Star Ocean: The Divine Force is an excellent step forward for the series and should mean plenty to longtime fans. Between the changes to combat and the enhanced exploration abilities, there has never been a better time to sink your teeth into this action RPG series. However, Divine Force doesn’t shy away from delivering a lengthy, epic journey that might wear players down before they ever get to the finish.

I highly recommend playing the Horse Ranch if you love caring for these animals, want to try out a new Sim experience or enjoy farming simulators. Despite its lack of gameplay, it pairs well with the base game and the rest of the DLCs, bringing in a new wave of challenges. The pack has a lot of potential to open other doors in the franchise, and it’s already made me begin my traditional binge-playing for the next few months.

The story is excellent, the art is fantastic, and a lot of people are going to relate to its message. However, if you’re going into the game thinking that it is going to be the next big breakout indie of the year, then you might come away a little disappointed.

It’s great to see how far the games have come in terms of managing all those damn menus, presenting an experience that is true to the source material, and figuring out how to take the combat system and make it fun and fluid. But in the end, it feels a bit too safe.

Unlike, say, Monster Train or Rise of the Slime, Castle Morihisa is much more of a straight up retread of Slay The Spire, which is simultaneously its strongest asset and its Achilles’ heel at the same time. While fans of the genre will find it hard not to love, and though its structure is built upon another game’s foundations, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a helluva fun time scaling your way to the top of its spire.

Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package still comes with all the flaws and warts it had during its original release, but if you can look past that, and deal with some laggy multiplayer connection problems, there’s still a fun and varied story experience waiting for you here.

Streets of Rogue offers a high-speed experience that’s got plenty of variables and options that keep things interesting and fun. I wouldn’t go so far as saying this is a game for everyone, since the combat-heavy experience does lend itself to certain play styles over others, but it’s fun and easy to pick up and play for a bit.

I’m sure hardcore Valhalla fans hungry for a new adventure won’t necessarily be upset to hear that Wrath of the Druids delivers more of the same. Certainly, if you loved the main game you’ll appreciate more content to sink your teeth into. For everyone else, play the free seasonal events until there’s a discount.

An acceptable DLC drop for a fair price. As long as you like the original release and want more of the same, Between Dimensions comes highly recommended, as it extends your time in Rynoka. Otherwise, those expecting anything to freshen up the experience, or hoping for game-changing additions, will be met with swift disappointment.

Gundam Versus has a lot to offer, and fans of the series will no doubt be pleased with the frenetic combat and roster. It may not be as accessible to those that don’t know anything about Gundam, but there’s still a fast and engaging battle system to take part in with a strong multiplayer offering. While the staggering roster of mobile suits is intimidating, it’s impressive how much variation there is, and just trying each one out and mastering it is going to take you quite a while.

If you’re an absolute die-hard fan of Life Is Strange, which you likely are if you’re considering the deluxe edition, then jump right in and say your own goodbyes to Max and Chloe. However, if you’ve not played both the original series and Before the Storm in their entirety, Farewell likely won’t resonate with you in the same way.

By simply being an interactive experience, ‘The Longest Road on Earth’ won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the genre or want some ‘chill out time’, or even just want something to serve as food for reminiscent thoughts, I implore you to find a moment to take a stroll down this road. If nothing else, it’s a reminder to stop and smell the roses every once in a while. Life’s too short not to.

Xanadu Next is definitely a game that feels dated by many standards with its lack of a detailed map, frustrating menus, and simple combat. Even despite all this, there was an immense draw to the game with its gameplay loop that proved to be incredibly fun, and really made me want to keep going.

It’s a terrific crossover for those who’ve enjoyed the modern releases, but much less so for fans who might have been hoping to be reacquainted or properly introduced to the old heroes of yore.

There’s definitely some fun times to be had with Sleep Tight, it just feels like the depth of gameplay is keeping me from being a game I will be playing consistently in the near-future.

A steep difficulty and solid strategy-first combat system take some getting used to, but intuitive controls and a smooth gameplay experience make it easy to get the hang of on a rudimentary level.

Above the Law certainly delivers where it matters most. A New Frontier’s third episode continued to tell its dark overarching story, while not forgetting about its rich characters and their motives. Unfortunately, its ending felt all too cliche and predictable, making this fall just short of the episodes that preceded it. With that said, Above the Law definitely feels like the ‘calm before the storm’ episode and does a good job of moving things forward.

All that said, On My Own still manages to create an interesting world that’s never quite the same. Seasonal shifts and different map areas add plenty of variety to the woods, and the more relaxed approach to survival affords players plenty of time to explore it all.

Longtime fans of The World Ends With You may not have an issue with this slow gameplay loop because of all the great callbacks to the first game, but it does end up feeling like the game could’ve been a shorter, more enjoyable package if some of the days didn’t feel so padded.

While I had some grievances with the Threat Levels for solo players, and had wished for a few more objectives to bolster the current roster and help reduce the monotony of playing multiple Incursions in a single session, I kept finding -- and continue to find -- myself eagerly wanting to hop back on and earn level up my Operators a little bit more. Just how long this feeling continues to linger at the back of my mind, ultimately comes down to whether any post-launch updates will come to the progression to make it feel more rewarding and less grinding.

At the end of the day, Fire Emblem Engage ends up being a rather middling experience that wasn't afraid to try a few new things as far as combat is concerned, but couldn't come close to the heights that its predecessors have set for the series. I don't necessarily see myself revisiting Engage anytime soon, but if you just want an excuse to see your favorite icons from the series again, or if you're craving more tactical RPG goodness, you could do a lot worse.

Put that unfairness together with the annoying tendencies of the cops in Need for Speed Unbound, and the entire experience is full of peaks and valleys that curtail the progress that this game is supposed to be making. Beyond its art style that stands tall on its own, Need for Speed Unbound feels less like an innovation and more like a new body kit installed on an old engine. When the competition is already miles ahead, what this series needed was a nitrous boost of epic proportions, but sadly, it doesn’t seem like it will ever catch up.

I have a feeling that NHL 18 suffers from its lack of competition. While, as always, its gameplay is strong, its presentation is pretty much perfect from in-game to the menus, and there is plenty of enjoyable modes for all standards of players to sink their teeth into, the lack of substantial new features and innovation mean that it is a step behind even some of EA’s other marquee sports titles.

The brief moments of frustration and confusion are outweighed by genuinely hilarious moments of dark humor and satisfying management-sim bliss.

If you want to experience these stories again, Kakarot is the best way you can do it, but expect a bit of tedium along the way.

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland has plenty going for it. It’s got an interesting story that longtime fans will love, and its gameplay will keep JRPG fans satisfied well into the late hours of its run. Like so many other titles from the genre though, it’s held back by long-held conventions that work against it, and keep it from being something better than just another entry in the Atelier series.

AI: The Somnium Files seemed to have so much going for it on the surface, but it’s ultimately let down by poor pacing and writing. If you were hoping for a worthy successor to the excellent Zero Escape series, this ain’t it chief.

If you are looking for an in-depth strategy game to sink your teeth into, and you can’t get enough of Cao Cao and company and if you have already played Three Kingdoms to death, then, by all means, pick up Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV. But if not, then I would recommend taking your time and money elsewhere.