88 Heroes: 98 Heroes Edition is a humorous platformer that infuriates as much as it entertains. While the colorful cast of ragtag misfits is charming and unique, you might be turned off by the quirky mechanics and odd use of permadeath.

Assassin's Creed: Origins is as much a departure as it is a homecoming. Revamped combat mechanics defibrillate the series with much-needed challenge. The guided open-world design encourages and rewards exploration unlike any Assassin's Creed game before it, and takes place in one of the series’ most memorable settings. But at the end of the day, and despite some growing pains, Origins is a culmination of the best aspects of the series. And for that, some hiccups in the transition to full-fledged RPG are a fair trade.

Though it is held back by a severe lack of social options and PC-specific sandbox tuning, Destiny 2 on PC looks and feels like the best version of one of the best games of 2017.

Most of A Hat in Time feels like a modge podge of creative ideas only amateurly stitched together. The game teeters between delightful charm (like the time I encountered a Mafiosa who wanted to play patty-cake then deceptively punched me across Mafia Town) and blatant lack of polish (like a cutscene where certain characters’ limbs seemed paralyzed in a T position.) If a lighthearted, collect-a-thon platformer is your jam, A Hat in Time will constantly please you with its fun platforming and nuanced, cartoony world, but don’t go in expecting the finish and cohesion of the classic platformers it takes its inspiration from.

While Danger Zone provides some thrills and serves as an interesting revival of one of Burnout’s beloved game modes, it’s often too slow and lifeless to give fans the fix they were hoping for.

Sine Mora EX is a tough-as-nails but engrossing shoot ‘em up that has some innovative mechanics and a pretty interesting story. While it may not be for everyone, those who are interested in the genre will find something to love with the new improvements that the EX version provides.

The Evil Within 2 is a huge step forward for the series that emphasizes exploration, stealth, and conserving resources for the more challenging encounters. Though the compelling plot is weighed down by poor writing and poorer voice performances, the game offers a great horror experience with a ton of content.

The game doesn’t ultimately suffer from its technical issues. Instead I felt more like it was muddled by lack of creative cohesion or foresight. The game’s story was intriguing, but doesn’t really resolve in a manner which is coherent. The level of visual fidelity works, but doesn’t entirely seem premeditated. Yet it’s over very quickly, and in its broad strokes paints a captivating picture. Had it required me to spend more time to reach its pay off, I might have been bothered by this. To compare it to music, this works well as a free mix-tape, but I wouldn’t tolerate it as a full album. That said, I’m interested in what the artist’s point of view is. If they were to be signed, I’d likely want to check out what they could put out with the support of a record label.

Massive in scope and improving on its predecessor, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a triumph in every way that matters. While certain aspects are underdeveloped, or simplified to embrace player choice, the Nemesis 2.0 system, combat improvements, and genuinely engaging combat system keep things fresh for the 40 hour adventure. If only they hadn’t followed the movies and extended the ending well past its welcome.

Real talk? I’ve tried for weeks to get into Empyre: Lords of the Sea Gates, but the clunky controls, obtuse UI, and incomplete concepts made it impossible for me to engage. The concept and setting for Empyre is top shelf, but the gameplay came out a little water logged.

After a long wait, Gran Turismo Sport is here, and it is racing perfection beyond measure. This is the best racing game that I have ever played, overflowing in beauty, grace, playability, and precision. Driving a go-kart, a fusion-engine concept race car, or a standard Ford Focus all provide a wealth of fun and unique challenges. Gran Turismo Sport is a triumph, and will be played voraciously by racing fans for years and years to come.

Oriental Empires is a solid, detailed first effort from Shining Pixel Studios that fans of the 4X strategy genre will enjoy. Unfortunately, newcomers and veterans alike might be disappointed by the unwieldy UI, unpredictable systems and lack of in-game tutorials or explanations.

Episode 3, the final installment of Bear With Me, is the darkest and most narrative-driven yet, filled with surprising depth and humanity. What started out as a silly little point-and-click adventure game has retained all its quirks and charms while telling a touching story with themes of acceptance and forgiveness. It serves as an unexpected but incredibly satisfying end to a truly memorable gaming experience.

The team at Survios have done something few others have accomplished in the VR sphere - they’ve put out a whole game. It’s not a concept, it isn’t Early Access, and it’s not a half baked demo - Raw Data is a complete product featuring a single-player campaign, cooperative multiplayer, PVP, multiple classes, and more. While there are still a few bugs to iron out, Raw Data manages to elevate itself above the usual wave shooter fare.

Monster Seeking Monster isn't the same pace as most of the other party games, it's a great source of fun for those who enjoy games featuring strategy and social manipulation. Survive the Internet reveals just how terrible your friends are, Bracketeering provides fast paced fun for a whopping sixteen people, and Fibbage 3 allows you to show off both your trivia knowledge and your ability to fool your friends. All in all, the Jackbox Party Pack 4 is a great party game bundle with far more hits than misses.

Golf Story is held back by a number of mechanics, some of which are not very fleshed out or enjoyable, the occasional glitch, and lots of quests which require skill and control of the game's often shaky mechanics. The story is entertaining enough, but the real charm of this game is the hilarity of its characters characters and dialogue. This really is a must have for any fan of golf games, but as an RPG fan, I thought this indie title only came in at par.

Butcher is a grotesque love-letter to older shooters with addictive gameplay, plenty of different difficulty settings and disturbing imagery. However, it doesn’t have enough to offer as the content falls short leading to an incredibly unsatisfying conclusion.

While Warriors All-Stars isn’t the best crossover, it’s great for fans of Koei-Tecmo. With a lovely cast of characters and a whole lot of content to unlock, it’s a good way to pass the time until Dynasty Warriors 9. Just be prepared to go through the motions more than you’d like to.

I struggled to find negative things to say about this game. From start to finish, South Park: The Fractured But Whole had me in stitches. It’s the perfect of blend of smart and silly. It is magnificent and absurdly ridiculous in a way that only South Park can pull off. It’s the best possible excuse to laugh about everything and everyone you know you’re not supposed to.

At the end of the day, Squareboy vs. Bullies: Arena Edition is a serviceable beat-em-up that doesn’t go out of its way to stand out. While it does have a distinct Gameboy-inspired feel, its repetitive level design, disappointing enemy variety, and lack of content make for a middling five dollar experience.

Theseus is a very entertaining and interesting VR game. The use of the third-person perspective in VR elevates the game and creates a fulfilling and unique experience. While the combat can be lackluster and constant camera changes feel unnecessary and bothersome, the narrative holds it together and makes Theseus better than many other PSVR titles.

Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is the MMO experience you’ve been dreaming of for Neptune and her friends, though it does come with a lot of shortcomings. The game does a novel job of producing a quick paced action JRPG that looks and feels incredibly like an MMORPG in almost every way, down to a text chat box. There are some issues with combat and that drags the experience down. Despite that, the game provides a fun and basic online mission mode, and provides a lot of fun and fast paced action in a pretty package.

Every once in awhile a game comes along that inevitably inspires a new generation of gamers, artists, and designers, an inflection point that imprints itself on the genetics of the medium and help up as a gold standard for years to come. Cuphead is one such game, a quirky assemblage of novelties that comes together in a breathtaking fashion, with a charming exterior that belies one of the most challenging games of this generation.

Echo is a game that presents some very original and interesting game mechanics while creating an enjoyable and full world. The characters of En and London were brought to life expertly by Rose Leslie and Nick Boulton. A lack of diversity in the game puzzles and environments drag it down a little but the changes in style save it from becoming bland and make Echo a very enjoyable experience.

Taking the familiar end-game in a much needed new direction and introducing four new races, Total War: Warhammer 2 is packed with fresh content, with more yet to come. Although some of the additions are more annoying than engaging, the overall experience delivers strategy and style in spades. A must-have for Warhammer tabletop players and Total War fans alike.

Terroir is an incredibly challenging game which incorporates the strategy, farm simulation, and tycoon genres. The lovely low-poly graphics and the atmospheric soundtrack make it easy to get lost in this world, especially as there's often not much to do other than wait for the weather to change. Much of the challenge comes from the randomness of the weather, so if you don't mind failing a time or twenty, you will find a great challenge in Terroir, and might even come to a greater appreciation of a good bottle of wine.

The original Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was a fantastic adventure, and this remake has not harmed it. You’ll find the same fun and challenging gameplay accompanied by the same witty dialogue that first appeared on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, but now everything looks and sounds much better. The new content, Bowser’s Minions, is not good enough to warrant a purchase by itself; however, since it’s completely optional, it’s also not a reason to stay away.

Combining gorgeous if deceptively simple graphics with an innovative approach to combat, Absolver is a welcome breath of fresh air to the sometimes predictable fighting game genre.