Dark Souls III is still often a frustrating game to play, especially after dying and repeating a section a number of times. But it is when you overcome those difficult scenarios – especially those that involve one of the many boss battles – that Dark Souls III shines through.

Despite the early issues I had getting used to the controls and the gameplay, Pillars of Eternity became highly addictive. It was probably the point where I actually worked out a viable strategy for the two characters in my party when in combat and I found myself playing long into the night which, for me anyway, is the sign that I'm having fun.

The Talos Principle: Reawakened remakes and reanimates the 2014 original for a new generation and a new generation of players. Beyond the extraordinarily deep and dense puzzles, beyond the expertly written story and philosophy, and beyond the beautiful art and audio direction, lies a game that succeeds in bridging people's understanding of what a game can be. It is the kind of game I would recommend to anyone, regardless of if they play videogames or not.

While the ever changing aspect of the levels, was probably one of the best times I’ve seen it done, running through the levels over and over, did grow a little tiresome. Especially when there aren’t more NPCs, or things to find (other than chests). But on the whole, if you like rogue-lite (or metroidvania), there is a hell of a lot to enjoy.

It’s hard to level any complaints at F1 2017. It’s one of the best simulation racing games around, with the one caveat being that you probably have to be a fan of F1 to enjoy it. Open wheel racing isn’t for everyone, but if you do enjoy the fastest form of racing around, F1 2017 is hard to pass up.

Many players may not be able to wash out the taste of launch, and may not even poke their heads back into the blinding neon or gruesome yet cool cyberware to see how much has changed, but speaking as someone who entered Night City for the first time post launch, the Phantom Liberty DLC adds a lot to a game that has improved drastically since its release, to the point of nearly being unrecognizable to those who played at launch alone.

TimeMelters has an ambitious premise that could very easily have gotten out of hand for a small, three-person development team, but the experience is an incredibly enjoyable one through and through. However, the small team and modest budget do come through in the form of quite dated graphics and uninspired enemy design. Fortunately, that’s a minor gripe in an otherwise excellent package, and strong gameplay and unique mechanics make TimeMelters an easy recommendation for anyone to whom the premise sounds even vaguely appealing.

Make no mistake, this game is the definition of niche appeal. Its visuals are ugly in a way that is not just visually repellent but deeply unsettling. Its world and lore are in turn, confusing, disturbing, and sickening. Playing its soundtrack above a certain decibel level probably constitutes a war crime. Yet the game demands attention all the same. It's brilliant, disturbing, and endlessly fascinating. I'm painfully aware that not everyone will love Cruelty Squad as much as I do, but those that love it will love it with abandon. For me, it's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Persona 3 is a famous story from an RPG perspective and is considered to be one of the best in the series, so despite the price point if you're a fan of turn based JRPGs or have previously played other games in the series, then Persona 3 Reload is definitely a game to pick up!

In many ways Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 strays so minimally from the path of its predecessor in both a positive and negative sense. In others, it effectively uses the existing blueprint to build on what went well. It is graphically improved, but that makes the visual shortcomings more glaring. It's more hardcore, but more tedious as a result. It has improved combat overall, but makes some confusing choices in that execution. As a simulation of life in the middle ages, and as a character-focused story, it excels as it flaunts those aspects. As a video game, the successes are fewer, and too often the mechanics and pacing get in the way of actually accomplishing something. If you're a player whose natural pace is steadier, you might be the Titanic bound for an iceberg. But if you enjoy a slow pace, if you are that iceberg, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will reward your dedication in spades. The philosophy of the entire experience is represented well in its cozy moments, like walking through a forest at dusk, as the rain comes down and lightning occasionally lights up the landscape. If you can see that beauty, and appreciate it, you don't want to speed things up.

Regardless of a few small issues, Stardew Valley is a successful send-up to Harvest Moon that truly comes from the heart.

This is what it was supposed to be from the start. A year and a half worth of improvements later, little bites and pieces of new DLC content, finally layered underneath a fun and expansive experience in War of the Chosen, this feels like the XCOM 2 I wanted to have. And, having finally made peace with mission timers has forced me to play a bit more recklessly, which seems like a necessity when everything is on the line. Turn off the mods and experience XCOM 2 in the way that it should've been from the start. Firaxis has made XCOM 2 as fun as XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within, while still bringing a different flair to the series.

It is a game that will be more to the taste of Bloodborne players than Dark Souls players, but if you enjoy tough yet rewarding gameplay, and an interesting world exploration, filled with scenery and intermittent boss fights, Sekiro will be for you.

Despite the nitpicks, Monster Hunter Wilds is a fantastic game and a fun iteration in the franchise. It's definitely showing it's growing pains, but what it does right, it really does right. It's energetic and exciting and worth the hunt when it's running well. It's quality of life improvements might rattle some, and we'll see how long the stay, but for me they really worked perfectly. Now if only the fix the dang multiplayer!

All things considered, XCOM 2 really is a great game.

On the whole, it’s a fantastic game. Each and every boss fight is an experience that keeps you on your toes, never knowing what craziness to expect next. Cuphead’s use of style also feels far from novelty: the light, cartoon exterior conceals a dark subtext which fits perfectly with the grim realities that 1930s cartoons would often parody. Cuphead is a truly unique platformer, well worth a buy (and did I mention the bosses?)

With all that being said, should you play Mullet MadJack? The short answer – YES. The long answer – YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! All jokes aside, if any of what I said sounds fun to you, give this a shot. Even if you don't like rogue-like games, I think you should give it a shot. I know I'm uniquely in the core of it's core demographic, both aesthetically and gameplay wise, but I think what is here is fun enough for just about anyone.

Kill Knight is a challenging but rewarding twin-stick shooter that will appeal to fans of the genre. While its steep learning curve and unforgiving difficulty may deter or frustrate some players, those who persevere will be rewarded with an intense and satisfying experience. And although the gameplay can be somewhat repetitious, particularly when you’re still getting the hang of all the button combos, mastering the movements and watching mayhem unfold is a pure joy.

Regardless of its length, Guacamelee is a fine platformer that is lighthearted and entertaining, with plenty of things to fight and laugh about along the way.

While not everything has panned out as brilliantly as I had hoped, I have to say this is the most fun I’ve had with a Civilization game since III (I know - heresy).

Since picking the game up, I've already sunk over 40 hours into it and I don't see that stopping any time soon. We are back to what Battlefield is all about, and it's never been better as far as the multiplayer is concerned. It is the stuff dreams are made of, the very thing that Battlefield 1942 strived to be all those years ago but was limited by hardware at the time. It may not be the single player experience some people may be looking for, but for the multiplayer massive-scale shooter fan, this belongs in your library of games. It has crawled through the mud, bludgeoned previous entries, and taken its rightful place as my favorite Battlefield game to date.

It’s just Starcraft, with some new additions here and there, but that’s all we were expecting, and it’s great.

The Broken Isles, New Dungeons, PVP "Honor Leveling", and World Quests offer more than enough to sate hungry fans on the next leg of the journey of World of Warcraft.

As with its predecessor, Deadfire is a truly engaging RPG in which there is always something interesting to do, or something to stare at in wonder. So much so, that hunting down Eothas - is - almost the distraction. The archipelago has lots of problems that are in need of a Watcher’s touch and most are intriguing enough that you want to get to the bottom before you progress the main storyline. If that is not the sign of a great RPG, I don’t know what is.

While it’s unrealistic to say that DOOM Eternal will be the last FPS game you’ll ever play, you’d be hard pressed to convince me that there will ever be one to top it. I’m not even sure another entry to DOOM could push the genre further than DOOM Eternal has. It’s beautiful destruction, a hurricane of violence, a symphony of being a pure, bonafide bada**. It’s a love note to the 90s and a lesson to modern FPS games that vintage and modern can live side by side, and when done correctly makes a legend for the ages. DOOM Eternal is the best first-person shooter and that’s the bottom line.

Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall- Director’s Cut is the best available version of an already great game.

Stories, stories, stories. RimWorld sets you up for an ever changing game in which only your engagement remains the same, potentially for hundreds of hours. And when you’re done with the vanilla version of RimWorld, there are thousands of mods that enhance or change the game in such a way that it is all fresh again. I am in awe of RimWorld, and it deserves a Big Fat 10 out of 10.

This is a game that appeals to all gamers, not just fans of rhythm games, but it’s a damn good rhythm game regardless.