Dragon Quest Builders will undoubtedly scratch the itch of any Minecraft/Terraria fans looking for their next favourite game, but it's accessible enough that RPG fans should enjoy it, too.

Puyo Puyo Tetris is totally worth the $30 or $40 bucks for those who absolutely love either of the block dropping puzzle franchises and are looking for a fun and fresh twist on the genre.

In absolute terms, R.B.I. Baseball 2017 doesn't come anywhere close to looking as nice as MLB The Show 17, even when you play The Show in retro mode. This should come as no surprise, since R.B.I. Baseball doesn't hold a candle to The Show in any other respect, either. This year, however, marks the first time since its return that the franchise isn't a total embarrassment, either. Its improvements are modest — but when you've reached the depths that R.B.I. Baseball 2017's predecessors have, modest practically constitutes a miracle.

This chapter, and the last chapter for that matter, have felt pretty polished overall on PC, which certainly helps. I won't argue that the engine being used here is getting a little dated, and the overall mechanics of the series are starting to wear a little thin, but the story and characters introduced within A New Frontier still make it worth checking out. "Thicker than Water" is another solid chapter in the series, and helps propel the game towards what I'm sure will be a bummer of a conclusion in the near future.

I’m very, very impressed with what KOEI Tecmo and Square Enix have managed to do with this sequel. I think it builds upon the first game in a really solid fashion, and does so while still feeling fresh and enjoyable to play. The A.I. can be really spotty, but overall that’s a fairly minor complaint for a game that honestly doesn’t have many issues to speak of. It runs well, looks and sounds great, and for Dragon Quest fans, you’ll be getting the appropriate amount of fan service here.

Admittedly, apart from that, Xenoraid is large what you'd expect from a vertical-scrolling shmup: you control a ship around the screen as you blast away at wave after wave of successive enemies. Your weapons, naturally, are upgradable, and the game is generally all about shooting as many aliens as you can. In other words, it's what you'd expect from a shmup, but for one minor deviation. But you know what? That one deviation may just be enough to make Xenoraid checking out.

This PC release brings with it a gorgeous graphic update, with smooth 60fps and 4K visuals you can see every detail the development team created for you. This is truly the definitive edition of this game, and one that you have to pick up if you are a PC gamer, whether you played Bayonetta when it launched originally or not. Bayonetta is a great hack and slash that takes what works in other games and adds its own unique flair and style, which pays off handsomely.

It'll be compelling to people who loved the world of the original Steins;Gate and are desperate for more. If you don't have that background, then Steins;Gate 0 will seem mostly incomprehensible to you. It makes the occasional half-hearted stab at explaining what you're reading, but for the most part, this story is all about moving things forward. Not only that, it does so through the kind of massive info dumps that tend to typify some visual novels — and your mileage will undoubtedly vary in terms of how much you like that sort of thing.

I’m absolutely in love with this game, and if you haven’t given it a shot yet, I think you’ll find a lot to love about Persona 5 too. It’s not a huge departure from Persona 3 or 4, but there’s been some noticeable changes and improvements made that do make a difference, all of which are for the better. The dungeon variations, the stealth mechanics, and even the ease with which you can navigate the overworld map are noticeably better than before. So even if you’ve felt a little lukewarm about the series up until now, I’d still urge you to give Persona 5 a try.

OMD:U is a game that really came out of left field for me this year. I was not anticipating its launch or really even aware that it was on the horizon, but I could not be happier now that I am playing it. This is a perfect game for coming home and getting in a few matches, since Sabotage is played in 20 minutes or less every time. The average game is around 8 minutes in my experience so far, and 20 is the far high end of the spectrum. This is something you can sit down and enjoy after a long day when time is limited and you just want to unwind, but also something that you can sink a substantial amount of time into if you choose.

Sometimes a rerelease collection can be a necessary evil and this is one of those circumstances. The Disney Afternoon Collection is an example of a retro collection done right, and one that more publishers should see as an example to follow. The games play exactly like you would expect, add with that; the rewind ability, save states, pixel perfect visuals, a few added on modes, and more, make this a must buy for fans of these classics or Disney fans that haven’t had the chance to check them out years ago. I’m hopeful this set is just the start of the Capcom/Disney relationship again.

As a game Bulletstorm: Full Clip edition still has everything that made the original great. Gameplay is still incredibly satisfying, gun-play is still nearly perfect and the arcade style madness is still, well, madness. I love all of that and I love this game, but I can’t honestly recommend it to anyone that has already played the original, which is a shame. I really enjoyed playing through it again and think that anyone who enjoyed it the first time will do the same. The other side of that coin however, is that if you have never played Bulletstorm, do yourself a favor and play this game. It really is unique and something that can just be enjoyed for what it is, mindless well made fun.

I mean, taken in isolation, it's not a bad game. The levels are quick and concise; it's literally just a matter of letting gravity do the work for you, and strategically killing a few monsters along the way. The levels are also procedurally-generated, which means every playthrough is different. Beyond that, different heroes have different strengths, and you can upgrade characters along the way. Rounding things out, the characters — to say nothing of the game world in general — are adorable without being too cute. The thing is, Vertical Drop Heroes HD doesn't exist in isolation, it exists in a world where other games do the same things, and do them better.

Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe- is basically a re-master of the original 2013 release on the PlayStation 3. FK Digital spent some time on the balancing issues that plagued the previous version along with adding some nice play modes to keep you entertained. The inclusion of the Online Mode is fantastic, and I hope it gets continued support from the developer and fans alike! If you liked The original on PS3, then you may want to upgrade to this edition if you have a PS4! It's still not a groundbreaking fighter, but it can hold it's own with the best 2D fighters out there!

Old Time Hockey has all kinds of great ideas, and with a few more updates it might even get to a place where it lives up to what its creators intended to do. Right now, however, you're better off finding a way (legally or otherwise) of booting up Blades of Steel or NHL '94.

I'm not disappointed I spent those 20 hours with I Am Setsuna, but isn't a great game. It's one I recommend for sure, especially on the Switch, but the dated combat, meaningless and convoluted skill systems, and iffy story drop it down into an average RPG. There is room in this world for average RPGs, just as every book you read isn't a winner. I would love to see more games like Setsuna with a little more care taken with the combat and skill systems.

In my personal opinion, This is the Police has a good concept and a well-made story that is ruined to some degree by pointless choices that ruin immersion and rather repetitive gameplay. It looks and sounds nice, but that doesn’t make for a full feeling experience. At the very least, give the game a look and maybe you’ll have a different experience than I, as I think there is a good baseline running behind it that some people could catch on to.

It feels kind of weird to describe a Hyperdimension Neptunia game as being for fans only — since, after all, “being for fans only” often feels like the point of the whole series. In this case, however, it feels even more appropriate than usual, since Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls really is just for fans of both Sega Hard Girls and Hyperdimension Neptunia.

Yooka-Laylee is a great experience, and well worth playing if you are a long-time fan of the work that Rare did. This is a game for veterans and newcomers alike though, and there is plenty here to hook a new player or new generation. A lot of the mechanics are a throwback to how things were before, and I don’t necessarily mind that. Some people however may find it slow and tedious at times. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Yooka-Laylee and would recommend you give it a try if you are even the least bit curious about it.

In this day and age of remakes and annual releases, it's refreshing to see a brand new IP that happens to be a platformer. The frustration of the controls coupled with the camera just broke down my enjoyment and the lack of real replay value hurt my logic to push through the frustration. I should also mention the musical score is fantastic and feels ripped right out of a Donkey Kong Country game (which makes sense since it's the same composer). Overall I think Snake Pass is worth checking out but curb your expectations a bit. I'm sure if it sells well, Snake Pass 2 will correct my problems with this first entry and slither its way to a better grade.

I don’t want to overhype Bridge Constructor, by any means. It’s not a console-style experience, depth-wise (or in any other way, either). But you know what? On the Vita, it doesn’t need to be — it just needs to be a fun, addictive experience that you can play in short bursts, and it delivers on that front perfectly.

PaRappa the Rapper: Remastered deserves a bit more than what Sony gives it here, and that’s certainly disappointing for this fan of the original. Still, it’s a technically solid remaster of a really fun game, so I’d still suggest picking it up. Especially if you haven’t played the game in a while, or ever for that matter. It’s one of the more unique and charming releases from the PS1 era, and PaRappa the Rapper deserves all the attention it can get.

The episode does move the story along at a pretty good clip, and it feels like a pretty substantial and dangerous shift for the group as a whole. The ending has a big cliffhanger, and it’ll be interesting to see how that resolves in the next episode. Hopefully the wait for that isn’t too long, because The New Frontier certainly has its hooks in me thus far.

Nier: Automata is an easy recommendation, it's an open-world RPG with combat from an action game that plays like a dream. With solid art direction and a thoughtful story, it regularly turns genre conventions on their head in a way that few games ever manage to achieve. It's worth checking out if you've been looking for a substantial single-player experience that gives you as much to kill as it does to think about.

While Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers may streamline the action and make it much more manageable, it also makes things feel a little sterile, too. Points to Tecmo KOEI for trying something new, I guess, but at the same time, Godseekers is a good reminder of why "If it ain't broke" became a saying in the first place.

As it stands, it’s an OK representation of Othello in video game form, but it doesn’t really do anything else than give you basic video game Othello. It’s a little bland and by the numbers in that regard, which is disappointing considering it has been forever since I’ve played Othello in any format. Still, if you’ve got five bucks to spend, and you’re looking for something to play on the Switch, it’s not a bad way to go. You can pick up and play a round or two pretty quickly, making it a solid portable experience if you’re on the go. I wouldn’t highly recommend it by any means, but if you’re in the mood for some classic board game experiences, Othello can scratch that itch.

Where this game really shines through is in its sense of humor. While there are many situations that feel like they have a serious undertone, the loudest aspect is the way your character acts as your favorite, cheesiest '80s action cop. He'll push people around if you want him to, or be the nice guy, but who would want to do that?

This is, in my opinion, the culmination of everything that has come before it. Boss design, enemy design, lore, environments, mechanics, it is all pulled from the games that preceded this and it all has its own unique spin. It is truly bittersweet to come to the end of this journey that started in February of 2009, but I can think of no better send off for the series than the one it receives in The Ringed City. This is a perfect piece of DLC to round off a great game and a once-in-a-lifetime franchise. I could not be happier with how everything falls into place at the end of the world, and I would highly recommend the trip to any on the fence about taking it.