Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is an outstanding remaster of a game many JRPG fans missed on PS2. Perhaps its most striking feature is the refreshing availability of information that comes with its fantastic interface, from easy-to-read maps to detailed descriptions of each item that comes your way.

Sluggish combat aside, Vampyr will provide hours of blood-sucking entertainment. You can be the vampire you always wanted to be, as ruthless or benevolent as you desire. Weighty life-or-death decisions all but ensure that players will want to run through the campaign multiple times to see how things would play out differently by killing or saving certain individuals, or by upgrading certain abilities earlier or later. Vampyr is a cinematic, single-player experience well worth your time and money. A harrowing adventure awaits those who are willing to sink their time into Vampyr.

It’s a pristine release that’s being saved from fading into history with this re-release and delivers all the content as a thank you. For the double dippers considering this, a stern word of caution. Very little has changed since you left Dunwall but if you really get a kick out of your controller talking to you then by all means, go in for the kill.

Klaus is a subversive, ingenious little puzzle platformer that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who claims to be a fan of video games.

Fantastic fun. Brawlers tend to be easy to get into but there were times I sincerely had trouble putting down the controller.

The Unfinished Swan is a storybook, more endearing and entertaining than those old picture books. If you've got a child, or still know how to get ahold of your inner child, there's a lot to love.

They’ve made strides forward on many fronts, including more realistic controls, new ways to interact with lineups in franchise mode, and several additional Ultimate Team experiences. Sure, there still might be the occasional physics quirk, but Madden NFL 19 still cements itself as the premier football simulation on console.

When I wasn’t cursing at my television screen upon dying on the same puzzle for what seemed like 20th time, I was recognizing how brilliant Expand‘s design was. It’s rare to see a game this fully realized, one that sees all of its mechanics fully fleshed out, and when I finally escaped the maze after hours of play, it felt like a genuine victory. Expand may take joy in frustrating the player at times, but the true feeling of jubilation comes from overcoming its trickery.

In its refusal to hold your hand or even guide you a little, Vane feels like it stands out among its peers as a vehicle to deliver narrative agency for players, not because they have a list of choices to sift through, but because they are presented with an environment and scenario that is so freely open to interpretation. With Vane, you get out what you put in, and while you may not come back to it multiple times, that first one is a doozy.

Atelier Shallie is a game both fans of the series and traditional RPG fans can enjoy alike. As someone new to the series myself, I most certainly did so.

For its surprisingly low asking price, Dyad is a visual powerhouse that must be seen to fully comprehend.

As a complete package, from a Call of Duty developer that hasn’t yet established its own Modern Warfare or Black Ops sub-franchise, Vanguard feels like it could end up being Sledgehammer’s tentpole. Iconic characters, unique multiplayer and map design, and overall integration into the wider Call of Duty experience set the pace for not only the next year, but whatever comes next from Sledgehammer.

It’s a little rough around the edges in terms of polish and fidelity, but as a fighting game, it’s charmingly ambitious. Generally speaking, it has a cool vibe with neat interpretations of classic characters from dark storytelling’s past.

Distinctive characters, detailed maps and a lively sense of chaos all add up to one of the finest family-friendly multiplayer experiences on PS4. There’s also solo play this time around, and while that suffers a bit from balancing issues, it’s nice to be able to squeeze in a little experience-building and item-collecting in between rounds of online action. Overall, though, it’s the childlike qualities at the center of GW2 that are the most important — a seemingly limitless energy, a fearlessly goofy aesthetic and a commitment to making playing fun above all else.

I still had fun in those first couple hours, and a 4 hour campaign isn’t a terrible thing in and of itself (Journey was 3 hours), but just as I got into a groove with Guacamelee! and was having an absolute blast, it ended and left me thinking that there should have been one more world, hopefully something we see in DLC form (hint, hint DrinkBox!).

Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier features a story that manages to excite and get players invested in despite it not going too deep into the lives of both apes and humans. It’s also an important experiment in storytelling, and one that largely winds up being successful.

NieR Replicant is a game I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Its story is fantastically dark, incredibly unique and told in such a fascinating way, while its mix of combat and exploration has just the right hints of Zelda that make it a hell of a lot of fun to play through. It has some repetition issues and shows its true age in some areas, but it’s a game I’d recommend to the first-time NieR players like myself as well as the Automata die-hards. I guess it’s time for me to finish that game after all.

Yakuza 0 feels a bit like an anime that also happens to be an action/fighting game. The only problem is that the fighting feels dated, though the environmental options and multiple fighting styles to master help to spice things up a little. A genuinely entertaining and captivating story lurks in the seedy underworld of Tokyo, where a miniscule empty lot somehow sparks a massive conflict.

EA Canada went to great lengths to listen to their critics from the previous release and have made a bunch of much needed improvements to EA Sports UFC 2.

One of the great things about the Tales of series is that you can jump in any of the games at any time and not be lost with either the story or combat. Tales of Berseria is a great launch point for newcomers, and of course a fabulous return point for veterans. JRPG fans who have never tried a Tales of game but always wanted to, this is a perfect place to start. Be sure to have the tissues close by.

Eric Chahi’s latest creation is a worthwhile PlayStation VR experience, especially if you like your worlds to be mysterious and interesting to explore. The game never holds your hand, instead leaving it up to you to discover its secrets. The puzzles can feel confusing at first until you get used to the game’s unexplained mechanics, although the simple controls help things along. Even though the story is short, the sandbox mode will keep players coming back to this unique environment until your imagination runs out.

Great strategy games are few and far between, and XCOM 2 is an absolute treat for anyone craving a challenge on every level. Marred only be a few technical presentation hiccups and slow loading times, XCOM 2 is a deep mental and emotional experience that tests each player’s resolve to triumph against overwhelming odds and failure.

It’s rare for a game to sneak in under the radar and genuinely catch me off guard. Tooth and Tail is one of these infrequent pleasures that feel like discovering a diamond amongst the coal.

Judgment is a new game from a developer that has spent so many years on one story, with one protagonist, who sees the world through one perspective. This is the Yakuza experience, but with a refreshing change of character, tone, and voice. Judgment has a familiar skeleton, but the flesh and blood housing it is new. Longtime Yakuza fans have a lot to look forward to here. But, admittedly, having a new setting, new characters, and new mechanics laid over top of the same framework dulls some of that “fresh” feeling. It’s a totally new story from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, but it isn’t a totally new game. And that’s totally fine.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is the Yakuza many have come to know and love. An engrossing story, even if it does veer into the quirky and downright bizarre all the time, keeps players invested in Ichiban’s quest to become a hero. The turn-based battles make the game even more accessible than earlier entries, with a few real-time aspects such as dodging and damage multipliers thrown in for good measure. Some odd monetization makes getting the complete version of the game pricier than usual, but it seems some next-gen games are priced higher these days as the norm. Still, you’re not missing anything essential if you opt to buy the base version of this game. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a seriously fun time and a great soft reboot of a beloved franchise.

Shadow of the Beast hits many right notes for that old-school difficult feeling, even with infinite lives.

If you’re a fan of the series and enjoy pinball, buy it.

Despite its unconventional and sometimes frustrating RPG segments, Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters is a game I can easily recommend to visual novel fans and just fans looking for a unique story alike.