This is a good installment, but the stutter in combat makes me wonder if it’s as polished as it should be. The game has crashed on me sometimes during Blitz modes in particular, with a lot of players. But overall it held up tremendously well in multiplayer as I fought my way to the first Prestige level and got through it with a 0.84 kill/death ratio. In fact, the more I played the more I enjoyed multiplayer.

Starfield is not a perfect game, and I can see some players becoming frustrated with some of its bigger imperfections. It’s a game that offers a massive world that’s not always particularly full, which could turn off some players. However, past its initial rocky start, Starfield feels special and interesting and deserves to be tried at least. More than anything else, I’m curious to see where the Bethesda audience takes Starfield. Each game from the company has its own dedicated community and I want to see what Starfield’s community will look like in a few months’ or years’ time.

This is how you spiff up an older game. What could have been a cynical attempt to double-dip into Nintendo fans’ wallets actually turns out to be the Mario Kart series’ definitive entry. The racing looks and feels just as great as it did on the Wii U, but the addition of battle modes finally makes it feel like a complete package...Add in the new characters and the Wii U DLC content, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a fantastic addition to the Switch’s early library.

If you're only going to get one of the Mega Man X Legacy Collections, definitely go for this one.

Golem Arcana bills itself as a “digitally enhanced miniatures war game,” and it certainly excels at what it sets out to do.

The Disney side is still the best side of Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts III nails that part. But even it's story, as ridiculous as it is, gives fans emotional moments and satisfaction.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix offers old fans a great excuse to play some of the series’ older installments while also giving curious newcomers the best way to get their first fix.

Fire Emblem: Fates is a fantastic turn-based strategy game. If you’re worried about the multiple versions, you don’t need to be. You’ll get a full experience with a single campaign, but it’s great to know that you can keep going and discover new content long after beating a single path.

Act 1 was just an appetizer. Act 2 is the meaty main course that defines Broken Age — and not just because it finishes the story. It’s where Double Fine let loose and went crazy with the puzzles (and the complex train of thought you need to solve them).

Smashing baddies, exploring dungeons, and scrounging for as much money and items as you can find is a satisfying departure from many strategy-heavy games coming out these days. Dragon’s Crown is a nostalgic return to classic side-scrolling brawlers found in arcades in the early ’90s, complete with flashing “go” arrows and food that falls out of villains and chests.

The online features drag the experience down a bit. If you’re someone hoping for a good online multiplayer experience with Ultimate, you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re looking for a fun fighting games to play with friends on a couch, nothing serves you better than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Yes, nostalgia plays a big part in my enjoyment of these games, but I don’t have blind love for The Disney Afternoon Collection. These side-scrollers have just as much charm now as they did in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and I’m thankful I can finally own DuckTales 2 and Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers 2 without spending hundreds of dollars at a retro gaming store. This is a loving and handsome collection. If you had any affinity for these games growing up, I guarantee that they’ll still make you smile.

It’s even more remarkable that all of this exists in a browser-based game.

I adored Heist and didn’t really play much of the first Dig, but I now consider myself a fan of the SteamWorld canon. Image & Form is doing great work with this universe, and I wouldn’t want to miss this sequel. Even if you’re going from Metroid: Samus Returns, which is similar, directly into Dig 2, I still think you’ll come away thrilled and looking in the developer’s direction hoping they have something else new coming very soon.

Machine also brought the most amazing characters, quality storytelling, and well-paced gameplay to The New Colossus. You’ll want to spend time with these people and discover their fate — sometimes that will warm your heart and sometimes it will break it.

It is one of the most feature-rich asynchronous multiplayer games I’ve ever played. I love having all of these ways of competing against my friends, and I think the Blueprint events are a smart way to make the game feel more personal and connected. I plan on making at least a few more missions and sending them to all of my friends after Horizon goes live later this month.

Ubisoft Montpellier has created one of the best Metroidvanias ever, one that can stand up to the legacy of the genre founders and the modern masterpieces.

The end result is a video game that looks, sounds, and feels incredible. And it’s one that should appeal to long-time fans and people who are new to skateboarding entirely.

If you can get past that stereotype and your usual reaction to Hollywood horror, you’ll find that Until Dawn is one of the most original and polished games in the interactive horror genre...The game really lives up to its promise and vision, and that’s a rarity in an age of hype.

Gears 5 has a lot to offer, with multiplayer, co-op modes, and a single-player campaign with wide range of emotions, from humor and laughter to despair and tragedy. It leaves the fans with a bit of a cliffhanger ending, but that just means that fans will want Gears 6 to come soon.

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.