While some might balk at the shorter length of Transference, I found the experience to be spot-on, particularly while played experienced in the very high-end VR. With a unique take on walking simulator mechanics and some fun (and not overly difficult) puzzles, Transference feels like an afternoon well-spent. Just be ready for some dark, adult themes. They don’t call mad scientists ‘mad’ for nothing, and Transference has one doozy of a mad scientist.

Does a good job walking the thin line between economy-sim and RTS. Gives a good “build it and then knock it down” feeling with varied and colorful units.

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.

This is a good expansion/patch to a good game. It fixes some bugs, adds some interesting features, and slips in lots of changes to quietly improve gameplay and balance. It's definitely worth $20 for “Fallen Enchantress” owners, and $40 for anybody looking for a good 4X fantasy TBS.

ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos places players smack dab in the middle of a living anime story, with all of the cool world-building and unique characters implied by that statement. Players used to a lot of action in their games will have to adjust to the slower pace of this plot-driven experience, but will quickly discover that it yields its own unique rewards.

With a robust and deep career mode, connected tournaments, and the new Legends of the Majors challenges, Tiburon has given fans of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series what they wanted: Necessary changes to Total Swing Control, new courses, and plenty of replay value.

DarkStalkers Resurrection is yet another high-quality fighting game collection from Capcom, a company that has gotten real good at this sort of thing. With an online mode and plenty of goodies to unlock, this DarkStalkers compilation is easy to embrace with open arms. Don't be intimidated by the chaotic action, the two games found in DarkStalkers Resurrection are well worth the asking price.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment transcends its license to become a truly engrossing portable role-playing game. Unfortunately, this lengthy adventure is far from perfect, with problems ranging from bad translation to simplistic missions. But none of that gets in the way of one of the most ambitious anime games ever constructed.

For a game about the simple act of killing zombies, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package supplies players with an unbelievable variety of ways to get the job done. Some of the modes that might have felt slight as individual DLC purchases just become icing on the delicious cake of destruction that is Frank’s Big Package. Weirdness and chaos can take you pretty far when the core game play is as solid as it is here. There is a ton of fun content here that makes Frank’s Big Package well worth the purchase.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is great for veterans and tough for newcomers, but a joy to play for either party once you get a hang of the mechanics. It gets tedious at times, and there are missed opportunities here and there, but the Nemesis System that was a beacon of success in the first game has come back bigger and better than ever. It’s definitely a return to Middle-earth that is worth the play, and an homage to Tolkien’s works that everyone can appreciate.

Exactly what one would expect from one of Kratos’ adventures. It’s gritty, action packed, super-violent, and feels as epic as ever. As fun as it is, one can’t help but feel like we have played this game before...perhaps a major change of scenery is needed before this patented formula wears out its welcome.

Toys for Bob shows that they make better Skylander games than anyone. It’s simple, fun, and there is an absolute crap-ton of things to do.

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.

The first glance at Democracy 3 can cause an immediate "it's too complicated" reaction, but the well-designed interface enables a fairly quick understanding of how to manage the policies required to create your own personal political utopia. For those that are into this kind of thing, Democracy 3 is a great way to test pet political theories in a (mostly) consequence-free way.

Fishing game, open world adventure, gorgeous nature simulator – whatever bar you want to set for Call of the Wild: The Angler, it succeeds at meeting your criteria. Quiet but never boring, graphically beautiful, and with rich and entertaining fishing mechanics, The Angler is one of those rare games that creates a class all its own. You have never played a game like this, and it is likely rare that you have played one this good at accomplishing what it sets out to do. Highly recommended, even for those that might not think they would like fishing games.

As Dusk Falls offers a great new take on the adventure genre, focusing on a story that feels grounded in the real world, made all the more impactful through its stellar artwork. The multiplayer works fine and is fun, but I found myself wanting to play without others. Satisfying narratively regardless of your choices, As Dusk Falls is weighty and serious, surprising with great writing, realistic characters, and plenty of twists. Highly recommended.

Sniper Elite 4 is one of those games that has something for everyone. Being a borderline recluse, I was attracted to the idea of playing as a lone wolf, but the multiplayer co-op Overwatch game was even better!

Apart from the humor, the well done mechanics, the unique presentation, the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have Here Be Dragons or the Romans ever done for us? My only real criticism is that while there is little to fault on that first go, the game does struggle to offer real replayability. It's an excellent strategy game. So play it once through for that good trip and let that be enough.

Noitu Love: Devolution is a fun and challenging game once you get used to the controls. While the Normal difficulty is rather easy after getting used to the controls, Hard difficult is where the challenge truly begins. If you’re into these types of games and are up for the challenge, Noitu Love: Devolution is definitely worth the money.

An addictive mix of strategy, RPG, exploration and storytelling, Halcyon 6 is slow to start but should satisfy anyone craving a deep, retro-affectionate science fiction adventure.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is an excellent LEGO game featuring a vast array of Marvel heroes and villains. Lack of online co-op and some difficult puzzles for younger ones holds it back a little, but not that much. You'll definitely enjoy the writing and animations.

Hard West 2 offers a fun mix of text adventures and turn-based strategy battles, with just enough of each to keep things fresh. Awesome and unique mechanics are highlighted in a combat system that forces players outside of their "overwatch" comfort zones, allowing new tactics not seen before in games of this ilk. A bit of fiddly control work does little to tarnish the stellar gameplay. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

MLB 13: The Show is what a gamer wants out of a baseball title: A great presentation, a challenge both on the mound and at the plate, and plenty of features to entertain anyone for a long period of time.

With multiple paths to take, tons of hidden areas and an endless barrage of cool boss fights, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is one of the best brawlers on the Xbox Live Arcade. Throw in online multiplayer, fun challenges to complete and plenty of extras to unlock, and suddenly you have an old school arcade compilation that is tough to put down!

This is the family game to get for 2015.

Layers of Fear 2 is an abstract, slow burn psychological thriller that strings you along with increasingly skilled and disturbing imagery, then leaves you shaking and looking over your shoulder.

Deathtrap's unique take on the tower defense genre by expanding player interaction with action and role-playing gameplay elements results in an entertaining and worthwhile experience. Both fans of tower defense and role-playing games are recommended to take a journey into the world of Deathtrap.

A worthy successor to the previous game. While Mario and his friends feel like themselves, the Rabbids provide the right spark of humor. Each character brings their own style, and finding the combination of characters that work best for the fight at hand is part of the fun. Different difficulty settings make Sparks of Hope playable for all skill levels, whether you want a challenge or just to enjoy the content. I didn’t find much replayability in the fights, but there were more than enough to hold my attention with the side content taken into account. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope makes me feel like a kid in a good, old, classic, Nintendo way.