Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite has a lot of history to live up to, and while it doesn't surpass any of the previous entries, Infinite does make a strong case for being the most accessible game in the franchise.

Knack II is more engaging than its predecessor, but there's still not much about this franchise that can make it one of Sony's defining original properties. This sequel is an easy game to enjoy, but Knack II fades from memory just as fast as the character can shift between forms.

With this latest entry on the PlayStation 4, Clap Hanz gives longtime fans and newcomers plenty of reason to hit the links, even if it doesn't quite live up to all its promise.

While the premise is about as ludicrous as one would expect from the Rabbids, there's a real strong game underneath all that goofiness. The strategic action isn't quite as punishing as some of the more established franchises in the genre, but Kingdom Battle still manages pack some smart gameplay tricks into a welcoming experience for Switch owners.

Madden has been good for a long time, but this year it's great. There are so many small improvements made to the core of Madden NFL 18's gameplay thanks to the new engine, it's hard not to be excited when hitting the gridiron every time you fire up a game. Even after hours of play, we're still noticing new ways in which players are reacting and moving between the hash marks.

Lost Legacy takes all of the positives of the series and combines them with protagonists that bring a fresh take on adventure to the series. We can only hope that this isn't the end of Chloe's and Nadine's stories, as the world of Uncharted is ripe for more exploration, and these two leads are more than up to the task of carrying the torch.

It's not easy to still find ways to innovate in the open-world space, but Voltion has managed to stay on the pulse of the genre well enough over the past few years. Agents of Mayhem is another strong entry in the developer's fan-favorite library, and has just as many memorable characters and moments as the best Saints Row titles. There are times where it feels like a bit of a grind, but even those elements are outmatched by Agents' charm. Saving the world has never been this vulgar or felt this good, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Nidhogg 2 is a game you can quickly lose an afternoon to, and you won't mind one bit. Few games are as friendly to players as all skill levels, while still providing intense matches and a few good laughs. Don't let the simple controls fool you. There's a lot of strategy to devise, particularly when you get continually matched up against your closest pals. The humor is delightful, and sometimes a little gross, but the cartoonish style makes it all work in tandem with the swordplay.

Still in its infancy, PlayStation VR is waiting for its killer game. Superhot VR is a solid contender, but one that falls short of the mark due to the hardware's imprecision. It's a puzzling game that rewards you for patience and thoughtful approaches to difficult situations, but those tracking limitations spoil the fun more often than not. All that considered, the challenge is addictive, and the implementation of virtual reality into the world of Superhot makes the game nearly as enjoyable as its original release.

A gorgeous game that requires a lot of patience and commitment, Sundered will challenge you early and often. Even with that in mind, Thunder Lotus Games has crafted another special game. The design is just wonderful, and the combat and platforming are easy enough to grasp that you don't need to be an expert action-platformer player to get the most from the experience. Yes, you will die, and it can be frustrating at times, but for every moment of brow-furrowing angst, Sundered presents an equal number of awe-inspiring segments to keep you coming back for more.

It would be easy to dismiss Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy as a nostalgia play, but it's quite a bit more than that. This collection celebrates a franchise that was once a hallmark of a bygone console, and that hasn't been relevant for quite some time. Vicarious Visions has done a fantastic job recreating everything that made Crash Bandicoot such an appealing series, and it's done it with style and improvements that only this latest generation could provide. Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy isn't for the impatient player, but it's a rewarding experience for anyone with the guts to get a little wild.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier didn't just have an ambitious title, it also had a great deal of promise. The start of the third season was as memorable as anything Telltale had done before, but the story took turns in some strange directions that didn't have the payoff hinted at early on. Given Telltale's track record, we're not writing off the future of The Walking Dead, but A New Frontier's finish certainly raised questions as to whether or not Telltale has anything exciting left to say about this world.

NetherRealm Studios has been working with the DC Comics characters for a few games now, but Injustice 2 truly shows just how well the developer understands how to best translate comics to a fighting game. Just having the likes of Gorilla Grodd and Aquaman in a fighting game would have been enough for most fans, but including as much depth in the story, loot system, online options, and customization takes Injustice 2 above and beyond. It's not all that rare for NetherRealm to have success in the fighting genre, but to accomplish this level of excellence for players of all skill levels is a fantastic achievement.

For a penultimate episode, "Thicker Than Water" doesn't ramp up the stakes quite as much as some of Telltale's earlier efforts. With so little changing during the events of this fourth chapter in The New Frontier, it's hard not to be disappointed by the time seemingly squandered in this episode. Granted, the final moments accelerate things to a worthy climax, but save for those 10-15 minutes, everything that transpired in "Thicker Than Water" could easily have been folded in to the previous or upcoming episode. Hopefully Telltale was saving all the fireworks for the upcoming final chapter, as it would be a shame for A New Frontier's strong start to end with a whimper.

Prey's pacing may turn off players unwilling to let the story unfold in due time, but Arkane has crafted a special, authentic world that's worth combing over for every last detail.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a hauntingly memorable experience even though it's only a few hours long. You will have a hard time forgetting any of the Finches and what they did with their time on the now-hallowed grounds. Equal parts somber, whimsical, devastating and charming, What Remains of Edith Finch is a moving exploration of what it means to be a family, to be loved, to be missed, and how the places we call home become just as much a part of us as we are of them.

Thimbleweed Park is built on a foundation of nostalgia and reinforced with pop culture references, but it's the clever puzzles, funny characters, and stellar design that hold it all together. It reminds us what's great about classic point-and-click adventures while showing that there's still a place for the genre in modern gaming. Lucasfilm Games and its beloved IP may be lost to us, but the creative forces behind those classics still know what it takes to make a compelling, funny, clever adventure.

Yooka-Laylee is a lot of goofy fun wrapped in a light and colorful retro package, a fine return to the platformers of old.

It's easy to dismiss video games as escapism, and often they provide just enough of that to forget about the troubles and trials we all encounter in our days among the living. When a game has more to say about the world and our place in it, it can often be a frightening prospect to have to confront those topics when just trying to forget about world beyond the walls for a few hours. Telltale's The Walking Dead: A New Frontier has been much more of the former, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes you have to be hurt to know what it's like to be alive.

Atlus has spent the last decade trying to make this niche JPRG franchise more prominent in the west, and Persona 5 deserves to be the game that finally takes the series from obscure to mainstream. Not only is it true to the series’ roots as well as a great starting point for the series, it’s a fantastic game, period. A hundred hours might not even feel like enough time; my first thought upon seeing the credits roll was “Is it too soon for New Game Plus?” Persona 5 is something very special, so never fear, JRPG fans: it was worth the wait.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was already one of our favorite games of last year, but both add-ons in Jensen's Stories have kept the game feeling fresh long after release. "A Criminal Past" was a bit more enjoyable than "System Rift" if only because "System Rift" took place in the same confines as the main campaign, and this new DLC lets us see someplace new and different we haven't been exploring for hours on end already. Whatever Square and Eidos have in store for Deus Ex in the future, "A Criminal Past" and Mankind Divided show there are plenty of ways to keep us coming back for more.

Repetition notwithstanding Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a great way to blow off some steam with a few friends for a couple of hours at a time. Co-op gameplay is some of the best I’ve ever seen and this in-game world will take weeks to explore, just don’t expect to be wowed by the mission variety during the adventure. My world wasn’t rocked, but these Wildlands offered enough fun for me to recommend it to those looking for some co-op shooter fun.

Exploration is a great deal of fun right up until the denizens of the newly discovered planets drag you into their own problems, which aren't all that impressive in the grand scheme. Nobody said being a Pathfinder would be easy, but it probably would have been a bit more tolerable if it wasn't so mired in managing tedium.

Nier: Automata's story is a rich tale, both tragic and whimsical, told expertly through the medium of video games by melding thrilling combat with a profoundly imaginative world well worth exploring. Director Yoko Taro is a madman with a box, and he's been kind enough to open that box to let us play with it.

There is almost nothing without purpose in Breath of the Wild’s world and it is easy to get lost for hours on end without ever advancing the story. Even so, it helps that the narrative holds up as well, providing another meaningful journey for the Hylian hero and heroine. Breath of the Wild is by no means perfect, but when you’ve got a game that rewards every kind of exploration with a new wrinkle, it might not have to be.

I wanted Desync to be good. I’m fan of games that actually test your reflexes and mettle but so much of this title just feels unfair. It controls well enough and when you’re actually able to get a combo going, it’s fun. Ultimately, those moments are too few and far between. Maybe with some improvements or toning down the difficulty and enemy speed, I’ll return to Desync. For now I’ll just to stick with games that do everything Desync tries to do with better results, like Bulletstorm or Doom.

For Honor takes a somewhat ridiculous concept, lays down a pretty great fighting foundation on top of it and loads it with plenty of reasons to keep playing. This past year, Ubisoft has shown a penchant for developing exciting multiplayer experiences. For Honor might frustrate in a few areas, but for every one thing it does wrong, it does a dozen other things right. For Honor sets a strong pace for Ubisoft, and it looks like the developer on course for another great year of multiplayer action.

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is an unexpectedly good thing for what is essentially a teaser for Psychonauts 2. It has some great moments and leaves some tasty bread crumbs for what to expect going into Double Fine’s much anticipated sequel, but it’s also a genuinely enjoyable offering for VR in general. The puzzles are fun, the environments are fantastic to observe and the Psychonauts cast does a great job in bringing the whole thing together with a colorful and amusing bow.