Frostpunk is one of the best sim games to come out in decades. If you want a more bleak and depressing twist on the age old genre of city management, this is your game.

God of War takes everything good about the franchise and elevates it. Almost every aspect is polished to a fine sheen, with a particular standout being the world itself, and the new emphasis on telling a mature and meaningful story that explores remarkably complex themes. God of War sets a new bar for storytelling and world building in games, and transforms Kratos from a one note character to a fascinating man with a story worth hearing. If you have a PS4, this is a must have title.

It’s a cute concept that will keep you enthralled for well more than 60 seconds.

Sea of Thieves has glimmers of promise and is gorgeous to look at, but single player play is virtually worthless, and the repetitive nature of the quests and empty world leave the game feeling incomplete and overpriced as of now.

If you’re a fan of the Far Cry series, Far Cry 5 is a definite must-have. The gameplay is familiar, but there are shiny new features that are a blast to play with.

A Way Out is a fun ride that shows off a great cooperative experience, an interesting story, and some of the coolest camera work to ever grace a video game.It’s an extremely smooth experience with very few rough edges. That said, it lacks some of the content we’ve come to expect from interactive stories, which makes it a fun ride, but not something that you’ll likely return to again and again.

Despite my frustrations with its shortcomings, I want to see where The Council leads me, and if it manages to deliver a narrative payoff in spite of itself.

Kirby Star Allies is an incredibly fun Kirby game that will please fans of the franchise. If only there were a little bit more of it.

Ni No Kuni II could have been genre-defining, but really, really good is just going to have to do instead. The way that the beautiful visuals meld together with Joe Hisaishi’s breathtaking score is nothing short of remarkable and it all combines together for something that feels genuinely earnest and charming. While far from perfect, Ni No Kuni II is an easy recommendation for fans of JRPGs both old and new.

Celeste is one of the most entertaining 2D platformers in recent years. It'll defeat you from time to time, but its inviting controls, level design, and presentation will keep you coming back until you persevere and overcome every challenge thrown your way.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is an excellent evolution of the formula set out by its predecessor and offers up some of the most intense, gory, and fast-paced co-op action you can find in any genre.

The experience is heavily bogged down by a clunky overworld and purely disruptive gamification of an otherwise pleasant collection of stories.

You can squeeze a few hours of fun out of Scribblenauts Showdown, but frankly this isn’t the next-generation Scribblenauts game that fans of the original were hoping for. It has fewer puzzles, worse controls and less replay value than any other Scribblenauts title.

Unfortunately lacks the originality it so desperately needs to really stand out from the pack. Even though the art style is striking and bold, combined with an inventive cultural focus, the gameplay and overall design weigh it down to be little more than a passable action adventure title.

Dandara proves that there's still originality in a decades-old genre. It changes the way you control the player character, breaking from Metroidvania traditions, and creates new types of puzzles and methods of progression along the way.

Owlboy tells a story of failure, redemption, and heroism with an excellent art style to prop up an addictive and creative platformer that continually throws new game mechanics at you to keep things fresh. It’s hard to put down once you get started.

Whether you really wanted it this way or not, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is about as pure of a remaster as you’re ever going to find. The visuals and sound are all upgraded for a modern era without changing the heart of the game. However, with the vastly superior Age of Empires II HD already in existence with five years of community built up around it, there is little reason to recommend this game unless you’re just dying to play extremely early era civilizations.

Secret of Mana’s remake is fun because Secret of Mana was fun. However, Square could have done a lot better, especially with a beloved classic such as this.

Sprint Vector is an immensely entertaining VR racing experience that handles movement in a very unique way. If you’re looking for a Mario Kart style VR game, you’ve found it.

If you can look past the annoying bugs and obtuse mechanics, Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s strong sense of believable, historical realism will undoubtedly cast a spell on anyone that gives the game a chance. This is a must-play for fans of lifestyle simulators and medieval RPGs.

Octogeddon doesn’t have the same charm or polish as Plants VS Zombies, but it’s a refreshing new take on the bullet hell genre. The concept is zany and feels like a thin veil laid over simplistic game mechanics in the vein of Divekick, but the excellent animated cutscenes bring coherence to it all. Ultimately, Octogeddon is a good time-waster, but not much more.

Under Night In-Birth EXE: Late{st} is a fighting game that deserves to be played but will inevitably be overshadowed by its competition. It’s a shame because its $50 price tag is worth it for the tutorial alone.

Shadow of the Colossus is a veritable masterpiece from top to bottom and will surely be remembered as one of the greatest games ever made.

Monster Hunter: World is the type of game that will take over your life. The world is massively detailed with tons of things to do and it will undoubtedly end up yielding some of the very best gaming moments of the year -- guaranteed.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT will appeal to longtime fans of the Final Fantasy series, but anyone looking for something more will be disappointed. Its bad user interface makes its good gameplay too hard to enjoy. Though it could have been more, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT ended up being nothing more than a fan-service franchise fighter, like all the rest.

Killing Floor: Incursion is a VR game that’s so close to being good that it’s upsetting how bad it actually is. There are moments when Incursion feels like the future of VR horror, but then you drop your gun for the 10th time while slowly moonwalking backwards away from a Fleshpounder and you want to scream in frustration and panic because the whole thing just feels like it doesn’t work. If you’re a die-hard fan of the Killing Floor franchise and happen to own an Oculus Rift, Incursion might be worth picking up for a steep discount, but if you’re on the HTC Vive we highly recommend you avoid this game until Tripwire gives it some TLC.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is fun on so many levels. I had fun with it as a competitive hardcore fighting game. I had fun with it as a hopeless screaming otaku. I even had fun grinding up Zeni to unlock characters and dress my lobby avatar up. I haven’t had this much fun with a fighting game in a very long time. DBFZ is one title that casuals and pros alike won’t want to miss.

Lost Sphear is a good game, a solid RPG with an enjoyable plot, solid systems, and a great soundtrack. If you need an RPG to hold you over until 2018’s bigger AAA RPG releases, then this is your game.

SpellForce 3 is an amazing effort that falls short of its goal due to crippling bugs and some questionable game design choices. However, the development team appears to be committed to their game and is resolving bugs and balancing issues almost every day. By the time you finish reading this review, SpellForce 3 may be the game I was expecting when I bought it. Despite that, I spent over 60 hours playing the campaign, and I can’t say that I didn’t have a good time.

Fallout 4 VR is a splendid example of what every fan of VR hopes the industry is working towards. This is a AAA title that offers hundreds of hours of immersive, atmospheric gameplay that manages to nail the feel and aesthetic of VR without feeling like a cheap imitation of the main game. There are still a few flaws, and we would love to see Bethesda roll out mods and DLC from the main game, but in the meantime, it’s an experience that’s worth it for fans of VR and Fallout alike.

DOOM VFR delivers a fun VR experience that gives you a tiny taste of an excellent meal, a meal that’s full of stunning visuals, demon stomping, and a satisfying blend of upgrades and the weapons we know and love from the DOOM universe. Unfortunately, a few bugs and some questionable design choices mar an otherwise fantastic VR game.

As a long-time fan of the Xeno series, I found Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be a disappointment. A little balance testing, some reduced system bloat, and a little more effort in presentation could have made it an RPG to remember. If you played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with a cheat device or walkthrough it would probably improve the experience, because you could bypass all the boring grinding and rough difficulty spikes. As it is now, the game is kind of a mess. An addicting mess, yes, but still a mess.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 combines two exciting properties into an uninspired package.

Star Wars Battlefront II has solid core gameplay and offers a wide variety of content to enjoy, but at the moment it's hard to look past the loot crate issues in order to appreciate what the game does well.

Need For Speed Payback is fun when you’re behind the wheel, but is constrained by questionable design decisions like an emphasis on a mediocre story and a wonky car upgrade system.

For those of you who were suffering from franchise fatigue, Assassin’s Creed Origins should cure your ailment. Ubisoft’s increased development time for the game brought a gigantic open-world full of stories, exciting battles, and a loot system that have you exploring for dozens of hours.

Sonic Forces is a disappointing rehash of everything that has been done wrong with the Sonic franchise in the past. There were some good ideas here, but none of them were executed in a way that was fun or enjoyable.

If you are a Call of Duty fan, you’ll have a good time (hacks aside). If you aren’t a Call of Duty fan, there isn’t much reason to come back. Playing CoD: WWII is like eating a great salmon filet; if you’re into fish, you’ll have a great time. If not, you should go find a burger or something.

Brawlhalla is a fun game that everyone should try at least once. It’s just not necessarily a game that everyone will want invest a lot of time or money on.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a powerful game that tells a relevant story. It doesn't innovate much in terms of gameplay, but everything else about the game is executed at an impressively high level.

Super Mario Odyssey is exactly what we all expected, a great 3D Mario game. It doesn’t shake up the formula, but it nearly perfects it. This is the collect-a-thon platformer that people have been waiting for, a chance to bring the genre into the modern day gaming environment. All it took was a massive expansion of scope.

The Gallery: Heart of the Emberstone proudly carries the torch from the first chapter in The Gallery series. It offers an experience that feels totally unique in the gaming world. It does a fantastic job of breaking away from the stigma of short, proof-of-concept VR titles to deliver a quality narrative experience that’s a must-have for any fan of the genre.

If you want to dive deep into the genre of racing simulation, Gran Turismo Sport is a great place to start.

Fire Emblem Warriors isn’t an amazing game, but is a successful and enjoyable merging of two franchises that naturally fit together.

Yet another action-packed, turn-based role-playing game that makes you feel like you're directing a long, albeit rambling episode of the show. While it is very similar to South Park: The Stick of Truth, and just as much fun, the theme change from medieval fantasy to comic book superheroes makes this feel different and new. In the end the game may be funnier than it is fun, but it's still a good time.

The Evil Within 2 improves on the sequel in every way, while retaining the core of what made the first one special. Better gameplay, better story, and more options make this an all around excellent survival horror experience.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a fine example of how to iterate and improve upon a tried-and-true game genre wth its take on a modernized turn-based RPG. It’s far from perfect, but the combat system alone is engaging enough to warrant a recommendation for any fan of old-school JRPG-style adventures.

Raw Data might not be reaching for artistic profundity with its narrative or setting, but what it lacks in creativity it makes up for in polish and sheer entertainment value.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a massive and ambitious action game that delivers an epic sense of scale. From single stealthy murders up to the never-ending fortress battles available via online play, Shadow of War is a blast.

FIFA 18 is what many folks wanted FIFA 17 to be. Overall, it's the best soccer game money can buy right now.

Cuphead is one of the most innovative and interesting games to come out of the indie space in the past few years. It was well worth the wait and will please anyone who likes a good challenge.

Total War: Warhammer 2 manages to iron out almost all the rough edges from its predecessor while throwing in enough quality new content to keep things fresh and challenging. The result is a journey into the Warhammer fantasy universe that’s both engaging and infinitely fun to play.

ECHO tries new and interesting things, but doesn't always succeed. The gameplay and visuals wear thin over time, but some players will appreciate the game for its originality.

Death of the Outsider is a mature and highly polished spin on the core Dishonored formula. It tries new things and mostly succeeds, and it's a must-play for fans of the franchise. While it's nice that it exists as a standalone title, it shouldn't be the first Dishonored game you play.

Stop whatever it is you’re doing right now, and go play this game. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a definitive game-of-the-year contender, and one of the best RPGs to be released this entire decade.

Speaking as someone who has never been heavily invested in racing games, Project CARS 2 blew me away. It won't hold your hand and it isn't afraid to challenge you, but it will reward your efforts with hard-earned success.

I’m going to be playing Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite quite a bit over the next few years, but that doesn’t change the fact that its feature set is less impressive than every other AAA fighter on the market.

Pro Evolution Soccer 18 is another viable competitor to EA's FIFA dominance, though the same familiar shortcomings continue to plague the franchise.

As a Danganronpa fan, I liked Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, but I hesitate to call it a must-play. It’s a great puzzle game to keep you busy while you wait for the next Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton, but you won’t walk away from this one happy. What did you expect from a series obsessed with despair?

Destiny 2 is an overall improvement over the original with changes that make the game more rewarding, valuable of your time, and gameplay that anyone could get into.

Metroid: Samus Returns is a must-purchase for any long-time Metroid fan and a perfect example of the genre. It bodes well for Metroid’s future and makes me excited for Samus’s next big adventure.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm's first episode is heavy on atmosphere and emotion, but light on narrative or gameplay. It will appeal to those who loved the heart-wrenching drama of the first game, but could have a hard time attracting any new fans.

It still remains to be seen how much long-term potential Absolver has, but I’m confident that Sloclap will slowly build the game up into a unique hybrid of a story-driven martial arts adventure and a sustainable (not to mention unique) online fighting game. Again, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I could see Absolver becoming one of the big standout hits of 2017 and beyond, and I hope Sloclap sees that as well.

Agents of Mayhem has enough gameplay diversity and fun characters to keep you occupied for a few hours, but it won’t take long for the repetitive missions, horrendously heavy-handed comedic overtones, and tired gameplay loop to wear on your patience.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is an unexpected delight. Fans of tactical strategy games should absolutely pick this one up as soon as possible and enjoy dozens of hours of intense battles and detailed progression.

Aeon is a VR shooter that will appeal to gamers who enjoy a serious challenge. It's much less casual-friendly than similar VR titles and will cause frustration for some, but for the right kind of player they'll find hours of enjoyment to be had.

There are some noticeable detractors which keep it from being a truly great game, but for what it sets out to accomplish, i.e. fusing the strategy and 2D brawler genres into a cohesive single package, Aztez succeeds in many more regards than it fails. Since Aztez is Team Colorblind’s first game, I’m excited to see what the developer comes up with for future projects, but in the meantime Aztez itself is a very strong first showing.

The fast-paced, adrenaline pumping action sequences that we’ve all come to love from Uncharted games are aplenty, and specifically, the game’s finale might be one of the best Uncharted sequences in the franchise.

I hope this series persists as long as Telltale’s Walking Dead series has. I’d love to see how their interpretation changes and grows as they have more time to work with the characters.

LawBreakers offers innovative gameplay and an in-your-face attitude, and the gameplay part, at least, succeeds more than it fails. The game will have to fight to survive, but there's fun to be had and incredible skins to unlock by playing right now.

Mental illness is a seldom discussed and often misunderstood topic. While Hellblade is far from a direct and immediate exploration of psychosis and how it affects people, it uses a powerful narrative mixed with symbolic gameplay elements to weave a tale of horrific trauma and unsettling experiences. Hellblade is easily one of 2017’s very best games, and the best game I’ve played all year that isn’t Zelda.

Rez is an on-rails shooter that shines due to its unique auditory and visual design. Rez has aged well, and the added immersion of VR makes a great game even better.

It’s hard to deny that Nidhogg 2 is more casually oriented than Nidhogg 1 was, and that’s going to turn a lot of Nidhogg 1’s hardcore fanbase off. But if you can get beyond the random gameplay and the weird character design, there is a lot of fun to be had here, especially for its low price tag.

Sonic Mania is a wonderful blend of classic Sonic and new ideas, and should serve as an example of the great things that can happen when game companies embrace fan creators. There's no reason Sonic Mania shouldn't be followed by multiple sequels that continue its remixing magic.

The romantic plot had a real chance to flourish and grow organically and its conclusion is one of the most satisfying I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I wish I could say the same thing about Tacoma.

Sundered's immense sense of style carries it over any bumps in the road, and the result is one of the best Metroidvania games released in years.

Immortal Planet isn’t the best that the Souls genre has to offer, but it certainly makes a strong effort to stand out, and as I mentioned before, it can serve as an excellent starter game if you’re thinking of getting more heavily involved in the genre. If anything, the latest from teedoubleuGAMES proves that the Souls spirit will continue to live on even without the guiding hands of From Software.

There's a lot to like in The End Is Nigh, and seeing the Super Meat Boy formula tinkered with and experimented on is really interesting. The game suffers somewhat as a result, but damn, it's still a lot of fun to play.

Pyre has an interesting combat system, though it does become a tad repetitive. The beautiful visuals and audio more than make up for any shortcomings.

Gigantic is an entertaining combination of a MOBA and a team based shooter, and what it lacks in originality it makes up for in charm and polished controls.

Splatoon 2 manages to deliver an addictive and engaging online multiplayer experience with plenty of ways to keep you busy and layers of satisfying combat to keep you coming back. The lack of social features is a significant flaw, but it isn't a fatal one, and hopefully we'll see that aspect of the game improved in the near future.

Lone Echo is a smart VR experience that handles movement exceptionally well. It’s one of the most polished and engaging VR games currently available.

Syren is an interesting survival horror game that lacks the polish to come together as a quality title.

River City: Knights of Justice is a fun little side story in the Kunio-kun series. It's not exactly varied, but it features a satisfying challenge and familiar beat 'em up mechanics that fans are sure to love.

While there is some fun to be found in Valkyria Revolution’s battle system, it’s just not worth sitting through the story bloat and excessive loading to get there.

As far as narrative-driven exploration-based horror games go, Perception isn’t the worst out there, but it also can’t really stand alongside games like those in the Amnesia series or Gone Home. It still warrants a playthrough if you’re looking for a game with a unique hook or if you’re just desperate for any new horror game to play, though considering its length and lack of varied gameplay, you might be better off waiting until it’s on sale.

ARMS is a lot of fun in a party setting, but playing alone gets boring quick as there isn’t any other mode to play solo besides the super repetitive Grand Prix.

Tekken 7 will satisfy Tekken fans the world over, but won’t impress anyone who hasn’t already been won over by the franchise.

Rime is definitely not a game for everyone, but it does teach a lesson that everyone should be able to appreciate if given the chance. The literal act of playing the game is rife with minor frustrations and short bouts of boredom, but as a sum of its parts it’s a memorable journey I won’t soon forget.

Portal Knights feels like a natural evolution of the procedural block building and exploration genre. It packs in lots of RPG elements, exciting adventure, and addictive multiplayer that layers on top of the existing world creation mechanics popularized by Minecraft.

Endless Space 2 offers hundreds of ways to play, an interesting player-driven narrative experience, and above all the addictive turn-based gameplay we've grown to love.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a fantastic game, despite its shortcomings. Its fresh take on Fire Emblem mechanics and compelling narrative more than make up for its questionable DLC policies and missing online content. With rumor flying around that the 3DS is nearing the end of its lifespan, ending on Fire Emblem Echoes would be a more than fitting swan song for the powerful little handheld. I, for one, would welcome “Echoes” versions of other classic FE titles, such as The Blazing Blade.

An FPS roguelike wearing the suit of a 1996 shooter, STRAFE is a unique game that seems destined for a small but passionate following.

The Surge is a satisfying sci-fi RPG that pleasantly surprises in more ways than it disappoints. Fans of Dark Souls-style titles will find a lot to like here and the unique combat system keeps it from feeling like a rip-off. It’s just a shame that the narrative and world building isn’t stronger.

While the multiplayer aspects of Injustice 2 are lacking, it still manages to be an incredibly strong fighting game title that is worth checking out, even if you've never picked up a DC comic in your life.

Games can serve as an excellent vehicle for exploring heavy concepts like death, the loss of family, and forgiveness in a more digestible manner, and few games I have ever played prove that adage as much as Pinstripe. It may not be perfect, but the latest from Thomas Brush should absolutely be on the must-play list of any platformer/adventure game fan.

Dawn of Andromeda is a thinking man’s space simulator, with a complex network of systems that give you control over your expanding galactic empire. Though the level of control and and minutiae might be a turnoff for some, once you understand the systems it becomes a satisfying foray into space bureaucracy.

NBA Playgrounds aims to bring the best elements of NBA Jam into the modern era of basketball, but falls short in some areas. The core of the high-octane gameplay is there, but it’s not enough to push past all of the game’s shortcomings.