It is a truly welcome gem in the medium that takes risks and propels the experience with new energy nearly every step of the way. The player constantly moves forward and the game gets tension done in a way seldom seen in gaming. A Way Out is an example of a triumph in new ideas, while using traditional methods of gameplay to get the point across that this is a different beast.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is proving itself to be eternal. Here we are, more than a decade from the game's initial release and it is as addictive and enjoyable as ever. This has truly become a beat 'em up classic and has demonstrated that it can stand the test of time. The Ultimate version is just that—the ultimate version of the game. It looks, sounds, and plays better than ever. Fans of the genre must experience this one and they will find a game that they'll keep in rotation forever.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is an excellent entry for the franchise and continues what made the prior Digimon Story games great. The story is fun and engaging with a lot of different choices to make in the narrative and Digimon to level up and digivolve. While some of the mechanics can be a bit complex and the difference in difficulty between normal and Titan battles can be a bit jarring for the unprepared, it won’t take long before you’re saving both the real and digital worlds like you’ve been a Digimon Tamer you’re entire life.

Wanderer combines delightful world design with insidious environmental puzzles, to create a top-notch VR experience that should not be missed. With incredible visuals, a mountain of surprises, and a fun AI buddy to tag along on your adventures, Wanderer is a delightful brain teaser of a game.

As a low-cost title and with a demo on the eShop, Pocket Card Jockey is a fun way to pass the time.

Windjammers was a lot of fun on Neo Geo and it’s still fun now on the Nintendo Switch. While I had some minor problems at first using the Joy-cons to make precise curve shots, it’s not to hard to adapt and soon you’ll be throwing the disc every which way on demand. Once you’ve mastered the controls and have gone through Arcade Mode over and over again, grab some friends and have them join in on the fun.

The big questions are if the game can hold up against the cheaters and what cool mods will be created once Gearbox released the development kit.

The developers of Cris Tales set out to make a love letter to the genre. When writing a love letter it's easy to cloud your judgement at times. You're after all so head over heels into it. Do you really care what others think? The load times, basic story, and unsatisfying ending are easy to overlook when you're in love with the genre. Cris Tales is too pretty to pass up if you want a taste of a nostalgic JRPG.

Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is the type of DLC I’d place up there with the likes of Undead Nightmare and Old World Blues in that it gives something completely different while still having it feel like the original game.

I absolutely adore Theatrhythm Final Bar Line as it’s a loving celebration of both the Final Fantasy franchise and its music. From the cute little chibi depictions of characters and the impressive catalog of songs to the extensive accessibility features and impressive role playing elements, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a masterful rhythm experience.

Pragmata was well worth the wait. It's an incredibly fun sci-fi adventure with amazing combat, lots of areas to explore, and two of the best protagonists I've seen in games in a while with Hugh and Diana. The story unfortunately may be run of the mill and predictable, but I still enjoyed the experience. Certain moments of the story hit hard like they should.

Gravity Rush Remastered is a fantastic port of an already fantastic game. The updated presentation is beautiful and nothing was lost in translation when putting a handheld game on the consoles.

Final Fantasy XVI decided it wanted to be different. Gone is any element of turn-based combat. But not all typical Final Fantasy elements have been left by the curb. An excellent musical score, great cast of characters, and a story that will be hard to top are all here. There are a few hiccups with this new style. I missed a minimap more than I thought I would, cutscenes back to back after taking ten steps was a common annoyance, and side-quests feel like an afterthought. But those are small potato issues. This is a Final Fantasy game for both newcomers and those who loved the old-school fantasy settings of previous entries. Final Fantasy XVI isn’t perfect, but it’s close.

If you’re like me, and the PS2 is your only game system, you will still be amazed by the graphics, gameplay, and overall amount of fun you’ll have playing Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow.

Civilization remains the preeminent turn-based strategy game. This iteration has a lot of good ideas and a few flaws in execution. The flaws will be fixed, the good ideas will stay and deepen over time.

If you hate sadness and heartache, then Long Road Ahead is not for you. This is a journey fraught with triumphs and setbacks, often happening simultaneously. This is yet another strong episode that reinforces my opinion that The Walking Dead is one of the best games of the year!

How To Survive is more than just a solid zombie role-playing game, it's also one of the best games of the year. With its mix of Diablo-esque hack and slash and dual-stick shooter action, 505 Games' newest Xbox Live Arcade game is a real surprise. It has a deep crafting system and a world you can't help but want to explore. How To Survive rewrites the book on zombie RPGs!

Runbow has a fairly unique concept in its playstyle that I don’t believe I’ve seen in any other game before. While the single player modes provide quite a bit of challenge on their own, I feel the multiplayer modes are where this game shines. While AI opponents would have been nice so anyone could experience those modes, this is an excellent game for quick play on your own or for when you have lots of friends over.

There is a wide variety of nations and leaders to choose from, as well as a variety of Victory conditions to pursue and an even greater abundance of maps randomly generated or otherwise to build your empire. There are grievances that could be improved, sure. But those are really ancillary to the the core loop you experience. A loop that is hard to break out of. Civilization VI is top-notch and feels right at home on a console.

I was hoping that Shards of Infinity would get a digital release and it didn’t disappoint…mostly. Newer players to the game might find that even the easiest difficulty can still be quite challenging and that may prevent them from fully enjoying the game, at least against AI opponents. Once you’ve learned some basic strategies and have gotten used to how some of the cards work, you’ll find a challenging deck building game that keeps you on your toes and is just as enjoyable as its physical counterpart.

The HD-ification of Okami is a stunning success. The improved visuals alone make the cheap price of admission worth it. And if you missed this game in 2006, now's the perfect time to make up for it.

God of War II manages to improve on nearly every element of the original game, something that seems unbelievable given the quality of the first title.

Fans who enjoyed the F-Zero series won’t want to pass up FAST Racing Neo. While a bit more difficult than the classic Nintendo series, most of the core gameplay is very similar while adding a couple of new mechanics. While the multiplayer is a bit lackluster in customization, there’s a lot of single player racing to challenge players for quite a while. Fans of fast-paced racers won’t want to miss this one.

Offworld turns a spreadsheet simulator into a knock-down drag-out scrap for Martian resources and almighty dollars. The pacing is almost breakneck. But with so much transparency in delivering the numbers, it maintains a sense of fairness, even as black market tactics from less-scrupulous rivals threaten to tear down your 30-minute monehy-making empires.

With a beautiful open world, great narrative side missions, and enough tension to raise even the calmest player's blood pressure, Dying Light 2 wrings a mountain of slick fun out of the most dire of settings. Scary to play solo and a ton of fun in multiplayer, Dying Light 2 will keep you entertained for a long time with its fantastic mission structure and groundbreaking day/night mechanics. It took a while, but Dying Light 2 was worth the wait.

It's not the grand reinvention of the dungeon crawler, but Torchlight 2 is a great deal of fun in a nice cheap package.

I went into Tangledeep expecting to enjoy it and it didn’t disappoint. The game looks and sounds great, the gameplay mechanics aren’t too difficult to learn, you can hang out in lower levels to grind a bit if need be, and the myriad of optional modifiers means you can tailor the difficulty to your liking. If you’re looking for a roguelike dungeon crawler to keep you entertained and possibly challenged depending on your settings, Tangledeep should have you covered.

The Outer Worlds 2 refines the overall Outer Worlds universe, pulling back on ridiculous and expanding into more human territory, while still keeping its satirical tongue firmly in cheek. Every system in the game has been refined, from greater control over character development to slicker and more impactful combat. This is a great RPG that firmly cements the franchise as a genre leader.