If you relish the thought of idly polishing a sword while reading through a stack of cleverly-written in-jokes based around RPGs, then don't hesitate to open shop.

The dungeons are boring, the open world is sparse, and the skill system is obtuse, but a great cast keeps Tales of Zestiria moving forward. Between the cast and the combo-heavy combat system, JRPG fans will find a good deal of fun here.

An arcade perfect collection of twelve titles across Street Fighter's grand history. Unfortunately, it's missing some of the bells and whistles of their console counterparts and online play is a bit rough. Despite those problems, local play is a winner and the Museum is packed with content showing a real love for the franchise's history. If you know what you're getting into, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is a great compilation, just not a perfect one.

NHL 20 isn't a huge update over last year's version, and its graphics continue to lag behind the competition. Still, it brings with it plenty of solid refinements, and its franchise mode continues to stand out as a strength. Returning players may be disappointed by this year's features, but if you're a hockey fan who hasn't picked up the series in a while, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Tell Me Why has been Dontnod operating on a reduced scope, with less characters and less time, and they've pulled it off. Tyler and Alyson have successfully been allowed to grow and function as developed characters before tackling difficult subject matter, and that's really helped the pair flourish as relatable characters. Despite a somewhat rushed conclusion and a final choice that rendered my past actions a little meaningless, Tell Me Why has been one of Dontnod's more pleasant adventures to experience.

Unity attempts to improve on some of Assassin's Creed's innate problems, but it misses the mark as often as it hits. Nevertheless, you'll want to play it for the gorgeous rendition of revolutionary (etc.) France and the involving, opened-ended primary assassination missions. It's clear Ubisoft is trying to shake up the series a bit, but next time they need to shake a little harder.

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia aims to focus the Total War series. Instead of a grand chunk of history to explore, it drills down to some specific decades, with a much smaller map. At the end of the day though, you still need to love the real-time strategy play for the Total War series. If you do, Thrones of Britannia is an experience that tries not to suck up all of your time and energy.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 might not move the series forward, but, at the same time, it isn't at all the cheap cash-in it easily could have been.

Visually, the game is consistent, but that consistency is boring and drab. The game itself is punctuated with exciting moments, but overall it's just above average and I have a hard time recommending that in a subscription MMO. If you're a big Elder Scrolls fan, give it a try. If not, there are better choices out there.

Art's Dream, the long-awaited story mode of sorts for Dreams, does a neat job demonstrating the possibilities of Media Molecule's game. Similarly, the collaborative nature of Dreams' players' creations factor into a welcome online ecosystem. For all that Dreams has to offer creatively, and for all the litany of levels and their enjoyable experiences, I'm yet to see a level that will stay with me after I'm done playing it. Dreams is fantastically experimentative, and it's obvious that the near-limitless creation tools provide a platform on which the community can build far into the future, but to judge this package as whole right now, it's not the wider product that leaves a lasting impression.

Death Stranding might be Kojima's boldest game to date. It may also be his most tedious. Either way, its originality outweighs its sometimes exhausting structure and poor pacing... but only just. Maybe not a game I would recommend to everyone, but certainly one of the most interesting games of 2019.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2's offers a unique method of taking down bad guys, which is enough to differentiate it from the Mega Man Zero series that indirectly spawned it. Tagging and shooting foes is tons of fun and the ability to play as Copen is a nice addition, but Gunvolt 2 still has notable issues with repetitive level design. Still, if you enjoyed the first game, there's no reason you won't have a blast with this one.

Innocent and whimsical, Doki-Doki Universe was made for your inner child. The adorable cast, the kid-like doodles, the heartfelt stories and its unabashed fondness of the off-kilter might make it a bit too twee for some but for those who want a change of pace from hard-hitting action games, Doki-Doki Universe works. Just be advised that it isn't the most technically perfect game in the PS Vita's stable.

Hyrule Warriors is basically a one-note experience, but it hits that note with perfect pitch. The Zelda universe works better as a musou button-masher than you might expect, and much of that success is down to Tecmo's obvious love for the subject matter.

Street Fighter V is a great core for the next generation of Street Fighter. The roster of 16 characters is varied, the game has been tuned to be easier for new players, and everything feels relatively balanced. Unfortunately, SFV is missing most of the bells-and-whistles we've come to expect from a retail fighting game. Capcom is updating the game, so it'll reach greatness eventually, but it's not quite there yet.

Make no mistake: Some of Color Splash is best-in-class material. But some of it is just awful. As much as I'd like to be able to give it an unqualified endorsement, I really can't. The excellent visuals, music, structure, and writing sit at odds with the toilsome combat system and the addition of far too many gimmicks and gotchas. The game is as irritating as it is inspiring — and while there's much to love here, be aware that finding it requires slogging through some truly rocky moments.

Lifeless Planet is an interesting mash-up of genres, blending a walking simulator and platform-puzzling with a mysterious and quite gripping premise. Its slow pace mightn't be for everyone, but if you enjoy action adventures, are partial to tricky third-person platforming, and like classic sci-fi yarns, it's worth checking out.

A simple, but enjoyable shooter that presents endless screens of enemy hordes to blast through. It's not particularly original, and doesn't look or sound that great - but Crimsonland nevertheless provides a fun challenge for those who might enjoy a game whose roots can be traced straight back to Robotron 2084.

Far Cry 4 certainly features a lot to love, but Ubi's continued buffet-style approach to content has the game wearing out its welcome far earlier than it should. Still, if you're willing to adopt a pick-and-choose approach to its unbelievable amount of stuff to do, you should have a good time—just don't expect to digest everything it has to offer.

NHL 19 takes some interesting risks with World of Chel while bringing badly-needed improvements to the gameplay. Its modes are customarily solid, but the faster, tighter action on the ice is what makes it possible to recommend NHL 19 to newcomers and lapsed hockey fans alike.

Shovel Knight: King of Cards revisits the formula one last time with new maps and bosses, as well as a brand new card game. It's ambitious, but it's also the least essential of the major Shovel Knight episodes. If you own Treasure Trove, play Shovel of Hope and Specter of Torment first, then circle back to King of Cards if you still want more.

Nioh 2 crafts its tough experience with precise, delicious Team Ninja combat. On top of that is an entire mass of additional systems that offer players a way forward if your skills aren't top-notch. When those systems come together, Nioh 2 can make you feel powerful, but it does feel like a mess of numbers and bonuses thrown your way at times. You're surprisingly versatile, but you're also forced into a lot of management. A bit of trimming would've led to a near-perfect experience, rather than just a great one.

Push Me Pull You is a simple, yet effective local multiplayer title that's a breeze to pick up and play. Its bizarre, yet competitive gameplay quickly gets players yelling at one another - whether they're friend or foe - making it an ideal, and potentially noisy party game. The lack of online multiplayer and single-player mode does limit its appeal somewhat, but if you're the kind of person who often hosts gaming parties, check it out.

On PlayStation 4, the game looks absolutely amazing, especially in the cutscenes and major battles when it matters most. Unfortunately, the source material lets down TT Games here; the dwarves just aren't very distinct when compared to the cast of Lego Marvel and The Lego Movie. All told, Lego The Hobbit is very good, but it doesn't reach the best of those previous titles.

While it packs few original features, this vertically scrolling shooter still manages to be enjoyable. It's challenging, audio-visually interesting, and the bosses and level layouts are nicely designed to give your reflexes a decent workout. Just don't expect it to keep you occupied for long.

If you were a fan of the first Overcooked, I can guarantee you'll find something to love here. With more characters, levels, gimmicks (even if some are on the annoying side), and recipes to dive into (for some reason, Overcooked 2 is really into sushi and dim sum), Overcooked 2 will likely replace the original game in your party game rotation. Just be prepared for a couple of headaches along the way, and some wrecked friendships in your wake.

Mojang spins up its own take on the Diablo dungeon crawling formula. While it looks like it might be "Baby's First Diablo," Minecraft Dungeons has a good degree of challenge available for you and three friends. It's more focused on lowering barriers by streamlining the acquisition of loot, instead of miring you in pages of stats. There's a decent tail of playability with three levels of difficulty, but you'll have to look to potential post-launch content for the length of experience some dungeon crawling fans crave.

Mediatonic's Murder By Numbers combines visual novel storytelling with picross puzzling, and it makes the pairing feel just right. Now and then a huge grid to solve may slow your roll as you're edging closer to a big reveal in a case, but the puzzles themselves are always satisfying regardless. With four lengthy chapters, catchy music, and several charming characters in its cast, Murder By Numbers is an easy recommendation for anyone who likes either mysteries or picross, and you'll be eager for more of both once you're finished.