Persona 5’s soundtrack helped define its captivating sense of style when it released last year, and Dancing in Starlight is a good celebration of it. The clumsy dancing interface and short tracklist make it fall short as a rhythm game, but some great remixes and fun progression hooks make it a worthwhile way to revisit the look, feel, and sound of one this generation’s most stylish RPGs.

If you’re eager to catch up with the cast or music of Persona 3, Dancing in Moonlight is worth a few excursions into the Dark Hour.

The design of the world, the way Fury explores it, the few puzzles, and the combat are all well-designed, elevating it above the elements that make it feel like a game from the past.

Before we can even think of what might come next, Bethesda needs to make the core game more stable and fair. While I found it to be mostly enjoyable from an exploration standpoint, the frequency of server crashes, freezes, and technical issues is unacceptable. The foundation for another fun Fallout experience is in place, but you end up watching it crumble before your eyes as you play. The game just wasn’t ready for showtime.

On day one, the game feels a few reinforcements short to pull off the overwhelming victory we’ve come to expect given the series’ strong lineage.

On day one, the game feels a few reinforcements short to pull off the overwhelming victory we’ve come to expect given the series’ strong lineage.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee are strong remakes of the original games. The feeling of amassing a giant collection of monsters and customizing your team never gets old, and the timeless turn-based combat is still fun to this day. Shoddy motion controls aside, Let's Go is a great time whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the series.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee are strong remakes of the original games. The feeling of amassing a giant collection of monsters and customizing your team never gets old, and the timeless turn-based combat is still fun to this day. Shoddy motion controls aside, Let's Go is a great time whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the series.

Overkill’s The Walking Dead plans to dole out content in seasons, so the current batch of missions will soon expand. But dramatic reworking of most core combat and mission systems are necessary before the game could be worthy of a recommendation. The premise sounds promising for fans of cooperative play, zombie action, and the taut survival storylines implied by the license. The execution fails to meet the needs of any of those groups. You’re better off heeding the warning – keep this menacing door closed, and leave the zombies to their gnawing hunger.

Given just how different the worlds look in remastered form, I found this trilogy to be more interesting and enjoyable to return to than Crash’s. These games don’t preserve history as well, but that’s okay. Having already lived through them, it’s fascinating to see how the worlds have been reimagined and differ from the vision I had in my head.

Like Agent 47 himself, Hitman 2 doesn’t take a lot of chances – instead it continues honing its underlying formula to a deadly precision. A part of me still longs for the smaller and more digestible maps of the older games, but I can’t argue with IO’s execution here – the levels, and memorable assassination opportunities they hold, are worth the investment.

I want to call The Quiet Man a farce, but farces are funny. This game is just a conceptual catastrophe that does everything wrong and nothing interesting.

The fundamentals may be recognizable, but Tetris Effect feels like something new rather than another reskin of the same old game. The presentation is such a natural fit for the gameplay, and it adds an unexpected layer of emotion.

Déraciné approaches VR in the right way, letting the player soak in the environment at their leisure, but the teleportation movement is awkward and most of your engagement outside the narrative hinges on how much you enjoy picking up objects, looking at them, and putting them somewhere else. The world is interesting, and the narrative features a handful of fun, dark twists, but the ultimate experience is bland, even if it does have its charms.

After years of iteration as a minigame and in beta, Gwent has come into its own as a great card game. It emphasizes keen decision-making over chance, and a great back-and-forth buildup ratchets up the tension across multiple rounds. With a great variety of decks and strategies at its disposal, as well as strong incentives to play match after match, Gwent proves great ideas can come from small beginnings.

Call of Cthulhu may not be fun to play, and often feels like an amusement ride that is just pulling you along, but succeeds in delivering a mind-bending story that lives up to the Lovecraftian breed of cosmic horror. In the end, I’m glad I played it, but for roughly five or six hours, I questioned why I was subjecting myself to it.

Thronebreaker is a great alternative for fans of Gwent who’d rather not dive into the multiplayer arena. Although some unique twists can’t hold off some late-game tedium, it’s a diverse campaign that emphasizes the strong characters and tough decisions that define the Witcher series, and emphasizes clever twists over turning newcomers into solid Gwent players. Whether you just want to play more Gwent or are simply a fan of The Witcher, playing Thronebreaker is an easy choice.

Even after all these years, I still find Diablo III’s loop of starting small and becoming a godlike force of destruction irresistible. Even without major new additions, the Switch’s portability makes it easier than ever to pop into Sanctuary, kill a few hundred monsters, and scoop up some sweet new loot.

Rockstar Games has outdone itself again with Red Dead Redemption II. The up-close portrayal of the outlaw Van der Linde gang’s unraveling is a compelling companion story that blends seamlessly with the original game, and depth and breadth of the open world is a technical triumph that every gamer should experience.

I eventually abandoned the physical toys for the convenience of quick onscreen tweaks, and the road to victory had some bumps and dips with balance issues and some repetitive mission structures. Nonetheless, I found a lot to like in Starlink’s uncomplicated and wholesome sci-fi campaign. And I have no doubt that the 11-year-old version of me would be at least twice as thrilled.

Ridiculous gags involving our well-meaning hero experiencing caffeine for the first time or arguing with a bitter old granny to get her to teach him a song put a smile on my face. However, the gameplay distracts from these whimsical delights instead of complementing them. I walked away from my time with Wandersong having enjoyed the story beats and being charmed by both the world and its characters, but I wish I had more fun actually playing it.

The Heist is well worth your time, especially if the post-credits sequences in the main game have you counting the days until a potential Spider-Man 2.

Whether you’re a newcomer or a dedicated fan, the latest retelling of the story of souls and swords is a captivating one.

Still a solid RPG with interesting mechanics and an engaging story, living up to its reputation. Even playing all these years later, it still feels very fresh with its own unique identity. While the Switch version is still fun, it’s far from a great port, and the extra content is pretty disappointing.

Return Of Obra Dinn is a surprisingly hardcore detective title with a surreal bite, and one that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who loves a great challenge.

There is no denying that Dark Souls on Switch is not the absolute best way to play the game. That honor belongs to your PS4, Xbox One, or PC, but the Switch version of the game is perfectly fine. You sacrifice a higher frame-rate for the opportunity to play the game handheld (and have the option to pause!), and in my experience the trade-off has been worth it.

Jackbox Party Pack 5 is another great bundle. Solo partiers won’t find much to do here (playing You Don’t Know Jack against A.I. is a heartbreaking thought experiment), but scrounge up a group and you’re good to go.

If you hate Lego games, this isn’t going to change your mind. For everyone else, this is a delightful return to form which hopefully serves as a reference for TT Games’ future projects.

The title features more modes, settings, and ways to engage than any game in the series I can recall. The blazing new Blackout mode steals the zeitgeist of the battle royale’s thunder, packaging it in a polished, powerful entry to the burgeoning genre. If you’re willing to eschew single-player completely, the payoff is worth it.

The title features more modes, settings, and ways to engage than any game in the series I can recall. The blazing new Blackout mode steals the zeitgeist of the battle royale’s thunder, packaging it in a polished, powerful entry to the burgeoning genre. If you’re willing to eschew single-player completely, the payoff is worth it.

Blackout is the best battle-royale experience available today, zombies offers crazy customizable co-op, and multiplayer keeps things grounded for those looking for the classic core.

The Missing told a moving story about J.J.’s personal struggles that caught me off guard more than once. Like its surprisingly heartfelt narrative, this quirky indie side-scroller came out of nowhere, but I’m glad I didn’t miss out on The Missing.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission feels like it came out of nowhere to quietly prove that familiar genres can feel like new experiences with the aid of virtual reality. While the medium is capable of creating entirely new interactive experiences, Rescue Mission serves as a great reminder that the styles of games we already like can be translated to VR, and when it is done as well as it has been here, you get a chance to experience something that feels genuinely new and exciting.

Despite lackluster board design and side modes that can become repetitive, Super Mario Party is a fun group game that showcases a diverse collection of minigames.

Mega Man 11 is the first entry in ages that offers something new without sacrificing everything fans love. The new gear system is a cool mechanic, and Capcom’s level design feels classic in all the right ways. Mega Man 11 taps into the series’ past, but also serves as a solid foundation for the Blue Bomber’s next 30 years.

Shortcomings in the pacing and the lack of diversity in the combat pull down the experience, but I liked the time I spent with Kenshiro. The Fist of the North Star franchise feels dated in many ways, but you would be hard-pressed to find a better representation of its strange and violent world in a video game.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey aims high in its attempts to blend innovative additions with returning features. The execution might be uneven, but Ubisoft Quebec ultimately strikes a successful balance among the many parts. The story is compelling, both as a hero’s journey and in the way it ties into the series’ wider lore. Exploring the world is fun, combat is empowering, and getting epic loot is a thrill. That solid core formula carries Odyssey a long way, but like Icarus and his wax wings, it’s not enough to reach the bright star on the horizon.

Labyrinth of Refrain is an excellent dungeon crawler that brings some cool new features to the table. While the title can be grindy at times and includes some frustrating maps and encounters, the core systems underneath are a joy to tinker with for hours.

I can’t deny the allure of the formula Timespinner is aging, and if its pixelated font and damage numbers give you nostalgic shivers, don’t hesitate to give it a shot. It doesn’t escape its genre trappings, but its combat, late-game exploration, and interesting plot make for a strong foundation that hooked me long enough for it to all come together.

Once Forza Horizon 4 opens up and the map is cluttered with points of interest, you really can’t ask for much more from a racer. It hits all of the right notes in terms of racing, exploration, rewards, and customization. Depending on your focus of play, you can turn it into a difficult game of precision that requires proper vehicle tuning, or a light arcade experience of tearing across Great Britain with no cares in the world. Forza Horizon has long been my favorite racing series, and this installment shows that there’s plenty of gas left in the tank.

Dontnod does a great job at introducing these new characters and fleshing them out, and it will be interesting to see how Daniel comes to terms with his life-changing powers.

EA Vancouver has added just enough to keep things ticking along. The gameplay cuts down on predictability, providing a layer of freshness to the familiar and producing a squad that can compete – but is also in danger of missing a Champions League spot.

This is one adventure you’ll want to see through to the end, even if the seek-and-fun gameplay can get a little irritating.

Cool story moments and combat improvements offset some of The Golden Country’s frustrations, but not enough to entirely redeem the experience. It is missing some of the best parts of the base game (like the thrill of collecting unique allies and completing quests tailored to them), but retains many stumbling blocks that impeded the fun before. However, the way the story fills in gaps and provides insight into the characters makes The Golden Country a satisfying addition for fans who have already built up a tolerance for the sometimes-baffling quirks of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Forsaken is deep, mysterious, and vast, three words that echo what players most want from this growing universe.

The Bard’s Tale IV pays dutiful homage to its roots and offers an accessible way to experience the joy of the old-school RPG, but the enjoyable complexity has been sacrificed. Long puzzle mazes detract from the inspired combat system, and occasional crashes after a big battle can be discouraging. That said, if you’re looking for that vintage style with some enchanting new-age accoutrements, the endearing melodies of the Bard’s Tale IV won’t lead you astray.

NHL 19 still has its share of legacy issues that need attention, but the vastly improved skating and physics make this the best playing hockey game of the generation. The scouting system gives franchise mode a much-needed makeover, and while World of Chel feels like a half-built theme park right now, I’m excited about its future prospects. If you haven’t played an NHL game in a while, this is the year to jump back over the boards.

NHL 19 still has its share of legacy issues that need attention, but the vastly improved skating and physics make this the best playing hockey game of the generation. The scouting system gives franchise mode a much-needed makeover, and while World of Chel feels like a half-built theme park right now, I’m excited about its future prospects. If you haven’t played an NHL game in a while, this is the year to jump back over the boards.

The title’s gameplay is more than just a band-aid. It's fulfilling in its own way – one which is as temperamental as the sport itself – and it’s the fundamental piece of a title whose benefits are more subtle than overt.

NBA 2K19 isn’t just a game; it’s a lifestyle. Whether you are a hardcore franchise mode fan, card collection aficionado, or invested in making a mark with your MyPlayer, Visual Concepts latest ode to basketball offers a wealth of satisfying content that should keep you occupied well past the point the Golden State Warriors raise yet another championship trophy.

Though familiar mechanics and units remain, excellent new features and conveniences transform the way you see the battlefield.

Whether it was a more engaging skill system or a bigger map, I was often left wanting something a bit more — yet, I could play it for hours. As the final game in Lara Croft’s origin story, it just didn’t hit the high note it needed to. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s not a crazy, high-stakes adventure worth taking.

The NASCAR Heat series is three years in and is just now hitting its stride. This year’s addition to the career mode is a solid foundation that pays off in the present and sets it up for the future. I don’t think the game has necessarily locked down each of its main components – gameplay, online, and career mode – but it’s making its way through the pack.

If EA can branch out of the canned animations to make the controls more responsive, the already decent gameplay could take a dramatic leap forward. The core at the heart of NBA Live still shows promise, but chalk this one up to a year of growing pains.

Excitement is delivered consistently from the outside of play right up to the last story frame, which is a real shocker that contains a reveal that will make the wait for the sequel almost unbearable.

Outside of the lack of meaningful additions, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is still a massive and compelling timesink, offering over 90 beasts to pursue and defeat.

Two Point Studio has done a remarkable job reviving Theme Hospital and repackaging its concept for a modern audience. I loved Two Point’s distinct charm and the thrill of researching treatments for absurd diseases. But the tiresome grind eventually wears down even the best parts of the experience. Like an actual hospital visit, I’m glad I went, but I’m not particularly excited to return.

The franchise is steps away from greatness, which makes some of its foibles frustrating.

Regardless of its mid-game identity crisis, tight controls, excellent platforming, and exciting combat make The Messenger a retro journey worth embarking on.

At times, I was glued to my controller as I discovered the next village, plot revelation, or impressive boss. Dragon Quest has stuck around for a reason: It does what it does well, and the formula still works. However, Dragon Quest XI’s lack of evolution is a hindrance. It’s about time the series took some risks.

Even if its ambitions are straightforward, Donut County offers a unique experience that is silly, easy to understand, and fun to play.

In a time where the expectation of the video game remake is constantly changing, Kiwami 2 proves to be one of the best ones out there by imbuing its systems with new life and adding a ridiculous amount of compelling content. It speaks to the strength of both Kiwami 2 and Yakuza as a whole that despite spending endless hours in Kamurocho, I can’t wait for the next opportunity to return and backhand some delinquent scum through the glass window of a convenience store.

Like those lemonade stands, good intentions can’t change this lukewarm sugar-water into something satisfying.

Guacamelee 2 is one of the best executions of the Metroid formula.

Living up to the standard set by Legion, one of World of Warcraft’s best expansions ever, is an almost impossible task. Battle for Azeroth isn’t quite there yet. With warfronts, raids, and more story beats coming in the future, that may change. For now, the only thing for certain is that World of Warcraft still captures the MMORPG magic. And now that magic has dinosaurs.

Racing games are all about strapping yourself in behind the wheel and chasing that checkered flag, but you can’t forget all the hard work put in just to get you to the start/finish line in the first place. F1 2018’s excellent career mode skillfully lets you enjoy the fruits of both labors.

In some ways, Phantom Doctrine is what you make of it. The sheer depth and lack of guidance allow you to focus on the systems you enjoy while ignoring other systems completely, sometimes to your own detriment. Despite feeling burned by the ploy for an extended replay, I thoroughly enjoyed CreativeForge’s stealthy and methodical take on espionage.

Hollow Knight is deliberate in ways few games are, from its tough-love first hours all the way to the end of its long, content-packed journey. Challenging end-game bosses put every single skill I had to the test and left me with a sense of mastery.

This premiere does little to excite me for the rest of the season; the set-up feels too predictable and familiar. I’m interested in seeing where Clementine’s story ends and if my choices really shape the type of person A.J. becomes, but this is a weak start.

While We Happy Few is dragged down by irritating missions, scarce-but-necessary resources, and technical blips from time to time, it’s a fun adventure that combines an eerie atmosphere and a gripping narrative to great effect.

Dauntless is a great foundation for a rollicking monster-mashing time, but without the critical component of a compelling endgame, your journey has no satisfying destination. Only time will tell if the swirling islands around Ramsgate can provide something more.

The Overcooked series is similar to that restaurant that made a name for itself with one signature dish. Not much has changed between the original game and the sequel, but the recipe has been honed to reduce frustration and make it easier to chew.

Monster Hunter: World’s PC version provides the same great hunting and gathering loops console players dove into earlier this year, and after having not played the series until now I’m absolutely hooked, both on the series and how the PC version enhances the experience.

Dead Cells is one of the more approachable and rewarding roguelikes I’ve encountered. Dying is never fun in games of this ilk, but the well-designed reward loop softens that blow and bolsters all subsequent runs, making the experience more about exploration and time committed than just player skill.

Madden 19 doesn’t have earth-shattering features that draw me in. Some new features don’t shake out how I hoped they might, and other problems haven’t been fixed. But I’m still going to spend hours with this title for the way it captures the sport and puts me in the center of it with some fantastic gameplay moments.

As a standalone game, The Banner Saga 3 is the weakest of the bunch. As a conclusion, it does its job well, marrying beauty to melancholy and making me think long and hard about what sacrifices I was willing to make for the good of the world.

Chasm is full of great platforming moments and environments, but these elements are randomly assembled into an uneven experience. Bit Kid succeeded in creating a Metroid-style experience that unfolds in a new way every time you play it, but I would have rather had one playthrough that was consistently entertaining.

WarioWare has always been a fantastic oddity in Nintendo’s library and to gather much of what has made the franchise such a joy into one large collection is great. For anyone new to WarioWare, this is a great place to start. For veterans, it has more than enough new content to make playing it worthwhile, plus you get to have a greatest hits compilation of the best microgames.

Danger Zone 2 takes necessary, if limited, steps beyond its predecessor with new pieces that fit nicely into the structure of chaos. It makes a spectacle all right, but it’s fleeting.

Fortnite is an ever-shifting entity, but strong footing has solidified it as a verified phenomenon with fast, fun gameplay and ubiquitous reach. Anyone can play it and have a great time, and although Save the World might get grindy and shotgun climb-and-dives might get a little tiresome, there’s real magic here along with the promise of more in the months and years to come.

Octopath Traveler almost feels like a game from an alternate timeline – one in which titles like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI gave rise to a continuing lineage of RPGs that never strayed far from their 16-bit roots. Yes, Octopath Traveler occasionally adheres too closely to antiquated ideas, but with its retro charm and inventive combat, it also takes exciting leaps you won’t see anywhere else.

Not the open-world game I was hoping for, but it is on the right track. This is a genuine attempt to create the type of experience the Adventure Time license deserves. It comes up short in many ways, but I still did get to have an adventure in Ooo, even if it was flooded with both water and technical issues.

Earthfall just isn’t fun. The game has a solid foundation but that structure doesn’t hold anything that’s entertaining or interesting enough to merit the effort of playing it, especially when there are already several superior games that inhabit the same subgenre.

Earthfall just isn’t fun. The game has a solid foundation but that structure doesn’t hold anything that’s entertaining or interesting enough to merit the effort of playing it, especially when there are already several superior games that inhabit the same subgenre.

Earthfall just isn’t fun. The game has a solid foundation but that structure doesn’t hold anything that’s entertaining or interesting enough to merit the effort of playing it, especially when there are already several superior games that inhabit the same subgenre.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was a fun time when it hit the Wii U, and it’s still a fun time today. The new levels are easily some of the best in the game, but they don’t really justify a second purchase. I’m thrilled Nintendo wants to make use of this well-traveled fungi, but I hope the next time I see Captain Toad, he’s going on a completely new adventure.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was a fun time when it hit the Wii U, and it’s still a fun time today. The new levels are easily some of the best in the game, but they don’t really justify a second purchase. I’m thrilled Nintendo wants to make use of this well-traveled fungi, but I hope the next time I see Captain Toad, he’s going on a completely new adventure.

Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion is a reminder of how good the series’ single-player content can be. Brimming with tense, precision-based challenges and creative ways to force you out of your gameplay comfort zone, Octo Expansion is a terrific reason to once again take the plunge into Splatoon 2.

Make no bloody, broken Nazi bones about it: The Switch version is the least visually appealing version of Wolfenstein II. However, for me, that compromise is easy to accept when I can take Machinegames’ opus with me wherever I go. Even the worst version of The New Colossus is an incredible, must-play game for anyone who loves zany action and honest, powerful stories about the cost of hope.

The inability to bring any of the new characters and weapons back into the main game relegates Donkey Kong Adventure to being a fun but forgettable detour. I still enjoyed my return trip to Mario + Rabbids’ wacky world, but hopefully the next visit is more meaningful.

Other than brief moments, no part of The Crew 2 is captivating enough, including the rubberband-based gameplay, the events themselves, and the overall setup of the open world.

Other than brief moments, no part of The Crew 2 is captivating enough, including the rubberband-based gameplay, the events themselves, and the overall setup of the open world.

Other than brief moments, no part of The Crew 2 is captivating enough, including the rubberband-based gameplay, the events themselves, and the overall setup of the open world.

Those who yearn for more gadgets will be disappointed, as Mooncrash only offers a few, such as the admittedly cool Psychostatic Cutter energy dagger. However, the expansion pack’s achievement is more substantial than a bunch of doodads thanks to how it takes the promise of the base game, slices out the fat around it, and then serves up an experience as thrilling as it is challenging.

Instead of feeling like the first chapter in a multi-part story, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is more like a snapshot. It only takes a couple hours to finish, and depicts a routine day in the life of Chris and his dad. It has explicit connections to the upcoming Life is Strange 2 that have me excited, but The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit also stands alone as a clever and heartbreaking look at a kid who deserves better.

Aces delivers as a competent arcade tennis game, and the new mechanics are fun and important enough that I would be surprised to see them removed in a future Mario Tennis. The difficulty spikes in the campaign are frustrating, but not impossible to overcome. Leveling Mario even as you fail makes the losses sting less (though I would have killed for a quick retry option) and I was always eager to see what I would be doing next.

With thoughtful gameplay, seamless co-op, a breezy campaign, and challenges geared towards gameplay masters, Unravel Two delivers a strong platforming experience for players of all skill levels. Whether you want a unique side-scroller to play alone or a teamwork-emphasizing experience to play with a friend, this is worth a look.

With thoughtful gameplay, seamless co-op, a breezy campaign, and challenges geared towards gameplay masters, Unravel Two delivers a strong platforming experience for players of all skill levels. Whether you want a unique side-scroller to play alone or a teamwork-emphasizing experience to play with a friend, this is worth a look.