Blackout is so fun that it could be a game unto itself, complete with set pieces that the players themselves create, either through bloopers in my case or amazing expert gameplay by others. It might take you 30 matches to become proficient at it.

It’s not a starfigter game in the line of X-Wing or Colony Wars that I’ve longed for on modern consoles, but it’s fun, and it has potential. I just wish its controls were a bit more user-friendly.

The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep delivers on the faith its Kickstarter backers put into the project. It weaves combat, exploration, music, and puzzles into a game that stands out in a crowded market.

This is the best Forza Horizon game, and that makes it one of the best racing games ever. But that just doesn’t wow me like it once did.

Super Mario Party’s new modes offer a welcome break from what some might consider the main attraction: the board game. They’re faster, and they focus on two of the Nintendo Switch’s strengths that make it such a special console in the first place — good Joy-Con motion controls and fun co-op play. For me, it makes this Super Mario Party the best in franchise history, even if I don’t care for the staid board game.

If you're a fan of Mega Man but feel uneasy about how Mega Man 11 looks or adds to the formula, don't. This is a fantastic 2D action game worthy of the Blue Bomber's name.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is dense, detailed, and varied. It is more dense, detailed, and varied than I considered possible for a video game before playing this. It is a stunning accomplishment, and the 500-to-1,000+ people who worked on it should feel proud. It has its problems. Combat is clunky, the menus are a slog, and leveling feels off. But those issues never made me want to stop playing. I want to keep playing right now.

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.

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

Insomniac's take on Spider-Man now reigns as the web-head's best game.

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.

If you’re a fan of classic action-platformers, The Messenger is another indie game that you need to own. It’s much more than a tribute to Ninja Gaiden.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age moved me in ways a Japanese RPG hasn’t done in years.

I wished the story was longer and the game had more things to do besides capturing things in a hole. But the story was lighthearted and the gameplay was fun. If you don’t have high expectations, I think you’ll find Donut County is a nice diversion.

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.

Though I had a few minor quibbles over Overcooked 2’s garnishes, it’s overall a delectable followup.

Dead Cells is a masterpiece. It is the marriage and apotheosis of decades of Metroidvania design and the surging popularity of difficult Roguelike games. It is exquisite in all ways. It looks phenomenal. It plays like a dream. It makes you want to keep coming back even when you fail.

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.

This collection isn't for everyone. But if you're a big fan of the Blue Bomber, this is still a great package that helps you complete your digital Mega Man collection.

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

The visuals remain entrancing, the music is as powerful today as when it was released, and the task of clearing baddies from webs continues to be challenging. If you can look past the roughest levels, you’ll find this to be a fun and highly memorable game. Here’s hoping Llamasoft gives it a little post-release polish so it can become a modern classic, just like Tempest 2000.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is charming, fun, and — in a rarity for Nintendo’s Wii U ports — right-priced for the Switch.

Even though you can technically enjoy Lumines at a lower price on mobile devices, their smaller wells actually constrict the gameplay compared with wider console and computer platforms, and their soundtracks aren’t as compelling. If you want the full Lumines experience, this version’s reasonable pricing and interesting features nearly offset its remaining rough edges.

I love Mario Tennis Aces so far -- even though I have some issues with its single-player content.

Jurassic World: Evolution is more of a pure sim game than Planet Coaster, but it does a good job of taking advantage of its license.

Because BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is an anime fighting experience that allows for constant aggressive offensive and defensive reads, wrapped in accessible execution that makes slightly complex mechanics easy to grasp. If this can add more fresh competition to your world, embrace it.

Vampyr is good — flawed, but very good — and pleasurable.

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.