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.

Asteroid Base's Lovers In a Dangerous Spacetime turned out to be worth the wait, perfectly blending elements from space shooters with a bit of strategy and throwing in some entertaining co-op as well. There are times it can be overwhelming – especially if you're going at it single player – but it's still an adventure you can't help but fall in love with.

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.

Metro Exodus is a masterful execution of a dying breed of video game: the measured, finely tuned, linear single player action game. From start to finish it’s an amazing thrill ride that rarely takes a moment to catch its breath and it lacks the bloated filler that plague so many other games these days. Instead, Metro Exodus is all meat from head to toe and it’s well worth the time.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional delivered on every front for me. While it may seem challenging for some, it doesn't disappoint with its space action and strategy, and the presentation is right on the money when it comes to emulating your favorite anime.

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.

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.

Death Stranding isn’t for everyone, but if you are looking for a neat experimental exploration of the fetch quest, you’ll enjoy it. If you are looking for something more traditional, though, you should probably look elsewhere.

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.

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!).

Mortal Kombat 11 is one half perfect fighting game, one half exploitative mobile game. It’s worth playing despite its flaws, but it easily stands as an example of how even the best games can be ruined by questionable monetization practices.

It may not be the best in terms of graphics or value, but none can deny that Call of Champions is the ideal way to get a quick MOBA fix, even when you’re away from your PC.

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.

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

The abundance of options available at your fingertips is very cool, and the ability to share couldn't be easier, save for direct posting to social networks – but we'll make do with what we have.

Despite the overwhelming quality of its emotional storytelling and the fantastic characterization of the game's protagonists, every frustrating puzzle, every quirk of the controls, and every graphical hitch will leave you wondering why, after such a painfully long wait, this was all The Last Guardian could shape up to be.

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.

The rapid, mini-game-like design of Shutshimi makes it ideal for quick bursts of play. Even then, the game is so captivating that it's hard to put down even after you've spent an hour or two playing.

Rock Band Rivals has once again sparked my love for Rock Band, and the thrill of the chase.

Goodbye Volcano High is rough and uneven, but it still contains some of the best individual moments I’ve had with a game all year.

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.

Prey is the best BioShock-style game we've seen in years. It gets better the more you play it, and hides secrets that encourage repeat playthroughs. For fans of single-player titles, Prey is a game that belongs in Game of the Year discussions.

Cyber Shadow packs a lot of quality into a small six-hour package. If you love indie platformers and have a soft spot in your heart for games like Ninja Gaiden and Shatterhand then you won’t want to pass this one up.

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.

You have to commend Severed for using the Vita's touchscreen heavily for its gameplay. And while that use of the system works and is mostly enjoyable, it's not always entertaining.

Tides feels like a complete, if strangely assembled, game. You'll find surprising depth in some areas while other aspects aren't developed quite as much as it feels like they should be, but the total package is a huge success. Commit to learning the game's vocabulary and don't let yourself get overwhelmed by lore at the game's beginning, and you'll be richly rewarded.

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.

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?