The Brigmore Witches is a haunting end to the Dishonored story arc.

Delayed gratification from the episodic release schedule or not, this 2016 take on Hitman is a brilliant game. Expansive level design and nearly unlimited replay value courtesy of so many routes to your assassinations (and so many methods with which to carry them out) make the experience almost completely different each and every time you play. Yes, Agent 47 took his time getting here, but it was time well spent.

Orwell is a hard experience to pull back from, even as the dirtiness of your job sinks in. It uses simple mechanics to tell a complex and engaging story, one that feels particularly relevant right now. This is a game where your choices matter and resonate, and which will leave you with plenty to think about once it’s over.

Pokemon X and Y benefit greatly from their leap to a fully 3D world, and have plenty to offer both veterans and novices alike.

If you missed the first game, though, this is the better of the two, and the tutorial will ease you into what its 2D skateboarding is all about. And if you loved it the first time around, "more OlliOlli" shouldn't sound like a bad thing. Provided you can get over the difficulty hump, you'll find a great high score chase in OlliOlli2.

Starseed Pilgrim makes saving the sky from a virulent blackness an especially rewarding challenge.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is a dramatic departure for the series, but one that's filled with some gloriously destructive, fast-paced racing.

This is one of the best traditional point-and-click games out there--it oozes charm, keeps the puzzles sensible, and boasts a story that makes you laugh and warms your heart.

Blacklist makes it fun to fly solo, but it's when you join others that the stealth action really heats up.

A stimulating ride that throws everything at you at once--in a good way.

Despite these faults, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is an extremely fun game with a contagious reverence for classic '90s shooters and the Warhammer universe at large. Its entire arsenal of flesh-combusting weapons is a joy to use, and its simple gameplay loop is kept fresh by a steady supply of new armaments and enemy types to squash under the almighty boot of the Imperium. It's not trying to revolutionize the genre and that's perfectly fine; it's the type of game to hire avid Warhammer fan Rahul Kohli (Gears of War 5, Midnight Mass) to voice its protagonist, only to make him exceptionally easy to miss unless you stumble upon the "Taunt" button. There aren't any gameplay advantages to hitting this button, but you do get to hear Kohli relish in delivering some Space Marine-appropriate lines as he nails the angry, regal tone. That's almost worth the price of admission alone.

Delayed gratification from the episodic release schedule or not, this 2016 take on Hitman is a brilliant game. Expansive level design and nearly unlimited replay value courtesy of so many routes to your assassinations (and so many methods with which to carry them out) make the experience almost completely different each and every time you play. Yes, Agent 47 took his time getting here, but it was time well spent.

Pokemon X/Y isn't quite a mega evolution of its numerous predecessors, but like a dark move played against a ghost- or psychic-type pokemon, it doesn't disappoint.

In essence, this is a standalone experience for Star Wars fans looking for a raucous thrill ride without all the massively multiplayer thrills. The Old Republic has needed this missing piece for some time now, and now that it has arrived, it's time to be the Jedi or Sith you've always wanted to be.

You'd be doing yourself a great disservice to dismiss Unbounded just because it doesn't handle like you're used to, or because Reiko isn't there to mentally undress during loading screens.

Cadence of Hyrule is a fantastic Zelda game in its own right, even though it adopts the gameplay mechanics of another series. Beyond the aesthetics, it nails the satisfying sense of exploration and increasing power, and it revels in the joy of discovery, as all the best Zelda games do. It's an extremely successful melding of two great game series and an experience that makes you feel eager for Nintendo to do more interesting things with their major licenses.

More content and clever courses make Pacific Rift everything you'd want in a Motorstorm sequel.

On a pure gameplay level, Fighting EX Layer is an absolute treat. What it lacks in bells and whistles it delivers in pure, fun combat. This is a game made for the sort of people who will spend hours perfecting an impractical, extremely-precise combo in training mode simply for the satisfaction of having done it. If that describes you, then Fighting EX Layer will be worth everything you put into it.

After years of solitude, the world's most addictive management game goes multiplayer with great results.

It may be derivative, but King's Bounty: Armored Princess is still an outstanding strategy role-playing game.

It's with--and against--others that the game hacks into your pleasure centers, so while Sam Fisher may not be the man you remember, Splinter Cell: Blacklist has too many sweet adventures in store for you to miss them.

Phoenix Wright's return to the courtroom brings with it an impressive blend of comedic sensibilities and philosophical examinations that make you question how any judicial system can determine guilt when the relationships people have with the truth are so complicated.

I truly loved my experience playing Live A Live. The gameplay and narrative variety, incredible visuals, and superb soundtrack kept me enthralled throughout my 30-hour journey. I still feel like the game has a few secrets and little story bits I may have overlooked. It's quite the accomplishment that, almost 30 years later, Live A Live still manages to surprise, subvert, and enthrall. Those timeless qualities make it well worth your attention, now and likely for years to come.

Konami has still put together a comprehensive bundle, collecting five highly influential games (and multiple variations) from a period spanning 24 years. There are other ways to play these games, but I think we often undersell the appeal of convenience. Being able to easily access them all on a modern console is a major selling point. For someone like me, who only ever owned the original games on their original consoles, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is indispensable. It's disappointing that there aren't any optional visual improvements or behind-the-scenes material, and the lack of a central hub makes the bundle feel scattershot. The bonus content that is here is simply a cherry on top, however, lending the entire package a sense of reverence for one of the most important series in video game history.

Roundabout works well as a short chunk of oddbeat humor and arcade-like gameplay. It's unapologetic in its goofiness, and it tells a fun story on top of its relatively unique gameplay. Sure, you can draw comparisons to the games that inspired it, but when was the last time you played an absurdist 1970s limousine game that was this much fun?

Deadfire is dense, and it isn't a small game, easily dwarfing its predecessor in terms of scale. There's a lot to do, and it's easier than ever to get lost in the little stories you find, without following the arcs that the game has specially set out for you. Still, it's worth taking your time. The richness of Deadfire takes a while to appreciate, and like the brined sailors that call it come, you'll be left with an indelible attachment to these islands when you do finally step away.

It doesn't break much new ground, and it's not as polished as it should be, but it offers loads of thrilling, old-school shooter action.

Explosive combat and terrific controls make Renegade Ops a great vehicular dual-stick shooter.