Salt and Sanctuary is a good 2D conversion of the Souls formula, but its experimental nature invites more than a few flaws. If you don’t mind difficult-to-see graphics and sometimes cheap combat, then you’ll happily come back for more.

Like previous installments, Forza Motorsport is an engaging racing game with the kind of depth and detail to satisfy both serious and casual drivers.

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.

It’s difficult to fault The Coalition for not running with new ideas when it comes to Gears of War 4. The game definitely feels like a Gears of War title, but it’s more of a revamped reboot rather than a proper sequel. If you’ve been a fan of previous Gears titles, there’s a lot to like about Gears of War 4, but for anyone who wasn’t already sold on the series, don’t expect anything here to suddenly change your mind.

Going through the campaign once by myself was fun. But doing it again on heroic or legendary with friends is even better. Plus Warzone is addictive.

Enter the Gungeon is an incredibly addicting indie game that will keep you coming back for more. It goes to great lengths to improve on the rogue-like genre, fixing flaws and tightening balance, all with a tongue-in-cheek presentation that can’t help but make you smile… if you like shooting things, that is.

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.

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.

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.

There’s not a bad thing to say about Streets of Rage 4. The action-packed gameplay and responsive controls give you an incredible, satisfying beat ‘em up experience whether you’re playing alone or in local or online co-op. The extra modes are fun, and the multiple difficulties are inviting, and each provide a unique dynamic. After 26 years, Streets of Rage is back and better than ever.

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.

Hyper Light Drifter is a fantastic and unique experience that deserves to stand on its own merits, outside of Zelda’s shadow.

Xenoblade Chronicles X will likely be a mixed bag to those who step in with very little role-playing skill or knowledge of the series up until this point, so they may want to proceed with caution. Others, however, that absolutely love what Monolith Soft has done so far will enjoy this chapter the most, thanks to its immense gameplay options and fantastic looking world. It's certainly worth a look either way.

SOMA isn't perfect, but it sets a certain standard for what horror games can achieve with a bit of inspiration. Though it isn't heavy on the scares, the bits of horror spread throughout work well, and the story will leave a lasting, hard-hitting impression.

Miles Morales’ biggest problem is by far its length which will turn some people off. But honestly, there’s room for more short form experiences, even as major console release titles. Miles Morales doesn’t waste any time with padding and instead keeps pushing high quality Spider-Man gameplay at you, which in my opinion is a strength, and not a weakness.

Spiritfarer is worth playing for the visuals alone, but the mature storytelling and fascinating look at a concept we don’t see explored very often make it well worth checking out. Expect to put at least 35 hours in if you want to see the whole story, more if you’re a completionist.

It's probably the least buggy big huge open world game Bethesda has ever released, which is saying something, but it's still an audaciously ambitious title with a lot of roughness around the edges. With some of those previous games, buying the game near launch was a recipe for frustration; it was better to let the patches and modders fix it up before experiencing it for the first time. Fallout 4, however, is a fantastic game as it exists right now, and the technical issues don't even come close to providing a reason to wait to play it.

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.

Speedrunners is a fantastic party game, but remember that necessitates there be a party first.

Where last year’s game sometimes felt like a non-stop shooting gallery with blazing ping-pong action across the entire field, this year’s game more closely follows the pace of a typical real-life match. And that's a good thing.

If you're looking for an old-school side-scrolling action game that's along the lines of Dark Souls in logic (but not necessarily tone), Rogue Legacy is a sweet addition to your library. It's hard as heck at times, but progress can eventually be felt for those who stick with it, and the retro-style presentation will be right at home with classic NES/SNES gamers.

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.

Final Fantasy XV is a tremendous return to the franchise and includes a lot things we love about the series. I experienced a few missteps here and there, but it didn’t deter from an overall great experience.

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.

I was hoping for an original take on the open-world genre, but I got Assassin’s Creed in samurai drag. If that sounds like a blast to you, it will be, especially if you go into it with the knowledge of the game’s design missteps. It’s not that it’s bad - it’s just bad for me.

Aside from a few script malfunctions and some odd enemy behavior at points, this is a perfect Metroidvania game. If you are a fan of the genre, a fan of Castlevania, a fan of Metroid, or just a fan of 2D platformers in general, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

Persona 5 Strikers is a worthy addition to the Persona 5 game line. If you enjoyed the previous exploits of the Phantom Thieves, then you will love everything this game has to offer.

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