Sundered is an enjoyable journey that iterates upon the Metroidvania style in ways that are both satisfying and substantial. Its progression systems are constantly fulfilling and combat is complex and exhilarating. While rare moments of unfair circumstances hold it back, Sundered remains a compelling and rewarding experience that you’ll be eager to play again, if only to seek out its other endings or to simply to wipe out another swarm of grotesque creatures.

This aquatic arcade racer is fun, fast-paced, and features fantastically varied courses to compete on.

After Dark may not be a revolutionary addition to Cities: Skylines, but the number of impressive new features and enhancements offered here is more than good enough to get my vote again.

Samurai Gunn revels in its own simplicity.

Those exhausted with puzzle-genre conventions will find Exit to be a fun and inventive brainteaser with a wonderful sense of style.

PES 12 may lack new modes, but substantial improvements to its AI, speed, and controls make it an exciting football game that's a lot of fun to play.

For almost a decade, Capcom has been refining Resident Evil, finding ways to modernize the storied franchise and to maintain what has made it so beloved. With Requiem, Capcom has dialed in Resident Evil maybe as far as it can. The result is a game that leans too hard on past successes and nostalgia, and so doesn't show its fans any new ideas. But it knows its hits backward and forward, and it plays them near-perfectly.

Where its characters fail to impress, Final Fantasy XV's beautiful world and exciting challenges save the day.

It's not the revelation that last year's debut was, but Madden NFL 08 is a worthy follow-up and a fun game in its own right.

This fascinating hybrid of real-time strategy and collectible card battling offers a unique and enjoyable take on both genres.

Galactic Civilizations keeps its focus right where it needs to--on excellent fundamentals. Progressive pacing makes the enormity of space amenable and paradoxically personal, while the sheer number and variety of tools and options at your disposal allow you to succeed and win if you can out-think everyone else.

Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own. It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin's Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off. Eivor is a good hero with an identity that drives the mystery behind the main narrative, and she shines in the self-contained arc structure of Valhalla's story. The supporting cast may not shine as brightly, but it's easy to forgive that when exploring England and discovering new nuggets of worldbuilding is so rewarding.

El Shaddai is such a gorgeous game that it would have been worth playing even if the combat was merely average. But developer Ignition Entertainment gave reasons to play beyond its outstanding visual design. The combat system makes excellent use of its narrow moveset to create an enticing experience that demands focus and determination to prevail.

Sporting an excellent sense of speed and tight controls, Freekstyle is undeniably fun. But its awkward learning curve and sinister AI will test the mettle of even the most ardent players.

Eye of the North is largely more of the same. In this case, that's a terrific thing.

Harry's adventure into Lego land is exactly what you'd want it to be: charming, fun, and chock-full of secrets.

The Inpatient doesn't just do right by Until Dawn, but stands right alongside it as one of the strongest horror experiences on PlayStation 4. It's a game far less concerned with pushing you towards what's lurking down every corridor than feeding you the worst ideas of what could be.

Pandora's Tower is an exciting, chain-swinging race against time to save your beloved from a beastly fate.

Taken as a whole, however, P4AU is a great package. The fighting is solid, there's a lot to keep you occupied in both single-player and multiplayer modes, and the new characters and additions refine a game that was already impressive to begin with.

Harry's adventure into Lego land is exactly what you'd want it to be: charming, fun, and chock-full of secrets.

Snake Eater 3D faithfully recreates the original and introduces many exclusive improvements, making this the best version of the game available.

Colonization is a more focused and linear Civilization experience that nevertheless offers the depth and rewards of the classic strategy series.

Invigorating movement mechanics and solid fundamentals make Tribes: Ascend a lot of free-wheeling fun.

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.

Gameplay and hovercraft control remain unchanged. Fortunately, time has been kind to this old gameplay standard, and it is as much fun to play today as it ever was.

It's hard to imagine fans of Final Fantasy not leaping at the chance to reconnect with their memories and some of the most beautiful music from the history of Final Fantasy, and playing Curtain Call is the perfect way to do so.

This slow-starting strategy game is deliciously destructible once you learn the ropes.

The textures, lighting, and color saturation are all slightly worse than on the PlayStation 4 version, but still much better than Xbox 360/PS3. Secondly, though there occasional connectivity issues with the online multiplayer, the majority of our play time was issue-free and full of the immense, chaotic excitement that makes this game shine.