Don't let Yo-Kai Watch's kiddie appeal fool you: It might not be as deep as your average, adult-style RPG, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Level-5's gradual evolution of their "house style" has amounted to a true successor to Pokemon—one entirely free of its predecessor's 8-bit baggage.

Rocksteady absolutely nailed the feeling of being Batman and Arkham Knight only increases the scope of the original games. Yes, I got annoyed, but the moment-to-moment play of Batman: Arkham Knight is still amazing. If you've saved the Asylum and cleaned up the City, it's worth finishing the Knight off.

With plenty of fast-paced (and frequently challenging) action, Ys: Memories of Celceta fills in a gap in the series' history with aplomb. It offers a nice balance between story and combat -- in fact, its biggest shortcoming is strictly technical. A great addition to the Vita's library and the Ys franchise alike.

Prey is a collection of past influences - a bit of System Shock here, some Bioshock there, a bit of Dead Space - but the whole is something we don't get very much these days. With the twisting halls of Talos I, Prey gives you meaningful choices in your abilities, as the level design challenges you to find interesting ways forward. The game falters in combat, but overall, Prey is a wonderful love letter some older titles that are sorely missed.

Triumph returns to its unique mix of Civilization and XCOM with the new Age of Wonders: Planetfall. Leaving behind the fantasy trappings of the previous games, Planetfall heads into sci-fi territory. The new colony system speeds up play and allows for interesting options for hobbling your opponent's cities, and the combat system is blown way out, with combinations of race, technology, research, and unit mods allowing for a dizzying array of army choices. In fact, Planetfall's biggest problem will likely be onboarding new players because of its density. If you're up to the challenge though, Planetfall is a worthwhile entry point into the series.

It's a better game than the first was. It's still that gateway MMO, missing features that current MMOs have. A Raid Finder would be keen, as the Guided Games feature is merely a half-step. Being able to see your friends and Fireteam on the map is an odd omission. The shader implementation is such an odd step back for a game that doesn't have a glamour system. And I still think the mismatch between PVE and PVP team sizes is a problem...But Destiny 2 is a damned good time.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE has a little bit of Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei for flavor, but honestly the title stands out as its own thing. Fans of Shin Megami Tensei spinoff Persona will find a lot to love: great characters, a heavy dose of Japanese entertainment, and a solid battle system. And if you're a Wii U owner, this is a great RPG to close out the system's lifespan.

Splatoon 2 doesn't add much to shake up the splat-paint-everywhere formula, but I wonder if it needs to at this point. Splatoon 2 is a much stronger game at launch than its original ever was through its whole lifespan, and for that, is easily one of the best games one can own on the Switch.

In an alternate reality where modern Fallout retained the the focus on choice and role-playing, The Outer Worlds would be the result. Obsidian Entertainment delivers this small window into that alternate reality, a game that prizes picking the right skills to tackle weird and wild situations. The Outer Worlds shines in the writing, but the combat doesn't equally rise to the occasion. Likewise, the planets you visit could use a few more quests or interesting spots to explore. The Outer Worlds is still a fun romp though, something that will hopefully build to something bigger in the future.

Lumo packs many different challenges and puzzles into its oldschool isometric 3D platform adventure format. It can be tough at times, but it's nevertheless thoroughly enjoyable - riffing on many classic British games of the 80's that you mightn't know, but will enjoy discovering.

If you're on board for another round of Dark Souls DLC, you know what you're in for: A few interesting twists here and there, and a revival of certain elements from the last game, but nothing revolutionary. If you simply want more Dark Souls 2, Old Iron King delivers just that, and with all the thoughtfulness you'd expect from its developers.

Pac-Man 256 takes the original coin-op's gameplay and gives it a clever new twist to create an endless muncher that's hugely fun to play. On the surface it looks simple, but its gameplay has surprising depth that makes it fiendishly addictive - and highly challenging to master.

A clever, abstract take on a bullet hell shooter that breaks the action up into very short bursts. It's challenging, fun to play and very addictive. A great indie game to play between AAA titles.

Cities: Skylines isn't perfect, but it's an excellent city builder and a great launch for developer Colossal Order. There a few control issues, a lack of key features explanations for new players, and the building currently lack the complexity found in SimCity 4 or SimCity (2013), but I still sunk hours into the game and will sink many more.

PES 2017 is a remarkably good soccer sim on the pitch—so good that it makes up for the bulk of its shortcomings elsewhere. There's no denying that it's a niche sim with a high barrier to entry; but if realistic gameplay is your number one priority, then PES 2017 comes highly recommended.

Wrong Number might not be the ambitious sequel you're expecting from Hotline Miami, but if you enjoyed the original, the way Dennaton plays with its essential formula makes for a worthwhile experience.

Adam Jensen returns in an all-new adventure, proving that Human Revolution wasn't a fluke. Eidos Montreal has outdone itself with the same great stealth experience, improved combat, and some gorgeous art direction. There's a whole host of augments and weapons, allowing you to customize your experience and certain moral choices you make will stick with you. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided does not disappoint.

Taken on its own Untold is a quality piece of work. Between its multiple modes and numerous difficulty settings, it really is the most accessible and flexible entry in the series: A great entry point to the series and genre, while offering something interesting for the seasoned player as well.

Apex Legends spices up the battle royale formula with hero-based shooter pizazz and its revolutionary pinging system, which helps everyone feel welcome to the team. Though its Season One rollout has been disappointing content-wise and its visual flair remains bland, Apex Legends still has the solid foundation necessary for a free-to-play shooter to survive in the long run. And with 50 million players reached in its first month, it's not like it's slowing down anytime soon. We're all jumpmasters now.

In all, this is a hefty and well-crafted RPG, and it puts a great spin on the time-tested rules of MegaTen.

Astral Chain is the directorial debut of Nier Automata designer Takahisa Taura, and it proves that he's a creator worth paying attention to. Part melodramatic anime, part overly complicated Tamagotchi, it's an eminently playable action role-playing game that delivers the pleasure of good teamwork in a way few singleplayer games accomplish. Building on action design ideas seeded in Nier, Astral Chain encourages you to bond with your beloved pet cybermonster both on and off the battlefield. Then, it teaches you how to fight as one.

NBA 2K16 is definitely hurt by Livin Da' Dream, which is problematic in ways that go beyond the scope of this review. It just doesn't work. Once you get past MyCareer, though, NBA 2K16 once again stands out as a top-tier sports sim.

Puzzle and Dragons Super Mario Edition offers more immediate gameplay, while Puzzle and Dragons Z adds a storyline and RPG elements. Ultimately, both offer puzzle action that's addictive, fun and surprisingly deep.

Super Mario Maker for 3DS comes pretty close to being a perfect portable adaptation of an incredible Wii U game. It certainly works a lot better than previous ports had led me to expect! That said, the absence of one of the original game's most important elements truly diminishes this conversion. The new format and new pre-baked content go a long way toward making up for the loss... but while this version is worth owning for the 100 (!) new levels alone, it's still not the definitive Super Mario Maker.

Control continues the basic formula that Remedy Entertainment has been playing with for all these years—third-person action with a hint of unreality—but it feels like the studio has reached its final form. The Oldest House, a vast structure of brutalist architecture and collection of powerful paranormal objects, allows Remedy to play with new ideas and variations on traditional gameplay, breaking up the shooting and superhuman powers with games of red light/green light and journeys through Alice in Wonderland-style mazes. The dialog is still odd, and the mission structure can be obtuse at times, but Control is great. With the Oldest House and Federal Bureau of Control at its back, Remedy Entertainment has fully realized a place where all its game development quirks finally fit.

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is a great package if you love the series. New characters, streamlined mechanics, and the same animated fighting action you've been playing since 2008. DLC brings things down a bit, but if you want to play a console fighting game on the go, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is a perfect candidate.

Although it's a little on the short side, and its production values are a bit oldschool, Titanfall 2's single-player campaign is a really enjoyable experience while it lasts. It's very inventive and fun, and a great warm-up for the game's excellent multiplayer component, whose gunplay and controls are absolutely outstanding. All it needs is a few more maps and modes.

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is what the original game always wanted to be: a truly cinematic platformer. It looks fantastic, sounds brilliant and is great fun to play, despite its occasionally clumsy controls.