The 10th installment in this long-running franchise proves that some formulas don't need to change.

A surfing game that exhibits a high level of quality in every facet of its execution.

A solid arcade-style boxing game, and like most arcade games, it wears thin fairly quickly.

Another great round of Mario-themed mini-puzzler fun awaits.

The third time is the charm for Traveller's Tales--logical puzzles and great offline co-op play make this the best Lego game yet.

Skullgirls is a risque fighter that wraps sex appeal and smooth jazz skintight around a smartly crafted fighting system.

Even with an imperfect roster and a selection of modes that doesn't compare to the comprehensiveness of Forza 6 at launch, Forza Motorsport 7 is still a feature-rich and competition-diverse bundle of racing events that keep you coming back for more. The ability to control the weather to create rich, painterly cloudy backdrops goes a long way in making up for the lack of zombie modes and the Toyota MR2.

F1 2013 takes you on a nostalgia trip into the history of Formula One, while compelling new modes and subtle improvements layer atop a familiar, but winning formula.

When you get onto the pitch, no other football game feels as good as PES 2018.

In any game within the toys-to-life genre, there's sometimes an unspoken question: is this also a great toy or just a great game? In LEGO Dimensions' case, the answer is easy: it's both.

Big strikeouts and even bigger homers make The BIGS a great arcade baseball game.

Still a great college football game, but longtime fans will have trouble shaking the feeling that the series isn't quite living up to its awesome potential.

I'm not going to remember this game for its villains, their motivations, or the reasons for fighting in Hawaii, but I will remember it for the wild Yakuza hijinks and the sobering messages about what we do with the time we have left.

Fun for a wide range of players while still offering the complexity serious fighting fans have come to expect.

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes hits the sweet spot for this continually improving strategy franchise.

There's just something about the players' movement and the kinds of arcs the ball makes in the air that's just so pleasant to control--every pass, header, and shot just feels right. And when it clicks, and you score a thunderous strike from the edge of the area or finish off a slick passing move or even when you launch an ugly long ball forward to grab a last-gasp winner, it's the closest feeling you'll get to being out there scoring yourself.

Nippon Ichi's latest strategy role-playing game marks a welcome departure from the tried and true formula it made popular in Disgaea.

It doesn’t take long to whip a newcomer into shape, at least, meaning you can usually focus on Evolve’s unique brand of greatness: the suspense of the hunt, the exhilaration of battle, and the drive to dominate Shear. Even Sasquatch would shiver at the dangers.

Twisted Metal's lightning-fast vehicular combat and large-scale destruction are gleeful, pulse-pounding fun.

The addictive gameplay and stylish design of N+ fit almost perfectly into the tight confines of today's handhelds.

Sowing the seeds of a flourishing planet and a prosperous populace is a wonderfully welcome challenge in Reus.

Ruiner creates a future teeming with interesting concepts, fascinating people and hidden despair. But it is the combat which stands front and centre. Through the endless bodies that fall by your hand, the grim layers of the story peel away to reveal a few surprises about the meaning of life, death and revenge. It is a revealing journey that's well worth taking but it is apparent from the opening scene to the mysterious finale, the only thing that is pure and absolute in the world of Ruiner is murder.

Each new game in Endless Legend feels different and exciting thanks to its well-crafted factions and earliest uncertain moments, but those initial distinctive stories begin to meld at some point therein, becoming the same experience. Yet it's hard not to look at the experience as something very special.

Through its impressive graphics engine, excellent use of voice talent, and well-told storyline, Ghosthunter is a game that should absolutely be played by anyone who enjoys a good, creepy action romp.

So much of Shadows' issues come from Yasuke's inclusion. Not because he's a badly written character or because he doesn't feel like he belongs, but because much of what makes an Assassin's Creed game an Assassin's Creed is stripped away to make his samurai fantasy work. Naoe's shinobi fantasy works far better, effortlessly sliding into the gameplay loop of hunting down mysterious targets, puzzling through the best way to reach them, cutting them down, and disappearing without a trace. Naoe and Yasuke's story could have used more unity, especially in giving the duo a shared purpose to drive the plotline and their character development forward. But at the very least, Naoe's gameplay is the best that the series has felt since the transition to a more action-RPG format--Assassin's Creed Shadows is an absolute blast to play.

Midnight Fight Express is a modern beat-'em-up with extensive motion-captured animations that bring its frenetic combat to life with wince-inducing satisfaction.

While its puzzles are at times too straightforward, Little Nightmares is a chilling odyssey well worth taking.

It’s that sense of comfort in its own skin that makes Bloodstained such a treat. This isn’t a bold modernization of the genre or a departure from its roots. It is exactly what it set out to be: a return to the style of a bygone era, with a few modern improvements. Its perception was always going to be affected by how well it invoked the feeling of a classic Castlevania game, but Bloodstained does that and better. With more flexible combat and level design that always beckons to check just one more room, Bloodstained shows that a modern Metroidvania can stand alongside its predecessors as an equal.