Another year and another good outing for SCE San Diego Studio. MLB The Show 16 has some great improvements for Road to the Show, but some problems still persist. Baseball lovers will definitely enjoy the game.

With Jak 3 everything seems so passé and normal again, as if the well had run dry and the developers had lost their passion for the franchise.

A bit more thoughtful than many RTS games, Kohan 2 is perfect for those wanting a deeper real time strategy. With yet another rush of RTS games being released, don’t overlook this gem.

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

Urban Flow is the best kind of puzzle game: one that is easy to pick up, difficult to master, and lovingly developed exactly for the hardware on which it runs. It's not perfect, but has so much to offer and it so well done in places it's easy to overlook the few warts. It is a welcome addition to the Switch library and a great example of why this console is so good at what it does.

It’s easy to look back with rose tinted glasses when it comes to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. But after spending a week back in this world I can easily say there are no tinted glasses here. It’s as good as I recalled it back in the day. If you’ve never played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic this is a great way to jump in. I couldn’t believe a game that came out in 2003 could still hold my attention, even on the fifth or sixth playthrough that I had while reviewing the game. The atmosphere created by the game is second to none when it comes to Star Wars games. Playing on the Nintendo Switch might be the best way to experience, load screens were fast, and the game looks great in handheld mode. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic story is one every Star Wars fan should experience.

DiRT Rally 2.0 is a worthy successor to DiRT Rally. The driving/car physics which feel as sophisticated as anything else out there, are only slightly hindered by mediocre force feedback. The tracks and surrounding countryside are gorgeous in their own right; the environmental lighting and shadows serve to make them stunning at times. The addition of Rallycross serves to make DiRT Rally 2.0 two great simulations in one package.

Carrion is a fascinating reversal of the typical Metroidvania. Playing as a hungry, tentacle abomination is fast, fluid and unnerving. My only complaint is that there is no mapping function, which can make progression a chore.

Gravity Oddity is a roguelike game that plays differently than other games in its genre. Instead of improving yourself every time you die, you actually improve yourself with every completed run, unlocking new game modes and mods. While each run isn’t necessarily that long once you know what you’re doing, getting the hang of the controls and mechanics can be a real challenge, especially when a lot is happening on screen. Once you can master that though, you’ll find a game with a lot of customization, challenge, and replayability that’s good to play in small bursts of time. Strap on your gravity boots, save your roommate, and pay your rent.

The Council is a revelation. While the technical aspects of the game are somewhat questionable at times, the storytelling, world building, and RPG mechanics are simply stunning. I found myself propelled from episode to episode, salivating at the idea of advancing the story and outsmarting the game’s lifelike characters. With twisty surprises, diabolical puzzles, and rich historical context, this is a game that makes the player feel intelligent for playing it. The fact that the story is deliciously twisted is just the icing on the cake.

I had a lot of fun with Arizona Sunshine with a superb single player experience. I wish the multiplayer modes were more stable, because playing with friends was a blast.

I Expect You to Die provides everything I want in VR room escape type of game. Objects are easy to manipulate, the puzzles don't require great leaps of non-intuitive logic to solve, and the experience itself is quite entertaining. It can look spendy at full price, but it's on Steam so it' just a matter of waiting for a sale.

Hand of Fate is a devastatingly addictive adventure game that mixes card collecting with fast-paced third-person action and board games. Although full of disparate ideas, the game is never confusing. It has a few technical issues and I would have preferred a way to continue, but none of that should keep you from experiencing Hand of Fate.

If you've played the first two, The Banner Saga 3 is impossible to ignore. In this final chapter, everything is broken and mended and broken again. I was never sure if there would be--or even could be--any kind of happily ever after to this massive mythology Stoic Studios has built. It's an excellent uncertainty.

If you're in need of a good beat em' up with plenty of wild gameplay and a captivating story, Soul Sacrifice Delta fills a great void for the Vita.

Prison Architect is one of the more unique game releases in years. What would seem daunting at first, with building and managing a prison, quickly reveals to be both an addictive and entertaining gameplay experience.

Dark Souls 3 is going to be the most accessible game in the series, while still maintaining the brutal levels of difficulty and reliance on skill. If this is the end of the Dark Souls series, then they've chosen the perfect time to bow out.

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.

Weird West is a fun not-quite-RPG that feels like the beginning of a great new franchise. Perfectly enjoyable to play, this first iteration lays a lot of groundwork towards what will likely become an ongoing series. Darkly funny and surprising, each character's story arc is unique and rewarding. While a system of branching choices impacting the game's story feels like a natural evolution from what is here, what is presented is very enjoyable. Weird West creates a universe I don't want to leave. When it was over, I just wanted more - which is the biggest hurdle a new franchise can overcome.

If you can take punishment as well as you can dish it out, then XCOM 2 strikes the right balance. Its tactics are hardlined, its urgency is persistent, and it will wear you down even as it builds you up. A beautiful, brutal beast of a tactics game. But do what you can to clean up these graphical and gameplay hitches, Firaxis; this game deserves it.

Skyrim on Switch is the same excellent game it’s always been. It doesn’t support mods but the fact that such a massive, engrossing game is now portable is justification alone for another purchase.

Simply put, if you liked The New Order, you’ll like The Old Blood. The more than competent shooting, likable protagonist, writing, and gameplay choices make up for some small issues and a few static characters.

Original Sin 2 shakes your hand a little too hard when you first meet. It needs to relax until you get to know it better. It's endlessly surprising, with characters that lose their stiffness over time, in dialogues and battle logs that piece together a dangerous, thoughtful world. It's tough. But the reward is that you get tougher, too. It still needs to clean up some of its tactical sloppiness, though. Having a ton of options in battle is only good if its rules are fair and make sense.

While the single-player offering is lacking, the well-polished skirmish modes make up for most of that deficiency.

Until the sequel arrives, however, we now have even more GalCiv goodness, adding more addictiveness and content to an already insanely addictive game.

Beautiful, engaging and every bit as fun as it was nearly 15 years ago, Mass Effect Legendary Edition lives up to the name. It's a gorgeous, robust title that will make veterans remember how much they enjoyed the series while giving newcomers a memorable ride for the first time. There's no question you should pick this up if you fall into either category because Commander Shepard deserves that much attention.

Excels because it manages to combine action and strategy in a way I never saw coming.

I will go out on a limb and say that given some more love and (lots) more patches, “Eador: Masters of a Broken World” could become a classic in its genre. If you're a fantasy TBS fan you should definitely pick this up (it's only 20 bucks) and watch the patches roll in.