Shovel Knight has everything. It’s fun, the soundtrack is ridiculously good, the difficulty curve feels just right, there’s smart level design, funny writing, a story that’s surprisingly touching, and so much more.

It’s a good game overall, I just wish so much of what made the story interesting wasn’t ignored in the end.

From the many new locales and scenarios, to character development and the story’s twists and turns, Hearts of Stone is an experience that is absolutely worth checking out for fans of The Witcher 3.

The best way to describe the gameplay in Titanfall 2 is fluid and precise.

In all, if you haven’t played Bastion yet, now is probably the time to. The move to PS4 doesn’t boast many extra features, but the game itself is worth a playthrough (or two, if you’re into New Game Plus modes).

What Remains of Edith Finch is a personal story, one that really hit home for me in just about every way imaginable. It’s a game that finds beauty in death and demonstrates the importance of appreciating what little time we are given to experience what life has to offer. The story of the Finch family is strange and at times might not seem possible, but dig deep enough, and you’ll find a wonderful game with a profound perspective on life, family, and what we leave behind.

The Binding of Isaac pulls off everything it tries to do, and very well. The story is interesting, the gameplay fantastic, and the art and music are wonderful as well. The only things I found wrong with the game were that the bosses were repetitive and the challenge mode was lacking fun.

In the end, NieR Automata’s story is profound, at times heartbreaking, and in other instances you’ll spot tiny glimmers of hope. It’s an expertly crafted story that’s uniquely presented to toy with the way you perceive characters and the world surrounding them. It’s a crazy ride from beginning to end and one that completely blew me away, in spite of my own absurdly high expectations.

Even with high expectations going in The Talos Principle still blew me away. Through excellent puzzle design and a thought provoking narrative this easily stands among some of my favorites games this year.

I found the experience about as thrilling as a sudoku book.

Night in the Woods culminates in some revelations made in regards to some of the stranger things happening within Possum Springs. It’s an interesting contrast to almost everything leading up to it and ultimately delivers an interesting message that, I think, resonates with much of what Mae’s character is dealing with. Night in the Woods is unafraid to embrace a wealth of issues that young people face in their daily lives. There’s still fun to be had, parties to attend, and songs to jam out to, but it’s also about depression, anxiety, moving on, and cherishing the things that you do have. Night in the Woods delivers a powerful message that resonated with me in ways I wasn’t expecting or prepared for.

My love for Odin Sphere Leifthrasir started to drop as the repetition took hold, but ultimately I’m still left feeling pretty good about my time with the game. I might be a little burned out on many of the bosses at this point, but it’s hard not to just get completely wrapped up in the game’s presentation and storytelling. I also really appreciate the game’s inclusion of a Classic Mode that allows for people to experience the kind of gameplay that Odin Sphere offered back on PS2.

With those issues and caveat, Fallout 4 has to be the most addicting and content heavy-game we’ve played on the Playstation 4. Looking forward to spending many more countless hours exploring every nook and cranny of the Commonwealth.

Yakuza 0’s story is full of twists and turns that’ll keep you guessing and make it exceedingly hard to put the controller down. The final few hours of this game are absolutely phenomenal. I’m not sure words can properly do it justice, there’s plenty of major events that cause you to shout out to no one in particular in the middle of the night just from pure excitement.

This is easily one of the best twin stick shooters I’ve played in years.

If nothing else, for me, it’s refreshing to play a sports game that stays true to the sport while not taking itself too seriously.

Valkyria Chronicles is a deeply satisfying game and one that I really only have a few minor gripes with. By the time the credits rolled I found myself completely wrapped up in a cast of like-able characters and excited to dig into the game’s New Game +. If, like me, you never gave Valkyria Chronicles a chance then there’s no better time to see what you’ve been missing out on.

At the end of the day Salt and Sanctuary is a successful take on From Software’s Souls series, something I can’t get enough of, and it’s nice to see a different developer’s take on this style of game.

Much like last year’s Grim Fandango Remastered, Day of the Tentacle Remastered brings classic point and click adventure games to a new generation to great effect.

For newcomers like myself this remaster opens the door for a new generation to experience a piece of gaming history. It has faults, and the remaster might not be as extensive as some would hope, but Grim Fandango has aged well. More importantly Grim Fandango’s new lease on life ensures that it will be easily available to anyone for many years to come.

Thumper really isn’t like anything else I’ve played and I don’t say that lightly. Yes, there are similarities to other games in the genre, but the rush of adrenaline and existential dread felt throughout the game are just small factors in what ultimately sets it apart. Thumper is a brutal deep dive into the abyss, one that will relentlessly push you to your limits again and again.

That said Axiom Verge is a game that absolutely nails exploration/discovery and that’s an experience that people deserve to have for themselves. After three full playthroughs I can’t think of many other games that have proved to be as rewarding as this. It’s the kind of game that, just when I thought I figured it out, it would surprise me again and again.

Lara Croft GO offers a fun spin on a concept that Square Enix Montréal originally nailed with Hitman. Yet again, it offers a distilled version of what makes Tomb Raider fun and presents a pretty unique and challenging puzzle game.

I’m now in the midst of my third playthrough with this game which will mark my fourth overall run with Resident Evil 1. Somehow it manages to get better each time I start up a new file.

For as much content that’s on offer here, there’s bound to be something for everybody. If you just want to stick to Tetris, you can do that! If you’re a Puyo Purist, that’s fine too! Both are excellent in their own right and the wealth of play options only helps to sweeten the deal. Puyo Puyo Tetris is packed to the brim with game modes and alternate play styles that’s perfect for parties or solo challenge runs.

In all, it’s a must-buy if you have at least one other person to play it with on a consistent basis.

I absolutely have frustrations and disappointments in different aspects of the game, but they all come from a place of investment in this series. Is ZTD completely satisfying? No, but it’s still very, very good.

Overall, SteamWorld Heist is one of the most accessible strategy games you will ever wish to discover and play with an incredible depth of gameplay and features.