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.