As the game itself states within the blog of a gone-but-not-forgotten ally from Episode 1, "It's not a happy ending, but maybe it can be a hopeful one."

Astro's Playroom, a game that makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is an excuse to show you what a gamepad can do, conjures a world that you will want to see and explore. More than that, its surprisingly delightful celebration of PlayStation and its video games is a great way to kick off a console generation.

An uneven update. The core elements that made the original so thrilling are still here, but visual problems turn the satisfying challenge into something that often feels unfair.

Everything about Guacamelee 2 comes off as smarter and more thoughtful than the first game, even while indulging in its self-aware shenanigans and Rick & Morty-esque dimensional hijinks. The game never stops finding new ways to hook you in, to the point that even the most painstaking and intensive playthroughs feel like they just fly by.

For all its shortcomings, Persona 5 Strikers reminds me why I loved the Phantom Thieves to begin with and shows how they've matured since we last saw them. Once you get your head around it, the action-RPG combat is a challenging thrill, and no one can pull off flourishes in the same fashion as these characters. I almost forgot I was playing a musou-style game developed by Koei Tecmo and Omega-Force, and I think that's a testament to how sharp Strikers is as a Persona game. If you have any love for Persona 5, what say you save the world one more time with some old friends?

A great game that is filled with action-packed, bloody shootouts that are especially fun online, but it lacks polish in a few spots.

Surprisingly taxing even on very fast PCs with tons of RAM and the latest video cards. Halo for the PC also loses the original version's much-vaunted cooperative play mode. But in spite of all that, and in spite of the very high standards for first-person shooters on the PC, Halo is still an incredible action game. It's a true classic.

Even though there are some rough edges in its franchise mode, ESPN NBA 2K5's basic gameplay mechanics are extremely well done, making the game easy to recommend to any basketball fan. It hits the mark in just about every aspect of basketball, including post-up play, rebounding, and passing.

Don't let the scattered execution snafus be of great concern: Darksiders II is remarkably well put together, particularly in light of its impressive scope. Bigger doesn't mean better, of course, but this isn't a "more of the same, just bigger" kind of sequel.

It's off the pitch that EA excels. From the variety of game modes on offer and how everything's presented, to the constant updates in FUT's Team of the Week, Daily Objectives, and discussion of real-world happenings in commentary, FIFA 18 captures the world of football and confidently translates it into a video game. On the pitch, however, EA's soccer series is still lagging far behind PES 2018's more fluid, satisfying football.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 doesn't necessarily tell a new tale, but it doesn't have to; for all of its clichés and expected twists, there's a charm to the game's unwillingness to let up as it drives you and your friends forward at a rapid clip towards its bittersweet end.

Saying goodbye to the Diaz brothers is as difficult as it was to leave Chloe and Max in the original Life Is Strange, which is a testament to the extraordinary strength of the game's character building.

Even with its flaws, Gotta Protectors is fun, challenging, and unique in both single-player and online or couch-crew multiplayer. Its mix of goofy humor, old-school visuals and music, and engaging gameplay makes for a game that's difficult to put down. Even when you screw up big-time and Lola's screaming annihilates everything, you'll be eager to hop back in with what you've learned about the map and try again to get it right this time. There's nothing else out there quite like Gotta Protectors, and you'd do well to enlist in Lola's security squad.

As a horror obsessive, I hope others like me push through the game's frustrating puzzles and dense plot to see Luto's best parts, because they're numerous and unforgettable. This being Broken Bird Games' first project makes me incredibly excited to see where the team goes from here. I often wonder what P.T. would've looked like as a full game. We'll never know for sure, but it would've been lucky to be something like Luto.

The addictive gameplay and stylish design of N+ make the game as charming as it is challenging.

if you either don't have a PS2 or overlooked Dark Alliance amid the holiday rush last year, then you shouldn't miss this opportunity to get what's easily one of the finest action RPGs ever made.

SUDA-51 has delivered a game that can match its absurd premise with equally stimulating gameplay, making for one of the most unique and satisfying action games in recent memory.

Admittedly, most of the improvements and updates found in Round 3 are merely incremental, but they're still enough to warrant stepping into the ring for another bout.

The excellent combat and the almost never-ending quest to explore the compendium of demons should keep you coming back for more, even if you have a fairly good assumption of what the other endings might entail.

An excellent 2D platformer, Sonic Mania goes beyond expectations, managing to be not only a proper evolution of the series' iconic formula, but the best Sonic game ever made.

Over the course of its journey, Hellblade keeps its gameplay lean in order to not overstay its welcome. Despite the complexity of the narrative and its presentation, combat only happens when it needs to, and puzzle solving and set-piece moments often drive the story forward to reveal more about Senua's motivations. Which in turn reveals the struggles that torment her, preventing her from moving on.

Luclin also has some of the most demanding system requirements of any PC game ever released...[It's] easily the biggest, most significant EverQuest expansion yet.

It may not be the ideal real-time strategy game for the player looking for another quick rush of multiplayer battles, but its production values are impeccably well done, its campaign is long and captivating, and its core gameplay is complex, tactical, and rewarding.

Galactic Civilizations' strong AI, robust diplomacy, and variety of strategic options make it an outstanding turn-based strategy game.

The story is weak, the camera forsakes practicality for dramatics, and you'll mostly be fighting different insects throughout most of the game, but Rygar's most stringent issue is its length--the game is only about four and a half to five hours long.

The game's real goals aren't exciting enough to carry the game, so once you've unlocked enough levels to be satisfied and gotten the hang of the controls, there really isn't a whole lot more to see. Fans of the genre will be left wanting more.

A great expansion that's a must for anyone who enjoyed Generals. It fundamentally improves the core game, it and should ensure that C&C Generals continues to be popular well into the next year.

Features a surprisingly impressive presentation, complete with realistic physics and some of the most destructible environments ever seen in a game, which lead to some very exciting unscripted moments.

An innovative and exciting cross-genre game that should keep computer-game pilots and racers busy for a good long while.

If you're completely new to the Phantasy Star Online experience and you're willing to pay the fees for online play, then you'll find an incredibly addictive game that will keep you glued to the TV for hours on end.

Though some of the new features will inevitably take you a while to get used to--and there's still plenty of room for improvement--it manages to be both enjoyable and challenging.

Very good. With just a bit more variety to its tracks and a slightly better career mode, it definitely could have been much better, but it has great graphics, solid sound, and the sort of easy learning curve that makes it a driving game that anyone can excel at.

Extremely fun. And like Bill Cosby used to say, "You just might learn something by the time we're done."

There's an incredible scope to what you can do in Black Flag, with a level of harmony between its component parts that encourages you to try it all, and a story that keeps you invested throughout the whole thing. If there was ever any question that Assassin's Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some.

An awesome campaign and addictive new Firefight mode make ODST a thrilling new entry in the Halo franchise.

Ghost Trick's unusual premise, unique gameplay, satisfying puzzles, and wonderful characters make it an adventure game you don't want to miss.

Pure doesn't blaze many new trails, but this off-road racer still delivers an intense, tricked-out thrill ride.

Simply put: This is a remaster done right. Nitro-Fueled maintains the spirit and rock-solid foundations of a childhood favorite while building on it and modernizing it where necessary--even if the handling might take a bit of getting used to. Adventure mode's classic variant feels a little tough, but your first race on Roo's Tubes or Sewer Speedway will bring a nostalgic grin to your face regardless. When the nostalgia fades, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled remains fun and engaging enough to keep you racing on with a smile on your face for much longer yet. It's good to have Crash back.

PixelJunk Monsters may not look like much, but you'll quickly get hooked on its simple, strategic gameplay.

Konami has crafted a whimsical take on baseball that's as deep as you want it to be.

Blasphemous 2 is an excellent sequel that improves upon its predecessor in almost all of the ways it fell short. The addition of three new weapons--and the litany of ways you can augment your build--ensure that combat is engaging throughout, while traversal has also been expanded upon in positive ways, removing much of the previous frustration by focusing on satisfying challenges and a tangible sense of progression. Combine this with another fascinating setting and deluge of haunting imagery, and this is a pilgrimage worth embarking on.

With numerous traps, weapons, and an endless supply of one-liners, Orcs Must Die! dispenses death with satisfying variety.

Resident Evil 7 was an excellent return to the horror underpinnings of the franchise, but cunningly altered with new ideas and a new perspective. Similarly, Village is an intelligent reintroduction of the best action elements of Resident Evil. Though it captures some of the same things that made RE7 such a breath of fresh air (or maybe rancid, stale, mold-filled air, but in a good way), Village evolves to become its own unique creature. It makes you wonder what beautifully twisted fiend Resident Evil might mutate into in the future.

Hangs on to the great gameplay of the previous games, makes a few minor tweaks, and wraps it all up in a new Bam Margera-centric package.

Persona Q doesn’t quite hit the peaks that Persona and Etrian Odyssey do on their own. It does, however, take some of the best elements of each game, blending them together into an immensely satisfying and lengthy RPG. Persona Q is proof that this series has the power to delight, surprise, and engage, no matter the form it takes.

As a graphical showpiece, DiRT is an unbridled success. It also happens to be an entirely enjoyable rally racer.

Cunning defensive strategies and the ability to build up attacking armies make this one amazing tower-defense game.

In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it.

Sure, it isn't the deepest, longest, or most technically proficient game out there, but fans of the comic book are sure to have a blast smashing their way through every destructible obstacle the game throws at them.

A decidedly great game, all in all. Its most interesting, riskiest features may lie at the fringes rather than at the core--but they're there.

Though the slow, deliberate movement and shooting may not appeal to everyone, this new sequel’s frequent large-scale battles and co-op play still offer a fun and exciting adventure.

The original blue bomber returns in an all new adventure that will bring you back to the good old days of incredibly hard but simple games.

What the Golf is a comedy game first and foremost, and it succeeds at its primary goal. Perhaps the game's most telling feature is the 'Show To A Friend' option on the main menu, which runs you through a quick playable "best of" reel of some clever challenges the game offers up. What the Golf is an experience that can be shown off, fully understood, and effectively sold to a player in the span of about two minutes--and like all great jokes, you'll want to share it.

With inventive gravity-based puzzles and new birds to fling, Angry Birds Space is a fresh take on a familiar formula.

Featuring tight racing controls, 12 wacky drivers encapsulated in 12 real-life vehicles, and fast-paced, addictive, and challenging racing, Racing Gears Advance is simply a great game in every respect.

It sports the most fully featured online multiplayer mode of any fighting game yet, which is a huge accomplishment.

The gameplay hasn't changed dramatically, but better source material makes Lego Star Wars II a better game than its predecessor.

Street Fighter X Tekken is fun for a wide range of players while still offering the complexity serious fighting fans have come to expect.

As it stands, Splatoon 3 is a wildly inventive story campaign paired with a massive amount of multiplayer modes and options, making it the most robust Splatoon game so far. I need more time to put the multiplayer modes through their paces, but the foundation appears strong. [Review in Progress; Provisional Score = 70]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided refines and reinforces the defining foundations of the series. It creates challenging situations and gives players the tools and flexibility to deal with them in a multitude of ways, all within an absorbing cyberpunk world. Although not a significant departure from Human Revolution, Mankind Divided is still a uniquely fulfilling experience, one which feels rare in games today.

Improvements such as revamped AI, more realistic animation, and a new play-calling system make this the best Madden yet.

The campaign hits the same satisfying rhythms, the multiplayer captures the same frenetic intensity, and the cooperative zombies mode delivers the same stale undead-massacring action. Caught between striving for the future and remaining rooted in the past, Black Ops II finds solid footing, providing another great ride on the Call of Duty rollercoaster.

Hard-core fighting-game fans should consider Bushido Blade a welcome breath of fresh air; it's a vastly different combat experience that makes for one of the classiest, most serious fighting games ever.

What this fast-paced basketball game lacks in depth, it makes up for in fun.

NBA 2K7 is a very good game, but it's largely unchanged from "NBA 2K6."

There's a beautiful simplicity to Resident Evil HD that serves as a reminder that the best mysteries don't need convoluted stories to be enthralling.

Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't make huge changes to the formula, but still ends up feeling fresh, fast, and very fun.

Is this a game you want to play? No. Is it a game anyone with a beating heart should play? Yes. A million times yes. It's a longform exercise in empathy, a sobering piece of work that fills in the blanks left when all we see of war are the headshots.

Most of the time, though, Devil Daggers finds elegance in its simplicity. By stripping the pomp of many modern shooters, it reveals the complexity beneath, molding the fundamentals into something exhilarating, something always worth one more try.

Offers a unique gameplay experience, with a high quality presentation overlaid on a solid game design.

An ideal port--one that significantly improves upon the original game rather than adequately adapting it.

SSSV is out, and while it's unmistakably a late-blooming first-generation N64 game, its charm and straightforward, if simplistic, delivery make up for the graphics and relatively easy gameplay.

What is noteworthy about Crown of the Old Iron King is how it conveys a deep sense history without the help of a flashback.

Persona 4 Arena is the latest fighter from developer Arc System Works and matches their high standard of quality while also being accessible for newcomers.

Sine Mora infuses classic shoot 'em up gameplay with time manipulation and a grim narrative that sets it apart from its peers in all the right ways.

Out of the Park Baseball X is the most lifelike edition yet of this number-crunching baseball simulation.

Shift is neither an arcade racer nor a simulation; it's stuck somewhere between the two, and while there's plenty of good racing to be had here, it's unlikely to completely satisfy fans of either.

Ups the ante--if only a bit--with improved online play, an interesting career mode, and the same solid driving model fans of the series have come to love.

The success of Tomb Raider: Anniversary is twofold; it does well by the memory of the original Tomb Raider, and also makes a dynamic action adventure game that's fun to play in 2007.

Even more so than playing the N.Sane Trilogy, which literally remade the original Crash games from my youth, playing Crash 4 felt like getting back in touch with the series. It's an injection of new ideas into now-classic gameplay that surprises and delights, even as it feels like a homecoming. Truly, games like this are why we come running back to long-dormant franchises with open arms.

Delta isn't the first instance of Hideo Kojima's beloved classic being updated and re-released, but it is the first complete rebuild of MGS3. It successfully modernizes visuals, tweaks game design, and updates controls so that the game sits comfortably alongside its action game contemporaries. From a content perspective, Konami has played it incredibly safe, using the same voice work and music, and leaving the story completely unaltered--effectively making Delta a one-to-one remake. But I can't fault that, especially when I found myself once again enraptured by Snake's tortuous mission to pull the world out of nuclear danger and fight for survival in a dangerous jungle. The impact of Konami's efforts was such that, for eight hours, I wasn't an adult yearning for the lost feelings that made me love Metal Gear Solid 3; I was the teenager living them for the first time again.

Its high-speed races and police chases make for an extremely exciting game, which is further enhanced by the game's terrific graphics. This is one of those games that makes the previous generation of hardware look older than it actually is.

Bangai-O Spirits is an intense, challenging shooter with terrific tools for creating and sharing your own levels.

There's a lot to think about when it comes to surviving in The Forest, but the balance between each of its interlocking parts keeps the game moving at a riveting pace.

MLB The Show 20 doesn't make any large strides forward, choosing instead to focus on refining areas that needed improvement from last year. This results in a game that feels more balanced in terms of variety across an assortment of game modes, while the action on the diamond has been tightened up with rewarding consistency and added dynamism that maintains the series' lofty standards. It's the ideal foundation to build upon as the PlayStation 5 looms on the horizon, and with the baseball season suspended for the foreseeable future, MLB 20 goes some way to filling an empty space in our pursuit for escapism.

If not for lingering issues with the steep learning curve, the barrage of information boxes, and a couple of bugs, this would undeniably be Paradox's finest hour.

Ring Fit Adventure builds on the legacy of Wii Fit in important ways, not only pushing the limits of what a workout game can be but also repositioning its message around fitness in a much healthier and constructive way. Fitness isn't a steady, consistent journey for most people; it's full of tiny improvements and setbacks and obstacles that get in your way, much like one's progress in an RPG. Because of this, Ring Fit Adventure works perfectly both as a concept and in practice. The sheer volume of content along with new abilities, items, and difficulty levels keeps progression interesting through the entire campaign and beyond. With consistently engaging gameplay, gorgeous landscapes, and a relentlessly positive attitude, Ring Fit Adventure has set a new standard for fitness games, and I look forward to another year of growing stronger with it--and eventually beating that absurdly buff dragon.

I'm not going to lie, Nier Replicant made me ugly-cry on several occasions. Kainé, Emil, and Weiss will win your heart with their earnest and endearing personalities, making their tragic journey with you and tremendous story moments hit hard. Despite some significant gameplay enhancements, the lengths you have to go to see the story all the way through will be a test of your willpower. But for all its antiquated designs retained from the original version, it's worth the effort in the end. Thus, Nier Replicant is essential for anyone who has love for Automata, and it's a special experience on its own.

This collection of 13 pinball tables offers more than enough variety to justify the price that you pay for infinite credits.

The most beautiful Final Fantasy game yet is an imperfect but still impressive saga that will touch your heart.

NCAA Football 10 is a great football game that offers a new level of accessibility for newcomers, but keeps the core mechanics that veterans love.

Makes for good, meaningless fun.

That’s Project CARS at its best. No experience points. No parts to buy. No cars to add to your collection. The audacious decision to offer everything up front informs the rest of Project CARS’s design, making it distinct (and sometimes frustrating).

All told, this is another great compendium of some of Capcom's best fighting games in their history. How many more Capcom can put together, however, remains to be seen.

Crush is a one-of-a-kind action puzzle game, and its unique concept makes for a refreshing and bizarre experience.

It's a leisurely paced, all-encompassing, mentally challenging experience. If you enjoyed "Myst," you'll thoroughly enjoy Riven.

These issues aside, Two Point Campus is a marked improvement on Two Point Hospital. The college setting makes for a more personable and heartfelt game, where partying, romance, and forming friendships is just as important as attending classes and studying. A plethora of interlocking systems brings it all together and digs deep into the management side of the equation without ever feeling overwhelming. The gradual stream of new concepts makes starting up at a new school exciting, and additional building tools mean there's more customization at your fingertips than ever before. It maintains the series' charm and wit, too, with some biting satire to boot, and ensures that Two Point Campus graduates with flying colors.

Fun combat and a steady flow of rewards make this journey a massively enjoyable one, especially with some fellow mercenaries along for the ride.