A fantastic Metroidvania. The graphics and animation are great and the music is nice and relaxing, provided the occasional difficulty spike isn't stressing you out. There are performance stutters on the Switch version, and a couple of trial-and-error areas that can get annoying, but overall they didn't really sway my overall opinion on the game. If you're a fan of Metroidvania-style games, definitely give Unbound: Worlds Apart a shot.

In what is easily one of the best expansions of the year, Guerrilla Games gave us an interesting new story arc, some great new characters, and most importantly a reason to revisit a game that was probably shelved months ago for most gamers because there is literally too much good stuff this year.

A year-and-a-half later and Castlestorm is still a complete blast to play. The added content and updated visuals round out an already stellar package. As long as you can get used to the controls, this is one that will keep you entertained time and time again.

Telltale continues to be faithful to the source material while adding characters and plot twists that surprise you. Even though the controls threw a roadblock into my immersion in a couple places, I'm still heavily invested in The Wolf Among Us, and can't wait to see what happens to Sherif Bigby and Snow next.

With the release of Miles Morales, PC gamers will be able to enjoy both great Spider-Man games if they don't own a PlayStation 4 or 5. The game does need a solid machine, and if you have a NVIDIA Ada Lovelace card, you can unlock some great extra performance. It's a continuation of Marvel's Spider-Man with some new powers and some slightly different enemies, but it's solid and will give fans of the first game more of what was good to begin with.

Monster Hunter Generations is a great game, though newer players might get hung up early on once the training wheels come off and the bigger monsters come out to play. Veterans of the series should be able to dive right in after learning about the new mechanics and should find a rather enjoyable game that requires a lot of skill to master.

Monster Slayers is a great blend of an RPG and a deck building game. While it’s not as complicated as traditional deck building games, it works really well with the RPG elements of the game. If you’re looking for something different than your traditional RPG…or deck building game for that matter…especially if you’re a fan of Vertical Drop Heroes, you should really enjoy Monster Slayers.

Hi-Rez has been able to do what no other company has done and that is being a true MOBA experience, filled with depth, strategy and challenge to the consoles.

Gimmick 2 is a sequel players have been waiting thirty-two years for and it was worth the wait. While the original game was one of the more difficult games on the Famicom, Gimmick 2 is a lot more accessible with checkpoints, fast travel around levels, and no lives to worry about losing. While you do have to master using the Star to finish the game, the learning curve is fair and you have plenty of time in the first couple of levels to learn and understand the mechanics. Whether you’re a Gimmick veteran or a newcomer, Gimmick 2 is as enjoyable as it is deceptively adorable.

Easily the best fighting game on the market today. MK X takes all of the lessons learned with the 2011 release and turns it up to 11: content, gameplay, and overall fun. If the developers can improve the netcode a little bit, this could be a major contender on the fighting game scene for years to come.

Sable plays like a young person's diary, full of hope and apologies, staying grounded while reaching for stars. It trades in its combat for climbing puzzles instead, and isn't afraid to let you bunny hop across a mustard-yellow desert or stand perfectly still—with the encouraging words of people recounting their own wonder years.

While not perfect, Death Squared is pretty darn close to it. This game should be a go-to for any age group who’s looking for a small party game that could keep them occupied for hours. You’ll rarely be bored with the puzzles, rarely be frustrated with the mechanics, and rarely annoyed by anything other than excessive team-killing (which is hysterical in its own right). If you’re looking for a puzzle game to play with someone who doesn’t like puzzles, this is the one.

NEO: The World Ends with You is an absolute blast to play, allowing me to relive a part of my childhood, with its head-bopping soundtrack, flashy and vibrant combat, and an excellent narrative that ties in with remnants of the first game.

Make no doubt about it, this is the definitive way to play Borderlands 3. Whether you’re venturing into the Borderlands for the first time, or revisiting now that the technical issues are fixed, you’re in for a hell of a time.

The Lion’s Song is a great point-and-click game that focuses mostly on the narrative. The choices you make in one chapter can not only impact the other chapters (both later and earlier chapters), but seeing all of these choices have connections to each other in the Gallery is a nice touch. With its unique art-style and use of music throughout the game, The Lion’s Song was a great experience.

NBA 2K16 brings another year of championship quality basketball to the console and PC.

I've always enjoyed games that enable you to build things from the ground up, and Planet Coaster is no exception. Frontier's commitment to detail is not lost. You could spend days designing, constructing, and expanding the theme park of your dreams. At a time when visiting actual theme parks isn't the most appealing, this simulation scratches the itch.

Toki Tori on the Nintendo Switch is an excellent puzzle game. The difficult progresses naturally, the puzzles themselves will make you think about solutions other than what seem obvious, and the wild card and rewind functions are great for newcomers and veterans alike. If you have five dollars to spare, definitely give Toki Tori a shot.

The Rebels table is easily my favorite Star Wars table from Zen Studios to date. It’s simple design is deceiving, as the mission variety and experiences provide some great challenges and do a great job of introducing the world of Star Wars Rebels.

Another great indie title makes its way to Switch where it’s a perfect fit. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is wonderful in both multiplayer and played solo. It might take some time to get your friends acclimated to its synergistic brand of gameplay, but the sense of teamwork you get from a few well-played levels just can’t be found anywhere else.

Injustice 2 is the best fighting game from Netherealm Studios to date. It improves over not just the original Injustice, but Mortal Kombat as well. The story mode puts WB's live action movies to shame and the Metaverse provides near endless replay value.

Minecraft on the Xbox Live Arcade is an addicting and rewarding experience, assuming you are willing to put the time into the experience. This is one of those games where you will truly get out whatever you put into the game, and that can be both good and bad. If you put in the time and dedication though, you will discover one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever.

Even if you're not into puzzlers or role-playing games, this is definitely one game you can't let slip by.

Kayak VR: Mirage delivers one of the most realistic VR experiences I’ve seen, setting a new benchmark for visual fidelity and water physics. The four environments in the game feel like real places, and the control over your vessel is perhaps the best simulation I’ve experienced. While racing is available (and will appeal to many), simply exploring the environments is amazingly rewarding. Some technical issues mar the experience somewhat, but this is still a game that every person with the tech to run it should buy immediately.

The tension ratchets unbelievably high, and the simple act of peeking around a corner can lead to coronary trauma when you realize that something is standing right behind you. Like any good rollercoaster ride, Killing Floor Incursion delivers the chills and the fun in equal measure, and is well worth the price of admission.

If you let yourself become engulfed in the world and take your imagination for the ride, you'll dive into one of the deepest and richest experiences ever. If you ask too much from the game you'll find yourself sorely disappointed.

Fantasy Zone was a lot of fun when I first played it a long time ago and it's still a lot of fun today. While the save states aren't quite as useful as with other games in the Sega Ages library, the Upa-Upa and Time Attack Modes do add some variety to the gameplay for players looking to change things up a bit from the normal mode. If you're looking for a fun simple shooter that has a nice difficulty curve and a bit of strategy in how you play (namely in how you spend your coins), Fantasy Zone is worth checking out.

Tropico 6 brings a lot to the table. It is pretty to look at, easy to get started with, and offers hours of play time with its generous depth and breadth in multiple categories of human life. There are enough play modes to suit most any type of player and enough permutations to satisfy all but the most eclectic leadership style.