Nioh 2 does a lot right and fixes many of my issues with the first one. Much like the first one, however, it is a flawed experience. It’s still incredibly enjoyable and certainly worth a playthrough, I just wish it was a little less tedious in areas.

The strong story and gameplay remains intact, despite some small hiccups.

One of this generation’s titans finally makes its landmark debut on the Nintendo Switch. For newcomers who can fight through the rocky 30 frames per second and lower resolutions, The Witcher 3 on Switch is a no-brainer. But, for those with no plans to take their monster-killing outside, the game is better enjoyed on other consoles.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak adds new unique locations and monsters along with a new hub and NPCs to join you on hunts, but at its core this is just more Monster Hunter Rise. It’s a cherry on top of an already delicious cake.

While some of the features come off half baked as they aren't applied globally, most of the improvements add up to something greater than their individual parts. The animation, lip synch, graphic improvements, vocal modes, new multiplayer modes, and the addition of Party Play add up to a product that is more than the shiny track pack that some folks might expect.

While they have both aged considerably, this bundle is packed with two of the most stylish games ever to grace the action genre. With 4K resolution and an ever-flowing sixty frames per second, Bayonetta and Vanquish can finally be played in their full glory on this generation of consoles.

Octopath Traveler II surpasses the original in every way. The additions to combat were greatly needed and spiced up battles, the story, characters, and pacing are leagues better, and somehow the music cranks it up another few notches. There are still a few issues to be ironed out, like grinding, but this is a retro-style RPG you won’t want to miss.

Zenzizenzic is rapid, colorful, simple, and just about as much fun as you can have playing a video game.

There’s an absolute wealth of fantastic new features in Crusade, every one of which turns the 4X genre on its head. Few companies would rip apart a shipped product and inject so many improvements, but the risk paid off big time. There are still a few balance issues to clean up, but Crusade manages to take something conservative and turn it into something revolutionary.

If you enjoy puzzle solving at a high level, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 is the game to play. It takes everything you learned from the first game and amps up the fun with new creative ways to solve puzzles, new abilities to master, and a fun story that connects seamlessly with the first game. The second installment of the Dreadrock Trilogy is a must play for any puzzle-maniac.

Torn Away mixes beautiful hand-drawn aesthetics with the grim story of a little girl trying to survive a war and make it home. The game excels at establishing tone and getting the player to feel a sense of connection to the main character, Asya, through heartfelt character interactions and mini-games. While the brutal story beats hit hard at the beginning of the game, they lose some of their steam towards the end when you begin to expect them.

Yakuza 0 is a great entry into the series, with plenty for old fans and newcomers alike. Its story is cheesy and melodramatic at times, and the graphics are a bit outdated, but between a nearly perfect melee combat system and a city bursting at the seams with activity, anyone looking for a sandbox crime game should definitely pick this one up.

MLB The Show 17 is another solid entry into an increasingly solid franchise. It slips a bit with the new additions like a tweaked Road to the Show and Critical Situations, but it succeeds in a silly, wholly enjoyable retro mode. But even with the negatives, the MLB The Show series is enjoyable enough to mask those bumps and bruises. MLB The Show 17 is another bullet-point in a historically successful sports franchise.

If you want a portable Tony Hawk game, this is the best one yet. Despite the huge decrease in visual fidelity, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is just as fun as it is on other consoles.

Buy it. Play it. Enjoy it. It’s as simple as the game feels, even if it challenges you more than you’d ever think it would. The more I’ve played it, the more I see every one of it’s accomplishments, with fantastic gameplay and a great choice of art style and soundtrack jewels in its crown. Death’s Door does nearly everything right for what it is, and even the shortcomings of the narrative is barely a blemish on a spectacular résumé.

Destiny 2 is a massive accomplishment, and a huge step in the right direction for the franchise. With a more focused narrative, more activities to do than ever before, and enormous quality of life improvements to the Destiny sandbox and economy, there isn't much to dislike about Destiny 2.

When you start to dream about how pissed off you are that the game target locked your lv12 Rafoie spell to the item boxes to your right instead of the 6 enemies walking towards you to your left you know it is time to call it quits for a while.

A masterclass in narrative driven storytelling. Every character is important and every choice could lead to your doom. Play it and see if you can solve the mystery for yourself!

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is truly the definitive version of Pikmin 3 with plenty of additions and quality-of-life changes that will make it difficult to go back to the original Wii U version. The side stories provide creative level design that was missing from the base game, all of the DLC missions are present, and the story can finally be played entirely with two players. Even if this doesn’t lead to a Pikmin 4, it would be a great high point to end the series on.

Few of the tasks are dreary and boring, the graphics are gorgeous, the music is Final Fantasy grade A, most of the online community is helpful and fun, and you’ll never run out of things to do.

With the massive amount of music, coupled with a evenly paced difficulty scale, DDRMAX is set to keep you entertained for the long haul.

Rogue Legacy is one of the shiniest gems to come out of the Steam Greenlight program – it really does a fantastic job of mixing the better parts of a Roguelike experience with a solid 2D platformer, with a whole lot of polish on top of it all.

At 1200 MS points it’s a small price to pay for the madness, and certainly lives up to its Castle Crashers pedigree for polish, poise, and preposterous premise.

3D settings have always been kryptonite for the Castlevania series. As well as nearly every 2D entry in the franchise has been received, the attempts at 3D have almost always been panned. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow breaks this curse completely by excelling in nearly every way a game can be measured. The excellent voice acting, the suitably grand score, the gorgeously crafted vistas, the compelling plot; everything just clicks when it comes to this game.

While some fighters try to blow you away with the number of characters or some other new gimmick, VF5 brings a high caliber fighter with more substance than most other games in the genre.

A story of loyalty and honor, it is peerless in the crime fiction genre. The gameplay is so varied and exhaustive even if you tend to simply solve all your problems with your fists.There are some kinks to work out about how it deals with its more lascivious content, but what this game does well, it does so well that all I want to do is get right back in to see what I missed.

West of Loathing understands the stylistic charm that a unique aesthetic can provide and that stick figures are still, at the heart of everything, rad as heck. While the combat system is lacking, hilarious storytelling and a dynamic world make up a wonderful stroll through the western-styled landscapes.

After putting in more than a dozen hours, it is very clear to me that UFC Undisputed 3 came to play. The improvements across the board show the results of the extended development cycle, and it has paid off. Every facet of the game has been made more accessible, and the new submission system removes a huge issue with the two previous games.

Ultimately, Shadowrun Returns is a great game that does an excellent job of not only drawing players into the Shadowrun world, but doing so while delivering an option-laden classic RPG experience.

A graphical masterpiece.

If you can look at it through the lens of when it was created and get past the control scheme, you will find a satisfying experience and show younger gamers why System Shock was so influential to the gaming community.

I've sunk north of 40 hours into this title and after achieving 100 percent completion I wanted to start it again fresh.

Tangle Tower is a delightful time all the way through. Its gorgeous art style, animation, intriguing mystery, and full voice acting make it stand out, even among the best of its contemporaries. While the ending does feel rushed, there’s still plenty here to love and it only makes me want more of Detective Grimoire and Sally’s sleuthing.

With a fairly lengthy single player game, a well polished multiplayer experience, and the best use of the Havok engine I’ve ever seen, it’s hard not to love Red Faction: Guerrilla.

There is a lot to love in Ratchet and Clank, but it also comes with its fair share of headaches. Levels are short and linear, and leave little desire to stay on them any longer than you have to. While weapons are interesting and unique, they often come with the added weight of being hard to aim. It’s beautiful, funny and fun, but also, short and stale.

While the gameplay is similar to years past, the new modes add a ton of previously unfound variety. The Road to the Show mode has finally been updated and is guaranteed to hook longtime players. On top of that, Diamond Dynasty no longer feels like an afterthought, and is instead one of the most joyous things about the game. After a slip and fall last year, Sony has managed to make sure MLB The Show 16 lands directly on its feet.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings the series back to its roots and polishes that experience to a shine. It’s a return to form for the decade-old tactical RPG series and its best entry to date, albeit playing it extremely safe. While it does iron out some of the kinks that plagued its predecessors, it does little else.

So, if you have played Final Fantasy IV, or if you have never tried it but are familiar with other examples of the genre, you will definitely enjoy Final Fantasy IV for the DS.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an excellent first foray into 3D for the pink puffball. There’s so much to see and do on this adorable adventure it’s hard to focus on just one thing for long, and it’ll keep fans new and old entertained for some time.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut provides the best Strand experience without changing too much. This version offers new content and features making an overall good experience even better.

Total War: Three Kingdoms is a fantastic addition to the series, taking place in the Three Kingdoms period of China's history. The gameplay requires patience and strategizing, but is satisfying when successful. With plenty of aspects to manage, you won't be wanting for something to do, although it may be too much for some gamers.

Summary: Thronebreaker is a masterful RPG with a version of Gwent that is well-suited for a single player experience. Even if you aren’t into card games, this one is worth a try for the story and RPG mechanics alone.

Gearbox has a solid franchise here, and if they can boost the graphics and bring the environments into play more, then they could rival "Call of Duty" for best WWII series on the market.

There was heavy skepticism arising when it comes to Ubisoft Montreal being able to top Far Cry 3. Not only was Far Cry 3 a very impressive game with excellent gameplay, it was not even two years ago when it hit store shelves. Despite that, Far Cry 4 tops Far Cry 3 in every single way imaginable.

With innumerable improvements to the formula, Mimimi has delivered another hit. Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a wonderful tactical title with an even better story than its predecessors. This is the formula perfected.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy only makes minor improvements to the three games it compiles, but the extras are well worth it for any fan to see. Some textures are still low resolution and the game is still capped at 30 fps across the board, but these are three fantastic games full of humor, drama, and heart.

The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection finally lets fans have every mainline Ace Attorney game on one platform and in a variety of languages. While AAI1 is one of the franchise’s weaker titles, AAI2 is one of its best with a new, excellent translation to English. The new art style may not appeal to everyone, but thankfully you can go back to the original pixel art. With a gallery containing a ton of art and music, this is yet another badge on Capcom’s lapel.

Valkyrie Profile uses the conventions of a dungeon crawler to highlight an aspect of games, and really humanity itself, that often goes understated. The path to our true calling is vague, confusing, and full of trial and error. If you’re willing to persevere and think beyond the immediate path before you, however, you reach your full potential. You might like Valkyrie Profile, too!

The story is top-notch, the graphics are excellent, the controls are great, and the gameplay, while difficult, is still rewarding.

Polyarc has created a fantastic world filled with compelling characters, creative puzzles, and a story that’ll stick with you long after the five-hour runtime. Moss is precisely the reason you buy a PSVR, and it’s sure to make any player fall in love with a brave little mouse named Quill.

If I were to describe The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- with one phrase, it would be greater than the sum of its 100 parts. Despite the hurdles in its character writing and monotonous first 30 hours, this collaboration feels like a culmination of Uchikoshi and Kodaka's driving philosophies. Hundred Line's joyful and cruel execution of its themes is the linchpin of its quality. The strategy RPG battles are compelling in both gameplay and story. Uchikoshi’s fresh and risky take on his branching narrative framework brings to life world building and heartfelt character moments. But it was Kodaka’s contributions to the main scenario that most surprised me as someone mixed on most of his games. If Danganronpa v3 was an artist's celebration and critique on artistic expression, then Hundred Line is a human's celebration and critique on humanity. The capacity of people to love and hate. By its final moments I was reduced to a sobbing mess, and that is all the confirmation I need to know that Too Kyo's six year ambitions have paid off.

Death Standing: Director’s Cut is the definitive version of the game. It’s gorgeous and runs at 60 frames per second, while including everything from the PC version. The new missions are a bit too light on content, but they round out the experience nicely.

The least of the three games, but it still plays better and has a far more vivid imagination than its competitors (once again my eye drifts towards Resident Evil).

A tale straight from our childhood tree forts—Outer Wilds will reawaken the passion for exploration that you thought you lost.

While other versions of Tomb Raider may be less expensive and offer a similar experience, the Definitive Edition combines the already stellar gameplay with vastly improved graphics, creating what is most certainly the best version of Tomb Raider available.

Ninja Theory has done a great job capturing the action of the Devil May Cry games, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better action game.

Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition brings an incredible list of improvements to one of the most enduring and unique RPGs ever written. Simply put, Planescape: Torment is not like anything that came before it or since, and this Enhanced Edition has updated it nicely.

Pyre is a wonderfully made game, with simplistically beautiful graphics, and an engaging soundtrack. The gameplay can get a bit repetitive, but that doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable journey. The characters and challenges were more than enough to make up for it.

The Journey is a smart addition, though it can be a little tedious at times, top-notch presentation and decent performances make the tedium tolerable. The actual gameplay is still enjoyable, but mostly unchanged from previous iterations.

Be that as it may, this is definitely one of my must-have games for this year. It’s too bad it's so damn short!

With a fresh story, AAA quality gameplay, a solid amount of gameplay, and now complete freedom of movement in the controls, Marvel’s Iron Man VR is absolutely phenomenal. This is a major win for the Meta Quest 2, and a must-have for your library.

Doom has resurrected not only a series, but an entire flavor of shooters.

The Old Republic hasn't raised the bar for MMOs, it completely reinvents the genre entirely.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features excellent turn-based strategy gameplay and buttery smooth combat and animations. A fluid and fun must-have for Switch owners and strategy fans alike.

Takes it time which lets players sink deep into the game world. This makes all the difference between a good game and a great one. Far Cry 2 is the latter.

Crash 4 will delight fans new and old with its stylized visuals, delightful sense of humor, and hard as nails platforming. While the new characters have a few control issues, the game is an absolute blast from start to finish.

It looks great on the PSP screen, and it offers as much content as any of its console cousins.

In the meantime, I can easily say that Star Wars Pinball is a must buy for Pinball Wizards, crazy old wizards, and even us pinhead mortals.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s last hurrah is a stellar one. Mysteria Ecclesiae is a detective-like tale featuring a lot of great dialogue and even more stealth. While it may be more fun to fans of that character build, the story is worth taking another trip to 1400s Bohemia.

Call of Duty: World at War is a fantastic title.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is this perfect execution of an RPG that I haven't experienced in a long time. It's grand in its vision and, while simple in the execution, the execution it delivers is nearly flawless nonetheless. There are moments where I wish the game paced itself better, toned down the threatening music, or attempted to tug at my heart a bit more, but the game was fun and charming and worthy of praise. Buy this game.

Demon Tides is an amazing, incredibly expressive 3D platformer that might just be one of the best in its genre. It can be janky and imperfect, but it's so fun to move around in that a feeling of joy will shine through at all times. It's hard not to have a smile on your face while playing Demon Tides, whether you're exploring, gliding through the air, or tearing your hair out to a Mr. Mint Trial.

There's just so much to do, so much to unlock, with and an incredibly deep battle system and an interesting story line, there's plenty to keep you coming back for more. "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" take notice: you have competition.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is a collection that can provide countless hours of RPG action and mixes Square Enix’s brilliant esoteria with Disney’s magical childlike wonder into a story unlike any other. It is also a collection of games that have been around for years, and provides little new content to long time fans. Brilliant is a word to describe the content, albeit familiar, but a little refresher may be just the thing to get you fully amped for the future of the series.

I can’t overstate the power of the game engine behind The Movies. The possibilities are almost endless given that this game is mod friendly. Once fans get their hands on this game, we will get to see some incredible movies.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a worthy successor with enough gameplay differences to justify a purchase for those who have the original.

With a $30 price tag, Rare Replay presents an amazing value. You likely have enjoyed these games before, at least in part, and there is no better way to experience them now than in Rare Replay.

Hitman 3 is the ultimate Hitman experience, period. The game runs almost improbably crisp, and each location is a ton of fun to explore. Replayability is a must, but not just because of the brevity of the campaign, but because there is so much to do in each one. Adding the missions of yesteryear appends even more to the package, along with the ability to be the assassin in VR or take it on the go with Stadia or Switch. I could try and nitpick it for what it doesn’t do or where it comes up short (of which there’s almost nothing), but when it comes to being an early contender for Game Of The Year, Hitman 3 hits its target dead center.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a veritable feast of improvements over not only its predecessors but the whole genre. There are occasionally obtuse moments, but these minor issues are overshadowed by improvements at every possible turn. If you’re looking for your next city builder, this is it.

A lot of fun if you can get past those frequent audio glitches, and a PC-friendly control scheme. Considering how many movement options the PC has, the developers did an admirable job in creating a comfortable control scheme.

While I wish there was a ‘Story Mode’ toggle of some kind, OlliOlli World’s writing didn’t distract me too much from an otherwise fantastic skateboarding game. The levels are beautifully presented, well designed, and diverse, while Roll7’s approach to difficulty makes the game easy to learn but tough to master. There’s plenty to see and do in OlliOlli World, and with some tough challenges and neat social features, OlliOlli enthusiasts will be playing this one for a long time to come.

With improvements in literally every single area of the game, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is the new standard for remasters.

Two Point Museum isn’t just your run of the mill management sim, it’ll take your breath away with how much is on offer with its addicting gatcha expeditions and vast customisation options. Every Museum is a delight to play and if it's anything like its predecessors, I’m pumped for the sea of DLC to come. If you’re looking for a game to sink hundreds of hours into, then you can never go wrong with a Two Point game, but Two Point Museum may take the crown amongst its peers.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a very well crafted adventure that will keep you hooked for hours on end.

It's obviously not for everyone, but you can't deny it's charm. This is definitely Rare's best release on any Microsoft platform, and it is a wonderful game to play.

Aliens Go Home Run is a title that packs a punch and has the balls to mix Breakout with shoot-em-up action. It’s a game that aims to be a fun little diversion, and accomplishes that goal quite well. At $4, it’s a must buy for anyone looking for a palate cleanser in the sea of AAA games.

This newest iteration of Thronebreaker is a welcome and unexpected treat, and truly at home in its portable format. Being able to tackle Queen Mave’s part in the Second Nilfgaardian War while on the go is well worth the slightest of tradeoffs in graphical quality. Even if you aren’t a CCG enthusiast, this is a must have for any Gwent battler or Witcher fan.

Fatal Frame oozes with tension and terror. Mystery lies inside the village, and the atmosphere throughout the game is held together by the graphics and sound.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a masterfully made JRPG and fascinating work of art. While the characters could have used more fleshing out and the leveling curve is wildly uneven, it’s still incredibly fun with thrilling combat and a gripping plot.

An already gorgeous game in its own right, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition celebrates this amazing title on PC with a host of improvements. Catch up on an amazing adventure and get ready for Horizon Forbidden West next year.

I'll say again what I said at the beginning: Planetside 2 is a downright amazing game, especially for a Free to Play title.

There are very few games that consume me like this. Frontier has made a game where obsession over every detail is somehow fun. While there are a few elements that need improvement, such as the staff management and some much-needed heat maps or location services, Planet Coaster delivers in terms of rollercoaster customization and sandbox flexibility. Let inspiration be your guide and check out this incredible thrill ride.

Specter of Torment puts cool new twists on Shovel Knight’s action platformer gameplay and has a fascinating story to boot. It’s challenging but very fair, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire game. Those who already have Shovel Knight should look forward to this excellent free expansion, and those who don’t have the base game needn’t think twice about spending $9.99 for this masterfully crafted experience.

If you can get past the wait times and don't mind playing against the AI, then Street Fighter X Tekken is an enjoyable game and a worthy addition to your collection. I would just recommend having a fightstick if you are serious about playing.

The Bioshock series is awesome, and The Bioshock Collection modernizes that experience. Although there are a few technical shortcomings, and Bioshock 2 lacks its excellent multiplayer mode, The Bioshock Collection is a worthy investment for fans of the series, or newcomers who want to see what all the fuss is about.

With a practiced expertise, Frontier has translated their fantastic coaster creator to the next-gen consoles without compromising the core qualities of what makes this game great. The radial menu and optional keyboard/mouse controls delivers theme park magic unlike any other, and once again claims its crown -- the king of coasters among mere tycoons.

Gears 5 is an impressive evolution in the Gears of War series with a campaign that feels like a huge leap forward and a dizzying amount of excellent multiplayer modes. The story isn’t without its issues, especially the final act which I’m sure will draw controversy, but that does little to hold back this awesome next chapter in the Gears saga.

Knockout League is an extraordinary VR experience. It's tough, it's exciting, and it's incredibly rewarding. It delivers exciting, demanding gameplay and requires observation, timing, and endurance. Great mechanics paired with over-the-top characters will leave you entertained even as you're pummeled into blacking out. This is a must have for anyone who likes to box or who would benefit from using a videogame to supplement or motivate their workout routine.