Clever time-manipulation puzzles and improved pacing make this the best Ratchet game in years.

If you've got opposable thumbs, a sense of humor, and a brain that you're not afraid to use, this puzzle-filled adventure is one well worth taking.

Excels in every way that counts, provides a lot of fun, and is well worth the price of admission.

Most frustrating, though, is when the camera inverts your perspective after the execution of a zip line -- while it may seem as if nothing's amiss (as the subtle change in perspective will surely evade your notice), the controls will indeed be reversed, causing "up" to mean "down," and vice versa.

While the game is slightly flawed due to some imbalances in its gameplay, it's ultimately a satisfying experience thanks to a mix of classic Sonic 2D gameplay, a familiar cast of characters, and new technology.

Arcade-racing fans will enjoy the astonishing sense of speed and need for lightning-fast reflexes, while simulation fans will enjoy the true-to-life depiction of riding a two-wheeled racing machine.

A unique gameplay mode called 24/7... is so addictive, it's likely that many players will spend more time in 24/7 than playing standard games. If you are planning on buying only one basketball game this year, ESPN NBA Basketball is the one to get.

Fallout 4 is an engrossing game that lures you in with mystery and the promise of adventure. Its wretched wasteland can be captivating, and you never know what odd person or settlement lies around the next bend.

At times shocking and always intense, Persona 3 is not a game you are likely to forget.

Armored Core VI represents a new beginning for the long-running series. It still remains true to From Software's original vision, but the whole experience has been refined to welcome an audience that cut its teeth on the studio's most recent work. Its story is a letdown and there may be some early growing pains due to its lopsided approach, but these shortcomings quickly scurry to the back of your mind once you start weaving your fully customized mech between incoming attacks while unleashing a salvo of rocket fire, sword swipes, and plasma rounds.

Despite a frustrating difficulty level, the deep strategy and undeniable charm of PixelJunk Monsters will keep you hooked for hours.

Aside from some online hiccups, it is fast, furious, and fun to play, and never fails to impress from a visual perspective. As a result, it stands up favorably against the other strong multiplayer shooters available on the platform.

In addition to its satisfying emotional arcs, dark humor and semi-insulting banter are the other major hallmarks of Tales from the Borderlands. This final , written in collaboration with longtime Borderlands writer Anthony Burch, is the funniest episode in the series. One minute you're on the verge of tears as the characters spiral into despair, and the next a character speaks a line or an event occurs that brings you right back up to a side-splitting high. In my time with the episode, I alternated between wildly upset and laughing hard enough to choke.

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias vastly improves upon its predecessor with clever puzzles and vibrant graphics.

Thumper thrives due to the way it marries speed, simple controls, and mesmerizing atmosphere.

Bastion is a wonderfully diverse game that offers up a great deal of flexibility in how you approach its many challenges.

With excellent writing and remarkable attention to period detail, Gone Home turns the process of exploring a house into a captivating and deeply poignant journey of discovery.

Enticing visuals and varied gameplay make Kirby's latest adventure an absolute joy.

The Nathan Drake Collection is a firsthand account of Naughty Dog's growth as a storyteller, and this collection is the best way to relive that history, and witness its transformation up close.

Shivering Isles adds more than enough new and interesting content to give you a great reason to dive back into the world of Oblivion.

For people new to the game, they have a lot to look forward to regardless, as it's one of the most fascinating sports games in memory. Nevermind if you don't like soccer or couldn't care less about the growing esports community. Rocket League is a unique game that redefines the concept of what a sports game can be, and Psyonix continues to support it with new content on a regular basis. It's been around for a while, but now that it's on Switch, there's no better time to give it a shot.

This is an impressively complete story. By the end of Resolve, I felt like all of the plot threads had been tied up; that questions that had lingered, some for almost 80 hours, had been answered. While Chronicles moves too slowly at times--especially during the Adventures half--the payoff at the end is worth the wait.

Everything that was promised. This is a game that's less concerned with the aesthetics of combat than it is with capturing a sense of awesome scale, though it does look amazing when armies clash. It's real-time strategy supersized.

It's a testament to Startopia's fundamentally sound design and attractive presentation that you'll enjoy it despite the fact that, at times, it'll make you feel slightly alienated.

Of all the helicopter simulations released this year, Razorworks' product is in a class by itself, and it will certainly earn itself a place on the ballot when the best-sim-of-the-year nominations come around.

Perhaps even more so than its predecessor, Fallout 2 contains dozens of subtle and more often not-so-subtle references to cult movies, television icons, and other aspects of popular culture.

One of the most successfully unnerving elements is the game's lighting... It was that effect, much more than any fearsome creature, which made me leave a hall light on one night after playing it.

NBA Live 2001 is not only the PlayStation's best basketball game, but it's also the best playing b-ball sim on any system.