While it could have done more with its central concept, Observation is a terrific, thrilling adventure game and a superb follow-up for No Code. The blend of the realistic workings of space exploration along with more bizarre elements is perfectly executed and creates an engrossing story with a haunting atmosphere that you’ll want to see through. It’s an epic mystery you’ll want to experience, and while it may not be the full-on video game equivalent of 2001, it’s still a killer ode that Kubrick would hopefully be proud of.

Rise of the Ronin aims to deliver an epic story filled with well-rounded characters, an open-world adventure, action-filled combat and a presentation taking advantage of current-gen hardware. For the most part, it succeeds. The story is indeed epic, with plenty of intrigue delivered by well-rounded characters, even at the cost of the player character.

That being said, DJ Hero is a quite fresh approach to the rhythm genre despite the areas where it obviously falters. It’s certainly an expensive game to grab, but its unique style of play and well-done mashups do a good job towards warranting it.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom checks all the boxes of what players would want from their annual expansion and then some. The new arcanist class was a joy to play and helped make the nine-year-old game feel new again. Storytelling is an area where The Elder Scrolls generally has no deficiencies, but even so Necrom’s story goes above and beyond in weaving an unpredictable and memorable tale where it’s impossible not to become emotionally invested. The new areas and companions were masterfully crafted in such a way where it’s easy to lose oneself in exploring the new landscapes and learning the backstories of the new characters. The Elder Scrolls Online has gone through several evolutions since its launch and Necrom shows that there’s still a lot great adventures to be had in Tamriel.

Madden NFL 13 is the first Wii U port we've played that uses the console to make a notable impact on gameplay. Instead of simply throwing in disposable features, time was taken to ensure the GamePad was utilized to its full potential.

Darkest Dungeon is difficult, but not because its systems are unclear or unfair. In fact, the richness and complexity of its mechanics are miraculously transparent. What makes Darkest Dungeon challenging is balancing and equipping a party and the essentially unpredictable nature of the dungeons and combat.

Those who experienced Guilty Gear XX Accent Core first on the PlayStation 2 back in 2009 will feel right at home with Plus, as it looks and feels the same - which is both a positive and a negative. Overall, though, the transition to this console generation has been kind to Accent Core Plus, with astoundingly deep mechanics that still play impeccably in the year 2013.

RKGK proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, ending up as a superb blend of '90s platforming and classic anime, all given a unique twist thanks to a great emphasis on speed. Movement is fun, levels are nicely challenging and filled with a lot to explore, and to say the whole thing is pleasing to the eyes and ears would be an understatement. Even when it fumbles, it does so due to wanting to be so ambitious, and that makes for something that easily stands out as much as one of Valah's murals.

It may not revolutionize, but Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 Edition firmly establishes the property in the gaming landscape.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is as close to the perfect package as is currently available for folks looking to jump into the Zero Escape world. The only thing that would make it better is if it somehow included Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma to complete the set. Even so, the two included games offer players over twenty hours of gameplay as they work through dozens of distinct endings. The lack of tweaks to Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward may seem strange in comparison, even though that title didn’t need much reworking to begin with. In either case, there’s no doubt that Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a set of visual novels that are both worth a look.

Simply put, The Rising Tide is a fitting end to Final Fantasy XVI. It delivers more stellar gameplay and an interesting narrative, all while further solidifying the legacy of the franchise's sixteenth title. While it may play it safe with the characters, bosses and story, it makes up for it with the addition of Leviathan and Kairos Gate. Furthermore, the DLC is a perfect sendoff to the game, lending itself well to what was established and giving fans a chance to return to Clive, Torgal, Jill and Jonathan one last time. Those who enjoyed the base game will find The Rising Tide to be an enjoyable and worthwhile adventure to travel back to Valisthea for.

Praise be to Blasphemous, for it’s an impressive game that has truly joined together the peanut-butter-and-chocolate-style union that is souls-likes and metroidvania games. While certain levels and enemies could benefit from a bit more polish, the end result is still a sinful delight filled with heavily-enjoyable combat, tons of areas to explore and secrets to uncover, and some jaw-dropping (if brutal) sights. It may be a game filled with countless unholy terrors, but it also oddly has a lot of love put into it as well, so don’t miss out on it (if you don’t mind the occasional nightmare).

Eldritch is brutally tough until you learn it, and then settles down to be pleasantly challenging, It’s a big random first-person dungeon crawl dripping with atmosphere, evil and fun in equal measure, and as a bonus you get to be a librarian reigning in the power of dark tomes of terrible knowledge.

Hero Must Die Again is a well-crafted game with a unique concept. Starting off strong and becoming weaker over time forces you to think more than you usually do in a JRPG. It’s a challenging, but rewarding game with a fun and intuitive battle system. Your hand isn’t held and you will have to use your wits to make significant progress in an efficient manner — but it’s well-worth the sacrifice. It’s a bit hit or miss visually, but sounds great — with a multi-faceted OST that fits the anime-style visuals and faster-paced combat.

In a world of game that take themselves too seriously, Alienation is simply fun, and it’s a game that I can see myself coming back to when I need just that.

It’s a shame the experience is so brief, but because this is an arcade title that only costs fifteen bucks to scoop up, it’s a nice amount of depth and a completely absurd amount of fun. It’s just funny that this may turn out to be one of the better things released this year and it started out as a joke.

While not the best in the franchise, Silent Hill f is a true Silent Hill experience. It's just a great horror game even if you don't want to judge it against other Silent Hill titles. This is the second AAA horror game released in the same month, so Halloween is looking very competitive this year. The technical aspects involving both the audio and the visuals showcase what the PlayStation 5 Pro can do, albeit one bad section. The other world gameplay elements do stray a bit too far, not to mention the relatively short campaign — although it does have some replayability thanks to the five different endings, each feeling like director's cuts. Still, the core ideas of Silent Hill are here, with a unique cultural setting with a story that has very dark endings. Both horror and Silent Hill fans need to experience Silent Hill f.

There’s no doubt that Konami still focuses on the hardcore fan as it still needs to work on providing a more fun and enticing experience as it has the technological and simulation side down. There’s no doubt that eFootball PES 2020 is the best version of the game this generation, but it’s still geared towards its own community.

So Many Me is an outstanding puzzle-platformer that fans of the genre should pick up.

As it stands, I personally rank this a good bit below the Dreamcast original in terms of quality, but above all other installments.

While some elements such as the lack of a romantic goal may be a turn off for some players, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is an absolute charmer much like the first title. Those who enjoyed the first may find this to be more of the same, but at the end of the day, that’s what fans of farming sims often want. It’s the variety of characters and new crops and little gameplay tweaks that make it fun to come back time and time again to work up to the ultimate farming experience. It’s a must-have for Doraemon fans and those wanting a new light-hearted Story of Seasons experience will likely enjoy the change of pace that the crossover brings to the table. Hopefully fans of the genre check out Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom as it truly is an endearing delight and exciting to see this series get such a lovely sequel.

Survios has another winner on its hands with Battlewake. Instituting an anti-sea sickness technology should allow people who are more prone to this to actually enjoy the game. While the single player allows for getting the premise and feel of the game down, it truly shines in multiplayer. Multiplayer is seamless and works extremely well and people can hop on with friends. Single player will get redundant, but what is done here will go towards the multiplayer experience. Motion tracking is wonderful along with the controls but will take a little bit to master as there is a lot going on at times. The visuals are vibrant and vary based on environments. Battlewake is the only game of its kind and even better, it retails for only $30 on PS4. Battlewake is a must-have game for VR owners.

Point Perfect is a fun game that, although meant to be enjoyed casually in short bursts, rewards getting better and lasting longer, allowing more of the game’s crazy randomness to be experienced as a high score worth bragging about is racked up.

What Asteroid Base has done here shouldn’t be brushed aside: this is a game that feels like some real effort and soul was put into it, and the result is a title that is emblematic of everything awesome about the independent game development scene.

With some great stories that don’t overstay their welcome and an endearing cast of characters, the King’s Quest reboot series manages to overcome some rough spots to become greater than its parts.

It may not be the RPG we had sought at the beginning, but it’s one that marries together most (though not all) of what makes this Mario spin-off so immediately engrossing.

More than four years on, SUPERHOT remains as instantly recognizable and immensely appealing a gameplay concept as it ever was on day one. MIND CONTROL DELETE may feel more like a continuation of a good run, rather than a full expanding upon the foundation, but that doesn’t mean that what new features it does offer up fail in helping to bolster what still remains a fun and ingenious interpretation of first-person shooting and puzzle-solving fused together. While it’s easy to pick out the over-reliance on repeated environments, as much the disappointing lack of committing to the subversive elements of previous, there are just as many — if not more — new additions brought into the fold, that ultimately, rightfully, claim most of the attention. A familiar reflection of what the base game managed it may be, a slew of new threats, devious twists and further reinforcing of smart tactics to compensate for such unpredictability result in MIND CONTROL DELETE ending up a great addition to the SUPERHOT experience.

Exactly what fans of the series have come to expect, whilst still providing one or two interesting deviations in gameplay along the way, Like A Dragon: Ishin! fuses familiar traits with a delightfully-versatile combat system to great effect. Those worried that a game both spin-off in nature and far-flung from the series’ present day roots would feel too isolated should take comfort from the fact this year’s remake of a pre-0 entrant remains quintessentially Yakuza in all the right ways. And while the take on style-switching, combo-chasing combat this time round is admittedly imperfect and far from the most fluid system to engage with, some occasional scuffs and rough edges aren’t enough to deter Like A Dragon: Ishin! from coming away as one more worthwhile and thoroughly-entertaining spin-off in the Yakuza series.

If you love the Muramasa, you’ll get more than your money’s worth out of A Spirited Seven Nights Haunting.

There’s no better way to sum it up than just by getting straight to the point: Cyber Shadow is a fun action-platformer and one that expertly emulates the NES classic of yore. While it also kept some rather hair-pulling moments, largely thanks to a few annoying level sections, it still manages to deliver the type of classic, action-packed gameplay that the best games in the genre were known for. Throw in an engaging story, superb graphics and a few neat secrets, and this is one throwback to a twisted cybernetic future worth basking in.

If you can ignore the more tasteless elements, you’ll find yourself being sucked into the world of République.

The same issues that plagued this racing title in the past generation still remain, including lackluster AI and mission variety, and the slight improvement to the graphics leave much to be desired. For those eager to return to Paradise City or those looking to take their first trip, however, the sheer quantity of races and objectives to complete offers dozens of hours worth of blood-pumping excitement that few other racing titles can compete with.

Stellaris was going to draw in the genre buffs with its intricacies, that was practically a given; Paradox’s masterstroke was enabling it to get its hooks into the rest of us.

Statistically-minded individuals will enjoy delving into the surprising deep Owner portion of Connected Franchise, while older fans will love the opportunity to play as hall of fame players and the history tidbits of past Madden games shown during loading screens.

Manifold Garden is an incredibly stylish first-person puzzler, like walking through the architectural drawings of a pandimensional designer. Some of the individual rooms are a little too sterile for their own good but these are always followed up with incredible views that stretch out forever in geometrically pleasing patterns of infinite repetition. The tendrils of darkness overrunning the garden are a passive threat at their worst, leaving you free to explore and experiment, flipping the world around to see it from a new perspective. The garden may have seen better days but chasing away the darkness is just the excuse needed to take it all in, solving its mysteries and coming to grips with a creation that only follows the rules of 3D space when it feels like it.

DeltaZeal deserved better than to be lost in shooter history, and is an easy recommendation for anyone who’s ever enjoyed flying up the screen maxed out on firepower but only a single bullet away from death.

While Xanadu Next is buggy and its menus just plain busted for controller use, the rest of the game is a wonderful trip through a classic JRPG world.

Murder mysteries are a wonderful genre of any medium that have near limitless potential and Root Film is a great entry that fans of other similar visual novels are likely to find enjoyment from. While it may not have a ton in the gameplay department due to focusing much more on the storytelling, it does its job well and the build up to uncovering the criminal in a fun who-done-it moment is worthwhile no matter the case at hand. Titles like these are hard to discuss due to the spoiler nature of murder mysteries, but anyone looking for a new mystery series that’s a mix of wonderful comedy and serious murder drama should check out Root Film.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth deserves every member of its rabid fanbase. The game is is filled with so much to find and explore; there are innumerable secrets to discover and things to figure out. Afterbirth adds more of that and anyone who enjoys the original would be well served to download this pustule-covered add on.

Katamari Damacy was a unique and bizarre game that offered simple fun in lieu of a complex and twisting narrative. This title may be short and repetitive, but it’s extremely difficult to play this and not have a good time. Whether a newcomer or a fan of the PlayStation 2 version, the odd gem of a game should be included in every Switch owner’s library.

With a slew of new mechanics and strategic forks in the road thrown into the mix, Pac-Man 99 is another resounding success at converting a timeless classic into a stressful-but-exciting multiplayer outing.

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is being published both as a standalone title with the full package (at a bargain compared to other just launched fighters) as well as a DLC pack for half the price for owners of the last game. Because of this, existing fans and newcomers are both getting the best deal. This is a title that comes highly recommended to anyone with a penchant for fast, flashy fighters on the 2D plane. While the genre isn’t hurting for options at the moment, this is a game that can hold its own against any challenger, as long as it doesn’t ask me to play as Answer.

Disgaea 3 is as brilliant as the other games, but the over-saturated gameplay and less than expected graphic quality are regrettable drawbacks.

The Top Racer Collection features a lot of the same core gameplay across its four titles, but each of them excels at what it does. Those craving something new in the arcade racing realm who missed out on the series in its 16-bit heyday should check this out. Anyone who loved Outrun or has enjoyed Horizon Chase Turbo or '80s Overdrive as more modern homages to this franchise will have a blast with each entry. It's fascinating to have all of the early games in one collection and see the evolution from the earliest entries into the later ones, with new Crossroads content making it easy to hope for a new full-on Top Racer game down the line.

Prison Architect is a genuinely fun game that makes you think in unexpected ways. Apart from some slight campaign fatigue and an Escape Mode with plenty of potential but poor execution, it’s hard to put it down.

While it could stand to be longer, if only to deliver more when it come to some of its more ambitious elements, Trek to Yomi is an amazing action game that makes terrific use of its cinematic presentation, using Kurosawa vibes to impact both the gameplay and visuals in clever ways.

If you haven’t been scared off by the concept it presents, then The Novelist shall likely prove a worthwhile experience.

The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon adds an engaging new story to The Outer Worlds. The new content, save for the new location to explore, doesn’t change up the formula too much but that’s absolutely fine. With a game like The Outer Worlds more of the same is a good thing. The new story content seamlessly weaves into the main story and feels like a natural extension of what was already there. The time to complete The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon is enough where it feels like a worthwhile extension but doesn’t overstay its welcome and is the perfect reason to get back into The Outer Worlds.

Destiny 2: Forsaken presents Destiny 2 with its much-needed reset. The campaign is compelling enough thanks to its excellent boss design, though Uldren lacks the history to be a strong antagonist. The new locales are a joy to explore and provide a nice change in pace compared to the vanilla worlds. Gambit is an exciting new mode, but, like the Blind Well, is heavily dependent on what kind of teammates you have. Destiny 2 needed something to save it and Forsaken bought it a new lease on life.

Dishonored is as if Deus Ex had a beautiful child with Bioshock whose ancestors were that of Half-Life descent. While it certainly has its issues, such as a plot that isn't as fleshed out as it could be, and low-resolution textures inhabiting the world, it's still one of the better new intellectual properties this year. By offering multiple combat systems, a superbly crafted world and a high volume of alternate paths to take, Dishonored accomplishes great feats that will pave the way for future action-adventure games.

While the third season will be unlikely to re-entice those who fell off after the second season, those who yearn for the emotional scenes and depressing themes of Clementine’s journey will find plenty to appreciate in the first two episodes of A New Frontier thanks to Telltale’s high-quality storytelling skills and presentation.

Even with these unfortunate and evident shortcomings on the technical side, The Outer Worlds is a rewarding and ultimately intriguing adventure to partake in. Delivering on that same kind of old-and-new synergy of RPG staples that have allowed this niche of AA-tier RPGs -- limitations notwithstanding -- to flourish in recent years.

While the 3DS title may have received mixed reception, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a wonderful return to form from the first title that does the series justice. It’s on par, if not better, than the original simply because of the great atmosphere and wonderful puzzling challenge it brings. While fighting enemies isn’t the most difficult thing ever, especially for older players, it’s still fun and never overstays its welcome between exploring each and every floor in the haunted hotel. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is an absolutely wonderful time that makes it easy to want to jump in and keep exploring the hotel to find every last secret it has to offer.

Best of all, Picross is a wonderfully pure test of logical puzzle solving, with a deep challenge that's as satisfying as it is addictive. [Oct 2007, p.61]

While the third season will be unlikely to re-entice those who fell off after the second season, those who yearn for the emotional scenes and depressing themes of Clementine’s journey will find plenty to appreciate in the first two episodes of A New Frontier thanks to Telltale’s high-quality storytelling skills and presentation.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the best entry in the series yet and provides a near-perfect blend of action and strategy. Those looking for something to fill the void of the long-gone After Burner series will like the quicker pace offered here. Longtime AC vets will love the quicker pace and increase on craft customization. Dogfights are a rewarding challenge and every part of the presentation is impressive. Its graphics are the best ever seen for a flight-based game and the soundtrack is outstanding too.

Daylight’s shortcomings will scare away genre detractors. The gameplay is repetitive, the level design annoying and backtracking quickly becomes a chore. It falls short because because of these things, yet remains an amazing experience.

F1 2018 brings the complete Formula One experience to your cockpit. Featuring the new rule changes, a new handling model and a deeper Career Mode, racers are in for a different experience over F1 2017. The biggest gripe is with the A.I., which would most likely see some improvements as there is a patch due at launch. Cars shine beautifully and player models are the most realistic the series has seen. Having the F1 television graphics help complete the overall Formula One experience. Codemasters has established its own branch of racing simulation with F1 2018.

Wanted: Dead is a punishingly-difficult bloodbath that’s a joy to play. The stages are a brutal mix of swordplay and gun battles with a combat system that’s rewarding once the timing is mastered. In between stages there are several minigames that offer a sense of levity to help break up the violence against the corrupt corporate overlords, whether it be through karaoke, an eating contest or a good old fashioned arcade game. The style of gameplay feels like a modern take on third-person action games from the early 2000s which isn’t a bad thing at all. Wanted: Dead pulls no punches when it comes to challenging the player, but that’s what makes finally completing it feel so satisfying.

Dragoneer's Aria is so RPG it hurts. It's solid, it's hard, and it somehow manages to look like a PS2 game on the PSP. It just doesn't have that one unique oomf that pushes it to the top. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.59]

Eyes in the Dark: The Curious Case of One Victoria Bloom is an inviting and likeable journey into a cursed mansion and the family history of holding back the darkness, beating back the worst the void has to offer with bravery and a bizarrely tricked-out flashlight.

Pick it up if you’re looking for a fighting game that’s a little different and packed with personality.

With the lessons that Digital Dreams has clearly learned, it’s going to be fascinating to see what the small studio does next. After all, this is a team that clearly understands how to improve over time.

The Taken King has come and he’s brought a much-improved experience.

Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen isn’t going to blow your socks off, but it does expand the lore ever so slightly and introduce a beloved franchise antagonist. This is essentially a two-to-three-hour long mission going from room to room, clearing out baddies and taking down raid-approved bosses. The rewards for endgame players not looking to go into new game+ are worth it, and the adventure along the way is compelling enough to keep our attention. It may be formulaic and overly straightforward, but it doesn’t stray too far from the fantastical formula the main campaign established. The only major thing missing is an eikon fight. In the end, Echoes of the Fallen is a solid adventure that will keep you entertained for an evening.

Despite the complete curveball the plot gradually throws at you as it moves along, Kathy Rain is a great adventure game with a story that easily gets you hooked and a mystery filled with a grade-A level of challenge to tackle.

On PS3, MLB 14: The Show is an excellent game; it’s just not much of an improvement over last year’s entry

While The Plucky Squire could have benefited from being fleshed out even just a little bit more, it still provides a unique genre-hopping adventure, one that perfectly captures a feeling of a childlike wonder in Jot and the land of Mojo.

ENIGMA: is a surprising visual novel in how well it brings together humor, mystery and drama. It takes skillful writing to make this work as well as it does here.

Guardians of Middle-Earth is a very pleasant surprise. A well-crafted title that fans of either RTSes or tower defense games will enjoy, the season pass setup ($14.99 by itself, or $29.99 with the full game via retail) ensures that new content will be coming for quite a while to this already jam-packed downloadable title. Those in the mood for a relatively easy to learn RTS-style game or with Hobbit-fever will find a lot to like here.

While the mechanics are starting to feel a little dated at this point and the sound effects lack the quality the rest of the game shows, Resident Evil 4 is still one of the greats that needs to be experienced, and the Ultimate HD Edition is the perfect excuse to do so.

River City: Knights of Justice is an excellent beat ’em up on the whole. It has some graphical and audio shortcomings that drag it down, but long-time fans of he series will still find a lot of enjoyment here.

While the PC port of One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is weak in technical terms, the game itself is very playable.

Putting aside the technical complaints, Shadow Warrior 2 is legitimately one of the best shooters of 2016 thus far. From its quick, snappy gun and sword combat to its satisfying Diablo-style loot system, this is the type of game that players will find themselves coming back to whenever they’re seeking a good time. Yes, it’s blatantly trying to be offensive in the dumbest ways possible (lest we forget, your character’s name is Lo Wang), but its self-awareness has a way of bringing a smile to your face.

For those who have been waiting until all the entries have been released before deciding if it’s worth picking up, please know that the King’s Quest reboot is absolutely worth the time.

Secret Ponchos: Most Wanted Edition is the thinking man’s western shooter.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a surprisingly solid title that manages to stand out from the crowd during a year that’s been jam-packed with incredible games.

Tower of Guns is an ass-kicking bullet-hell FPS arcade-style action, loaded with cool toys and unpredictable situations, and one of the most purely fun shooters I’ve seen in a very long time.

There are still some qualms here and there, such as the returning frame-rate slowdown and repetitiveness, but in general this is a solid action-RPG that should be played by anyone who adores the genre.

Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe packs a ton of great run/jump/shoot/puzzle action in its arcade shell, and is easily one of the best Tetris-style games to show up in a very long time.

Right now, as it stands, Cloud Chamber is an impressively grand experiment that’s well worth your time and money. If this seems up your alley, don’t wait — get into it while the getting is good.

El Paso, Elsewhere is an excellent nod to the days of Max Payne, but thanks to its impressive story, surreal world and unforgettable soundtrack, it still manages to stand on its own as a top-notch shooter. With smooth, slick combat that perfectly feels like a classic action games with a modern feel, this is one terrific blast of adrenaline that anyone should check out. The Void may mess with you quite a bit, but the trip through it is definitely worth taking.

Simply put, this is the definitive version of Raiden IV. If you’re a fan, there’s a lot to love here.

Fire Pro Wrestling World is the best entry in the longest-running wrestling game franchise. It combines the modern era of New Japan Pro Wrestling with a gameplay style that does not only that company, but many others justice with its diversity. The learning curve may be tough on newcomers in theory, but the training and Fighting Road modes ensure that you never feel too out of your depth even if you haven’t played a Fire Pro game before. Fire Pro Wrestling World is a must-buy for any fan of New Japan or pro wrestling as a whole.

Ikenfell likely won’t replace the Harry Potter series as a whole when it comes to providing a signature web of tales centered around a magic school, but it still provides one impressive journey on its own. Filled with lovable characters, an enjoyable story, and a colorful world to explore filled with a nice level of challenge and a stunning soundtrack, there’s a lot here for fantasy and RPG fans to check out. Heck, it may even be something to recommend to younger gamers as an introduction to the tactics subgenre. Overall, Ikenfell is a trip to a far-out school that’s definitely worth taking.

Despite a highly-questionable decision to neuter the lethality of the series’ central enemies, the core gameplay coupled alongside the electronic presentation proves to be one of the most addictive combos on the market, with the three-star perfection of Adventure mode and the constant climb up the leaderboards in Score Attack providing key motivations to continue returning to the title for another near-decade.

Nuclear Throne is impeccably presented and tightly designed. There is enough variety in characters, upgrades and weapons to ensure that playthroughs never get repetitive and its visceral combat is a joy in itself. Its frustrating unfairness, however, holds it back and may alienate even hardcore roguelike fans.

Pacing issues aside, Cursed to Golf is a unique and terrific blend of different genres that makes for a highly enjoyable and fresh spin on the classic sport. Be it through golfing skills, puzzle-solving skills, luck or a mix of all three, each hole presents a multitude of options to try out and paths to take, with each perfect shot providing a sort of golfing high as you soar through a passageway filled with spikes and vines. Throw in charming old-school style and aesthetics, and you get one challenging course that’s a blast to play through.

Done Running is proof that Telltale still has plenty of ideas to innovate and reinvigorate the adventure genre, where even small changes including new camera perspectives and an improved presentation can go a long way, even if the story hasn’t quite found its footing yet. There’s plenty of time for the season’s plot to turn itself around and wrap up Clementine’s journey on a fitting note, and she deserves it after all the character’s been through, but the promising changes from every other perspective seems to indicate good things to come for the remaining three episodes.

Planet of the Eyes is a short but memorable trip through a weird-worlds sci-fi alien landscape.

While the game concept and interaction methods are simple, Bounce has some heft to it. Fifty discrete levels that can be solved in ridiculous ways gives it quite a bit of staying power. The only limit is how over the top the player wants to be with the tools on hand. Anyone looking for a solid puzzler in VR will have a great time with Bounce.

Despite the time constraints, which are actually pretty generous, Pixeljunk Eden is a peaceful, relaxing, and oddly pretty chill-out game that's very easy to lose a good chunk of time in. [Fall 2008, p.54]

A new planet, a bigger focus on new characters over returning favorites, a new tone set between the dry humor of Borderlands and the humor of The Pre-Sequel, and a stronger focus on worldbuilding and gameplay mechanics results in a refined game that delivers hours of fun on the back of excellent gameplay, levels and boss design.

Based on graphics, gameplay, and overall chaos factor, Killzone 2 is FPS gold.

Sometimes sappy and sweet - and at other times terrifying - OZMAFIA!! is one experience that otome fans aren’t likely to forget anytime soon.

At the end of the day, NinjaBee crafted a fantastic game that’s worth every cent of its cost and every second of your time.

Jack the Ripper is a substantial and enjoyable additional chapter to the main game, only marred by the developer’s insistence on trying to make real history fit into a fiction.

BandFuse: Rock Legends is the most technically impressive rhythm-game ever released.