Exoprimal is both familiar and unique, with intense gameplay, tight controls, and an interesting mix of PVE and PVP gameplay. The sheer number of characters offers a lot of interesting ways to approach the game, and the ability to shift builds adds even more depth to possible team construction. Some players might find the game repetitive, but I've enjoyed getting to know the maps and systems and exploring the bonkers storyline. Recommended for players looking for something deeply accessible and a little different. I'm having a blast with Exoprimal, and can't wait to see where it goes next.

Resident Evil Revelations Collection bundles two of the better entries in the long-running survival horror series. The first game is hit-or-miss but the sequel is legitimately great, and the added portability and motion controls make the Switch port the definitive versions of these two games.

It's always a pleasure when the storyline is as intriguing as the gameplay. The Station is good at both in equal measure. The solutions to the sundry problems on The Station are just challenging enough—not too easy, not too hard.

RoadCraft is a must-play for fans of construction simulators. There is a coziness in the laborious nature of its gameplay that is hard to resist, and with a huge amount of content, you’ll be busy cleaning up natural disasters for dozens of hours.

If you're not worried about a major story or a lot of strategy but still want to see what the monster hunting genre is like without shelling out a lot of money, Dauntless is a nice free-to-play game to ease you into things.

Picking up where the first chapter left off, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is looking great after a good cliffhanger ending and looks like a promising entry in the franchise.

People looking for drastic changes to Road to The Show or Franchise mode, however, may be disappointed with this PlayStation-exclusive baseball sim.

Pix the Cat remixes classic arcade concepts into an addictive new concoction of high scores and vivid art and sound. It has many similarities to Pac-Man Championship edition but definitely possesses its own style and gameplay quirks.

Sure, Mafia: The Old Country has guns and cars, but the more important pieces are the awesome story, great performances, and beautiful setting. Cinematic in all the ways that most games only dream of, The Old Country delivers a nuanced and thoughtful story full of thrills. I couldn't tear myself away from it.

Anno 1800 is one of the most addictive city builders that I’ve played on console, full of gameplay intricacies that create an intoxicating experience. With so many moving parts, it suffers a bit from the typical PC-to-console control issues that plague the genre, but I doubt that will stop you from spending hours building an empire.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate takes the already great Monster Hunter Tri and perfects it. The graphics might be a bit dated, but the gameplay stands for itself: a massive, engrossing quest that is a lot of fun solo and an absolute blast in multiplayer. Put in the time to master the learning curve, and the hunt will richly reward you.

The final word when delving into the richest Dungeons & Dragons experience available on a hard drive today. The bugs will get mashed, the community will thrive, and Obsidian's reputation for challenging and meaningful narratives will live on. No self-respecting D&D fan should go this holiday season without it.

Much as its title may suggest, Lollipop Chainsaw is a sweet confection of a game. It's an enjoyable experience, but ultimately hollow. Unlike the lollipops that Juliet sucks on, Lollipop Chainsaw won't make you fat, as it has almost no fat to speak of. It's a lean game predicated on replay value instead of an epic story and/or brilliant gameplay.

Chariot is a decent adventure when you go solo, but an excellent one when you bring a friend. You’ll definitely want to sit a partner down next to you to get the most out of this experience.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is impressive in every sense. From the tight, scripted story gameplay to the sprawling open world, every piece of this game feels lovingly crafted. While the Switch version feels a bit dated, that’s not the fault of the developer, which squeezed an impressive performance from Nintendo’s handheld. This is a game with enough fresh content to keep players coming back for years to come.

While the game does have some weird and interesting bugs, the PC port of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 does deliver some great experiences. It took Nixxes a few patches in the first few weeks to get there and they still have some more work to do, but the game looks gorgeous and plays well on top notch systems. Don't try it on the Steam Deck though.

Atari didn't owe us this one. The best selling original game is back, and it's just as fulfilling as the old one. There are some unfair nuances that you have to get past, but for $10, you owe it to your childhood to play this game, beat this game, and help Yar finally get the revenge they seek. Step up. This IS your grandparents' bullet hell game.

While its procedurally-generated nature produces some annoying issues, Nightmare Reaper has a creative story, punchy edge-of-your-seat action and a deep, entertaining arsenal. This is one bad dream you won’t regret ripping and tearing your way through.

With an emotional story and great sense of style, Rain should be one of this year's best games. Unfortunately it's marred by a story that ends far too soon and puzzles that are never challenging. Even with those problems, fans of ICO and stealth action will find a lot to like about Rain. At least for the three hours it lasts.

Kiln is a delightful and brilliant blend of player-driven creativity, melee brawler combat, and MOBA map design. Though it may be slightly lacking on content, it's a great game to unwind with, or to fire up with the family.

Chip's Challenge 2 is a pretty good follow-up to the original.

Telltale’s first Batman episode is marred by technical issues, but the writing, gameplay and presentation are superb as always. Maybe hold off for a couple weeks while it gets patched, but after that, Batman fans should definitely take the plunge.

I’ve never been as emotionally affected by a video game as I was by Farewell North. It’s a gorgeous bit of storytelling, flanked by music and art that is just as beautiful. You can see its emotional gut-punch coming, but good luck avoiding it.

Minus ray-tracing support, Days Gone on PC brings a lot of goodies that PC gamers look for. There's 60 Hz refresh rates, unlimited frames per second, ultrawide resolutions, HDR, and even an increased field of view. The technical aspects of this port are solid, even if I have to do a framey 360 spin with the camera whenever I first load up.

Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl is a fairly solid game. While the early going can be a bit rough since money might be more spent on healing than buying new weapons and armor, the game’s mechanics and Story Mode’s story elements still make for a fairly sold game. This is one that newcomers and veterans alike should enjoy.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is a great game that is packed with content that will keep players coming back to it for a long time long after finishing both campaigns. While on its own it is just as good as 1+2 in the gameplay department, the soundtrack consisting of mostly new tracks along with the removal of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4's original career mode will make this game probably not hit as hard in the nostalgia department as the first game did. On its own Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is very good, but as remakes of the original 3 and 4? Not as good.

Playing these old games really gave me some perspective on the progress we've made in games since these were initially released. Midway has also priced this collection aggressively and at $1 a game you really can't beat the bang for your buck.

Dishonored 2 was a pain in the ass to get running initially, but once I did, I was able to settle in for a really fun and rewarding adventure. It's a fantastic sequel that does a great job of building on the strengths of the first game and providing a few new wrinkles that make the game feel as fresh as the first one did a few years ago.