Hotline Miami doesn’t apologize for what it tries to do. It’s a throwback to the golden age of gaming but at the same time, it reminds us that over-the-top violence was always tongue-in-cheek in those days.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift is about as excellent as fans would expect. If you liked the first, there's almost no chance you won't like the sequel; the only question – as I stated before – is whether or not you think it's enough of an upgrade to warrant a purchase.

A pristine racing game. Nevermind that it's focused on rally, it feels so damn tight and responsive, on top of looking like a dream. It's one of the best playing game engines out there, and one of the best looking too.

Supremely difficult, extremely rewarding and, above all else, absolutely unrelenting, id Software has once again set the bar for the hyper-violent twitch gaming genre with Doom Eternal.

If you can get past the really bland game visuals and a choppy framerate, then in Dragon Age: Origins you will find one of the very best RPG experiences in years. Masterful gameplay mechanics and an amazing story grab you and don't let you go until either a power-outage or sleep deprivation.

The best-playing baseball game available this year, although its presentation is the weakest.

MLB 12: The Show is yet again the victor. More than anything, it just feels like baseball.

What counts, though, is that these games still excel at what they set out to do, which is tell a compelling and ambitious story in a unique and engaging way, while providing a gameplay experience full of innovation and bold design. Despite having sunk hundreds of hours into these games years ago, I was still awed by the sheer scale of the project, still moved by the more intimate moments between characters, and still heartbroken at the resolution of some plot arcs. Even after all these years, Mass Effect still has the ability to provoke emotions in me that only a handful of other games ever have. To me, that’s more important than a fresh coat of paint or some extra DLC, and why Mass Effect will always, in my book, be the greatest trilogy of RPG games ever made.

“Inglourious Basterds meets Fast and Furious” – a multicultural group of irreverent, colorful characters on a globetrotting quest to ruin Hitler’s day, week and life in a fantastic revenge fantasy setting. Brutal, absurd, clever, insightful and touching, The New Colossus is a rollicking adventure that has reset the bar for what first person shooters can, and should, be.

The epitome of value.

Resistance 2 is a sweeping, grand epic of a masterpiece issued in staccato bursts of ceaselessly entertaining action, which ultimately provide the gamer with a wonderfully paced and satisfying adventure.

The experience is almost indescribable, and even if you’re not a big fan of motion sensing (and we’re not), you will smile throughout your experience.

NBA 2K16 remains a great basketball game at its core, but makes a mistake in trying to give us a narrative-driven MyCareer mode.

If you’re lying in wait for some Christmas presents and don’t have anything to play, and there just so happens to be a winter storm blowing outside, jump online, quickly download this 108MB game, and be satisfied for quite some time.

An excellent, fun, and whimsical game that once again proves how well Disney and Final Fantasy can play together.

So, what's the verdict? Simple: buy the Xbox 360 version.

Even though the formula of this series hasn't seen a dramatic overhaul, the gameplay does continue to offer a very solid experience, complete with enough new features to keep it feeling fresh.

Fallout 4 is a masterful production that features a wildly ambitious and nigh-on unparalleled scope. There’s just so much to do that it often feels overwhelming, but this isn’t going to stop the franchise faithful. In fact, I’m sure they’ll welcome the deluge of options, content, and endless exploration.

But the story really does take too long to unfold, the battle environment is far too repetitive and often boring, you don't have as much control as you would like (only controlling one character isn't much fun), the soundtrack gets ridiculously repetitive at times, and there's no actual world map you can physically explore.

A brilliantly executed arena-based first-person shooter, with a plethora of depth, speed, and a virtually infinite scope on replay value. User-created content will drive this game and its online community for years to come, just as it has on the PC. It is visually stunning to behold, with superb texture detail everywhere you look.

It nails down its position as a multiplayer-oriented (and thus, party-oriented) game and succeeds beautifully. Still, there's a part of me that resents the lacking single-player campaign, and the learning curve may prove frustrating (or maybe it's just me).

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is exactly what you’d expect. The first game doesn’t quite measure up and could turn off newcomers (always a concern), and the games really don’t have a lot of “new” in them. But really, the brilliance of this top-tier action/adventure series remains in full view throughout, and the remastering veterans at Bluepoint did a good job.

A very good game, but minor issues, and lack of new material make the game fall just short of the high expectations that surround it. Don’t be mistaken, it’s a blast to play, and anyone who has enjoyed any of the previous games will certainly be happy.

Valkyria Chronicles is indeed one of the best games of 2008, and certainly the best strategy/RPG of this generation.

Someone once said that Shenmue crawled so that Yakuza could run. If that’s true, then Like A Dragon is the Usain Bolt of the series. There is so much to love and discover in the game’s 50 to 70-hour main story. Top this off with a new game plus mode, and you have an RPG that I can easily see being played for hundreds of hours.

The complete package is supremely well done; the immersive atmosphere is second-to-none, the action is always either tense and intimidating or all-out madness, the diversity of the levels is a joy to experience, and the story ain’t half bad.

So, do I recommend Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road? In short, yes. If you’re a fan. If you like football games and have ethical concerns with supporting certain real life football organizations? Yes. If you like engaging and genuinely very nice stories? Very much yes! At full price? I would also say yes, but that’s wholly and only if you can justify the expenditure, and don’t have a backlog of games already. It’s 2025, it’s been an amazing year, and we’ve a wealth of games to play as is. Did you play soccer as a child, and partly want to get lost in your own memories as you play it? That’s a considerably more personal statement, and I cannot comment on it. Although that does apply to me, personally. Do I, personally, love this game? If it wasn’t obvious, yes!

Guitar Hero: Metallica is the best damn Guitar Hero game ever.