Though Guitar Hero Live is rough around the corners and may not convince casual Guitar Hero players to return to their guitar-shredding ways, it sets a new standard in technology for peripherals, presentation, and online connectivity.

Wasteland 2: Director's Cut is a fantastic retro-styled CRPG with many modern upgrades. Sure, it has a few bugs and takes a while before it becomes truly interesting and fun, but that's par for the course for games with 50+ hours of gameplay.

Instead of the in-your-face outright scare without substance, Maiden of Black Water goes for a sense of dread paired with an insatiable curiosity to know what happened next. It's a welcome re-introduction to the franchise in the West, a hit for the Wii U, which is still trying to prove it can appeal to "Mature" gamers.

LEGO Dimensions is still the best LEGO game TT Games has produced. It's more creative in both its narrative and gameplay, and there was only one small optional section I played where the platforming was problematic (traditionally an issue with the series).

There's not much else to Mushroom 11 beyond the core movement mechanic, but the game is confident in its limited scope. It allows the simple and innovate control scheme to take center stage, and though it requires both patience and practice, it contributes greatly to the novelty of the puzzle platformer experience.

Samurai Warriors 4-II isn't a bad game, but it will only appeal to gamers who long to play lengthy battles where mindless button-mashing trumps strategy and variety.

Episode One is a fun two hours with plenty of shout-outs to fans of the series while also a solid balance of gameplay and characters for those who’ve never combined flint, sticks, and a feather to create an arrow. As a "player choice via conversation" game, though, the plot so far is fairly standard.

If you're looking for a classic Dragon Quest game with a twist, then this more than fits the bill, so long as you don't mind playing alone the whole through way through. As unexpected as it might be, Omega Force has proven that it can adapt popular franchises with surprising consistency.

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.

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.

As such, if you’re a fan of Davey Wreden’s work or simply wish to see these themes tackled in a video game, then I’d recommend giving it a shot. At the very least, The Beginner’s Guide will provide you with an experience unlike anything else in the medium.

The HD remaster in particular does wonders for the series and makes Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection an easy recommendation for PS4 owners.

It’s not bad, but it’s not great either. Could’ve used more “zip," I think.

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.

That everything feels organic and genuine in futuristic SF is an incredible feat, especially considering the entire game is just text and deliberately low-tech visuals.

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.

The lack of meaningful content holds the game back, which is a shame because the idea itself creates a foundation for something more.

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.

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.

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

All told, Jotun is a wonderful experience with just a few sour notes. My only regret about it is that it feels short.

The combination of fun rhythm gameplay, impressively choreographed dances, and costume variety make Persona 4: Dancing All Night a worthy addition to the Persona 4 universe.

Its moments of thrilling gameplay and competition-rich multiplayer are sideswiped by bad performance, the poor implementation of Slam, and frequent glitches. The series might have once had potential to be revived, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 makes sure that all signs of life have been squeezed out of it.

NBA Live 16 is made to feel accessible and simple. At least that’s what the structure caters to. From in-game learning help to player development, it’s all mostly basic.

Year Walk is one of the gems of the year. Developer Simogo worked with Dakko Dakko to produce what they call the "definitive edition" on Wii U. I’m gonna say this is probably the best version too as the visuals look great on a big HDTV, along with the haunting sounds through a stereo, and the all those extras features on the GamePad.

FIFA focuses on fewer aspects, only adding a few new things and sticking with their already solid gameplay. Both make tough cases, and it is obvious this has been the closest race to date. As a whole, FIFA 16 plays well and fantastic visual cues.

Cities: Skylines may have been a dark horse at first, but with After Dark it's now a formidable thoroughbred.

It's unfortunate that Assault Android Cactus feels a bit slight, because the game is quite a bit of fun in short bursts.