Death Stranding has its fair share of gameplay issues but also boasts more heart and a willingness to take chances than any other game in years.

A magnificent blend of genres makes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order a solid game, but technical hitches prevent it from taking the high ground.

Gylt tells a relatable and emotional tale about bullying via a formula refined by franchises like Silent Hill before it. It can feel a bit airy and derivative as a result, but it’s still a worthwhile experience that should be part of any Google Stadia owner’s library. It may not immediately stand out as the kind of game you can only get on Stadia, but I don’t mind if this is the formula Stadia Games and Entertainment takes with the exclusives they decide to put their full force behind in the future.

If Forza and Heat were in a boxing match, Forza would be Mike Tyson in his prime and Heat would be a toddler.

Planet Zoo is a complex and deep sim management title that’s carefully crafted to offer hours of meaningful and educational enjoyment.

Blacksad: Under the Skin is a twisty whodunit that is unraveled by more bugs than you can count.

Doraemon Story of Seasons is definitely the worst Story of Seasons game I have ever played. If you want your farming fix, you should get the Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town remake on Switch. Or grab Rune Factory 4 Special if you’d like well-implemented action RPG elements in your farming life.

The Deluxe Edition on Switch is not only a great way for old fans to return to the franchise, but an excellent jumping-on point for new players to dive into the Layton series.

The Stretchers is an entertaining co-op game that needs to offer more fun outside of its story mode.

The third time really is the charm, as Luigi’s Mansion 3 finds a perfect blend of humor and gameplay for a delightfully spooky experience.

Though it packs plenty of charm and heart, New Super Lucky’s Tale isn't quite ready to be in the leagues of the platforming greats just yet.

Ring Fit Adventure, the latest fitness outing for Nintendo, packs a full-fledged workout for all ages in a colorful children's RPG package.

Expanding on its original release in every way, Dragon Quest XI S is one of the Nintendo Switch’s best RPGs and a great entry for newcomers.

Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonhold, while moving the needle a bit in terms of zone design, is ultimately more of the same.

Overall, Mario & Sonic is a welcoming surprise that I can see myself playing with friends regularly.

Both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Campaign and Multiplayer may have some issues, but generally, I had a good time with each mode.

While Aladdin got a fairly decent treatment in the Disney Classic Games port, The Lion King is left just as barebones and hard as the original.

Night School Studio's Afterparty falls short of greatness, with an unrewarding narrative, underutilized gameplay concepts, and technical issues.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD has a solid single- player mode that, if not slightly lacking in content, gives players an addictive rush that makes them want to come back for more. But that same heady rush is often tempered by controls that become your biggest obstacles at times. Paired with an extremely weak multiplayer experience that is missing a huge chunk of content, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz becomes harder to recommend.

I am still excited to see what WWE 2K21 will look like, especially since Visual Concepts will have the time to actually learn how this engine works and use it properly, but it really is a drag that the entry with some of the best features just plays like hot garbage.

Disco Elysium is an impressive RPG that eschews combat for conversations and introduces an engaging world that rewards inquisitiveness.

Root Letter: Last Answer is a touching experience but not without faults.

With the best writing of any game thus far in 2019, any fan of RPGs needs to play The Outer Worlds.

Despite being built from previously-used parts, The Jackbox Party Pack 6 is still one of the more solid and consistent collections.

Video games have come a long way in the past decade, but Monkey King: Hero Is Back didn’t get the memo.

Each character feels diverse.

Fans of the original Ghostbusters: The Video Game will probably enjoy this, even if it’s just for a trip down memory lane and to see the cast again and visit some iconic locations. But due to its repetitive combat, insufferable artificial intelligence, and dull gameplay, I would advise first-time players to maybe pick up something else if you’re looking for an enjoyable and fulfilling third-person shooter.

With fast-paced, unpredictable gameplay, Killer Queen Black is a must-play multiplayer experience that breaks out from its arcade roots.

Call of Duty: Mobile is a surprisingly great first-person shooter with buttery smooth controls that has me addicted.

Codemasters' attempt to revive GRID has a lot of great ideas but struggles to bring them all together in a cohesive fashion.

John Wick Hex is a nice, fun, and stylistic bite-sized adventure that's absolutely worth your time.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint’s greatest selling point is the fact that players can dictate their own experience.

With an enriching story, characters, and scenery, Indivisible is a spectacle and one of the best action platformers I’ve ever played.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince stands as one of the strongest games within its own series.

Side-scrolling sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has creative ideas, assuming you have the patience to wrangle with its difficulty.

Neo Cab has a good sense for subtlety and for real human emotion.

Police Stories is a solid tactical shooter that is great to play together with a friend. It is a short experience with a story that doesn’t really matter but is competent enough to fulfill its role. I’m hoping that more levels are added in the future because the entire game can be completed in six to eight hours. Even with the small tweaks that need to be fixed, Police Stories offers fun gameplay and the need for extensive communication in co-op, which is exactly what I wanted and expected.

Link's Awakening is a remarkable remake of one of the more overlooked titles in the Legend of Zelda franchise.

Contra: Rogue Corps joins Bomberman: Act Zero and Hideo Kojima's firing as one of Konami's biggest disappointments.

Daemon X Machina may very well be one of the most refined mech-based shooters, but some questionable design choices leave more to be desired from the game.

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast still provides the best lightsaber combat in any Star Wars game to date.

Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avengers iX is a fast-paced but well-designed platformer that keeps up Inti Creates' streak of awesome games.

Code Vein features anime vampires and fast combat, but it's too reliant on the exact Soulslike formula to stand out on its own.

Short, sweet, and simple, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a package of positivity, with music and visuals that will sure to win anyone over.

Cat Quest II is a fun romp, but the thrills on offer are a bit shallow.

I have a difficult time not recommending Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered as a whole.

The Surge 2 is still a fun improvement over the original that will win more people over with its tight and well-designed environments and combat.

House House's Untitled Goose Game is undoubtedly a hilarious experience, but it lacks a varied toolset to maximize said hilarity.

Combining strategy, procedural-generation, and survival, Finji's Overland is a challenging, memorable trip across post-apocalyptic America.

As the penultimate chapter of the season, Life is Strange 2: Episode 4 brings the story to a head with several challenging situations.

Borderlands 3 comes with great growth in gameplay, but a safe story that had the opportunity for so much more.

FIFA 20's excellent Volta mode, engaging changes to Ultimate Team, and potentially cool features to Career Mode don't make up for subpar soccer gameplay.

NBA 2K20 feels like the smallest leap that the series has made in years, even if the core gameplay still remains enjoyable.

PES 2020 is a gorgeous, curling free-kick from the legendary boot of David Beckham that just misses the top right corner as time expires.

NHL 20 is the best the series has been this console generation. Improving upon the changes made in NHL 19, the game has never felt better. The changes may seem subtle, but they really tighten up the gameplay enough for it to feel better than its predecessors. Besides the distracting scoreboard, the presentation has received the same treatment, truly immersing you in the action on the ice.

It’s too funny, too unique, and too unpredictable to miss, and the Switch port, while flawed, offers an adequate way of experiencing it.

Gears 5 is perhaps the best entry in the long-running shooter series and stands as one of the best games of the Xbox One era.

WRC 8 is an amazing racing sim, but don't expect it to hold your hand.

GreedFall takes place in an amazing and intriguing world but fails to be interesting on the gameplay front.

Pinball-inspired dungeon crawler/hack-and-slash Creature in the Well is short, sweet, and satisfying, whatever that word means.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne offers a massive amount of new additions and exciting endgame content that should ensure fans will be returning to the game for years to come.

Kunio-Kun diehards will probably love this game. It’s an excellent matchup of beautiful aesthetics, great music, and satisfying combat. So go find the Misako to your Kyoko, hit your local dojo, and get ready to save your boyfriends.

Undoubtedly the best thing to happen to the Blair Witch since the 1999 film.

A fantastically designed hack-n-slash RPG that kept me enthralled for hours on end. It fits right at home on the Nintendo Switch with its colorful, exciting, and inviting world that made it a pleasure to explore, but it was let down by its lack of local co-op features which really is a crying shame for a game of this kind.

Astral Chain is one of the best action games I’ve ever played and is now my favorite title from PlatinumGames because of how it manages to deliver solid action and be innovative at the same time. The investigative sections and unique relationship formed between player and Legion bring something fresh to the action genre as well. When PlatinumGames is able to branch out with interesting new ideas like with the first Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101, they usually strike gold, and Astral Chain does nothing to stop that trend. It stands as a shining spot in both Nintendo and PlatinumGames’ lineups, and is obviously one of the best and most innovative games to release in 2019.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is a love letter to fans of the original title.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is a great companion to the Trading Card Game and is essential for anyone who enjoys the franchise.

Atlus has released a great package for a title that probably didn’t get as much love as it should have back when it first launched. From the puzzles, stylistic choices, and storyline Catherine: Full Body holds up even while it’s closing in on its ninth anniversary. This is a unique game that’s riveting throughout, I recommend it for newcomers and returning players alike.

Man of Medan is built from the same mold as Until Dawn, but the writing lost a bit of charm on the way, and the technical performance hinders the game greatly. After multiple playthroughs of the game, I’m still left with several questions—not about the story, or about what’s next to come for The Dark Pictures, but about the sustainability of this long-term eight-game project. Is one game every six months too much of a workload? Will there be enough variety to keep the tropes from being stale? And will these neat co-operative modes be good fits for whatever story is to come?

Hunt: Showdown offers one of the most strenuous multiplayer experiences I’ve ever had and I loved every second of it. There are some defeating lows and victorious highs that come with its addicting PvPvE gameplay. While it definitely has some things that it still needs to refine with its overall formula, as it stands, it’s a really solid game for those into horror elements and hardcore FPS gameplay.

The game isn’t hard. You don’t need twitch reflexes or a firm grasp on how to use an analog stick. It feels a lot like a Lego game in that regard. All you need to enjoy Knights and Bikes is a sense of adventure and a willing friend. If like me, you’re constantly looking for something to play with a loved one who only has a passing interest in video games, this game is definitely one I’d recommend.

Remnant: From the Ashes is an ambitious title and a fairly unique one at that, it just does not always stick the landing.

If you have enjoyed past games from Remedy, you’ll certainly find further enjoyment here with Control.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey begins 10 million years in the past and puts you in control of our evolutionary forefathers. You must guide them on their path toward humanity, which means teaching them how to fish, how to hunt, and how to walk on two legs. Ancestors executes its vision of our evolutionary past with care, but it just isn’t very fun to play.

Erica stands as the best FMV game available on consoles.

Tokyo RPG Factory's Oninaki is the studio's most ambitious project yet with characters and themes that are as fascinating as they are tragic.

Crystar is a competent Action RPG with a compelling narrative but suffers due to mostly everything else it has to offer.

You can’t go wrong with RAD and experiencing yet another imaginative title from Double Fine.

Wolfenstein Cyberpilot feels like a launch title for any VR unit.

While this game isn’t great by modern standards at all, it’s hard to imagine that speedrunners won’t fall in love with completely breaking the game.

The Church in the Darkness is marred by several technical shortcomings that draw players out of the experience and kill the pacing.

From beginning to end, Fire Emblem: Three Houses offers an engrossing story that rarely ever loses steam. In more ways than one, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the most refined entry in the series to date when it comes to the systems that matter most. Whether you’re a newcomer or got your start with Fire Emblem in Super Smash Bros. Melee, this is an exceptionally great title and one of the best strategy RPGs ever made.

While I think I’d prefer the next Wolfenstein game to be more traditional, it was refreshing to see some new ideas here with Youngblood.

Will hardcore Maddenites have a blast with all the new gameplay toys they have at their disposal? Absolutely. Do I think casual Madden fans need to rush out and buy this edition? Probably not. Madden 20 is a fine game, but it’s definitely an iterative version that doesn’t do enough to stand out from last year’s game.

The concept is great, but it’s not executed properly. The prologue is fantastic, but it’s not the representative of the whole game. The multiplayer is present, but it’s not great. Because of this potential and given the fact that it’s an only-online game, right now, I view it as a disappointment. I really hope that Question updates the game and improves it as time goes on.

It’s tough to recommend Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle for fans of the Attack on Titan story. It’s too samey for fans who already know it and too emotionally stunted for newcomers who would be best served experiencing it through the manga or anime. The character episode mode is an improvement, but it’s too short. The gameplay is genuinely fun, but repetitive and sometimes held back by performance issues. Overall, it’s best suited for Attack on Titan fans who simply want to subjugate titans for an hour or two at a time.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is one of the most cathartic and fan service heavy Marvel games ever.

Night Call is, at its best, a story with engaging characters that make you want to learn their secrets.

Red Faction: Guerrilla is still the wacky, high octane dose of fun that I remember sinking many hours into last-gen, and the Switch version (mostly) plays to its strengths.

Blazing Chrome is a top-of-the-line appetizer to what could be a masterpiece of a five-course meal.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a masterfully built game with a multitude of shiny new features that are just a joy every second you get to tinker with them. I could play this game for a very long time and never get bored with it. There’s something included here for fans of multiple genres and titles. Whether you’re a fan of the Dragon Quest series or not, this is a game you can jump into. While it’s certainly a spin-off from the mainline series, Dragon Quest Builders 2 may very well be one of the best game in the entire franchise.

Super Mario Maker 2 may make a weaker impression than the game-changing original, but it breaks out the gate with far fewer problems and with much more skill level appeal. Though it misses the mark in some highly-requested QoL improvements, it adds much more in value, diversity, and replayability. Super Mario Maker 2 is the game that keeps on giving, while leaving enough room to build in the future.

The gameplay of Crash Team Racing has more layers to it—whether it makes the game more ‘fun’ is up to someone’s playstyle, but I’ll always appreciate manual over automatic.

Sea of Solitude has the heart to pull through and guide players to the end, where its messages really start taking shape.

Shadowbringers has set quite a standard in quality of content delivered and how Yoshi P and his team respond positively to community feedback for further updates. While there are some flaws to be addressed still, many of these are due to how ambitious in nature Shadowbringers is in every category. With an outline of future content roll-outs that includes a Nier: Automata YoRHa series of raids, more notoriously difficult Savage difficulty trials, housing updates, and an ever-expanding story, there’s even more to look forward to down the road with Shadowbringers.

There are elements here that could make an interesting spiritual sequel to ActRaiser, but they never realize the potential.

Quotation forthcoming.

Muse Dash is a fun game that is very simplistic in design. For having not listened to really any Japanese music outside of anime, I ran into a fair amount of tracks that I really enjoyed that I could see myself going back to playing just to give it another listen. At $29.99, I personally think that Muse Dash is a bit steep in price but there is a decent sized catalog of songs to keep you preoccupied and master. Muse Dash has a nice art style with great colors but it also likely isn’t a game for everyone. For those that are into this genre of gaming and music, Muse Dash might be one to look into.