Fly back to Strangereal for the next installment in the Ace Combat series. The game is beautifully crafted and takes you on the ride of a lifetime. Easily one of the best flying games I have ever played, I know I will find myself returning to Ace Combat 7 quite often.

The most complete and best version of a great game, the Ultimate Evil Edition is an excellent addition to any growing PS4 collection, especially if you enjoy dungeon crawling with friends.

Of all of the Vita launch titles I have been fortunate enough to play, this is honestly the easiest one to recommend. Accessible, fun, addictive, and offering lots of content, Lumines: Electronic Symphony is a superb launch title.

When you consider the sheer volume of gameplay and the quality and uniqueness of the experience, Metroid Prime Trilogy is one heck of a value.

While not as complete or all-around "perfect" as one might hope, this is still a must-have release for PS4 owners.

Okami HD is a great way to own one of the finest from the PS2 era.

A Fold Apart brings you into a personal and deep story. It’s a story that invites you into a deep and meaningful relationship between two characters. It’s a game that’s real, and that’s why I love it.

Orcs Must Die: Unchained might just be my surprise game of the year to this date. The amount of fun that I’ve had with this game is insane. The game is polished and balanced. The year open beta definitely benefited the game a ton. I will recommend just about any gamer try this game, especially with the price of free. However once you begin your journey of killing orcs, you might not want to stop!

I absolutely loved Berserk Boy – enough to want to come back for more thanks to its fast-paced platforming, fluid combat, incredible soundtrack, and nostalgia-bomb of SNES-era gaming. This 2D action-platformer is worth the ride so you can GO BERSERK!!

In many ways, Rogue Legacy 2 aligns with the gold standard of the roguelite category by creating a highly engaging, dare I say addicting, gameplay loop that rewards multiple types of players. Newer players will find enjoyment in its accessibility levers and bite-sized progression while roguelite veterans will enjoy its deeper-than-expected class-based variance. Sure, you probably will die a lot, and you’ll wish to have a greater connection with its world and the characters within; at the end of the day, its flaws are outweighed by the amount of fun that is to be had by experimentation and repetition. My nearly twenty hour experience felt like two hours, and I still itch to return for one more run. Regardless if you’re a PS+ subscriber or not, Rogue Legacy 2 is more than deserving of your time.

Tormented Souls gets way more right than not, and I came away from it very impressed. This was the kind of game that once I got the hang of it (I have not played many survival horror games at all) I became enthralled with playing and exploring every area and uncovering all the secrets and story material I could. This game does not try to advance the genre; it doesn’t do anything particularly new or better than previous champions of the genre have, but for all that it does, it does it very well. I’ll always say there is room in any genre for another solid entry, and that’s what you get here — a great survival horror game built with intentional classic/retro design.

In sum, Metro Exodus takes the best elements of 2033 and Last Light and adds a major evolutionary component with open world exploration and crafting. A potent balance is struck between the claustrophobic atmospheres of previous games alongside the new design of expansive open world areas. The blend of full-on action with stealth and survival horror is nicely done as well. I found Metro Exodus to be a more engaging and hard-to-point down experience than I anticipated, and whether you have played the series before or not, Exodus is well worth checking out.

Triangle Strategy is a fantastic tactical RPG, and I’m so very glad to see it ported over to the PC. It offers a near perfect balance of strategy gameplay, active worldbuilding, and passive worldbuilding to get players committed to Norzelia and her inhabitants. While the gameplay may be too handholdy for tactical veterans, its accessible enough to encourage you to spend more time playing the game rather than trying to customize characters to the best they can be. This port doesn’t really offer much of an incentive for those who own the Switch version, but…the game is near perfect as is. Why bother trying to improve on a stellar tactical RPG?

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a rousing success. The timing is excellent, too. It’s the dawn of a new console generation and it’s an exciting time for this storied franchise to turn a new page. As far as launch games go, this is one of the best, for several reasons. It offers some presentation ‘wows,’ but even more importantly it offers a deep, long, compelling story with memorable moments and characters, with strong gameplay and lots to do. It’s built off of the success of the previous fifteen years of Yakuza, but Like A Dragon blazes its own path, too — you need not have played any of the previous games to fully enjoy this one, yet I appreciate that this game honors the past while forging its own future. PS5 owners have something great to look forward to in March, but if you’re lucky enough to have the new Xbox, this is a great game that is also very well priced right now at just $50.

Violence has never looked as vivid, gorgeous, and wild as it is in Mortal Kombat 1. Its fighting mechanics remain just as approachable and appealing as prior entries, with one key difference: It’s the best-feeling Mortal Kombat I’ve played thus far. There’re some minor quirks that are still being ironed out at the time of writing, but I’m excited, legitimately excited, to see what Netherrealm chooses to add to this game.

Dirt 5 is a breath of fresh air into the franchise. Bringing in new and relevant influencers from car culture into the game, and having a blast behind the wheel, it’s a game for any gear head. The gameplay is fresh and uplifting to be apart of. You can take it as seriously as F1 or any other racing game, but you can also just sit down and have a fun enough time just running around and braking everything. The depth and diversity of the career mode is something that can keep anyone around to play with such a wide array of races to choose from. My only real knocks are that the customization for cars is slightly limited livery wise and that the HUD takes a bit to fully grasp. Other than that, Dirt 5 is a game for any car enthusiast to pick up and go have a ball with.

Regardless of any decisions made in The Outer Worlds, know that Obsidian has justified them. This is a game that is confident with itself. It is in no way small. Featuring some of the strongest games writing I’ve witnessed in years, it’s hard not to want to dive back into this world as a completely different character and tinker with the story just to see how it attempts to gel with player choice. For awhile, I thought this genre was nearing life support. Now, I’m confident that the community will embrace The Outer Worlds to the point where Obsidian has to give us more of this universe. It’s so well-realized, so lovingly crafted. It’s the best choice.

Even if you do the minimum amount of side content and just stick with the main story as much as possible, you’re in for a long, interesting, and fun game. The story matter is heavy, though, and might tax some players into taking breaks more often than they might typically. To balance that, there is a lot of good humor and zaniness that you would expect from this studio, but also some endearing missions in the School Stories section where you do everything from lead a dance team, help engineer robots, box, join a motorcycle gang, and partake in a Virtua Fighter 5 tournament. Additionally, the changes that LJ has compared to the original are all positive, too — big new areas to explore, new gameplay elements in both the action and adventure portions of the experience, and yet the best parts of the original are carried over. Ultimately, this is an excellent game that I readily recommend.

Woolhaven is Cult of the Lamb at its most difficult yet satisfyingly chaotic. It’s arguably one of the better, if not the best, DLC expansions of recent years thanks to how much good content is added to the base game. While it might be punishing thanks to the winter mechanics, it’s in line with the painful existence associated with the teachings of our favorite little lamb. Believe you, me, Woolhaven is a fantastic standalone post-game in and of itself.

It’s fun and I feel like I get something out of playing every time. I also love the presentation; technically it’s an impressive feast for the eyes in 4K HDR. Framerates are silk; animations are great, maybe a bit too cartoonish on the blood at times, but to be sure it’s a great looking game. The audio package is excellent.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is fantastically animated and one of the more interesting fighting games that I've ever come across. It's an epic game to play by yourself or head-to-head with some friends.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a small appetizer for what could be one of the greatest meals on this generation of consoles. It’s true the initial mission in the game is short, but the extra content, missions, items and a first-look at the visuals more than makes the $29.99 price tag worth it. Definitely don’t miss this.

Rare Replay is loaded with gems and classics that by and large have stood the test of time. Modern tweaks and goodies make it all the more worthwhile. It's the best value in gaming, and sets the bar for any compilation going forward.

Mass Attack sports loads of innovative mechanics, masterful level design, and a breed of quality and polish that stands alongside Nintendo's best.

At the end of the day, whether you’re taking a nostalgia trip back in time to revisit this classic or if you find yourself in Historia for the first time, it’s definitely worth playing.

Firewatch distinguishes itself through integrity of its structure and preservation of its characters. Allowing control over Henry and Delilah's perilous connection provides a sense of ownership over the narrative and creates an important bond between action and place. Other story-focused games suffer from a damaging disconnect between agency and intention, almost as if they don't trust the player to act reasonably in accountable situations. Firewatch proves this dynamic not only to be valuable, but necessary to go forward.

Inside's quiet confidence is a maneuver invented to not only disarm the player, but also destabilize assumptions that seem inseparable from an entire class of games. Plenty of games have pulled the curtain away to thunderous applause. Only Inside has room for shock, panic, and the inconceivable notion that the nightmare isn't yet over.

So many games either waste or misunderstand their medium as a storytelling device while Cibele thrives inside of its own technology. By no coincidence, it’s one of the most human and relatable games, too.

The fact that the developers found a better way to play the game through mouse/keyboard means that you certainly have a better experience to look forward to with Dragon Quest Builders 2 being on the PC. It’s the entire package on the PC, and should give something a bit different to those playing that Minecraft thing.

Max is back and in top form. Rockstar takes the helm resulting in one of the best action games I've played in a long time, and easily one of the best this year.

In the end, The Ballad of Gay Tony serves as a cork popping celebration for Grand Theft Auto IV, and I couldn't think of a better send off.

EA's hat trick that started with NHL 08 is complete now with another mightily impressive offering here with NHL 10. Long time hockey fan or newcomer, look no further for the top NHL experience than NHL 10.

FIFA Soccer 11 takes what it already did great in FIFA Soccer 10 and adds bit more to the overall gameplay and design to make it even better.

Eidos Montreal did a superb job with crafting a nearly perfect product. Though not quite as groundbreaking as the original, DXHR certainly pays solid respect and homage to the series, and is a very welcomed addition.

I loved the game but it still didn't seem to reach the level of greatness that was the DS version (I felt that its predecessor had a few more enjoyable songs, better endless mini-games and a little more charm overall). Nonetheless, Rhythm Heaven Fever is still a gem of a game that shouldn't be missed for the avid Wii owner.

Genuine art is meant to evoke a response from its audience, and Hohokum's diverse assortment of imaginative endeavors makes it easy to get lost inside its world. It's effective union of art, activity and music, managing a progression of open personal responses without the weight of a direct narrative or dissonant mechanics.

GTA V and the wealth of assets it claims have, quite literally, never been better.

It's tough to put down when you start, and even when it's over you'll be back. The Challenge Missions, all the collectibles, and guaranteed DLC means this one will be spinning up in your console for months to come.

Large bank of modes and fighters, pristine presentation, and unbelievably immersive gameplay is what will make this game such a huge hit. It may be so well received, in fact, that non fans interested in the game could begin to watch the real events and become real MMA fans.

I'm all for a re-release of a great game when it makes sense. The Director's Cut of DXHR fits the bill nicely; it's not too soon, it's not too late, and it takes what was already a fundamentally solid and great experience and makes it better. Wii U owners should keep this one on their short list.

At the end of the day, you get a fabulous 'ultimate' collection of all the Metal Gear games that make us Metal Gear fanatics happy. While there are a couple of games missing from the 'portable' side of things, most of what you want is in this Legacy Collection. It will certainly be worth your time and money in exchange for playing this games once again (or packaging and storing them somewhere safe).

Under a thick layer of polish and charm, you’ll find yet another top-notch platforming adventure, chocked full of secrets and clever twists and about as challenging as anything Mario has thrown our way thus far. It isn’t groundbreaking or approaching the level of perfection that the Galaxy games did, but if nothing else, it’s a must-have title for Wii U owners.

The developers have outdone themselves and crafted a wonderful addition to Season of the Dragon. The DLC release also brought along Update 23, a quality-of-life update that brings some wonderful improvements to some core mechanics of The Elder Scroll Online.

In sum, it’s clear to see that Nightdive Studios poured their hearts into this effort and the result is another outstanding product. The original game by Lobotomy and Playmates was a real gem that deserved a lot more recognition than it ever got. Thankfully, with the power of the KEX engine and the passionate crew at Nightdive, PowerSlave gets its time in the spotlight that it well deserves, and priced at just $20, too. PowerSlave Exhumed is well worth adding to your library.

At $60, it's almost too good to be true. Black Ops III is the deepest Call of Duty ever. That I do know.

Out of the box LittleBigPlanet 2 is undoubtedly a great game; it's up to the community to make it an exceptional one.

Best of all, it interprets the hardware's peculiar control options not as a dutiful obligation but rather as leverage for original ideas; there isn't a single part of the machine that feels wasted. Tearaway comes together by showing its player a good time, and it's intimately focused on driving that final point home.

Simply put, Metroid: Samus Returns is an excellent game. It honors the past and adds a lot of great new gameplay elements. The Metroid series strives in 2D, and Samus Returns is another clear demonstration of exactly that.

Vicarious Visions sets a new bar for the Skylanders series with Swap Force. They give you more characters, better level design, improved looks and a larger library of Skylanders to play with. It's definitely the best game in the series so far.

One heck of a buy for $10. For anyone who has yet to venture into the Tower Defense genre of gaming, it provides a uniquely appealing style of RTS/puzzle gameplay that is sure to addict most everyone who gives it a go.

Titanfall 2 is everything that Titanfall should have been. It contains a wonderfully endearing campaign mode that contains some unique and fun gameplay design, while satisfying the multiplayer experience with a bevy of modes and customization options. This certainly feels like a complete game.

An instant classic in the point and click genre that plays great on the PS4 and goes highly recommended.

Gearbox did a fine job here and the new goodies and content are a huge plus. I do wish the other content from the Megaton Edition were here, but this is still a great addition to your digital library.

Gone Home is a story in which you'll get to know a handful of characters without physically meeting any one of them. A game where engagement is driven by exploration and absorption at a pace that perfectly suits the story it needs to tell. An experience that offers first and third person accounts of different stories and trusts the player with filling in the blanks. It's not that they don't make them like this anymore, but rather they've never made one like this before.

An excellent sequel for an outstanding series; Yakuza 4 caters to its fans and offers up another wonderful adventure in Kamurocho.

Two amazing classics in one well-priced and convenient release that I'm happy to recommend to series newcomers and veterans who want to revisit these gems on the go.

In sum, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is exactly what I was expecting given what we saw in the previous Wolfenstein titles by Machine Games. It’s a AAA quality guns-blazing romp to be sure, but with a very quality story and characters that not only invites players to get invested, but gives them ample reason to.

Transistor's nuanced world-building and clever storytelling render its narrative original and intriguing.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is a near perfect remake of the Wii classic.

When you make a great thing even better, it's easy to like. The $40 price point helps too, and there's enough new content here -- both online and offline -- to welcome newcomers and reinvigorate seasoned SFIV players.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of the must-have titles for this holiday season.

Shoot 'em ups are burdened with the weight of the hardcore and while PixelJunk SideScroller obeys that command, its art, music, and basic gameplay are attractive enough to lure in anyone who might remember walking into an arcade. Simply put, SideScroller carries the sentiment of its genre predecessors without the standard prescription for rose tinted glasses.

From an incredibly deep weapon system and difficulty settings to a lengthy story mode complete with quirky, well written dialogue sequences, Kid Icarus: Uprising is another gem in Sakurai's development crown and something any gamer should experience.

PlayStation 4 owners can now experience one of the best Tomb Raider adventures ever made. Plus, they get some worthwhile content to boot. Not a bad deal for a year’s wait.

An excellent fighting game no matter how you slice it complete with superbly detailed yet very accessible and inviting training modes that can take you from total newcomer to master if you put the time into it. Fighting fans can't miss this one.

So good to see Night Dive Studios revive this classic and make it purchasable and playable again. If you've ever uttered the words 'cyberpunk' or like games that have the word 'shock' or "Deus Ex" in them, give this one an honest try -- it may not look the part in screenshots, but it's a legend.

Lost Ark is a wonderfully fun MMOARPG with a compelling story and unique gameplay. If you can wrap your head around it all, that is. The game itself is a breath of fresh air with its 2.5D style and fast-paced combat. However, for an "open-world" RPG, Lost Ark takes its time opening the world to you. A barrage of info-dumps for lore and tutorials make Lost Ark overwhelming at first. With some time, exploring, and no shortage of patience, you can see what Lost Ark really has to offer.

echochrome ii is the next step in a great series of puzzle games. I love the concept and the execution; highly recommended.

The PS4 version touts some nice presentation boosts while maintaining the excellent gameplay that you would expect from Trine 2. If you don't currently on Trine 2, this version is a great one to get.

About the last thing I would say about Sonic Mania is to simply go and play it — it’s awesome, masterfully blending the old with the new and reminding us all what a true Sonic game is about. If you got burned on some of the 3D Sonic titles (although Sonic 3D Blast was great in my opinion) from the last decade, set those expectations aside and get into the Mania — you’re not likely to be disappointed at all.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare puts the franchise back where it needs to be. You get a wonderful campaign, team-oriented spec ops, and a variety of multiplayer options that cater to those who love large and small scale warfare.

A great game that should have been superb. The experience is tainted by several gameplay mechanic problems that just shouldn't be there for this third game in the franchise this generation. Ultimately the good far outweighs the bad, but I can't escape the notion that I feel that the full potential of this sequel was not realized.

While Battlefield 4 isn’t perfect, but it’s a much better, more refined experience in comparison to BF3.

Blur is the most fun I've had with a racing game in a long time. Sure it's not Gran Turismo or Forza, but that's okay by me. It offers depth, a superior online experience and mods, plus a boat load of racing that will keep you occupied for some time.

I can't say enough about how much fun FIFA Soccer 10 can be once you get into it. I never thought that I would be a soccer fan, but after playing this title I honestly believe there is room (sorry 'curling' you're out of the top ten). Try it out and enjoy it.

I was cautiously hopeful about the sequel to Assassin's Creed. I had been hopeful about the original, but ended up frustrated halfway through. This time around Ubisoft really hit their target (no pun intended) as they've done what most companies don't do anymore; they improved upon almost all elements of the gameplay for their sequel.

Fire Emblem: Fates offers an unprecedented amount of content without falling victim to the temptation quantity over quality. Each of the three total games here features its own vivid branch of the story, and everything from the gameplay to the presentation shifts with it. This is a massive and highly enjoyable addition to the epic franchise that really does stand as one of the most prolific and memorable amongst its contemporaries.

The Walking Dead makes me feel like a person instead of a person playing a videogame. What's happening feels real, what's available to say is brilliant, and the eventual resolution is perfect.

It's definitely a notch above Resident Evil 5. It brings more scares, better visuals and very intense storylines to the mix. At the end of it all, it will feel like you've been a part of an intricate action-horror that satisfies your adrenaline needs by the end.

File this game under 'must have' for your PS3 library. Sucker Punch has done a great job building upon their first success in nearly every way.

They've taken a format, stripped away any annoying features that take away from the gameplay's flow, and created enough subtle innovations to truly create a definitive experience.

Bottomline, Ryu ga Gotoku Studios has another huge hit on their hands with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Rich, complicated stories and characters, with intriguing developments for individuals as well as bonds between characters greatly adds to the mystic, while a slew of mostly-optional side gigs further compliments the outstanding team-based combat. For many of us, the Yakuza/LAD series has become as comforting as a warm chicken pot pie on a cold day. I have spent more hours roaming the streets of Japan (and now Hawaii) in this franchise than perhaps any other game world ever. These games are familiar, enjoyable, and even though the gameplay does not vary much from one adventure to the next, the quality, accessibility, pacing, quantity, and fun of playing these games continues to pay dividends. At the end of the day, whether you’re a series veteran or a curious newcomer, you cannot go wrong with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Enslaved is on my short list for game of the year. I had a great time with it and I think anyone that enjoys third person games, especially those in the vein of Uncharted, will love this one.

"Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara" is great fun. Yea, it’s technically two catalog titles coupled for the price of $15, but this release isn’t just the first time these games have been made available for stateside consoles – it’s also the definitive edition of both arcade classics.

Novice or experts of the game will benefit from EA Sports efforts in creating an easy to use, customizable soccer environment. Not a soccer fan? You could be one after FIFA Soccer 10.

For Neowiz’s first big AAA-caliber game, they have done a bang-up job with Lies of P. The story, characters, combat and RPG systems, controls, enemy design, level design — there’s a lot here that is done with excellence and the summation of these is a great game that I’d happily recommend to anyone that enjoys the tough-but-rewarding Soulslike genre.

Vanquish isn't simply Japan's proper response to cover-based shooters, it's the most dramatic take upon the genre thus far.

When a game rewards players for having fun and being creative, there’s little to be unhappy about. Hitman 2 offers that in spades and promises further additions and events down the line. And even after all those targets have been pushed off this mortal coil, I dare you to dive back in and complete every challenge the game has, you won’t be bored.

The Be a Pro mode is enough of a reason to pick this up. While it holds up some similarities to NHL 20, there is enough to go into the rink, lace up your skates, and hit the ice.

Prey: Mooncrash melds Arkane's excellent immersive sim playground with the challenge of a roguelike that gives players a good excuse to dive back into what made Prey so fun.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a marvelous upgrade to its initial brethren. It offers up a bigger world, well thought through RPG construction, and keeps you exploring and building.

Harrowstorm is the first DLC in the year-long Dark Heart of Skyrim event. Players must conquer two new, four-player dungeons - Icereach and Unhallowed Grave - and get pulled into the mystery that surrounds this year's event. The journey will not be easy, but if we've learned anything from last year's Season of the Dragon event, it is that it will all be worthwhile.

All things considered, Not for Broadcast VR is absolutely a title that any new VR owner should play. It involves just enough virtual reality input that gives players a taste of what to expect when playing a virtual reality game. At the same time, it excellently weaves a story involving propaganda and revolutions all the while critiquing the role of the news media in the most subversive sense.

Ultimately, there’s no denying the impressive history of Street Fighter. It’s a series that has continued to evolve, and this special release is a great and deserved tribute to the 2D titles from the first twenty-plus years.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PS4 is fun, frantic, and full of heart. While not as large in scope as 2018’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales continues to build upon the world Insomniac has crafted to deliver a heartfelt story about a kid in Harlem just trying to deal with the responsibility of balancing being a hero with protecting his family. Miles Morales doesn’t add a ton to the formula, nor does it need to. Swinging through New York is just as fun as it was in 2018, and some of Miles’ new Venom powers allow him to feel different than Peter Parker. You’re not going to get all the bells and whistles the PS5 version offers, but the story itself is a must-play.

The Pathless is a wonderful balance between puzzles and boss battles contained in a giant landscape. The gameplay design, specifically the boss level design, demonstrates the possibilities this new generation of consoles might offer.

Star Wars Outlaws is definitely the kind of treasure that would be coveted by the seedy underbelly of the most notorious in a galaxy far, far away. By placing its narrative in a familiar timeline but making it distinct from much of the tired Skywalker saga, Massive Entertainment has created a rich Star Wars property with plenty of room to build off of. Vibrant worlds full of opportunity, choice-based story beats, and key action setpieces will keep players engaged throughout and hopefully find a new scoundrel to admire with Kay Vess.

All things considered, Have a Nice Death excels on just about all fronts as a roguelike. Playing as Death himself lets the player experience power with the sheer number of combinations spanning weapons and spells. The fact that these combinations allow for seamless chains of attacks is the icing on the leftover cake in the office fridge. Its charm and writing are fantastic, and I cannot help but want more from the world of Death Inc. Magic Design Studios’ appreciation for a good roguelike is evident here, as I am struggling to stop playing this game. If you’re looking for something incredibly refreshing to play while on the job, look no further than Have a Nice Death.