What Final Fantasy XV succeeds at more than anything is providing an unpredictable and memorable adventure. Captivating story and characters were sacrificed along the way, but more than anything this game needed to prove that Final Fantasy can still execute greatness while taking risks. Its combat system and world design carry most of the weight, supported by attractive secondary activities and a great progression system.

After testing the Switch version I do recommend handheld mode wholeheartedly, as I’ve only ever enjoyed puzzling on the go and it bolsters pickup-and-play exactly as needed. Regardless, this is a game that delivers exactly what's described on the tin, and if you enjoy those things, you’ll surely enjoy Puyo Puyo Tetris.

"Tetris Attack" has been dipped into a big vat of melted Pokemon goo, creating a shell of backgrounds and music that's now called Pokemon Puzzle League.

Guild Wars 2's first expansion is a modest addition for fans of the original, but those who haven’t found themselves captivated by it already are unlikely to walk away satisfied.

Agent 47 might have shed a few layers of decidedly hardcore mechanics and that leaves Hitman GO feeling a little misplaced.

They made it a bit too hard to actually go to school and do all the work, but the additions of influence, new items, and new career paths are welcome.

Nifty perks aside, Skulls of the Shogun is one of the best strategy games I have ever played thanks to its elegant accessibility and addicting depth, and you'd be foolish to pass it by.

This beautiful, sprawling sandbox title turns the Crusades of the twelfth century into your personal playground of murder.

At $10 or whatever that translates to in Microsoft fun money, you're looking at at least another eight hours of gameplay (maybe more if you don't work on the brain-hunting missions while doing all the other ones). At that price, Zombie Island just may be the perfect place for your next vacation, and for your next level up too.

No-hitters seem like impossibilities in MLB 14 The Show, unless you turn on automatic fielding and let the others in your squad help out. America's game has always been about teamwork and that’s the only thing I feel is missing when sitting alone on my couch, playing the game.

So if you like classic RPGs, there’s no reason to avoid any of the Bravely games, and if you’re not sure about this one for some reason, download that free demo and get crackin’.

Despite a few pre-existing flaws carried over from Civilization V, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth evolves the franchise and has the potential to become an outstanding spin-off of its own.

Deus Ex GO is most definitely a casual game, but it also appeals to core gamers who are fans of the franchise.

The extra year of development time paid off and ensured that Assassin’s Creed Origins likely wouldn’t underwhelm its audience by repeating its past sins. Instead, it modernized itself by adopting a more open structure and intuitive set of controls and gameplay systems, effectively marking a new chapter in the franchise. It’s fitting that Origins showed the birth of the Assassin’s Creed while also indicating the much-needed rebirth of the Assassin’s Creed series.

At about one-fifth of the price and length of a full-scale platformer, it's pretty, polished and fun. LostWinds is one of the most recommendable downloadable games from WiiWare.

A remarkably accurate and functional port, and as such, there's a ton of content and great gameplay here. It's so true to its predecessor, however, that it's tough to justify buying again if you already own the PS2 version.

While the difficulty of Revenant Wings could be dialed up a notch or two for experienced gamers, it’s a fun, great-looking game that will keep you occupied for fifteen to twenty hours.

It's hard not to recommend Soul Calibur V. The balanced gameplay makes for an open invitation to new players, and stalwarts of the series will find a return to form for the series. Even if you're not that into fighting games, the depth and variety in Create a Soul is a game unto itself.

Now, somebody please make a version with all of the bad words intact! I wanna say stuff that would make Bob Saget cringe!

Those that played the game when it was first released on Wii aren’t missing a ton if they skip this one. There’s no new content, just tweaks here and there. However, those who loved it will find this is the best way to play it now.

As it stands, Deception is just an obese version of "Deadly Alliance." There's a lot more fat to chew on, but very little new substance.

If there weren't so many better games of the same ilk, I'd definitely recommend this one. But there are, and TWINE isn't at the top of the stack.

Wasteland 2 won’t be for everyone. It’s a challenging game that only rewards those willing to sink real time into it. If you like your tactical battles with simple presentation and old-school RPG design, you won’t like this game. It’s deep, and it feels that way right off the bat.

But perhaps its best unrecognized feature is that it actually got a hardcore “gamer” like me to stop playing my Xbox 360 and pick up the Wii for the first time in months, possibly years, not just because it was my assignment, but because I wanted to. And I’m not sure I can give better praise than that.

Anno 1800 is one of the most fun city-builders I’ve played in a long time. The construction of your city isn’t as complex as Cities: Skylines, but the complex supply and demand mechanics make Anno more action-packed than many combat oriented RTS games. You’ll constantly be juggling trade routes and worker types, and it all adds up to an incredibly rewarding experience.

All that said, every year we beg the question: Is Madden really worth $60 for what little tweaks are made? Probably not, but most people buy it anyway because we all feel that desire to be caught up and current with what's new.

The bridge between familiarity and innovation is thin and slippery, and Xenosaga Episode III sits precariously in the middle, demanding a fee.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance indulges those of use with itchy button mashing fingers by giving us the opportunity to smack around a myriad of bad guys with our favorite superheroes.

The PS3 version is identical to the 360 in terms of options and A.I., unfortunately the similarity ends as soon as you look at the screen. It only runs at half the framerate (which is less noticeable than you'd think) and is distinctly blurry and choppy, with longer load times (which will drive you crazy). Just like Madden 07 on the 360, it's probably suffering from first-timer's disease.

This game was all over the place regarding quality. There are some things I really like about Far Cry 5, and others I just think are awful. If the story had been told in a more linear, coherent way I think it would have been much better. This game almost gives you too much freedom to the detriment of cohesive gameplay design. Each thing you do has so little effect on the rest of the game world that it feels futile. The only bonus from this is that it facilitates co-op gameplay well.

If you're a DS9 fan, this is a good one. Heck - even if you're new to the series, the game can be entertaining.

A fun, difficult racer deeply entrenched in the SSX vein. It does what it does well, though it's not much of a departure.

Regardless how you classify it, everything in this DLC is so exciting to play through, that it doesn't make feel like this an attempt to grab even more money from players.

Fun and engaging while it lasts - however, that's just not quite long enough. It has some good innovations, but is an imperfect mix of genres.

While its simulation dreams don’t match competing games, it offers enough of a varied experience to be considered a good, solid combo of the two sports game styles.

Fast RMX is one of the best Switch titles out right now. Given how Shin’en is supporting the game with free updates, with the first adding time trials, it’s a great time to pick it up and play this $20 game.

Age of Empires 4 isn’t a bad game at all. I had a lot of fun with it. Its biggest problem is that it plays it too safe. It wants to capture the success of Age of Empires 2 so much that it never really gained an identity of its own. I hope that in the future, the devs take the asymmetrical civilizations further and focus on mechanics that evolve the Age of Empires franchise. There’s a solid foundation here, and if built in the right direction, it could lead to something special. For now, it’s too old school for its own good.

Street Fighter is a cultural phenomenon and even if you're not a fighting game fan you likely know plenty about Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile and the rest of the main cast. The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection puts together the early history of the franchise and allows you to really see how the series began and how it moved towards where it is today.

Danganronpa 2 looks like a niche game, but it tells the kind of crazy story that more people need to experience. I mean, who can resist a talking bear and rabbit?

What you have here is a solid game and an excellent purchase for anyone owning a portable system.

At its best, Rage is the most varied and engaging experience id Software has ever developed. At its worst it feels like mowing the lawn after Saturday morning cartoons. There is so much to love in the wasteland, but quests can feel like they took a back-seat to work on the engine. Games don't have to focus so exclusively on graphics anymore.

Ultimately too much like many of the Capcom fighters that have come before it.

A must for Marvel fans, a good buy for everyone else, Ultimate Alliance is an epic in an old package, kind of like those massy boxes of comics you have hidden away in your attic, gathering ebay value like dust.

The enhanced character models, lightning-fast loading times, authentic WWE presentation, reconfigured match types, better CAW stat-building, the new Story Designer, and the online upload/download server mean that most fans of the franchise will clothesline anyone who gets in their way to the register. But just as many fans will be disappointed by the CAW point system, CAW restrictions in Story Designer and as downloadable characters, gender restrictions, the ho-hum Career mode, and the polished but still linear Road to Wrestlemania.

Though the formula for destruction is basically the same, there's enough new material here to please fans of the series and newcomers alike. Who knew this old samurai could cut so deep?

While the fighting engine is still decent and the combat graphics are fine, Mortal Kombat: Deception does little for the series. It's a victory, but hardly a flawless one.

It should be noted, though. that once you’ve done all the puzzles, there is zero replay value. That being said, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a must-play for those who love these types of experiences.

It may not shatter the mold of first-person fragging, but it's got tons of good content, providing enough lasting gameplay to get you through the inevitable post-launch drought.

It’s a good game of soccer and sports a few nice, unique features. However, if you care more about responsive control and a better overall gameplay experience, look next to FIFA on the retail shelf and find your allegiance with "Winning Eleven." It's still the king of the pitch.

Lots of running around and beating guys senseless with my trusty lightsaber and smacking people around with the power of the Force.

A one-of-a-kind video game experience. Just don't expect a pretty one.

No bones about it, this game is incredibly hard, and it will frustrate you to no end. The thing is, the game’s at its best when it’s pushing you to play it on expert. Ninja Gaiden 2 on easy is a bland experience by comparison, and sucks the life out of the title: It’s a chili dog without the chili; a martini without vermouth.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a safe and sound approach shot from the fairway lie of last year’s golfing venture. Its low risks won’t change your mind about the franchise, and there’s still a level of frustration given that it would only take several minimal tweaks to make the design match the brilliance of its production values.

The sheer joy of destruction, variety of mechs and plethora of game types result in a fun if slower-paced online action game. This giant robot might not save the world, but it's still a pretty good pal.

Like a Dragon: Ishin is worth the wait, and fans of the series are in for a real treat. However, it is a niche entry in the series and not one I’d recommend for beginners. In fact, the more of the main games you’ve played before tackling Ishin, the more you’ll get out of it. Nevertheless, it’s a great spin on the Yakuza formula, and I’m glad Sega took the risk and finally brought it overseas.

While not the most detailed baseball game around (in fact, this game takes a distinctly reductionist approach to many areas of its play), MVP Baseball 2003 is the most fun and exciting of the recent batch. The new pitching system, quick tempo and cool new mechanics really sets this one apart from the rest.

If you care more about responsive control and a better overall gameplay experience, look next to FIFA on the retail shelf and find your allegiance with "Winning Eleven." It's still the king of the pitch.

While its simulation dreams don’t match competing games, it offers enough of a varied experience to be considered a good, solid combo of the two sports game styles.

For the few songs that will catch your ear and push you to finish even on Extreme difficulty (which lives up to its name) and fiddle with the virtual pet aspects of finding the right gifts and such, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd is a funny name, but a solid rhythm experience.

It's one hell of a trip from beginning to end and, by the end of its four-hour journey, will only make it tougher for you to wait two years for BioShock Infinite.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is one of the most unique 4X games released in recent memory, and that is great news for a genre that can be a bit stale at times. Its blend of XCOM-like combat with the traditional strategy elements isn’t perfect, and there are some rough spots that Triumph Studios will need to work on in the future, but it provides an enjoyable and fresh challenge. While the generic sci-fi world isn’t as rich or organic as the previous high fantasy settings, its amount of depth and ways to play carry it up and beyond many of its genre rivals.

Fall Guys is a fun party game that wonderfully replicates TV’s silliest game shows, but replaces the boring humans with lovely bumbling egg monsters. The speed with which it catapults you through rounds means that you’ll see much of what it has to offer early on, but I always felt compelled to keep playing regardless. Hopefully, Mediatonic is able to regularly update it and keep the party going long after its launch.

Given a little patience, however, X-Men Legends will reward you with a good storyline and fun gameplay.

This is a game that takes the side activities in BioShock and puts its full weight behind it. If you’ve ever hoarded every useless scrap of paper and loose cigarette in other games, Void Bastards will reward you. It’s a constant cycle of upgrading your character and venturing deeper into the void while you find new rooms and tougher challenges. Best of all, there’s a definitive end alongside the promise of a harder difficulty. It’s everything you could want in a procedural shooter, bridging the gap between action and strategy in an innovative new way that makes it easy to want to jump into the void over and over again.

God of War III Remastered looks great, other than that, it's not really that different from the original release, which is both to the game's benefit and its detriment.

The City That Dares Not Sleep even makes fun of the ridiculous difficulty of old-school adventure games at one point. Sure, some of the newer crop of the genre have been labeled as a little too easy, but Telltale's efforts is perfectly suitable for veterans and newcomers alike.

Given Telltale's record for producing excellent games, returning fans shouldn't even think twice about picking up this first chapter for Chapter 3.

It hits hard thanks to a robust single-player package, decent online content, and a smart pitching scheme, while a dated batting system, bad fielding model and relatively high price tag ($40 versus $20 for MLB 2K5 and $30 for MVP 2005) prevent it from entering a league of its own.

The game is a little too easy, especially for those of you not worried about collecting every crown. The hint system provides too much of a safety net that is far too easy to fall back on. Thankfully, though, the series clever puzzles are as entertaining as they ever have been and keep the pesky frame rate issues and low difficulty from boxing you out of enjoying Qbby’s latest adventure.

With that being said, Affordable Space Adventures still is a fine puzzle game. If general puzzles aren't your thing, this may be the type of puzzle game you're looking for

Even if there’s no particular reason for it, Prince of Persia is a fun romp through a desert temple. The parkour-heavy gameplay looks impressive and is satisfying without being too frustrating. So head on over to your local store and pick up a copy of Princess Elika and That Nameless Drifter Guy Looking For His Donkey.

As far as remakes go, Square Enix shows time and time again how to do it right, and Dragon Quest VII for 3DS might be their best DQ revamp yet—a massive adventure packed with stories and characters, traveling across time and magical realms to plunge through volcanoes, caves, and underground lairs.

As unbalanced as the offense and defense are, this game is clearly all about the big offensive play which, in my opinion, is very diggable. However, Street does still leave plenty of room for another good scrub-tackle football game, particularly one without so much style or so many stars.

Unfortunately, Def Jam drops the mic again by not providing any sort of Character Creator.

Kena: Bridge of Spirit’s exceptional visuals clash with its unexceptional gameplay to create a gorgeous experience that would be forgettable if not for its technical prowess. Its combat, puzzles, and platforming are enjoyable but fail to set the world alight, though the adventure is elevated by the beauty of its open world and its highly animated characters.

Is The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 worth getting? Definitely! Although it doesn't add much innovation to the series, this game offers a more complex and fine-tuned adventure than its predecessor.

Yet despite its innovation, the game gets old quickly and simply doesn't have enough depth to warrant much replay, turning the once-proud ape into just another goofy monkey.

While some more important platform-specific content would have been ideal, the Catherine: Full Body Switch version is one of the few ports that can stand right with its peers on other systems. The modesty of the original benefits this rendition in a handful of ways since the anime-inspired art style looks fantastic on the smaller console and its humble systems don’t push the Switch past its technical breaking point. Imperfect controls don’t hamper the rewarding puzzles and the story, while still engrossing, is only inhibited by its sometimes dubious and dated depictions of certain groups of people. And because of those reasons, Catherine: Full Body is one of those rare full-bodied ports that’s just as enjoyable when poured into a to-go cup.

A reliable, fun game that puts some nice, new spin on an old sport. If you can look past its limited depth, you'll have a ball.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the definitive way to play the RPG classic. There are no inherent flaws of this port beyond the portions of the original game that have aged poorly. For the most part, the story and gameplay has held up over time and Squall’s adventure is better than most give it credit for being.

Gears Tactics makes a wonderful addition to the franchise, and I hope that it spins off as its own series. It avoids many of the pitfalls of the genre and provides a streamlined experience that was a breath of fresh air. Hardcore fans of tactical games may find it to be a bit too easy, but most will find it very enjoyable.

Bottom line: If you dug the original this is probably right up your alley.

There are simply so many things to do that I'm reminded of an MMO where players have to spend an hour getting ready for a 30-minute fight. As a result, I find myself only playing for an hour or two at a time now whereas I was playing for several hours in a row during the first half.

The problem is that potential is not the same as value, and it's hard to recommend Age of Conan as it stands right now. In six months, however, it should be spectacular.

If you’ve never played Company of Heroes 2 and are interested in the RTS genre, buy this. If you already own CoH2, then at $19.99 this expansion may be a little pricey, though those who loved the base game will lap up the versatility of the new armies and the exhilarating wars that can be waged in the added maps.

Civilization V: Gods & Kings improves the original experience with new content and balance, but the package lacks any major features that make it feel like an expansion rather than content DLC.

Though gang warfare slightly overtakes the more pertinent theme of personal security and government surveillance, Watch Dogs is a superlative technical achievement. Its interpretation of Chicago is painstakingly detailed and sets a new bar for open worlds, with only a spare few hiccups in frame-rate.

If you’re hardcore into flight sim games, you might find some satisfaction from the better parts of this highway to the danger zone, but if you’re looking for the next Crimson Skies, keep looking.

It’s clear that there’s tons of potential here, and there’s so much to love about what 343 Industries has already introduced, but playing it at launch feels like you’re playing the worst version of what could rightly wind up being a fantastic game. Game Pass lets subscribers experience games like Halo Infinite on a whim, and it also lets developers like 343 take risks on launching a “Halo platform” that’s a work-in-progress. Currently, its single-player campaign is fun if somewhat empty, while its multiplayer flickers between exhilarating and frustrating.

Despite a bit of a misstep regarding space battles, I have very little to complain about when it comes to Endless Space 2. Any bugs or other technical frustrations I had in the Early Access have disappeared with the full release, which also includes a whole new Faction that I can’t wait to play.

What 3DS features are present in Black and White Version 2 are negligible and feel tacked on. It's instead best to consider Version 2 as the Fire Red and Leaf Green of the original Black and White pair. In the end, it's possible to skip these two, but the hardcore won't let it go. After all, you can't be the very best if you're not also exacting your commanding power over the latest installment in the series. Still, lapsed trainers would do well with Version 2, despite feeling like a stepping stone to the next generation of Pokemon games on the 3DS.

What was once an intricate, tactical action game has effectively been dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience, and the technical issues and inconsistent A.I. leave the fun relatively AWOL for the hardcore Ghost Recon vets.

Like a soap, it's a little hard to start right in the middle and know what's going on. The Legacy of Kain series is one of those rare games where it's actually worth paying attention to the story. Too bad you have to go back to the PS1 to get caught up.

Without a completely robust online mode and a decent but not remarkable improvement in graphics, Tekken 6 doesn’t take full advantage of being on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Both the Scenario Campaign and the final boss encourage players to dumb down their game with cheap moves in what should be a technical fighter. But otherwise, Tekken 6 still retains the same high-quality fighting engine, with an incredible and distinct character roster, that fans expect from the series, and collecting items in Scenario Campaign can be addicting.

[It] would have been much more innovative if it hadn't been kept locked in the attic until "Starcraft" and "Homeworld" had already come out in various iterations.

Great story, acting, interface, are all wrapped up to create one of the best adventure games yet.

While it doesn't provide the graphical flash of "Final Fantasy 8," it delivers a different graphical beauty that feels warmer than the all too familiar polygonal experience. It's got a good story that sadly weakens at the end; though there's just enough steam left to get you through.

Great storytelling combined with a variety of gameplay elements keep things interesting, though are certainly a few pebbles this grasshopper fails to snatch.