The Wolf Among Us is a noir stemmed in fantasy and (actual) glamour that blurs the lines of right and wrong. I wasn’t able to appreciate the mystery of The Wolf Among Us until the last chapter, but what a gratifying experience it turns out to be.

Valiant Hearts accomplishes what only a small number of games can: it educates you on the highs and lows of a significant event in history, while creating a tragically beautiful game experience.

I can’t get past the fact that there is so much to do in Watch Dogs it almost feels like too much. Literally, you could spend 100 hours in varied missions that, while they eventually become a little repetitive, are backed by effective AI that makes each encounter sufficiently unique. The voyeurism of invading citizens’ personal space is truly compelling, even if the main story arc is relatively straightforward.

Ultimately you have to scrape to find a substantive problem with Wolfenstein: The New Order. If you mandate profound innovation in the games you play, it’s possible that New Order may be too traditional for your tastes. Regardless, it’s a well-made, extremely create, and fun ass game. If you want to sit down and just have fun, you can’t ask for more than that.

This episode is a dire reminder of how the cruelest monsters aren’t the undead, and that the worst is always lurking around the corner.

Roleplaying games still have a place in the world, and Child of Light is a good reminder that it’s possible to honor what made the genre popular while still adding some modern flare.

Reaper of Souls offers a suitably complete, if uninspiring, revisit to this dark, desolate world. It’s darkly beautiful (one day I’d like to walk through these towns as they were originally created and admire the beauty, not the desolation), superbly crafted (as we expect from Blizzard), and fittingly familiar.

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is a wonderful addition to any RPG lover’s library and a showcase of the best the Tales series has to offer.

What matters is what Titanfall is. And that is an expertly formed shooter. It lacks many built-in charms gamers might expect, like obvious eSports functions and game modes that really promote how this experience is truly different. But it’s also clear that this is stage one of an ongoing process.

While Strider could have benefited from a more concise overworld design, its lengthiness does give the game a “slow burn” appeal, something you don’t usually associate with Metroidvania-style games, let alone 2D side scrollers.

A great representation of what Telltale does best: engrossing us in a dark world of secrets and deceit, where the walkers aren’t the only monsters lurking in the shadows.

If you enjoyed EDF 2017, Earth Defense Force 2025 is a no-brainer. And if you somehow missed out? Jump on your chance to experience Earth Defense Force for the first time.

The game’s difficulty will likely turn off a lot of casual gamers thinking they’re in for a routine Nintendo platformer, but the dedicated gamers who persevere through the toughest the game has to offer will find a satisfying game with loads of replay value that’s a blast to play.

It’s been almost a year since Gears of War: Judgment, and Garden Warfare took little time to renew my fondness for last-stand style missions. Yet more than anything, PopCap managed to successfully reinterpret their flagship franchise without losing sight of what made the series’ characters so memorable.

As MercurySteam deserves credit for keeping much of the combat consistent with the first Lords of Shadow, they’ve also earned recognition for being consistent with the series’ detailed and visually robust art direction.

Issues with navigation and annoying load problems are impossible to ignore, and it stings to think of a version of this game that doesn’t suffer from those drawbacks. Still, Thief is just about the best modern Thief game I could ask for.

A touching account of two young girls struggling to make sense of a world stripped of its humanity, and it is a tale worth exploring. Nevertheless there are moments the gameplay feels disjointed from the narrative, potentially pitting the overlapping stories at odds with one another. Admittedly, it’s wonderful to spend more time with Ellie, especially before her involvement with the Fireflies.

It’s the third game in the thirteenth of a series dating back to 1987, yet it’s also one of the most successfully inventive games I’ve ever played. It puts you in control of everything, which is a total inverse of Final Fantasy’s traditional position.

Enthusiasts will love the throwback gameplay, and the unique spin on battles complements both veterans and newcomers. There are plenty of reasons to keep playing and replaying the game, not the least of which being the variety of jobs available to test.

Story and supporting cast don’t match Lara’s characterization growth.

NES Remix is such a simple concept yet it works exceedingly well.

This episode truly begins to set in place Clementine’s lost innocence.

While some small flaws and occasionally dated features edge it closer to deposition, Gran Turismo is still the king of racing.

All told, Super Mario 3D World is a difficult game to pigeonhole. It borrows elements from multiple Mario games and ends up creating something new in the combination. It’s not as profound as Super Mario 64 but it’s still an interesting expansion of the Mario experience. 3D World is full of smart ideas and everything works.

If you thrive on variety, your patience with Forza 5 will wear thin in ten hours or so… and the idea that DLC may fill out the experience sometime in the future isn’t very comforting. That’s tragic, because Forza 5 is one of the most gorgeous and best-feeling racers I’ve ever played.

Driving on both sides of the pursuit/chase coin are equally engrossing, but where the game transcends other racers is the opportunity to race friends and escape the police at the same time. It can be a lot to take in, but there is a near palpable rush in managing these objectives while trying to make it back to your garage in one piece.

I loved the huge variety of new maps but felt the meld upgrades sapped some of Enemy Unknown’s bite. The other half of that sentiment is that I now feel empowered to pick up my Hard / Ironman run again. The neatest summary I can give is this: if you want an excuse to play more XCOM, you’ve got it.

There’s a gritty, punk spirit here that I haven’t seen since No More Heroes. As such, Shadow Warrior is more than a victory for fans of the original, but a spiritual rebirth of what made games of that era so fun in the first place.