In one breath, Freedom Wars will either delight or subvert what you think about role-playing games whether you’re well versed in Japanese gaming or not.

I know it’s designed for kids, hence the lack of difficulty, but it does come across better this time than it previously had.

This year’s installment isn't the most polished basketball title or even the best hoops title in general. But it’s absolutely safe to say NBA Live has returned and will be sticking around as a contender, as long as it continues to take these positive dribbles forward.

For handheld gamers this holiday season, the pickings remain slim, but Fantasy Life offers an idealized imaginative antithesis to all-out action like you’d find in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Players who can withstand repetition and enjoy ridiculous 1000+ hit combos will likely appreciate the experience Samurai Warriors 4 provides.

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

To those who are looking for another action-RPG fix prior to the release of Bloodborne and can overlook LotF’s derivative nature, then it’s worth a shot. For everyone else, though, there are plenty more games releasing just around the corner to warrant you overlooking this one.

Sunset Overdrive doesn’t take itself seriously, making the action and character of the game stand-out about as much as its vibrant color scheme. Sequences that slightly alter gameplay or offer up a big boss manage to delight beyond most of what’s available on the latest consoles today.

Despite a few pre-existing flaws carried over from Civilization V, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth evolves the franchise and has the potential to become an outstanding spin-off of its own.

While it’s still missing a few sparks of genius that made those old classics so endlessly replayable, it’s certainly fun while it lasts.

It's still one of my favorite games this year, but the flaws keep me from recommending it to everyone; this is a game for those who love the genre, and want an old-school tactical RPG challenge.

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.

Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is a solid, entertaining game that's not too challenging for kids and whose main story I completed in about six-and-a-half hours.

If you're a Borderlands fan who's looking to scratch that itch for loot-based four-player firefights, then this will serve your needs well until the next core installment in the franchise. Otherwise, you're better off waiting for the inevitable Game of the Year package.

The Evil Within definitely brought back my nostalgia for old-school survival horror games: creepy mansions, terrifying monsters, puzzles, and eerie level design.

Still, Defense Grid 2 represents the pinnacle of tower-defense design at this moment and for that it gets a firm recommendation from this reviewer.

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.

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

In short, this game is entirely underwhelming. The storyline tries to be interesting, but just appears a muddled mess of stereotypes; the characters themselves look alright, but set pieces are empty and boring and littered with invisible walls pointing in only a few directions for exploration; and the battle system isn’t much for “battling” at all, even against the “tough” boss characters.

While I didn’t spend much time in this mode, I did come to laugh more and more at Bayonetta’s awkward animations and slightly less-than-believable narrative shifts.

Alien: Isolation is a solid survival horror game with high production value that has an extremely compelling setting that captures Ridley Scott's original film vision incredibly well.

Knowing what I know about the series thus far tells me that Trap Team will remain a solid product and gift for any child with video games in the living room.

It seems fitting that FromSoftware ends its DLC trilogy in the snow rather than some hellish landscape or poison-infested shrine. Sure, I died plenty of times while playing Crown of the Ivory King, but I also remember the sense of accomplishment that contrasts those deaths.

Gauntlet is not a roaring return for the arcade classic, nor is it a critical failure.

There's plenty to admire here, though, if you take Driveclub at face value and don't take things too seriously.

The story, the full narrative, is relevant to a lot of children like Ethan Carter and is steeped in sobering realism. For that, I would encourage you to discover it and find him.

While I do believe some players may dismiss the game as a “walking simulator” (as they are wont to do nowadays), Neverending Nightmares falls into the must-play section of the horror genre. Whether or not you find it scary, you’ll definitely be disturbed and intrigued as you seek resolution to the madness.

Simply because the World Cup is mentioned in this year’s installment, I’d say add this to your collection, but if you’re neck deep in collected items from last year’s title, sticking with the old might not be a bad idea.