Pokémon Sun and Moon are the best “Pokémon” games in years. “Alpha Sapphire” and “Omega Ruby” were great entries in the series, but they were largely re-skinned versions of “X” and “Y.” For the first time in ages (or at last since I uninstalled “Pokémon Go”), “Pokémon” feels like a new, exciting experience. If you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to love “Sun” and “Moon,” and if you’ve been gone for a while, you’ll be happy to come home.

On the easiest level, you can knock out all the game's songs in an evening. But then you'll see how gratifying it is to do the same song on a harder level. At that point, Elite Beat Agents pretty much has you.

Packed with atmosphere, accessible gameplay and sweet visuals, Beyond Good & Evil has most definitely reached beyond our expectations. Don't miss it.

While this isn't a hardcore title, the puzzles and numerous battles will keep serious gamers busy for some time. Paper Mario is easy to play, exceptional fun, and a thoroughly engaging title.

Crustier, more seasoned gamers may grumble a tad at the general lack of progress, but we'll bet they'll be up at ungodly hours playing Shine Thief, just like the rest of us.

There didn't seem to be any specific gameplay difference with NHL 2002 and its immediate predecessor. All my on-ice moves were the same as in the older game.

Complete in nearly every way and is a good bet for casual fans who just want to slap a few balls out of the infield and diehards who will settle for nothing less than a full career simulation.

The sound is great, and with a Dolby Digital system you'll hear fire shoot from the exhaust across the rear channels every time you lift off the gas. Shame Microsoft went for the cheap option with the music, though.

As stunning an Xbox conversion as it was a Dreamcast original.

Its regimented take on open-world gaming is surprisingly well handled, and Hopkins' quest to put order to what is the Wild West of education, has been built with enough loving care that players will be compelled to follow it to its natural conclusion.

As a single-player game, Portable Ops can't match the scope and drama of its predecessors. Of course, with its bite-sized style and team aspect, it doesn't really try to. This is one of the PSP's best multiplayer titles, giving you essentially a two-for-one experience.

Strikes a near perfect balance between solid RTS gameplay with an epic, fantasy storyline.

It's not just its uncompromising realism or its emotive theme, it's the whole package -- great looks, fantastic sound, and a gameplay and plot structure that promotes bonding with the men under your command. Wrap that up with a slick control method and, for once, some tactical depth, and you're left with a very special recipe.

Its FPS-like controls and gameplay mean you'll take to it easily, and the slow-moving 'mechs and long reload times add satisfying tactical elements.

One of the most outstanding features, though, is that Nintendo has tucked away some classic games in Animal Crossing, such as "Mario Brothers" and "Exibike."

Packed with atmosphere, accessible gameplay and sweet visuals, Beyond Good & Evil has most definitely reached beyond our expectations. Don't miss it.

Respawn went all out with this sequel, patching up its biggest hole, tightening its loose screws, and delivering the game I think we all hoped for when we first caught wind of the original back at E3 2013.

If you're looking for a big gun and a legion of monsters to use it on, then Serious Sam's got what you need, with much prettier graphics than "Doom."

Sure, the graphics and physics haven't changed, and this year's release beats you over the head with in-game advertising, but the enhanced career mode, online play, and other additions are more than worth the price of admission.

Well worth the investment for anyone who has yet to experience the Metal Gear franchise.

It's realistic, it's chaotic, it's immersive, it's beautiful, but players are going to have to get used to a lot fo trial-and-error gameplay. So it's teeth-grindingly unforgiving at times, but war is, indeed, hell.

Upon playing the original, it was easy to get the sense that this was a complete package, with scarcely any room to squeeze in any innovation. Opposing Fronts clearly proves that isn't the case. Now more than ever, this is the can't-miss real time strategy game of the year.

Weird, funny, immensely playable, and has that nigh-unclassifiable thing we can only call charm.

If you've been watching jealously as your 360-owning friends tackle the Locust, here's your chance to pick up the complete package.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in the sport that was America's national pastime before Donald Fehr and Bud Selig screwed it up will find this to be one of the most absorbing sports games of 2002.

NBA 2K16 is the first time in quite a while I’ve seen the franchise make a serious misstep. Though there’s more than enough NBA goodness here to justify another courtside seat, the disappointing MyCareer mode is impossible to ignore.

This is almost certainly the best release in the history of the NHL series and one of the most authentic action-oriented sports games currently on the market.

With the introduction of clinching, the innovative punch system, the deep tournament and career options, the graphics and realism, the improved presentation, and most of all, the obvious love of boxing infused into the game, Fight Night Round 2 is the best representation of the "sweet science" that gaming has ever seen.

By adding more stuff for you to admire and kill, and more places and ways to do it, Dark Crusade gives the already lively Warhammer RTS universe even more life, personality, blood, and meat. It's a gory, giddy delight, with more depth and gameplay than ever.

One of the best console RPGs you'll ever play... The sort of masterpiece that could only be made by people with a preternatural insight into what makes gamers tick.

To make up for the weaker aesthetics, PS2 gamers do get an extra single-player level (along with some tweaks to the existing levels), and a post-mission stats readout that might give players something to brag about online.

This is a wonderful synthesis of elements. Kingdom Hearts II is all about story, character, and the recreation of classic fantasies, and it excels at all.

It's the way the game is laid out and immerses you that makes Half-Life the cat's golden milk-drenched whiskers.

If you like your fighters to be deep, complex, and thoroughly bizarre, then Guilty Gear is a recommended purchase and might just be the "different" you've been looking for.

Get through the initial stages of frustration and you'll realise what an incredibly title Men of Courage really is. Missions are far more involving, objectives much more focused.

It's the fluid and perfectly measured pace of Sonic Team's new game that makes it so good...Absolutely superb stuff.

If you’re just in it for the solo games — and let’s face it, Uncharted is at its best when it’s just you and Mr. Drake clinging to things together — the Collection is a fine choice.

Given free range to vent their most outrageous, vivid, degenerate, and depraved fantasies on an unsuspecting player, Bethesda's developers have crafted a unique world that shares the same quality of writing and attention to detail as Oblivion itself. Appropriately enough, only the most insane Oblivion addicts could refuse such an opportunity.

The bottom line is that there's no other real time strategy game that creates as grand and broad an experience as Supreme Commander. There's a wonderful amount of choice among different types of units, and buildings, and economic options, and map sizes.

An amusing, engrossing and addictive play. The missions represent around 20-30 hours of entertaining gaming.

Nothing short of superb - it takes "Fallout," expands upon it, enriches it, enhances it in so many ways that it makes one feel as if the original was immature.

Who'd have thought such an unassuming little guy would be the star of one of the best Nintendo DS titles available, and easily one of the most innovative platformers you'll ever play?

What's amazing is that Criterion was able to create such a tight control scheme, when other PSP racing games have felt floaty and flaky. By any standard, Burnout's control is rock solid. It's possible to dodge right though the same small spaces that entice players on the console game.

EA's game may be slightly deeper from a control perspective, but it's not as much of a blast to play. Between the classic ice and addictive battle mode games, we're more than willing to substitute this game for the real thing, if need be.

When something is this well done, just because you've seen it all before doesn't mean it's not worth seeing again.

Truly a gem of a game...The only problem I have with Onimusha is that it's a little too short. You can complete the adventure with a game time of five to six hours.

Sure, the graphics and physics haven't changed, and this year's release beats you over the head with in-game advertising, but the enhanced career mode, online play, and other additions are more than worth the price of admission.

Cuphead is a love letter to not just the decades-old cartoons it apes, but also gaming’s classic boss battles that have fallen to the wayside, as well. It’s far from easy, but don’t let that spook you out of playing this wonderful work of art. You’ll need patience and a steady hand, but you’ll absolutely be able to win out in the end.

We're disappointed that Resistance isn't a 1080p wonder. But it's a wonder for totally different reasons -- how many launch games exist that are worth playing six months down the road? Resistance is definitely in that elite camp, and with the strong multiplayer element, we're betting that it will maintain a presence for a lot longer than that.

Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.

Mercenaries is what we play video games for -- it's that simple. It's action-packed, outlandish, violent, often humorous, and makes nicey-nice to the creatively thinking player.

If you managed to afford that high-end system then treat yourself to a game that will keep you hooked for some time to come and that will have your friends' jaws dropping in awe. It's a fresh game and a deserved GDR Gold winner. The real-time ante has been well and truly upped.

A good, solid RPG that's right in step with the classic formula, sometimes to its own detriment.

Where Beyond the Sword will really win you over is with the new scenarios and mods. There is some truly wonderful stuff in here.

It's both a parody and tribute to the four-color pages of yesteryear when spandex heroes fought against world menaces, using a mix of brain, brawn, and unrestrained hyperbole. The game captures this with a wink, but also a great deal of love.

One of the most important reason[s] that Dungeon Siege is such an improvement over its action RPG predecessors is that the interface is just downright perfect.

While it won't make as much of an impact as its predecessor, KOTOR 2's strong gameplay mechanics, interesting and well-voiced characters, and genuine, unforced sense of atmosphere make it almost as compelling to play. You won't be disappointed.

Packed with atmosphere, accessible gameplay and sweet visuals, Beyond Good & Evil has most definitely reached beyond our expectations. Don't miss it.

It's just too original, funny, and innovative to ignore.

When all's said and done, it's the combat that matters -- and in that regard, Soul Calibur III most certainly delivers.

Well-developed and believable characters. That, in itself, is no mean feat, but mix it with the game's delightful combat, varied design, and admirable coherence of style and creative vision, and you have something very special. Max Payne 2 is a superb game.

A thoroughly welcome development of an established game style, and is well worth your money.

Animal Crossing on DS is as addictive as ever. What it lacks -- multiple homeowners, NES games, boating to the island -- it makes up for with wireless multiplayer, touch screen control, and the little additions.

Everything a fan could have hoped for. More stuff, more variation, and more satisfaction. Sure, it's essentially Katamari Damacy: The Remix, but this is one case where the alternate version equals and in many cases exceeds the original.

Gorgeous productions values and sublime sneak-n-solve gameplay.

There's no denying that "IL-2 Sturmovik" is a great sim and therefore Forgotten Battles is a great sim by extension. As a sequel, however, it's a bit underwhelming.

Between the supreme visual polish and deep, excellent play, this is the uncontested champ.

Different, imaginative and entertaining, it's even more deserving of success than its predecessor.

The top-down 2D look of Four Swords Adventures seems anachronistically simple -- and yet, it's still among the very best Nintendo games, and certainly the current high-water mark of GBA connectivity.

Continuing a short but respected series, the game does little to broaden the genre, but at least it performs with style and solid mechanics.

Unless you're really really into the game, you can live without this add-on.

With the exception of the extremely, though not awe-inspiringly fun bombing run mode, UT2003 could essentially be Quake 1996 with one hell of an Oprah Winfrey style makeover.

A balm for those left unchallenged and disappointed by "Heroes of Might & Magic IV" and those still thrilled by "Disciples II."

A simple joy to play. There's little about it that isn't excellent, polished, authentic rallying of the highest standard, with the graphics, sound, and above all handling to back up its well-respected license.

For someone who isn't an adventure gamer, this game was absolutely pleasing. I found it thoroughly enjoyable albeit a little quick to end... but on the whole, this game is good.

As long as you know the rules of engagement, Rainbow Six 3 is a rewarding game with a lot of tactical depth hiding beneath all the incredible sights and sounds.

It's a crying shame that availability problems look like preventing Katamari Damacy from reaching the enormous audience it so richly deserves. Scour your local stores for a copy, because you owe it to yourself to pick this game up straight away.

As unimportant as it sounds, you don't look for a group - you look for a Fellowship. This isn't so much a change of game mechanics as it is a change in attitude. It's a reminder that LOTRO isn't just a game: it's a world and a story that both players and developers truly care about. Maybe that's a small step toward a more respectful player culture, but it's still a welcome one.

The attention to detail is rewarding, the incidental battlefield ambience is awesome, and -- geeky bonus -- the game does a magnificent job of translating the gritty feel of the painted-figure tabletop games.

Some will be tempted to dismiss Advanced Warfighter 2 as an extended mission pack for the first game rather than a proper sequel. But from a solo perspective, there's no contest: GRAW2 delivers a much tighter and more polished experience. Online, it's a little less clear-cut, but the new set of maps, weapons, and tweaks will make it an attractive proposition for those hooked on the original's high-caliber offerings.

Even though Skate is swimming with atmosphere and features, it's the gameplay that stands out in this gem. It's not trying to compete with "Tony Hawk" -- it's trying to do its own thing. As such, old Tony Hawk fans looking for a more authentic challenge will love this game. While some challenges will be frustrating, that's just how skating is, and EA did a wonderful job re-creating the atmosphere and style of the sport in game form.

Despite its few flaws, though, Resident Evil 7 is a terrific, terrifying experience with sickening visuals and wonderful gunplay. It’s the best entry in the series in more than a decade and a must-play for anyone who’s ever loved the franchise. No matter how scared the game made me while playing alone at 2 a.m., I always wanted to keep moving forward, which is exactly what you want from a survival-horror game.

Rise of the Tomb Raider’s only real flaw is that it follows the template of the first game a tad too cautiously, right down to the tough-to-kill supernatural foes that populate its final act. It also completely jettisons the notion that Lara is reluctant to take human life, a decision that makes for grittier action at the cost of some heart and soul. But as only the second installment in Lara Croft’s reinvigorated career, there’s still plenty of time to explore new territory. The tomb raider has risen. Let’s see where she goes next.

Delivers more of their established brand of imaginative gameplay rather than attempts at innovative technology.

It will reward the more dedicated gamer many times over.

This comic farce will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter and provide hours of enjoyment, a healthy dose of good-natured, unadulterated fun, and more monkeys than every other game combined.

Weird, funny, immensely playable, and has that nigh-unclassifiable thing we can only call charm.

Graphically, the Game Boy Advance comfortably does the game justice.

Think of Civilization III: Conquests as you would an even more densely programmed History Channel. If you found yourself at all invested in the first, you're going to want to check this out. And if the first one intimidated you a little, be afraid. Be very afraid.

It's a real pleasure to see Rainbow Six given such royal treatment, particularly if you're a fan of the series. But even if you just like gunplay, this is a great time for shooter fans, whose embarrassment of riches just got even more embarrassing.

If you played the original Viewtiful Joe and enjoyed it, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a classic case of more of the same: a fairly conservative upgrade to a winning formula.

Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.

Look up "video game" in the dictionary, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin should be pictured on the page.

EA has excelled in creating its smartest, deepest hockey game to date.

This is the sequel we should have had in the first place, and the simple fun of leaping from wall to wall is enough to overcome any lack of challenge or novelty.

Any game that excels while using a morally incorrigible theme, rather than solely relying on that theme to sell, deserves our praise and is definitely worth checking out.

As it is I hereby award this game a Silver award for taking risks, partly delivering them and for being a game with plenty of scope and depth that takes a lot of getting to grips with.

This is almost certainly the best release in the history of the NHL series and one of the most authentic action-oriented sports games currently on the market.