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.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, despite its issues, is still an improvement over the original Xenoverse, although minimally.

Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni reminds me a lot of Senran Kagura Burst in that it feels like a rough draft of greater things to come. The combat is there, and the game looks amazing, but with an overabundance of uninteresting plot and a lack of original or compelling personalities, I found myself skipping over more of the game than I should have in order to keep myself entertained.

Even with its flaws, I think many people will enjoy Earth's Dawn, but I don't expect it to be a hit or even a cult classic. If anything those starved for something similar to Odin's Sphere or an RPG-style beat 'em-up might get some enjoyment out of it, while most will find the repetition a bit too much.

Owlboy is a special game. Almost a decade in the making has certainly allowed for a rarely seen amount of polish and effort in an industry brimming with day-one patches and rushed deadlines. I'm at a loss when trying to think of critiques, honestly. I can't even say that I wish there was more of it because what is here is just so damn satisfying from start to finish, and I wouldn't want to ruin that.

The narrative picks up the slack, and despite a slow start, it builds into a nice crescendo and naturally, a cliffhanger.

King's Quest: The Good Knight is a satisfying narrative conclusion to Graham's saga and is a unique approach to storytelling that we don't see often. It's not a return to the first chapter's exploratory focus, which many of you have been pining for since last July, but if you enjoy the narrative stylings of the previous two tales, you'll be sure to crack a smile (or shed a tear) in turn.

The old Civ mantra of “one more turn” is stronger than ever. The additions make for a much deeper strategy game and the inclusion of most of the features from previous entries makes for a remarkably well-rounded launch. It will be interesting to see where Civ VI goes, but I have a feeling there won’t be nearly as dramatic a change as Civ V saw.

From beginning to end I was completely entranced by these kids' quest to escape the horrors of Heavenly Host. Corpse Party has a timeless story built around solid characters and a genuinely creepy setting that is able to buoy its sometimes outdated gameplay.

If anything, Attikus and the Thrall Rebellion whets my appetite for more like this. It's quick enough to play just a round or two and still make progress, and it's varied enough to play several in a row without getting too bored. But now I'm looking more forward to the other four Story Ops releasing so we can have that same solid gameplay with even more variety.

VR needs more than Damaged Core. It's a good thing to add on top of the pile for people who are already fully invested, but as what essentially amounts to a novelty XBLA game, the asking price is a tad high. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

It somehow manages to be a good amalgam of the staple formula DICE has relied on for years, with a bit of anime (flashes of Metal Gear Solid V and flowing shonen capes) sprinkled in for good measure. I'm really not looking forward to spending $50 on the DLC to get more maps, but for now, I'll be coasting along in Operations for the next few months.

WWE 2K17 is a poor simulation of the WWE product, often because it seems ashamed of pro wrestling.

There are some glaring balance issues for Rebellion to work out, and Battlezone is far less advisable as a solo game, but damn if it isn't thrilling when everything comes together and your team perseveres against all odds.

The level design is dull, the platforming is simplistic, the graphics look a few generations old, the RPG elements are basic, the music is forgettable, the enemies are pushovers, the difficulty is turned all the way to easy – I'm honestly at a loss for words.

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.

You don't really need Ashes of Ariandel unless you've squeezed every ounce out of Dark Souls III already or thrive on PVP. I think the concept of splitting up their resources took away from the sum of both parts, but there's still plenty of challenges and surprises to warrant another bloody good time.

I can appreciate that Supermassive has figured out the fundamentals with Tumble VR and come in at such a budget-friendly price, but I also can't deny the times when I grew bored of playing. Don't rush through this one.

It is a damned good game by all measures with addictive gameplay, catchy music, a great art style, and just the right amount of challenge. If you're looking for your next favorite roguelike platformer, look no further.

If you don't care about unlocking all the customizations, achievements, high scores, or the few characters that hardly change the gameplay, then you'll probably get bored of this within 20 minutes. Even at a lower price, I wouldn't recommend it.

Long-time fans will find a warm familiarity in its cast and dialogue, but for anybody else, they might see it as nothing more than a breezy cop show experience.

Although they could have gone with the rote, grinding route, Eagle Flight actually is more about the journey.

While Job Simulator may not be my personal favorite virtual reality game, it is one of the easier titles to recommend given its intuitive design, effective comedy stylings, and broad appeal.

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.

Even if the most essential features in Rivals won't be meaningful to a lot of people, this expansion represents Rock Band 4 at its best to this point.

Like the era it paints, Mafia III feels like a relic. It's dated, has obvious flaws, and doesn't hold up particularly well when compared to a lot of modern works.

There's a lot of value here for the price, and even if you could buy each of these games separately for five bucks apiece, I'd still recommend picking up all of them. You'll need to invite at least three friends over to get the most out of these games, but if you have the means and the opportunity, you'll get way more than your money's worth out of The Jackbox Party Pack 3.

For as frustrating as failure can be, though, I still greatly enjoy this game and what it's going for. I want to stick it out. Headmaster seems to be flying under the radar as a launch-window PlayStation VR title, but it's one of the most novel experiences out there and decidedly worth trying.