From new game play elements like the naval battles, the expansive frontier, new multiplayer modes, and the smoothest combat to date, any fan of the franchise will not be able to put this down and newcomers will be awe-inspired by the world laid out before them.

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.

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.

Though built on the same core as the Souls games, Bloodborne marks the largest departure from the status quo to date. The numerous changes, many in service of a faster and more aggressive playstyle, might not be for everyone, but if you embrace that shift, you might well have a new favorite in the From Software canon.

One of the best hockey sims to date. A couple of minor adjustments are always needed, but this is as close as its going to get for you short of lacing up skates and donning pads yourself.

Super Mario Maker’s a glorified level maker, but it’s a good one. Though it’s a little short on content, there’s plenty to play around with, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the community can make with it. In the meantime, it’s easy to learn, it’s fun to play, and it’s packed with enough Easter eggs to put the Easter Bunny out of business.

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.

While The Last of Us was one of the PS3’s most impressive, engrossing releases, The Last of Us: Remastered feels like the version of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic story of survival that the developer always intended us to play. Its story and characters are just as strong as they were before, but they’re now reinforced by far more amazing visuals, consistent framerate, and a nice selection of new bonus features and DLC inclusions.

Inside is a brilliantly crafted game that will keep you talking about it long after you’ve finished playing. Its moody, atmospheric world and terrific puzzle-platforming are simply the hooks to first draw you in.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag doesn’t move the franchise forward as a whole—but it doesn’t need to. Instead, this is probably the best pirate simulation in gaming history that successfully lays the groundwork for what’s to come in the series.

While Breath of the Wild doesn’t follow the standard Zelda formula, it may be the quintessential example of the Zelda spirit. With a stunningly beautiful and interactive world, surprising difficulty, and a dizzying amount of riddles and puzzles, there’s no end to the secrets hidden in the vast land of Hyrule.

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.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes its name literally, as everything that fans have loved from the series is present and accounted for this time around. It's the party brawler that lets friends go head-to-head with their favorite game characters, now on Nintendo's impressive hybrid console. Spirits, featured in the World of Light story mode, introduce an exciting role-playing element for a new level of strategy and creativity. Thankfully, this and other new additions only add to the winning Smash Bros. formula, never taking away from what works.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is far more than a fantasy role-playing game. It’s an amazingly fleshed-out world that rewards careful, thoughtful exploration. CD Projekt RED didn’t just deliver on their promise to craft an open world worthy of author Andrzej Sapkowski’s lore—they greatly exceeded it.

As far as expansions go, Enemy Within takes a relatively safe approach, opting to flesh out Enemy Unknown with new maps, enemies, and upgrades rather than redefining its core. Thankfully, it works, because the additions are every bit as smart and enjoyable as the main game.

More than just a simple remake of a cherished classic, Resident Evil 2 is a reinvigoration of the entire franchise, showing just how much life it still has left without the need to make drastic gameplay or stylistic changes. From start to end, this is a phenomenal showcase of old mixed with new, both giving players the chance to relive an important chapter in the life of the series under fantastic new conditions, while also potentially paving the way for Resident Evil for years to come.

Damned impressive, standing head and shoulders above the original and other games in the genre as the most addictive, engrossing co-operative FPS game of this generation. A bona fide game-of-the-year candidate.

Easily the best Lego game yet, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes' expansive world, original story, and bevy of unlockables should please fans of all ages.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U offers the most modes, fighters, and stages in the history of the franchise, with a surprisingly high level of polish across the board. Whether you prefer multiplayer or toughing it out against CPU fighters, you’ll find hours of excellent fun throwing down with your favorite Nintendo characters.

Fans of the original Trials will love the steps the series has taken to move forward while being more open for newcomers to jump right in and have fun with it. It can be a bit frustrating at times though, as the game almost has an old-school platformer feel to it being easy to learn, but very difficult to master.

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.

This new-gen installment of the inFAMOUS franchise offers a new hero, a new city, and tons of new powers. But this is still inFAMOUS at heart, and it’s filled with familiar—if refined—open-world gameplay. Protagonist Delsin Rowe’s story is more interesting than former leading man Cole MacGrath’s, and his powers are more fun to use, too. As far as I’m concerned, this is the first must-play PS4 title.

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.

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.

Pushmo’s Wii U debut maintains the franchise’s exceptional standard of fun, deep puzzles, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself occasionally missing the portability and 3D functionality of the first two games.

One of the Vita’s best releases come to the PlayStation 4 in Tearaway: Unfolded, a charming, endearing, and enjoyable adventure whose jump to the big screen will allow a far wider audience to appreciate a game that went criminally overlooked the first time around.

While Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth takes numerous gameplay cues from Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey franchise, this is an engrossing, expansive, and entertaining adventure that truly feels like a proper new chapter of the Persona series—one that masterfully blends together elements from both its past and its present.

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.