Far Cry Primal really wants you to know that there are tons of things you can do in its prehistoric, open world. Unfortunately, you may not want to do any of them.

Though I never expected to ever see a sequel to The Evil Within, we’ve now gotten one, and I’m rather glad that we did. While The Evil Within 2 isn’t without problems—and I’m not sure it’s the kind of game I’ll ever want to play through a second time—by the time the final credits rolled, I had legitimately enjoyed the adventure I’d just gone on, and the improvements that Tango Gameworks had tried to bring to the series.

In trying to please everyone, American Nightmare takes a small step back from what made the original Alan Wake an original and enthralling experience, but is still well worth the price of admission for old and new fans alike.

Twelve Minutes fully embraces its time loop conceit to amp up tension and provide players with a cleverly directed puzzle to solve. Discovering the whos and whys of the game’s central event in bite-sized increments is just as satisfying as interacting with its simple adventure-style interface. Its A-list casting and unanswered plot elements might distract from the overall package, but at its core, Twelve Minutes is a satisfying thriller that asks some dark and disturbing moral questions.

Super Mario Run does a nice job of capturing the feel of a classic Mario game. The fact that it needs to always be online in order to play deters me from grinding through its collectible driven-gameplay, however, since it limits when and where I can actually play the game—defeating one of the primary purposes of playing a mobile game in the first place.

Journey to the Savage Planet’s greatest quality is that it respects its players. Perfectly paced, genuinely charming, and rewardingly explorable, developer Typhoon Studios’ debut is a love letter to thoughtful game design and the ancient art of fun over function. If you grew up loving 3D platformers and games with worlds that felt bigger than they actually were, Journey to the Savage Planet will make you feel like you’re coming home.

Carrion doesn’t just flip the horror script—it’s the ultimate power fantasy, packed into a tight, uncompromising space. It might utilize some video game tropes, but it doesn’t seem too concerned with accepted video game values. It’s a 2D side-scroller without platforming, an action game where you dictate the action. The Doom Slayer might talk a big game about ripping and tearing, but Carrion’s meatball monster puts its money where its many mouths are.

A polished, tremendously fun time even without all the options or content of its multiplayer contemporaries.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster brings back one of the most celebrated and beloved entries from the Megami Tensei franchise nearly 20 years after its original debut. The original Nocturne was a heck of a JRPG in its time, and Atlus has now upgraded it with higher-resolution widescreen visuals, richer vocal tracks, and some much-appreciated quality of life upgrades. Unfortunately, it also misses some areas of the game that equally needed touching up (such as the controls and camera), and it’s hard not to feel like the game deserved a full remake rather than just a remaster.

The Heist is a fun little way to spend more time with the delightful gameplay, characters, and world of Marvel’s Spider-Man, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a complete, satisfying expansion on its own.

There’s an ambitious and wonderfully tense multiplayer game hidden somewhere deep inside of Evolve, and on the rare occasions you can coax it out with perfectly balanced teams and a little luck, you’ll understand exactly what Turtle Rock was aiming for. More often than not, however, you’ll find yourself stuck in another dull and lengthy traipse through the jungle with an unsatisfying and lopsided payoff, made all the worse by a lack of substance or long-term appeal.

There is a strong core of characters and story bedrock laid down in Mass Effect: Andromeda, but between questionable design choices, boring missions, and glitches galore, it’s hard not to view BioWare’s journey to a brand new galaxy as anything less than mission failure.

If hack-n-slash games are your jam—or you can tolerate them but really just love The Legend of Zelda in all its iterations—then Hyrule Warriors is a more-than-worthy warmup for Link on the Wii U.

ShootMania breathes new life into a crowded genre by taking things back to basics. If you’re a fan of old-style twitch shooters, this is the game for you. However, a lack of progression—bar a leaderboard—and simple map designs may lead to many being turned off in the long run. If you’re after a pure shooter, however, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Watch Dogs: Legion pushes through Ubisoft’s generally noncommittal attitude towards storytelling and exploiting current events to create something that feels like a genuine shift, or at least the prototype of that shift. It might be a sloppy game in many regards, but Legion offers a novel way to experience an open world, with its interconnected NPCs and the introduction of permadeath to the genre.

Color Splash presents a beautifully crafted paper and cardboard world, populated by witty paper Toads and existential minions. Though it’s got its share of backtracking and battle system quirks, the new painting mechanics are satisfying, and the mini-story arcs are almost creative and clever enough to make you forget that your princess is (yet again) in another castle.

Through the grounded reality it portrays and simple jobs players are tasked with, Firewatch sneaks up and surprises you when it zeroes in on a powerful message about the human condition.

This entry features some of the best storytelling, characterization, and pacing in the franchise—though the combat doesn’t make the smoothest of transitions from the DS version. Those who never played the original Japanese release won’t know what they’re missing, of course, but it’s frustrating that this undeniably excellent game isn’t quite all it could’ve been on the PS Vita.

30 Years of WrestleMania will be a fun stroll down memory lane for older, more diehard WWE fans. Otherwise, WWE 2K14 feels like a mailed-in effort before next-gen hits, especially as the WWE Universe mode starts to show its age.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a worthwhile entry in the series that will provide more of what fans expect while fleshing out some of the narrative gaps between the first two titles. And while the addition of low gravity and a few new guns might not change things forever, their presence is far from a hindrance and fits into the Borderlands formula fine, although unremarkably.

As what may be the last hoorah for this particular story arc, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a stereotypical stealth-action game, but one which manages to separate itself from the pack by excelling in everything that makes this genre what it is.

The New Order’s returning gameplay carries the day here. The Old Blood’s story spends too much time trying to be a tribute to an old game instead of its own adventure—and prevents this standalone expansion from being as deep or enjoyable as the main game.

The plot and adventure are both more than worthy of the Paper Mario name, and the game is set in a massive, beautifully designed world for gamers to explore. Still, these aspects can't hide the fact that the sticker fighting system is flawed and removes a lot of the fun from the RPG combat.

A Lego game with an original story featuring a who’s who of DC villains (and a few heroes for good measure), a universe of great locations, and plenty of bricky humor. A few game killing bugs do hinder the overall experience (at least on Switch), but otherwise Lego DC Super-Villains is a blast to play, either alone or with another aspiring no-goodnick.

Dream Drop Distance does have its share of annoyances, but the game works well overall, and it's a nice addition to the franchise…even if it's not the one fans are waiting for.

Rebel Galaxy is a robust trek through the stars, even if it is bogged down by a heavy reliance on repetition and a weak narrative. A host of systems that are all built to generate organic emergent moments, no matter what your play style, make Rebel Galaxy one of this year’s biggest surprises.

EA Sports UFC 3 feels like one step forward and two steps back. Striking is more realistic than ever, but submissions and the ground game remain convoluted. The new G.O.A.T. Career mode has flashes of brilliance, but bogs you down in menus while losing the human side of fights. As well, Ultimate Team just feels like yet another cash grab. There is a decent core in UFC 3, but it needs a lot more time in the gym to become champion material.

Hohokum‘s intriguing collection of free-form worlds begs exploration, but the game’s questionable structure stifles the ability to play it on your own terms. It’s an aural and visual spectacle, but it’s also a lot more frustrating than it ever needed to be.

Between its compelling art direction, surprisingly complex strategic decisions, and inventive weaponry, there’s a lot much to love in Void Bastards. Unfortunately, its overall structure and narrative will leave you feeling empty by the end. That’s not to say you shouldn’t let yourself enjoy all that this charming, stressful game has to offer. Just don’t expect to feel totally satisfied once you escape to the right nebula.

The Last Day of June tells an emotional story of loss and acceptance, though it can’t claim to have an entirely original story. An art style that’s half cute storybook Claymation and half soulless, eyeless faces may be pretty divisive, but the game’s time looping puzzles tie well into the feelings of repetition and despair.

Tropico 5 is a noticeable, if subtle, revision on the Tropico formula. The new Eras and the Dynasty system create additional gameplay layers without disrupting the balance of the experience. The multiplayer, while fun when it works, mostly doesn’t.

Donut County isn’t really bad at what it sets out to do, but its ambitions are so meager that you can’t help but feel the concept hasn’t been explored to the fullest extent. This is indie game design at its most disposable. I’d be shocked if anyone is still talking about—or even remembers—Donut County a year or two from now.

It can be extremely difficult to introduce a new game into a genre long dominated by one company and franchise, but Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a modern and expertly executed take on everything turn-based RPGs introduced to gamers so many years ago. It’s a reminder that old ways don’t have to die away; they just need the right people to hone in on what made the genre work in the first place.

Gran Turismo Sport purposely limits itself as it revolves solely around getting players racing online in various competitions. The VR gimmick and customization options are nice, but otherwise there simply is not enough here for anyone but the gamer that wants to turn video game racing into a potential career. GT Sport is a shell of what we expect from this series, and will disappoint anyone looking for any significant content in its offline modes.

A great choice for both longtime pros and those just getting their feet wet. Just don't let its daunting persona keep you away-while Akai Katana is certainly another case of sink-or-swim, it's quite a lot of fun once you're no longer thrashing about wildly from fear of drowning.

Blood of the Werewolf is a solid 2D platformer that hearkens back to a bygone era. Tight controls and decent action make up for somewhat bland aesthetics, while the extra modes seen in this version offer more than enough replayability to garner a look from most gamers.

If you’ve been longing for a driving game with more destruction than you can keep up with, Onrush delivers. There are many things unique about this new arcade racer, the top being that the term “racer” is a misnomer.

Payday 2 is pure first-person shooter fun that, while not about to turn any heads visually, is certainly a knockout as far as gameplay goes. Fans of four-player co-op will get a great deal out of Overkill’s heist-themed sequel.

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a literal return-to-form for the series, and longtime fans should be happy about that. While it might not be a hardcore roguelike or fully integrate its more modern design choices, it does exactly what it sets out to do: give players a true sequel to the original Genesis classic. It’s hard to say how far this formula could have come in 28 years if the series hadn’t taken detours into other genres, but for now I’m just happy that it’s gone back to its roots.

Ghostwire: Tokyo offered Japanese developer Tango Gameworks a chance to mix things up after the first two The Evil Within games, and the result is an open-world action adventure that definitely has its moments. Unfortunately, those moments come together with some missed potential and a lack of truly fleshing out all of the ideas presented. In the end, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a good game—but one that could have been something more.

Devolver Digital’s Crossing Souls isn’t afraid to wear its love for the 80’s on its sleeve, but thankfully, there’s more to the story on top of it. While it isn’t without its missteps, using interesting and unique gameplay elements, diverse locations, and well-rounded characters, the arcade adventure game will give both modern and retro gamers something to enjoy.

Concrete Genie’s painting tech impresses at first and its heart is certainly in the right place, but the game ultimately proves too aimless to support its already brief running time. Adorning the city in landscapes of your own creation quickly loses its luster as you realize that what you create lacks meaningful interactivity. Even the jarring addition of combat midway through doesn’t do much to counter the sense that Pixelopus couldn’t find a way to build out a full game around a simple gameplay idea.

Grid: Autosport’s attempt to capture the spirit of five distinct racing disciplines pays off in terms of gameplay variety, but the experience feels stripped back in many of the ways that make the genre’s best titles feel like personal journeys.

Showdown probably isn't the sequel DiRT fans were anticipating, but if you can look past the dramatic shift in tone and the overly aggressive AI, you'll find plenty of unpretentious arcade fun.

While not as fresh and daring as its previous chapter, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is still a fantastic new addition to Capcom’s seminal survival-horror series, one that mixes some welcome gameplay polish with a great selection of monsters and a superb leading cast.

Ultimately, Thieves in Time is still an above-average platformer, but it’s not nearly as good as it could’ve been.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number still sits atop the same solid, brutally violent core that made the first game a success, but it inherits all of its predecessor’s flaws as well, and buries them within a bloated, altogether less satisfying experience. While the sequel isn’t without its occasional charms, there’s no doubt Hotline Miami would be destined for a greater legacy had it called it quits after the first spree.

No More Heroes III brings back gaming’s favorite passing assassin in a bombastic way, with the kind of inventive, fourth wall-breaking presentation one might expect. It’s flashier, bolder, and even funnier than its predecessors, and the gameplay feels just slightly modernized without sacrificing any of the series’ charm. The pacing might seem a bit halted in some places, and it could have worked best as a capstone to the series, but it’s clear that creator Suda51 and the rest of the designers are just as passionate about the Garden of Madness as ever.

Hakuoki: Memories of the Shinsengumi brings the world of Japanese girls’ romance games to English-speaking 3DS owners in a game that’s a fascinating experience into typically uncharted gaming territory.

Colossatron features a noticeably more punishing microtransaction model than Halfbrick’s previous efforts, and the gameplay isn’t inherently fun or varied enough to disguise the lengthy grind required to advance.

Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection marks the return of Capcom’s brutally challenging action platformer series after a 14-year hiatus, and it’s a game that hasn’t forgotten the teachings or techniques of its ancestors. While it’s more of a “best of” for the series than a fresh new chapter, Resurrection is both a trip down memory lane, and a new experience that’ll test both longtime fans and players alike. It probably won’t resurrect the Ghosts ‘n Goblins franchise for a new era, but at least it reminds us that both Arthur and his enemies aren’t ready for the grave quite yet.

There’s a legitimately interesting and enjoyable top-down shooter experience present in Sky Force Reloaded, but it’s tainted by an overall package that still has far too many connections to its free-to-play origins. Those longing for a game that’ll last for a while will find the most enjoyment here, but most others may find progression to be a total slog.

The rough controls of the first Prototype have been tweaked and revamped to allow for a more user-friendly experience. The story also flows a lot more smoothly than the more conspiracy-driven first game. Unfortunately, even with Heller's different powers, Prototype 2 does become tedious at times as there is little variety in mission parameters, but you should still find some fun in blowing up everything that gets in your way.

So far, I’ve had a blast with the game’s single-player. The tracks are fun and creative, the concept is simple but effective, and I still feel like I’m mastering the game’s mechanics. It’s definitely not perfect, and feels especially unimaginative in the visual design department, but if You Suck at Parking is as fun in multiplayer as it is in single-player, then it’s going to be one that fans of weird racing games should definitely look out for.

Like a mashup of Star Fox and No Man’s Sky, Starlink: Battle for Atlas features space combat, exploration, and a solid story to scratch your deep space itch. While presented as a toys-to-life game, the toys are entirely optional. Instead, opt for the digital version, which will get you additional content and greater convenience for about the cost of a physical Starter Pack. It’s definitely the best way to play.

Leon and Jake's respective campaigns mark a return to greatness for this franchise, but Chris's bro-fest campaign comes up a little short.

Nitrome’s signature is designing increasingly complex levels out of the most basic gameplay mechanics, and Gunbrick: Reloaded shows how well that formula can work—even when that mechanic is as simple as counting. Add to that brilliant level designs and a quality retro art style, and you have another gem in the developer’s next stage of existence. While it’s a shame that the new content in this rerelease is locked behind challenges, that doesn’t take away from the quality of the new content.

What Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege lacks in content it makes up for in intense, fast-paced, heart-pounding action and tight gameplay. If tactical multiplayer is your thing, there may be none better. If not, though, you’ll likely find the experience to be a bit bare bones.

The potential from a reunion of the original three Disgaea protagonists is betrayed by the lackluster execution here. The core strategy is still enjoyable—though several holes are evident even in that aspect—but the disappointingly subpar story, packaging, and writing aren’t worthy of the Disgaea name.

I Am Setsuna is a mixture of beautiful, heartfelt, and depressing moments, one whose depth is unfortunately overshadowed by its over-abundant moments of shallowness. The worth in Setsuna may end up being not in what it did on its own, but the groundwork it provides for future projects.

The explosion-happy, pixel-art world of Not a Hero can be fun for short bursts. However, its inability to take anything seriously—paired with an intense objective system—leaves it somewhere in the middle.

Batman: Arkham Origins is a massive step back from Rocksteady’s Arkham efforts due to countless technical problems, poor gadget balancing, and a needless addition of versus multiplayer.

Call of Duty: Vanguard sometimes strains under the pressure of fulfilling its obligations to the all-consuming Warzone platform that the series has become. Vanguard’s Gunsmith and Operators might dictate the game’s World War II fiction in weird and hilarious ways, but it can still offer the same thrills you’d expect. Still, there’s no denying that Vanguard feels like a watered down entry for the franchise, which is now more motivated by microtransactions than by telling a compelling World War II narrative.

The Play Set portion of Disney Infinity consists of average to slightly above-average platformers, with enough collectibles to send players with OCD off the deep end. Things get better in the Toy Box, where the potential for player-crafted adventures really opened up the experience. Overall, Disney Infinity is an excellent addition to the fairly new toy-enhanced game genre.

Steelrising is a new Souls-like twist on the French Revolution that unfortunately doesn’t see all of its lofty ambitions grow into accomplishments. While its gameplay is enjoyable once you get far enough to earn some unlocks and get main character Aegis more decked out, it tries to mimic elements of FromSoftware’s action RPG classics without always understanding what made said elements work. When Spiders leans less on taking inspiration from other games and more on presenting its own ideas, we get an intriguing—and surprisingly deep—alternate take on an important moment in France’s history.

While it doesn’t completely escape the shortcomings of its original outing, Capcom’s HD-ified version of Resident Evil: Revelations is still as fun and enthralling as it was on the 3DS—while now also benefiting from the improvements in controls, visuals, and audio that other gaming platforms can offer. If you previously missed this chapter of the legendary Resident Evil saga, this is the best way to rectify that.

Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood offers two of the best experiences from the long-running Castlevania series in one convenient package. While both games still hold up extremely well, the collection as a whole doesn’t introduce anything new to fans, making it feel like nothing more than a slapped together port. Still, both titles are worth the time of fans and newcomers.

Back 4 Blood certainly improves upon the gameplay formula of Turtle Rock’s earlier Left 4 Dead, with a deeper feature set that allows for greater strategy and customization while fending off Hordes of the undead. But the world of the game and its characters lack the charm of its spiritual forebear, and a few curious design choices keep it just shy of greatness.

The parkour and risk/reward of the day/night cycle are nice features, but they aren’t enough to overcome the abysmal writing or the boring, repetitive fetch quests that unnecessarily bloat this game.

Every time Star Fox tries to do something out of its space-combat comfort zone it fails. Star Fox Guard sadly continues this tradition of games that make you go “meh” when Fox and the gang step away from their Arwing cockpits.

Though not quite as ambitious as it could (or should) be, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is an enjoyable and accessible fighting game-one that you don't have to be a Naruto fan in order to enjoy.

By eliminating class and level systems, the game allows players to take a more free-form approach to character development, effectively allowing a single character to fulfill multiple roles, depending on what the situation calls for. Add in a deep story, diverse quest structure, and some amazingly dark and horrific environs, and the end result is one of the biggest surprises in recent years. Once Funcom squashes all of the bugs-and assuming they continue to support it with new content-The Secret World could become the hit it deserves to be.

Despite some technical shortcomings, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham does a fine job of continuing to build on what the series has established while also hitting all the right notes to keep pleasing Bat-fans of all ages.

While it can’t always escape the reality of being a dungeon-crawling RPG originally released in 1997, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner—Soul Hackers has stood up amazingly well to the tests of time, and it still stands as an enjoyable, engrossing experience into the near-future world of demonic warfare.

While the Dynasty Warriors style of gameplay appropriately sits front and center in Fire Emblem Warriors, the lack of genre melding with an RPG is disappointing. Players will enter into each battle with plenty of chances to smash buttons and oggle at Fire Emblem characters destroying one another, but the heart of the tactical RPG franchise doesn’t make a proper appearance. Too bad, too, because this might have been a wasted opportunity to really experiment with the musou genre.

At certain moments, Syndicate was a beautiful, engaging shooter that had me on the edge of my seat, but there were just as many phoned-in, shoot-by-numbers sequences that left me feeling that it's bound a bit too tightly by a set of conventions that lead to an unfortunately predictable experience. Starbreeze definitely knows its way around the genre, but I can't help but wish that they would've strayed a bit farther from the script with this one.

Dead or Alive 5 provides just enough new content and combat tweaks to stay fresh, but the sequel ultimately feels like Dead or Alive 4.5 instead of a bold new title.

I love difficult games, but The Flame in the Flood didn’t test my resolve—it tested my patience. A stellar look and an awesome soundtrack made me want to love The Molasses Flood’s first release, but with so many technical setbacks, I could hardly even stomach my time with it. I won’t be returning to the flood.

While it certainly won't win any points for originality, Battle Royale is a solid Smash Bros. clone that brings a few interesting, if flawed, innovations to the casual brawler.

Devolver Digital and Onebitbeyond’s action RPG, The Swords of Ditto, isn’t a complete reinvention of the roguelike subgenre, but it has enough modern twists and artistic charm to stand out. Players new to such games might have trouble jumping in, though, as a few important mechanics of the subgenre aren’t explained as well as they should have been.

Drox Operative has a solid base and an incredibly advanced AI at its heart. It basically ticks all the boxes for the genre, but the later level grinding will suck your soul dry, leaving all but the most hardcore of players wanting something more.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir is a captivating window not only into Nintendo’s past, but also into the past of adventure games as a whole. While it retains some of the gameplay frustrations that plagued the genre back in its earlier days, The Missing Heir offers a gripping murder mystery at its core, wrapped in video and audio upgrades that freshen up the experience for a whole new generation of would-be detectives.

People Can Fly’s special brand of explosive gunplay is better than ever in Outriders, but the game loses its way by shoehorning in too many of the RPG mechanics that have become bog standard for the “looter shooter” genre. What should have been a rollercoaster all the way through ends up feeling more like a car in stop-and-go traffic.

Narrative issues and a lack of ingenuity in multiplayer plague what could’ve been an all-time great Call of Duty game. As is, Ghosts is still an enjoyable experience and shows that Infinity Ward can still hold the line—but the concept falls short of its true potential.

Fun puzzles, inventive murders, and new crime-solving features help make up for a morality system that needed far more fleshing out to be effective.

NBA Live 19 fully expands on its The One mode while adding a little more weight and momentum to its actual gameplay. While its in-game presentation and distinct style of gameplay might turn off players looking for a strict basketball sim, NBA Live 19 consistently rewards players for actually playing without trying to gouge them for more money.

Shadow Fall serves up decent sci-fi themed first-person-shooter action complete with teases of what the new console generation has in store for us. It’s not particularly inspired, nor is it anything to write home about, but as something to make your early adoption feel justified, I think Killzone does the trick.

Hardline might not reinvent the wheel the series rolls on, but it certainly makes it spin a whole lot smoother. Speeded up gameplay, an opened-up single-player, and a robust suite of new multiplayer modes lends itself to the best Battlefield to date—though that’s not saying much, a decade later.

If you can look past the fact that it's essentially ModNation Racers with a Sackboy-colored coat of paint, LittleBigPlanet Karting is an enjoyable enough vehicular romp. Still, it's hard to shake the sense that United Front has already made this game once-and they did it better the first time.

BandFuse leans a bit too heavily on fluffy video interviews with musicians that offer little educational value, but the underlying systems and mechanics are a smart aid for learning to play the guitar.

If you play Assassin’s Creed primarily for the single-player experience, The Tyranny of King Washington is definitely worth it. Think of it in terms of Marvel’s alternate-storyline What If comics: It’s fun for what it is, but it doesn’t surpass the original in terms of enjoyment.

The last of the “Operation Rainfall Three,” Pandora’s Tower borrows heavily from Shadow of the Colossus—young lad must rescue his beloved from a gruesome fate by felling massive beasts—but you can’t help but think you’ve played a far better version of this game before. Hardcore Japanese RPG fans might forgive some of the glaring flaws here, but Pandora’s Tower certainly won’t have the mass appeal of Team Ico’s 2005 PS2 classic.

Sega 3D Classics Collection is a hard release to judge. On one hand, it’s a mixed selection of M2’s fantastic library of classic Sega games reworked for the 3DS. On the other, it offers up stellar versions of every one of those games, which fans will especially appreciate.

Bright, colorful worlds brought to life by a unique art style, coupled with challenging, diverse gameplay highlights yet another successful Kirby spin-off that is as good or better in many ways than its predecessor.

While I still don’t know that the world needs dancing games based off of the Persona series, it’s obvious that Atlus could do way worse than Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. Both games show clear effort in terms of visuals and animations, and if there’s any RPG franchise with soundtracks you’d want to groove to, it’s Persona.

A bundle that embodies the worst grinding elements of popular RPGs with a lackluster match-three gameplay mechanic. This version of Puzzle & Dragons tries to use the gold standard that Super Mario Bros. represents in order to bolster the façade that this is an interesting, worthwhile gaming experience. It’s not.

The concept might seem a bit gimmicky at first glance, but Baller Beats is a well made, respectable peripheral-driven rhythm game in the tradition of Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero. Some technical limitations keep the game from outright greatness, but there's a lot of fun-and real world benefits-to be had here.

Game Freak returns to the non-Pokémon world with HarmoKnight, a music-infused platformer that will be a light-hearted romp for casual fans of the genre—but which might not be memorable enough for more dedicated rhythm-game devotees.