Obduction’s gradually unfolding setting is compelling, and its narrative answers your big questions while leaving enough ambiguity to uphold a sense of mystery. A few exceptional puzzles reproduce the best of the genre’s glory days but the gameplay moments filling the space between them are too uneven and unrefined. Since it comes from the same creative talent, Obduction clearly takes some pages from Myst’s book, but these excerpts only result in flashes of greatness rather than a true successor.

When it embraces the full weight of its gameplay mechanics, it’s an enchanting experience. It hits speed bumps often and comes dangerously close to losing its way, but concludes with two strong acts. Valley is one of those gaming oddities with unique highs unlike almost anything else, which makes the lows worth tolerating.

Master of Orion is an incredibly polished iteration and a worthwhile return to the beloved franchise, but it’s entering a galaxy full of fierce competition as the space 4X genre has seen a big bang of resurgence over the last few years. Master of Orion boasts a lot to love for new players, and it’s one of the best entry-level 4X games out there, but older veterans may find themselves searching the stars for more complexity.

The King of Fighters XIV’s combo system is loose and expressive, and the character variety makes it easy to keep playing for hours. The learning curve is still a bit too steep for new players, but those who make the effort to climb it will find a fun, if unadventurous, fighter.

While I agree Madden 17 isn't a leap forward, the fact that it rides Madden 16's coattails while creating its own (thanks to the commentary system and some of the trench play) doesn't make it a bad title. If you asked me which I'd rather have – a new franchise mode or the improved line play that's now in the game, it's hard to ignore what I've actually experienced versus a hypothetical. The game is better because of it, and there's no going back.

Alone With You is an endearing adventure, albeit a flawed one. Despite its dark subject matter, it somehow remains to have a lighthearted tone with its pastel, washed-out aesthetic. I admired the different locations and existential tone, but longed for a more captivating storyline. Like the holographic cast it chronicles, this experience lacks a distinct personality, leaving it as a charming but forgettable adventure.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force features strong shooting mechanics, diverse missions, and a high level of challenge, but the frustrating matchmaking infrastructure and lack of checkpoints prevent it from truly achieving the greatness of its namesake.

F1 2016 has gained a lot of the ground the series has lost over the years, and hopefully Codemasters keeps building upon this excellent foundation. Having the official F1 license is a big responsibility that this title finally lives up to.

The narrative is often a slog (though it can be interesting and heady at times), and it devotes too much time to world-building and setup. As much as the game tries to highlight different walks of life, all of the characters, even Jensen, end up looking like faceless beings used to dump lore onto the player. I like seeing games tackle difficult subject matter, but that message, while occasionally coming through loud and clear, is ultimately lost in this dull and slow-moving story. It starts off with a bang, but quickly becomes a muddled mess of politics and techno-babble.

A beautiful, smartly designed game set in a gorgeous futuristic city, but with a story that doesn’t quite do it justice.

When I finished Deus Ex, I was mostly content with the four hours I had plugged into it. I occasionally felt clever at solving a tricky puzzle, and I liked the visual presentation. However, it didn’t sink its hooks into me like Hitman Go – a game I still return to occasionally years later. I doubt I’ll ever play Deus Ex Go again, but it was fun while it lasted.

No Man’s Sky rarely reaches beyond its vibrant world-building efforts to provide satisfying gameplay and story. Over dozens of hours of play, I couldn’t escape the sensation that I was playing one impossibly immense side mission, and I kept waiting for the real game to start.

Seeing Bound instantly begs the question, “What are you playing?” but its movement mechanics make it unsure if it wants to be an engaging platformer or a passive relaxing experience. It lives somewhere between the two worlds; never fully embracing either, but it sure looks pretty.

As an inclusive party game that only takes a few moments to get fun even for inexperienced players, Videoball succeeds. But for the lone player looking to partake in a different kind of esport, options are limited.

With a full crew, Videoball is a lot of fun. It hits that difficult-to-balance level of controlled chaos where a lot is happening on screen, but those playing and those watching can keep track of the action. It leaves plenty of room for close calls, last-second saves, and the equivalent of the slam dunk, but playing online proved difficult and the slow firing speed kept me feeling like I was coming up short.

As an inclusive party game that only takes a few moments to get fun even for inexperienced players, Videoball succeeds. But for the lone player looking to partake in a different kind of esport, options are limited.

Starbound is a satisfying space sandbox that rarely disappoints, with occasional minor bugs or mandatory missions offering minor quibbles with unbridled, endless exploration. This ambitious indie project has something for everyone buried within its retrograde graphical framework.

I was often left scratching my head wondering why my bridges kept collapsing.

Even though events like a serial killer and political intrigue pop up to break up the action, the day-to-day monotony of the gameplay takes its toll. Content is repeated, and causes the experience to drag on. If the goal was to convey the drudgery of this kind of work, I was sick of it halfway through. It all culminates in one of the dumbest imaginable confrontations.

The crafting system is superficial but pretty much all of Brutal is that way. Its most interesting qualities are gimmicks – the ASCII visuals, the procedural generation, a shield that you can throw like Captain America because why not?

The hook at the end of this episode has me intrigued for what comes next, but be warned, this is the roughest (and slowest) start to a Telltale series yet.

Abzû is a game of mysteries and its world will move you to muse the beauty of life and our place in it. It contains moments that transcend the simple act of playing a video game by making a connection with the beings around you – a profound experience.

Access Denied is a strong episode that tries new things and relies on familiar elements to mostly good results. I enjoyed going up against the massive threat of PAMA and fighting to save the world from his rule, and the action supports that thrilling premise. This penultimate episode does everything it needed to excite me for the final episode in this season of Minecraft: Story Mode.

Quadrilateral Cowboy is a strange, fantastic journey that will likely charm and test you in equal measure. I expect to come back to it many times over the next few months despite having completed it, searching the environments for nuggets of the story hidden away in the corners of each level and striving to become the best thief this side of cyberspace.

Headlander doesn’t forge a bold new path, but it’s a lot of fun to live in its strange world for a while. Its various elements are well trod – ‘70s aesthetic, Metroid-style exploration, big questions about the nature of identity and consciousness – but they’ve been arranged in a fascinating way that feels fresh.

I Am Setsuna has lots of nods to Chrono Trigger, from its general combat framework to specific references to skills like X-Strike and Luminaire. However, it doesn’t capture why most players connected to that seminal title. Even though the combat is entertaining, I Am Setsuna’s characters are dull, the environments are repetitive, and the story is predictable.

Ghostbusters is a slog from start to finish.

While the story is mostly bluster, later encounters introduce some much-needed nuance and muddy your role in the narrative. I'm sure some masochistic players will enjoy bashing their head against Furi's towering wall of difficulty, but with little else to go on, I was questioning my reason for fighting long before the protagonist started to.

BoxBoxBoy may be remarkably similar to the original BoxBoy, stripping it of its experimental indie cred and slipping it into a comfortable and safe sequel – but comfortable and safe are not bad things. Those are the words I use to describe all of my favorite clothing. You get more of what made the original BoxBoy worth a recommendation, and the same can be said of this follow-up.

While Monster Hunter can be distilled down into a basic loop of hunt, gather, upgrade, micromanage inventory and Palico perks, rinse and repeat, the process is quite satisfying as the “boss barrage” continues to serve up interesting encounters across snowfields, volcanos, and lush islands.

Luckily, Song of the Deep’s combat and beautiful presentation, showing cutscenes as colorful storybook illustrations accompanied by narration from an Irish-accented speaker, push the game a fair distance above its failings and make it a journey worth taking for anyone who enjoys Metroid-inspired games or action/adventure games with interesting stories.

The seeds of greatness are here, but with plenty of room for refinement and clarity to improve the experience.

Umbrella Corps is an unusual online shooter. Unfortunately, its odd mix of mechanics don’t come together well, and its online matchmaking is a total joke. I once waited almost 20 minutes for a match that lasted less than 10 minutes. In that amount of time, you could drive to the store and buy a better game.

Even though you may have to wince through a few conversations, VA-11 HALL-A sells its cyberpunk atmosphere with great presentation, including an exceptional soundtrack and cool character art.

Grand Kingdom is a solid strategy/RPG, especially if you've been hankering for something new and different.

Megamix functions as both a great entry-point for newcomers thanks to its excellent minigame collection and the help it provides for breaking down the beats. For veterans, it’s like your favorite band released a greatest hits and remixes collection, and threw in a bunch of new worthwhile songs, making Megamix the best and most complete Rhythm Heaven to date.

My chest tightens as I recall the feeling of entering new areas, succumbing to surprise deaths and witnessing its many unexpected moments. By the end, I felt as though I had lived through someone’s horrible dream, and I couldn’t wait to do it all over again.

Recycled content, excessive grinding, boring fetch quests, and bad save points are just some of its smaller shortcomings. What's more concerning is its inability to give you reason to care about the characters or the journey. In a generation where RPGs are pushing the boundaries with better storytelling and unique worlds, this just isn't going to cut it. It's sad to see a franchise that once captivated me continue to fall from grace.

Regardless of the numerous frustrations, I had a blast combing the game’s open worlds for hidden gold bricks, and seeing Harrison Ford in action again as Han Solo. I can't stress just how cool this is, and he did a fantastic job reprising his role. A Lego title is a strange choice to deliver new Star Wars story material, but it works surprisingly well, and gives fans plenty of interesting and new content to digest.

A game that’s not only the zenith of its series but also one of the boldest narrative-focused titles of the last few years.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a solid RPG with its own unique style and appeal. I could do without the tedious dungeons, but I still found plenty to love about the zany ride.

If you are feeling nostalgic for Mega Man, dust off your NES or Super Nintendo; Mighty No. 9 is not the spiritual successor we wanted. It may look and play like Mega Man, but Comcept’s robotic doppelganger doesn’t have the heart of Capcom’s Blue Bomber. A sparkless facsimile, Mighty No. 9 never captures the excitement or creativity of Mega Man’s classic exploits

Time Machine VR is a unique tool for learning about certain breeds of underwater dinosaurs, but it isn’t fun. I enjoyed the more dangerous moments in the campaign, but the scales are tipped too far to the academic side. If you’re looking for a distinct interactive way to learn about prehistoric creatures of the deep, that’s exclusively what Time Machine VR accomplishes. [Tested with Rift]

A fun and refreshing episode of a series that has recently shown signs of fatigue.

Insomniac does a great job of taking advantage of the sense of presence VR technology can bring, with sequences that put disturbing images up close for examination. The experience isn’t about jump scares; it’s about making you dread what’s ahead, rather than trying to make you soak your seat. It’s not revolutionary, but Edge of Nowhere is a rewarding way to spend an afternoon. Just be sure to crank the AC. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

I could go on about more of the refinements I enjoyed, such as the weather system affecting what items you find and the rumors becoming much more useful and easy to track down, but my main takeaway remains the same: Atelier Sophie improves on an already fun and engaging formula.

You're not going to find every feature you've ever wanted packed into Dangerous Golf, but what you will find is a title that nails its core gameplay concept. It lies somewhere between precision and randomness – a place where, not accidentally, a charming heart resides.

Unfortunately, a sterile open world and excessive backtracking drain Catalyst of the fun found in the original.

Though the poorly designed action sequences and occasionally technical shoddiness drag the whole experience down, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is still a quality adventure game that tells a gripping story about people struggling to survive the times and bring about change.

With so many annoyances fixed, this feels like the game Odin Sphere was meant to be. The presentation is top-notch, and the action is fast-paced and satisfying.

Fighting, moving, and pulling off cooperative attacks as the Turtles is enjoyable, but it’s difficult to find fun in the world and routine in which they exist.

Despite all the technical problems, I still managed to finish Homefront's campaign, but I can't say I had fun. All of the game's ambitions are undone by its flaws, offering only the rare glimpse of what could have been. Dambuster has already stated they are committed to improving the game with additional patches, but given everything that's currently wrong, the studio faces a greater uphill battle than Homefront's desperate underdogs.

The good news is CD Projekt crafted a wonderful expansion for his sendoff that captures the series' trademarks: unexpected twists, tough choices, and intense battles. With its vast new area and involved plot, Blood and Wine feels like a full game; don't expect a simple side story with a few set of quests scattered about. It feels on par with the quality and creativity of Wild Hunt, and I loved it.

Blood and Wine is an example of an expansion that takes advantage of providing top-notch new content. The whole expansion is an adrenaline rush, reminding me of the intense pacing of Wild Hunt's final act. It also has plenty nods to Geralt and his friends that longtime fans are sure to enjoy. You never know when a past character may make an appearance or be mentioned. The world has so much depth and excitement; Blood and Wine is a great way to spend your last days as Geralt.

The whole expansion is an adrenaline rush, reminding me of the intense pacing of Wild Hunt's final act. It also has plenty nods to Geralt and his friends that longtime fans are sure to enjoy. You never know when a past character may make an appearance or be mentioned. The world has so much depth and excitement; Blood and Wine is a great way to spend your last days as Geralt.

Planet Robobot is entertaining, flows well, and never overstays its new mechanics… but occasionally feels like a retread with a mechanical theme. It does find something to differentiate itself, however, with its ending which takes a surprising leap from the established Kirby norms for a wholly surprising and engaging climax. The game extends past its final boss with completely different gameplay that works as a great finale.

Overwatch is an amazing experience. It’s fresh and consistently fun, with matches that are great in random groups, but astonishingly good when played with friends. Blizzard has taken its masterful art of polishing and perfection to the team shooter, and things will never be the same.

Stellaris’ early game is full of exploration and promise, and the small nuggets of fiction I picked up after discovering an abandoned research station or dissecting the corpse of a space giant helped draw me into the fantasy that I was truly exploring the unknown. Unfortunately, the game eventually settles into a grind as you either try to convince neighboring aliens to become your vassals or slowly build up an army to forcefully take over their worlds. The rewarding moments are still there, but they’re spaced out significantly. Taking over the galaxy turns out to be a lot of work, but it’s a worthwhile mission for would-be explorers.

Total War: Warhammer is one of the best Total War games I’ve ever played, and fans of either franchise should find themselves with a winner here. Those looking for more historically rooted fare may find the fantasy over the top, but plenty of solid strategy lurks under the magic and mayhem.

The campaign steals the show, performing at a level the other modes can't match. The straightforward competitive multiplayer recalls the glory days of arena shooters like Quake or Unreal, largely relying on the rush of circle strafing duels to keep players engaged. The standard fare of mode varieties and cosmetics-driven progression check off the boxes of a fully featured experience, but unlike the campaign, it feels generic.

Driven largely by its successful single-player campaign, Doom is a welcome return to form for the genre-defining franchise. By sticking to time-worn traditions in all the right places and deftly employing some modern flourishes, id has rediscovered what made this demon slaying series so successful. Multiplayer and SnapMap don’t reach the same heights, but shooters fans shouldn’t miss this bloodthirsty romp through hell.

Driven largely by its successful single-player campaign, Doom is a welcome return to form for the genre-defining franchise. By sticking to time-worn traditions in all the right places and deftly employing some modern flourishes, id has rediscovered what made this demon slaying series so successful. Multiplayer and SnapMap don’t reach the same heights, but shooters fans shouldn’t miss this bloodthirsty romp through hell.

Playing cards in connection to successfully racing a horse is a bizarre overlap I did not expect to enjoy.

I applaud the ambition, but not every grand venture ends with triumph.

A Thief End’s is the best Uncharted yet, delivering a story I didn’t want to end, and an adventure that concludes with a hell of a payoff. The “wow” factor of the world exploding under Drake’s feet has diminished in the years following Uncharted 2, but those moments are still effective, and a true showpiece of the developer’s exquisite craftsmanship for world and gameplay design.

Play with a well-balanced cooperative team, stay in parity with your levels, and conserve ammo. Do so, and Alienation offers one of the best twin-stick experiences on the market. Add in a deep progression system and lots of ways to enjoy replaying, and it’s only balance issues that hold me back from the same fervent recommendation I apply to most Housemarque releases.

It can sometimes be literally painful to make your way up to the top of the mountain, but the reward is impressive. Being in VR adds a level of believable mobility where you can track and admire the progress you make by pausing and looking around. I felt like I was up high, and the reward of getting to simply look around when making it to the top is one worth pursuing. Some of my favorite moments involved trying to figure out where the ambient sound of birds or helicopters were coming from as I looked around, taking a break from the climb. Unfortunately, the impressive vistas were not enough to keep me from dreading the next ascent. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Whispers of the Old Gods succeeds on multiple levels, shaking up the competitive scene with a variety of new deck types to experiment with and combining flavor and mechanics to create interesting fun new cards.

I obsessed over Stephen's Sausage Roll for several nights in a row and ended up rolling sausages around in my dreams. Thankfully, Stephen’s Sausage Roll is an obsession worth having.

In addition to telling its own capsule story about how Graham got his groove on, Once Upon A Climb also continues to propel the narrative about Manny and his brother, which has been a continuing thread – along with old Graham’s failing health. Judging from Graham’s condition, it seems ever-so-likely that this tale will have a bittersweet ending. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the journey.

Though my playthrough only lasted around five hours, I wanted more. Shortly after I finished the story, I dove back in to explore every path I didn’t already venture down with my new powers in tow. The draw to keep playing and exploring immediately after I finished is a testament to how much I enjoyed Severed.

It’s a great conclusion, and hopefully a sign that Telltale still has some surprises when it comes to interactive storytelling.

Radial-G has more going for it than a paltry tech demo. Its tracks – while not outstanding – show some thoughtful design by stringing together a few noticeable moments every lap. The game doesn’t elevate the Rift or VR to the height of its powers, but it also wouldn’t be the same by itself. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

That potential clearly exists in the final version, but woefully underdeveloped single-player and multiplayer offerings ultimately suck the air out of the cockpit. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Job Simulator lives up to its own ambitions, presenting a compact, cute, and accessible showcase for interacting with virtual locations. [Tested with Vive]

While many of Vive’s launch applications are demos or betas, Audioshield is a solid and complete game, and its ability to read and create playable tracks from any piece of music provides effectively endless replay value. This is an early testament to the power of VR to create novel experiences in established genres, and music-game faithful should seek an opportunity to at least try out this new take on interactive music play. [Tested with Vive]

Playful Corp can be commended for adopting a classic genre to VR, as well as releasing a game with a high level of polish, but thrills are fleeting and the fun rarely surfaces as Lucky hunts for his dear pig friend. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

What these games lack in depth, they make up in charm and accessibility. The Lab is joyful and light, and a perfect evangelist for VR’s many possibilities. [Tested with Vive]

It's an engaging game that took me about 20 hours to finish. It travels to far lands, features challenging bosses, and does an impressive job of showing that, even from a third-person perspective, games in VR can transport you to another world. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Star Fox Zero isn’t ever bad, but it’s generally uninspired. It’s a musty tribute that fails to add much to the series, aside from tweaked controls and incremental vehicle upgrades. I loved Star Fox when it came out, and I’ll even defend Star Fox Adventures (to a reasonable degree). For now, I’ll stick to Super Smash Bros. when I feel like reuniting with Fox.

The Banner Saga 2 carries the banner onward for the series, and while it’s made a few steps forward in creating more interesting tactical decisions and has added some more options for customization, it seems to have taken a step back in terms of making your journey across the world memorable.

Even with 60+ hours' worth of gameplay, some parts of Bravely Second's skeleton are still surprisingly bare.

The fun combat and worthwhile character progression takes some of the sting out of the repetitious nature of the concept, but it doesn’t completely neutralize it.

Ashes of the Singularity is a solid title, but ultimately too unambitious in areas that matter. It demonstrates it can do amazing things with tons and tons of units on screen, but fails to provide compelling reasons to play beyond that.

The colors pop, the worlds feel more alien, and the heart of the adventure is right where it needs to be: with explosions and rockets lighting up the screen like a Fourth of July fireworks celebration. When Ratchet’s doing what he does best (blowing stuff up), this new experience sings its classic tune well.

Hyper Light Drifter has already positioned itself as one of the best experiences of the year. It’s a challenging game, but it never feels unfair. The promise of seeing more of the world and hearing more of the fantastic soundtrack are worthwhile rewards for your tenacity. Despite seeing the finish line ahead of me, I did everything I could to prolong the experience by exploring every nook and cranny. I didn’t do it out of necessity; I did it because I wanted to stay in Hyper Light Drifter’s world for as long as possible.

As someone who had a strong but brief fascination with original game when it was released, I’ve always been looking for another reason to get hooked to Don’t Starve again. Shipwrecked is not that reason. However, for those who love trying to best Klei’s ruthless brand of survival simulation, this expansion brings enough new content to be worth a go, even if it doesn’t take Don’t Starve into uncharted territory.

Enter the Gungeon is an essential pick for those that are fans of the roguelike twin-stick shooter genre, and a great choice for those looking for an action-filled arcade romp as well. Even with permadeath threatening to ruin your fun around every corner, the vast selection of goofy guns and eventual discoveries keep you coming back again and again without any lingering frustration.

Dark Souls III successfully replicates the winning formula of the Souls series, a wondrous combination of majestic boss battles, incredible layered environments full of secrets, and precise combat that can make other action RPGs difficult to play once you’ve mastered the art. If you’ve never played the series, this is a great place to begin, offering a bit more direction in the early game before opening up. If you’ve already played the series, you can feel confident that From Software hasn’t lost its touch.

TrackMania Turbo's charm is immediate, but not long-lasting.

TrackMania Turbo's charm is immediate, but not long-lasting.

The series is moving away from being an authentic baseball simulation, but for longtime players of The Show, these pie-in-the-sky ideas are just what this baseball series needs.

I appreciate Turbo's demand for precision, of emphasizing fundamental racing principles like the traction of your wheels and the precision of your inputs. And while I definitely got into that addictive headspace where I was chasing better times, even the endless variety of tracks doesn't offer the depth I was looking for. Since the title is so focused on the time attack format, it does little else to keep your attention.

Quantum Break isn’t a perfect game; it’s a bold experiment in how two -mediums can tell a larger story, and at times it pays off. It would be foolish for every game to attempt to emulate this form of storytelling, but Quantum Break as a gaming oddity deserves attention. I wish the events of the show were more significant to the main story, but Quantum Break more than makes up for that with some of the best storytelling and gameplay Remedy has ever produced.

This episode is a fun continuation of The New Order of the Stone’s adventures, but it’s missing the building drama of the prior installments.

Ska Studios continually impresses with the ambition of its games, which are always defined by an impeccable attention to detail and tight moment-to-moment mechanics. That reputation for clean design continues unabated with Salt and Sanctuary. This nightmarish island is well worth a visit, even if you’ve never confronted the challenging games that engendered the adventure.

Compared to Telltale’s other work in this universe, Michonne’s mini-series lacks any discernible guiding philosophy outside of poorly articulated and uninteresting nihilism. I’m not attached to any of these new characters and I know that Michonne is not in harm’s way given that the series occurs between certain issues of the comic, so what impetus is there to care about anything that’s going on here? While the aimlessness of Give No Shelter might thematically match the hopeless wandering of its source material, it makes for a rather unpleasant and forgettable time.

Day of the Tentacle is largely removed from the adventure genre’s shortcomings, such as obtuse puzzle design, though it lacks a certain depth to its story. Nonetheless, its strange premise, witty one-liners, and brain-teasing puzzles help it remain something special.