This game stands out as an exceptional entry in a series that has consistently delivered action-movie thrills. If you’ve felt series fatigue creeping in with recent entries, Far Cry 5 is just the antidote you need. It’s an incredible game. Play it. Love it. Just don’t get brainwashed by the cult.

At no point did I truly dislike Plague Tale. Quite the contrary. It almost never fails to give you something new to think about or look at, even if you tend to be doing the same three or four things while doing so. The art and environment design is on par with or exceeds some of 2019’s biggest budget titles, and while its core gameplay wears thin by the end, Plague Tale never seems to run out of unique scenarios to throw you into.

Black Ops III is a return to form for the Call of Duty franchise, and two of the three main components are as good as they’ve ever been. The story mode remains a disappointment, but there’s so much content and endless customization packed into the competitive and zombie modes that you’ll have no shortage of things to do for many months to come.

Though the campaign doesn’t perfectly stick the landing, it finds strength in a multitude of moments that keep things intimate yet thrilling, making it almost certainly one of the series’ strongest entries.

Generations Ultimate is a greatest-hits collection that doesn’t go out of the way to re-contextualize why the hits are so great in the first place. While it still provides the thrills that made Monster Hunter huge, it’s hard to argue the series isn’t ready for something else.

Pokémon has a long and storied history, with plenty of exciting developments, and plenty of missteps. Let’s Go is more the former. These games imagine a beautiful, friendly future for Pokémon, and they’re more than worth any interested player’s time.

Where many open-world games present large stretches of the map that are unremarkable filler, The Division is dense with tiny details that make every corner of the city interesting.

For existing Rock Band fans, the only reason not to purchase Rock Band 4 is that you’re perfectly happy with all the instruments and music you have available to you already, and don’t foresee interest in the bevy of inevitable new tracks that Harmonix will be releasing for the PS4 and Xbox One...And if you’re deciding whether or not to buy Rock Band for the very first time, I wish I could convey just how much I wish the instruments had been this high-quality and the song library this deep when I first started playing Rock Band eight years ago.

For fans, there are plenty of surprises to uncover and tons of references to even the most obscure episodes of the show. Thanks to a strong level of personalization coupled with South Park’s distinct atmosphere, The Fractured But Whole makes wandering around the faithfully recreated and detailed map of the town a constant delight.

Despite a few missteps, Prey does a lot of smart, rewarding innovation with its gameplay. Your abilities are balanced with those of the enemy, and the progression system ensures that you’ll never become a one-man death machine. That palpable tension of a shadow lurking just out of sight remains taut for the entire campaign, and each encounter layers on more reasons to be fearful while poking around Talos I.

Pokémon has a long and storied history, with plenty of exciting developments, and plenty of missteps. Let’s Go is more the former. These games imagine a beautiful, friendly future for Pokémon, and they’re more than worth any interested player’s time.

The artifact descriptions are another example of the way Rising Tide layers new, compelling content onto the framework of Civilization: Beyond Earth.

The only caution about Yoshi’s Wooly World is that it is only composed of five Worlds, rather than the usual eight Worlds of a Super Mario Bros. game. A skilled platformer player who is able to grab all the collectibles in each course on a first run might find the game too short.

The team wanted to make it more than just a cute face and pretty graphics. Even if puzzles can seem obtuse, seldom do they ever feel impossible. The few faults in Unravel can be excused, because it’s so well executed. With the emotions it stirs and the warmth it makes you feel, it’s obvious that a lot of heart was poured into this game.

As it stands now, Battlefield V is a beautiful depiction of an ugly war that offers only a few fleeting chances to reflect on what it meant...And then the bullets start flying.

If there’s any message in That Dragon, Cancer that ought to be universal to anyone who plays the game, it’s that time is precious.

Oxenfree sometimes feels like a walking, talking concept pitch, a vehicle for a compelling plot that needs a larger venue.

Abzu is clearly a labor of love, but its heart is missing. It has all the trappings of a universe that we long to inhabit, which makes the lack of depth all the more bewildering. By introducing intriguing images and wonderfully strange encounters, we are invited into a fascinating world. The problem is that it's never clear what we are there to accomplish. Plunging into Abzu is ideal if you're there for the scenery, but not so much if you're looking for more.

It may sound trite, but there actually was something primal about Far Cry Primal in terms of how it handled genre identity. It dispenses with any notions of gritty realism, noir storytelling, or military heroism, and boils things down to brutal violence and plain-old silliness. I found this refreshing.

Labo has me thinking about what else is possible with the Switch and, impressively, managed to make the console feel even more amazing.

I enjoyed Quantum Break in the same way I enjoy Marvel superhero movies. They’re fun to watch while I kick back and eat some popcorn. But when I go to see The Avengers I don’t have a control pad in my hands, and there’s where Quantum Break gets confusing for me. Sussing out the relative importance of the two halves of Quantum Break messed with my head as much as trying to sort through all the story’s causality loops.

Donut County won’t solve or illuminate that massive, multifaceted societal issue, but it will give you a chance to lay back, relax, and throw it down a hole.

After playing over 30 hours of ARMS, it is hard not to be excited to see where the community grows from here. Still, players need to understand that they are coming in on the ground level of an experimental fighting game that will only feel more rewarding as time goes on.

Striking black-and-white visuals looks great on the Switch’s handheld screen, and the vibrant sound design often reveals hidden clues and cues. My Memory of Us stands out as an accessible throwback, and it commits fully to its message. This journey won’t take you very long to complete, but it’s one worth seeing through to the end.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is the definition of a decent game. It’s fun in short doses and will keep you amused for just long enough to make you feel like you got your $60’s worth. That said, it’s definitely a step back from last year’s Black Ops III, which impressed in almost every regard, and despite being packed with features, modes, and more futuristic fanfare than any Call of Duty before it, a world of laser guns and space battles might not be where the franchise’s time is best spent.

For fans of frantic, intense shooters with a layer of customization and random elements, it would be hard not to recommend Mothergunship.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate represents a welcomed return to form, the likes of which hasn’t been experienced since Revelations. If attaining this level of excellence meant removing all the complexities and ambition of multiplayer, so be it.

Ultimately the appeal of Yo-Kai Watch will depend heavily on you as a gamer. If you’re interested in a light JRPG with a twist on standard turn-based mechanics, you will find Yo-Kai Watch to be a delight. If you’re looking for something deeper, you might want to stick with Pokémon.