Cerebral and often disturbing, Torment is a rabbit hole of significant depth, where you can get lost in improbable imaginings of warped realities and existential angst. If you can wrap your head around a non-linear narrative all about consciousness, identity, and memory, Torment is a riveting departure from expectation.

It adds a new wrinkle to your career mode via Team Tour mode. You'll beat the usual club pros as you go up the ladder, but this time you can add them to your team.

Call of the Sea kept me hooked from beginning to end, making it a voyage worth embarking on. I could have gotten lost on that island and solved puzzles for double of its actual running time (about six hours), but the game spends as much time as it needs to spin its tale and test your noggin. This is one island worth getting marooned on.

Rogue Heroes is simple yet satisfying, painting an enjoyable and low-stress adventure for one or a group of friends. Nothing about the experience is likely to blow your mind but basking in its comfy confines might be just the recipe you’re looking for.

With its leaky goaltenders, heavy hitters, and eager fighters, NHL 14 may become the most popular hockey game of the generation for casual fans. However, the hardcore contingency looking for a deeper simulation experience may hang up their skates thanks to the arcade-leaning gameplay and dull game modes in desperate need of ­sharpening.

While NBA 2K8 may have some kinks to work out in its post game, it’s still the best basketball sim on the market.

Episode Intermission is brought to life by its bubbly, albeit goofy, main character. I loved how Yuffie’s personality came through in the myriad ways that she interacted with each setting – i.e., sliding down poles or flinging her shuriken at far off mechanical switches to solve environmental puzzles. Exploration and combat are bolstered by an eclectic score that sports jazzy trumpets as well as roaring guitar riffs. And the level of detail that the Graphics Mode brings to flowy garments, strands of hair, and other textures never ceased to amaze me. I wish that Intermission’s narrative was a little longer so that I could spend more time getting to know its small cast but Yuffie rises to the occasion. I can’t wait to see how she fits into what’s next for Remake.

Sports games like Madden are often chided for being too iterative, but in this case I hope we're witnessing the first steps in a larger progression. Future Maddens need to support Madden 15's additions so we don't wonder why once-prominent features haven't evolved. The series can't withstand another rebuilding year or worse - an entire console generation thrown away.

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.

Psychosis in video games is often used to justify a villain’s world-destroying ambitions, or as a vehicle to present gameplay gimmicks. Hellblade goes beyond those conventions, using Senua’s mental illness as the core from which the entire tale radiates. That approach results in some phenomenal and unsettling narrative moments that knock you off-balance. However, in pursuit of that achievement, Hellblade weaponizes the real-world frustration it causes in exploration and combat. That’s where it falters as a game, even while it captivates as a piece of interactive art.

The outstanding graphics, unparalleled physics, huge levels, tons of unlockable cards, enormous bosses, and gameplay variety make this a must-have for anyone who pines for the glory days of "Doom." [June 2004, p.134]

The game may be elementary in the extreme, but sometimes the simple pleasures remain the best. [Apr 2005, p.142]

There's no question about it, when it comes to action on the ice, Kush's game delivers a lights-out blow to EA's. This is the hockey game to get this year. [Sept 2005, p.96]

Torchlight was originally made on a tiny budget in under a year, with all of around 25 people working at Runic at the height of development. For all that, it's a better dungeon crawler than most everything else that has been released post-Diablo II.

Though the battles themselves get incredibly complex, the combat system remains simple and sometimes frustrating due to the use of an awkward real-time/turn-based combat hybrid. [Jan 2005, p.125]

Even with a handful of miniscule changes, Doom remains immensely entertaining. [Dec 2001, p.118]

It doesn’t have the variety of modes as Sega’s "College Hoops," but when it comes to play, I give the nod to March Madness.

The mysteries of Danganronpa V3 may not offer the same rewarding highs as previous entries, but the core formula remains entertaining despite some missteps. I still had fun piecing together the murders and learning about the characters, which is enough to help V3 earn its passing grade, though it isn’t graduating with honors.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is fun for a select audience, but doesn’t have the depth or innovation to stand out.

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.

We’ll never know how Live A Live would have fared in the U.S. back in the day. Flash forward nearly three decades, and I can’t recommend this revitalized relic enough. It’s that good. This is another must-play Switch RPG that entertains in ways I didn’t expect and kept me glued to the screen for well over 20 hours.

This game may indeed serve all your racing needs. [Aug 2006, p.93]

If you're looking for some good, old-fashioned devastation, you could do a lot worse spending time as a renegade.

Yes, it is worth revisiting, mostly on the merit of the original being such a great game. If you’ve played it before, you know what to expect, but it holds up well and the new mode is worth checking out (and it’s entirely optional if you ‘re not interested). If you’ve never played the original Mario & Luigi, then you should absolutely check it out. It was a great game in 2003, and through it may not by wholly improved, depending on how you feel about the visuals, it is still a fantastic game.

The one area where Saints Row really goes outside of anything that "GTA" has to offer is through its amazingly diverse and highly enthralling online. [Sept. 2006, p.95]

Shadows, like its predecessors, has now yielded its own memory for me to store in my personal Animus: a reminder that when it comes to this medium, gameplay is king. And in Shadows, playing as Yasuke and Naoe is as powerful as the treacherous Shogun at the heart of this adventure.

I can only think of two kinds of gamers who should steer clear of Lumines II: those who categorically dislike puzzlers, and those who tried the first Lumines and weren’t impressed. Otherwise, everyone should see how the best block-dropper since Tetris is building on its foundation and moving forward.

Splatoon has all the trappings of something fans have wanted from Nintendo for a long time: a unique IP that shows Nintendo can still dream up new experiences. As entertaining as it is fast-paced, Splatoon is a strong addition to the Wii U lineup. My enjoyment of what Splatoon has to offer is only offset by Nintendo’s scant offering out of the gate.