The best main Pokémon series entry in years, X and Y sees several new features breathe life into a process that had grown stale and stagnant. Newcomers and longtime trainers alike should be able to find the joy in catching ’em all once again.

Guacamelee! feels welcomingly familiar but still manages to bring something new to the table through excellent combat and a whole lot of charm.

Astral Chain is loud, brash, exciting, and, in the end, a warning about the dangers of unquestioned loyalty. Its hyperkinetic action sequences and colorful characters might make the game seem like it isn’t interested in offering more than intricately designed fights and a straightforward genre story, but stick around for its entirety and its cast of 2070s police officers show themselves to be more than just cartoon cut-outs of sci-fi cops.

A couple technical issues aside, Sun/Moon might be the best Pokémon game yet. It freshens up a formula some of us PokéManics might not have realized was growing stale until now. Trials and Grand Trials provide variations on familiar gameplay, and the removal of HMs and telling players how effective their moves are rejuvenates battling.

While there have been many fighting games based on the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball FighterZ marks a modern approach through the means of fast-paced action. From its breathtaking visuals to ease of gameplay mastery, the new fighter is a good stepping stone to expand the fan base of the genre. However, it may not satisfy players who are looking for complexity.

The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is stuck between two places—the past and the present. Chances are that you’ve already made up your mind about whether or not to play it. It’s a classic Zelda game given a second chance with a striking visual language and evocative, haunting musical reinterpretations. Making the jump from the Game Boy to the Switch means that you’ll spend a lot less time changing items in the menu and much more time appreciating the meticulous clockwork of Koholint Island’s challenges.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey lives up to its namesake. By fully investing in becoming an action RPG, Odyssey’s characters, combat, story, and scope are beyond anything the series has accomplished so far. Its ambitions might get the better of it sometimes, like in how it divides its story moments or in how the leveling system can get out of hand, but the overall experience is, simply put, epic. Even when the game’s pacing hits a speed bump, there are plenty of engaging and rewarding side quests and distractions to keep you busy.

Marvel’s Spider-Man mixes the prestige ambitions of a Sony exclusive with the hyperkinetic fun of a great superhero game. It’s not a pairing you’d expect to work, but it mostly does here, though some aspects of the open-world design, like repetitive side content, let down the overall package.

A couple technical issues aside, Sun/Moon might be the best Pokémon game yet. It freshens up a formula some of us PokéManics might not have realized was growing stale until now. Trials and Grand Trials provide variations on familiar gameplay, and the removal of HMs and telling players how effective their moves are rejuvenates battling.

Forza Motorsport 6 is a welcome shot in the arm for the series. Easily the best entry the franchise has produced, Forza 6 introduces tons of new online and offline gameplay that should make players want to stay in the driver’s seat for as long as possible this fall.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge looks to bring back the glory days of Konami’s side-scrolling arcade beat ’em ups and home hits based on everyone’s favorite young green ninjas. In its visuals and gameplay, Dotemu and Tribute Games have not only matched those retro classics that they’re paying homage to here, but perhaps even surpassed them. Sadly, this trip through time is somewhat marred by inconsistent audio and an Arcade mode that feels more like a slog than a thrill.

TowerFall: Ascension might not be complicated or feature-rich, but the instant pick-up-and-play fun of its local co-op arena battles make this the best game in the PS4’s fledgling library.

Tearaway follows in the footsteps of Gravity Rush as an example of why you should own a Vita. While it isn’t always perfect as a game, it’s an amazing experience, providing an exciting and emotional journey through a world of beauty and personality.

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.

Psychonauts 2 recaptures the humor, heart, and much of the creative magic of the original game, with modern refinements that make it more pleasant to play. While the combat still feels a bit clunky and outdated compared to the rest of the game, fans of the original will no doubt delight in revisiting old friends and making new ones in this charming adventure.

Hitman 3 is a fantastic capstone to a standout series. Yes, a lot of what you experience will seem familiar if you’ve played the last two games, but IO Interactive continues to take interesting risks that largely play off while still perfecting the elements that make Hitman so special. The best compliment I can pay Hitman 3 is that I want to finish writing this review so I can go back to playing it.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’ story and imaginative level design carry the burden of its quality on their shoulders, but they’re backed up by solid shooter mechanics and really cool guns. While the experience as a whole might be inconsistent and sometimes frustrating, it’s an experience worth having. After all, you get to blow up a bunch of Nazis. Also, did we mention the guns were really cool?

The best-darned platformer you'll play all year.

Some minor sound issues notwithstanding, this is yet another great batch of pinball tables that make you feel like you’re standing in a bar—or, in this case, Chalmun’s Cantina—playing the real thing.

Marvel at NBA 2K16’s drive for excellence and all they’ve put into making this year’s sim incredible. Year by year 2K has learned to make a more solid sports title, and now it’s not just a highlight-reel player, but an accomplished All-Star video game.

The controls are caught in a weird, nebulous void between being optimized for the Wii and Wii U, but the expansive miniature landscapes, excellent pacing, and varied Pikmin powers combine to overcome any technical issues or limitations.

Bandai Namco promised that “now is the time for change,” and Tales of Arise legitimately feels like a game that’s trying to bring change to Japanese RPGs. It’s strong characters, epic story, engrossing battle system, and lush visuals are only marred by a disappointing final act, and those areas of the game where the team refused to let go of outdated ideas and conventions. If the Tales team can find it in themselves to push things just a little further, then this might truly be the spark that sets off a revolution in a genre that’s needed a regime change for so long now.

Spelunky 2 rests on the laurels of its predecessor, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It still retains all of the gameplay mechanics and level design that made the original such a satisfying experience. But as a sequel, Spelunky 2 feels a little too scared to expand its horizons. For a game that’s all about taking risks, Spelunky 2 is surprisingly risk-averse.

Halo Infinite handles the burden of the franchise’s long history gracefully. At times, as with the campaign’s story, it can feel like developer 343 Industries is weighed down by Master Chief’s Mjolnir armor. But Infinite’s bolder design choices, like its open-world environment and Grappleshot, make it feel exciting and new. The multiplayer might play it a little safe to appease longtime fans, but if the worst thing you can say about it is that it feels like old-school Halo, then it’s doing something right. It’s Halo made for Halo fans, but there’s enough novelty to keep it feeling fresh.

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is an exercise in reestablishing familiarity with one of Sony’s most recognizable faces. Almost everything new in the game is ancillary, but what makes this retrospective collection worth consideration is the the quality of design the original games brought to the table.

The formula that has kept Rocket League fresh translates exceedingly well to Nintendo’s hybrid system, whether docked or portable. Less polished visuals are a small price to pay to be able to play Rocket League anytime, anywhere, at a performance level that never quits, though the notable jaggies and (through no fault of its own) a hindered party system mean that the Switch version isn’t the most competitive version of the game.

Cuphead is an addictive mix of fun and frustration that will constantly keep you coming back for more. It’s amazing combination of terrific gameplay, tremendous style, and an original concept immediately catapults it into every game of the year discussion.

Sabotage Studio's debut title, The Messenger, is an impressive evolution for the platforming genre. It takes risks that at times work in its favor but also create frustrating mechanics for players to look past. The melding of 8-bit and 16-bit aesthetics into a love letter for the NES era of platformers is nothing short of genius, but the style outweighs the gameplay in some areas, including the difficulty level.

While it often feels constrained by the platforms it currently calls home, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a fantastic adventure that provides a rich amount of depth and challenge for both solo and team players alike.

Titanfall lives up to all the expectations established when it was first revealed, in a way that so few games are able ever to accomplish, and represents nothing short of first-person shooter multiplayer taken to new heights.

When taken for what it is—and not what it could have been—we’ve been given a game that serves as a fantastic first step, but which also is clearly only a first step in what will be an arduous journey.

DK’s latest adventure is one of the most clever, joyful platforming experiences I’ve had in a while, and it adds just enough newness to the series to keep the formula engaging without going overboard.

Pentiment is a true achievement of marrying story, style, and theme into a magical and cohesive whole. In lieu of 3D graphics that try too hard and still fail to represent an authentic-feeling world, Obsidian’s artists opted for a more illustrative aesthetic to tell their gripping story of a murder in an abbey, a choice that resonates throughout the entire game. While it might not satisfy every player, especially those expecting a more traditional RPG or adventure experience, those who can immerse themselves in Pentiment’s vision of 16th century Bavaria will find one of the best games of the year.

A charming adventure that'll provide your brain plenty of entertainment as it's tasked with solving-and then creating-a wide array of colorful block-based 3D spatial puzzles.

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.

Final Fantasy XII released to mixed opinions when it first hit back in 2006, and even today, fans will still argue over where it deserves to land on a listing of the best chapters of the franchise. It received those opinions because it was a bold, daring, and different chapter of a series that up-ended our expectations for what Final Fantasy should be—and all these years later, those elements are part of the reason why I still think it’s one of the best entries we’ve ever received.

Simple and to the point, Rayman Fiesta Run follows proudly in its predecessors’ footsteps. The endless-run dynamic is a nice change of pace for fans of the franchise—I just wish the party could’ve lasted longer.

PopCap maintains the addictive tower-defense gameplay and cheesy humor that made the first Plants vs. Zombies such a phenomenon, while adding a plethora of new features that ensure this game will consume every free second you have—if you let it.

DmC is everything a reboot should be-confident, thoughtful, and brazenly unafraid to sacrifice a few sacred cows along the way. For all the backlash they've had to face, developer Ninja Theory has delivered the most polished, refreshing, and memorable hack-and-slash experience in recent memory.

Sega took a chance in letting a longtime Sonic fan and a few smaller dev teams bring the original 16-bit iteration of their mascot back into the modern era, and the result is Sonic Mania, one of the purest and most enjoyable Sonic games we’ve ever been given. The question isn’t if this experiment in reviving classic Sonic was successful or not—the question is what happens next.

Strange though it may sound, this port is the definitive version of Diablo III. By removing the auction house and adding in offline play, local co-op, and an effective console control scheme, Blizzard has allowed the underlying gameplay experience to shine through like never before.

For its 4 to 6 hours of gameplay, Mutant Blobs Attack!!! is a fun little game. It may be the cheapest on PSN, but since some similar smartphone releases are much less expensive and take a lot longer to beat, it does bring up the debate of proper game pricing. Regardless of what it should ultimately cost, though, Mutant Blobs Attack!!! is a fun, quirky game that anyone can enjoy.

The unique storytelling and charismatic narration will pull you into an enthralling experience, but glitchy cover mechanics, poor checkpoint management, and off-putting pacing will rattle you out of your gaming reverie more often than you'd like.

This is easily the best Resident Evil game in years. It masterfully blends Eastern and Western horror sensibilities into a truly terrifying package that also harkens back to the series’ roots.

Whether you’re in the mood for stealth or all-out action, Rise of the Tomb Raider has got you covered, but when it comes time to put down the guns and start talking, the game screeches to a halt. Even so, it’s hard to deny what a blast it is to slip into Lara’s shoes once more.

Bigger doesn’t always equate to better. Forza Horizon 2 definitely delivers a gameplay experience a step above its predecessor, but gutting story mode leaves the single- player soulless and more akin to a grind.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the biggest and best entry in a befuddling franchise, and a game that really makes a case for everyone’s favorite second fiddle to get more spin-off adventures. Developer Next Level Games has expanded on the Poltergust’s abilities in meaningful ways, adding more variety to the action and puzzles alike. Gooigi might seem a little shoehorned, but it’s a great excuse for cooperative multiplayer on a system built for it. A few minor annoyances aside, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a strange, charming, and generous sequel.

Dance Central 3 still offers some frustrations with the Kinect sensor recognizing certain moves, the learning curve is still a bit steeper than it could be, and having to pay to import old tracks from versions you've already purchased is the worst sort of corporate vileness, but all things considered, Dance Central 3 is a major step up from its predecessor that proves to be much more than the Kinect's best example of a functional game.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon maintains much of the charm of the original and benefits from a superior coat of paint and level design. But one limitation the 3DS has—its lack of a second joystick—can prove irksome, especially as you move into the latter stages.

Dragon Quest XI brings the legendary Japanese RPG franchise to consoles (properly) for the first time in 13 years, and it’s a mostly fantastic new chapter of the series. Its story, gameplay, characters, and visuals all work to blend timeless series elements with newer-era genre refinements, and most of the time, the results are great. Unfortunately, there are a few times when honoring tradition is a weakness, not a strength—most specifically in the case of the game’s protagonist.

With impressive storytelling, tight controls, and a sense of purpose, The Taken King is not just an expansion, but a noteworthy improvement to the Destiny series as a whole.

Returnal excellently blends third-person shooter gameplay with bullet-hell style enemies and roguelike elements to craft a fun, challenging action game that you’ll have a blast learning to master. The only real shame is that the action is yoked to a story that mistakes being vague for being smart and interesting.

Forza Motorsport 7 is a really great racing game—it’s just a shame that changes to the game’s currency system undermine a fair amount of what it does right. It’s made racing feel more like a grind than in years past and no amount of new tracks or cars will change that.

I'm not totally convinced that the copy of Persona 4 Arena that I'm holding in my hands is real, because the idea of a Persona-based 2D fighter actually existing still baffles my brain. For as long as it does exist as something that I can play, though, it's an elaborate yet engrossing fighter that packs a ton of content, charm, and competition for those willing to put in the time required to master its offerings.

While the New 3DS can’t always do justice to what Monolith Soft originally created for their beloved Wii RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D retains almost everything that made the game’s original release great—while also making it far more accessible to a wider group of players.

At times, the HD upgrade looks fantastic. At other times, the HD upgrade looks terrible. But underneath it all, the game is still Twilight Princess, and that means that it’s a great game.

Resogun Heroes expands upon the core game’s already fantastic offerings with two highly enjoyable new modes that offer fans some interesting twists on Housemarque’s side-scrolling PS4 shooter.

Mini Metro was a surprise hit for me when I first played it on computers four years ago, and I was really excited to finally see the game hit a proper console. While the controls aren’t quite as good as I was hoping they’d be, the game itself still remains enjoyable and engrossing, offering a more-than-worthwhile experience for anyone who hasn’t played Mini Metro on other platforms.

Monster Hunter Generations is a game that caters heavily to fans of the series, but sometimes leaves new players in the dust. Yet, a deep armory of gear and an engaging multiplayer experience deliver a game that offers hours of gameplay for those who don’t mind the grind.

Even if you haven’t played the first game in the series, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a great introduction to a certain type of strategy game, iterating on a now-familiar formula with a readable, predictable approach to combat and some fun innovations in character movement. It knows where to streamline without sacrificing depth, all while starring mascots that fans know and love. Its exploration elements might slow the pace a bit too much, but you won’t mind too much thanks to the gorgeous art direction.

While Metroid: Samus Returns is technically a remake of a 90’s GameBoy game, it’s truly a rallying cry for Metroid fans to gather and enjoy how fantastic Samus’ journeys can be. Despite a few hiccups, the fresh combat mechanics, addicting exploration, and wonderful cinematic tone make this one of the best Metroid games ever made.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is much more than a vehicle for the House that Miyazaki Built; it's a first-class production all the way that delivers-and improves on-every aspect of the traditional Japanese RPG.

At least in my time with it, Wasteland 3 has been a fascinating experience. I’ve come to appreciate its depth of gameplay, character, building, and exploration, even if some of its pieces and parts still feel very foreign to me. I’ve still got a long way to go in the game—thanks to how slow-going my progress has been as I get used to this type of adventure—but I’m eager to see what awaits me next in the frozen wastes of Colorado. [Review-in-Progress]

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is easily the most ambitious and stylish project from a studio long known for ambition and style. The mix of dialogue-heavy adventure gaming and real-time strategic battles is never boring, but it can often get weighed down by complicated storylines and endless plot twists. Had it packed a simpler yet stronger punch, 13 Sentinels could have been a contender for greatness.

The Outer Worlds is an impressive spiritual successor to Obsidian’s work on Fallout: New Vegas, mixing familiar design elements and the same zany attitude with an imaginative new universe and even deeper role-playing. While you can breeze through the main questline a bit quicker than in similar games, this is the sort of RPG experience you’ll want to play through multiple times, with multiple builds, to see all the systems and narrative paths on offer.

The same game as previously released on other systems, but the first two games of the series are glaringly absent from the Wii U. To make up for that, the developer included a motion comic to catch players up on the previous story. It's lacking, but what can you do?

Bravely Default is a reminder that classic Final Fantasy themes and gameplay elements are timeless in the right hands. Unfortunately, its later segments are some of the worst examples of unnecessary padding in RPG history. All told, it’s a flawed masterpiece that shows more potential than any other current Square Enix RPG property.

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.

From its opening moment until its final scene plays, Life is Strange is a wonderful, beautiful, captivating, touching adventure built upon the undying friendship of two girls trying to find their place in the world.

Despite a few camera issues and lack of modes, Rocket League is a fun, addicting experience that will keep players engaged for a long time.

Don’t be fooled into thinking Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is some minor spin-off of Insomniac Games’ PS4 exclusive. Sure, it’s not as long, but the experience is packed with enough new gameplay ideas and design refinements that it feels every bit like a true, substantial successor. Throw in a story that does justice to Miles as a character and tech that wonderfully showcases the power of the PlayStation 5, and you just might have one of the best console launch titles of the modern era.

It may be a bit rough around the edges, but Hotline Miami still makes for an immensely interesting addition to the PSN library, and its short, pick-up-and-play levels are an especially good fit for the Vita.

It has a few quirks that come with the franchise's first attempt at an open-world game, but at its heart, it's still a solid Forza title. I can see Horizon being the start of a continuing bold new direction for the franchise, and with a bit more polish, I can even see it becoming the Forza standard. If you're a Forza fan, this is definitely worth checking out.

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.

Dragon Age: Inquisition gives fans exactly what they’ve been clamoring for: an enormous adventure across a multitude of sprawling environments, but still laced with the series’ signature blend of political intrigue and character-driven emotional undercurrents. And just as with past installments, its strict interrogation of the human condition through believable, engaging characters is what truly defines Dragon Age above all, allowing it to rise above the rest of the fantasy fluff crowding the genre.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS manages to feel like a complete and worthwhile step forward for the franchise, even though you might occasionally wish for the precision of a real controller.

Pro Evolution Soccer has never looked better, and with great controls to match, Pro Evo 2017’s core gameplay is incredible. However, a lack of licenses and repetitive commentary keep the title from shining as brightly as it could have.

Nioh 2 takes the ideas of its predecessor and greatly expands on them, bringing a greater sense of depth to everything from gameplay, to stage design, to your ability to have a main character customized to your particular play style (and visual preferences). Admittedly, some of the simpler elegance of the original Nioh has been lost in the progress, but the result is still a game that’ll terrorize and thrill those looking for a real challenge.

While Sine Mora's challenge may ask more than some players will be able to provide, for those who can take what it's got to give and get back up, this is a brilliant addition to the Vita's library that absolutely should not be missed.

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.

MLB The Show 17 sets a new pinnacle for the franchise. It creates more depth for its tent pole modes and polishes everything else to a terrific gleam. Some online issues and glitches still continue to plague the series at launch, but you might get so engrossed in Franchise or RTTS that you won’t even notice until they’re fixed.

Destiny 2 is a more polished version of what Bungie created in the first game through simple tweaks and reworks, with the key word being simple. It plays well, invites new players in seamlessly, and honors the fans that have kept the series afloat. However, despite its efforts to be a triumphant propelling of the shooter/RPG genre into a new frontier, the sequel feels more like an update on mechanics that should have been there from the start.

One of the strongest offerings on the 3DS. Despite the familiarity of its overall design, the old racer's still got plenty of juice left.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection‘s multiplayer launch problems are an unfortunate blight on what would otherwise be an exciting way to experience the franchise’s evolution—online and off—in one smartly executed package.

This version of Darksiders II is nearly identical to the ones released on the PS3, 360 and PC in Auguest. While the Wii U version doesn't offer many innovations, it does come with all of the currently available DLC. The GamePad makes little difference to the gameplay, and though it's fun to have maps and inventory items ready and in front of you at all times, I still preferred to play with the standard controller. It's a great game, perfect for anyone who likes a good action-RPG.

Between taking in the hysterical story, trying your hand at level creation, or just blowing up some buddies in versus mode, most every gamer will find something to love about BattleBlock Theater. Whether played alone or with friends, The Behemoth’s latest is an absolute blast that’s well worth the price of admission.

A new control scheme and deeper career mode should lure fans back that were turned off by the last game for one more go in the octagon.

Despite its designation as a “rogue-lite,” Rogue Legacy delivers just as much addictive live-die-repeat challenge as any “full-fledged” members of the genre. Short of maxing out on every possible trait (an undertaking that would prove rather expensive in-game) the optional, RPG-style progression system never robs this roguelike’s random dungeons of their punishing nature and need for patience, a thoughtful approach, and the occasional bout of luck.

With new and re-imagined maps, the return of Guardian mode, and some new weapon and character skins, the Forces of Nature DLC maintains the streak of high-quality DLC that Epic has already delivered to us for Gears of War 3.

Civilization V: Brave New World is a stellar addition to an already excellent game that goes beyond the standard additions of new countries and Wonders by including additional game-changing paths to victory.

Ratchet & Clank is a return to form for the series, but anyone looking for something more than that may be disappointed. The game tugs on many of the original’s addictive strings, but is also bogged down by a few slower, more passive segments.

MLB The Show 16 continues to find innovative ways to push the series forward by adding new features and improving on old ones. Some new problems have arisen, however, and old ones—most notably the horrendous stability of online play—continue to persist and hold the series back.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land does pretty much everything it needs to as the pink puffball’s first 3D adventure. Clever level design and the appropriately named Mouthful Mode show that Kirby’s floating, sucking ways can work in a 3D space. Forgotten Land might not reach the highest heights of Nintendo’s other first-party adventures, but it definitely shows that Kirby can hold his own in a three-dimensional arena.

Siblings Amicia and Hugo went to hell and back in A Plague Tale: Innocence in their quest to survive an inquisition, endless hordes of rats, and the humans that looked to take advantage of the young boy’s curse. And now, in A Plague Tale: Requiem, they must pay the devil his due. This is the tale of the duo wanting to control their own fate as the fragile peace they had found falls apart, and the harsh lesson that their choices have consequences. As a game, Requiem is a bigger, better, and more ambitious adventure over its predecessor, but as a story, and a look into the lives of the characters that inhabit it, it’s so much more.

Far Cry 4 essentially boils down to a retread of the last game in the series with a different setting, a more polished story, and a handful of new traversal mechanics. It’s a strong gameplay template to follow, but one that’s much less compelling the second time around.

The wonderful relationship between a brave little mouse and the player character will ring as a bright spot in early VR development. Although the adventure is short-lived, and those looking for a challenge will be left wanting, Moss still serves as a great excuse to dust off your PS VR headsets if you haven’t done so in a while.

While not as "definitive" of a package as one might hope for $60, thanks to its markedly improved graphics and performance, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is now the only way I’d want to experience Crystal Dynamics’ rebooting of gaming’s leading lady.

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.