You’d be hard pressed to find an automaker willing to take an extra year to reset their car line much like Ghost Games did here with their second run on Need for Speed. What we get is a more focused and competent racer but one seemingly unwilling to risk standing out from the crowd.

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.

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.

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.

A fair amount of bugs and lack of a present-day scenario detract from what is otherwise a strong return to form for Assassin’s Creed. Syndicate touts not one, but two great protagonists, strong gameplay, and Victorian Era London is neck and neck with Renaissance Italy as the best place the series has been to.

Longtime fans will certainly love the fanservice and visuals, but even those new to Dragon Quest may find a lot to like here.

The continuation of a new Master Chief saga, the refinement and additions to multiplayer for casual and pros alike, plus a gorgeous presentation made possible by current generation technology—all add up to the makings of a FPS worthy of the Halo series’ best iterations.

As a farewell to the characters and settings of the original Corpse Party, Corpse Party: Blood Drive is a flawed, frustrating adventure that strays too far from what made its predecessor so beloved. And yet, at times, it still shows signs of brilliance—enough that at least hardcore fans of the franchise can find joy amongst the relentless torture.

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.

Tri Force Heroes is a Zelda game in name only. When you dig just past the surface, poor gameplay mechanics and key missing elements for a Zelda title tarnish what is otherwise a serviceable adventure game.

World of Warships starts out well. The game is fast, it looks good, and it’s fun. Progress soon comes to a crawl, however, and the repetitive grinding, off-set only by a convoluted Free-to-Play system, dampens the experience in ways that the superb graphics and quick multiplayer matchmaking do little to offset.

LEGO Dimensions moves the toys-to-life genre in a new direction by introducing the need to build (and rebuild) your toys, and manipulate them during the game. This combined with the brilliant mash-up of different properties makes for a LEGO game fans of the series won’t want to miss.

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash takes Nintendo’s adorable mini helper robot and throws him into a mediocre side-scrolling platformer that’s too easy, too frustrating, and too below the standards of either its hero or its publisher. There’s some good here, but it’s not enough to raise this one above being an average experience.

Yoshi’s Woolly World brings an astounding amount of features to an aesthetically impressive title. It stands as one of the best Wii U titles this season, constantly delivering creative twists on what the platformer genre that Nintendo has been tapping for so long. It’s an absolute must buy for fans of the Yoshi series.

The Legend of Legacy has nice character designs, beautiful backgrounds, good music, and some inventive mechanics. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is repetitive and extremely shallow, the combat system is a slog with little character progression, and simple tasks like saving the game and walking from place to place are needlessly tedious. Without a good story or developed world to keep it interesting and no real way to improve your skills, there’s no reason to fight through to the end.

Harmonix bills Rock Band 4 as a platform that will grow and improve with the future, but for now, the new game offers little reason to upgrade from Rock Band 3, with a weaker soundtrack, fewer modes, and more promises of exciting features than actual, demonstrable ones.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 does a disservice to returning fans and newcomers alike by removing most of what gave the original games flare while being simultaneously riddled with glitches.

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.

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.

NBA Live 16 takes a small baby step forward with the franchise, but there are still core gameplay elements that need to be smoothed out before it can be a championship caliber game.

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.

It’s an absolute feat that Nintendo was able to retain the trademark Animal Crossing charming feel without including many of the tropes that have been present since the series began back in 2001. That novelty, however, is fleeting, and after a few hours of play, you’re left with a shallow feeling that your work has gotten you nowhere. Even when viewed through the lens of “just a spinoff,” Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer is disappointing.

Atlus somehow finds a way to craft a music game based around Persona 4 and have it end up as a serious entry to the rhythm genre. Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a great experience, with gameplay, visual, and a soundtrack that all come together in one heck of a package.

FIFA 16 is a beautiful game about the beautiful game. Driven by a need for authenticity, EA has created an unparalleled soccer simulation that improves upon FIFA 15 in every aspect. While the game’s elaborate controls and elite presentation still make it challenging for the uninitiated, steps have been taken to help welcome new players.

New aspects in NHL 16 like the on-ice trainer and the Morale system in Be a GM give the game some welcome layers of depth, and the actual gameplay is as good as ever. However, you can’t help but get the sense that the biggest additions to this year’s game just came from putting back features that were cut from last year’s title.

Mad Max’s inescapable, monotonous looting in a derivative open world can’t justify seeking the sparse instances of break-neck fun behind the wheel. Though there are moments that reach the level of Mad Max: Fury Road, they’re unfortunately too few and far between.

With a cosmic blend of minimalistic space strategy and humorous, frenzied, in-person action, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a neon-pop space shooter not to be missed.

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.