EA's move to break up the online and offline development certainly paid off in the end for Medal of Honor. It's refreshing to see two teams create a new first-person shooter experience and put so much care into each side.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission neatly unfolds platforming’s trick and tropes with immunity from the traditional hazards of virtual reality. Immersed in Astro Bot’s kinetic charm and engaged by its clever novelties, you’re left admiring the medium’s strengths rather than cursing its limitations. Astro Bot is a treasure for PlayStation VR enthusiasts.

For me, my bottomline is that Darksiders is a tremendous amount of fun because it's very well designed from top to bottom with just a handful of drawbacks. None of these drawbacks are critical enough to thwart an epic, and truly enjoyable experience.

If you’ve ever been wanting the bite-sized Vampire Survivors in VR form, Poncle has delivered in ways that makes it the most optimal and fun way to play the game. I never thought I would get Vampire Survivors VR on my Quest 3, but it’s become my favorite Quest game yet. It may lack some of the features and content updates from its flatscreen counterparts, but here’s to hoping that it gets additional support to bring the VR port to parity.

This is literally and figuratively a game changer for Destiny, and in a good way.

Monster Hunter: World takes the formula of what’s worked with the series and turns it up to 11. Every monster encounter and every armor set to be had feels so uniquely crafted that it’s hard not to marvel at the scale and complexity of the game. While new players such as myself may feel a little daunted at first glance, the game does an excellent job of easing you in before throwing everything at you. If there was ever a game in the series to feel like a jumping-in point, it would be Monster Hunter: World.

Though far from a departure, A Crack in Time throws plenty of new stuff your way.

The Plucky Squire is absolutely a rewarding journey for players wanting a diverse, creative experience that celebrates the interactive medium. While its gameplay and puzzles never border on too difficult or complex, its implementation of so many unique elements are striking in both consistency and variety. Be drawn in by its stunning artistry and stay for the incredible adventure.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a boundless exhibition of the relationship between scale and structure, and its myriad of frenzied ideas are willed into cohesion only by the congruence of its supporting systems. Xenoblade Chronicles X may be obsessed with scale (and proudly so), but it doesn't leave the player feeling consumed by it.

My Brother Rabbit is a pleasant surprise, a welcomed departure from the norm (for me), and a game I’m happy to recommend.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town from developer h.a.n.d., Inc. and publisher Neos Corporation, is a wonderful introduction to open-world games for a younger gaming audience. It features beautifully drawn animation, fantastic environments, deep gameplay, and plenty of exploration to keep players engaged and locked in.

Despite some very minor frustrating moments in the F1 2010, Codemasters has worked hard to bring F1 experience to the small screen and for the most part they have succeeded.

At first glance, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons seems to be asking a lot from a prospective player. Its narrative is exposed exclusively through its emotive cast of characters. It provides a grand sense of adventure neatly tucked inside a three hour running time.

Football Manager 2019 takes the series to a whole new level and finally brings in some long needed refreshment. What we have is easily the most accessible Football Manager in recent memory but one that can still many moons to master.

Dishonored respects its audience by not only trusting them with a myriad of options, but also having the courtesy not to stand in their way. Its gameplay systems are open and intuitive, and reaching their potential feels special in a manner unrealized by any of its contemporaries.

Though gameplay mechanics and visuals haven't jumped far from last year's title, there's still enough 'new' here to make the purchase worth your hard earned money.

Although the series’s core gameplay is action-adventure, it offers much more than that. You progress through levels and different parts of the world, and they are quite challenging with no guidance provided. Tomb Raider is a game that requires a lot of trial and error, so it’s always a good idea to save your progress frequently. Numerous traps in the game can catch you off guard, such as rolling boulders, spike pits, and even a T-Rex lurking around the corner. If we view the trilogy through a modern lens, we can see that it has the same level of difficulty as a Soulsborne game, while also featuring a Metroidvania-style design.

EA Tiburon continues to find new ways to improve their Madden series and so far, at least in the last few years, they’re doing a good job of bringing worthwhile experiences to gamers.

Nobody Saves the World is an enticing adventure through and through. The first time I stumbled upon a decaying dragon corpse or the rusted remains of a giant robot and knew I had to fight baddies inside their guts, I was sold. But DrinkBox Studios transformed the combat of a top-down adventure game into a magical experience by literally allowing the player to transform into the most typical and bizarre forms imaginable. Who knew an action game would allow players to become an egg that helplessly rolled through cat warlocks or a horse that could only attack when facing away from danger? These unique forms make for equally unique combat that merely ask the player to constantly experiment with the tools they are given. And who can say that isn’t fun? Nobody.

All that aside, PoE is an experience I am still working through at the time of this article. It’s tough and long, but absolutely rewarding, and it makes it very clear why games in the lineage of the genre — Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and so on — are still held in such high regard today. Someday I hope to tackle those, but until then, PoE will keep me very busy.

This is an easy release to recommend to anyone that loves a great adventure game that has been revamped for modern play, but maintains all of the timeless quality and charm it had originally.

Overall, the Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus release for the Nintendo Switch is a one-up on all the other releases of the game previously. It has the original game very much intact and this new ‘plus’ game that turns the established gameplay design on its head (in a good way). Two beautiful forms of frustrating entertainment in one must-have package for the Nintendo Switch.

Stellar Blade is a welcome experiment to the PlayStation brand. Developer SHIFT UP has created an action game that should catch eyes for more than just its female protagonist. Though not a risky game in its own right, a complex web of combat skills and harrowing enemies breathe life into a mysterious world that provides just enough intrigue. Nostalgic in all the right ways and evocative of an era where the bizarre and bombastic thrived, Stellar Blade is a satisfying distraction.

Neon White from developer Angel Matrix and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a unique and fluid speed-running shooter that uses gameplay elements methodically to create a game filled with strategy and fun.

SPRAWL from developer MAETH is a well-made, intricately designed first-person wall-running game that hits all the right notes with mechanics, gunplay, and level design. It does come with a mechanic learning curve that might frustrate some gamers but the reward of learning the mechanics is far greater than the frustration produced by them.

Earthion is a perfect encapsulation of the timelessness of the SEGA Genesis. Ancient and Yuzo Koshiro have set the gold standard on how to breathe life into a shoot-em-up while innovating its reach to be fun for all players. Despite it being a Genesis title emulated on PC, it’s a must-have for anyone who loves retro games with just the right amount of challenge.

Details are a golden currency in Ueda’s games, and The Last Guardian greatest puzzle is their ultimate assembly. The impact in its final act is both somber and spirited, and it’s the pinnacle of the ideas it tries to put forward. I knew where The Last Guardian was going and I still couldn’t help but respond with deluge of raw emotion.

Minishoot’ Adventures avoids being a shameless ripoff of classic Zelda by incorporating twin-stick shooter elements into its fluid gameplay. Tackling friendly bullet hell enemies is made more exciting through a colorful world packed with a flood of rewards and a constant feeling of discovery, making this brisk adventure enticingly unique.