That aside, I think it's fair to say that A Crooked Mile is a more substantial chunk of content than Smoke & Mirrors was, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Thanks to a colorful art style and enjoyable gameplay, Little Kitty, Big City is a delightful spiritual throwback to games of yesteryear, and I hope more titles follow its example.

While it may not rewrite the rules of mascot platforming, Pac-Ma World 2 Re-Pac understands the formula of the genre. It’s a bubbly, colorful, and entertaining ride that will satisfy both fans of the original and anyone who has a deep nostalgia for the era of gaming when action like this ruled.

The lack of half-naked men aside, it's impossible not to see what a superior, rewarding effort Dragon's Crown turned out to be—it looks great, it feels great, it's smart and deep, and it utterly revitalizes a genre that went stale years ago. Without overstating the case, this game is a must-play tour-de-force that surprised the hell out of me, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Lost Orbit can't make up its mind about what it wants to be, and the result is neither a touching tale of survival nor technically-compelling arcade-style action. It's not a bad piece of work and would certainly shine with better integration of its elements, but design confusion is its most notable characteristic, and that's not a good place for a game to be.

Of course, all of these problems are present in other games where I have not minded them so much, but Metro 2033 is such a short, focused experience that the cumulative impact of its flaws is significant.

Fundamentally, Resident Evil 3 is two great chase scenes, four awesome boss fights, and a bunch of mediocre filler to make up the rest of the running time. It’s a magnificent, breathtaking ride the first time through, but once that initial ride is over, it becomes a competent zombie shooter and little else.

Its goals and identity are crystal clear, and the developers stick to them... [and] it takes full advantage of the PSP, not only by replacing raw horsepower with style and finesse, but also by keeping in mind that portable games should be different than console games by their very nature.

Sniper Elite 4 is the best sniping game I’ve ever played, and is absolutely the high point of the series. This is a perfect example of what can be achieved if a developer understands what their game’s potential is, and never stops working towards it. Rebellion has made huge leaps forward with every new entry in this series, and they’ve finally reached a point where the results are flat-out incredible. I can only imagine the great things they’ll accomplish in the future.

All in all, the game does a phenomenal job of weaving its tale of murder thanks to a fascinating plot and riveting character interaction that kept me coming back for more. Even though the risk of annoyance thanks to repetition is high, players that love a good puzzle shouldn’t miss this one. The Sexy Brutale feels like a love letter to fans of classic Whodunit novels, and in my book, Lafcadio Boone’s adventure is a must-have addition to any Adventure player’s library.

While some of the reaches Fabledom takes end up a little empty, there’s no denying that it remains a friendly, streamlined, indie take on city-building that not only offers quite a bit of charm, but would also be a great place for a genre newcomer to get their feet wet.

Should this collection exist? I’m not sure. Am I glad it exists? Absolutely. Disney Classic Games did a great job of bringing two past greats to modern platforms. Although I wouldn’t recommend it to those with no nostalgia for the originals, I’m confident that those who remember them will appreciate this trip to the past. Now excuse me as I blast the volume to Be Prepared and start a fresh no-rewind playthrough of Lion King — I’m a masochist.

Though NHL 18 is a solid, enjoyable title that will likely appeal to old and new hockey game fans alike, there’s little innovation on display — the developers only deliver minor improvements and necessary tweaks. In order to make the series relevant again, EA needs to find a way to revolutionize the gameplay. It pains me to say, but it’s not 1994 anymore and expectations have changed. As much as I enjoyed my time with NHL 18, I would rather see the series get benched for a few years and come back with something truly new rather than another installment of more-of-the-same.

Nostalgia and fond memories aside, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania delivers an experience that’s always been amazing, and now it comes complete with a fresh coat of paint and a bunch of extras. To any one who hasn’t yet tried these titles, I say… Go bananas.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is the right way to follow up on a good idea. Expanding on the great things the first one did, this sequel adds more vehicles, more events and a story to make it one of the most unique arcade racers on the market. For those who haven’t had enough of toy-based racing this year, they should look no further than this one.

Aside from that though, the original Dragon's Dogma was one of the better role-playing games to come along in quite some time when it originally debuted last year. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is the very same game, only better, stuffed with even more content, and cheaper to boot. Now's a perfect time to dive in for new players, and those who've beaten it already will find a nice new challenge in Bitterblack Isle alongside some additional goodies for carrying over their save as a loyalty bonus. It's a game that keeps on giving, only with a bit less Dangan.

As a fan of these kinds of games, I can say that Remnant: From the Ashes is a type of soulslike that I would have probably passed over in favor of something more traditional, but after giving it a fair shot I’m glad to say that it’s the successful spin on the genre that I didn’t know I wanted.

Grey Goo feels like a complete RTS package, built to spec in a time when enthusiasm for the genre is at a low. It helps show there's life yet in the formula pioneered by the likes of Command & Conquer and Dune, and while it might not have the weight to stand up against the likes of Starcraft 2, its own place in the contemporary strategic constellation is secure.

Despite my complaints, this first installment of Hitman shows that IO seems committed to bringing the series back to the sort of rich, complex gameplay it's known for.

La-Mulana EX has the unusual problem of being too smart for its own good—it's too wearying to enjoy, but difficult to shrug off as a poor project. Let's split the difference and call it a six out of ten, and hope that anyone else brave enough to venture into these ruins has a higher mental capacity for this sort of thing than I do.

It's a shame that Makai Kingdom has gone largely unnoticed, but as long as Nippon Ichi keeps turning on games of this quality, I'm going to keep on supporting them.

Although I absolutely love the aesthetics and concept of Headlander, the non-combat gameplay is only fair, and it’s brought down further with too much combat detracting from the things it does well. I was interested enough to stick around and see how things turned out at the end, but there were definitely a few times when I walked away and took a break out of annoyance. Like so many other examples before it, Headlander is another could-have-been that just doesn’t play to its strengths.

In the end, Toukiden 2 comes as a nice surprise. It improves upon the decent original in many different ways that make sense, and most of these changes ensure that smashing boss after boss doesn’t feel anywhere near as repetitive as it did in the past. When I was done with the first Toukiden, I was completely burned out and desperate for a break. After finishing Toukiden 2? I’m raring for more.

Dreamfall: Chapters is the finale that this trilogy deserves — the story is top-notch, anyone coming to this with no knowledge of the previous entries will still be entertained, and longtime fans will get to finally walk away content – if not a little sad – that The Longest Journey has now come to an end.

Hands down, Door Kickers: Action Squad is one of the best games to come to the Switch this year. Every inch is well-designed and smartly tuned, it stays challenging (but fair!) and fresh from start to finish, and there’s enough meat on its bones to satisfy anyone. It even does co-op, to boot. Simply put, it is the total package and a must-buy for any Switch owner craving 2D action.

In many ways, Death of a Wish is a victim of its own ambitions. With so many moving pieces it certainly kept my attention, but I kept waiting for those disparate parts to coalesce into a more focused whole – and that moment never came. What’s left is a title with an abundance of great ideas that are hampered by having to share the stage with each other. Each aspect is strong in its own right, but ultimately the aggregate falls short of its potential.

The Oracle continues Cognition's pattern of uneven episodes. It cleverly uses Erica's powers to get around a major storytelling problem, and in that respect it's a great success. On the other hand, the tight quarters and indifferent puzzles make the game less interesting to play than its predecessors, while the dumb, unpleasant characters make it a less enjoyable story.

Dawn of War III isn’t a bad game — it’s just not a good one either. By trying to chase what’s popular, Relic lost a lot of what made this series so great in the first place. With the promise of more factions to come, there could be more to this game a few months from now, but as it stands right now, it’s too basic to dance at the ball.