Though the cracks with stealth and freerunning are starting to show with time, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag does the one thing it means to do surprisingly well: pirates. Sailing the high seas, finding hidden treasure chests among gorgeous tropical archipelagos, letting the waves of turquoise water crash into the Jackdaw, plundering enemy ships without remorse, and hearing your crew sing authentic sea shanties has never felt better.

Bottom line, this DLC is well worth your time and money to check this out, especially if you're going though Skyrim withdrawal.

Not only a fantastic JRPG in its own right, Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch is perfect for anyone who has ever wished to live inside a Studio Ghibli film.

Difficulty might be off the scale at times, with the occasional enemy that will take going back to earlier floors to even think about taking on, and the shop gets pricey, but I can’t honestly find much fault in this game beyond that.

The Course World issues are only minor blemishes on an otherwise fantastic game. Super Mario Maker captures the childlike glee of seeing a game in action and wondering what it would be like to create one.

There are many amazing things that Band Fuse: Rock Legends does to revolutionize the way we play guitar, and it’s inspiring.

Despite a few quibbles that most new players won’t even notice, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is an impressive remastering of three of the greatest adventure games ever made.

Despite a niggling complaint or two about the overall structure, there is very little to dislike about Furi.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is epic and a really great game, but one that requires the player to approach it in a specific way.

The PS4 version has seen some slight increases to audio fidelity, resulting in an incredible auditory experience whether you're out exploring the wilderness or speaking to an NPC. For some unknown reason the Xbox One and PC versions are not only unequal in this regard, but their files have been compressed to a point where the quality suffers.

I don’t know that diehard Borderlands fans will appreciate this series’ approach, but it’s worth a shot if you’re into the story more than the shooting.

If you're inclined to play a mature game with mature decision-making, I do highly recommend Always Sometimes Monsters. The game smartly tests how effectively you choices play out in the final act, something I don't wish to spoil but Vagabond Dogs deserves praise for.

Astral Chain is a unique and beautiful game that excels at what it’s trying to do. It’s one of the best games of the year so far, and it makes me excited to see what the studio will come up with next.

The Talos Principle: Deluxe Edition doesn't offer any new content to entice people who played the PC version, but I highly recommend it to everyone who hasn't.

The Nioh Collection confidently slashes through these minor oversights because it is still a definitive duo of difficult classics that play, look, and feel better than ever before. Even though its sequel is easily the superior, more varied title, both are still genre-defining action RPGs that provide so many engaging encounters that crush players to a pulp as a means to make them work for their euphoric victories. Few games can master this balance and maintain it after dozens or hundreds of hours and this collection has two such titles, doubling the amount of pain while also simultaneously doubling the amount of satisfaction.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is like Pop Rocks: The Game. It’s a delicious and surprising visual and audio journey that constantly changes rhythms and mechanics before disappearing rather quickly in a glamorous, flavor-filled explosion.

As for the big ending, I was quite moved, but it should be noted that where previous episodes would have the player make several important choices, Polarized only has one. It’s a doozy for sure, but it’s a little jarring that a series that highlighted all these precious tiny moments ends up coming down to a singular yes or no choice.

The reason World of Warcraft has proven to stand the test of time has everything to do with its ability to cater to a wide array of different types of gamers, and Warlords of Draenor only pushes the envelope even further.

It may not be a perfect experience, but it’s a real blast for anyone who likes these types of games.

As someone who loves adventure and puzzle games, Outer Wilds was a match made in heaven. It’s not action-packed, and there’s not crafting or deep survival mechanics like most space games have. Instead, it delivers an engaging mystery that isn’t spoon fed to you. It offers its own unique challenge that I highly recommend to anyone that loves video games or space.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is far from just an upscaling of the 3DS games. It’s an evolution for the series which makes it appealing and accessible even to those who aren’t crazy about strategy RPGs. It’s a great gateway for the genre and another excellent addition to the Switch library.

Ubisoft's platformer was one of the best games money could buy last year, and it's one of the best games you can play on your PlayStation Vita now.

From its narrative to its world to its puzzles and combat, Control intrigues its players and invites them to think and rewards them handily for doing so; a true remedy for overly linear and coddling game design.

Persona 4: Golden proves as endearing, powerful, and emotionally charged as it did in 2008, but with a host of new features and newcomer crutches, the experience can't be beat. Despite a few small hiccups, including the odd one-hit kill from an unassuming shadow, Golden manages to yank at your heart and delight in even servings. There's no better game for your Vita this holiday season.

It retains that spark of ingenuity, that offbeat quirkiness which keeps its design unconventionally timeless.

Considering the sometimes bipolar nature of Square Enix's PC ports, I'm impressed with how well Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition turned out. If you have a mid-to-high end PC, this is the way to experience this game, either if you're playing it for the first time or if you want to go through it a second time.

Super Mario Maker 2 is a joyous celebration of the intricacies that go into designing the perfect level. It’s a game where you can invest hours creating and playtesting one short section of one small level, or decide to do away with creation altogether in favor of playing through its ever-growing number of courses. Despite recurring technical problems that have become synonymous with Nintendo games, Super Mario Maker 2 is still an essential Switch purchase, building upon the groundwork laid by its predecessor and adding so much more.

If you're new to the series, there's plenty of warm water here to sink into, but franchise stalwarts need not worry. Agent 47 is as cunning, deadly, and silent as you want him to be; it just so happens that purist players will also be the most rewarded. Regardless your level of experience, Hitman: Absolution scratches a very specific itch, one that involves a butterfly knife or possibly an accidental electrocution.