Unravel is a solid (if flawed) puzzle platformer wrapped up in beautiful visuals and emotional moments. It's like a Christmas sweater. It's not perfect, but you're compelled to love it just the same.

What's odd is they aren't really a collection in the traditional sense; even in physical release, they're seperate games. Revelations 1 looks great and is only held back by the underlying game itself. Revelations 2 is a better game, but there are cuts to make it run on the portable platform. In the end though, those cuts are much shallower than some other recent Switch ports, meaning it's more than worth it if you absolutely have to have Resident Evil on the go.

Battlefield's traditional strengths remain firmly in place amid DICE's return to World War II: great graphics, audio, and a scope that few other games can equal. But it's a thinner package than usual, and the decision to hold important modes like Firestorm until 2019 feels like a crucial misstep. Battlefield 5 is a good shooter as it is, but we wouldn't blame you if you decided to wait until it's had some time to mature.

Axiom Verge on Vita is the same great game as it was on PS4 and Steam. But it doesn't perform as well or control as well, and for a game as finely tuned as this, those minor hitches make this a less-than-ideal format for experiencing the game. Thankfully, Sony's cross-buy means that anyone who picks up the game on Vita also has access to the PS4 version, but that doesn't make the imperfections of this port any less disappointing. Axiom Verge and Vita should be a marriage made in heaven, but in the end I just found myself wishing mom and dad would stop fighting. The game remains as great as ever, but subtract a point from the score if you're playing on Vita.

It's the weakest episode yet, even with its cliffhanger ending.

The Wonderful 101 is a great game tripped up by a drawing mechanic that may prove imprecise for some users. If Platinum's action games are your thing and you have a Wii U, it's a must-own.

Mario Golf: World Tour's single-player experience challenges you to perfect your game. It's a dry process that moves slowly while committing impressive attention to detail, though the inclusion of RPG elements could have made it more interesting. Versus mode lets you cut loose a bit and offers good times with friends.

EA Canada has worked diligently to bring back almost all of the features that were missing last year, with Be a Pro and EASHL being notably improved. The presentation has also received a really nice bump, and the gameplay on the ice is smoother and more exciting than ever.

While it lacks some of the features of prior versions - most notably online mode - Rock Band 4 is a solid release that establishes the franchise as a platform that will be continually supported and updated in the future. It's a great model that brings the classic Rock Band gameplay to current-generation consoles, while being compatible with legacy instruments and songs.

Brandish may be among the most niche of RPGs, but it doesn't suffer any illusions to the contrary. It's comfortable in its own skin and happy to commit to its own rules and limitations. Most people will find themselves indifferent to its focused, idiosyncratic design — but those who get it will love it.

Indie games in the Metroidvania genre are pretty common, but Kunai manages to stands out with exceptionally fluid combat, a wonderful Game Boy Color aesthetic, and swinging around on your kunai. The swinging mechanic is the star of the show here, even if the design of your limited arsenal shows some clear thought went into making every weapon meaningful. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to figure out where you're supposed to go at times, backtracking in Kunai is a bit of a pain, and the level design doesn't offer as many branching paths as its competition. But it's worth playing through the game's short runtime and this is a great foundation for a sequel.

While not without its questionable qualities — expect to pay $120 to get something approaching an optimal play experience — Skylanders: Trap Team continues the series' tradition of catering to kids by treating them with respect. And the new trapping gimmick more than justifies itself through the flexibility it offers... not to mention the amusing and diverse role it gives the game's villains.

If your Animal Crossing: A New Leaf town fell into disrepair weeks after everyone's summer obsession faded away, consider giving Rune Factory 4 a try. While Neverland can't offer the pure craftsmanship of a Nintendo product, their little world contains the same abundance of options and customization, but in a package that offers goals beyond the simple pleasures of hoarding.

Master Mode is simply vicious, offering a punishing adventure for even the most hardened of Legend of Zelda players. I honestly don't think I'm up to the task. I look forward to seeing those who are though.

If you want a serious soccer game, or if you favor monster-slaying to sportsmanship, Inzuma Eleven won't do much for you. If you're open to the idea combining the genres into an experience that's solid and a bit silly, Inazuma Eleven will make you laugh and cheer. Ole ole ole.

NBA 2K20's presentation is unparalleled, but beneath its shiny exterior are continued problems with its online infrastructure and some pretty odious microtransactions. The latter are a bit less punishing than last year, but the former is worse than ever, and it affects almost every aspect of the game. These elements, which seemingly come up every year, unfortunately overshadow what should be an amazing sports sim.

A minimalist presentation means there's nothing getting between you and Soundodger+. Listen to music, dodge bullets, find your flow. You can play with the excellent tracks Adult Swim and Studio Bean have included, or use your own collection for some personal fun. Sure, there's a free version, but what's here is totally worth the asking price.

Life Is Strange 2 has a better core relationship at the heart of its game, but it fails them with the episodic adventure's at times boring, formulaic episode structure; something its predecessor did not suffer from. Some of the story beats are preachy and unearned. Where Life Is Strange 2 hits its stride is more a technical feat: in how its core relationship between brothers Sean and Daniel becomes a game mechanic in itself, and how all the choices you make shape Daniel as he grows up.

Gorgeous, gripping, and well-paced, Oxenfree cuts a new path for adventure games, and is an excellent debut from Night School Studio.

The graphics don't provide as much of a next-generation leap as we'd hoped, but the atmosphere and huge number of zombies more than make up for any other visual shortcomings. The weapon and vehicle customization options and the addition of Nightmare Mode give Dead Rising 3 the legs it needs to stay in constant rotation on your Xbox One.

A cute-looking minimal platformer whose simple looks belie its fiendishly complex puzzles and highly demanding action. Two players are pretty much mandatory, so bear that in mind before buying.

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is the endearing, heartbreaking tale of a kid who imagines himself to be a superhero. It's not very long at 2 hours tops, but Dontnod Entertainment uses this teaser for Life is Strange 2 to show they still have the stuff to tell a great story. Captain Spirit isn't really a complete story though and you'll leave this experience with more questions. Ones that will likely be answered in the next game.

If you're willing to hack it out in a musou game and you're a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule Warriors is a fantastic game. It's pitch-perfect musou and it wears the Zelda fanservice on its sleeve in bright colors. Once you're done unlocking all of the characters and their various weapons, you'll have an entire smorgasboard of Zelda action at your fingertips. Hyrule Warriors might only play a single note, but Omega Force has honed that note to perfection.

Does beauty alone justify a game? Can the novelty of swimming through majestic oceans teeming with life overcome an otherwise fairly by-the-numbers experience that never quite achieves the creative heights it so earnestly aspires to? I suppose that's down to the player, but as much as I wanted to love Abzû, the end result fell just short of brilliance. It's worth playing for the incredible presentation, but don't expect something profoundly new here.

Episode One: Awake of Before the Storm is a surprisingly promising entry for the short three-episode series. There's the right amount of callbacks to the series that made so many fans fall in love with Chloe and Max in the first place. While I still wish the dialogue wasn't as teenager cringe-y in a not-realistic way, there's far more of it this time around that plain isn't. Hell, even Chloe's eventual over-usage of "hell" is explained in a tongue-in-cheek nod to the future. For everyone who was worried about Before the Storm's authenticity under the reigns of a new developer: don't be.

Is Everybody's Gone to the Rapture a game, an experimental piece of interactive fiction, or is it perhaps even art? Whatever it is, the experience it delivers is a memorable one. It's gorgeous to look at, fantastic to listen to, and spins an intelligent and somewhat esoteric sci-fi mystery that's truly gripping through to its very end.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is, without question, the best version of Kingdom Hearts to date. But it also serves as an excellent reminder that the things we love aren't always built to last.

With tons of content and a similarly expansive level of challenge, it quite impressively sidesteps the tendency of Mystery Dungeon spinoffs to feel slight and insubstantial.