Best with four people and disastrous alone, Payday 2 is a co-op shooter that isn't without its faults. How much you relish the experience is going to be dependent on whether or not you can get the right mix of people involved and if such things are as much your Kryptonite as they are mine.

Sadly, Strider falls somewhat short of the original. Despite its failings, though, it manages to be the best Strider game that old coin-op. With a little more polish and creativity, this could be the start of something great.

If you want to test your FPS skills, Tower of Guns throws down a tough and engaging challenge that's best enjoyed in short bursts.

NHL 17 has some real strengths, but it still feels like it hasn't quite made it out of the previous generation. The gameplay is strong but increasingly dated; the feature set feels haphazard, and there are lots of niggling quality-of-life issues. It feels more and more like the series is stuck in a rut, and it's hard to say where EA Canada should take it next. For now, NHL 17 is another decent outing, but the next step remains elusive.

Titan Souls is a solid game that doesn't overstay its welcome, even if it feels like your skill might not be involved in every kill.

While it still carries some common adventure game problems, Kathy Rain acts as a nice update to the genre that still looks like a product of the '90s. Adventure game veterans and newcomers should find a lot to love with this one.

Oninaki is a likable RPG. Its story and setting are interesting, and the Daemons you collect to help you fight are cool. Unfortunately, bashing through uninteresting swarms of high-HP enemies puts a damper on the fun. Oninaki is still better than Tokyo RPG Factory's previous games; the studio seems to be moving in the right direction. If it can get past its extended growing pains, it'll be a contender someday.

An entertaining, challenging, and thoroughly psychedelic music rhythm game that has great audio-visuals. It's a little on the short side at only a couple of hours, but it's a fun game nevertheless.

NBA Live 19 is currently chasing NBA 2K19 as far as relevance is concerned, but it's also paving a path all its own. Live’s addition of real streetball/pro-am courts, leagues like Dykman and Drew League, as well as the WNBA presence are a welcome addition to the hoops simulator world. With improved gameplay mechanics, a future version of NBA Live could actually compete for the crown.

The "tough love" nature of trapformers means that Eryi's Action won't be appealing to everyone, but for those willing to take a few hard knocks in the name of learning the game, this is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to a peculiarly sadistic genre of game.

The zombie apocalypse is well-trodden territory and the open-world spin of Days Gone can only differentiate it so much. There's a strong narrative focus, but Deacon St. John doesn't carry that weight as deftly as he could. There are highlights and fun tools available within, but the game doesn't push those forward initially, leaving the players to deal with some tedium first. Days Gone is a great foundation for something better though, so hopefully Bend gets the chance to improve upon it.

I'd be hard-pressed to think of a game that tackles class, race, politics, and Capitalism so effectively with a light touch. Unfortunately, their attempts to replicate the drudgery of blue-collar labor might have been a bit too effective—certain sections of Sunset had me feeling absolutely listless.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order comes painfully close to being the best action game of the year, but it ultimately falls short due to pacing problems and a host of technical issues. Still, this is the first step into a larger world for a franchise that has persistently struggled since its acquisition by EA.

DariusBurst Chronicles Saviours perfectly replicates the original arcade experience, and delivers a ton of old-school-feeling shoot 'em up content in the process. However, despite looking and sounding excellent, the action doesn't vary much, meaning that it will likely only appeal to hardcore fans of the series.

An enjoyable puzzle game that features a surprising amount of depth. However, its gameplay can sometimes be as frustrating as it is rewarding.

The fundamental gameplay is strong. Matches are fast and enjoyable. The characters are visually wonderful and mechanically distinct. But the overall experience just needs more. More Guardians, more maps, more modes. The heroes feel like they're in the right place, but the rest needs to be pumped up over time for Gigantic to truly stand tall among its competition.

Firewatch doesn't provide the same emotional heights or satisfying conclusion you'd expect from such a story-heavy game, but Campo Santo definitely shows promise with their debut project. Even if it won't have you reaching for the tissues by the end, this woodland walking simulator still provides a pretty great way to burn through an otherwise unoccupied afternoon.

The new generation of Sims begins with what feels like a bare-bones starter kit. It packs top-of-the-line Sims creation and house building tools, but styling options and activities are distinctly lacking. Add the contents of its first expansion, and Sims 4 will probably feel like the game it should be right now.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer games of 2017, especially if you like Star Wars. It's also more flawed than it should be. Battlefront 2 doesn't deserve to be wholly defined by loot boxes, but it's inescapable given the impact they have on some of the core modes. This is why you don't tie gameplay to microtransactions.

Metro Exodus is a solid conclusion for a cult series that made its name in rough charm. The open world and stealth systems of the conclusion to the trilogy are largely missteps, but it’s when Metro Exodus returns to its horrific roots, with a bunch of caring comrades, that the game fires on all cylinders.

Anno 2205 is a satisfying city builder for those who may think that Cities: Skylines can be a bit complex. It looks great, building your cities is a breeze, and managing resources is easy. Unfortunately, once you've finished the campaign, there's not much left but more optimization and expansion. No mods or DLC make this a rather finite game.

FIFA 21 closes out a mixed generation with some key gameplay improvements, making for the fastest, most enjoyable experience in FIFA 15. Its modes are more mixed, with career mode being a particular sore point. Ultimately, FIFA 21 may not be the comprehensive update everyone wants, but it's enough to generate some positive momentum heading into the new console generation.

Dungeon of the Endless is an intriguing mix of roguelike dungeon crawler and tower defense. Grab a crew of heroes, defend them with room modules, explore a lost dungeon, and find your way to the end. Like most roguelikes, success in the game is still heavily based on luck, but there's still a lot to love in Dungeon of the Endless.

River City Girls is as bubbly as the pop song that soundtracks its intro cinematic would lead you to believe. With all-around excellent art direction, you'll be hard-pressed to find a game this year with more style and confidence than River City Girls. While the first few hours are a slog as you level up and learn the ropes, once your moveset grows bigger, any encounter is a blast full of combos, and yes, dabbing. Just be sure to bring a friend along for the ride, as it's much harder to brave alone.

The one letdown here is the questionable quality of the port, which sputters and skips much more than you'd expect for a last-gen game revamped for Xbox One.

The single-player aspect of Tricky Towers is challenging, but can get rather frustrating due to its random elements. However, as a multiplayer game, Tricky Towers works really well. Its tower-building gameplay is incredibly easy to pick up and play, and it delivers fierce and fun competition that offers plenty of ways for players to mess with one another. Definitely recommended as a party game, or if you have friends and family to play with.

Valiant Hearts works from a novel concept, and is loaded with brilliant ideas — hell, it's great just to see a war from the perspective of a country other than America—but Ubisoft's lack of self-control ultimately makes it less impactful than it should have been. It's still a worthwhile experience, though it could have been so much better if Valiant Hearts left us wanting more.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's vision of ninth-century England is a beautiful place to explore, populated with a great cast of characters who make up for the bland new protagonist, Eivor. Nevertheless, the tired overarching story of Templars and Assassins, and a design ethos that overstuffs the setting with side activities, add unnecessary bloat and distractions to the experience. Valhalla's a solid action-adventure game that does well to capture the turmoil of its historical era, but it's weighed down by the increasingly ponderous legacy of the series it represents.