Reigns is shrewd and playful, with a straightforward interface and a handful of terrific twists thrown in for good measure. Whenever things risk getting too stale, a new event or set of cards can turn up to keep one hooked, and a single playthrough won’t uncover all the secrets, as well as the ways to meet some grisly fate.

Even with my expectations guarded, however, I did not expect just another survival/crafting game that used randomization as a crutch to the point of losing all potential personality...And I at least expected more to fu..ing do.

Rhythm Heaven Megamix is a great jumping off point for series newcomers, collecting some fantastic games while adding a healthy portion of fresh material. Old hands will still find lots of love thanks to the remixed levels, added challenges, and scores of bonus content.

It could have – and should have – been far better than it is. Held back by a lack of ambition and never daring to crawl from the shadow of better games, I Am Setsuna stops itself being something special...But at least it’s not garbage, and I sincerely hope Tokyo RPG Factory has something bigger in the pipeline, because I see a hell of a lot of promise.

Spiders is a developer with its heart in the right place, and one can tell it wants to make good games. For some reason it struggles to pull out the stops needed to make something great, save for the time it outdid itself with Of Orcs and Men. With The Technomancer, we have a game trying to be a sprawling sci-fi adventure while paradoxically not trying much at all.

Despite being a pedestrian and uninspiring experience, it’s still conquered the hearts and minds of millions, and while I don’t know why, I’m still firing the thing up every time my dog goes out to take a shit, because there could be an Ekans out there.

It’s adorable, it’s got plenty of amusing content, and it’s cheap as dirt.

Describing Inside is difficult, not because one can’t find the words, but because it has to be seen to truly be believed.

Dead By Daylight is a fantastic concept that, in practice, needed much more work put into it.

If you hated Operation Racoon City, I urge you to try it again after playing Umbrella Corps. You’ll think it’s fucking amazing...At least it doesn’t have microtransactions, weirdly. At least not yet.

Much like an anime fan on prom night, I would rather be at home playing Mega Man than here. I would rather be playing Shovel Knight. I would rather be playing most games in this genre...Mighty No. 9? More like Shitey No. 9!

Kirby: Planet Robobot is yet another Kirby game, which I personally consider a positive. The new abilities and mechanized gimmickry are huge fun to fiddle around with, boss encounters are beautifully delivered, and the level design is some of the series’ most accomplished.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst was an answer to intense fan demand for a new game, and that seems to be all it is. Catalyst has nothing to say and less than nothing to add to its genre. Unimaginative and repetitive, with a story that goes absolutely nowhere, Catalyst serves only as a way to waste some time if there’s nothing better to play...It’s not offensive, and it’s not an actively bad time, but it’s so very bland and uneventful. I can’t really speak for the developers, but Catalyst certainly gives the impression that they’d rather be working on literally anything else.

If you’re sick of all the military shooters vying for your attention but still want an honest, straightforward FPS experience, Hard Reset has the cure for your fever.

It’s inspired, but turgid. Brilliant, but flawed. Fun, but infuriating. If you’ve never played it before, the Definitive Edition may just provide you with enough of a laugh to be worth picking up.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan is one of those games that avoids being truly deplorable despite my having nothing nice to say about it. It didn’t infuriate me the same way Star Fox Zero did, and it’s not a broken pile of junk like Homefront: The Revolution. It is, however, lacking a single noteworthy highlight, and the only positive point I can make is that I didn’t completely hate it...I didn’t like it. I could barely stand to stick with its overwhelming mediocrity...But hey, I didn’t hate it...I didn’t hate this disappointing little waste of time...Well done, game!

Overwatch is a beautiful game. In dedicating itself to one strong, singular style of game rather than attempting to check too many boxes with heaps of modes and features, Blizzard has crafted a finely tuned and instantly playable production. It is a game of exceptional vision, a vision realized with utmost self-assurance. This game knows what it is, and doesn’t try to be anything else.

With Doom, id has delivered a highly polished, utterly shameless Hellbound hecatomb that confidently swaggers into the world with gaudy fervor. It’s huge, it’s preposterous, and it’s absolutely bloody majestic.

Simply put, Homefront: The Revolution is outclassed in its bracket by every other big-budget game released this generation. And that’s without getting into how shockingly shit the PC version is...This game made me feel unwell, it bored me to tears, and it irritated the piss out of me. Also, it has co-op.

Battleborn constantly pops with a charmingly garish visual style, a small army of exotic characters, and disorderly combat with just enough strategic edge to keep it from being sloppy. While some may find the clashing colors and overall derangement to be a little too busy, I personally felt right at home with its special blend of stupidity and style.

Sony’s premier action adventure series is showing its age from a creative standpoint, if not a technical one. Recognizable story cues and shock attempts have become bromidic, and there are moments that had me rolling my eyes as Uncharted 4 expected me to be startled by twists anticipated from miles away. As cornball as it can be, however, Uncharted 4 remains a damn classy romp with a sensitive side, and fans are undoubtedly going to adore it.

It’s okay, but it just doesn’t do anything anywhere near special enough to make it little more than an aping of games and sci-fi media that have come before.

Star Fox Zero is just plain rotten. An otherwise run-of-the-mill space shooter that couldn’t be content with its own mediocrity and subsequently mutilated itself in a desperate attempt to stand out.

Sega 3D Classics Collection is a fantastic presentation of mostly mediocre games, like a beautifully shot and directed movie featuring David Duchovny in its leading role.

In short, you’re getting a damn good game for your money, even if it is the official game of the official movie of the official game.

Enter the Gungeon is a fast paced dungeon shooter that punishes and rewards in equal measure. Easy to get into, and tough as nails when it wants to be, Dodge Roll’s energetic and hilarious loot ’em up is sometimes frustrating, but more often a joy to experience.

If you’re hoping for another Souls experience, this is too tepid an offering to satisfying. That said, it’s still worth playing if you want an amusing, silly bit of action.

In several ways, Miitomo is the perfect kind of app for Nintendo to bring to mobile devices – it’s unexpected, silly, and it doesn’t make any sense.

On PS4, the experience is further hampered, with slowdown in multiple locations for a game that can only handle an fps of 30 at peak. The upside is that, at least in my experience, these dips in performance occur in strangely unpopulated areas, meaning you should have a solid framerate when it comes to combat. Make no mistake, however, that console versions are inescapably inferior.

Dark Souls III is, in many ways, a balancing of past accomplishments. The detailed yet obfuscating narrative of Dark Souls, the convenient travel system of Dark Souls II, a dash of the speed found in Bloodborne, and the rock solid backbone of strenuous, fulfilling challenge that runs throughout the entire series...Any player who’s been through this mill is prepared to die, but once more, that fantastic beacon of hope urging players to press forward and overcome each obstacle is shining as bright as ever. Because that’s what Dark Souls is all about – perishing, persevering, and prevailing. No game series comes close to doing what Dark Souls does, and Dark Souls III has done it again. It’s an undead favorite.

It’s not enough to say that Resident Evil 6 is poor as a Resident Evil game. That alone implies there could be a quality experience if fans can get past their preconceptions and feelings of betrayal. No, Resident Evil 6 is poor by the standards of any game, not just the high ones set by its own legacy.

Quantum Break is not the most revolutionary of games, and its cute time toys cover what is, at heart, a fairly standardized shooter. However, it carries itself with style and speed to create something genuinely fascinating to play, flavored by a story that, while failing to pay off in the final stretch, is more detailed and engrossing than most in its league.

Hyrule Warriors Legends is every bit as good as the original, with more meat to chew through and a colorful cast of extra playable characters. While some of the original game’s problems are still present, improvements made to the fluidity of battles and player freedom more than make up for it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say this is easily one of the best 3DS games ever released, at least if you have a New 3DS in your pocket.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is a “playable” game in the same way Anaconda is a “watchable” movie. As adequate as entertainment gets, it’s capable of providing solid amusement while it lasts, but it’s not something worth remembering beyond the scope of the time spent actively utilizing it. It’s something you can use to waste time, and it’s good at that, but it’s not particularly brilliant at anything else.

The HD rerelease is a good chance to hop back in and appreciate all that – the terrific character development, the unique gameplay ideas, and a very scary Bug Princess.

Ultimately, Heavy Rain is an experiment that both succeeded and failed, when it could easily have been a total success if the brains behind it weren’t trying so hard to be smart and cared more about providing a sensible plot as opposed to a shocking one.

Quite frankly, I think Superhot is absolutely bloody fantastic, and one of the best examples of how a single idea can be iterated upon to create dozens of clever scenarios.

It’s certainly nothing professional, and it absolutely does not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as a real Dark Souls game. That anybody thought this monstrous garbage was a good way to promote an upcoming game speaks volumes about the disconnect from reality videogame executives suffer from.

Fast becoming my favorite online shooter of choice, Garden Warfare 2 is lovable, preposterous, and completely rampageous. Never thought I’d say this about an EA game, but it’s everything a modern premium experience should be.

Far Cry Primal is a great example of trying new things in a smart and relatively safe manner, demonstrating how a popular series can keep itself invigorated. While other venerable franchises like Call of Duty are afraid to challenge themselves and make only halfhearted gestures toward invention, Primal plots a course through uncharted waters with a battle-tested vessel and actually commits to making its new ideas more than vapid window dressing. The result?...You can ride on a goddamn bear. Enough said.

Layers of Fear is well made, but commits a potentially greater sin than a game that’s simply bad. It’s dull. It’s dreary. It’s got as much bite as a beach ball.

When it comes to fighting against someone, it’s one of the most polished Street Fighters to date. When it comes to everything outside of that fight, it’s a huge steaming turd that I look at with a scrunched up, grossed out face.

Firewatch is not what many people may have wanted, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Fans of interactive drama will absolutely want to give this a try, as it shows how you can craft a “walking simulator” while keeping players involved and intrigued as opposed to ignored and bored.

Cloying adorability is Unravel‘s saving grace. Propped up on a crutch constructed from mawkish sentimentality, it gets away with a fair few missteps and manages to claw together a smattering of memorable moments. This pretty shell, however, is undeniably a shell, and no amount of pretty little animations can make up for a total drought of engaging game design.

Since 2013, hacks have inflicted upon the world such dross as Grass Simulator, Tea Party Simulator, and Yohjo Simulator. In comparison, American Truck Simulator remains an authentic and gratifying production, one of the few simulators out there still worthy of positive attention.

While most of this generation’s avalanche of double-dips have felt cynical and unwarranted, Gravity Rush truly benefits from a change of system and a chance to reach a comparatively huge audience. It is, simply put, a better game than it used to be, and I can’t complain about that.

If anything, Dark Arisen reminds me just how much I missed my time with Dragon’s Dogma, and how I’d love to see another one in the works. Here’s hoping Gransys has more adventures for us in future!

Darkest Dungeon is an unrelenting adventure as well as an intricately designed puzzle. Swiftly punishing foolhardy players while rewarding the ruthlessly pragmatic, it hammers home the message that risk is not always worth the reward. Knowing when to fold them is the key to triumph, even if doing so means abandoning your loyal followers and slipping further into amorality...Being a heartless scumbag isn’t particularly pleasant, but if Darkest Dungeon‘s taught me anything, it can be one hell of an amazing ride.

Halo 5: Guardians is okay. Its campaign is rubbish, but the multiplayer is solid thanks to the foundation it’s built upon. Warzone is a really enjoyable experience, and while combat is still mostly about tossing grenades and hitting the melee button, the whole Requisition gimmick adds some much-needed flavor to proceedings.

It’s Resident Evil 0. That’s about the size of it. If you dug the old GameCube version, then you’ll dig this. If you didn’t, Capcom’s fresh coat of paint won’t be enough to draw you in.

Ironically, if it had tried to be less of a game, it would have been a much better game.

I can say one thing with confidence, however. I’ve said it already. I’ll say it again. Pony Island is bloody genius.

Being an indie Kickstarter project, I get why Harmonix couldn’t get us Bowie anymore, but the original compositions are nowhere near good enough to replace what used to be on offer.

Dementium is not unforgivably bad. It’s just excruciatingly mundane, and so very unoriginal. I wish it wasn’t that way, as I would love to see great horror on the 3DS...Dementium Remastered is not, however, great horror on the 3DS, and it would be more honest to call it Dementium Regurgitated.

This is not so bad it’s good. It’s just plain bad, and there aren’t enough giant insects in the world to convince me otherwise.

At best, it’s a curious relic from a bygone era of videogames in terms of both mechanics and attitude. At worst, it’s an ugly and boring game where the most interesting aspect is the prevalence an of inconsistent framerate despite looking like garbage. The worst part is, I have the horrible suspicion that Valhalla believes it made something really, really good. And that just makes me incredibly sad.

The core of Rainbow Six Siege is great – it’s a game I want to absolutely adore. But it’s just not a game I can recommend right now. Not at this price. Not with Ubisoft’s chicanery.

Just Cause 3 is okay. It’s far from great, but it’s not bad either. It’s just a decent waste of time. You can expect to mine at least twenty hours from it, with far more on top if you get really into it. Personally, I feel there are far better ways to waste your time, but there are far worse too.

There are moments that make me scratch my head, infuriate me, and even make me cringe, but when I consider the layered mass that is Xenoblade Chronicles X, all I can think of how damn arresting it is.

The best way to describe Star Wars Battlefront, I feel, is to call it what it is – a good game that was deliberately designed to not be a great one...I wanted to rate it higher than this. Way higher.

As a big fan of Telltale’s work, and a Game of Thrones aficionado, I found this to be a dismal letdown. I expected better – hell, I at least expected to feel something at the end of this chapter. Instead, I feel nothing. I’m just completely apathetic to the whole thing, and I feel no reason to be excited about a second season because, well… it’ll just be more of the same, if past experience is any indicator.

The main game itself is easily worth the price of admission. A gripping story in spite of its cliches, with an expanded serving of the gameplay that made Tomb Raider such a wild ride, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a damn fine sequel that does everything a sequel needs to do. What’s more, it truly cements Lara’s new adventures as a series with a solid future, and I’m excited to see where Croft and Trinity go next.

What I can say is that Fallout 4 is a wild ride that gets its hooks in you deep, with a number of welcome improvements and a settlement management system that could be its own entirely separate game. All that, and not a single microtransaction in sight, despite the game being easily structured for such a horrible business practice to slide right in. That is impressive.

If you’d like to play a limp amalgamation of Deus Ex, Crysis, and BioShock with a multiplayer mode you’ve been able to play eight times in as many years, then Call of Duty: Black Ops III is definitely for you. For the rest of you, it’s just another condom of a game to be spunked into and thrown in the trash.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a game that’s far better than its shackles allow it to be. Even as hampered as it is by online chicanery and distinctly “Nintendo” hassles, it’s still a great deal of fun and one of the best handheld online adventures you could undertake. It just requires some patience to get working, with a reward that’s well worth it...Also, come on… it’s gay as hell. And I kind of love that.

A mediocre “remaster” of an utterly superb game, which rounds out to a pretty good package overall – provided you’ve never tried it before.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is actually good.

Guitar Hero Live is a bold new step forward for the series, as well as peripheral-based music games overall. While Rock Band 4 stuck more rigidly to tradition and provided a solid party game, Live delivers a more personal game, albeit one with a lot more going on under the hood.

I’m really liking the idea of a “spiritual” series of yarn-based games, and would love to see more Nintendo properties go the same route as Epic Yarn and Woolly World. That said, they need to bring a little extra freshness of their own rather than walk over familiar ground, because this highly promising idea already runs the risk of submerging into mediocrity.

Moppin’s work easily deserves to stand alongside the likes of Nuclear Throne, Spelunky, and The Binding of Isaac as a tough but rewarding game where no two runs are the same and the temptation to return is overwhelming...It’s also proof positive that reviewers don’t give games low scores because they “suck at the game” – I have no shame in admitting I’m absolutely awful at the bloody thing, but I adore it nonetheless.

This could have been good. A dungeon crawler in the Overlord universe has some promise, but there’s just nothing here. No satisfying loot drops. No expanding combat ability. Nothing but braindead, horrifically designed combat. Oh, and a few utterly insipid pressure-plate puzzles. Because those are always fun...I fucking hate it...That is what I’m trying to say.

I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, moreso perhaps than I have with any mainstay Borderlands game, and I can’t wait to return.

It commits perhaps the worst sin a horror game – or indeed any game – could commit. It is boring. Once you’ve made the audience yawn, you’ve lost your ability to frighten them forever.

While not quite the revelation Hyrule Warriors was, it’s nonetheless another case of lightning in a button-smacking bottle.

Samurai Warriors 4-11 bases itself on one of the best possible Warriors games, and therefore its core gameplay is of undeniable quality. It’s a great game by all accounts. However, most of what makes it great was sold to us a year ago, so while there’s still a ton of fun to be had, I am not going to be singing its praises a second time.

One of the finest games of its age, but still a 1992 title that has been bought and played eight million times. So, take that for what it is.

No game yet has quite captured the look and feel of the only real Transformers experience quite like Devastation. The fact they added a brilliantly entertaining combat system and an engaging bit of looting on top is a very welcome surprise.

If you’ve never had a Rock Band game before, this is as good a time as any to jump in, but be aware that you’ll be wanting to peruse that huge store of downloadable content in order to get a setlist you’re happy with. Series veterans, however, will have no such trouble, and very little reason not to check this one out. It’s a good basis for something that has potential to get even better as the years go on.

There’s more to this game than it’s 90 minute runtime. The fact I’m still thinking about it, deeply, hours after I played it is all part of the value too...The fact it prompted me to write much of what I wrote here is something… special.

This is something we’d make fun of if it was on Desura for ten bucks, and that’s when this stops being a funny game and starts becoming offensive – because it isn’t on Desura for ten dollars. It’s a full-priced, $59.99 MSRP, retail “AAA” production bearing Tony Hawk’s name and proudly published by Activision...It’s really, atrociously unacceptable once that sinks in.

If you were already a fan of the series, this remastered bundle will be worth picking up. Those who are a bit more cynical, as I was, may very well find themselves surprised by the time they’ve slogged through all three of them. Pleasantly so.

This is not just another horror game. It’s a science fiction story with horrific shades, a game that ponders the human condition in an industry where “the human condition” has become an awkward dead horse of a phrase. A horror game that, curiously, would have benefited from a little less horror.

It’s been a long, long time since this style of RPG has grabbed me as Undertale has, and even longer since a small independent effort has been so ambitious, impressive, and unquestionably successful.

Crafting is intuitive, navigation is quick, and the sheer scale of what can be done is deceptively vast. Trying the intricate work of some of Course World’s most talented designers will showcase in seconds just what can be done. It’s an encouraging thing, and that’s something this game does so well – it encourages, inspiring its users to keep making bigger and better things.

I admire the honesty of Senran Kagura, if nothing else. It knows why it’s here, and it knows why you’re here. It’s all about that sleaze and it doesn’t try to hide it. That, I can admire, even if the game itself is rubbish.

Dropsy‘s resolve to bring back the old school point n’ clicker is a success, though it’s perhaps a bit too successful, given the overreaching ambiguity in certain areas. Even in spite of its tendency to obstruct the player, it’s a beautiful, bewildering, unforgettable game of hugs, love, and hollowing sadness.

It’s really quite nice. Completely inoffensive rhythm-based fun. At the very least, it’s something your kids will dig, if you happen to own any of those little freaks.

Every bit was wonderful as it was the first time around. Bright, cheerful, packed with things to do, and rocking some classic brawler action, it looks as beautiful as ever and there’s no excuse not to give it a look. It’s just as fresh as it was back in the day, and a 100% discount for prior players is friggin’ perfect.

A superb game in a not quite as superb package.

I’ve not had this much raw fun with a game in quite some time. It could have ditched the plot entirely and just thrown me into these environments with all the unique toys and I’d have had a roaring good time. This is, to date, Kojima Productions’ finest videogame if we’re looking at it as a piece of pure, unabashed entertainment.

Shower With Your Dad Simulator: Do You Still Shower With Your Dad might not be a game you could explain away to a significant other, but it’s markedly better than any explanation could suggest...Plus those dads really do hang dong.

When it comes to simply chewing through yet another open world game, Mad Max does suffice. It’s a substandard but largely competent “AAA” game in a sea full of them, and those who do value the idea of content above all else will find more than their money’s worth here...There’s simply no reason to pick it up, however, if you’ve yet to try The Witcher 3, Shadow of Mordor or Batman: Arkham City. There are tons of better games that go for what Mad Max went for and do so in a superior manner.

As it stands, it’s a damn lovely game that nonetheless doesn’t need to be clamored for...Likable, yet not as lovable as it deserves to be...Now rest in peace, PlayStation Vita.

Vogelsap created a purely frustrating product – something that could have, and indeed should have, been something special, only to squander its opportunities at every step...I’d love to see everything The Flock tried to do in a better game, but I fear the failure of this one will only dissuade others from attempting it.

It’s six Mega Man games and something that takes all those games to create a far more interesting prospect. Mega Man fans deserve better than this, but it’s the best they’re apparently getting, and it’s pretty good for what it is.

Gears of War Ultimate Edition is a blast to play, even if you’re like me and only really intend to get into the story campaign. The multiplayer is still damn robust, beautifully put together, and will be a thrill ride for those who love the Gnasher, but I can’t say I haven’t greatly enjoyed my time with the overall package, because the thing I most cared about has been remastered very well indeed.

Until Dawn is everything that Quantic Dream games have tried to be – unsuccessfully – for the past decade. It emulates horror movies while demonstrating a clear understanding of what makes those movies work, its focus on consequence is nervewracking and intricate, and its story is silly but strongly delivered. It’s the best David Cage game not made by David Cage, and it’s the best interactive horror flick you’ll play.

The removal of some terrific features, plus the lack of effort for the PC version, serves to knock the game down a tad compared to its ZombiU alternative, but it is nonetheless a gruesomely enjoyable ride, and I honestly hope it gets the attention it deserves this time.