If you’re looking for a party game that everyone can enjoy, or if you haven’t looked at Guitar Hero in a while, you should definitely check this one out.

With an endearing, violent, and engaging story, AI: The Somnium Files is an adventure game that fans of the visual novel genre should not miss. With a novel puzzle-solving mechanic and impressive voice performances, this game is a dream come true.

If you are willing to put in the time and see it to the end, though, the game is highly rewarding as a JRPG with a surprising amount of depth. Some of its larger story moments are enjoyable in their own right even if they can be derivative or are mere shadows of specific moments from classics of the genre, but while the game may not reinvent the JRPG, I had a blast making my way across Erdrea.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure has a lot going for it, but even more holding it back. The story and characters are mostly fantastic, but the game does so much to get in the way of enjoying it both through dialogue and gameplay it becomes hard to recommend to those not already invested in the world.

Heroes of the Storm is a more user-friendly approach to the genre, but lacks the depth and complexity of other offerings. A great game to pick up for a quick couple matches, filled with Blizzard star power and fun matches that last just long enough, but no real meta-gaming or theory yet.

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is a gift. Its at first simplistic presentation belies a work of thought, care, and empathy. It satisfies those looking for quality in exploration, combat, and writing, while tying all elements together to focus the experience on communicating its message.

Firsts don’t come around very often, but this is one of PlayStation’s first PS5 exclusives and Housemarque’s first triple A releases, and the combination is a triumphant success. I’m not sure how they’ve managed everything in play, taking the bullet-hell stylings of old and meshing them with the trappings of a third-person roguelike, but it works to a fantastic degree. On top of that, the action-packed gameplay is some of the best around, additionally being one of the most immersive and next-gen experiences available thanks to an incredible understanding of the DualSense controller. Yes, the story may take a backseat, but that’s the nature of the roguelike genre, and doesn’t hinder Returnal in the slightest. I may not be much for roguelikes, but I can see myself “returning” to play this one again and again.

Will Madden NFL 10 change your mind about the franchise as a whole, and get you to buy it if you don't normally do so? Probably not. Like most NFL teams, this game is not quite ready for the Super Bowl.

More accessible than ever, Forza Motorsport 7 delivers a gorgeous racer that will likely be a fantastic launch title for Microsoft’s Xbox One X. We will revisit this review to give it a thorough update when that platform launches, but until then, enjoy the 700 vehicles, new livery options, and bulletproof multiplayer experiences.

Mortal Kombat X improves upon a classic franchise in nearly every way. From its surprisingly impressive story, to its great new characters, to its expansive amount of new content, Mortal Kombat is a must-play for any fans of the series.

Humanity is vast, clever, inventive, and eclectic. It constantly proposes new ideas that redefine the basic experience into a grand design of puzzle mechanics that are just as fun to experiment with as they are to think about. While its best-laid plans have some faults, it all works out in the end. You couldn’t ask for a better reflection of humanity than Humanity.

Sure, it’s better on PC, but that’s cold comfort when it’s hardly functional on other platforms. What’s clear is that this game is no more ready for release than it is for review. Major patches are already slated for January and February, and we’ll revisit it at that time to score it. Right now, buyer beware. There’s a fun game underneath all this, but only if you are playing on PC or Stadia.

The 3D presentation opens up the world of Shulk and his friends into a impressively immersive experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is a fantastic gameplay experience that shows no signs of age, despite an underwhelming visual upgrade.

The Heroes content gives fans a reason to play Resogun again, but anyone who was ready to move on or didn’t enjoy the game in the first place may not find it reason enough to come back.

Mini Metro’s dynamic gameplay kept me engaged, yet never left me feeling overwhelmed. Whether I was simply looking for twenty minutes of casual puzzling or a burst of hardcore strategy, Mini Metro’s deceptively nuanced gameplay worked on both levels equally well. With some quality of life improvements and a more detailed presentation, Mini Metro could propel itself even higher, but even with these concessions the game is easy to recommend.

Immortal Pillars returns the Chinese pantheon to Age of Mythology with three gods to play with. Powerful myth units, advanced infantry, and strong defensive options open up new strategies and options for the game.

From the Ashes is everything I wanted an expansion of this sort to be, a great look at a different part of the universe while giving us the already established combat and movement mechanics. Playing as the long-lived Dog Tag Warrior allows us to see the fully-utilized Na'vi after seeing the beginnings of a Na'vi's journey in Frontiers of Pandora's main story. While some of the combat and side missions can feel extremely reptitive, the main story beats are so fun and emotional that it keeps you moving forward. If you're a fan of Frontiers of Pandora or simply need more Na'vi after seeing Fire and Ash -- this is the place for you.

Cadence of Hyrule is a perfect blend of classic Legend of Zelda adventure with roguelite rhythm gameplay. It’s a short adventure that can sometimes feel too difficult and chaotic for its own good, but it’s worth sticking through to the end. Not only is it a tremendously fun game, its new take on Hyrule is a joy to explore.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin tosses out the clunky touchscreen functions of the previous title and replaces it with a new dual-hero gameplay element. In the end, the game is a worthy addition to the Castlevania lineage, if only the game lasted a little longer.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches with a spark of life. There are improvements and expansion of the gameplay and performance of the first game. Three new heroes to the game including an original (non-Mushroom Kingdom related) Rabbid character named Edge. There are brand new unique weapons and special abilities for each character. Oh, and Sparks galore. This game is pumped full of “new tactical possibilities” for every kind of gamer.

You will spend weeks in this game and not even come close to running out of things to do.

The Talos Principle is one of the most brilliant and engaging puzzle games ever made, with a fantastic and contemplative story that isn’t afraid to ask difficult questions. It’s a masterpiece.

Cities: Skylines isn’t without its flaws, but even the things wrong with it add to its charm. It might not be that much of a challenge, but it delivers on the glee of expansion.

Thumper is a terrifyingly difficult game, but don’t let that deter you from experiencing its rhythm violence firsthand. The Switch port takes advantage of the system’s features quite well, and its speedy performance and killer sound design will rock your world.

Return to Monkey Island is a fantastic end to Guybrush’s compulsive search for the secret of Monkey Island and perfectly encapsulates what made these iconic games so popular in the first place. Despite the 30 year absence, not a step was missed, as Return is just as funny as its predecessors and seeing Elaine, LeChuck, Stan, and the rest of the gang together again is rather bittersweet. Charming characters – old and new alike, great dialogue, fun puzzles, an intuitive hint system, and a story which sees Guybrush visit multiple islands, all blend to make Return everything I had hoped for. I’m glad that I was able to finally uncover the secret of Monkey Island.

If this sounds like a bit of a love letter, it is still underselling just how fantastic Samus Returns has turned out. Stunning animations, a fantastic soundtrack, and awesome cinematic moments come together to remind us of the amazing roots of this series, while updating it for a fresh audience. Metroid: Samus Returns is one of the best Nintendo 3DS games of all time, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Dragon Quest VIII is a massive world with well over 50 hours of gameplay. It stands out thanks to stellar voice acting and a huge, quirky set of monsters to battle. While there’s plenty to do, both the plot and the majority of the characters are flat and uninteresting. The quicksave feature and the ability to increase battle speed are significant quality of life improvements over the original, making this a solid title sure to entertain JRPG fans, but the dated and grind-heavy mechanics can make it a bit of a slog.