First impressions can often leave you feeling like it’s a slow, groggy mess with too much to manage and too many tough survivors working against you. But once you get deep enough into the game, only then does it start to feel more enjoyable, which sadly isn’t how it should be.

My favorite artistic element of The World Ends With You has always been the soundtrack, which is carried over successfully in Final Remix.

When all of these elements come together the result is a pulse-pounding adrenaline-fueled frenzied fight to the finish that often borders on all-out vehicular warfare.

While I don’t see this as a game that will revitalize the genre, if you are looking to scratch an itch after playing Golf Story, this will be your game.

Windjammers is a fun and fantastic multiplayer arcade game and the Nintendo Switch version takes advantage of that strength.

I’m ultimately sad to see that I have grown out of a franchise I once loved, with underlying problems that I may have not noticed as a child building on top of one another to make LEGO DC Super-Villains much less enjoyable than I thought it would be.

While some parts of Luigi’s Mansion may be beginning to show their wear, by and large the game is still just as much of a quirky, experimental romp as it was 17 years ago.

A great collection of arcade games tied together in a neat package for modern audiences. Though not every game brings something necessarily new or unique, there is definitely something in here for every beat ’em up fan.

Gwent became a means to an end by the finale, a necessary thing to do to unlock the next story segment, and something I would avoid when possible. Its a shame because Thronebreaker does some good work modifying the familiar Gwent rules, they just get easily overshadowed by the main storyline and the various decisions you can find along the way.

While there may be plenty of things I’d like to change in Gal Metal, the core of the game is an unmistakably fun time. With so many heavy hitters on the market in 2018, sometimes you need to just sit down, unwind, and out-play alien invaders with electrified versions of classical music.

It’s simple, family-friendly, and an absolute joy to play. From the gentle pumpkin-orange glow of the DualShock 4’s light bar throughout the game to the fact that extra lives come in the form of trick or treat buckets; it all feels like a genuine love letter to the spirit of Halloween.

Red Dead Redemption 2 aimed high in delivering players a living, breathing world, and it has surely hit its mark as Rockstar’s deepest, most immersive experience yet.

You can tell developer Byking put a whole lot of care into My Hero One’s Justice and the payoff is something that can be enjoyed by any fan of the widely popular anime and manga.

I wish I were joking in saying that the game’s horrid music and sound quality has been haunting me every night while trying to sleep—I cannot get that damned music menu out of my head.

If you want a quick and easy, arcade-style way to play basketball with your friends, you should just go to your local arcade with a fistful of quarters and play NBA Jam. Trust me, even though you have to feed the cabinet money after each game, you’ll still feel less exploited.

Due to its likable characters, engaging plot, and fun and unique as ever gameplay, Valkyria Chronicles 4 has definitely cemented itself as one of my favorite strategy games in recent memory.

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.

The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is definitely for a specific crowd of hardcore RPG and series fans, and for those, it caters wonderfully.

I’m happy I got a chance to see this longrunning series’ early history with Disgaea 1 Complete, and I look forward to seeing where the games go next.

SoulCalibur VI is undoubtedly one of the finest fighting games of this generation, and one worth exploring even if you can’t get into the broader fighting genre. With rich and complex campaign modes and robust gameplay, SoulCalibur VI is a game I will return to for years to come.

Every new story act and every location had characters that I grew fond of, and interactions were wholesome and genuinely funny.

I still think that every Jackbox compilation is a treat, especially now that the studio has perfected the visuals and presentation for their games—but they run the risk of turning their annual treat into a chore.

With thrilling, classic Musou gameplay, new systems, and a fun story, Warriors Orochi 4 is a really great game that both fans of the series and newcomers can enjoy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is fantastic, plain and simple. The concerns over the game not being worth it due to a lack of a single-player campaign seem overblown, when compared to how much effort was put into improving the online modes. This easily feels like one of the most content-filled Call of Duty entries and I can absolutely recommend picking this up, even if you’re a since-jaded fan of the first-person shooter series.

The world and characters they’ve created are intriguing enough for me to want to see more of it. If there was just a bit more variety, Starlink could be a fantastic franchise for both kids and adults alike.

A great appetizer to the greater world of MOBA games. It’s definitely got to be one of the best mobile takes on the genre I’ve ever played, and there’s no doubt I’ll boot it up every so often on my Switch.

Super Mario Party‘s expansive pallet of different game types opened my eyes to the the benefits of spicing up the traditional formula.

It presents some solid ideas that are really needed to make this series worthwhile.