What Remains of Edith Finch masterfully shows that narrative-driven games can tell stories in creative ways without sacrificing gameplay. Ultimately, though, the experience is let down by the story itself, which doesn’t do much of anything interesting with its characters or subject matter.

Shovel Knight is a pretty stellar homage to simpler times, but it’s so unabashedly an homage that it never steps out of the shadows cast by the components it’s built from—DuckTales, Mega Man, Simon’s Quest. And while derivative doesn’t necessarily mean bad—far from it in Shovel Knight’s case—it certainly doesn’t make it any less pandering in a lot of ways.

A competent and fun stealth experience brought down by some technical issues and the inexplicable lack of new game plus.

It's been an impressive run, but after a decade of the same basic experience, I can't escape the feeling that Halo needs to try a bit harder. Fans of the game will have a blast here, and the multiplayer is something special, but if you expected Halo 4 to keep up with the Joneses, you might be disappointed.

Final Fantasy VII Remake manages to balance the introduction of new concepts with faithfully recreations of the original game’s most memorable aspects, but it also unnecessarily pads out this first installment in a larger story with too much downtime between its most striking moments.

MLB: The Show is still the premier baseball experience on consoles, but some very questionable team rankings, minimal improvements to the overall package, and subpar online gameplay mean that MLB 13 isn’t a huge leap forward for the franchise—we’ll have to wait for the PS4 for that.

While Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons occasionally succeeds in tugging at the heartstrings, there’s a heavy-handedness that runs through a good portion of the drama—and that’s off-putting. The unique controls take too long to get used to (considering this is only a three-hour experience), and the puzzles are simple and repetitive. The aesthetics are definitely pleasing, however.

The main story is a convoluted mess, and the Batmobile gameplay is a serious detractor on the fun factor—especially since the Dark Knight is forced to use this clunky vehicle far too often. The combat outside of the car is better than ever, though, so exploring the game’s bountiful side content remains a bright spot in an overall disappointing conclusion to the Arkham franchise.

Although the core of Batman: Arkham City remains intact, new glitches and tacked-on gimmicks take away from the overall experience enough to make this a clearly inferior version of one of the great games of this generation.

Yakuza 0 takes it back to where it all began, but a mildly interesting setting and story don’t quite make up for the game’s more tedious elements.

Maybe NBA 2K18 has been the king of the court for too long and now it’s getting bored. Instead of improving gameplay, it’s figuring out more ways to make money through MyCareer and MyTeam. It’s new Neighborhood functions as a metaphor for the entire game itself, in that it seems like a big addition to the game but you quickly realize it’s pretty much just an empty shopping mall and a distraction from the actual game.

It’s sad that Fru came out so long after the Kinect was a viable gaming peripheral. Had it released closer to the Xbox One’s launch, we might’ve been able to laud it as a reason to own a Kinect. As is, it’s a solid little puzzle-platformer that might be worth a look if you haven’t packed your Kinect away—assuming you ever got one in the first place.

The meager number of additions here—including the useless 3D gimmick—aren’t enough to make this worth picking up if you played Donkey Kong Country Returns the first time around on the Wii in 2010. If it’s your first time, though, and you’re still curious about checking out Donkey Kong’s latest adventure, this is a solid port.

Lara Croft remains a poor choice that never fit for the GO-style that was established with Hitman GO last year, even if you can find a bit of fun in the short, simple puzzles.

NBA 2K19 had a real opportunity to learn from last year’s mistakes, and in some ways it did. The Neighborhood is more convenient, the Prelude is way more interesting, and the gameplay has seen some subtle but important improvements. Unfortunately, all this is marred yet again by the game’s predatory microtransaction system, which turns the MyCareer stuff into a grind-heavy, pay-to-skip farce.

If Slightly Mad Studios wanted to prove they could build an engine to compete with the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, Project CARS is a definite success, with driving that feels as realistic as anything else out there. If they wanted to compete with the polish and robustness of those bigger titles, though, they’ve come up slightly short.

NBA 2K15 delivers a solid core basketball experience, particularly with MyCareer mode, which features real-life NBA player voices. But the game ties too much of the experience to its shoddy online component, which sabotages the experience—and even makes the game literally unplayable at times.

A wide-sweeping game with an ambitious story, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offers up an intriguing world to explore. Unfortunately, confusing map markers and a padded-out combat system make actually exploring more of a chore than is necessary.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition does a fine job of remastering the original, but a new coat of paint and some minor upgrades can’t disguise the fact that the gameplay experience hasn’t aged particularly well.

Gorgeous to see and hear and engaging as far as gameplay is concerned, Child of Light is an excellently built game with a forgivably wonky augmentation system but an underdeveloped narrative. Its artists very clearly knew what they wanted it to be, but couldn’t quite manage to orchestrate effectively. Play it, soak up its beauty, but expect a jejune take on fairy tale yarn-spinning.

If Minecraft on the PC is the video game equivelent of LEGO, then Minecraft on XBLA is Duplo. It's a perfect introduction to the game and its experience-but it won't take long for you to outgrow it and want the real thing.

Project Cars 2 may do a great many things exceptionally well, but it’s hard to look past the mountain of gaffes that quickly pile up on and off the track. Racing, after all, is about results, not potential.

Much about Borderlands 3 is different, but nothing feels like it’s actually changed.

The Wolf Among Us is novel but, as of its first episode, not really all that captivating, either as a game or a work of fiction. There’s a wealth of potential, though—enough that I’m entertained and looking forward to plot progression in Episode Two.

Although the new Longshot mode shines, Madden misses the mark with a few of its gameplay additions this year—so if you don’t immediately take a liking to them and choose to ignore them, the experience will feel a lot like last year’s. Meanwhile, the additions to MUT feel unnecessary, and like a desperate attempt to get more people playing—and potentially investing in microtransactions.

For me, TrackMania Turbo just didn’t earn the checkered flag. If you love time-trials, however, this is the racing game you’ve been waiting for.

It’s great to see the iconic Phoenix Wright back in action after six years, and his segments are definitely the high points in Dual Destinies. But when he’s inexplicably MIA—like during the game’s interminable second and third acts—the proceedings slow to a crawl. Still, the story, characters, and courtroom drama are strong enough to draw in newcomers and satisfy lapsed fans.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has its heart in the right place, delivering that Star Wars fantasy that is sure to please fans of the franchise. But putting aside the lightsabers and Wookiees, Fallen Order is too often unsuccessful in implementing ideas from better games, and ends up seeming like a pale imitation in comparison.