When you combine the depth of gameplay, breadth of modes and quality of delivery with the salary-cap friendly $19.99 price tag, it’s easy to see how ESPN NHL 2K5 stays on top of its division.

While the physics system is itself a marvel of gameplay finesse, Fight Night Round 4 also utilizes consistently awe-inspiring animation and stunning musculature on the boxer models.

If "MVP Baseball 2004" was Alec Baldwin, MVP Baseball 2005 is Daniel – mostly the same, but a little bit sleazier.

It delivers unbelievable graphics and more cathartic chaos than you can shoot a luger at, but has something of a dumb head on its shoulders, an overly simple control scheme and busies itself providing greater densities of the same old content without doing anything new.

From its amazing level of detail to its fantastic game engine, this is one that fans of strategy should not miss.

Its amazing graphics and fun gameplay make this one of those games that you need to experience. Just watch out for those damn zombies.

The vast-majority rest of the time, Valkyria Chronicles offers a unique take on RPG-strategy, a truly involving story, endearing characters, and a chance to reflect upon—or wonderfully, hopelessly anachronize— whatever sense of real-world history you may still have in your head.

A solid game with great multiplayer, but nothing wholly unique in and of itself.

When you walk away from Total War: Warhammer, you’ll feel like you’ve played yet another decent Warhammer game. It has the attention to detail and adherence to lore that fans of the IP look for, but without many of the compelling qualities that are needed to substantiate AAA games in a release-heavy year like 2016.

At least the game makes you feel more like a quarterback than ever before, and that's reason enough for one hell of an end-zone celebration.

Don’t expect anything revolutionary. Sunbreak builds on a firm foundation and caters to those who conquered the base game. However, I see those who played tens of hours of Monster Hunter Rise feeling a bit weary when they boot up Sunbreak. Especially given its slow start.

While BlazBlue is unabashedly brutal online, there’s more than enough offline content to keep beginners busy until they feel skilled enough to brave online play. BlazBlue doesn’t apologize for its complexity, but it does make everyone feel welcome.

Even if you're an old hand at Most Wanted at this point (my SpeedPoint total across Xbox 360, PS3, and PC versions was already a ridiculous amount), the ability to control the traffic or cops, and the ability to easy locate hidden cars are worth revisiting Fairhaven. Criterion's also used the extra time to make the Wii U the best-ooking console version, complete with textures from the PC release and a few tweaks to the way night and day look in game.

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.

Certainly a big game, but the gang at Pandemic has seen fit to provide even more in the form of unlockable goodies. More weapons, more vehicles and even a few more characters (this is a LucasArts game after all) are tied to the free-standing bounties, extending the game's already long shelf life.

Exactly what you expect it to be: a solid, offhand reworking of Guitar Hero World Tour with a bunch of Metallica songs.

But if you can handle the constant exertion meter management, sharpen/recharge/reload your weapon while surrounded, and chase those damn beasts down on foot alone or with friends, you should be able to weather the storm of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

A treat that is as deliciously unique as Rez or Okami comes around once every few years. That one has appeared for the handheld and lasts well over thirty hours is a feat in itself, especially for a $20 budget title.

Beyond the Sword presents a lot of additions to what was already a great game. It's a good expansion, and capitalizes a great deal on fixing some of the weaknesses of the original.

I’m ecstatic that Square Enix took a gamble on this series. Dragon Quest is one of the oldest and most popular JRPG franchises, and its a perfect vehicle for this sort of gameplay. It’s colorful and friendly while still having enough adult themes to keep you hooked. I was glad to see a lot of the issues from the first game were rectified, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here.

Even with its graphical hitches and proverbial chinks in its armor, and though the story may not move you by virtue of its resemblance to The Lord of the Rings, Dragon Age: Origins creates a comprehensive story-world that lives and breathes with the best that epic video games have to offer.

All in all, this is a very solid entry for the franchise, with enough new features and assets to please loyal fans and with enough improvements to attract initiates.

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

Death Stranding doesn’t try to imitate other games, and it’s not for everyone. However, it’s one of my favorite journeys in video gaming history. I feel I’ll return to again and again as the years pass.

If you want something more from your video games or if you want to be transported to another dimension to learn the true role of an intergalactic soldier, you should probably hit the books. If Titanfall is representative of man’s aspirations, we’re going no where fast.

This series is better than it has any business being. If you’re tired of the cookie cutter, hum-drum crap coming out of big studios, Yakuza 0 is the prescription for you.

Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix had an undeniably heavy burden in modernizing a character born from an immature, male-oriented fantasy, but no matter your gender, if you're a gamer, you should play Tomb Raider. It combines high-levels of interactivity, excellent pacing, and a true bond between the player and the character on screen.

Silent Hill 2 Remake sets a new golden standard when it comes to remakes. The story is carried over completely intact, honoring the original narrative while adding depth where appropriate. I absolutely loved exploring the expansive, redesigned environments, which are more immersive and atmospheric than ever before. The enhanced graphics and excellent sound design contribute to an experience that is both haunting and beautiful.