Player detail is also taken to the next level, with renders that make the players easily recognizable not only by looking at their face, but by looking at their animations as well.

The gameplay is the perfect combination of stealth and action, and its difficulty, while brutal, is satisfying.

I had a lot of fun with Death Road to Canada. The title can really sink its zombie teeth into you, inviting you to do just one more playthrough before calling it quits. Everything about the package comes together well.

I don’t often play a game and immediately go through it again after finishing it, but I did that with Color Guardians. Thanks to its fun and bright graphics, truly difficult levels, and different scoring systems, I found myself playing each level again and again in an effort to get all three stars or get a high score for the leaderboards.

Brilliant. The Odd Gentlemen have managed to modernize a classic, retaining much of what makes the originals so beloved, yet not making it feel outdated for modern gamers, even if we do have to deal with a bit of backtracking.

Before the Storm does do some fantastic work of setting the brickwork for the original game.

Over 20 years since it initially released,Windjammers is finally getting its chance to shine as a competitive game. It’s got the accessibility and depth to deliver memorable play sessions, and while the online play can sometimes be disappointing, I’m largely left impressed. Few multiplayer games have made me scream (and make some strange primal noises during the heat of the action) like Windjammers, and it’s simply a blast when played with friends.

The true vision of the creators has seemingly been realized, in glorious 1080p high definition.

Up until that bizarre glitch, enjoying Alan Wake Remastered was like the best kind of deja vu. Muscle memory steered me toward the hidden caches, triggered reminders to backtrack just a little here and there or look around that corner for collectibles. Alan’s somewhat stiff voice, the ancient rockers, Barry—all of these things, campy as they were, welcomed me home. Those cold waters of Cauldron Lake sure are impossible to escape.

This may not be the best Madden title ever, but it is definitely the most promising entry this console generation.

Whether you own the PS3 version or not, if you own a PS Vita, you won't find a better racing title than Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Fire Pro Wrestling World is just the best wrestling game I’ve played in years. It’s also a perfect fit for the PS4, with its arcade-style input commands right at home on the DualShock 4. If you want to play a wrestling game on the PS4, there’s only one option, and Fire Pro Wrestling World might be set to have art imitate life and experience the same kind of global renaissance that NJPW is experiencing.

Learning a character's combos and special abilities is complimented by learning their innermost motivations and fears. These are fighters you can care about, and this is a fighting game everyone should play.

The Pact is filled with uncomfortable moments that force the player to choose between the right thing and their cover. It also makes important moves to flesh out the season’s story arc, and ends with an awesome teaser for episode three. Telltale Games is on a roll this season, and The Enemy Within continues to be some of the developer’s best work.

DIRT 5 on the PS5 is the best version of the game to get on PlayStation consoles, when it works. That’s a big caveat, and most gamers will not want to have to constantly remember to pre-emptively upload their save game after a few races, or risk losing hours of progress due to one unfortunate crash. This also necessitates a PlayStation Plus subscription, since copying PS5 save games to USB storage is unfortunately not an option as of this writing. Assuming these issues get patched out, then it is easy to recommend buying this on the PS5, because DIRT 5 is a showcase racing game for the next generation of consoles with its smart use of haptic feedback and ray tracing, all while delivering a smooth performance.

Crisis Core Reunion is not quite a remaster and not quite a remake. The upgraded visuals breathe new life into the game, but there are little reminders here and there of its PSP origins. However, with a $50 price point, Square Enix is at least somewhat acknowledging that it’s not rebuilt from the ground up. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will almost certainly reference events from Crisis Core. So, a playthrough is practically required for those looking forward to the next installment of the FF7 Remake series. Considering the condition of some of Square Enix’s past remasters, Crisis Core Reunion impresses. I hope this is an indicator we can expect the company to take more care with this sort of title in the future.

I can’t say The Swords of Ditto is a flawless experience. But I can say that the combat, progression, aesthetic, and couch co-op combine to create something wholly unique and engaging.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle offers a little of everything for everyone, and does so in splendid fashion.

Lost Judgment is a subtle improvement on the original, and continues the fun of seeing the seedy sides of Kamurocho and Ijincho while staying mostly on the good side of the law. A new combat style combined with a few more tricks up Yagami-san’s sleeves provide more entertaining ways to dispatch or get the upper hand on enemies, and of course the usual slate of minigames offer a much-needed respite from the main campaign’s twisted story. It may tread a lot of the same ground as the previous game, but that is absolutely a good thing.

It is truly a gearhead’s playground, with plenty of customization and tweaking options, combined with arcade gameplay to give a more relaxed feeling.

You definitely can’t go wrong buying Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, as it plays as good as ever, but those who bought last year’s game might want to wait until next year’s installment if they’re waiting for that next evolution.

A very smart use of a new technology; it was executed very well, it’s simple to play, and it is fun for everyone. There is a nice progression of difficulty with more complex modules appearing with more frequency over time, and then again with the introduction of needy modules (they can’t be finished or solved, but require constant attention throughout your allotted time).

Destiny is a great prologue, but it is still just a prologue. It’s like telling somebody all about Middle Earth; the races, the lands, the set up for the story, but not telling them of Bilbo’s adventures in The Hobbit or the fellowship’s journey in The Lord of the Rings.

At is cheap price point, with lenient difficulty, solid teaching tools, and accessible mechanics, I think Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai could be a great way for people who slip into the anime fan/fighting game novice venn diagram to get their feet wet in the genre without having to dive in too deep.

DiRT 4 encompasses all that it means to race. To spend hours tuning your car, taking it out for a ride to test, bringing it back in to the garage to tweak some more, and repeating until everything is perfect. To have the stressors of the day simply fall away the second the red lights turn off and you are given the “GO” light. To have a perfect run and relish in your victories, as well as to have a devastating setback at the last second, but to learn from your mistakes and carry your head high as you give it another go.

Maneater’s bite comes from its stunning underwater animations, comedic notes spread throughout the game, and the fact that you get to play an entire game as a goddamn shark. There simply isn’t anything else like it, even if it does follow some of the more rote open-world playbook rules when it comes to progression and collectibles. A choppy framerate in intense sequences is really one of the only things holding the experience back, but like a fisherman without a hand—or a leg—it doesn’t stop me from heading back to the open water for more. Am I still scared of sharks? Hell yeah, more than ever, but at least now I can be scares and fascinates me.

Pinball FX2 VR has completely morphed my perception of what VR is capable of as a platform. It helps that the folks over at Zen Studios went above and beyond to make the experience trans formative. As both a gamer and a pinball fanatic, I cannot recommend this release highly enough. The scary part is that it can only get better from here. I will see you on the leaderboards.

One of the staples of an awesome game is the fact that it leaves you jonesing for more. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark accomplishes this with a style and grace of a bygone era of game design. Here’s to hoping there is more content on the way, because I can’t wait for my next dose of tactical action.