It’s a joy to see SimCity return in a better form than it has ever been. It is wonderfully complex, but very easy to play. The title is a massive undertaking and it has come together beautifully overall.

Tomodachi Life reminds me what I love about Nintendo. Another developer might try an experience like this on iOS or Android, but it’s unlikely they would leave it unsullied by in-game purchases. I also doubt that many other studios could nail the effortless humor that makes this so refreshing to play.

Paper Mario Color Splash isn’t frustration-free, but compared to the Mario platforming games Color Splash is light and refreshing, an opportunity to have an adventure with Mario and his friends that doesn’t require lightning-quick reflexes and high frustration tolerance. You’d better be ready for some cringe worthy puns, however.

More than how it looks or plays, I appreciate Gran Turismo 7's vibe. It's just pleasant.

It brings real innovation to a genre that’s seen little significant deviation from 1989’s Populous.

Some core players might find the puzzle elements and on-rails battle sequences too easy, but I'm definitely not one of them. As a story-focused motion control offering, Fable: The Journey shows off the Kinect's potential while still existing as far more than a technology demo; this is a true Fable in all senses of the word.

Destiny finally feels like the big deal that Bungie wanted us to think it was last year.

The game evokes an incredible amount of emotion from you, and it is the kind of game that its fans will play over and over.

That’s the real beauty of Weather Factor’s debut title — the world feels so large and full of possibilities, even though everything is mainly told through small snippets of text. It’s filled with poetry, like descriptions of a vial of Greydawn Oil that’s “the precise color of the hours when one cannot sleep,” and it makes you want to explore and unravel its mysteries. And it makes you work for it, reading between the lines and imagining a realm unseen.

Whether I was fighting against humans or the computer AI, I never got the sense that war was too easy and my opponent was too easy to be. And so there was always a cost to fighting, and that’s the way it should be.

With its addition of 45 more tracks and routines to the franchise's repertoire, and its suite of new multiplayer modes that push the genre in new and interesting ways, the series is stronger than ever.

Moss is my favorite VR experience so far. This is partly due to the fact that it’s extremely gentle. Because it doesn’t task you with moving through the environment, it’s an accessible VR game for people who are prone to getting motion sick. The world’s beauty is also a draw.

After the ever-so-slightly lackluster Smoke and Mirrors, A Crooked Mile brings the series back up to its promising beginnings. The plot is increasingly dire and bleak, but it’s also one of the most sharply written games in recent memory.

The Resident Evil 4 remake feels like something made by a big fan of the original, but one who wasn’t afraid to switch things up a bit.

These games look great and play better than they ever have in HD. But what else do you get? As far as extras, not a ton. You do get a small museum mode, a boss rush, and some bonus missions. But compared to, say, the 3D explorable world with its multiple media museums from Sonic Jam, it’s a bit bare. But, hey, I’m not really here for bonuses. I’m here for those four games. And a few oddities aside, these are fantastic remasters. Even if you’re a Sonic fan who already owns these games in other compilations, Origins is worth it.

Clubhouse Games is the kind of game that actually makes a platform for me. The Switch wouldn’t be the Switch without Zelda and Mario, but this is the kind of release that fills out a library. Clubhouse Games is something that you will look back on years from now, and get to say, “oh, yeah — I love that game!”

The common thread of all of the subgames is that they are very hard to master. Most of them are easy to pick up and start playing, with the exception of Strike Force. But you'll want to play them over and over again until you finally conquer a mission. Once you get that mastery, you'll feel great.

We're lucky to live in a world with Shadow of the Colossus.

Sly Cooper: Thieves is Time is a fantastic addition to the series and a great entry point for newcomers. Most of my gripes are minor, but the aggressive load times present the biggest detriment to the game, and the need for a PS Vita might irritate anyone who wants to collect everything these time periods have to offer. The rest is just a few hiccups in history, but they shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the latest chapter in the Cooper story.

The characters are interesting, the writing is sharp, and the story switches effortlessly between thoughtful investigation sequences and more action-heavy scenes featuring some of the most effective quick-time events I’ve seen in a while.

This is a polished, well constructed gaming experience with few glaring errors.

It’s stressful and terrifying in a way that most recent horror games can’t match... I say play it in a brightly lit room surrounded by pictures of kittens. The heart can only take so much.

Infinite’s biggest issue is that the stiff nonplayer characters really dampen the impact of the social themes. Irrational worked so hard building this world filled with terrible racial imagery, but it’s difficult to feel the effects of that when I can’t relate to the mechanical mannequins that populate Columbia...It’s actually a minor complaint, but it’s very noticeable in a product that is otherwise so exquisitely put together.

It was an intense and memorable experience. The story had moving parts and characters who had very different reactions when put into the crucible of unjust warfare. I think it is very well done, but probably could have left some parts out.

If Fall of Cybertron has one lesson that it's trying to convey, it's the same thing that players will quickly learn upon trying out the multiplayer mode: Keep moving, adapt, and be willing to change. Otherwise, you'll probably blow up.

One of the most surprisingly good games I’ve played in a long time. It manages to sell its bizarre premise and builds a solid, moving story out of it, and the plot-propelling investigations add immensely to the detective feel. Walking around as a ghost is clever and entertaining, and it even manages to inject variety into some of gaming’s most overused elements.

If you consider old-school platformers like Donkey Kong Country to be pinnacles of a nearly forgotten art form, Tropical Freeze is a game you need to experience. Having played many subpar platform games over the years (including certain uninspired 2D Mario titles), it’s a joy to experience a game where the developers obviously had so much love for their levels and characters. Their passion shines through from beginning to end.

Crashmo is a fine example of what a talented developer can do with a solid gameplay mechanic. It's also a great argument for separating business from play.

The game's best narrative trick - again borrowed from Silent Hill - is its mystery, leaving itself open to interpretation and examination. Who was the Man Who Wears A Box? The Seated Figure? The White-faced Man? Who was the brown-haired girl I held hands with in my dreams? The answers aren't overtly clear, but I can't wait to play again to find out.

Did you miss the part where this is Star Wars Pinball? If you like both of those things, and you have a device capable of playing video games, you really have no excuse not to pick this up.

Far Cry 3 executes beautifully on its promises, rolling together a massive open world, excellent stealth, smartly designed RPG elements, and tense gunfights into one smooth whole. The multiplayer fails to distinguish itself in any meaningful way, and a slightly smarter A.I. would've been nice, but those are the only things robbing Ubisoft of an uncontested victory.

Staggeringly beautiful and provides just enough fan service for the RPG players while ramping up the challenge for the fighting game guys.

West of Loathing is an RPG with a ton of personality and a lot of reading. Personally, I’m a big fan of the surreal, pun-filled humor, so I had a great time, but your mileage may vary. It could also at times be a little repetitive, relying on its personality instead of delivering a ton of variety in gameplay. It’s more about exploring than it is about making meaningful choices or solving complex puzzles.

All three Uncharted games are must-plays, and Bluepoint Games has done an exceptional job porting the trilogy over on PlayStation 4 with The Nathan Drake Collection.

Hearts of Stone is a collection of some of the best quests The Witcher 3 has to offer. Its story is cohesive; its characters are worth meeting; and the thematic diversity is worth seeing.

Beyond is hands-down one of the most emotionally accomplished experiences I have ever had in a video game, and it’s enjoyable from start to finish. The controls and gameplay are tiresome, and they can be difficult to manage (or boring), but they’re of little consequence compared to the well-written story, the depth of the characters, and the empathy you feel toward them.

I love that this game exists. It checks the boxes that it absolutely needs to hit. 60 frames per second? Yes. Cool look and sound? Definitely. A sensation of speed that doesn’t seem possible? For sure.

It's not only the best-looking 2D fighter ever created, but in my opinion, it's also one of the best and most feature-laden fighting games period - a statement I do not make lightly.

The new, vibrant graphics make Spyro a playable fantasy cartoon. It’s one of the most attractive kid-friendly games you’ll find.

Gorogoa is a brief but beautiful foray into mystery. But its puzzles are elegant rather than elusive, relying on internal logic and a cohesive exploration of the main character’s psyche and the world around him.

An amazing conclusion to the beloved puzzle series. Its variety and clever storytelling make it the most interesting and well-executed installment of the franchise, and it’s nice to see that after six games, Level-5 can keep surprising players with intriguing, surprisingly moving plots and hundreds of clever puzzles.

Galak-Z: The Dimensional is worth the pain, but it involves a great deal of effort. Like its arcade ancestors, you can appreciate its high replay value well before you beat it the first time.

A number of minor gaffes, an uninspired multiplayer, and a severe drop in tension defuse Tomb Raider somewhat, but nothing stops it from living up to Lara’s legacy.

I love that Semblance is challenging, and its presentation is lovely as well. It has a unique look, full of organic shapes and eye-catching colors. Though it’s light on story, it’s worth dying a few dozen times to experience.

Yes, the Metroidvania space is becoming crowded with great games, but Sundered fits in with the best of them.

It’s a terrific sequel with its own personality that still leverages the fun, minimalistic mechanics.

A delightful, engaging, and clever tribute to one of Mickey's greatest games. In many ways, it surpasses the original Castle of Illusion. In fact, this is the best title starring Mickey in years.

Most of all, it’s ambitious. Mobile games and music games both tend to get short shrift when it comes to emotional narrative arcs. Lost in Harmony commits to one, and does its best to bring that through in level design, musical selections, and even small details like costume picks.

A delightful snack-sized game that combines its disparate elements in a whimsical, entertaining way. I loved the style and the occasional clever puns. The kitchen battles to be a lot of fun, especially because they were timed, and used match-3 mechanics in an innovative way. If you’re a fan of Iron Chef, Studio Ghibli, or both, you’ll like enjoy this foray into the world of Victusia.

Overall, I thought the whole game was very well done, balancing history, fun, and personalized stories set within epic battles. The game challenged my own preconceptions about World War I and taught me a few new things. I developed an appreciation for the diversity of the battles and the technological change from the beginning of the war to its end. Overall, I thought it did a wonderful job delivering something fresh. And that’s very hard to do in the shooter genre.

This is a story that we’ve seen a lot, in everything from Blade Runner to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s becoming as common a storyline as the zombie apocalypse or superhero fantasies. In each case, the story is only as good as its execution. If the characters are believable and engaging, if the story is well told, if the context and environment broadens the story, if the acting is superb, and if the actions and choices are consequential, then it is a job well done. And that’s how I feel about Detroit: Become Human.

The seamless integration of the GamePad hardware with the atmospheric gameplay is nothing short of a triumph, and Ubisoft deserves full credit for not only seeing the possibilities but capitalizing on them.

I think The Dark Pictures is very spooky, and the sense of fate that comes with it is very compelling. I think it was very smart for Supermassive Games to build a whole horror series around this concept. I’m looking forward to the next one, but I also hope that the graphics and gameplay will strike a better balance so that it’s more interactive.

Bloodborne is the system seller for all dedicated gamers that don’t already own a PS4.

You'll still need to be a fan of the show to get the most of this. But if you are a South Park aficionado, The Fractured but Whole is another hilarious and fun game that captures the spirit of series.

Creative Assembly has been very ambitious with Total War: Attila, and the game is a lot more compelling than its predecessor. It feels more balanced. The A.I. is smarter, but a human general can still beat it. But the unrelenting weight of a collapsing empire pushes a human ruler to the limit.

New Leaf is a delightful way to spend a lazy afternoon. It does have stagnation issues — this is basically the same thing we played on GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Wii — but the magic is still real.

It is astounding to me that such a small team can create a game that is as moving and inspiring as The Unfinished Swan. It is the kind of game that big game studios won't make, to their loss.

As one of the better and more charming rhythm action games to come out in recent years, Persona 4: Dancing All Night is not only an apt and engrossing spin-off, but it’s an effective side story that will help pass the time while we impatiently wait for Persona 5.

Playing The Witcher 3 with an eye for grand strategy can be both a densely engrossing and mechanically frustrating, overlong adventure. When played one move at a time, however, Wild Hunt is the supreme alchemical distillation of the role-playing experience. It’s a bleakly human play at the heart of a dark fantasy.

Almost all of my time with Dragon Quest Builders 2 has been pleasant, and I look forward to building more, either with my kids playing along or by myself, sipping a beer and relaxing after a long day.

A very well-executed, bug-free game with awesome technical effects. The single-player campaign is on the short side at nine hours, but it gives you everything that you want and expect in a Gears of War game. The Coalition does a decent job walking the tightrope of providing something that fans want and giving them something different at the same time. The Horde mode has taken the co-op play in a very good direction, and I expect that fans are going to enjoy multiplayer quite a bit as well. If I had to pick one flaw, it’s that this game has too wide a range, with a lot of humor and a lot of terror all at once.

If you’re looking for a good game to play on the PlayStation 4 or the Vita, Velocity 2X is a fantastic choice, with its crisp, bright visuals and energetic soundtrack (I never got sick of it once). Just keep in mind that outer space can be an unfriendly place, and if you’re a sucker for story, you’ve got a lot of playing ahead of you if you want to finish all 50 levels.

This Lara Croft memoir ends in a good way, and I’ll miss this version of Lara more than any of them.

The narrative is a bunch of clichés that had me checking my phone and skipping cutscenes. It’s not all bad. The characters are mostly interesting, and the presentation is well done. I also like that it takes place Christmas time. But that stuff isn’t enough to make up for another lackluster gaming story. It’s a bummer because Bayonetta is so cool, and she deserves the chance to shine in something better.

Galactic Civilizations III is a great 4X space strategy game, one that will keep you pushing for one more turn late into the night. If you’re looking for a terrific multiplayer experience, GalCiv III won’t scratch that itch, and some parts of its core pacing stumble. But the combination of depth, ease of gameplay, and a sometimes-funny, snarky aesthetic, make GalCiv III a delight to play.

Beamdog’s first effort at original storytelling is a good start, and I’m excited to see more in the future, even if it’s in the world of Baldur’s Gate.

Like with God of War and Uncharted before, Horizon: Zero Dawn should be the start of another PlayStation iconic franchise. It offers a gorgeous and interesting world rich with adventure (including plenty of giant robots to kill). While it borrows heavily from the likes of Far Cry, it’s a more interesting and less repetitive effort than we’ve seen from that series. The presentation suffers a few hiccups, but it’s mostly a beautiful game. It’s also a long one. Horizon will keep you busy for a good chunk of time with its multitude of side-quests and extra activities. This is one of the PlayStation 4’s most interesting exclusives.

Rain is a wonderful, atmospheric game that’s too short but well worth the experience. It takes turns that I never expected it to.

It’s just so easy to pick up and get lost in for a few hours at a time. You can credit Techland for that success because it picked a few ideas and really got them right.

Inquisition is a Schrodinger’s Goldilocks kind of a game: too big and just right at the same time...The main campaign is more interested in telling you how great you are than letting you prove it, and combat feels designed for a game half this size. It’s not a far fall from grace, by any means, but it’s noticeable — and occasionally grating — in such a long experience. But if you have been working for the Inquisition for that long, hopefully by then you will be too busy discovering and exploring to care that much.

Few console games in recent years are as special as Dyad. It can captivate with its beautiful synthesis of visuals and audio while delivering a gameplay experience that grabs hold of you and simply won't let go.

They’re standing on the edge of greatness now, and I hope the next game will fulfill the destiny of making Talion’s story a part of the Tolkien canon.

Although Rock Band still has the bigger catalog, more instruments, and backward compatibility, Guitar Hero Live is progressive, nimble, and, well, lively. The new guitar and GHTV system get me truly excited about playing rhythm titles again.

While it won’t have the party appeal that comes with instruments, it’s a more intuitive, beautiful, and creative experience.

The Attitude Era mode is what really makes WWE '13 worth purchasing, especially for long-time fans of professional wrestling. I had a nostalgic blast playing through many of my favorite moment from WWE history, and it's great to see half of the game's huge roster filled with classic grapplers from the late '90s.

When I finished playing this game, I felt like I wanted more. That’s the mark of a good game.

This is the 10th Battlefield game, and at this stage in the franchise’s history, it isn’t easy to come up with fresh takes. Visceral Games has done that.

It delivers with its story, great acting, dialogue, the realistic facial animations, cool weapons of the future, and the welcome change in pacing from combat missions to stealth missions. I welcome the idea of using great actors like Spacey in a big-budget game, and I look forward to future versions of the game that marry Hollywood blockbuster actors with the blockbuster-style game play.

It’s a deep game that you could play for hundreds of hours.

Lara Croft Go emphasizes cunning and exploration, not challenge, but this doesn’t make it a pushover.

Dishonored nails the Thief-style gameplay while missing the BioShock-quality story that would've elevated it into something truly special. It'll have to settle for amazingly cool instead. The impressive depth, range, and balance earn this one an easy recommendation despite a few hiccups and one dreary, excessively long level.

It's not bold enough to be excellent, but Ghost of Tsushima is enjoyable enough to keep fans of these kinds of map games busy and happy for a good while.

More than anything, I love the look of the new zones and the personalities of the new races. Zandalar and Kul Tiras are more fun to run and around than the Broken Isles.

Injustice’s greatest strength is that it makes you feel powerful regardless of your skill level. Even when you are struggling to overcome a series of grueling attacks, breaking through that with a well-placed combo or ridiculous supermove brings out the wonder in controlling an iconic hero or villain.

The storytelling is done well, where you learn a little bit at a time about the characters, their background, and the larger context for things that are happening around them.

Like the celluloid explosion-and-exploitation fests that inspired it, Sleeping Dogs isn't about defying convention. It's about silly, stupendous entertainment.

A clever, fun, and challenging Nintendo 3DS game well worth your time.

Destination: Primus Vita is an enjoyable narrative sci-fi experience. It looks and sounds terrific as you investigate your environment, solve puzzles, dash through mazes, and navigate short conversations with your colleagues and friends. Scraps of lore about the Scatters and their origin help build an interesting world and provides a menacing enemy.

Hyrule Warriors has little in common with a traditional Zelda game. You don’t solve any puzzles, you don’t explore any dungeons, and you certainly don’t break into anyone’s house and destroy all of their pottery. Still, it definitely works as a spin-off that focuses almost entirely on action.

My only regret is that the Switch version I tested is crippled by Nintendo’s directional controls. If the Switch title’s portability wasn’t so compelling, the control issues alone would force me to choose another platform — Ultra Street Fighter IV would be another good reason to look elsewhere. I can only hope Capcom releases a patch of some sort to mitigate the Switch’s D-pad issues.

Assuming you can get in, this is definitely one of World of Warcraft’s better expansions.

The lack of polish in some areas and questionable design decisions in others can overshadow Tokyo Jungle's moments of brilliance. As I finished the story, however, I realized I couldn't stop smiling: It knows how absurd it is, but it doesn't care. The developers takes the ridiculous concept and runs with it all the way, mainstream tastes be damned. That's something you really have to admire.

The city of Los Perdidos is a bit too massive for its own good, but there is plenty to do and kill within its limits. And with an impressive next-gen presentation and endearingly spastic boss encounters, Dead Rising 3 is an easy recommendation to any new Xbox One owner.

Resident Evil 2 is going to click with a lot of people, and those folks are going to love it. I still really enjoy it even if it didn’t fully click with me. But my issues with this game are just a matter of taste and not execution. I prefer the Resident Evil 4 style where I have enough ammo to just blast my way out of every situation. But what’s great about Resident Evil 2 is that it’s still a really fun and well-made experience even when it drives someone like me out of their comfort zone. That’s the sign of a strong game.

But what I actually want you to take away is that this game works despite itself. You shouldn’t miss out on the characters, writing, and world because a small fraction of the experience doesn’t work. By the end, I had largely forgotten about standard combat. I think this is the rare game that improves as you continue playing. And that culminates in a thrilling finale that comes as a huge payoff for the story. So don’t sit this one out. Pick it up, play through it, complain about it with me, but then stick around for all of its joys.

A game that knows its roots but is willing to try something new as well. It takes the darker aspects of Spirited Away — because, let’s be honest, it’s kind of terrifying to see your parents transform into animals and then find yourself whisked away to another world with no way home — and explores them. And it does so with a lot of style.

The scope of Enemy Unknown is immense, both thematically and mechanically...In these ways, Enemy Unknown is peerless in modern game design.