NBA 2K16 is full of features and detail. It’s possibly the most complete game to the series.

Despite still struggling to tell a captivating story, Dead or Alive 6 is an improvement in nearly every area from its predecessor. Not only has it become more beginner friendly due to a great tutorial and the Fatal Rush mechanic, but players have more reasons to hone their skills offline due to the DOA Quest mode.

If you've never played BlazBlue, then Continuum Shift Extend is the place to start, and there's no better platform to do it on than the PS Vita. If you have previously enjoyed the BlazBlue series, that's a bit of a tougher call and will largely depend on the value of the added characters and increased control allowed by this new system.

As an inexpensive downloadable title—again, the first few tutorial stages are free, and buying the four-pack of add-ons makes it ten bucks—I can’t help but say I enjoyed it, despite the repetition of what was necessary in each level.

Skylanders Superchargers revs up its cyber-engine to offer fans a huge variety of vehicular and action platforming gameplay. After several iterations, this series now offers a surprising amount of depth, but it still lacks a serious challenge.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the definitive edition of a franchise-defining kart racer, no longer constrained by Wii U’s teensy install base and poised to dish out hours of enjoyment from its new hybrid home. Not everyone will be tempted, but if you missed the original Mario Kart 8, it’s an absolute must-buy.

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.

Among the stronger expansions for The Sims 3, University Life fills in the time gap missing from the series and offers enough depth to extend the life of every Sim meaningfully. In addition to introducing a new plant-based Sim type, the added social content broadens the interaction of the Sim universe.

As a single-playthrough experience, Ori and the Blind Forest is a wonderful example of sublime presentation, a simple but heartfelt story, and challenging platforming.

Blackguards 2 had a rocky launch, but the 2.0 patch release fixes virtually all the technical and balancing issues that I encountered with it. I found its story to be a little pedestrian, but really enjoyed the gameplay and customizability of the characters.

There’s a certain sense of satisfaction that comes from sneaking through an entire building of guards and making it out with a bag full of loot. It’s one that video games don’t take advantage of often enough. Monaco takes that and makes it an exciting and challenging affair to enjoy with friends. Just make sure you don’t sign up for the job if you plan to play alone.

With everything running at 1080p, this is certainly eye candy. Just be sure to keep up, because neither Dante nor Virgil, or the demon horde for that matter, is going to drop the action because you're a little rusty.

Skullgirls is an engaging, memorable fighting game that presents more of a skeleton than a full experience-but that skeleton is both rock-solid and highly flexible. The bulk of a fighting game is really its gameplay and characters, and Skullgirls has both elements focused and condensed like coal into a diamond, offering pick-up-and-play casual action with pretty visuals but a lot of combo potential and depth that sidesteps the cheaper, unfair aspects of other fighters. It's the most noteworthy original fighter to come along this entire generation after Blazblue. Its practical shortcomings hold it back a bit (time will tell if DLC fleshes these out), but it's ambitiously refined for such a smaller-scale game and at least a must-try for fighting game fans.

D4 is a game that knows what it is. It’s quirky and odd with an outrageous story and over-the-top characters, and that may not sit well with some people, but that’s the kind of game Swery is known to make.

For the $15 asking price, you'd be hard-pressed to find another multiplayer experience on a console with this much meat on its bones.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a taste of what happens when a developer decides to contend with nearly every good fantasy RPG idea. It's an astoundingly extensive-and foolhardy-task for an original IP, whose largest mistake is not that it's unpolished in spots, but that it, of little fault of its own, comes only a few months after The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Knowing this well ahead of time likely propelled 38 Studio and Big Huge Games toward a cel-shaded, casual, jack-of-all-trades design, but all things considered, Reckoning carries enough momentum to sustain its lengthy journey and sweeping world. It will not change the way you think about fantasy RPGs, but it certainly fits right in.

Just a polished version of an already great game, but for me, it was a bit more special. With the technical issues eliminated, Dark Souls can shine and is a much more satisfying experience.

Its treatment of the soundtrack and sound effects is evident of the grander attitude toward the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. It shows how much care and thought went into every corner of it.

Despite my disappointment at some aspects of Resident Evil 3 remake, it's far from a bad game. In fact, my biggest issue is that I want more than what's there. Though the story is short, what's there is exhilarating, and it kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I can only imagine how good it would be if Capcom gave it another six months to a year in development, and all the missing features and abridged or cut locations were included.

If you're a long time CRPG fan, or you never really gave them a try, Pillars of Eternity 2 is an excellent choice. It has the complexity of CRPGs of old but without the clunkiness. It's a much bigger, more polished game than the first in almost every way and a worthy successor.

In the end, it can feel like we're left with half a game, sort of like that bad guy we ripped the legs off of earlier. The Darkness II features a tight experience with exemplary voice-acting and wonderfully gory graphics. As a piece of storytelling it is one of the better games this generation.

With only a scant amount of truly unique experiences coming to the few reaming arcades in America, it is great that Killer Queen Black exists. This is an experience that you won’t get anywhere else, and it deserves to go beyond its current cult status.

If you go into Resident Evil Requiem without expectations, you’ll find it’s a great game. However, many long-time fans of the series did expect that Requiem would be a celebration of the series’ 30th anniversary. Capcom hasn’t done a great job so far, and using the game to advertise a $215,000 car and a couple of $1,500+ limited-edition watches has me questioning whether the company has once again lost touch with its fanbase. I’m hoping Requiem is a setup for a major twist that rewards fans for their knowledge of the franchise and propels the series into its next phase. Because of just how odd a taste this game left in my mouth, my score is mostly (and optimistically) based on the gameplay and the story, outside of its connections to the series as a whole.

The new Blaster Battles, Multi-Build evolved puzzles, and the flying stages are sheer fun to be had by all and made me feel a bit nostalgic for other classic Star Wars games. The Force is clearly strong with TT Fusion.

Destiny still has a few issues that could be sorted out, but The Taken King brings hope that future Destiny expansions will fix those too.

For the price, and if you’re up to the challenge, you can’t go wrong with New Super Luigi U.

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.

Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition like last year’s Bayonetta 2 is for hardcore action gamers. It rewards practice and patience. The level design can get repetitive, but the levels aren't really why anyone plays a Devil May Cry game.

Rising Tide enhances Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth to the point that it's difficult to imagine the game without it; in fact, the regular Civilization series should take a few cues from Rising Tide.

In a way, what makes Call of Duty Infinite Warfare so successful is personality, whether that’s via creative future tech, or the earnest single player story or even the over the top Zombie mode. This has been an incredible year for shooters. Thankfully, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare completes 2016 with a bang.

NBA 2K15 retains the title of best basketball video game, but it's a far less impressive title this year.

If you've already finished everything that Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel have to offer, or if you have a high-end PC which can take advantage of Steam's frequent sales and promotions, then you can safely pass on The Handsome Collection. However, to new-gen console owner out there, consider purchasing this remastered compilation if you didn't quite finish either game on last-gen consoles and don't want to spend too much time downloading all of the packs and add-ons to catch up.

The chapter ends with a huge revelation linked to Max’s powers that is insanely cool. Without spoiling anything I would say the episode title is apt. It also makes waiting two months for the next installment unbearable.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin targets two audiences: newcomers and veterans. In both cases it succeeds.

It’s hard to complain about the amount of game here, and if you’re a DC Comics fan you’ll have a lot of fun, even if you had that same fun before.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood should have more alternate paths and secret areas to uncover. However, both the stealth action and shooting gameplay are top-notch and the levels are fun to explore

What the Vita lacks in software, it makes up for in opportunity. UI tweaks, perfectly mapped controls, and a beautiful translation to the Vita's portable screen make it perfect for anyone traveling for the summer, sitting on the toilet in need of PS2 greatness, or even people like me who just missed Jak & Daxter's adventures the first time around.

I wish NHL 15 offered a more straightforward season mode, though the options to run your own team or play as a specific pro will give every fan what they’re looking for. Whether or not the horn sounds on home ice, every goal will give the fan in you the same satisfaction as if the game were live right in front of you.

Despite a couple of minor bugs and a few questionable game elements, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones is a fun and well-made game that will please most players.

There’s so much about it to like—the wonderful visuals, easy-to-understand battle system, sensible leveling system and just enough personality to make a call to arms charming. If it didn’t make me also consider punching either myself or my system, this could be one of my favorite games.

Whatever helps soothes your football fix, I'm sure NCAA Football 13 has it. The franchise is still great for hardcore enthusiasts and can be shared with beginners. The whole show, plus the production value, is what makes this one a keeper. Not a bad summer title to pick up if you ask me.

I was astonished at how much I enjoyed Jedi Fallen Order. Not because it’s a great game, it inhabits a niche that we haven’t seen much of this generation. It’s merely a good game. I ran into a ton of glitches and collision issues. Still, the overall package was entertaining enough to ignore them for the most part.

Kind Words is a unique and, more importantly, kind idea that deserves an audience. It encourages empathy between strangers online, and this shouldn’t be overlooked, especially in 2019 when it often feels like everyone wants to cause as much harm to one another as possible. Your appreciation of it will vary depending on how much you need it, but even its existence should be commended. Read more at https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/596163-kind-words-review-a-game-for-anyone-who-needs-a-helping-hand#lhlWBkocre7puSHK.99

In The Infamy, the first of three episodes of Assassin's Creed 3 DLC that make up a campaign set in an alternate history, Washington trades virtue for monarchal power: The Tyranny of King Washington.

On the Vita, you could do much worse than LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. It retains the now classic LEGO magic, there's a ton of fan service, and there's loads of replayability with alternate characters and extra modes.

Tearaway Unfolded improves upon the original by adding innovative controls, a handy companion app, augmented reality features via the PS Camera, and a plethora of new content including expended environments with new quests. With this much whimsical content, it's going to be hard to tear away from my TV.

Fuser lets you become a DJ from the safety of your own home, without having to deal with a global pandemic or 24-year-olds with jaws swinging like saloon doors. Its pricy entry point may be a turn-off for some, but when you’re enthusiastically bopping your head to a mash-up of Amy Winehouse, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Pitbull, you can almost forget that it wants to charge you $1.99 for Evanescence. It’s a fun time with tons of replayability, that will deserve a wider audience than the niche crowd it’s poised to appeal to.

Exato Game Studios are so brazen about Guncraft’s influences that you could initially be forgiven for thinking that it is yet another Minecraft clone, trying to ride on the coattails of Mojang’s success while bringing very little to the table itself. However, I was happy to discover that Guncraft is much more than that, and it deserves to have far more people playing it than it currently has.

A top-class Call of Duty experience that boasts three well-executed segments, with some minor hiccups in the bugs and glitches department.

I've been waiting for a long time to see this franchise take place in the Victorian era, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate doesn't disappoint. Sure, there are some bugs and a few missteps, but I see myself playing through the game at least one more time before I put it aside.

If you're hankering for some highly difficult, ninja-dismemberment action that prizes precision play, it's a pretty good buy. If high difficulty annoys you or you prefer to play as a damage-tank who can soak a lot of hits, avoid at all costs.

PES 2020 doesn’t feel like an evolution over 2019. It offers little in terms of new content and gameplay tweaks. Fans of the series will appreciate the Finesse Dribbling, manager interactions, and increased number of licenses, but you’ll find little to excite over what was already available in PES 2019. Despite it all, however, PES 2020 plays a glorious game of football that you won’t want to put down.

While the lack of online multiplayer and Practice Mode is disappointing given Rock Band 3's suite of features, reliving the experience of having friends playing alongside you (perhaps at a party you've arranged, ahem) in local co-operative play more than makes up for the difference. It may have five years since the last Rock Band, but the feeling is utterly nostalgic.

This year's installment of FIFA has increasingly improved from its previous release.

At first glance I didn't think I'd enjoy playing QP Shooting – Dangerous, but the oddball style and solid gameplay won me over. Not all is perfect, though, as I could do without the long-winded story elements and cheesy music.

Paying upwards of $200 for the full Skylanders Giants experience is a hard sell, but the $75 starter pack which include the game and three figurines (one giant, two regular) is a good jumping point for both kids and parents. I don't particularly care whether Skylanders Giants is age-appropriate for me or not; it's fun for everyone and that's what the best family games should be about. Just don't feel pressured to catch them all, if you know what I mean.

Far Cry Primal is like lobster macaroni and cheese. Comfort food elevated by trying something different, and as a result it mostly succeeds. Taking out the guns and vehicles (unless you count the bears) and keeping the story simple were bold, smart choices for a franchise that could have easily wore out its welcome. Ironically, for a game set so far in the past, it's the past that occasionally holds back Far Cry Primal from true greatness. Nevertheless, this game is a breath of fresh air for both the franchise and first-person action games in general.

If you love the Switch's handheld mode, and want a great game that will last you potentially over one hundred hours, then Skyrim is pretty much second only to Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it comes to action RPGs on this console.

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.

Far Cry 4's lavish environment and solid shooting mechanics are stifled by a mediocre story-world that's a hair too serious and an iterative design that's a bit too obvious.

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?

It’s a nice adventure to play through, and the choices added to the final episode add replay value I wasn’t expecting.

In a year where some excellent RPGs have debuted, Wasteland 3 goes toe-to-toe with the best. The 80-100 hours of content are full of surprises, and you won’t want for things to do in the game. This title is what Fallout should have become, if not in gameplay, then in narrative content.

All in all, Sine Mora succeeds in applying a different concept to a side-scrolling shooter and it works. There might be a few questionable thoughts about the storyline, but it certainly does not shed any negative light on its chaotic and addictive gameplay.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is like no survival game I’ve played before. Charting human evolution is an extraordinarily complex concept for a video game, yet Panache Digital Games has pulled it off by way of carving its own route through a crowded genre. There’s nothing flashy about the brutal landscape in which you attempt to evolve your lineage, and I assume some won’t be interested in a game with unlockable abilities that include being able to sniff a bit farther or hear a little clearer. But this is a wonderfully unique experience that will be deeply appealing to those interested in a hardcore challenge, that just so happens to be rooted in a time period that is completely unexplored territory.

Spider-Man PS4 continues the awesome tradition we’ve seen emerge in the last decade or so of amazing licensed games. I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the more repetitive side activities, but I had a lot of fun in general and gained a new appreciation of Spider-Man, enough so that I’ll be checking out the comics when I get the time.

In the absence of other open-world racing series like Burnout Paradise and Test Drive Unlimited, the Forza Horizon series has steadily become a racing staple, and with Forza Horizon 3, it's now on cruise control. With a revised skill system, a wealth of racing content, and a co-operative campaign, you'll want to bend and curve around every corner in picturesque Australia landscape at least once, even if that's the only time.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus wraps up the feeling of a blockbuster movie in something you can interact with. There's a lot of games that do that, but the spectacle here is outstanding, and the fast-paced gunplay and compelling main story made me want more when the credits rolled. Killing Nazis is one of the most fun and wholesome things a person can do, and there's no better way than to do it with Wolfenstein 2.

It doesn’t have the same level of depth or detail a traditional LoZ game employs, but it’s satisfying, and I can see keeping Legends in my system for a long time coming.

Lumines Electronic Symphony doesn't fuss around with twists and turns with the core puzzling concept, sustaining that psychedelic synesthesia which sparks our continued adoration for the series.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 deserves to be in any fighting fan's catalogue and is well worth the partnership.

Nintendo Land is available as a pack-in with the Wii U Deluxe Set, but it's a good enough game on its own to warrant a purchase for anyone buying the Wii U Basic Set. Plus, it's an effective tool for users as they learn the ins and outs of the Wii U GamePad. There's plenty of value in that alone and having an entire theme park of fun games based on Nintendo's best franchises makes the deal that much sweeter. Sweet enough to call Nintendo Land a must-own for new Wii U owners.

As far as launch titles go, you can't beat a Mario game, and the same is true here.

Amplitude is a solid remix of the original that should win over longtime fans as well as new players who want to explore a fresh version of a game that brought Harmonix into prominence. The track list could have been fuller in terms of quantity and genre variety, but the gameplay remains challenging, crisp, and energetic.

It's addictive, and the gameplay is so fluid and crisp you'll want to keep playing.

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.

Boss Key Productions' first crack at making a first-person shooter has resulted in something that stands out from the competition, scratching the itch of players looking for a classic arcade shooter experience, with the benefits of modern game design.

But despite some minor misfires, the core gameplay is stronger than ever, and while it may not break the kind of new ground the original did, Company of Heroes 2 is still a terrific RTS with a ton of content that no fan of the genre should miss.

Essentially the title is two full games (well, since the second one starts on Tuesday instead of Sunday, I guess it's more like one and three quarters), and well worth the pick up for anyone who may have missed this spin-off of Shin Megami Tensei.

In Episode 4, Escape Plan Bravo, Telltale manages to wrangle hold of the material and build something more cohesive even if some cracks still show.

Bomb Chicken isn’t an innovative, genre-shaking, powerhouse. It doesn’t set out to be. Instead, you get some real solid 2D platforming action with a unique mechanic that sets it apart from its predecessors. It’s a welcome addition to the Switch’s growing library of quality indie games and a smart purchase for anyone who’s looking to kill a little time.

Though the ending wraps the story up a bit too neatly and the lasting value sharply drops off once you complete the game, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright points its fingers with the best of them.

There's no reason for any RPG fan to miss this one.

Minor faults aside, Darksiders Genesis masterfully shrinks down the long-running franchise into a top-down action game that’s just plain fun to play.

Jumping right back in the flow of NBA 2K shouldn’t be a problem for past fans of the series. There are plenty of new moves and plays to delve into, though new players may have some time getting used to controls, as the way the game moves can be somewhat of an acquired taste.

If you’re looking for some hot courtroom action, clinically insane characters, wild crime scenarios, and a lot of worthwhile reading, then Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is probably the niche game for you. Although it straddles the definition of “game” very loosely, it is an overall satisfying and sometimes exhilarating experience worth playing.

This is the best first episode since Borderlands for Telltale Games. I can’t wait to see where Batman: The Telltale Series goes next.

Still, fans of the series will buy it (as well they should, it's still pretty friggin' awesome), and it's worth the cash to plunk down… unless you're still playing an earlier version, then consider borrowing it from a friend. Or continue playing your current copies.

I would have liked to have seen a more smooth difficulty ramp in the Adventure Mode, and more options when it comes to multiplayer matches. However, those are things that can be fixed with patches, and fundamentally Mario Aces Tennis gets things right much more often than it gets them wrong.

If you're a fan of wacky racers, LBPK will satisfy your itch on PlayStation 3, complete with Move support. Likewise, if you're a long-time LBP creator, I'm probably not capable of steering you away from Karting. Regardless, all gamers would do well to expect something less than LittleBigPlanet 2, but something more than they might expect from United Front and the ModNation series.

It really is the best Lego and best Marvel game that I've played—an excellent ride.

While My Time At Portia does stretch a bit too far into the realm of realism, it also offers an accessible entry point into this style of gaming. It’s constantly surprising how much fun it is to sit down, turn on a podcast, and farm for hours.

The highs and lows of football are all here, and EA has pulled out (most of) the stops to provide a unique, utterly gleeful soccer game that leaves room for improvement but also serves as a new career best for the FIFA series.

This full-fledged expansion is no less than amazing and has delivered on many occasions through it’s addictingly raw gameplay.

Where the title lacks the ability to teach you real art skills, it’ll provide dozens of hours of entertainment for a gamer aware of what they’re getting into.

It allows you to do far, far more with what The Sims 4 already has. That said, the expansion doesn't have much supporting content in terms of useful skills or additional professions; in fact, bringing in the dancer and DJ as professions would have boosted the value of the expansion without being outside of the box. Still, Get Together is an expansion worth tagging along.

Honestly, Hustle Kings is almost the perfect handheld game. It's deep and engaging, without being so engrossing you'll hate yourself for having to turn it off quickly. The music is fantastic and even if you think you'll never play pool, you might be inspired to after this game.

Will of the Wisps doesn’t jump as high as Ori and the Blind Forest and falls in a few extra pits yet it is still a worthy enough successor. Comparisons between the two are not always favorable to the sequel, especially considering how it repeats some of the same beats. But that same familiarity is also what gives Will of the Wisps its vivid art style and well-paced, difficult platforming that make both titles such noteworthy entries in the crowded Metroidvania genre.