Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a cute, fun, deeply enjoyable and satisfying trek through a ruined world that only needs an irrepressible spark of creation to burst back to life.

The PC version is also an excellent port, offering a steady framerate, crisp visuals and well-established controls. If you missed out on this grand adventure when it was on the Xbox 360, here’s the perfect opportunity to fix that.

The arcade ports are proper versions of the included games and the addition of Pac-Man Vs. and the ability to get the full multiplayer experience over two Switches with just one copy of Namco Museum is nice.

With its wonderfully-orchestrated aesthetic, together with a surprisingly well-written and likeable cast of characters, though the game is not without its momentary frustrations, lingering legacy issues and unflattering textures, Valkyria Chronicles 4 on the whole marks a more-than-welcome return to form for one of last-generation’s most striking RPGs.

NHL 25 returns to form with impressive hockey. Satisfying changes to gameplay and updates to Franchise Mode including the addition of the Grudge Match breathe much-needed life into the series. ICE-Q works well and the changes to AI and being able to square up offensively against the goalie will create different results rather than just going through the motions in games and exploiting. There are still a few legacy issues here that are more personal annoyances including passing and a dated presentation model, but the move to current generation consoles has only allowed the team to create a significant upgrade to the series.

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.

The Talos Principle expects you to be smart and knows you’ve got the brain to figure it out, and the reward for it being right is the a sense of satisfaction at solving something properly tricky.

Thanks to a solid understanding of core fighting game mechanics, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is the installment fans have been waiting for.

Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages is the sort of project Kickstarter was built for: two brothers, nary a lick of development experience between them, making a game inspired by the favorites of their youth. It’s got all the rough edges and more that you’d expect from such a team, but it’s also brimming with ambition and heart.

The story and morality system may not be up to par with the previous inFamous games, but Second Son excels at everything else it tries to do.

Visual novel fans should experience it, while those not typically into the genre may also be able to appreciate the somber experience thanks to its brief, well-written and visually stunning nature.

Core Keeper is a strong survival game that can easily chew through the hours, providing a great balance between adventure and homesteading. There's a sense that no idea was left out, whether that be a constant pet companion or minecart rail lines, and while these may not get fully fleshed out, this is a rare occasion where quantity manages to make up for depth. The pet levels up and sometimes enemies drop treats that give it a nice experience boost, and that's all it needs to do. Minecart goes on tracks, riding it beats walking and maybe it doesn't need a complicated system of switches and sidings to get the job done. The underground world of Core Keeper stretches on for functionally forever, filled with chasms, monsters, resources beyond measure and even an underground sea. There's a huge amount of ways to play with it all and sometimes that's more than enough.

Eschatos merges the classic vertical shooter with a modern style of action while avoiding bullet hell, making for a fast, accessible and incredibly fun dose of pure arcade goodness.

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is a great RPG experience that manages to explore the espionage angle in an interesting way in its narrative and gameplay systems. The world manages to provide a fascinating context of decay, political intrigue and despair. While it may be a little complicated as a starting point in the genre, it’s a must-play for those looking to dig deeper into what the genre can offer.

The Yakuza Remastered Collection is about as perfect a rendition of the three included games as one could ask for. The three mainline PS3 games are here and look and feel better than ever. The redone scripts allow the stories to flow better and for humor to come across in ways that weren’t possible before. The visuals have been improved a bit — not radically, but more akin to a fresh paint job on a car that needs one. The bump up in visual clarity helps the games nicely, but doesn’t make the prior versions look awful either. It’s very much like the original Xbox version of GTA III receiving some mild quality of life visual upgrades, but nothing that affected the core story. Here, it just makes the story look a bit nicer while it’s being told.

This is not a game that can properly be played casually as it is simply too complex and too vast to get the full experience from fifteen minutes a day. Mastering the nuances of everything that is offered and learning how to best interact with each faction and party member will take time. For those who have the time and desire, however, this is one of the more rewarding time sink titles available. With the winter months on the horizon, Tyranny is a highly-recommended game to lock yourself away with while waiting for the weather to warm up.

Even though the franchise’s future looks concerning, whether you’re a newcomer or a hardcore fan, you owe it to yourself to revisit where the series began and took form.

Galariland is a cute and friendly world being threatened by a dark evil just dangerous enough to need a hero to drive it back, and if that involves growing vegetables and tending cows as much as smacking around monsters, then Prince Pietro is more than willing to attack the problem with a sword in one hand and a hoe in the other.

This is a game where you literally step over the dead bodies of your companions to reach a goal and doing so has never been so much fun.

Chicken Police – Paint it RED! is a well done and unique film noir video game experience. The gameplay mechanics are one of the weaker parts of the game, with the interrogation sequences not always being clear on what the best line of questioning is and the minigames feel tacked on, but despite these issues Chicken Police is an enjoyable and memorable experience, particularly for noir fans. The attention to the detail in recreating classic film noir atmosphere with superb voice acting, soundtrack and visuals make the overall experience engaging enough where the other shortcomings can be overlooked.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is a good expansion, combining an excellent campaign and raid with a decent content offering, even though not much of it feels exactly new. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen may not be the best overall expansion in Destiny history, but this queen sure does put on a good show while it lasts.

Knoutout Home Fitness is one of the more enjoyable exercise games in existence. It doesn’t require much in terms of set up or prior training, just enter some user information and start punching those calories away. Realistically Knockout Home Fitness isn’t going to get any of its players ripped, but it’s a fun way to get in a cardio workout. It’s low impact enough where it can be used daily to get some exercise in, or for people who view cardio as a necessary evil it can be something used three times a week to meet that requirement.

Crow Country is a tribute to retro survival horror games, inviting players to embark on a nostalgic adventure that will keep players asking questions and investigating everything the atmosphere has to offer. SFB Games did a wonderful job emulating what had made the classic survival horror games truly special. The puzzles aren’t amazing or innovative, but they're still solid and provide enough information for anyone to solve on their own. Crow Country is relatively easy, but the developer does have a roadmap planning the inclusion of a Hard mode to hopefully add a significant challenge to it. While it is somewhat flawed, Crow Country is a solid and compelling experience for those who enjoy the genre, and it was a blast exploring and learning about the world SFB Games has created.

Mask of Truth continues the trend of the first game and improves upon its combat. The visual novel aspect of things remains enjoyable, while the tactical RPG gameplay is more focused and refined. Graphically, it still falls short of what many would expect on the PS4, with Vita-level graphics that work fine for that version but don’t hold up well on the big screen. Its gorgeous soundtrack helps overcome that issue and allows even the most intense battles to be relaxing. Mask of Truth is a solid follow-up to Mask of Deception and a must-buy for all who enjoyed that game.

There are valid criticisms to be leveled at Chorus, but most of them stem from improvements in game design across the industry as a whole. Were this released a decade or two ago, it would have received myriad accolades. Anyone starved for an arcade space shooter that doesn’t take place in the Star Wars universe should give Chorus a spin. The protagonist is an interesting mess of a person, the action is varied enough and well tuned., and you’ll feel powerful while still being challenged. Chorus isn’t a perfect game, but a wise person once said to never let perfect be the enemy of good. Chorus is great, especially for the lower launch price, and that’s enough.

Rhapsody: The Marl Kingdom Chronicles is a must-buy for anyone seeking an RPG experience that makes it easy to see the beauty in the world around you. Its tales are celebrations of hope and happiness and in the case of the second game, are compelling from start to finish. The third entry going from one timeline to another feels disjointed as a result. They’re each worth playing, though, and the collection as a whole does a great job of bringing the games to an English-speaking audience for the first time.

It’s disappointing that some notable flaws, from dialogue and voice acting to performance issues, hold back The Mad Ones’ full potential. While the negatives can — and should — be addressed going forward, it’s not enough to take the shine off The Council. The Mad Ones captures the ethos of episodic gaming and brings a unique signature style that will have an immediate, lasting impression on players.

Light appears to stick with the bare minimum at first glance, but the slick presentation, stylized visuals and memorable music come together to create a fun and pure stealth action game.