My hat is off to them for being able to bring this hugely ambitious project to such a satisfactory conclusion, and I hope the overall quality of this work is indicative of what we can expect from them in the future.

A peerless piece of fanservice wrapped around a pretty enjoyable brawler, and the developers' love of the subject matter shines through as brightly as the sun.

Lego 2K Drive is one of the finest arcade racers around, setting itself apart from the competition by literally building a new foundation for the genre. Like the very best LEGO sets, each of its pieces adds up to a wonderful product. Racing fans owe it to themselves to check this one out.

So, while this offering is missing options relating to customization and the netcode is just acceptable rather than industry leading, this is still a fighting game that has absolutely stood the test of time. It feels as fresh now as it ever has, and while it may not be Virtua Fighter 6, having an active Virtua Fighter online scene in the modern era is absolutely priceless.

The Tony Hawk series was never about realism, and whether they’re old enough to have nostalgia for it or not, Pro Skater 1+2 is a fantastic remake offering intuitive and massively enjoyable gameplay that deserves any skate fan’s attention.

Yoku’s Island Express is a cheery, bright, frictionless experience that adds much-needed twists to an established formula and despite my hesitance for pinball, it sold me on a kind of gameplay that I never knew I wanted.

Virtue's Last Reward takes everything that 999 did well and does it better.

That small matter aside, Atlus once again proves that they are the publisher who takes care of their fans—Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2 – Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon is another more addition to a long string of superior RPGs, and a solid reason to stay in the last generation just a little bit longer.

Even without the open-ended level design, it was every bit as absorbing as the first game was at its very best and then some. And because of its mission-based structure that allows for quick access to all unlocked levels, it became a very hard game to put down.

Sure, at its core, Battle Through Time is a retelling of the TV series with some deviations, but it absolutely nails what makes Samurai Jack a modern animated masterpiece, and it was a delightful surprise to play through.

As I put in more time, the game kept opening up and more of my own light bulbs lit with the realization of potential.

In the end, my gripes are small and Necrobarista is a fascinating experience that I was both sad (and glad!) to see through to its end. It might seem strange to be happy when something great is done with, but many philosophies, from Zen Buddhism to the aboriginal beliefs held in Necrobarista‘s native Australia, acknowledge that transience and eventual passing is a key part of life itself. Everything moves on, most especially our physical selves. The insistence of staying past one’s time, be it as a spirit living on borrowed time or a game trying to become a part of an overstuffed daily routine, can feel toxic. It’s refreshing to play something that doesn’t want me to stay with it forever, and that’s the kind of passing I raise a nice cuppa to.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered remains an excellent collection of Lara’s first adventures that allows fans, both new and old, to dive into Lara’s earliest days and see where she got her start. Here’s hoping that The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and Angel of Darkness will be part of a second collection!

Chasm is a fantastic addition to the metroidvania pantheon and the best one since Shadow Complex. It’s frustrating to see it come so close to greatness, only to stumble by following too closely in Symphony‘s footsteps. It would have also done better by abandoning the procedural approach and going for a well-tailored, hand-crafted experience. I loved playing through it once, but there just wasn’t enough to pull me back in once it was done.

Any way it's sliced, Super TIME Force is an excellent effort from an excellent developer, and a bullet-rich, chuckle-worthy feather in Capy's cap. Well done.

The developers have taken the theme and backdrop story very seriously and it shows because the WWII iconography in MoH is captured beautifully not only in the costumes of the characters and the design of the architecture, but it also permeates through the detailed movie-like orchestra scores that make up the background music.

Now in its third iteration, State of Decay is demonstrating a steady improvement that would be the envy of most titles. Each new add-on has made the game's world more interesting and added fascinating gameplay developments.

The perfect melding of two genres, Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the New World succeeds by taking the best elements of both and cutting all the fat. It’s an experience casual enough on both the management and RPG fronts that it’s the perfect game to introduce newcomers to the series. Most importantly, Nelke is in touch with the series’ heart — at every turn, this is a story about how anything can be accomplished if people are willing to work together, and as saccharine as that may sound, the heroine is so guilelessly positive that it works.

While the difficulty level may scare some away, Yuppie Psycho has so much great writing and clever gameplay that it would be a crime to overlook. Pasternack’s journey through SintraCorp is equal parts scary and hilarious, and the handful of annoying moments were more than made up for by a fundamentally humane story about people trying to connect and help one another within a system designed to grind them into a slurry of blandness. Sometimes literally.

While Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds might not dethrone Mario’s racing adventures, it’s a solid racing title in its own right thanks to great handling and an overwhelming amount of options. I would have liked to see a little more supporting the package as a whole, but what’s here must surely rank among the finest arcade-style racers from the last few years. For those who absolutely gotta go fast, this one is an easy recommendation.

Playing Shadow of Rome has made me more sympathetic to people who argue that killing fake people can lead to killing real ones. I came to accept Shadow of Rome's violence fully.

Signal Studios took what was already a great game and made it even better, and that's no easy thing.

Its priorities are set on showing players that racetracks aren't deserted areas as would a ghost town be and that drivers still represent the heart and soul of racing. In this respect, Pro Race Driver is as close to reality as racing games can get.

Altogether, I spent more than 50 hours in the world of Hollow Knight, and even after low points like devoting an entire evening to just one boss or constantly running to a wiki for info, the experience was absolutely worth it – critically speaking, it’s impossible to not recognize what is staggering piece of work this game is.

A player shouldn't have to slog through command list after command list before fighting a particularly challenging AI or human opponent. Patience may be a virtue, but it can also mean really stubborn.

Kona certainly doesn’t rewrite the book on them, but it fills that nosy friend niche nicely. Looking through every cupboard in strangers’ houses scratched a strange itch I didn’t know I had… But wait, does that make me the creepy friend now?

While Void Sols is not as ‘deep’ as Dark Souls, it successfully does something that the influential original did as well — it finds an identity of its own. Anybody in love with soulslikes should check it out, and anybody who’s fallen out of love with them should check it out double quick. Great stuff.

It Takes Two is not only a wonderful co-op experience, it’s a genuine masterpiece of platforming and interactive storytelling. Every moment my partner and I were playing this game was filled with pure joy, and it became the perfect way to cap off our days for the last few weeks. It Takes Two is arguably one of the greatest games I’ve played in years.