It’s surprising how completing a level doesn’t just result in relief to the point where we’d never revisit that level again out of frustration, but rather newfound confidence that we could take it on again.

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes feels like a genuine, honest extension of the cult favorite 2004 television show. It perfectly captures the dark, unrelenting tone of hopelessness that the TV show became known for. The hectic space combat has a fun, brisk pace to it that never overstays its welcome, and it is brilliantly balanced by more human moments with the crew on your ship. It doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel for the roguelite genre, but if you're a fan of the franchise, this is going to be a game that will make you quite happy.

Thanks to some incredibly entertaining commentary on American culture and more polish than ever before, Yo-kai Watch 3 ends the series’ 3DS run on a high note. While it’s certainly intriguing to wonder how the RPG will have to adapt and evolve on Nintendo Switch, players can enjoy one last spirited adventure on the system that helped it become a phenomenon. It’s hard to go wrong with taking a trip to BBQ.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a worthy follow-up to the previous installment, even if a lot of the core DNA has remained the same. Despite some rough edges, the experience as a whole is one that’s hard to put down once you get entrenched. This proves to be doubly true if you’re playing on PS5 and are really looking for a game that’s going to show you what this next-gen leap is all about. Even though the first game in this new franchise from Insomniac might still be the one that I prefer overall, Miles Morales gives us more than an ample taste of where we could see this series going in the future, which makes me quite excited, to say the least.

Godbreakers is awesome solo, and a blast with friends. The Roguelite structure combined with slick, kinetic, third-person action is a wonderful fit and hits a lovely flowstate often. Snappy dodge canceling makes the gameplay consistently fluid and rewarding, and enemy/boss designs are all great. I'm having a very good time running this game over and over with different modifiers, I just wish some of the quests were a bit more clear in their objectives. Still, Godbreakers is well worth checking out, regardless of if you're going it alone or with a squad.

Mario Tennis Fever is one of the best Mario sports games in years. Does it solve all the issues we've seen in the genre over the past decade? No, and sadly, it suffers a lot of the same problems when it comes to depth. Thankfully, the one thing it gets right is its incredible gameplay, which keeps you coming back for more. It's not perfect, but Mario Tennis Fever is a much-needed step in the right direction.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning’s world holds so much promise that it was heart-wrenching when the franchise went dormant, but with this new lease on life, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be long before we get a full-blown sequel. Until then, I shall continue exploring the world of Amalur as Barnaby, the dashing rogue.

Mindcop is an entertaining noir detective game that is a welcome addition to a coveted genre of other great titles. Its three-dimensional characters have enough dilemmas and conflicts to make you stray off the case and dig into their own backstories. The writing has a profound balance between melancholy and humor that it will occasionally sprinkle in some wholesome beats. Despite the time management mechanic being somewhat harsh on your actions, Mindsurf and Sea of Thoughts are two gameplay components that make the experience understandable and easy to manage for casual players. Regardless of its few flaws, those are far outweighed by the creative gameplay, unique art style, and strong writing, which tie everything together wonderfully.

Iron Harvest doesn’t feel like an RTS for seasoned players of the genre. Much like its mechs, some parts of it feel clunky. But past its rusted exterior, inside Iron Harvest is a fun and entertaining time sink. It’s one of the few titles I’ve played this year where I can totally get lost in a match. Just start it up and poof, suddenly an hour is gone. You get so wrapped up in your strategies, enemies attacking your resources, your units, that even with a real-time clock in the top right I found myself up in the early morning playing at points. While it won’t provide the blistering fast gameplay of other time-honored RTS titles, Iron Harvest is still worth your time if you’re looking for a more-than-solid experience.

I enjoyed my time with Crash 4 and would easily recommend it to any like-minded fans of the series. Though there aren’t many meaningful changes to how the game is played, it’s still a fun jaunt, and what new content is here is mostly welcomed, despite some unnecessary modern additions. Crash games don’t need a long list of skins or collectibles, but they do need to take a bigger step forward. In a sense, Crash needs to stop living in the 90s.

Fe may be occasionally rough around the edges and gameplay derivative, but failure to look beyond that is missing the forest for the trees.

The crew at Bithell Games has done it again. The Solitaire Conspiracy may not be the developer’s best-told story, but it’s one of the most enjoyable on a gameplay level. And like every Bithell Short, it never overstays its welcome. If you want to play something short and sweet, look no further.

Whether you’ve been defending the helpless for years or are fresh off the bar exam, the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a collection you don’t want to miss.

Despite some technical issues and a story that ends too quickly, Raji: An Ancient Epic is a great narrative-driven game that's worth playing.

Tetris 99 improves an already near-perfect game and proves that battle royale can transcend genres, but it is held back by Nintendo Switch Online.

The writing style and dialogue is unique in each chapter, correlating to how the characters would speak in that time period. The poetic choice of words in the Middle Ages chapter, and the old western Lingo in the Wild West chapter were the most impressive in that respect.

If the premise as a whole seems off-putting to you, I’d recommend giving it some time and seeing if you enjoy the game more once Kanto opens up.

If you love roguelikes, or have fond memories of the old ASCII games, you will absolutely enjoy Brut@l. Even if it lacks the depth of some of its competitors, it makes it up in spades in old-school retro charm, and will hook you for hours.

There's a fantastic game somewhere in Civ 7 that I'll easily spend 1,000+ hours with. Even in its current state, I can see myself playing this for years to come, though nowhere near as much as I did with Civ 6. There are too many frustrating issues that need addressing. At least that's what I keep telling myself, only to come back to boot up another game. Firaxis made a gigantic gamble with the changes to Leaders and Ages, and somehow, it paid off. If they can improve the game's flaws with future updates, we'll have another iconic entry in the legendary 4X strategy series.

The game world is charming in its simplicity and helps keep your focus on the gameplay rather than visual fluff.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 is the most polished football game on the market. Full stop.

The gameplay won't let you down, and the combat never feels lacklustre but, unfortunately, Ghostwire's story isn't what I hoped it would be.

For anyone who has the patience, Fire Pro Wrestling World is a game that will appease any pro wrestling fan.

This new Langrisser I & II remake is definitely the kind of spur the series needed, and it seems that both this remake and the previously released mobile game are setting up the foundation for a full revival.

Outlast II uses its farmland setting to an incredibly effective degree, and it’s sure to keep you on edge throughout its roughly 8-10 hour run.

Carrion is a bloody, intricate experience with a consistency problem that breaks the momentum that's central to a game like Carrion.

Regardless of whether you are looking to take on this samurai classic for the first time or wishing to experience an accurate snapshot of gaming from the early years of the mighty PlayStation 2, Onimusha: Warlords is well worth playing in 2019.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 provides an excellent re-imagining of both the Puyo Puyo and Tetris gameplay loops with awesome local multiplayer and creative new modes.