Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a lesson in how endearment can turn into exasperation. Like the best magic tricks, it's astounding the first time you see it, but a waste of time when the performer can't figure out how to move on.

Gaming has a long standing tradition of making what is (ostensibly) one person's job into another person's preferred means of escape and relaxation. BigFest's approach to multitasking your way into and out of resources isn't especially unique, but its application to the riotous music festival scene is a welcomed novelty.

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.

The game takes current generation consoles to a new level with visuals, even setting some graphical benchmarks for online play, but it drags it down in sustainable substance that is required to keep a game going beyond a two month mark of the release.

Ironically, The Old Hunters gives Bloodborne players more of what they want by obscuring its own nature. It's attractive because it still delivers a feverish unknown to a ravenous base.

For the diehard Nintendo or Mario Tennis fan, Ultra Smash is worth a look, but if you're looking for a satisfying new Wii U title this holiday, this probably won't do it for you.

A strange, compelling game that the more you read about the more you're going to want to play it -- and there's no better way currently to do so than this HD version.

Normally when you think of a mobile version of the game, it's a stripped down, "flimsy" version of the console version, but Superchargers on iOS is quite impressive. The Starter Pack is a solid value for anyone that does not have the option or interest in playing on consoles, and I think you may find as I did that the portability of playing on iOS is very convenient.

The initial adventure in Rise of the Tomb Raider is around 6-8 hours, but every minute of it is fun, especially with retooled gameplay controls and unlockables for incentive. Adding to that time frame is a large amount of worthwhile exploring and wonderful backtracking once the campaign is completed. If you’re into that, then this game is going to make you happy.

Fallout 4 is another amazing achievement from Bethesda Studios. It encompasses the beauty of its brethren, while introducing a bigger, better world for gamers to explore and reside in. It’s everything people were expecting, possibly a bit more.

The first episode of Albert & Otto finds difficulty moving between the demanding world of mechanics-focused platformers and atmospheric dives into subtlety and tension. With three episodes left, Albert & Otto has time to find an identity, provided it also hastens its pace with more inventive puzzles and dependable platforming.

An outstanding game gets bigger and better, adding massive new features; simply put, it's a must have for RPG fans.

It's still an excellent game over three years removed from its original release, and having all of its content in one place here with spruced up visuals and tweaked loot distribution is nice -- but the graphical hiccups are a disappointment, although likely patchable. Still, for $30 or less, this is one of the best buys in gaming this holiday for anyone that hasn't played Darksiders II before.

Perhaps not as deep and full featured as some previous Anno games, 2205 will nonetheless scratch the itch for most city builder players, whether they're new to the series or returning.

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

Despite the few gripes, I had a fun time playing this game. WWE 2K16 brings a bigger roster, more creative options for gamers, a revamped career mode that is mostly good and a bevy of other improvements to make the experience worth it. It’s a nice step up from last year’s game.

There's the racing, which benefits from better customization, diverse handling models, competitive visuals, and assorted racing challenges. These are the things that you expect, and Need for Speed delivers. Then there are the full motion video sequences, which thrive on first-person fist bumps, Monster energy toasts, and people saying the word "hashtag" without irony.

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.

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.

A great choice for anyone looking to start into the otome genre.

Guardians is a very good game. Campaign is very strong while adding a few items here and there that make it an independent experience. Multiplayer stands tall along side the best in series history, and time will tell where it ultimately ranks among H2 and H3.

A solid all around JRPG, Tales of Zestiria is familiar yet worthwhile.

Albino Lullaby creates horror not out of open defiance of genre norms, but from a place of genuine inspiration. "Scary" exists elsewhere, and it great supply. Albino Lullaby prefers to linger in a frightening sense of curiosity.

Sublevel Zero's novelty is how faithfully it resurrects concepts of a fallen genre. It's cool that Sigtrap Games made a game like Descent, but pressing those ideas inside the mold of a roguelike leaves a significant amount of empty space.

Add this to the growing list of compelling, niche titles in the Vita library. If you have never played an otome game and are curious, this is a great way to see what the genre can offer when it's at its best.

To the uninitiated, Soldiers' Soul is a bewildering amalgamation of expected clichés and probably not a fun thing to play. To Saint Seiya’s audience, however, Soldiers' Soul is an impressive rendition of a respected series augmented with a glut meaningful (albeit mostly salvaged) content. For better or worse, the latter group is all Soldiers' Soul has in mind.

Guitar Hero Live brings to the table some new ways to play, a new immersive mode that has been revamped from its original rooted concept and provides some hope that the game is only going to get better. I’m really happy that FreeStyleGames thought outside of the box with GHL, as the way it was going up to this point (or around 2010) was honestly quite stale. Credit them for taking some risks, praise them for achieving some of their goals, but feel free to be a tad bit cautious at the idea of paying for anything extra outside of the actual game.

Survival horror hit a wall, and Maiden of Black Water isn't the one to overcome it.