Invasions brings a delightful mix of lizard overlords, botched genetic experiments, and acid rain to Planetfall's already unique brand of 4X strategy.

The collection of innovative features and seriously sweet eye candy in Sony's Formula One Championship Edition set a new standard in console-based racing games.

Marathon is a challenging, gorgeous, addictive, and deceptively deep extraction shooter. Bungie has created a gorgeous world with a captivating sci-fi story lurking beneath the surface, and thrown in their signature gunplay to create one of the year's best games. It is for a very niche audience. But for those willing to accept its extreme highs and lows, there is something quite compelling about its gameplay loop.

We now live in a world where we have a brand new TMNT game, and the granddaddy of them all, with 12 of his other children. Between the Gallery, the enhancements, the different types of games, and online play, you can't beat the $40 price tag. These games will keep you busy and give you a history lesson at the same time. There's no reason to skip this collection. Konami did us proud, so go get it and play it with everyone. Your childhood deserves it.

As warm, deep, and emotionally engaging as it ever was, Life is Strange: Double Exposure delivers another great adventure for beloved hero Max Caulfield. With a great new cast of interesting characters, a banger of a mystery, and enough ethical dilemmas to fry your brain, Double Exposure continues putting players through the wringer in the best possible way. A few minor technical issues cannot distract from the great story and beautiful visuals.

Out of the Park 18 once again provides an excellent baseball management simulation experience. While it can be a bit overwhelming for those who don’t closely follow the sport, it’s still an excellent baseball management simulator for anyone wanting to manage their own team or even their own league.

After nearly two decades, Crystal Dynamics finally gets it right. Tomb Raider is an action-packed thrill ride full of amazing set-pieces, sharp writing, a fun science fiction story and tons of enemies to gun down. Tomb Raider is a game worthy of the Croft name!

Lego City Undercover is a surprise you don't want to miss. Smart use of the GamePad, a colorful sandbox world teeming with things to do and a clever, humorous story make this one of the best reasons to own a Wii U.

One of the standout RPG's for the year, if you like Final Fantasy style RPG's you need to own both of these titles.

As good as the writing and acting are, Quantum Break is still a game and the game is rock solid.

If action role-playing games are something you are into, then Dragon’s Dogma 2 is your next big game. It’s that simple. You may have been thrown off by talk of the lack of fast travel. But the game’s director Hideaki Itsuno, is right: a good game doesn’t need it. Dragon’s Dogma 2’s world is covered with experiences to have. It could be a hidden cave, a simple treasure chest, or even a giant griffin that just wants to create chaos for you and your party of pawns. Combat is easy to understand, and different enough from vocation to vocation that when I get bored with one class, I can easily switch to try something different. It’s not about the destination, but rather the journey. As silly as it sounds, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is all about the friends we made along the way.

Lara has matured a bit from the first title in this rebooted series, but she's still the character we remember from the island. There's a renewed focus on utilizing stealth and surroundings in order to succeed to the best of your ability and plenty of side missions and extra tombs to raise the difficulty bar. Some A.I. issues bring the game down a bit at random times, but it doesn't change the fact that this game is quite deep and provides just as fun of a challenge as Tomb Raider.

Since solving Lego-based puzzles is at the forefront, Bricktales doesn’t feel like it’s aimed directly at the younger crowd; the sometimes difficult-to-solve conundrums might turn kids off. There is plenty for them to get into, like collecting in-game items or the Lego player customization. The physics-based puzzles to solve were excellent; some were easy, and others were a challenge, but all were rewarding. Even with the challenge, Lego Bricktales is the closest I’ve come to feeling like I was playing with physical Lego bricks. Playing Lego Bricktales is not the same as sitting on your bedroom floor and letting your imagination run wild, but it’s close.

As a game hub, Capcom Arcade Cabinet delivers the goods. It's a good looking program that is easy to use and packed full of games. This 1985 pack is by far the highlight of the 15 announced games, featuring Gun.Smoke, Section Z and Ghosts 'n Goblins. All three games are made better when you tweak their options in casual mode and take full advantage of the emulation's rapid fire buttons. Definitely the pack to get.

A full and comprehensive release of all of Capcom's Marvel games in arcade-perfect condition, with a bunch of options, extras, and bonuses. This package includes everything the fighting game community has been asking for. Spend some time, attempt to get good, then hop online to get beat up. The advanced players been waiting for this for a long time.

A fleshed out Ellie story that brings you right back into the rich, dismal world Naughty Dog has crafted so thoroughly, The Last of Us: Left Behind is the DLC fans of the original never even knew they wanted.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a refreshing take on the aggressive kart racing genre. While it’s certainly not perfect, it’s packed with content that can keep the player engaged for a long time.

Metro 2033 was a cult classic; Metro: Last Light is a shining example. Last Light proves that gameplay and story don’t have to compromise. They can coalesce to form a compelling narrative set in a rich world, a world that elevates both to equal heights.

Tetris Effect is the most optimistic game of the year. Plus, nobody saw it coming. It shouldn't be possible to say this, but this is the best Tetris has been in decades.

Directive 8020 is arguably Supermassive's best game since Until Dawn. The wait was well worth it. Here they have crafted a fun and intense sci fi space horror game. I immediately wanted to play again as soon as it was over.

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.

Marvel Pinball: Civil War is a pretty fun table. It's unique in that it's based off a Marvel comic storyline from a few years back. I'm not big into Marvel comics, but that's a pretty interesting concept. If you're a fan of Marvel comics, pick this table up, and you can have a voice in the debate for superhero registration.

Like the fungus that infected its deformed inhabitants, The Last of Us is not an enjoyable thing to experience. It’s depressing, exhausting and even disturbing. But , contrary to everything I tell myself, it’s something I won’t soon forget.

Divinity: Original Sin knows when to be whimsical, and when to take its strategic gameplay seriously. The trade-offs can be heavy. The penalties are stiff. The payoffs feel great. Old school role-playing game fans: There’s a lot here for you to take in. It’ll often fascinate and it’ll occasionally frustrate. Getting into Original Sin’s groove is a great niche to find yourself in. This Enhanced Edition on PS4 is indeed better in many, many ways.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a delight for players of all ages, regardless of the platform you play on. With amazing visuals and a stellar soundtrack, Sackboy delivers one of the most creative platformers in years. PC gamers can of course maximize their experience to their system’s best ability, but regardless of the power of your rig, Sackboy is worth a look.

With much better balance in gameplay and deep Road to the Show and Franchise modes, MLB 14: The Show continues to stand as the leader in baseball titles.

There's still enough in the Rise of Iron expansion to keep year one diehards happy. Shame about the story though.