni no Kuni II and its attempt to do so many different things can hold it back.

The Curse of the Pharaohs is among the most ambitious of Assassin's Creed add-ons while also among the least jarring. It's quite possibly the best DLC to date. If this is Bayek's swan song, he went out on a high note.

Super Seducer: How to Talk to Women is too stupid to be sexist. It’s a relic from the Entourage era we’re all better off having moved on from and absolutely nothing to get worked up over.

Vermintide 2 is an improvement over its predecessor with more beautifully designed sprawling levels, more varied enemy types, an addictive loot system, and a whole lot of character skills to try out. The sequel is at its best when it's creating tense moments, even if it can quickly get a little bit overwhelming. I also apologize to all of those I left to die in matchmaking.

Burnout Paradise Remastered isn't really worth grabbing if you already have the original. Hell, said original is even backward compatible on the Xbox One right now. Without any prior experience though I would absolutely give Paradise City a spin -- even with its faults, it's still one of the most memorable and mild open worlds in existence.

My gripes aside, Surviving Mars might be the most fun I've had with a city-building game since SimCity 2000, and Haemimont has accomplished this feat by drilling down into the details, and zooming in on the kinds of small-scale community-building that I'd always felt the that city-builders with a grander scope lacked.

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

I don't think HAL is very interested in drastically altering the Kirby formula at this point, and that's perfectly fine.

It's held back by some dated design philosophies and a short playtime, but Detention still packs one hell of a punch.

A package which includes a gorgeous aesthetic and lonely atmosphere with a haunting soundtrack and overall sound design to match. Throw all this in with enough alien weirdness, science fiction elements, some unique puzzle concepts, and it still kept my attention to the very end.

The best I could say for Bravo Team is that it existed, seemed to work, did not make me physically ill to play (more than I can say for some categorically better-designed titles, honestly), and was done with before could I grew genuinely resentful. Beyond that, it's a completely perfunctory title that is otherwise unworthy of the studio producing it.

Battlezone: Combat Commander is a relic of its time. It’s clear this is a love letter to fans of the original, a nicer way to play a game plagued with some unfortunate problems back when it was released.

Into the Breach is a mechanically perfect game that is surrounded by mediocre design decisions. I absolutely adore the tactics-style gameplay and how simplistically the game can convey so much information. But with the only run variance being the three pilotable mechs and the potential upgrades, things just start to feel "same-y" after not too long. For those, like myself, who can easily fall in love with intelligently designed mechanics, there is a lot to love about Into the Breach, but it's not as well-rounded as it could be.

Trying to find fault in CHUCHEL, though, is a pretty pointless endeavor. The game sets out with a simple goal, achieves it beautifully, and doesn’t waste your time getting its point across. I don’t really know how much better this could get. I suppose $10 might be a bit much for some to swallow, but CHUCHEL is a great experience that is definitely worth a whirl.

Past Cure wants to be something great, and that ambition is the only thing it has on its side. This is a game that is flawed to its core. The mangled story and shoddy design prevent any single aspect from ever sticking out as something special. Don't even risk taking a bargain bin flier on this one. You'll only end up frustrating yourself.

Fear Effect Sedna shows that the developer truly knows its source material inside out, but unfortunately the gameplay aspect remains lost. With poor voice-acting, a broken, almost unnecessary tactical system, unreliable A.I., and flat action, Sedna just isn't fun or compelling.

Although I came in rusty, DJMax Respect beckoned me to keep my fingers dancing and to further one-up myself. The more I did that the more fun it became, and I'm looking forward to enjoying all of the DLC to come, and potentially, the full-on resurrection of DJMax in the west.

The game looks great -- it's awesome to get down on the ground level and watch the little dudes duke it out. Even the maps themselves look incredible. But once the novelty of "it's in virtual reality!" wears off, you are left with a mechanically-solid RTS game with a poor story, that lacks specific commands veterans will expect, and has what is likely a very small community.

Part Time UFO is a HAL Laboratory classic through and through. It’s cute, charming, and challenging. It may not set the mobile world on fire, but honestly, it’s the exact type of game I’d love to see more of from the old-school titans of the industry.

Sprint Vector definitely does more right than it does wrong and its unique form of movement in VR is something I think we'll see used by other developers going forward. It had me wanting a Mirror's Edge VR, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

It's a wild, creative, occasionally erratic game. Pit People is imperfect, but it's so worth your time.

There is so much to celebrate here in terms of quality aesthetic design, intelligent gameplay, online stability, and genuine heartfelt passion from the underdog developer. Betting against something special being delivered over time would be foolhardy. There's more work that needs to be done, but Them's Fightin' Herds has come out of the gate with a lot of promise, and I, for one, hope it builds upon its foundation, finds its audience, and takes its place in the Winner's Circle soon.

The organic integration of puzzle elements makes for one of the best detective games around.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is an excellent exploration of stories and the meanings we place upon them. It's a road trip game through the American landscape that's punctuated by astounding writing and entertaining encounters. There's nothing quite like it, and it's doubtful that there ever will be.

Florence is an imaginative, breathtaking, heartbreaking tale of two artists trying a love they’re not quite ready for. It’s as honest a look at the subject matter as you’ll find in a game -- or so I've been told by others who've been writing about it incessantly since its release. But as much as Florence focuses on love, I’m not quite sure it’s a fan of it.

This could easily be a flagship series for PlayStation VR.

Flaming Fowl Studios has the opportunity to transform Fable Fortune into something more in the future. For now, it's derivative, flawed, and unfinished.

With more ideas, more obstacles, more varied goals, or just the ability to pet the dogs without screwing up one of my solutions-in-progress, I could easily see this as best in show. Instead, Puzzle Puppers wouldn't even place.