Thankfully, the Ultimate Edition is packed with so much content – eight different multiplayer modes, nineteen different maps and a six hour campaign – that players will be immediately hooked. Gears of War is a game truly worthy of remaking and The Coalition has done a bang up job doing so.

With its charming and unique pinball mechanics that get subtly, cleverly more complex and elaborate the further you progress — as well as a charming art-style present in its environments and characters alike — what it lacks in some grandiose narrative or punctuating tone, Villa Gorilla more than make up for with a gameplay loop that excels on its originality — garnering a wide smile to one’s face in the process.

Command & Conquer comes back after decades with something for everyone. With two important RTS games in one bundle, this is a serious collection for anyone wanting to get into the series and those of us wishing to return.

Helldivers II delivers where it matters and leaves us excited to see what Arrowhead can bring to the game next rather than leaving us pondering if the game can be saved. Helldivers II is one galactic conflict players can happily dive into.

It’s truly impressive just how solid a game Ys: Memories of Celceta is. It has a lot of moving parts, and yet never once does it get lost in all its trying to do. Instead, all of its aspects feel polished, well-conceived and executed in tandem with a remarkable sense of precision. This is one of the Vita’s most prized RPGs, and realistically, one of its best titles.

Street Fighter V was one of the biggest disappointments at its launch but over the past four years has evolved into one of the best fighting games of this generation. Street Fighter V: Champion Edition is the definitive version of Street Fighter V (for now). With the exception of the increased roster, the additional content beyond Arcade Edition is largely cosmetic, so this may not be a necessary upgrade people who are satisfied with the their current roster and don’t care about costumes and stages. For everyone else this is the version of Street Fighter V to get. Between the top-notch fighting mechanics and fan service there are countless hours of entertainment to be found in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

Ubisoft has successfully recreated what made Grand Theft Auto great, but incorporates enough original ideas to set Marcus’ journey apart and make it feel fresh.

Dance Central is obviously the first of future iterations of a new franchise, with very slim pickings when it comes to features. Don't let that throw you off though, as it's one of the must own game of 2010.

Much like its predecessor, FIFA 16 is likely to be picked up by a brand new audience purely thanks to the fact that professional soccer is growing exponentially in popularity in North America. Thankfully, newcomers and veterans alike will find an excellent game of soccer that yet again takes advantage of the higher processing power of current-gen consoles to deliver an experience more realistic than ever.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire aren’t just great RPGs, they’re a great example as to why Pokémon might be the surest thing in gaming.

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.

While the content is short sighted with Chivalry 2, the improvements over its predecessor make it a much better experience. As of today, developer Torn Banner Studios has promised that the content in the game will double. The combat is fun and the draw to keep playing is to level up each subclass, while the archer provides a good change of pace. This is an excellent title to play a couple of rounds and come back to at another date. Those that want to grind and get skilled have the chance to do this. For PC players, the keyboard and mouse combo works well with the combat mechanics. As more and more content comes to the game including gameplay improvements, the experience should only improve. Either way, it’s hard to put the game down.

Dark Souls III: The Ringed City isn’t the swan song that we hoped it would be, but it’s still an enticing adventure for hardcore fans. The problem lies within city itself, which is a bit of a formulaic mess that fails to capture what made the series great. The first half of the DLC has an excellent setup that will leave players wanting more, especially with callbacks to Dark Souls II, but city portion is structurally boring. It’s still intertwining in on itself, but it feels like the developers had a checklist of all their favorite areas and design tropes that needed to be in this short experience, lessening their importance. No one area feels fleshed out enough to be memorable. Regardless, the bosses are a decent showpiece, especially if you can find the secret one, and the new enemies are a welcome addition. It may be only a few hours long, but The Ringed City still a worthy addition to the Dark Souls universe.

While Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 doesn’t try to make any drastic changes, it’s still a worthy entry in the series.

The multiplayer brings back the arcadey, fast-paced action missing from the past two years and takes numerous systems back to basics for the better. It's unfortunate that a lot of Infinity Ward’s poor design decisions infect so much of the experience, but the core gunplay, Omnimovement and about half the maps still help make this feel like a proper Treyarch Black Ops experience. Zombies is back to round-based and is helped by Omnimovement and smart map design to create a thrilling experience. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 carries on the legacy of the Black Ops franchise well and is a strong return to form for the long-running series.

Those worried about where the tradition of Yakuza would stand following last year’s change in direction for the series should rest easy in just how well executed Lost Judgment truly is, from terrifically-written story to masterful gameplay.

A firm early nominee for story-based end-of-the-year awards, The Banner Saga 2 is an absolute must play for anyone with even a passing interest in high fantasy or strategy games.

Despite a few flaws and annoyances, it needs to be repeated: DropMix is just plain fun. It’s a damn good rhythm game with some amazing music that encourages creativity and has you achieve this goal in a particularly clever way. Heck, it says a lot that even after going through all of the included cards and still having a ton of fun, I was more than willing to pick up a few more packs with money from my own pocket. But regardless of what cards you decide to go with or how you decide to play, it’s an excellent rhythm game guaranteed to keep you hooked for a long time. Now to just hope for more choice cards in the future…

Rarely do you find games these days that could be described as a combination of “ambitious,” “thought-provoking,” “hard-hitting,” “hilarious” and “extremely fun,” but somehow Not For Broadcast delivers on that front. It’s truly a unique gem with terrifically-varied gameplay, a perfectly-absurd sense of humor with impressive writing and performances, and a story guaranteed to throw you for a loop. Not For Broadcast is a bizarre masterpiece and one not afraid to gleefully mock everything it sees in the most over-the-top yet devastating ways possible, and for that, it deserves top honors. So that’s our report, and have a peaceful night…

Despite the Race Director that has it out for the player, and some issues with perspective in cockpit view, Project CARS 2 is one of those games that can fill an entire niche on its own. The expansive career mode will eat up the time, quick race will allow for a wide variety of variations and multiplayer is set up to be the perfect destination for the gearhead. Being a realistic racer that’s welcoming to the neophyte is an accomplishment in and of itself. To do this on top of the sheer variety of gameplay that this title has is laudable. Project CARS 2 might very well be the best simulation racer on the market.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s prioritization of exploration and stealth coupled with a more reflective plot ends Lara’s origin story on a more human note, which is strengthened by the remarkable presentation.

If you’re the type of gamer who is sick of the same games coming out over and over again, then Superhot is a breath of fresh air thanks to its phenomenally executed central mechanic.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection isn’t the greatest remaster ever, nor is it the worst.

The actual amount of content added with the Storm Island DLC isn’t Earth-shattering, but there are a lot of new events thanks to the new locale and some new vehicles made with this terrain in mind.

Some who want a deeply-engaging story for a memorable solo gaming experience may feel let down, but someone who wants competitive and team-based gun battles could easily get several dozen or maybe even hundreds of hours of enjoyment from this title. The RPG elements allow players to make their characters truly their own and allows the freedom to build within their preferred playstyle.

Despite minor technical issues, though, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is for the most part a polished and enjoyable golf sim.

The humor is consistent with some of the show’s best episodes, the visuals are wholly original for a game and the gameplay is surprisingly challenging and rewarding. As much of its humor is dependent on character references, those who aren’t avid viewers of the show probably won’t enjoy it, but you should remedy that if you fall into that category.

Madden NFL 18 may be the biggest leap forward in the franchise since going to 3D in 1999. The tightest and crispest Madden to date, it looks and performs stunningly, all while adding tons of little things to correctly represent the game of football.