Dishonored 2, with its refined mechanics and expanded gameplay following suit, personifies what a sequel should be.

Developers Teku Studios clearly poured a lot of love and effort into Candle and it shows. From the breathtaking scenery and artwork to the terrific puzzle designs and unique worlds to discover and characters to interact with, Teku’s journey is easily one that deserves to have a light shone on it as well, as a showcase of a terrific platformer and adventure game.

Sure, there are issues to be had with the limited resolution or generally simplistic puzzles, but none of these things impede the overall experience to a point where a playthrough becomes annoying. If you’ve enjoyed other creepy indies such as Corpse Party or Mad Father, then Alicemare should be next on your lineup.

Things actually could be even slightly deeper, but for now, Planet Coaster truly is one of the best virtual thrill rides you can check out and one you won’t get off of anytime soon.

This title attempts to meld an educational focus with endearing characters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to create compelling characters or plot. The information gained about Japan while playing is valid and factual, but that alone isn’t enough to make the entire experience enjoyable.

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.

Despite all of the complaints, there is some inherit value to Dragon Ball Fusions. The battle system, while not great, is creative and captures the feel of an anime. The plethora of heroes means that fans can create a team with nothing but their favorites and journey through the tale. The length and breadth of things to do will give anyone who enjoys this an incredible amount of value. Taken only on its merits as a game, though, and there are some noisome elements.

Overkill VR is nowhere near the worst experience a gamer can have in VR. In fact, it’s great using its cover system to trick the player into performing facsimiles of squats and burpees. It’s just that there is so much fine tuning that needs to be done to make it a great game. The enemies’ hit points needs to be dropped, reloading is screaming for reworking to allow for better player immersion and levels need to be more than figuring out the enemy spawn points and dominating them.

Loaded with humor, skill-based action and interesting brainteasers, the original Darksiders is one of the best games to come out of the last generation. It takes numerous recipes from other games and creates an adventure that’s worth taking.

Fans will be satisfied with how the tale running through Steins;Gate 0 is told with a narrative that rarely stands still in the present without coming off confusing. That said, the original’s degree of tension and regret over gameplay decisions are lost a little here and because of it, 0 — despite its successful transitioning, coming off more like a second half to a much grander tale as opposed to a totally sectioned-off story — often finds comfort in retreating to old techniques and former narrative inclusions to fill in the rare instances of figurative gaps.

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.

With so many Assassin’s Creed games being released, the franchise has lost some its luster in recent years, but this collection is a great way to remember how this series became as popular as it did in the first place. This is also highly recommended as a good starting point for people who have been interested in Assassin’s Creed but haven’t got around to actually playing any of the games, as well as anyone who wants to revisit Ezio’s saga.

Killing Floor 2 is dangerously habit forming. There is always something new to level up, some new difficulty to master, a new way to mess up the piles of biomechanical flesh. Whether with a pick up game or a group of friends, Killing Floor 2 mainlines cathartic bliss.

Mekazoo proves to be a joyous platformer built on the ideas of just about any platformer one can think of, specifically sticking to ones that came out of the 80s and 90s.

One Night Stand feels more like a think piece than a proper game. It’s strongest on the first playthrough and slowly loses its allure with each subsequent one. Perhaps the most poignant experiences to be had with this game would be playing once or twice and then having conversations with friends about how you felt and what different choices led to what ending.

In order to get the most out of Silence, one must approach it as a narrative with light brain teasers that require patience. If that is in mind, then the time spent with this title is completely enjoyable.

What the game lacks in depth, it almost completely makes up for in sheer fun — but it is a flawed experience to be sure. Those seeking something Zelda-esque will be left satisfied, but not blown away by the experience.

This is simply a must play for Sword Art Online fans. For those interested in the world and action, the narrative does a decent enough job introducing returning characters, with the option to skip the reintroduction for returning players, allowing Hollow Realization to serve as a perfectly fine entry point into the series. Overall, this is easily the best Sword Art Online game yet. Hopefully, the trend will continue into the future.

Root Letter is a strange visual novel, but one that keeps players interested throughout. If you feel you’ve received a rather lackluster ending then that’s cause to play through four more times to uncover the final truth. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t make expedite subsequent playthroughs. Still, there is a lot to like about a visual novel focused on the lives of thirty somethings rather than samey love-struck teenagers.

Although not long by typical game standards, taking most explorers between four and eight hours, this is a serious amount of time for virtual reality releases. Adventuring around Tyson III is beautiful, and sometimes even breathtaking, and as such, it would have made more sense to focus on these high points instead of forcing players to drudge through puzzles or deal with sometimes finicky climbing mechanics. Even so, it’s incredibly appealing to visit the world of Robinson: The Journey within a VR headset. Barring that key aspect, it would be just another exploratory title with dinosaurs and adequate gameplay.

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.

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.

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.

Destroy All Humans! shows its age under the coat of HD makeup, but still holds up well. Some of the missions suffer from lack of direction or being too repetitive, but I would be lying if I said blowing up tanks and burning down buildings wasn’t enjoyable.

Memory’s Dogma CODE:01 provides an intriguing start to an episodic visual novel. Unlike others, it also provides a rather meaty look at the world rather than just an hour long glimpse. The only problem is that the story it’s telling depends completely on players caring about the characters and their plight. With the lack of focus on developing the protagonists as actual people, there’s a disconnect between the game’s highly-charged scenes and failure to endear the cast to players.

While Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare Jackal Assault VR Experience is lean on content, everything presented in the package is outstanding. The core gameplay is well-crafted and easy to grasp even for those new to dogfighting games.

Small Radios Big Televisions isn’t the type of two-hour indie experience that’s going to blow your mind, but there’s something oddly relaxing and engrossing about navigating through its creepy factories. Despite its story falling short as a whole, there’s enough context given here to create the foundation for a special experience, but it doesn’t quite cross the finish line. It’s a pretty, atmospheric title that doesn’t shy away from how truly weird it is.

While it’s not without its problems, the first season of Hitman is jam-packed with delectable content that leaves us champing at the bit for more.