While Breath of the Wild doesn't follow the standard Zelda formula, it may be the quintessential example of the Zelda spirit. With a stunningly beautiful and interactive world, surprising difficulty, and a dizzying amount of riddles and puzzles, there's no end to the secrets hidden in the vast land of Hyrule.
Tales of Berseria flips the traditional heroic story on its head, taking up instead with the vengeance-driven journey of daemon-eater Velvet Crowe and the unapologetically villainous crew of misfits she picks up along the way. A fun premise and some great skits make for a good story, though middle-of-the-road combat and fairly boring dungeons and fields bog the gameplay down.
A heartwarming story, a mysterious world, and a slowly-growing bond between two unlikely companions ensure that fans of Team Ico's past work won't be disappointed. Clunky controls and a handful of graphical issues, however, mean that The Last Guardian may not be an enjoyable game for everyone—though, either way, Trico is adorable.
Color Splash presents a beautifully crafted paper and cardboard world, populated by witty paper Toads and existential minions. Though it’s got its share of backtracking and battle system quirks, the new painting mechanics are satisfying, and the mini-story arcs are almost creative and clever enough to make you forget that your princess is (yet again) in another castle.
A solid sequel to the original, Yo-Kai Watch 2 opens up to the wild world outside of Springdale. With even more wild and wacky Yo-Kai to befriend and the added benefits of Internet connectivity, Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls stretch out to a wider breadth than ever before—though perhaps a slightly shallower depth.
ReCore has an enjoyable first few hours, but quickly hits an impassible wall of unending item collection, laboriously slow loading screens, and puzzles that are more focused on wasting the player's time than providing a challenge.
The Wright Anything Agency is back in action, and this time, it’s an entire country that needs help. With some fresh spins on the investigation formula, abominable name puns, and an increasingly convoluted series of wacky murders, Spirit of Justice is a strong entry in the Ace Attorney series—though perhaps not the best game for a first-time sleuth.
A riot of color, emotion, and sea life wrapped up in a stellar soundtrack and stunning visuals; Abzû walks a fine line between being a game and being a near-spiritual experience.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE promises spectacle, and boy does it deliver—but all the flashy scenes, Fire Emblem cameos, and J-Pop in the world can’t cover up cramped world design and loads and loads of loading.
If, deep in your soul, you love optimizing characters, power-gaming, and creating incredibly broken move combos while still being challenged by enemies, then Bravely Second provides the perfect playground. Fans of the original may find their return to Luxendarc a little too familiar, and the story may be a bit cheesy, but the combat system alone is worth it.
At times, the HD upgrade looks fantastic. At other times, the HD upgrade looks terrible. But underneath it all, the game is still Twilight Princess, and that means that it's a great game.
This amusing crossover of Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario adds another solid title to the Mario RPG lineup. Though the recurring minigames and the length of some battles can get a little tedious, combat is generally immersive and fun, and a good sense of humor breathes life into the well worn Bowser-captures-the-princess plot.
If you're hungry for more Game of Thrones content and can't wait until the next season or book, then Telltale's Game of Thrones is the perfect game to pass the time. It weaves an interesting narrative that intersects with the franchise's main plot while still poking into unexplored corners. Unfortunately, there's a distinct lack of any real choice, and a hugely disappointing ending leaves the story hanging on a sour note.
Yo-Kai Watch is a kid-oriented, lighthearted game packed with quirky characters, secret areas to explore, and bizarre Yo-Kai to befriend. The unwieldy process of recruiting Yo-Kai to your team and an incredibly unhelpful map bog the side content down a bit, but the battling system is unique and fun and there's always more to discover.
Though its graphics are a bit dated and it's not going to revolutionize the genre any time soon, Tales of Zestiria is a solid, anime-inspired RPG with a new twist on battling, a fun story, and a great central idea that pushes the Tales franchise forward.
Super Mario Maker's a glorified level maker, but it's a good one. Though it's a little short on content, there's plenty to play around with, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the community can make with it. In the meantime, it's easy to learn, it's fun to play, and it's packed with enough Easter eggs to put the Easter Bunny out of business.