Is This Seat Taken? is puzzling at its finest, with a basic concept that is transformed into something intuitive and provides a lot of challenge for those seeking it. The world created is small yet cute and lively, and it actually had me remembering the storylines of some of their main characters. The team didn’t need to do this, but it sure added a level of depth to a gameplay-focused game. I just hope that this will be the type of game that gets more and more DLC, so I can find an excuse to do more puzzles!

Monster Hunter’s return to PlayStation (and Xbox) is a very smooth transition. The game performs perfectly and gives more players the opportunity to head to Kamura Village for another awe inspiring adventure.

In the end, Skylanders knows exactly what it trying to be – a family friendly affair featuring cool creatures.

Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey is the first open-world Atelier game and it takes the fun battles and item creation modes from the previous titles and makes improvements and additions that make this the most impressive game in the series. Fans of the series will find this a triumph, and even those unacquainted will be impressed with this fun, strategic, and light-hearted adventure.

Regardless, the experience of Act 1 is enough to recommend outright — don’t hesitate to add this title to your library.

Tomba! Special Edition perfectly preserves the 1997 classic. The game is just as good as it was back then, and perhaps even better now with tons of quality of life features and extras. This is an incredibly special game, and I hope it finally gets the recognition it deserves.

Consume Me is a pure delight to indulge in with a style that makes the mundane life of a teenager look exciting and like something straight out of a manga, but with messaging that hits home and touches on very real topics that harm a lot of teenage girls. It’s interactive storytelling at its best with RPG elements and a management system that had me scratching my head and even resetting a few times, which added a layer of challenge that made me want to master its mechanics. This is a true gem that has definitely come from the heart of its devs but with comedy that had me in hysterics, I can’t wait to see what they do next.

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.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is one of those rare moments where a game takes itself seriously as a work of art. It’s beautiful, touching, joyful, and tragic all at once. While you’ll be spending most of its runtime just driving trucks around instead of contending with the terrain, it’s still incredibly fun to play and witness its very human story unfold.

It is not as razzle or dazzle as "SSX 3," but it brings a more realistic snowboarding feel to the table. You can even go online with 7 other people and help each other or compete against each other.

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.

Whether you’re playing for 20 minutes or 2 hours at a time, Gnosia is the perfect single-player experience for those that want a unique spin on the social deduction genre. With a loveable cast, an innovative investigation system, and tons of replay value thanks to the premise, this is one game you’ll want (and have to) play again and again.

They’ve created a shooter that the entire family can enjoy; a game that’s simple enough for my five-year-old daughter, yet deep and varied enough to entrance even the most battle-hardened veteran. And while there isn’t a lot here right out of the gate, there are enough zombies on this lawn to occupy you until the content does come — at a nice price, to boot.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is the latest must-buy VR title, and does its namesake justice. Being Batman is something you dream of, and Camouflaj has done great work in putting you under the cowl. Where some teams would simply offer a short VR experience, the team has crafted a game rich in depth between combat, exploration, and story.

Overall, Sairento VR is an absolute hit. Any shortcomings I pointed out are the result of my desire for it to reach its potential, not for any level of defect. The team has been tightly engaged with the Steam and Reddit community, and they’ve taken that feedback seriously. The result is a game that feels more complete, and in a more finished and polished state, than nearly any game in the current VR space. Put simply, Sairento VR is a must-have.

Metroid Dread is yet another fantastic return to form for Samus. ZDR is an absolute blast to explore with secrets everywhere and satisfying bosses to fight. However, the game is held back by some strange design decisions, areas that blend together, and controls that are far too complicated.

Dancing All Night is full of spirit and celebration unparalleled in the series thus far. Despite the dark and implausible story in the background, Dancing All Night is a concentrated dose of the most uplifting, cheerful, and fun side of the series, all set to a fantastic soundtrack that will get anyone dancing.

A must-have for Live and multiplayer enthusiasts, Phantom Dust is a breath of fresh air in the fps dominant world of online play. And at twenty bucks, it's practically theft!

Despite the DLC's sometimes repetitive experiences, occasional glitches, and underwhelming dragon mounts, Dragonborn is the first major expansion for the Elder Scrolls V, and is worth every penny you'll pay for it.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a triumphant release, capturing all the nostalgic wonder of 8-bit platforming within a very unique shell. Gloomy, challenging, and only occasionally unfair, Momodora is a fantastic adventure with a fun story and lots of secrets to uncover.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is a great addition to the series. It nicely caps the storyline, it fills the underserved (at least by good titles) platformer market, and the few unique new elements breathe a bit of fresh air into the game.

Romancing SaGa 2 is a wonderful little game, hidden away from American audiences and after putting some time in the game, it is easy to see why it is beloved by its long time backers. It is as simple as things come, gameplay wise, but the story is complex beyond what could be expected for that gaming era, with twists and turns based on your choices and interactions. The remastering is not always perfect, but it mixes the old and new together well.

With agonizing decisions in an unforgiving Viking-inspired setting, The Banner Saga mixes strategic gameplay with choices that truly matter. At $19.99, it’s easily one of the best tactical titles on the Nintendo Switch.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a mash-up made in JRPG heaven. While combat and gameplay will feel by-the-numbers for Persona fans, the style, soundtrack, characters and overall levity of this game is endearing, and makes for one of the most engaging, fun RPGs in recent memory.

I’ve 100 percent completed the game and unlocked the platinum trophy, but I can’t stop swinging through the city and saving people. By the end, it really is your city with your people to help, your landmarks to admire, your jungle to swing though. This is the new benchmark for Spider-Man games and I can’t wait to see what Insomniac does next.

Warzone 2.0 is every bit the sequel you hoped it would be. While minor improvements could still be useful, Al Mazrah is arguably the best map to ever grace the Call of Duty battle royale experience. The tactical pacing is a welcome change, DMZ is a revelation for the extraction shooter casual space, and it’s all built on the best gunplay in first-person shooters. Infinity Ward has knocked it out of the park.

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!

Darksiders Genesis is by far the best game in the series. As someone who has played all of them, I can honestly say that this is more than a hack and slash game where you slay demons, but a kick-ass demon slaying game that has found new life by remixing what it does best and incorporating the best features of other games to create something new in the series.