For $1, I cannot be too harsh on Puzzle Dating. It doesn’t offer a lot of content and it mostly exists as a joke, but it’s fun and cute enough to get by on charm alone.

Not all of NHL 18's additions are equally successful, with the expanded depth of Franchise Mode overshadowing the flashy but unrewarding NHL Threes. The series continues to offer a good hockey simulation, and while the hardcore and those who play online will be satisfied, there's probably not enough here to make it worth the upgrade for casual fans of last year's edition.

Yakuza Kiwami presents the strongest mechanics in the franchise’s history, as well as refined side missions and lots of fun distractions that create a fantastic reimagining of a great game.

You'll want to steer clear of Dead Alliance, especially at its ridiculous $40 price tag. There is a decent game buried here, but digging through the bugs, shallow gameplay and underwhelming mechanics is just not worth it. If you simply love FPS and are quite fond of the idea of weaponized zombies, at least wait until a big price reduction, a number of major patches, or give it a rental.

The concept behind Absolver is intriguing, but its execution and lack of staying power make it a very tough recommendation. If you're willing to put up with tedium, maybe joining a guild and learning new moves will be for you. For others, I'd say give this a pass.

Darkwood does so much with its simple top-down perspective that it matches some of the best horror games released this year. It is easy to appreciate the finer details when you methodically explore a captivating wooded area, gather resources, and fend off deadly creatures before the terrifying night arrives.

Beat The Game does not feel like a complete game. You scour a tiny area and collect a bunch of unusual sounds for limited mixing purposes. A few well animated cutscenes are not enough reason to experience this extremely brief adventure. Aspiring DJs may be able to create something pleasing to the ear, but others will prefer the sounds of silence.

With a rigorous control scheme and tweaked level design, Balthazar’s Dream could have offered a quite adorable puzzle-platformer to complete in a few hours. Yet its attempt to give each mechanic its own doggy bent results in a toilsome, repetitive experience that feels disappointing against its charming concept.

It’s nice to see Madden NFL 18 taking risks and experimenting, with good results like the Longshot mode. Hopefully the franchise will continue to refine what works, and iron out some of the technical imperfections and lackluster game modes.

Nidhogg 2 is a solid multi-player title that is bogged down by a handful of issues. The online play is currently a mess, the single player is lackluster at best and the new weapons do more harm than good. It’s a testament to how rock solid the gameplay is, though, that the title is still worth checking out if you have friends willing to embrace its weirdness. For now, I’ll stick with the original, though.

Knack 2 offers a decently enjoyable campaign, with expanded combat options and streamlined gameplay mechanics. It's a fairly typical and accessible modern action/adventure with no big highs or lows, as it makes some improvements over its predecessor. And for some fans, that may just be enough to return for another adventure.

Everybody's Golf is a solid arcade title that seems to do everything right in recreating the sport itself, and providing a carefree and welcoming atmosphere. But unfortunately, some jarring design decisions make this an overly restrictive and tedious experience that few casual players will want to slog through.

While Mages of Mystralia might not live up to its full potential, the game has some charm and is fun enough to be worth a look. The $20 price tag is also pretty solid.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is very charming and the whole aesthetic is perfectly executed. However, pesky gameplay shortcomings and a nasty difficulty spike halfway through hamper this Nintendo love-letter.

If Double Dragon, Final Fight, Streets of Rage or Golden Axe were your go-to coin-ops on childhood trips to the arcade, 99Vidas might well resurface some fond, pre-millennium memories. But alas, nostalgia only gets a game so far, and once the thrill-ride is over, there’s very little reason to return for a second playthrough.

Rule with an Iron Fish is a decent offering if you're looking for a mobile-like experience on PC and don't mind the price tag, with a focus on simple and repetitive gameplay with subdued presentation.

It may not consistently live up to the standards of Volition's recent pedigree, but Agents of Mayhem's cackling supervillains, destructive vigilantism and satisfying combat make for a jolly good open-world adventure nonetheless.

Peregrin's simplistic puzzles, technical quirks, and uninteresting combat hold back an adequate tale of a hero's desolate journey into a lost and fractured land.

Despite some superficial similarities to other recent multiplayer focused games, LawBreakers is ultimately its own beast with challenging, deep gameplay that succeeds thanks to the unique movement system, low-gravity combat and fun, varied classes.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a great standalone entry and is exactly what you'd hope to get from the first single player expansion in the franchise. It does almost everything just as well as a full price release with great visuals, solid gameplay, and varied multiplayer. Whether or not you've played Uncharted 4, this is an adventure worth undertaking.

Matterfall is a game filled with ideas and mechanics that seem fine on their own, but contradict and conflict with each other when added together. The experience is so short and stifled, that even with some enjoyable moments along the way, it’s hard to recommend.

Unlike its unique predecessor, you largely know what you’re getting into with this third person ink shooter sequel, but that’s not a bad thing. Shortcomings aside, Splatoon 2 still just might be the best multiplayer experience on the Nintendo Switch so far.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is every bit as vicious, epic and dramatic as its predecessors in the Ninja Theory library, but interweaving a delicate storyline through simple, yet ruthless mechanics makes it one of the most visceral portrayals of psychological turmoil in recent video gaming.

Observer features remarkable trips through fictional minds that unsettle and terrify without relying on excessive jump scares. The nightmares contrast wonderfully with an atmospheric and detailed cyberpunk world that is always fascinating to explore.

Slime Rancher successfully taps into the addictive nature of farming simulators, while managing to make the gameplay loop more engaging and instantly rewarding. Seasoned vets of the genre may find some aspects to be lacking, but if you’ve never really found the appeal in maintaining your own virtual farm – this may be the game to change your mind.

Sundered is a sight to behold, and has a unique world that I loved exploring. However, the controller-smashing cheapness of the combat, and iffy technical performance make it tough to recommend for those unwilling to embrace the grind and conquer the challenge.

The lean gameplay and mechanics don’t gel with the unfocused narrative, and it’s a singular flaw that Tacoma can’t overcome. There’s plenty to like in the game, but it struggles to find a cohesive theme that brings the experience together.

For $5, you could do worse than YANKAI’S PEAK. While not bad, it just lacks anything distinctive to call its own.

Pyre definitely suffers from structural issues, and doesn’t solidify into a truly great experience until its later half, but on the whole it’s another fascinating entry from Supergiant Games - and that second half is worth it. Somewhat flawed, but recommended nonetheless.

Feral Fury is a fun little pick-up-and-play shooter that serves its function quite well. It feels at once familiar in its gameplay, and fresh in its cartoony overlay.

This revival of the miniature racer has a promising core, but poorly-handled multiplayer and a lack of replayability leave it sputtering on the starting grid. Micro Machines World Series might fulfill a night of local matches, but that’s about the extent of its strengths.

The story and puzzles are decent in Aporia: Beyond The Valley, so it's a shame that the world is roughly designed, there are consistency and technical issues, and the horror element is shallow.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is an enjoyable enough adventure, but it’s missing a hook to get players invested. The game wants you to get lost in the economy and exploration it offers, but in just performing these menial tasks for their own sake it fails to create any moments where the entire experience is more than a series of distractions.

Nex Machina is another impressive addition to the portfolio of Housemarque. It’s a top-tier shooter with dazzling visuals that never lets up on the action.

Derelict Fleet feels like something that was unearthed by a science team digging for artifacts from the early 2000's. This is a game that was somehow preserved until a 2017 release, and now has the audacity to ask for $10 from unsuspecting players. Not many redeeming qualities to be found here, nostalgic or otherwise.

The Golf Club 2 is a satisfying and challenging golf simulation that succeeds thanks to the depth and quality of its core mechanics and number of courses available, despite a lackluster visual presentation and lack of proper online multiplayer.

While most players will likely see where its influences lay, the dystopian world of Black The Fall succeeds on many occasions in creating a distinctly disquieting atmosphere, while a trial-and-error-based puzzle design offers just enough interactivity to keep its spooky narrative kicking.

Tekken 7 has reached a peak for the franchise in terms of combat quality and character variety. However, some online issues and lack of diverse modes for both online and offline play hamstring the game a bit. Still, whether you are a Tekken fan or fighting veteran, or complete newcomer, there's a lot here to get stuck into.

While ultimately for the fans, Activision and Vicarious Visions successfully bring nostalgic PS One classic romping back into relevance, while including some extra bells and whistles that (save for some control slips) allow the originals a greater depth.

Cars 3: Driven to Win has the potential to be an enjoyable enough kart racer, with plenty of content and true-to-film art style. Unfortunately, frustrating AI and poor presentation, on top of a full asking price, keep this title from reaching a podium finish.

Conarium's fascinating world is closely based on a Lovecraft story, taking players through ancient tombs abandoned for eons. The adventure puzzles are a bit too simple and its rough edges needed smoothing, but it is still a faithful adaption.

The metroidvania-lover in me wished Randall turned out to be more enjoyable. There are some interesting ideas here, like the use of mind control, but the good of that is buried under a litany of technical problems and just general sloppy design. Like the titular hero, I found myself frequently battling headaches during my time with the game.

Tokyo 42 offers a stylish, polished, well-presented open world that’s unfortunately just not an awful lot of fun to do anything in. A few nice touches put a spark in its heart, but they can’t light up the overall experience.

DiRT 4 is a better rally game than DiRT Rally because it has improved career progression, better multiplayer, randomized rally routes, and some casual-friendly options. The procedurally generated rally stages are a game changer and help to provide lasting value.

Rough edges and thin map selection aside, Rising Storm 2 offers up an intense and immersive recreation of the Vietnam War that will thrill, terrify and occasionally infuriate anyone brave or patient enough to get past its initially steep learning curve.

OVIVO may be a bit artsy for some people, but the game is relatively short and always throwing something new your way. Even if it doesn’t leave a lasting impression, the game is good while it lasts.

The smattering of flaws aside, NBA Playgrounds manages to be a fun multiplayer street hoops experience that is at least partially successful in recapturing the charm of NBA Jam. Player decks and lottery pick meter are subtle but effective elements to help give the game a bit of its own character.

The Fidelio Incident is a solid exploration adventure that's elevated by an interesting premise, engaging story and great voice acting.

Mirage: Arcane Warfare has some of the most fun and exciting melee combat around, but squanders the unique mechanics on dull game modes with low player counts in a transparent effort to ape Blizzard’s recent smash hit, and this ultimately works against the strengths of the gameplay to the point of bringing down the entire experience.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier lacks meaningful gameplay and its episodes needed greater distinction, but it still provides that same appealing Telltale drama about an unconventional family thrust into dangerous situations.

If visual quality is what Tequila Works had in mind, three years have been well spent on fabricating a stylish, truly wondrous environment, despite drawing obviously from previous adventure accolades. It’ll likely underwhelm if approached explicitly as a puzzler, but Rime’s brief tale manages moments of genuine poignancy. The PC port is in dire need of patching, however, if such charm is to survive.

It may have some flaws, but Rakuen really is an adventure worth taking. It successfully executes on modest heartfelt ambitions, and perfectly captures the vision of its creator - a rare occurrence in modern game design.

This is likely their best game since NetherRealm was founded within Warner Bros. The formula seems so perfect, it’s hard to imagine anyone not finding something to enjoy in Injustice 2. Whether you like fighting games, DC Comics, or just superheroes getting into visceral combat, this is a sequel worth checking out.

Seasons after Fall is a lovely looking adventure that has some charm and decent gameplay, but it gets far too bogged down with repetition in the second half and this ultimately leaves an unsatisfying impression.

Strafe has the look and style to stand out, but Pixel Titans should have been focusing on making sure the game was not only fully functional, but actually fun to play, as well.

With some solid gameplay - and there is lots of it to be found - Puyo Puyo Tetris might just be one of the definitive puzzle games of 2017, particularly on the Switch where the handheld, play-on-the-go nature fits it like a glove.

Empathy: Path of Whispers attempts to tell a series of intriguing personal stories in a mysterious, abandoned world. The end result however is a visually dated, largely boring, and technically broken game that doesn't deserve your time and money.

The Surge is a remarkably solid action-RPG that uses its premise to wedge a number of interesting design quirks into a familiar formula. Not terribly deep, but a wrench-swinging, robot-pulverizing good time nonetheless.

Really, anyone should be able to pick up and play Super Rude Bear despite its perceived difficulty. It may not be a classic, but it does enough right to warrant your time and attention.

Plasma Puncher doesn’t look to revolutionize the modern beat 'em up, but its punchy character controls and tough, wave-based combat offer an addictive few hours of amoeba-murder that ultimately makes that okay.

Prey's dynamic gameplay adapts beautifully to players as they explore an interesting space station crawling with bizarre alien life forms. Its involving action proves entertaining when combined with a solid base of resource management. Despite a few presentation problems and minor issues, Prey is one mind-altering trip that should be played by fans of the genre.

Pinstripe is not an overly exciting or satisfying gameplay experience, but its art style and haunting setting will stick with you. The repetition from backtracking, simple puzzles and general shallowness of the mechanics are bound to leave fans of the metroidvania games bored and disappointed. However, this unique version of Hell and a man’s struggle to come to terms with his personal demons is both intriguing and haunting. The haunting atmosphere created by the visuals and audio, including chilling voice acting and a great soundtrack, should hopefully help Pinstripe standout from the lot.

Little Nightmares is like the long, intense screech of a violin before the jump scare - except that the scare never comes and the sound eventually fades to the background. Yes, it’s dark and moody, but after establishing the atmosphere it never evolves into something that’s really worth playing.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 attempts to push the franchise forward by introducing new mechanics and an open world, but the delivery falls flat. With an underwhelming story and plenty of bugs, the result is a game stuck in mediocrity.

Dawn of War III is a surprisingly inconsistent RTS with a disappointing campaign, coming from one of the most consistent development teams in the genre. The steep initial learning curve, muscle memory and furious multitasking required to fully enjoy the game’s multiplayer will likely alienate many series fans, but there are enough good ideas here that you can at least see what Relic were going for with this flawed but occasionally exciting sequel.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a good game, but it fails to arrive at a satisfying conclusion, or build on its gameplay and narrative themes in any satisfying way. Thus, it never elevates itself to be something more than a series of interesting distractions, tied to a mystery that never resolves itself.

It falls a bit flat on some of the more traditional fronts for an open-world shooter, but The Signal From Tölva still makes for an atmospheric, absorbing trek across a strange and ancient landscape. Impressive effort.

There's not enough substance to Mr. Shifty to leave a lasting impression, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is certainly enough to get your blood pumping for a bit. In this case, that was certainly enough for me.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap doesn't always put enough distance between itself and its Master System roots to fully appeal as a modern platformer, but it's so brimming with charming, challenging discoveries that dated design choices don't infuriate anywhere near as often as they reward.

Outlast 2 puts together all of its nightmares with amazing clarity and execution. It takes the best parts of the original and adds more variety through natural hiding spots, fantastic interludes, razor-sharp jump scares, intense chases, and more horrific foes. Not many horror games get everything to work this well together.

Persona 5 is a fantastic journey to embark on, full of well-realized characters, serviceable if a little archaic level design, and more than enough activities and distractions to keep you pushing through until its conclusion.

Day of Infamy is another solid - though visually dated - tactical shooter from New World Interactive that benefits from the shift to a World War 2 setting, and the more distinct weaponry and greater context that comes with it.

Has-Been Heroes is a solid tower defense experience that borrows attributes from Plants vs Zombies, while putting its own twist on the formula. Plenty of repetition and frustration - exacerbated by too many randomized elements - but the addictive and enduring gameplay shines through on occasion.

FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is a valiant effort and a modestly satisfactory sequel. Its track design and relative speeds help make it a much better destructive racer than the last effort. However, it still requires tuning when it comes to stunts, visuals, physics, and vehicle damage.

Lego City Undercover is a fun and unique entry in the franchise, although it would have probably been more enjoyable had it released back in 2013. The game's mechanics and appeal haven't aged all that well, and a full asking price seems quite unwarranted, but fans of the series without a Wii U will likely appreciate finally being able to play it.

Thimbleweed Park feels like a party that Gilbert threw for his core audience, a true sign of appreciation for those who loved his previous work, and backed this game almost sight unseen. But for others, who aren't fans of Gilbert or the classic adventure genre, it's tough to recommend.

Yooka-Laylee is a fun throwback to a bygone era of gaming, with more than enough charm, variety, and engaging challenges to make up for its shortcomings.

Angels with Scaly Wings generally overcomes its goofy setup and simplistic presentation to deliver a character-driven plot with some good surprises, making for a decent little diversion of a game.

Though its unique art style is masterfully executed, and some of the gameplay elements have a solid foundation, it is the array of technical and multiplayer issues that keep Drawn to Death from succeeding as an arena shooter.

The overall changes in MLB The Show 17 may not be as impressive as those from last year, but this is still yet another solid entry from the powerhouse baseball simulation franchise.

It’s not going to win any hearts and minds any time soon, but as an open-ended stealth experience, Styx: Shards of Darkness more or less does its job without major stumbles. Less of the lip, though, please.

Algotica - Iteration 1 is a fun puzzle game that effectively uses the basics of programming logic alongside a colorful world. It doesn't reach its aspiration to be an educational title, but there's still plenty of head scratching to be had for fans of the genre.

If you can come to terms with Mass Effect: Andromeda's rough edges and embrace its focus on exploring interesting planets and sub-plots above a single epic storyline, there is a substantial and captivating interstellar adventure to be found within.

Kona takes you on an atmospheric adventure where answers to the mysteries are always just around the corner. Although searching for items is a bit tedious, and side tasks muddle proceedings, it creates a frozen world that begs to be exposed.

1-2-Switch contains minigames that are both fun diversions and promising examples of the technology at work within the system’s Joy-Cons, but several duds, a lack of substance or progression, and an expensive asking price make it feel like something that would have been better suited as a pack-in title.

NieR: Automata's engaging narrative, blending of gameplay genres and fantastic soundtrack are what make it special. Though somewhat hampered by simple yet slick combat, and level design that fails to fully realize its sci-fi dystopia setting, it is still a game that is absolutely worth your time.

Despite its very inconsistent tone, lack of polish and finicky vehicles, the solid core gameplay and gorgeous open world make Ghost Recon Wildlands a highly enjoyable co-op multiplayer tactical experience.

As nice as it is to see a long-dormant retro series return, Super Bomberman R's lack of creativity and unbalance issues result in it not feeling like the proper comeback it could have been.

Though ambitious and offering a powerful suite of creation tools for meticulous brick builders, LEGO Worlds is let down by its awkward controls, repetitive quests, an overlong trek to collect Gold Bricks, and a ton of technical issues.

High Noon Revolver borrows the arcade formula of rapid-fire gameplay and frequent deaths, and emulates it moderately well. The difference is at least you don’t have to keep throwing away your quarters. This type of experience isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty who will get a kick out of it.

A fast, punishing, stylish first-person shooter with a unique character-action-style formula and nuanced combat to boot. Hardcore and rewarding, if you can get a handle on it.

The story might be relatively forgettable and I had a few technical issues, but most of my time spent with this Zelda was a delight. It’s nice to see that even after all these years, Hyrule still has plenty of magic left in it.

Stage Presence combines mic-improvisation with the immersive givens of the headset to deal a gut-punch of stage fright. Outside that momentary thrill, however, it's a noticeably mundane gig: if conquering one's fears means facing them head on, then Stage Presence unfortunately sets itself up to grate after its first few objectives.

Simplistic, unpolished, and lacking any sense of inspiration or effort, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle will neither entice any new fans nor satisfy the nostalgic hopes of those familiar with the TV franchise’s brand of goofy action.

911 Operator successfully taps into some addicting resource management gameplay and effectively combines it with a unique emergency call center scenario. This foundation is solid, but repetitive mechanics combined with a lack of content and relative ease of progress leave this simulation feeling lackluster.

Stories Untold is clever when it comes to delivering the narrative, and its brief text-adventure is interesting. Unfortunately, most of it is pushing buttons and turning dials on command, and this leaves much to be desired.

I wish there was more to do in Night in the Woods, but that doesn't stop it from being a delight. I love that it addresses something relevant and honest. It's a slice of life that speaks to a generation and explores a world with unusual depth.

Bleed 2 is a lovely little slice of modernized run and gun side-scrolling pandemonium that evokes the likes of Contra without paying needless lip service to its heritage. Good stuff.