The story is exciting and fun, plus the characters are very memorable. Dragon Quest VIII is a must-have for JRPG fans and should earn a permanent place on your HOME screen.

I really don’t have any gripes with Resident Evil 7. The story hooked me, it’s beautiful to look at, and the gameplay is new and refreshing with sprinkles of homage to franchise signatures… whats not to like?

It takes a unique concept — you're a spider, trying to catch various insects — and turns it into a whole game, complete with a mysterious story, cryptic clues, and high score leaderboards. It may not sound like much on paper, but in practice it seems like the most natural thing in the world.

Basically, Space Overlords consists of a game with a somewhat neat tutorial level, and barely anything else of note. If you ever find yourself wondering what you missed by not playing this game, just stare at a wall until the feeling goes away, since that's a pretty good approximation of what you'd be doing with it, anyway.

What makes KH 2.8HD enjoyable more than most would expect is how it properly comes full circle with the story. Playing 1.5 and 2.5 leaves many questions that don't get answered until KH3D. This may come as a bit of a shock considering KH3D was a 3DS exclusive prior. Because of that, some fans haven't fully experienced what's out there for Sora and Riku's journey leading up to KH3. As a fan, this was a great way to start the New Year. As a gamer, watching a series like Kingdom Hearts evolve into what's included in this release is what we could hope for in other franchises.

On the whole, though, I have to think that what you see with Volgarr the Viking is exactly what you get — and if you're the type who looks at ultra-hard platformers and sees something you like, then you'll really like what you get here.

Dex is so bad in so many ways, everything it does encapsulates all that it does wrong. That's kind of the way it is for bad games, and when a game is as bad as Dex, it shouldn't be a surprise when everything about it is awful.

This is a game from the '80s, for the '80s and should be enjoyed as such.

Really, that's the overarching theme of Gravity Rush 2: it takes what made the first game intriguing, it builds on the proof of concept that was Gravity Rush Remastered, and it shows what Kat and co. are really capable of doing. It may start out a little slowly, but once it hits its stride, it quickly becomes apparent that the sky's both the literal and figurative limit as to what this game can accomplish.

The best way to enjoy this collection is with low expectations. Expect to play the originals, just a little prettier. I say this because, even with the updated textures and character models.

Boom Ball 2 was an enjoyable experience despite its technical flaws, with an upbeat soundtrack and vibrant color palate. I enjoyed getting up off the couch and playing a game with my wife late at night, but as for the actual quality of the product I was not astounded. At $9.99 you might get a few hours of enjoyment if you play multiple times and try to beat your own high scores, but if you are looking for something to play through once and move on from I would recommend waiting until it hits a summer sale and drops down below $5.

Still, despite the flaws, Final Fantasy XV is worth checking out. You can easily get lost in the open world and side quest portion of the game, which you’ll gain access to pretty early. There’s a lot of stuff to fight, the combat system is fun, and the game looks pretty amazing for the most part. And despite the last quarter of the game being lackluster, you’re not locked out of the side content or open world areas, so if you need a break from that stuff you can easily put the story on pause and move on to something else for a bit. Is Final Fantasy XV my favorite in the series? Not hardly. But it’s a much better game than I expected it would be, and certainly something I’ll play again in the future.

As I said earlier, this game wants you to feel uneasy the whole way through, and it’s hard to think of a better way to do that than not telling you what you’re doing. It means that their game isn’t for everyone — but I suspect that if it’s for you, you’re going to love (and fear) every second of it.

The Keeper of the 4 Elements doesn't add in anything new, nor does it throw in some crazy twist. It just gives you a map, a variety of enemies moving along set pathways, and towers of varying abilities. This isn't a game looking to reinvent the wheel.

I still sank hours upon hours into Lara Croft GO, seeking out hidden treasures and trying to solve its very clever puzzles, and I have no hesitation in saying that if you have a Vita, you should pick it up, too.

If you are a fan of the point and click style games, or someone with no familiarity with the genre I definitely recommend picking up The Little Acre. It has a great short story element and intuitive, precise gameplay. The few puzzles to be had are easy enough to figure out without getting frustrated, but still make you think enough to keep you engaged.

It's not a complex game, by any means. But it doesn't need to be, either. Stranded aims to be a simple little runner/platformer, and it succeeds at that beyond any shadow of a doubt.

I was genuinely surprised as to how long I played Bridge Constructor. At first I thought it was a cheap simulator, but after hours of play, I was actually having fun.

There's enough built into these early episodes of A New Frontier to keep you coming back for more, and hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see how things pan out for Javier and crew.

These two episodes start off strong, the new cast additions seem solid, and I'm excited to see where this entry takes Clementine.

To the game's credit, it retained one of the things that set Long Song apart: the combat. True, thee's a lot less flying involved, but much like the games before it, Hollow Realization is good at making fighting enemies nice and satisfying...It's just too bad that the same can't be said for anything else here. The first two games in the Sword Art Online franchise showed promise and then delivered, respectively. It's a shame that it's hard to view Hollow Realization as anything but a giant step backwards.

On the plus side of the ledger, it has a lot of great ideas and a pretty decent sense of humour. Those positives, however, are counterbalanced with a hideous colour scheme and a feeling of repetition that creeps in unfortunately quickly.

Best of all, though, is the one trait it didn't bring over from mobile games: there's no paying to win here. It would've been the easiest thing in the world for SPL to implement paid add-ons in all kinds of ways, but they didn't, and for that, they should be commended.

Obviously, I can't say that any of Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs! did much more for me this time around than it did the first time. But, as I said up top, the opposite is true, too: if you liked the first one, then get this one too, because they're basically functionally identical.

It's hard to see why anyone would pick Wanderjahr over pretty much anything else. It's boring to play and not much to look at, so unless you have a thing for watching bland characters do the same things over and over again, you'll be better off spending your dollars elsewhere.

It’s a different take on Dead Rising than most would expect, but works better than you would think. It may get stale after a while, with only four cases to choose from. At the same time, Dead Rising was always a single player experience and DR4 successfully takes a little from each game in the series, and does its best to give something for everyone. Is it what the hardcore fans want? Not all of them. Games change with time, for better or worse, and right now is Dead Rising’s time to shine.

Killing Floor 2 only does one thing, and it does that one thing very well. Intuitive controls, good graphics and a stellar soundtrack all make for some awesome, Zed killing fun. It is easy to get burnt out on however if you aren’t a die-hard fan or don’t have a dedicated team of players. The room for growth here is huge, with the possibility of future modes, new bosses, new classes and double experience weekends to help move through a class faster, but as of right now it is just a very good, single experience.

Even if it will likely not live up to nine years' worth of bottled-up expectations for everyone, The Last Guardian was honestly worth the wait for me, and I expect that most Fumito Ueda/Team Ico fans will agree. The journey is a special and unique one, and very much worth taking for any and all PS4 owners.

What you have in Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is an ugly-looking game with forgettable characters and a dull plot. I'm sure that if you're into the anime, you may have a slightly higher opinion of the game, but if you're not, there's no reason to even think about looking into it.

Despite having to re-buy tables and some minor low quality visuals here and there, Pinball FX2 VR works incredibly well on the PSVR.

It's one heck of a compelling story, which means that all of them do their job. In fact, everything about Root Letter seems to do its job of making it a good, worthwhile game…which, in turn, is why it's most definitely worth a look.

Fans of Final Fantasy will undoubtedly find themselves happy with World of Final Fantasy, despite its shortcomings in combat and scope.

Enjoy it I did. I'm not sizing it up for a spot on my GOTY list or anything, but I'll still look back on A.W.: Phoenix Festa with no small amount of fondness when it's all said and done.

Or, above all else, this: Skylight Freerange 2 is definitely not the worst game of 2016. That, uh, honour was clinched long ago by Energy Hook. But it's very, very, very close between the two games. The only reason SF2 doesn't come away with the title is because Energy Hook was a broken, unfinished mess, whereas this is, despite all appearances, a finished game. But it's still absolutely horrifying in every way, and unless you're a glutton for punishment, you'll want to avoid this one at all costs.

Dishonored 2 however had the high bar set for it already, and it reached it without overshooting it. It was just as good as the original, and had some great improvements that set it apart but at the end of the day felt marginally better than the amazing original. This is by no means a bad thing and is a definite testament to the skill and passion the team at Arkane have in this industry.

Watch Dogs 2 is far superior to the original and is probably much closer to Ubisoft's original vision than what they released back in 2013. It's still a little unpolished compared to the competition, and the seamless multiplayer not being online may scare off some players at the moment, though the game certainly does a nice job scratching that modern, open world crime drama itch.

The campaign is really good, the competitive multiplayer is pretty boring, and the Zombies in Spaceland mode is lighthearted fun. As a whole, the package is a little disappointing, especially if you put a lot of weight onto the MP side of COD. But if you're down for another solid, entertaining shooter campaign, then I think Infinite Warfare is definitely worth a look.

Eagle Flight is a good VR game, but it's one of those games that wouldn't work otherwise. It's dated visuals and graphic style could be a turnoff to some, but it's challenge level and easy controls make the overall package enjoyable. The feeling of flight does excite the senses, and while it may not be the best title in the Playstation VR line, it's also not even close to being the worst. Pick this one up, especially if you like dogfight games and flight simulators.

But, hey: if you’re a fan of dungeon crawlers, chances are you probably don’t mind a bit of repetition and backtracking. Exist Archive has a bit of a unique spin on the genre, but I imagine that it’s not so different that it’ll alienate anyone who wants to grind their way through dungeon after dungeon. At the same time, though, it’s easy to imagine that it’s the kind of game that really could appeal to a wider range of people than just its core audience.

It’s difficult to speak in detail about the story simply due to the amount of spoilers and the overall length of it. Some people value their game prices based on length alone and for those players, The Bunker isn’t for you. This is a game that has value beyond gameplay time. If you want a game with an interesting story, with some good twists, and can appreciate a game that uses live action as the base, I would recommend checking it out.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition doesn't do anything groundbreaking or new with the original, but does give it a nice facelift and the treatment it deserved.

It's undeniably good… but if you're in the mood for great, you'll need to look at what came after.

A step in the right direction for Harmonix.

Claire is fine if you've already played its contemporaries and need something new, but if you haven't already played those, go to them first, and then you can pick this up.

It's not just annoying, it makes for a terrible game. As I said up top, none of Exile's End's issues are fatal by themselves, but take them together and you have a picture of a game in which the wrong design choices were made every step of the way.

Event[0] is one of those games that isn’t for everyone, and in most circumstances would’ve been a game even I passed on. It may be on the short side, but in a world where sometimes games are in an abundance, short may be just want you need.

Jazzpunk clearly and proudly isn't a game for everyone, but for anyone who shares its developers' collective mindset, it's likely that there'll be a lot more hits than misses, and that by the end of those three hours, you'll be desperate for more.

It’s a better, and fuller version of the original game to me, and ideally we’ll see developer Respawn get another chance to expand upon the series in the near future.

The eventual reveal was shocking and will leave it for the readers to play and discover on their own. I can’t wait to play more.

True to Paper Mario's great sense of humor, art, and constant series revision, it should be no surprise to longtime fans that they're in for a treat one way or another. Maybe they'd like a return to form, but for now, to anyone who skipped Sticker Star, Color Splash is worth the price of admission just to luxuriate in what has clearly been a labor of love for the Paper Mario series.

All in all, Ashes of Ariandel is a great addition to the Dark Souls III main game with my only complaint being that I wish there was more to do in this beautiful new world.

It would be one thing if, like Gal*Gun or Monster Monpiece, the titillation was cover for a game that was secretly also a lot of fun. Instead, what you have here is titillation to cover up the fact the game isn’t even all that enjoyable, which just makes it kind of sad.

There's nothing else quite like it, however, and for fans of music games or cool indie projects, this one's worth taking for a spin.

Sports Bar VR is fun for the price. It's super cheap and most of the games work ok. The biggest annoyances come from moving around the bar, and re-positioning yourself to better play the game.

There is a group of people out there who I am sure will love this game and its punishingly broken mechanics and difficulty, I simply am not one of them.

Rez Infinite makes a good case for virtual reality. It’s not a game designed from the ground up for the technology, but it’s a perfect fit and really does a fantastic job of surrounding the player in its world. The blisteringly fast gameplay combined with a fantastic soundtrack and unique graphical style make Rez Infinite one of the best reasons to pick up a PSVR.

This was the 4th time I’ve played Arkham Asylum and it still holds up. I’m not crazy about the $50 price point for two last gen games with no new features, but that’s a slight nitpick.

While it looks and sounds better than the original and even the Megaton Edition, there isn't really enough new here to warrant a purchase.

RIGS: MCL is the very best VR experience that this system has to offer. The level of intense action, overall comfort while playing and the feeling of complete control round out a stellar VR package.

The perfect follow up to a great original game, as well as a wonderful way to get the DBZ story without re-watching the entire anime. Every aspect of the first Xenoverse is taken and expanded upon to great effect. Character customization is deeper, the campaign is longer, parallel quests have more substance, and the world itself has more life.

I’m absolutely impressed by every aspect of Battlefield 1. While it’s easy to think that the weapons and machines available to a game based on the first World War might feel like a step back for military shooters, I think you’ll be surprised by how exciting and modern Battlefield 1 still manages to feel.

The scenes you experience while progressing the story are top notch and were a perfect fit for a VR title. At one point, you’re in a morgue and have to use one of our gadgets to scan bodies for shrapnel from an explosion at the Penguin’s hideout. These mechanics also work extremely well with the move controllers, which to be honest, is the best way to experience Arkham VR.

I don’t mind difficult games, but I like ones that offer rewarding experiences and noticeable upgrades once the learning curve is complete. Battlezone does little to reward players and the various waves of enemies become tiring rather quickly. The foundation here is solid for a fun game, but the implementation falls short and doesn’t allow much room for the game to be enjoyable for any length of time. Perhaps some tweaks to the randomized challenge spikes can be patched in, but for now it’s a game specifically targeting only the hardest of the hardcore who value unfair challenge above all else.

If you’re a fan who doesn’t usually play the WWE games or someone that hasn’t picked up an entry in a few years, 2K17 is a great buy with a huge roster of past and present superstars. Fans that stick with the game every year won’t find as much to keep their attention this year, despite some great gameplay improvements.

Personally, I don't see the appeal. The combat is incredibly shallow (which, admittedly, makes sense, since you've always got to keep that relentless Shine Raid in mind). Managing resources isn't all that fun, since you know you're going to lose most of them at the end of your current run.

Aragami is a pretty game with a few missteps that could have really made the game great. The shadow manipulation is really fun, and the puzzles to try and figure out how to get through each stage without being seen is very challenging. But the game really misses steps when they could have included combat, instead of just stealth kills.

When Mafia III gets things right, it really gets things right. It has the kind of soundtrack and vibe that most other games would kill to have, and it's built around an incredibly compelling protagonist. It's nowhere close to being perfect, but there's enough good stuff here that, ultimately, it's hard to stay too mad at Mafia III.

The thing is, it all gets old fast. There are only so many times you can grind your way through battle after battle in a quest to level up so you can beat each dungeon's end boss before it starts feeling like you're just doing the same thing over and over again with little reward.

While I found myself struggling to wrap my head around the gameplay after the first hour or two, Atlas Reactor has become something that I’ve had a hard time drawing myself away from over the past few days.

The inclusion of Crash and creating your own Skylanders just took it to the next level for me.

In the big scheme of things, though, none of these are horrible, game-breaking flaws. They're run-of-the-mill flaws, which makes perfect sense: Sky Force Anniversary is, above all else, a run-of-the-mill game.

I think it’s safe to say the franchise is in the right hands, and I look forward to seeing more from both the developer and this series in the years to come.

The Witness has an abundance of content, and even after 25+ hours I feel I have barely scratched the surface of the secrets the island holds for me.

All I want is a great career mode. And as I said, that's one area where FIFA 17 stands head and shoulders above its peers. I don't know if that means that it's toppled NBA 2K17 as the best sports game around, but I think, thanks to The Journey, there's certainly a conversation to be had there.

While on the shorter side, episode two comes in swinging and takes no prisoners.

At best, it replicates some of the more disastrous early attempts at 3D platformers. It's a broken, terrible, incomprehensible mess of a game, and under no circumstances should anyone buy it.

While part of me wishes that it would take a page from the Hyperdimension Neptunia notebook and branch out a little, at this stage, that's just not what the Atelier games are about. What they're about — and what Atelier Sophie continues — is simply being an intelligent, well-made JRPG. It's not flashy, but if that's what you're after, it'll do.

PES 2017 is undeniably a fantastic soccer simulation, but is it any better than 2016’s title? The gameplay additions are marginal at best and if you bought last year’s game, it’s hard for me to recommend picking up 2017

There's enough new content stuffed into this expansion to warrant a purchase, especially if you play both PvE and PvP. Even for a player like myself, who tends to only play the co-op stuff, the adventure is well worth experiencing. With a new Record Book detailing new quests and how to obtain specific items, I anticipate playing Destiny for a very long time to come.

You'll get the most out of it, of course, if you're the type who likes tough dungeon crawlers with a retro feel, but even if you're only mildly interested in the genre, this game has enough to get you hooked.

In small doses, it might work — which takes me back to that caveat above — but as a sit-down, console experience, Neon Chrome just feels a little lacking.

A pretty darn enjoyable monster-hunting game, that's well worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.

NBA 2K17 shows that even if the game may be on top, it's not content to rest on its laurels.

I am highly impressed with Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, it is a very enjoyable game built in the spirit of one of the greatest puzzle adventure franchises ever built. An added bonus here is the musical styling. From start to finish, the music stands out and sets itself above other games in this genre.

The story telling, unique environments, gameplay and amount of content included makes Bioshock The Collection a must buy.

It also isn't helped by the fact that it doesn't control particularly well. The characters all move awkwardly, lurching about the screen in the least smooth way imaginable regardless of whether you're using the left thumbstick or the D-pad. Likewise, the game takes an annoyingly literal approach to 2D hacking and slashing, requiring that all enemies be pretty much directly in front of you if you want to hit them.

Seriously, I have no idea where Playground Games can go with Forza Horizon from here. The map is huge, yet well-populated with things to do. The car selection is vast, the controls are spot-on, the game looks gorgeous in all areas, the musical options are diverse, the online play is excellent, and the community tools are rock solid. I have little doubt that we’ll see a Forza Horizon 4 down the road, but I think you’ll find Forza Horizon 3 leaves little room for improvement. It’s an A+ game top to bottom, and absolutely one of the best games you’ll play all year.

I definitely think The Tomorrow Children is interesting, if for no other reason than the fact that I can’t quite remember ever having played a communist simulator to this degree, but I don’t think that the actual gameplay mechanics are particularly engaging so far.

Worms W.M.D is a fun game. Sometimes it's silly, sometimes it can be frustrating, but no matter how the battles go, you manage to have fun. It's quirkiness and overall fun factor give it a charm that not many turn based games of this caliber can even come close to.

The real reason I know I love Alone With You is that I'm having a hard time explaining why I love it as much as I do. Sure, I stand by the idea that it has superior plotting, graphics. and music. But the real reason I love it is because, deep down, it just speaks to me.

NHL 17 continues the trend EA has been building lately, and it’s another quality title in the franchise. The problem I have with it is, I don’t see the game as an every year investment, unless you're a true diehard hockey fan.

The Final Station doesn’t break any molds, nor is it revolutionary in its gameplay or ideas, but it is fun. It is good old fashioned, quality fun.

Style Savvy: Fashion Forward has the light touch that one would hope for in a lifestyle simulator. Even more fascinating is that it's not targeted at a 20-something like myself, but the game's attitude makes it feel accessible for all audiences. It's coherent, well-composed, and actually interested in fashion. Although it's not my typical venue, it's easy to imagine that those looking to relax and find their style will be able to dig very deep in Fashion Forward.

To be sure, its frustrations and annoyances — and straight up bugs — are so egregious, there's no way I could possibly recommend it. But I don't hate it, necessarily. I think that when things are going right, in those rare moments when you can just enjoy the amazing-looking scenery and not have to worry about wonky cameras or enemies popping through walls, it looks like a pretty cool game. Those moments, alas, are few and far between.

Bravo to the developers for taking the feedback and helping make the game more accessible. There's a ton to like about this game and I hope more people will hear about it and give it a try.

You won't be sinking days after days into Valley — but the one day or so you do spend with it will be enough to stick with you for a long time.

Right now, unfortunately, it's a bit of a brightly-coloured, confusing mess, and you're better off waiting and seeing whether they fix everything.

It never felt like the game would be substantially better if I had an intimate knowledge of what was going on. It felt like it would be better if it was, you know, a better game.