While not the next-generation Final Fantasy game fans are anxiously waiting for, Type-0 is a fun action/adventure with a lot of compelling ideas. There's enough variety in the gameplay to keep the combat fresh for dozens of hours, and the story is surprisingly emotional for a political thriller. Sadly, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is held back by its handheld roots, but don't let that keep you from discovering this oddity.

An excellent debut for Kirby on the Wii U, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is amazing to see in motion. Too bad players won't get to do much of that, as spectators get the best seats for this show.

The Escapists oozes charm, but due to the inherent nature of the game, it has a tendency to be boring. It takes a lot of patience to make your escape, and you'll spend a lot of your time waiting. This may be a turn off for some, but for others it may make that final escape all the more satisfying.

With a gorgeous world, beautiful music in the background, and a surprisingly difficult challenge, Ori and the Blind Forest will take gamers on a journey that will test their reactions and wits, yet make them appreciate just what a beautiful game has been created for them.

Pix the Cat remixes classic arcade concepts into an addictive new concoction of high scores and vivid art and sound. It has many similarities to Pac-Man Championship edition but definitely possesses its own style and gameplay quirks.

Picking up where the first chapter left off, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is looking great after a good cliffhanger ending and looks like a promising entry in the franchise.

Cities: Skylines brings the city building genre back after its near demise from other series' flawed game releases. The inclusion of large game maps, natural resources management, addictive progression system, and all of it running at a near-flawless technical performance make Cities: Skylines the new standard in city building games.

Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition may not improve much in the looks department but the gameplay remains as great as it was last gen (Vergil’s Downfall notwithstanding). If you haven’t played it yet then you absolutely should do so.

F1 2014 is everything people hate about annualized sports games. Not just a carbon copy of the 2013 model, but also a game that fails to capitalize on some of the biggest changes the sport has ever seen. Worst of all, many of the franchise's best features have been removed. It's clear this was an afterthought as the developers worked on the truth next-generation sequel.

Overture is a great idea with decent execution. The groundwork is certainly laid here for a new take on the roguelike genre but there is still a lot of room for improvement and expansion.

The first episode of Revelations 2 starts off a little slow, thankfully Raid Mode keeps things interesting and alone justifies the price of admission. Hopefully the story picks up in the future chapters.

If you’re a fan of the series, this is one you definitely don’t want to overlook.

The most fun I have had with a videogame in 2015 so far. I think the idea of this game is brilliant, and it is absolutely addicting to play.

Minutes surprised me with its challenging yet fun gameplay.

If you're interested in experiencing a story that isn't just the standard fantasy lore, then Blackguards 2 is worth a try.

Unmechanical Extending offers gamers a puzzle game with a story told though its setting, more thought provoking than games with hours of pre-recorded dialogue.

Evolve offers an excellent mix of competitive and cooperative gameplay but it is buried behind a muddled progression system and lengthy matchmaking / loading times.

The epic scale of space battles and awe-inspiring backdrops they take place in make the Homeworld Remastered Collection a must own for real-time strategy fans.

While I’m not sure that I would call Ultimate Tetris the ultimate version of Tetris, it certainly is an adequate version of the classic. They nail the basic concept of the classic game but fail to really take it anywhere new. Plus, the online issues are just plain horrendous.

Secret of the Nameless Kingdom is a pleasant surprise. Despite a few technical hiccups and some (gameplay) road bumps along the way, I enjoyed the adventure every time I picked up my Vita. It is a great nod to the classic Zelda game, and never crosses the line from being a homage to being a copycat title.

Nihilumbra is a good first effort from BeautiFun Games, hopefully this promising title leads to better things from the studio in the future. It's definitely a standout title on the Vita's indie store, even with some minor issues.

As it stands, it’s not a bad game, just kind of average.

Grey Goo isn't a paradigm shift but Petroglyph still really know what they're doing when it comes to RTS. They introduce some clever new twists on the formula and tell an intriguing story in the process.

The great aspects of the game are crushed beneath the monumental weight of it's frustrating gameplay. While some of this pain is eased by the multiplayer, it isn't enough to make up for the fact that the game just shouldn't have been released on the 3DS. This is a console game trapped in a handheld body, and it's really a shame that a game with so much potential is limited by such small but ever-so-important design problems.

Even if you are playing 1 v 1 matches, it makes for an incredibly fun time and since matches are short, you will probably find yourself saying "just one more match" over and over again like I have.

By combining elements from collectible card games and Plants vs. Zombies, Zachtronic Industries has created a game that feels weirdly familiar yet brand new. Ironclad Tactics mixes the American Civil War with robots, creating an addictive strategy game overflowing with charm.

Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk looks good and has a great crafting system, but it pales in comparison to Atelier Rorona.

No matter if you're new to the Land of the Dead or a returning visitor, Grim Fandango Remastered is a must-play.

If you’re a Dead Island enthusiast, zombie addict, or free running connoisseur, Dying Light is the game for you.

There are some improvements to aspect ratio and analog movement, but, at its core, this is the same old Resident Evil we've been playing for nearly two decades.

Without a doubt the most accessible Guilty Gear game to date. Plus, it is absolutely stunning to see in motion thanks to its unique and impressive visual style.

Construction Simulator 2015 provides an entertaining and polished gameplay experience for those gamers that can stick through the introductory hours. However, those gamers looking for immediately accessible gameplay and instant gratification should look elsewhere for their next simulation game.

An absolutely gorgeous update to a timeless classic, Resident Evil is every bit as thrilling and enjoyable now as it was when it was originally released in 1996. The controls still feel rough at times, even with the updated options, but the atmosphere and experience is second to none when it comes to the survival horror genre.

What could have been a solid action game is marred by a number of technical problems and repetitive level designs. Young gamers may enjoy the memorable characters, but everybody else will find the inconsistent frame rate too frustrating to enjoy. Perhaps Flyhunter Origins should have stayed on iOS.

Ultimately, Warhammer Quest is an enjoyable experience, a fun little time waster that delivers slices of dungeon action at an easily digestible pace. But it does so at a price point for content it just doesn't justify.

As far as deckbuilding games go, Ascension is great.

Rock Boshers: Director's Cut DX is a fun little action game that attempts to emulate the old school charm of the ZX Spectrum. But even if you don't have nostalgia for the very specific era being referenced, this brand new PS Vita game still delivers a satisfying amount of thrills and action.

A World of Keflings takes the charming niche strategy series and ports it to Wii U, with a host of improvements. This is the same whimsical civilization-builder you remember, but with a streamlined GamePad interface and Mii integration. If you've never experienced the Kefling world, Wii U is the best place to do it.

This is still a solid offering for fans of the classic trading card game. This is about as close to Magic as you can get without actually dealing out the cards.

If Fantasy Hero were a PS Vita launch title I might be a bit more forgiving, but at this point we've seen that there are better games out there. The bland hack-and-slash gameplay and unforgiving death mechanics make this game more of a chore to play than it needed to be.

While I wish a few things were done differently and the difficulty increased a little bit, these are still two very enjoyable outings.

While I wish a few things were done differently and the difficulty increased a little bit, these are still two very enjoyable outings.

It may take a few rounds to warm up to, but Frozen Synapse Prime proves to be one of the year's best turn-based strategy games.

If you’re a fan of the sport and have always wanted to manage your own team, definitely give this one a shot.

Man in a Maze: Deathmatch is a fun game, but a bit on the easy side.

As a dedicated Destiny player, I have been happy with the new content included in The Dark Below, but find myself hoping for a bit more variation in future content. I can’t imagine that anyone other than the hardcore fanbase will find value in this expansion.

While the game's story can sometimes become too obscure for its own good, the majority of the narrative experience shouldn't be missed by adventurous gamers.

It's a dazzling adventure that is not to be missed.

This War of Mine delivers a setting that is depressing and unsettling. It's a slow-paced resource management strategy game that will hang over you long after you walk away from it.

It's a very vanilla title that doesn't do much to advance the series, but is definitely going to please the die-hard fans.

Fans of the long-running TV series will get a kick out of the cameos and inside jokes, but everybody else will be left scratching their heads.

Project Spark won't have you churning out incredible games like a development powerhouse. It will, however, provide you an accessible set of tools and assets to begin the process of bringing your dream games to life. This won't happen overnight, so plan on spending a lot of time here if you are ever going to make something memorable.

After the success of MotoGP 14, MXGP: The Official Motocross Videogame left me cold. While the racing mechanics are fine, the boring progression is made worse by a number of questionable design decisions. Worse yet, none of the real world tracks stand out and the graphics aren't very good for a PlayStation 4 game. MXGP is a big disappointment.

On PS3 I think I would have rated it a bit higher as well given it stands out among the gaming catalogue for that system. But on PC, turn based tactical strategy games is a much more crowded field, and amongst that variety, Frozen Tactics Prime is good but not great.

Sportsball is a fun and fast paced game…when played with friends. Sadly there’s very little single-player content to be worth the ten dollars if you rarely have other people to play with, and there's also no online play at all, but beyond that Sportsball can make for a fun afternoon of soccer with a bit of Joust thrown in.

Tiny Troopers: Join Ops is a fun, little twin stick shooter that you can play on the go.

I may not be the hugest fan of the series but the original three Phoenix Wright games still stand up remarkably well. With a fresh coat of 3D graphics and a budget price of $30, this trilogy is a great way to relive your favorite series, and a perfect entry point for people new to Phoenix Wright.

A solid side-story from an established universe with spot-on gameplay makes this a surprise contender for one of the year’s best games.

Minimum is an entertaining online shooter that perfectly employs a texture-less and block-filled visual style. With a wide assortment of maps and various items to craft, Minimum is recommended to multiplayer shooter fans who've been looking for their next online addiction.

Like hidden treasure, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker packs a lot of value into an unassuming package. With a supremely addictive set of charming, brain-teasing levels, stellar production values and a budget price, Captain Toad is the perfect way for Wii U owners to wrap up 2014 after indulging in Smash Bros.

A standard space-based RTS. Short, but also cheap, worth picking up if you are a fan of the genre or are just itching for some old-school RTS action.

As far as introductions go, Zer0 Sum gives us a hell of a welcome to Tales from the Borderlands.

As fan service goes, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution has a lot of the trappings you expect from this style of anime game. Unfortunately, it's impenetrable for those of us unfamiliar with the series. And while the gameplay isn't bad, there just isn't enough depth in this game to keep fight fans happy.

An enjoyable game from start to finish, it's impressive how much more fleshed out this release feels compared to last year's title. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f 2nd is the encore that I had hoped it would be and is as fun as it is technically impressive.

Regardless of whether you like the three-dimensional shift or not, there's enough content in Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions to warrant a look.

Fans of the series will be impressed with the sharp visuals and small changes made to both Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 2, while simultaneously disappointed that Re:coded is given short shrift. If anything, this will whet your appetite for the upcoming next-generation sequel.

Far Cry 4 doesn’t differ from Far Cry 3 greatly aside from it’s obviously brand new story and setting and that’s just fine for me.

Rogue is a good chapter in the Assassin's Creed body of work. Good but not great. Nor is it definitive. Without multiplayer, it's not even a standalone product as far as the series is concerned. But the story of institutional betrayal, severed friendships, and broken mentors is a worthy tale.

I wanted to like Jet Car Stunts, I really did but I just couldn't. I just got incredibly bored with this.

Pac-Man is out of his depth in this brand new Xbox 360 action game. Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is a mediocre platformer that recycles elements from much better games. It's also plagued with technical hiccups that make certain levels nearly unplayable. It may be aimed at young children, but even they deserve a better action game.

Stick to your old copies of Rock Band and Guitar Hero and get your fighting game needs met with an actual fighting game.

Outside of a few ergonomic missteps, especially with the controller integration, it delivers an intense and immersive experience that rivals a lot of AAA FPS titles.

The gameplay is slow, sluggish, clunky and terrible. My Career doesn't feel like a career mode at all and all of the gutted creation modes and match types really just sealed the deal for me.

Alien Isolation: Corporate Lockdown adds three well-crafted maps to the already solid survival mode. If you want more Isolation after the main story is done then this pack is $7.99 well spent, just don't expect a story as deep or interesting as Amanda Ripley's.

Get this game at the earliest opportunity and gather your friends—Smash Bros on Wii U is now the undisputed king of party games.

Having never played a Persona RPG, I enjoyed Persona Q: Shadow of the Layrinth. The fact that it resembles the Etrian Odyssey series in terms of gameplay is a plus and as a person new to the Persona series, I feel that this is another solid RPG from Atlus.

The lack of Pokemon to draw can also be a bit of a turn-off for some, but the Free Paint mode’s ability to use a blank canvas or any picture on your SD card can help alleviate that a bit.

Glitchy Pixel's new game proves once and for all that it's more fun to be the ghost.

ArcheAge is one of the best free-to-play games to be released this year, with a near endless amount of content awaiting eager adventurers.

It makes a terrible first impression, but #killallzombies ultimately proves to be worth your time.

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault is both a worthwhile expansion for series fans and standalone game for those new to the series. With a non-linear campaign structure and thrilling missions, Ardennes Assault earns a high recommendation.

Rollers of the Realm is much more than a pinball game. For the measly price of $9.99, it is absolutely worth getting even if pinball games aren't normally your thing, there is plenty here to enjoy anyway.

The first-person perspective manages to make a year-old game feel new again, and the changes made to the graphics, gameplay and online mode are substantial. One of 2013's best games is made even better on the PlayStation 4.

While not as polished as other racing simulators, MotoGP 14 does a good job recreating the exciting sport.

If it weren’t for the multiplayer options, The Master Chief Collection would have garnered a much lower score. The multiplayer suite is truly the saving grace of this package and worth the price of admission alone.

Lords of the Fallen is both a shameless Dark Souls rip off and a solid action/adventure game.

The newest installment in the Gauntlet franchise is a lot of fun, and the gameplay is strongly reminiscent of classic gaming, while taking advantage of some modern conventions.

Farming Simulator 15 earns a strong recommendation for both series fans and farming enthusiasts.

It's unfortunate the Senran Kagura: Bon Appetit! is a game with decent mechanics and visuals, but it's terribly short on content and within a few hours you'll have seen everything this game has to offer.

The setting and atmosphere [are] cool, but some of the best ideas are marred by bad checkpointing and a story where the historical elements often feel like an afterthought. Assassin's Creed Unity is a solid action game, but a disappointing follow up to Black Flag.

If you are looking for a time sink of an RPG with a strong sense of setting and character, then look no further, because Dragon Age: Inquisition is a Game of the Year candidate.

Fenix Rage is a pretty good game, but can also be a frustrating experience. If you don’t mind the fact that it could almost pass for a sequel to Super Meat Boy and that the difficulty curve is all over the place and can easily make you frustrated, it is an enjoyable experience.

Samurai Warrior 4 is yet another solid entry in the long-running beat-em-up franchise. It offers a few new gameplay tweaks and a different narrative structure, but is largely the same old brawler you've seen countless times.

If you’re a fan of the series, MX vs. ATV: Supercross is worth a look, especially for the $30 price of admission. But if you’re a regular racing fan looking to scratch your itch within the genre, you’re better off looking somewhere else.

The Moon Sliver is there for you if you’re in the mood for a brooding, slow-burn thriller with nothing to offer but loneliness--and an empty feeling pushing you towards a conclusion you know you don’t want to be a part of.

While the presentation is spot on, the gameplay is marred by combat that seems to favor the enemies. Couple this with obtuse puzzles and an aimless story and you have an adventure game that is good, but doesn't stack up to the best games in the genre.

If you loved Geometry Wars and you’ve got three buddies looking for some couch gaming action then you might want to consider In Space We Brawl, however, in my opinion, you’ll have more fun simply going back and playing Geometry Wars.

Overall, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare lives up to the franchise's expectations.