Owlboy is a wonderful adventure that hits the right notes. Dropping in at the sweet spot of ten hours this game delivers on almost everything it sets up. The mechanics feel fantastic, the bosses are genuinely fun to take down, and the characters are wonderfully fleshed out. This is one game that borrows from other genres and does it right. It is hard to stand out in a sea of me-too games, but Owlboy manages to do it in spades.

Frankly, the only true requirement for the enjoyment of this fantastic title is that you love great music and like to have fun.

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze might be a disappointment in theory, but once I started playing it, I couldn’t help but fall in love.

With so much focus these days on polygons and lighting effects it is nice to see that some developers can still create a gorgeous experience using traditional methods.

Otherwise, Quiplash provided tons of laughter and its ease of use makes it pick up and playable by almost anyone. The ability to stream and get people in the game is another great feature and really can liven up any party, online or off. Just like in real life though, who you bring to the party will determine just how crazy it ultimately gets.

I am quite glad that Free Range Games kept their head down and turned around Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. It is a fun experience for fans of the survival genre and I can say that you don’t have to be a fan of the LOTR franchise but will love it even more if you are. The team has polished quite a few systems that some of the other survival games employ and it makes for a much better crafting and building experience. While the game still has some goblins messing with the combat and causing issues, this is one game that deserves a delve.

Gradius Origins is a phenomenal package that has just about everything you could want from one of these. The games included are incredible, they created a new entry just for the collection, and the additions and inclusions are simply amazing. I had a great time just digging through all the stuff, the only way it could be better is having a documentary built in, sort of like what Digital Eclipse does with their Gold series. This is as close to that standard as far as these collections go. Now I want Konami to do Contra and Castlevania like this one. Definitely recommended if you have any affinity for the series or genre.

Soma is still as enthralling for me as I remember, even two years later. It’s burned its story and themes into my brain, ironically enough, and while I forgot little bits here and there, I was shocked at just how much the game has stayed with me all this time later. I could go on and more in depth but our other review has readers covered. Like re-opening and reading a great book, or re-watching a fantastic movie, Soma retains its strong story driven focus and themes it transpired through videogame format and I still have just as much admiration for it as I did on release, and it still gets the same score it originally earned.

If you already own an Xbox One and enjoyed the franchise, this is a must have title. I expect some will be jumping on board in purchasing the system just for this title alone, and I wouldn’t blame them in the slightest.

With a revamped control scheme, massive levels to explore, and tons of secrets to unlock Tomb Raider Legend will keep avid gamers busy for a very long time to come.

Listen, I really liked Ghostwire Tokyo quite a bit; the story of Akito trying to save his sister and KK’s need for revenge made a good pairing. As I said above both men grew over the course of the adventure and ended it differently than they began and that is what I love to see from any story…. growth. The spooky bits here aren’t as intense as Tango is usually known for and that may be due to the FPS nature of the action in the game but nonetheless Ghostwire Tokyo is a game that should be played and since its finally come home to Xbox the barrier of entry is even lower and if you like ghosts and things this one won’t disappoint.

Clocking in at around twenty hours and with time attack/new game + unlocking after the completion of the game, there’s a lot to see and explore. While I was a bit surprised to find that the normal difficulty was a bit too easy for Ys standards and wished that I had started off on hard mode, I had a great time with Adol and company exploring the land of Celceta.

Duck Game is simple in name and fun in style. While the multiplayer aspect is fun, as is playing with friends or online strangers, the real absurdness comes from the crazy challenges in single player mode.

Watch Dogs 2 is the proper way to do a sequel. The series is now back in my category of games I care about, which says a lot after how forgettable the first game truly was. I love the tone, the whimsical nature, and just exploring the gorgeous interpretation of San Francisco. Sure it has some bad story pacing, and plenty of useless open world mission types, but I still had a blast playing it.

Hand of Fate 2 is a well done sequel. It adds a lot more to the game while keeping things both familiar and fresh at the same time. The choose your own adventure aspects of it and the ability to tailor make your experience really add a lot to the overall package, and while repetitiveness can set in, it most certainly doesn’t happen until later on in the game. Even then, the quests’ objectives and the different ways they can be completed offer up more variety than the first game ever showed. Fans of the first game should definitely pick this sequel up and RPG and adventure fans should shy away from it either. It’s a really fun and unique experience.

FIFA 16 has a few nice additions, but failure to fix some of the franchise’s ongoing problems, along with a massive focus on FUT leaves it feeling stale; especially seeing as PES seems to be scoring highly in reviews.

If I come off angry it’s because clearly the developers of Supraland know how to make a great game, but I grew so tired of the more obtuse puzzles that I got to the volcano and quit. It just wasn’t fun anymore. In conclusion it’s the puzzles being such a big focus of this game but seemingly such a small focus of the development that I can’t recommend this game. Sure, others might get a kick out of it, but to me it doesn’t work as a puzzle game, the combat isn’t there enough to really comment on outside of it being okay, and the exploration is hampered by the puzzles so ultimately Supraland is a puzzle game that doesn’t really work. When the puzzles are good they still aren’t great, and that’s unfortunate.

There are some small improvements to the overall experience, just keep in mind, there’s nothing very revolutionary about Omega and Alpha.

Lost Judgement is a step up from the original in almost every way with improved pacing, a more polished combat engine and a laundry list of fun side activities to get lost in. If not for the pedestrian detective elements, this could’ve been a new classic in the genre, and despite its notable flaws, it is still a story well worth experiencing.

Cave Story 3D provides the perfect blend of action and adventure that embodies the days when Jason was the kid with a mutated frog and an awesome tank and not the kid that wandered away from his Dad and got lost in a mall.

Minecraft on Xbox 360 is a superb package that is well worth the inflated XBLA price tag. For $20 you get so much content that it is hard to argue the value, especially considering it is cheaper than on PC, and now more accessible for players without a gaming rig.

As an epilogue to cap off a series spanning a whopping NINE games, Trails into Reverie delivers in all the areas that makes this one of the best RPG series on the market, featuring impeccable world building, compelling, nuanced characters and an enjoyable combat engine with plenty of room for experimentation. In a way, this entry feels like a reward for all those who have stuck with the series thus far and as we look towards Calvard and the future of the series as a whole, we can rest easy knowing that we’ve sent the heroes off in style, without any regrets.

The most amazing thing about Dead Space Extraction is that even with everything working against it, it still rises above the challenge.

Overall, 2K10 retains its crown as the best pro basketball game on the market, albeit just barely.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a spectacular close to an amazing trilogy. It has been a fantastic ride and I cannot wait to see where the series goes from here. Shadow is a must play game for those that have enjoyed the series up to this point. It continues the trend of excellence set forth by Crystal Dynamics.

Despite the minor flaws the game contains, this is one experience that RE fans and 3DS owners simply should not miss.

Brings back memories of the classic series with witty writing and some truly challenging and off-the-wall questions. There is just enough diversity to keep things fresh and rounds move by so quickly that it never feels like it is dragging. Presentation and writing are king here.

Anyone who enjoys point and click adventures absolutely should not skip Sam & Max Save The World. The humor is unmatched in its cynicism and outlandishness. What other game has a statue of Lincoln come to life and fight one of the main characters for presidency, and child stars trying to help a television has-been take over the world? It’s surprisingly fresh over a decade later, and its timeless point and click gameplay delivers it all well. My inner teen is really happy Sam & Max has escaped the fall of Telltale.