Monster Hunter Stories is an enjoyable 40+ hour romp that adds depth and personality to world that often lacks narrative.

While MercurySteam has done a wonderful job piecing together an engaging world, it feels like there may have been some added benefit in adding additional bosses – something the game sorely lacks.

The game is most entertaining and least frustrating when playing in co-op, though it lacks online matchmaking options. It manages to deliver a better balance between combat and platforming, but is bogged down by boring puzzles. Knack 2 is an improvement in many ways, but it’s clear that there is still room to make it even better.

Ultimately, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen buries even the most tactically-sound gamer under a mountain of entertaining challenges and adds not only several hours of content to play through, but well-neigh infinite replayability as well – we can’t wait to restart the fight and see how a new batch of soldiers fares against the ADVENT government.

An incredible first look at the new season, and promises much for the future. Deck Nine is clearly capable of taking over the reins from the excellent DONTNOD, and despite a switch in developer, a change in Chloe’s voice actress, and a new perspective for Life is Strange, the series is still unequivocally what fans have come to know and love – just amplified and refined, cranked up to eleven through its protagonists’ volatile and exciting relationship.

During the 20+ hours that can be plugged into Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle campaign, fans will be exposed to a funny and visually engaging world worth exploring that features some genuinely challenging portions of combat. Reoccurring enemies may weigh down an otherwise varied universe, but the end result of this partnership between Ubisoft and Nintendo is a wonderful, tactics-heavy venture that Switch owners won’t want to let pass them by.

F1 2017 is another extremely strong entry in the series from Codemasters. Although newcomers to Formula One in its entirety might find it a little challenging to grasp, particularly when it comes to the in-depth Career Mode, racing fans and Formula One fans in general should be revving their engines in preparation for the glamorous world of Formula One racing once again.

While the long, immersion-breaking load times and repetitive nightmare sections are disappointing, horror fans will still find a game worth sinking their teeth into with Observer. Observer‘s story is reason enough to play the game to completion, but even those that aren’t driven by the disturbing cyberpunk tale may still enjoy its puzzles and compelling crime scene investigations.

Miitopia is certainly unique in its execution, but the core RPG framework for the title is far from innovative. In that regard, the it’s one of the more accessible turn-based role-playing games currently available on the Nintendo 3DS, and this is made even better by the often-bizarre blank canvas that users have at their disposal.

Do yourself a favor and lose yourself in the world of Hydaelyn for a good month at the very least. You won’t regret it.

Despite these flaws, Agents of Mayhem truly does offer a unique and fresh spin on the Saints Row world. By distancing itself from the main franchise’s core characters and conflicts, the game is able to embrace its own aesthetic and create a new world that is just as weird and addicting as the original.

Senua’s story is heartbreaking and Hellblade’s world certainly isn’t a happy one to spend a lot of time in. For that reason, maybe the limited campaign time is a bit of a blessing. Despite the serious subject matter and dour tone, Hellblade is an experience that shouldn’t be missed for any fans of adventure-based puzzle games.

The game’s technical problems on Xbox One are a real shame, especially since the game is console exclusive to Xbox One, but those looking to look past these issues will be treated to an engrossing and surprising story aboard the Tacoma space station.

Even if players aren’t excited by its sports-like gameplay features, Pyre has a wonderful cast of characters and an engaging story that make it hard to put down. It’s easy to get lost in Pyre‘s world, and it is the kind of game that will leave a lasting impression on those that play it.

It may not be a true portable Pikmin game, but it’s a fun and charming little platformer that lasts just as long as it needs to without feeling too repetitive.

Even with these console-specific issues, Orcs Must Die! Unchained from Robot Entertainment is one of the better free-to-play games on the PlayStation Store. The controls may be tighter on PC and there’s clearly room for improvement in some other areas as well, but Orcs Must Die! Unchained is still worth taking the time to download on the PlayStation 4.

A gem of a Metroidvania title, with addictive and more-than-a-little challenging gameplay. Mix that in with a neat repetition and level up system and – best of all – the game’s absolutely incredible graphical style, and it’s fair to say that Sundered is the kind of game that will live long in the memory.

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs stands well on its own two feet. From a technical standpoint, the tactical combat sections could do with a little more originality, and perhaps a better balance between gameplay modes. Overall, though, the game succeeds at what it aims to achieve, and gamers after a chilled-out tactical RPG with bags of character are bound to enjoy it.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends Heroes of Skyrim is an enjoyable expansion that will sate fans of the game until the next set releases and provide some memorable, lore-infused moments along the way, but it does little to attract a new player who wasn’t already interested to check the game out.

Crash Bandicoot‘s original trilogy appears to have stood the test of time better than most, and it’s great to see that Vicarious Visions didn’t fix what already wasn’t broken.

It does something different from other RPGs currently on the device through its action-styled gameplay and town-growing focus, and the end result is a unique and enjoyable romp.

Perception‘s mediocre narrative, annoying art style, and frustrating gameplay mechanics add up to a horror game that most fans should skip.

As with all of The Walking Dead games, there are a few different endings for players to experience, although achieving them isn’t as straight-forward as it was in prior iterations.

ARMS is a success that will rope players in for hours through its multiplayer and online modes, but will only garner interest from solo consumers for a short amount of time. At its core, ARMS isn’t a flawless technical fighting game, but that’s never what Nintendo wanted it to be. It’s accessible without feeling primitive, and the layers of depth that are present are easy for fight aficionados to get lost in.

It needs to be said once more that Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers isn’t a bad game – it really isn’t. But it’s a game that’s been making rounds since the early 90’s, with a port that feels eerily familiar to a version that first arrived roughly nine years ago on Xbox 360 and PS3. Then there’s the price point of $39.99 USD, which feels more like a gouging than anything nearly reasonable.

It’s certainly more finely polished than free alternatives online, and does a decent job of challenging Plague Inc. and Pandemic in the sparse market for strategy disease-based games – though it’s not the greatest cure for boredom out there.

Injustice 2 is a triumph for NetherRealm. The game expertly builds upon the foundation laid by the original with an endearing narrative, memorable fighters, gorgeous animations, and a slew of different modes and features that’ll keep fans engaged for countless hours.

The Surge delivers an intriguing sci-fi world with dark themes and should satisfy any genre fans looking for something to play now that the Dark Souls series has ended. Just don’t pick up The Surge expecting a game that is as polished as From Software’s flagship franchise.