Desta: The Memories Between can’t quite figure out how to make the most of its odd genre mashup. Though the individual elements are solid, a lack of commitment to roguelike randomization in the single mode available at launch means the systems don’t really mesh together how you’d expect, and the replay value suffers as a result.

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.

Excessive button-mashing, constant quick-time events, drawn-out battles, an awkward balance between offering exploration while also being linear—those are elements that need some real rethinking and reworking if they’re to exist in upcoming portable chapters of Castlevania, or they’re elements that need to simply not exist at all.

Much like the “Roaring Thunder” weapon, Dead Rising 4 banks on nostalgia and humor. While not much new exists in the beat ‘em up genre, this title has a lot of fun moments, delivering an enjoyable return to a zombie-infested Willamette.

Even after 8 years, the Rage series is still having an identity crisis. It has all the signifiers of an open-world game, but it lacks the overall narrative that makes the world compelling, and its best bits—that is, its gunfights—take places in either small, complexly designed arenas or in hallways, like a linear shooter. The greatest irony about Rage 2 is that it might have been an even better, more interesting game if it was more like the first game with a fresh coat of (pink) paint. What it is now is just a bunch of sound and fury, which can be fun for a while, but it’s ultimately an empty experience.

Strikes the perfect balance between narrative exposition and gameplay. With expert pacing, the game offers an engaging cyberpunk story blended into a solid action-adventure that’s equal parts brawling and platforming. Remember Me utimately delivers the whole package—a very pretty, very pleasurable, very engaging gaming experience.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is a welcome release in the West, as we finally get the chance to experience one of the more experimental and enjoyable additions to the Final Fantasy franchise in years. It’s just a shame that some of the game’s concepts feel outdated or underdeveloped compared to its other parts—and that Type-0’s journey from the PSP to the new systems hasn’t done its visuals or environments a lot of favors.

Though its graphics are a bit dated and it’s not going to revolutionize the genre any time soon, Tales of Zestiria is a solid, anime-inspired RPG with a new twist on battling, a fun story, and a great central idea that pushes the Tales franchise forward.

Another fun twin-stick-shooter romp for Lara Croft, Temple of Osiris finds a way to go bigger and better in most regards, but four-player co-op was just too much on my TV screen—this one would’ve been better off with only two main characters instead of four.

Killzone; Shadow Fall – Intercept mixes some new twists on the Horde idea with some great team-based gameplay, but its lack of content volume and overall options unfortunately dull some of this new mode’s shine.

Although a bit short and repetitive at times, the fast and frantic action of Matterfall is a delight if you prefer your gameplay more arcade-y and your goals to be focused on high scores and conquering leaderboards rather than saving the world.

NBA Live 18 has improved in almost every way over its predecessor, making a strong case for its continued existence. However, a lackluster franchise and a sense of been-there-done-that with that other basketball series puts Live 18 one step behind the competition.

A solid sequel to the original, Yo-Kai Watch 2 opens up to the wild world outside of Springdale. With even more wild and wacky Yo-Kai to befriend and the added benefits of Internet connectivity, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls stretch out to a wider breadth than ever before—though perhaps a slightly shallower depth.

Pid feels like the indie game equivalent of paint-by-numbers. While it does an admirable job aping the style and atmosphere of titles like Braid, Limbo, and Machinarium, the entire experience winds up hollow, overlong, and ultimately forgettable thanks to awkward pacing and a gameplay gimmick that isn't quite as versatile as it needs to be.

Though there are many parts of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst that fail, when it manages to fire on all cylinders, the game works quite well. However, those moments are separated by dull stretches, frustrating bits that detract from the game’s greatest assets in order to focus on fighting and story conflicts, neither of which I cared about. I’ve dreamed about the many possibilities a next-gen, open-world Mirror’s Edge title could bring since Catalyst was announced back in 2015, but I never thought the end result would be so limiting.

While it never truly feels like it reaches its full potential or the promise Undead Lab’s ideas hold for the genre, State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition is still a fun, fascinating take on the tradition of zombie-apocalypse games that’s worth playing for hardcore fans.

A big step forward for the series, WWE 2K16 is still some polishing and a new submission system away from being Hall of Fame material, but should make a nice living as a stop gap in your library before hopefully bridging the gap to a bigger and better game next year.

Rain is a creative and charming adventure that provides a refreshing set of twists beyond what we’re used to. Nearly everything it does it does with a sense of style and grace, but it’s also easy to feel as if Rain’s ideas could have been fleshed out even more had the project had a bigger scope to it.

The concepts and challenges of NiGHTS into Dreams HD make it a game that not everybody will be able to appreciate-but for those that do, this is a great way to once again experience one of Sega's most curious yet creative moments in game development.

I don’t think Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is devoid of value, but I certainly don’t think it’s something to rush right out and buy—unless, as an Xbox One early adopter, you’re content with a passable platformer that possesses a handful of quasi-memorable moments to tide you over until Titanfall. And for anyone jonesing for a platformer, Max represents only a quick, short-lived fix.

It may be hard for some to fully appreciate the three games that make up Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World, but for those who can, you'll find a wonderful world of retro adventure awaiting.

The daring, deeply personal story is more than enough reason to give Papo & Yo a shot, but don't expect to be wowed by the underlying puzzle platformer gameplay.

Though a few flaws do mar the overall experience, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is an extremely enjoyable mix of retro beat-em-up design and modern fighting-game-inspired combat depth that offers far more satisfaction than its $10 price tag might initially suggest.

Unity follows in the original Assassin’s Creed’s footsteps in many ways as the first game in the series developed exclusively for the new generation of consoles. And, much like its ancestor, for every good thing Unity does, it adds something else that just leaves you scratching your head—giving the whole experience a hit-or-miss feel that we haven’t seen from the series in a long time.

While new armor and weapons are sprinkled throughout Destiny: Rise of Iron, we can’t escape the feeling that we’ve seen this all before.

You might not initially think that the story of a Yakuza member fighting for control of the streets of Tokyo would make a good template for a tale about post-apocalyptic warriors battling over resources (and pride), but Sega’s Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is the best game the beloved manga series has ever seen. While the experience does have some failings, they’re nothing protagonist Kenshiro can’t shake off.

Dead or Alive 6 is a solid new chapter in Team Ninja’s long-running fighting game series that has rarely been satisfied with just being “solid.” All of the groundwork that needed to be built here was built, but upon it was placed a mostly by-the-numbers experience that is too often just as frustrating as it is fun. While a reworking of the game could leave it in a much better place in the future (and on newer consoles), for now it’s a good release for people wanting more Dead or Alive as long as they don’t mind its value is limited.

Book of Spells is a decent proof of concept for the Wonderbook's augmented reality technology, but the rest of the experience fails to deliver anything memorable or worthwhile, quickly collapsing into an endless parade of gimmicks and dull, overly simplistic minigames.