If you're a Civilization VI fan, adding Gathering Storm to your game isn't a hard choice. It adds depth where the game needs it and brings some fascinating new civilizations into the fold. Civ VI has charted a polarizing new course for the franchise since its original release, and there's nothing in Gathering Storm that will make you like the core game if you don't already enjoy it.

If you’ve enjoyed playing deck-building card games and roguelikes in the past, you owe it to yourself to give Slay the Spire a try. It might take a bit to fully wrap your head around the game’s concept, but once it click, it’s addicting. Now’s also a great time to get in on the action, since Slay the Spire will only continue to grow in the future.

Wargroove is the best kind of strategy game because it has enough depth and complexity to be endlessly compelling in the hands of the best players but is also simple enough to understand for anyone to pick up and enjoy the charming pixel art. With a ton of content and an amazingly detailed level editor, Wargroove is like a love letter to turn-based strategy games.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was a good game and an enjoyable experience, but it’s not the best Kingdom Hearts game in the franchise. There is plenty of room for improvement, and hopefully we will see that room explored if KH3 ever gets a final mix release.

Resident Evil 2 is loyal to the original where it counts, while also upgrading the experience with beautiful visuals and modern gameplay conveniences. It’s so loyal that newcomers might find it a touch archaic, but for fans of the original, it’s an absolute joy to play, and a fantastic horror game in its own right.

By expertly combining nostalgia, new features, and an accessible price point, Onimusha: Warlords on the Nintendo Switch is very much a must-play re-release for new and old fans alike.

Travis Strikes Again is not a great game in the traditional sense, but if you are a ramen eating, pro-wrestling watching, anime loving, gaming nerd like Travis Touchdown, then you’ll play it to the end nonetheless, and have a great time doing it.

There's no question that New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a good game, and being able to play it on the go is a huge advantage, but that portability doesn’t necessarily cancel out the lack of new content.

The gameplay and story holds up quite well even 10 years later, and the new content makes the experience refreshing even for the most hardcore fan. This is an important port, for the RPG community, for the Tales series, and for video games in general.

Below is not an inviting or wholly accessible experience. It does, however, have a lot to offer to players who enjoy uncovering mysteries and delving headlong into the unknown. It’s a more hardcore Zelda game without the true bite of a Souls-like. Love it or hate it, Below is unabashed in what it is and what it demands of players who brave its depths.

Insurgency: Sandstorm’s slower, more realistic approach likely won’t win over any Call of Duty fans, but then again it’s not really trying to. Sandstorm was made with a very specific type of player in mind, and if you fit that mold you’ll likely get dozens if not hundreds of hours out of the game. And even if you don’t fit that mold completely, there are enough ancillary incentives to make Sandstorm an excellent pick-up-and-play game, especially if you have some friends to recruit.

Ashen is unique in that it borrows liberally from the Souls-like genre, but doesn’t feel beholden to it. It’s clear that A44 was influenced just as much by The Legend of Zelda, and even more niche adventure titles like Shadow of the Colossus, as it was by From Software’s seminal Souls trilogy. Adventure game fans and Dark Souls fans alike definitely won’t want to miss out on what Ashen offers.

An open world game needs to be engaging and exciting for dozens of hours, and JC4 doesn’t manage that feat. It has amusing moments, but it isn’t $60 worth of fun unless you really love the series. If you’re interested in this game, I suggest you wait til it drops to $25 on sale. It’s a nice distraction, but not much more than that.

Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fantastic game no matter what type of Smash player you are. Casual, hardcore, or complete newcomer, this is one Switch title you don’t want to pass up.

Mutant Year Zero makes some subtle innovations for the tactical strategy genre outside of combat that transforms this from just another XCOM clone to a clever mixture of stealth, tactics, and RPG mechanics adding up to an adventure that’s highly recommended.

I desperately wanted to enjoy Artifact, but it currently stands as a monument to the flaws of early CCG design. It’s random, it’s expensive, and it does a horrible job of teaching players both basic gameplay and high-level strategy.

Darksiders III will go down as the black sheep of the franchise. While the core gameplay itself is fun and it does a good enough job streamlining things with a more interesting cast of characters, it all just comes across as a bit too by-the-numbers to turn heads and doesn’t push boundaries enough to really stand out. If it weren’t for the technical issues this could be more highly-recommended, but as it stands, only die-hard fans should consider checking this one out.

In many ways it feels too early to judge Battlefield V, and the game doesn't feel quite as substantial as it needs to. But the foundation is strong, and upcoming free content releases should add a lot of depth to the title.

If you love multiplayer survival games with heavy duty environmental storytelling and exploration, then Fallout 76 will probably appeal to you. If you go into Fallout exclusively for the solitude, stories, and characters, then Fallout 76 is going to feel like an empty, boring country road.

Pokémon Let’s Go has a lot of great innovations that would be welcome in other Pokémon games, but the experience is just too simplified to hold my interest. I’d wager that most long-time Pokémon fans will feel the same.

Pokémon Let’s Go has a lot of great innovations that would be welcome in other Pokémon games, but the experience is just too simplified to hold my interest. I’d wager that most long-time Pokémon fans will feel the same.

Overkill's The Walking Dead is pretty, but doesn’t do anything that we haven’t seen before in a number of other post-apocalyptic first- or third-person games.

This is the first solo Tetris game in a long time that truly brings something new to the formula. If you are a Tetris fan, then you owe it to yourself to give Tetris Effect a chance.

Hitman 2 is the perfect game for fans of the franchise that are looking for an excuse to dive back in. It doesn’t do much to improve on the original formula, but the original formula is still fun and exciting enough to carry the game when combined with IO Interactives attention to detail, level design, and NPC AI. The whole game feels like you’re wandering around living, breathing environments that are built to challenge your skills and creativity as an assassin, but that manages to do so in a way that feels fun and addicting even after multiple runs through the same level.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about The Quiet Man is that it presents a world I want to know more about. I like the idea of a deaf vigilante-esque antihero doing his best to find the good in a world of darkness and violence, even if it means having to become a force of darkness and violence himself. However, in the case of The Quiet Man, that strong premise is squandered by lazy development decisions and incredibly odd artistic choices.

The Heist is a solid DLC that’s meant to serve up more Spider-Man goodness for fans that are craving a chance to slip back into a Spidey-suit. For what it is, it’s a great story that fleshes out old characters while adding some new flavors to the pot with a classic comic book character, but if you’re expecting The Heist to change up the formula at all you’re going to be a bit disappointed.

Call of Cthulhu suffers from a slow opening, but those who can make it deeper will find a satisfying horror mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

It’s Diablo 3 on the go! The added local multiplayer functionality and the fact that it’s a thoroughly competent port make this an easy recommendation for fans of the franchise who want a portable version, or for newcomers who want to jump in.

Frozen Synapse 2's tactical core remains solid and fascinating, but the lack of a sufficiently detailed tutorial makes learning the new depths of the game a frustrating experience.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is what we all expected and then some. The game delivers on the fantasy of living as an outlaw in the old west, and may be one of the best open-world games ever made.

Ultimately the toys-to-life aspect feels like it gets in the way of an otherwise competent and fun space shooter that’s packed to the brim with things to do. Flying ships feels great and the occasional difficulty spikes rarely take away from the excitement of tearing through the atmosphere onto a new planet’s surface. But not all platforms are created equally, with the Switch’s Star Fox content shining as a bright point.

If you just want a fun 3D fighting game with no extras, then Soulcalibur VI is the grand revival of the franchise you have been waiting for. If you want something more, Soulcalibur VI doesn’t offer nearly as much as other fighting games on the market.

PC gamers looking for the old time cRPG feeling can’t go wrong with Pathfinder: Kingmaker. The presentation is beautiful, the writing is excellent, and the world offers just enough life to engage the player’s imagination to fill in the gaps. Still, at the time of this writing, balancing issues and bugs keep the game from being a definite recommend – at least for the time being.

If you’re the sort of gamer who usually looks down their nose at the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 4 might just be the game that changes your opinion ever so slightly. Old-school purists can find their competitive multiplayer fix, and with the revamped Zombies and new Blackout mode, there’s no denying that Treyarch’s latest stands well out from the pack.

Super Mario Party elevates the franchise to a new platform and gives you plenty of things to do with friends. The randomness is still a bit more frustrating than it should be, but the high points make up for the occasional frustrations.

This year’s WWE 2K release does a lot of things right but still has a way to go in order to lock down the genre with fans.

Forza Horizon 4 is a tremendous achievement and will most likely displace Gran Turismo Sport as my racing game of choice. Yes, even without a racing wheel. With hundreds of cars and dozens of race tracks and more to come, I won’t run out of stuff to do any time soon. See you in Scotland.

Is NBA Live 19 worth the money? Yes, indeed. There is a lot to do and no matter the skill level, there’s fun to be had. The upgrade to the WNBA and character creation is a giant step forward in widening EA’s audience and The One is strong enough to warrant its own title. With enough practice, anyone can be the baller they want.

Creed: Rise to Glory is nearly a perfect VR boxing experience and more than worth your time if you’re looking for a new way to have fun in VR and get a solid workout in at the same time. The story and atmosphere manage to make it feel like you’re actively participating in a true underdog story that does justice to the source material while doing new and interesting things in VR.

The shortcomings of Timespinner revolve heavily around the fact that the game is so short. It creates beautiful environments and combat systems, but by the time we’ve gotten into a solid groove the game is already over.

The Blue Bomber is back, and if you were ever a fan of his adventures, then you should pick Mega Man 11 up. It’s a solid entry in the Mega Man franchise, and it will make you remember why you fell in love with this super fighting robot all over again.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey hits all the notes a sequel should. It’s bigger, prettier, the existing mechanics have been improved, and there’s plenty more added. It tells an engaging story, with an excellent protagonist (play Kassandra), all in a beautifully realized setting. Odyssey attempts to address some of the issues that have plagued this franchise since it first released more than a decade ago, but you can only polish something that’s showing its age so much. The combat in particular needs a significant overhaul, and the enthusiasm for more and more gameplay systems and microtransactions at times make the game feel a bit bloated.

This is an excellent start for the second season of a game with big shoes to fill. We may have lost Telltale Games forever, but you can dry your tears with Dontnod’s big-hearted adventure of a story game.

Although Transference is an interesting narrative horror game, it struggles to carve out a space as a VR game and a traditional title. The story is undeniably something worth experiencing, but the gameplay is lackluster enough that more often than not it serves as a barrier to experiencing what Transference does best.

EA has gone to great pains to incorporate their new license into the title and it shows from the game modes all the way up to the game’s tagline. Champions Rise and so has this franchise to the occasion.

Donut County's gameplay doesn't offer much of a challenge, but the mechanics work as an engaging core for a game that delivers so many charming characters and genuine laughs.

Pro Evolution Soccer 19 is a fun one to play. Unfortunately, I’m already thinking of ways Konami can improve it for next year’s version (I’ll still be playing PES 19 though!).

Dragon Quest XI is a gorgeous throwback to 8 and 16-bit JRPGs, with a lengthy story and engaging cast of characters.

With its engaging and well-written story campaign, satisfying progression mechanics, and wealth of endgame pursuits, Forsaken does more than enough in helping Destiny 2 realize its full potential. It may be tough for some fans to forget and forgive Bungie’s earlier blunders, but if Forsaken is the studio’s way of making amends, then I’m certainly willing to give it another chance.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 does the franchise justice, possibly more than any other Valkyria Chronicles title. If you are looking for a good new strategy game, this should be on your radar.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider has all the polish and extraordinary visuals you’d expect from the third entry in a huge franchise, but it’s also held back by uninspired writing and an emphasis on archaic video game conventions like boring gunplay.

Bad North feels a lot like a mobile title in terms of its limited scope, tight focus, and simple controls, and that makes it a fantastic fit for the Switch in portable mode.

In a year filled with blockbuster fighting game titles, SNK Heroines just doesn’t do enough to appeal to the fighting game market. It’s a shallow game filled to the brim with fanservice, but there are deeper games with just as much fanservice out there.

The game is cute and looks great, but thanks to its control scheme, isn't very fun to play.

The Messenger is a game that makes no effort to hide who its intended audience is, and its clever combining of two distinct gameplay genres ensures that it casts a rather wide net. Whether you’re a die-hard retro gaming fan or a genre newbie eager to dive into the deep end, Sabotage’s debut title is one adventure worth embarking on.

This is best Spider-man game ever made, and one of the top games on PlayStation 4. There’s a little something here for everyone and even if you’re just a fan of the movies or a die-hard that reads the plethora of Spidey comic books, you will find something to love.

It’s not often that a game opens you up to a whole new sport, but if you give F1 2018 some time, it will do that. Fans of sim racing should give this one a look, even if they’re more into street cars and exotics. Why wait to unlock the most amazing cars in the world when you can start behind the wheel?

An incredibly enjoyable, but short VR experience that shows off just how much fun VR horror can be with proper sound design and attention to detail. You may not want to play this game over and over again, but for a short, five chapter horror story it’s undeniably engaging, and more importantly, scary as hell.

At the very least, I’m willing to admit that nostalgia alone is a big part of why the Shenmue series has such a high amount of staying power. However, I will also happily point out that, when they first launched, both of the original Shenmue games helped in redefining what video games are capable of portraying, and it is for that reason most of all that I’m glad they’ll live on as HD remasters.

Death’s Gambit wholly embraces the Dark Souls way of giving players just enough leeway to barely survive against unrelenting adversity, for good and ill. A compelling story, smooth and frantic melee combat, and a robustly grim 2D world come together to form a game that’s wholly unafraid to embrace the Souls-like moniker.

Galak-Z: Variant S is an interesting mobile 2D action space adventure that feels right at home on the Switch as a casual title for playing on the way to work or on the train. Unfortunately, although the art style and gameplay are well put together and fun to play, the microtransactions severely hinder the experience.

Phantom Doctrine has a lot of competition in the broader turn-based strategy genre and its unique Cold War-era setting isn’t quite enough to really set it apart when all the cards are down. While the setting is great and fresh, the generally lackluster gameplay and mismatch of mechanics hold it back from feeling as clean as it should. Its best moments seem to happen almost completely at random or by accident instead of by design.

Done Running isn’t perfect, but nothing TWD-related ever is. This game remains the best incarnation of the IP, and long-time fans won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed my time with We Happy Few mainly because it both respected my time as a gamer, and also immersed me in an fascinating world that was driven by an equally fascinating backstory. The game’s potential may get a little tripped up on the technical front, but if you can look past the occasional unloaded texture or random loading screen, you’ll find that Compulsion Games’ latest was well worth the three-year wait.

At 15 dollars and a little bit of elbow grease to get it working, Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is one of the most enjoyable and affordable RPG experiences in recent memory.

A must play for any fan of VR or evolving video game narrative. It may not be the kind of game that redefines motion controls and popular VR mechanics, but it proves that quality storytelling can be enhanced by placing the player directly into the world, rather than hiding them behind the safety of a screen.

I had a great deal of fun playing this game, and it saddens me that I can't give it a better score. However, I just cannot imagine justifying the $39.99 price tag of WarioWare Gold for the few hours of gameplay it has to offer. The story mode is about how Wario slaps together a bunch of games in the hopes to make a quick buck off the gaming industry, and I'm sorry to say this might be a case of art imitating life.

Dead Cells takes the best gameplay elements from Metroidvania and rogue-lite games and combines them into something that sinks its hooks into you and won't let go.

Earthfall is a valiant effort at trying to capture the lightning in a bottle once again that was Left 4 Dead. On paper it does a lot of things right, but in practice it lacks the soul and fire of what made Valve’s iconic zombie games so effective almost a decade ago.

The Banner Saga 3 is a perfect finale to The Banner Saga. While it’s not the most well designed game on the market, it’s one of the most well written games I have ever played.

With a simple, easy-to-understand gameplay premise and a progression system that was pretty much designed to support microtransactions, I can see why ZKILLER would be an appealing mobile game. As a fully fledged PC title though, even its current $6.99 listing is too big a price to pay for a game that offers little in the way of substance and nothing in the way of compelling gameplay.

If you are a fan of the Mega Man X series, then this new collection is a great way to own all your favorite games on one console. The X Challenge is a neat little extra, but is probably not worth a purchase for anyone who isn’t coming for the main games themselves.

Mothergunship might not have been made with my specific gaming tastes in mind. But when a game tries so hard to tell me how to play and, worse, punishes me so harshly when I fail, I just can’t for the life of me imagine that any sort of gamer could find long-term enjoyment out of what it offers.

If you have a Switch and like JRPGs, then Octopath Traveler is a game you cannot miss. This is the next gen classic RPG we have been waiting for, a fusion of retro, indie, and modern design that could only be played now, and could only be appreciated because of the games that came before it.

Seeking Dawn is a somewhat flawed but overall incredibly enjoyable VR title. Graphically it’s one of the best sci-fi VR games we’ve ever dived into, and overall the shooting and exploration prove that Seeking Dawn is much more than a pretty face. With around 14 hours of gameplay packed into a $40 package it’s one of the longer VR experiences on the market and worth playing through solo or with friends.

Shining Resonance Refrain feels like a filler game. If you’ve been aching for a 3D action-RPG to sink some time into now that we’re entering the summer months that are often a lull in the game industry then this totally fits the bill, but it’ll do very little to surprise you.

Budget Cuts is a fun VR game that creates an interesting, engaging world that’s worth exploring, but only if Neat Corporations can iron out the bugs that mar an otherwise fun experience.

It's a really great package for Sonic enthusiasts, and if you don't already own Sonic Mania then buying Plus is a very easy recommendation.

Antigraviator has a strong foundation for an fast-paced sci-fi racer, but lacks the content and unique footprint to really stand out. It’s hard to recommend it over the likes of RedOut and WipEout, which offer highly similar experiences in much stronger overall packages.

Jurassic World Evolution is imagination candy for anyone that loves the movies, and despite its flaws it’s worth playing if you’re looking for a relaxing experience building a theme park full of dinosaurs. It’s the perfect combination of engaging objectives and micromanagement to kick back and lose yourself in.

The Crew 2 transforms America into a high speed sandbox with unmatched variety. Terrorize New York’s West Side Highway? Check. Buzz the Pentagon in a prop plane? Check. Leave tread marks in New Mexico desert? Check. There’s a lot to do here, and it feels great to do it, particularly for casual racing fans, while sim fans who want to just chill out and go fast in their home city will also enjoy themselves. The Crew 2’s minor flaws could easily be ironed out with a few quality of life patches.

Dontnod clearly has a lot more heart to share and story to tell.

Mario Tennis Aces doesn’t quite excel in all of the ways that it could have, but the core mechanics and multiplayer action are so good, it’s still worth diving in for some quality Mario Tennis action.

Pokémon Quest is, from top to bottom, a mobile game. I’m not sure why it released on Switch first, but it doesn’t feel at home on the platform at all. With an odd art style, intrusive mobile game trappings, and boring gameplay, it’s hard to recommend this watered down spin-off even to the most dedicated Pokémon fans.

The Octo Expansion is a great addition to Splatoon 2, offering a lot of gameplay for its $19.99 price tag, and helping to expand Splatoon’s universe with a decent storyline. At about $0.25 per level, it’s hard to argue that Nintendo isn’t offering sufficient value for your gaming dollar. Fans of Portal or other puzzle platformers should check it out, especially since you can play this mode even when you’re out of range of your Wi-fi.

As long as you understand the sort of game it is (and the limitations of what it offers), Spartan Fist can provide a few solid hours of fun at the very least. Over time, it could grow into a more robust and complex experience that has more lasting appeal, and even in its current form there’s a decent amount of content for roguelike/first-person melee fans to sink their teeth into. There are also some noticeable shortcomings to be sure, but indie fans who just want to punch some dudes with no muss and no fuss will find plenty to love about Spartan Fist.

BlazBlue Cross-Tag Battle is a fantastic fighting game for newbies and veterans alike. Despite some questionable DLC practices and a market saturated with other great fighting game titles, it deserves to be played, practiced and played again.

Vampyr would’ve been far better as Jonathan Reid’s Point and Click Tale of Moral Adversity than what we got, which was essentially Jonathan Reid’s Mashy Exercise in Combat Frustration Sparsely Sprinkled With Plot. Games do not need combat sequences if those sequences do not serve the game’s themes and story.

If you already enjoyed previous Fallen London escapades like Sunless Seas, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Cultist Simulator as well. It’s certainly not the easiest game to break into, but then again it was never really meant to be either. Cultist Simulator isn’t afraid to keep its greatest rewards locked away for only the most patient and clever players to find, and there’s a lot of potential enjoyment to be had for players who relish the journey as much as the destination.

Once again Capcom creates a fighting game meant for fighting gamers, specifically fighting gamers that want to re-live Street Fighter’s history. If this is you or if you are a scholar of video game history in general, then 30th Anniversary Collection is not only a fun fighting game, but an astounding educational and historical tool about the history of fighting games. If you are more casual, then you might get some fun out of trying the 12 different games 30th Anniversary Collection has on offer, but you’ll likely end up wanting more.

There are few genres as universally appealing as the spy genre, and yet somehow Safe House manages to take that genre and suck virtually all the fun out of it. There are glimmers of a good game that occasionally flash by, but no matter how desperate you are for a new strategy/spy game to play, you should steer clear of Safe House unless the idea of hand cramps induced by endless mouse-clicking somehow sounds appealing to you.

Despite a strong connection between the choice-oriented gameplay and the script’s themes of free will and liberation, DBH’s exploration of these themes is ankle deep.

Have you ever wanted to get your blood pumping and your feet moving but couldn’t make it to the club? Beat Saber is the remedy.

State of Decay 2 feels like it’s trying too hard to force the player to do too much. There’s no way for the player to really control the way they absorb the experience and more than a few of the mechanics break the careful relationship the rest of the game tries to foster. Overall, it’s the kind of game that you want to love, but that needs a lot of work.

Everything about Robocraft: Infinity is simple to learn, admire, and use giving gamers the ability to jump right into the fun. There’s enough in here to keep folks hooked for a while, especially for fans of UGC games. Unfortunately, there are only two battle modes. It’s a robot game that emphasizes the robot and robot creation at the expense of the rest of the game.

Given its dark and mature fantasy theme, Conan Exiles is a surprisingly accessible online survival experience. Even under the most generous conditions the game will still challenge you as you make your mark on the world, and players who fancy themselves as survival game experts will find plenty to pit their abilities against. No matter your level of experience, Conan Exiles is a survival experience that is very much worth investing in.

Pillars of Eternity II isn’t a perfect RPG, but it comes pretty darn close. The game’s highly refined dialogue, combat, exploration, and character development systems come together in a way that just feels right for fans of old-school isometric RPG’s. Making a sequel to one of the best roleplaying games in recent memory was a tall order to be sure, but Obsidian definitely cleared the bar and then some.

As it stands right now Psychonauts In The Rhombus of Ruin is a fun little VR game that offers a few hours of entertainment but doesn’t nearly live up to its potential. If you’re a fan of the franchise and already own a good VR headset it’s more than worth the $20, but for anyone looking for more will probably be disappointed.