The Bell Chimes for Gold starts out as charming and fun to play. It’s once you spend more time with it that the problems with regard to unregistered button presses and certain items not being picked up automatically move from small annoyance to grating on the entire gameplay session. It also doesn’t help that the majority of the experience (exploring dungeons for items) is entirely repetitive.

Vengeance may not be what Kratos seeks anymore, but that has done little to stop the God of War franchise. Santa Monica Studios have successfully transplanted the Ghost of Sparta to a new world with a new mythology and given the formula the revamp it needed.

While there’s joy to be found in decapitating a seemingly-endless army of building-sized beasts that put up an immense fight, Extinction sadly never delivers a true killing blow in any one area, just a bunch of solid strikes with some notable misses.

Super Daryl Deluxe is a must-play title for fans of ridiculous and random humor as this is a definite contender for most ridiculous RPGvania ever made.

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is successful in recreating an atmosphere and world that feels as chaotic and random as a dream, but converting a dream into a game does not lead to a great gaming experience.

As a fan of Nippon Ichi Software’s output as a whole (these are the people behind the Ys and Xanadu series, after all), it’s hard not to be disappointed with The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2. Despite the knowledge gained from the previous outing, the developer released a title that plays like the place their unused ideas of other places got sent to die. Staying prepared for the action takes up a huge amount of time and the action itself isn’t exactly compelling.

Minit is a truly creative gem, putting an inspired twist on the classic top-down adventures of our youth in order to craft something truly special. Not only does it looks and sound amazing, it also has a cute sense of humor, great gameplay, a perfect level of challenge, and it contains a whole lot to see and solve, even after you initially wrap things up. It may take you mere minutes to play a session, but the overall experience is something that will leave an impact for a long time to come.

Batman: The Enemy Within is an improvement on the first season in nearly every way, with enhanced combat sequences, a strong presentation and voice cast and an engrossing relationship between Batman and the Joker that produces some memorable and heart-wrenching moments that feel well-justified by the player’s choices up to those moments.

It’s gorgeous with a killer soundtrack and impressive sound design as a whole. If you want something that blends overhead action RPG gaming with a faster-paced dungeon crawler motif, give Penny-Punching Princess a go.

Ash of Gods is obviously a huge nod to The Banner Saga, but does its own thing enough to hold its own; it just doesn’t carry itself with the confidence that could push it towards greatness.

MLB The Show 18 incorporates plenty of content to keep players busy while offering the best visuals and strongest core gameplay in a sports simulation. Franchise Mode feels more intuitive, Diamond Dynasty is loaded with Legends and many different outlets to score more cards, and Road to the Show is the best version the series has seen. The adjusted ball mechanics can be felt immediately, but there still seems to be an abundant amount of foul balls. While the lack of something revolutionary may bother yearly players, the game of baseball that The Show 18 plays will attract baseball fans.

Detective Pikachu is simply a delightful time and shows that there is a lot that can be done with the Pokémon world outside of training to be the very best.

When Sea of Thieves clicks, most likely because you have a full galleon of fellow pirates to work with, it can create a rousing, fun experience whether completing a long voyage for the Gold Hoarders or even just sailing around, looking for any hidden secrets or loot. But remove that and becomes clear that you have a game with little in the way or content or variety. It’s still decent, of course, but it’s nothing to write home about without a group.

Despite a slightly forgettable middle and a few characters being given a rushed ending, Same Stitch is a fantastic finale for Batman: The Enemy Within, as Bruce Wayne and John Doe’s uneasy alliance comes to an explosive and constantly surprising conclusion.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is the kind of game that’s best played when one just wants to sit back and relax for a while. Its lack of urgency combined with its liberal use of bright colors, upbeat musical tones and exceedingly optimistic characters make for an experience that can’t help but inspire a faint smile.

Octahedron is an incredible challenge and one that easily inspires creative bouts of swearing, but with a little bit of practice you’ll be dancing through levels that seemed impossible like a polygon-headed disco-ninja.

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.

While it may not stand out as an individual title, The Alliance Alive gets by with somewhat unique ideas and a memorable soundtrack. The varied cast doesn’t leave much impression and the combat gets too easy late-game with minimal grinding which makes it a chore more than anything. There are some great ideas here that fail to work together in a way that makes for an overall fun time.

The new features, updates and overall expansion of scope in Far Cry 5 help separate it from other titles, but even though this is arguably the best entry since Far Cry 3, it might be too similar for people burnt out on the franchise.

Most of the time, it often feels like the game can’t decide what it wants to be, as the playful nature of the exploration pushes against the heavy-handed plot, and the over-the-top set-piece moments in the final hours feel incompatible with the more grounded puzzle-based gameplay of the previous hours. Having a friend along for the ride makes the journey to the few memorable scenarios worth the wait, but those looking for the next great couch co-op adventure will likely be left unfulfilled.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom excels in delivering a top-notch JRPG by creating a magical world filled with great characters and visuals.

Into the Breach shows that strategy games don’t need to do anything new because they can create some of the most memorable gaming experiences to be had if done correctly. Into the Breach is a game that is being played even when away from the computer, because it can’t help but fill the mind with possibility.

It’s absolutely loaded with tracks and a strong difficulty curve, meaning that players are regularly being challenged to do increasingly difficult tracks.

A lazy port of a set of lazy ports from six years ago, but it is technically the best way to play two fantastic games – and also Devil May Cry 2. There is absolutely no reason for any fan who already picked up the original HD Collection to give this one a go, but if you’re an old fan who doesn’t have access to the PlayStation 2 originals or a gamer that’s always been interested in the franchise, you can’t go wrong picking this collection up for $29.99 USD.

Its character customization system is surprisingly robust and the insertion of the players custom character into the story works much more smoothly than expected. Combine that with opportunity to befriend one’s favorite characters, side content that’s worth doing and decent online play, and the result is a surprisingly solid game that Omega Force should be proud of.

If one can get past these early hours, especially newcomers to the genre, then Surviving Mars will prove to be a joy. It's a truly-rewarding game and feels even better building a city with such unforgiving odds, backed by the strangeness of classic sci-fi. Surviving Mars is a gem and is sure to only go further through the stars from here.

Yakuza 6 isn't just one of the best entries in the series to date, it's also one of the most fulfilling experiences you'll find in 2018. A game bursting with content and character alike, it takes its rightful place alongside some of the best releases of the year not just on substance or style, but on its ability to balance all its attributes yet pace it in a way that's both manageable and inviting.

Instead of a frilly samurai epic, it’s a monster fantasy that steeps itself in Japanese lore and historical politics. It sidesteps its marketing to be a title that anyone looking for a good story can enjoy.