The sense of danger is there, as are the endless arenas for customization, but the best part will always be the characters and their dead-on voice work.

A very strong multiplayer offering tarnished by overly complicated character progression, and a lavish, beautiful story campaign lacking in substance or subtlety.

HeartGold and SoulSilver are undeniable rehashes, but Nintendo’s signature polish and the Pokewalker make it easy to overlook the recycling. It’s hard to argue with a gameplay formula that still manages to be fun 15 years after the fact, but as usual, there’s little here to draw new players into the franchise.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is not only true to its source material, but ranks among the best as a 2D fighting game. How long you stick with it might be entirely dependent on how much you love the series, though.

This is distressingly similar to past Guilty Gear offerings - hence the 8 instead of a 9 - but it's still a fantastic fighting game with one of the deepest fighting systems ever seen and a cast of unique-but-balanced characters that will have you playing until your thumbs bleed. Good stuff.

The beauty of Exit is that it's perfect to play in little, bite-sized chunks (no doubt a side effect of originally being programmed for a portable system). There are loads of levels to challenge, but each one only takes minutes to complete.

For those who loved the arcade hit, this is a long-awaited must-have. But even if you're a newcomer to the series, Beatmania is a fun, rhythmic button-masher that will turn you into a fan.

Despite minor complaints, PES 2018 is undoubtedly top-of-the-table where it counts: the pitch. This is PES back on form.

Constance is a beautiful and enjoyable Metroidvania that doesn't outstay its welcome. Filler free, the game instead throws plenty of well-designed and enjoyable boss fights at you, interspersed with tight, challenging platforming action. It follows the formula too closely to make it remarkable, but what it does it does with charm and flair. And the ending is a 'chef's kiss' moment.

The revolutionary shooter has been adapted to the Xbox 360 in all its archaic glory and, amazingly, is still as fun and visceral as it was all those years ago.

Some sort of multiplayer effort would've been appreciated, but even without it, Droplitz strikes us as one of the better original puzzlers of this generation, and is well worth the effort for genre aficionados seeking a definite challenge.

It may look unassuming, but beneath its well-crafted RTS-lite design, Eufloria speaks to a much more powerful message than many games attempt. It subtly explores the very basic themes that RTSes take for granted, and asks players to find that meaning. In that, it's extremely successful.

Hitman's first episode is a hugely detailed and beautifully made stealth experience with hours of potential. However, be wary if you're not up for replaying the same level to get all it has to offer.

And the multiplayer? It works very well.

Crysis was, and still is, a brilliantly designed shooter that anyone who enjoys FPSes should play.

It's no "Halo 2," but excellent level design and the infusion of the augmentations into multiplayer via a class-based player structure adds a welcome bit of variety to the mix.

Despite continuing gripes about the not-so-perfect controls, ordinary visuals, and screaming fans that you only hear and never see, Tiger Woods 09 shapes up as the best golf title yet for the Wii. There’s plenty to do and just about anyone can grab a club and jump right in.

The best episode of Life is Strange 2, with some lovely character moments, a decent cast, and a welcome twist to the always excellent soundtrack.

CastleStorm offers plenty of tactical elements to please fans of the tower-defense genre, yet it also provides plenty of twitch-reflex action to keep players on their toes.

We're definitely keen on the PSP version, serving up some solid racing fun that'll get your heart pumping and your fingers moving. Just be sure to get by with a little help from your friends.

While Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was a great tribute to the franchise's music, Curtain Call goes the extra mile with tons of additional content to become the definitive game in the series.

Beast-hunting will test your reflexes while cooking them up will tease your brain, and Battle Chef Brigade's upbeat attitude and stylish looks will have you smiling the whole way through.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a hilarious, fan-focused continuation of the series' core values. But lacking any truly evolution, it makes for a fun diversion rather than a meaningful new chapter.

The thrill of tricking, skating, and speed have always been the heart and soul of this quintessential skating game. And it's all retained in in one eensy DS cartridge, and then some.

Its nuanced and complex characters are offset nicely by the goofy and gory combat - here's your chance to chuck motorcycles, thwack criminals with oversized traffic cones, and body slam some jaws - and the city's ability to feel alive both day and night all add up to something more distinct and intriguing.

The game is challenging, visually stunning and is truly a unique experience not found anywhere else. While controller play is supported, and sometimes preferred after extended time waving your arms, playing via Kinect feels futuristic in an exciting and refreshing way.

The rippling effects of the Espionage system, Religion's modifications to the early and mid-game, and the abundance of changes and other bits of new content more than justify the price of the expansion. While it might feel a little lackluster in the short term, the amount of variation it will add to the hundreds of more hours we plan on putting into Civilization V will undoubtedly prove worthwhile.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion finally gives the comic icons the beat 'em up they've so-long deserved. The Marvel Vs Capcom-inspired tag-team combat makes comboing hordes of villains ultra satisfying, but a lack of meaningful character progression and an abundance of MCU-style quipping hold it back from being a true brawler legend.