The first game in a long time that I just could not put down. No matter how tired I was, I was determined to get through just the next witness testimony before bed.

The characters were flat but not cringe-inducing. The combat was repetitive but showed nuance as I dug more into Blood Arts. The graphics were passable, if not wholly unpleasant. God Eater 2: Rage Burst is comfort food with a controller, bland but filling. It may not be the best Thanksgiving, but I can see why some kids call it their favorite holiday.

NGD Studios has crafted a suitably epic, deeply engaging strategy game with all the bells and whistles. Despite some awkwardness with the combat, it’s a satisfying title that delivers on its core promise: to make you feel like an intergalactic conqueror.

If you're looking for a fun twin-stick shooter that feels familiar yet fresh, Livelock is worth a purchase, especially if you have friends to play with. Now, if only it had a better title like 'Rock'em, Sock'em, Brobots'.

Obduction feels like a game that belongs in the 1990s with a modern-day coat of paint. If you haven't played an adventure game since then, you might be pleasantly surprised, but I'd have rather spent my time replaying Firewatch, Oxenfree, or any number of other quality adventure titles instead of this buggy mess.

It’s not really “bad” or anything; it’s just too niche for its own good. I found some enjoyment in it, but after a few times playing through the story, it felt more tedious than anything. There’s not enough here to make me want to strive for greatness. Maybe if the devs had strived for it first, I would’ve stayed glued to my controller a bit longer.

Setting aside the score and art style, you're left with a very basic platformer. While the color shifting concept is simple enough and I can appreciate the developers doing something differently, it just isn't enough to make this a memorable journey that you'll want to revisit, especially since most of the game is just breadcrumbing you along with no real thought or skills needed.

As a racing experience, though, this was generic. Obviously, mileage will most certainly vary depending on how big a fan one is of the world of MotoGP. At best, for fans of Rossi himself, this is at least a rental.

Nuka-World may not have a storyline that is as significant and connective as Far Harbor's, but it still ranks as one of the better expansions for Fallout 4. Instead of ending the game with a heavy, emotional finale, Nuka-World is a humorous excursion that's feels like a well-deserved, fun-filled Nuka-vacation. (A Nuka-cation?!) As a world of refreshment, it certainly does the trick.

With Attack on Titan, Omega Force has managed to craft a wonderfully exhilarating game full of action and suspense that closely follows the source material. It's leaps and bounds above their Dynasty Warriors franchise.

Minor gripes aside, Worms W.M.D is a great addition to the long-running series! Combining new features like vehicles and crafting with the original 2D design is a great way to update the series while still keeping the old-school flavor. As a result, Worms WMD is sure to satisfy fans of the series and hopefully lure in a new generation of players.

For the few things it does right, like some variation in the mission structure and a control scheme that makes sense (even in a hurty way), it's just not that good. For a series that has worked so hard to make a great solo experience, even—especially—in its first-person outings, it’s incredibly unbalanced with a difficulty spike I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before.

Aside from some faulty matchmaking, the package is a fighting game worth playing. It looks good enough and runs smoothly, and even when lagging, the online play is nice and clean.

While it's not the next CoD, it's still a fun way to pass the time in between playing infantry-based shooters.

Overall, the mix in gameplay and modes are both satisfying and rewarding. Above all, the pure physics system and exact handling of cars are what fans should enjoy the most. Even for those who aren’t quite familiar of the sport or don’t play racing simulators, F1 2016 has a little bit of everything for everyone.

Though the story could have brought more attention to the ending and more fully developed the character relationships in the game, the environmental storytelling and exploration through the city of Prague is intricate and memorable. The stealth-based first-person gameplay, paired with the flexibility of the augmentation system, remains as one of the best in the business.

Overall, Madden NFL ’17 is a breath of fresh air. The new running features give life to a stagnant aspect of the field, forcing players to play a more balanced style of game and highlighting game schemes many have forgotten about. EA has done a whole lot with the little they have.

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

No Man’s Sky will not be everyone’s cup of space tea, proving to be just as divisive as the genre it represents. It can be boring, but a "good" kind of boring. It can also be frustrating, the sort of frustrating that makes you wish you can travel back to 2013 and relive the first time No Man’s Sky entered the public mind, sparking the long-dormant imaginations of the gaming community.

Though episode 7 isn't exactly skippable, the drive to complete it even in an hour or so can feel unfulfilling. As I said, for completionists only.

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

It’s extremely mindless grinding, which can be fun now and again when you’re feeling non-committal. And from what I’ve learned of the endgame offerings, when you’re fully leveled, you can just experience much of the same. I’m not sure how long someone would want to experience more of the same, and I don’t feel like anything I’ve played warrants going through it all again with another character. It’s just not all that compelling, but if you have friends you’d like to quest with, it’s certainly something to do… like many other things.

Perhaps Necropolis’s worst sin is that it doesn’t motivate you to keep going. Sloppy mechanics can often be forgiven if the game has something compelling going for it; just ask Deadly Premonition. Here, however, players have no incentive to continue. The unfunny humor exists solely to mock the player. Every twist and turn, you’re greeted with another joke that undermines your quest and the importance of it. Your quest never feels purposeful or epic. Instead, it just feels like an insignificant afterthought.

While very brief, almost overly so, the journey was still one to remember, especially when it features one of the most visually striking and cathartic endings in recent memory. ABZÛ is a spellbinding and visually stunning experience. I can't recommend this title enough, and it's definitely one you'll want to check out.

At its heart, this is a game for the masochist players who, like me, keep trying to reach just one level further. Sure, we’ll be slaughtered, and there’s little we can do to fully prepare for every enemy that finds our soon-to-be-rotting corpses on the battlefield. But there’s something still cute about how dangerous an overpowered shadowy beast can be.

Fallout 4's Vault-Tec Workshop DLC would be more than worth it for most players if all it did was make the cavern space available to build their own vault. That it adds a 4-5 hour quest on top of making these assets available, for the same $5 price as the other workshop DLCs, makes it a really fantastic value, and one that will give a far greater return to anyone who's wanted to take their experience from Fallout Shelter to the main game.

I can easily recommend Quadrilateral Cowboy, one of my favorite indie games so far this year, to anyone looking for an adventure game that brings something that feels fresh and new to the table and leaves you feeling smart as you've become a hacking god, or in this case goddess.

Hitting the right balance of puzzle and action with a proper dose of true `80s nostalgia, the majority of Headlander is a treat to play and to watch. That being said, its ending segment has a few head-scratching moments, including an uninspired “Simon says” memory game, and a final boss fight that is as frustrating as it is formulaic; the boss has three main segments of health and changes style after each segment is depleted, followed by a surprise re-birth into yet another form.