After looking at all the evidence, I must say I almost enjoyed The Sinking City. There is a solid game here buried under technical problems and tedium. The interesting characters and quirky protagonist were almost enough to keep me interested, but sloppy combat and plentiful walking eventually wore me down. This is a paranormal call I recommend walking away from.

The year that Kylotonn took to get WRC 8 back into the top contenders of rally games was worth it. Its Career mode alone is enough to make you sit down for hours and plan out how to manage your team, drive your car, and meet the conditions of your contract. With the car’s level of detail being extremely high, decent driving mechanics, and the bevvy of game modes being at an all-time high, this is a racing game that any fan of racing should absolutely try.

Greedfall is a highly ambitious step for Spiders, and one that shows that they are hitting their stride. With excellent voice acting and gorgeous environments, Greedfall serves as a grand adventure in a genre that is sorely needing a fresh face. There are still some bugs to crush, but once those are gone, only a memorable RPG capable of filling the open world RPG void will remain.

Astral Chain brings together gameplay elements from all of Platinum’s best, from Bayonetta to Transformers Devastation, and adds the secret spice of detective work to tie it all together. It’s easy enough for newcomers to the genre, deep enough for veterans, and one of Platinum’s best.

Blair Witch fails to impress at every turn. The story is interesting but unfulfilling, the environment is dull, and the creatures are boring. Worst of all, everything you do is very repetitive. I love horror games but the only thing scary about Blair Witch is how boring it is.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne adds just what Monster Hunter World needed and even more quality of life changes to the greatest Monster Hunter game of all time. The new monsters and quests pack a punch, and there’s enough content to justify the price. If you’re going to take on this cool expansion, make sure you bring along some friends and a few hot drinks.

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.

Sagebrush delivers on an interesting plot that draws you into the game. However, the gameplay is not quite enough to carry the rest of the game. It’s short length and limited gameplay options cut a bit into what was an overall positive experience. I just wish that there was a bit more to experience.

Minoria may not be Bombservice’s best game to date, but it may still be worth a look for action platformer fans looking for a challenge. Though its combat feels more frustrating than satisfying at times, the fundamentals of its swordplay are still solid. Add to that its excellent art and music, and there’s a lot to like here if you can overlook its underdeveloped story and exploration.

If you’re looking for a fun Picross title to play for an affordable price, PictoQuest has got you covered. While a bit too overbearing with its action elements, the new mechanics and tried-and-true Picross puzzles are sure to engage beginners and veterans alike.

Whipseey and the Lost Atlas shows promise with its cute art style and nice soundtrack, but without longer levels or collectibles to encourage replay value, the minor annoyances that drag this game down are all the more apparent. If you have a few bucks to blow, you can try it out, but otherwise just stay away.

Torchlight II on the Nintendo Switch is not just a re-release of an established game, but it takes full advantage of this transformer-like platform. Its ability to utilize all the Switch’s hardware to make the game more appealing was achieved, without cutting corners or gameplay experience. Offering hours and hours of single or multiplayer monster demolishing gameplay, Torchlight II is everything it was when it first debuted, and more.

With procedural worlds, fantastic cooperative combat, and a storyline that makes you care about the entire Bergson family, Children of Morta represents the best example of games as art. There are still a few months to go in 2019, but Children of Morta is looking like my Indie Game of the Year.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is the perfect way to revisit this classic or experience it for the first time. Its themes are more relevant than ever, and its battle system, while flawed in some aspects, is weird, fun, and encourages creativity.

A great game held back by numerous technical problems. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan promises another great experience in the vein of Until Dawn, but at least on the standard console is too stuttery to play. Much of the content will be inaccessible due to these performance issues. If you have an enhanced console definitely check it out, but unless it receives a patch it can scarcely be considered playable.

With simple asymmetric gameplay, this game is great for kids of all ages, and a worthy tie-in to the movie. While the unskippable trailer is a poke in the eye, there’s nothing better than the cackling of a five year old while he mercilessly throws his would-be helpers around a submarine full of bombs.

Games as good as Enter the Gungeon don’t come along very often. There’s so much to discover here that you’ll be playing this game for a long time. And you’ll still come back even after you see everything. Gungeon is the pinnacle of rogue-like design.

For a small asking price, Rad will reliably give you a few hours of novelty, as you explore the wasted punk-dystopia and mutate yourself to better clear the land of its inhabitants. Beyond that initial entry point, you will find yourself dogged by an experience that has little to offer in the way of depth or surprises. The core mechanics make for tense, hectic combat, but also encourage you not to engage in it.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is a great compilation of the franchise's history. With tons of challenging campaign duels, duelist challenges, and battle packs, there's plenty to scratch that card game itch. Multiplayer is scarce and laggy, so I'd steer clear.

Oninaki has one foot in the grave while the other doing a pleasant tap dance. It has an interesting story held back by bland characters and filler, and its gameplay can feel great when you’re not getting pounded in the face and stunned to death. Unless you can find it on sale, I’d skip this one.

Clam Man is a short yet quirky point-and-click game. The story feels a bit rushed at times, and the puzzles aren't all that tough, but it shows promise. Some more attention could've been given to the sound levels and design, but it's not enough to ruin the game.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the best Fire Emblem game since 2005’s Path of Radiance. Players who skipped Shadows of Valentia may find a lot of things strange and different at first, but it all fits together so well that it starts to feel natural pretty quickly. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing in the beginning, you can still succeed and enjoy playing in the long run. The story is fascinating, the characters are lovable and entertaining, and the presentation is great.

Remnant: From the Ashes is a tough, co-op centric third-person shooter hiding a surprising amount of depth in both its combat and narrative. Its weapons and abilities are diverse and fun to use, allowing for a variety of unique builds. While its difficulty can feel uneven, victory over a tough boss is always satisfying. Fiercely challenging even in a group, Remnant’s clever use of procedural generation makes subsequent playthroughs as satisfying as the first one.

So far, I have put about six hours total into the game between both sessions. I am very excited to learn how to wield a weapon to kill predators, and to explore more into the jungle. This has been a really unique and challenging experience, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Control manages to take the awesome cutscenes we see in other games and makes them playable. A bizarre adventure with rewarding power fantasy, this is the culmination of all previous Remedy games. Part exploration game, and part sci-fi shooter, Control blends a tight narrative, stunning graphics with RTX-powered lighting, and a hub-based world to create something entirely new and absolutely gorgeous.

Mable and the Wood is a side-scrolling metroidvania game with a unique combat/traversal mechanic. The form you start with and ones you unlock are fun to use for the most part. Reading the map can be annoying, but it's possible to interpret. Multiple endings offers more replay value if you're inclined to do so.

Raiders of the North Sea Digital is a beautiful and fun implementation of a great board game. With the simplicity of placing and removing workers, and quick AI games are short. With a few additional tweaks to the interface and gameplay, it could be even better. Thankfully Direwolf has already released some improvements and is continuing to work to make the game as polished as possible.

Crystar is a great action-RPG with some fascinating twists. Crying is not only a key aspect to boosting your strength in battle, but it enables you to create more powerful gear. Be prepared for mentions of tragic and depressing topics, but remember that they work to enforce the ideas of "showing your emotions as a strength" and the sometimes overlooked issues that others face each day.