Really, that balance of sadness and nostalgia captures what Last Day in June is all about. You’ll come away from it feeling a little heartbroken, but sometimes that’s what great art does to you — and make no mistake, this is some pretty exceptional art.

If you have ever praised the sun, or if you have any fear of the old blood, Nioh is an absolute must play. A fantastic and deep combat system, coupled with great boss design and a difficult yet fair effort/reward loop put Nioh right up there with its not so distant brothers in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. If I were to assign a score to the game, simply for its content it would absolutely be a solid “A”. Unfortunately, even though it is the Complete Edition, this is not necessarily the superior version of the game. If you only play games on PC, this game is still a no-brainer to pick up, but if you’re like me and have consoles as well as a computer, I think the PS4 may still be the place to play Nioh.

It can’t match the visuals of other releases, but at the same time I don’t think it makes any major sacrifices that keep the experience from being enjoyable. Just be aware that there is a considerable difference between the Switch and PS4/Xbox One versions visually, and I think you’ll be fine.

There really isn’t much to say about this new Bubsy that can persuade the haters out there. It’s a simple, underwhelming platformer with a goofy plot and mediocre challenge. Many of the problems that plagued the past Bubsy games have been fixed or completely removed, at least making this new game playable, but that’s the only new thing really presented here. It’s fun in small doses, but gets boring with longer play sessions. I’m still puzzled as to why anyone thought Bubsy needed to make a comeback as no one really missed him. It’s not as bad as I originally thought it would be, but it’s nothing new at the same time. Give it a try if your curious, you might like it. Just be thankful they didn’t try to remake Bubsy 3D.

For less than $20, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (which was supplied to us by SIEA free of charge) is a meaty story-driven, single player expansion for one of the best games of the year and comes very much recommended. While it doesn’t significantly expand on the some of the mysteries that lingered after the conclusion of the original game, the new content fleshes out the universe in a way that has us more excited for the inevitable Horizon Zero Dawn sequel.

Unless you have a strange Transformers fetish, it’s a game that you can easily skip.

All and all this is an acceptable title for a fan of One Piece who also happens to be a Switch owner. For someone who has never heard of the series this game is not exactly a great tool to expose them to series. Something like One Piece Pirate Warriors would be more suitable. With the impending release of other major titles on the platform, this title might sink to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again.

PC is without a doubt the definitive way to play Destiny 2, if you have a system that can handle what the game demands of it. Now that the game has launched across the board, updates and new content will be available on all platforms at once, so PC players don’t have to worry about being left behind. As long as Bungie continues to support the game and ensure that the PC community isn’t ignored in favor of the PS4 or the Xbox One family of systems, Destiny 2 is a game that I will be playing religiously for years to come.

In a year full of some of the best games we have seen in quite a while, there hasn’t been much on the lackluster side. So, if, you’re like me, with a backlog of games that goes back to the beginning of the year, choose your games to play wisely and put Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus on the top of your priority list. You won’t be disappointed.

My personal favourite, though, was Survive the Internet, a game that takes internet outrage culture to new heights as you’re explicitly asked to put your friends’ words in the worst possible light. It’s the perfect set-up for players to say outrageous and inflammatory things, and I found that no matter who I was playing with, we’d invariably have to take breaks so people could compose themselves. In fact, here’s how much fun Survive the Internet is: if Jackbox Party Pack 4 only included that game, it would make the game worth picking up by itself. Add in three other ultra-fun party games (plus, admittedly, one dud), and you have a recipe for a perfect addition to Jackbox’s pretty stellar line-up.

This is the sort of game that needs to be experienced, rather than played — and if you’re looking for the perfect time of year to do that, it’s right now, so you’d better hurry up and get on it.

There’s a chance, of course, that Mecho Tales plays better with a full controller than on a handheld. But even if it does, there’s still the question on why you’d want to. Whether you’re playing the game on a small screen or a large one, there’s no getting around the fact that doing so will sear your eyeballs. Your vision is precious, and so is your time, so you’re better off using both far, far away from Mecho Tales.

This latest entry to Mario certainly helps prove that single player experiences still have a place in an industry where games as a service seems to be the norm. I managed complete the game in about 20-30 hours, a robust post-game will keep the me coming back for more. Coupled with Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, it looks like Nintendo will need to clear some shelf space when end of the year awards are named by the gaming press. If you don’t have a Switch, I’d encourage you to get one immediately before the holiday rush begins. This is an experience you should not sit on.

Assassin’s Creed Origins manages to live up to the expectation that the preview event gave me. I dubbed it “near perfect” after that event, and the final product does not disappoint. A few pacing issues late in the story caused things to drag a little bit, and the loot system doesn’t remain intriguing after the first few hours, but finding a complaint beyond that is difficult. You can nitpick some of the graphical hiccups or complain about repetitive side quests, but even those manage to stay fun and interesting with all of the different styles of play. On a day with two other heavy hitting AAA games and an amazing TV show releasing simultaneously, your time and money are going to be precious commodities. With Game of the Year talks coming up, Assassin’s Creed Origins is a serious contender for the title in my book.

It’s a retro beat-em-up — nothing more, nothing less. If you’re not into those, this won’t be of interest to you, but if that’s something that’s been missing from your life all these years, then by all means check it out.

With servers that seem to have held up nicely and a lively community so far, Gran Turismo Sport is a well-rounded new Gran Turismo installment that should keep casual and hardcore fans happy for a while. The daily/weekly grind for vehicles, ranking and miles appear to do a good job in attracting players to revisit the game regularly, which is certainly important for a social gaming experience such as Gran Turismo Sport.

Spelunker Party is worth checking out, especially if you never played through some of the content before in Spelunker World. There’s a lot of levels to play through,and the progression system via gear and leveling will keep you pushing forward. The additional challenge makes for a more engaging experience than some like-minded platformers in this style, and the co-op is fun provided you can find people to play with. Definitely check this out when you get a chance, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I’m not even sure that it’s a fully functioning game, seeing as one time I went back to NeverEnd and found that my save file was corrupted for no obvious reason. In other words, NeverEnd looks bad, plays even worse, and doesn’t work like it should. It may not cost much, but it still manages to be overpriced at that low price point on account of the fact it’s abysmal.

I think you’ll still need a pre-existing enjoyment of Mobile Suit Gundam going into Gundam Versus to really, really enjoy it, but the framework is definitely here for a unique fighting game. There are so many Mobile Suits to pick from, and a fair amount of unlockable content, so you can easily spend dozens of hours playing. And, thankfully, the online community is present to support those hours of playing, which is certainly a plus. I’d definitely suggest checking it out, whether you’re a fan of Gundam specifically, or giant robot anime in general. There’s a lot of fun to be had with Gundam Versus.

I wish I could add something nice about it, but I’m really at a loss to name anything it does that merits praise. Touhou Kobuto V is so boring that it makes me long for the days of the relatively stellar mediocrity of Touhou Double Focus and Touhou Genso Wanderer. Those games, at least, had some interesting ideas, whereas this…this is just about the least interesting game you could imagine.

The passion is gone from this franchise and something needs to be done to get it back. The good thing is, like many other die hard wrestling fans, I’m very forgiving and this year’s enhancement talent-like performance won’t deter me from checking out next year’s release. But unfortunately, I can’t recommend this year’s release to anyone. Stick with the older games in the series for now.

Luckily for me, I didn’t go into Shadow of War wanting to re-live Lord of the Rings, I wanted to hunt some orcs. And this game delivers on that in more ways than I can possibly count — and it does so in a way that doesn’t require to spend one extra cent, near as I can tell.

If it weren’t broken, Still Time would be a lot of fun. The fact it is broken — and in a pretty unpredictable way to boot — pretty much negates the fun aspect. Instead, all you’re left with is a wish that the game could be rewound to a point in time where it wasn’t built around a feature that didn’t quite work right.

If you are or ever was a fan of the show, you absolutely can’t go wrong with The Fractured But Whole. Licensed games have come such a long way and I’m so happy to see the time and effort put in to a franchise like this and it truly pays off in the end. So warm up with a shake weight, rock out to some Lorde, put on your favorite Columbus costume, maybe snack on a little Crème fraîche (enough Randy references?) and enjoy one of the best licensed games of all time.

The Evil Within 2 trumps its predecessor in every way, inevitably making this one of the best forms of survival horror in recent years. Dare I say? Evil Within 2 is Survival Horror, evolved.

It’s another stellar entry in a franchise that’s full of them, and if you’re after an RPG that pushes the Vita to its limits (without ever breaking them), it’s a definite must-play.

I would absolutely recommend this game to anyone, whether you’re familiar with the first SteamWorld Dig or not. Image and Form have done a fantastic job with this follow-up, and much like their track record so far with the SteamWorld universe, the experience here is impeccable.

Normally, of course, solid wouldn’t be a descriptor you’d apply to the best basketball game of the year. But when the alternative is the hot steaming garbage that is NBA 2K18, solid will more than do. It may be a tainted victory for NBA Live 18, but after years of being second-best, they deserve applause for eking out a win this time around.