Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is certainly the prettiest insect-splatting simulation to grace the PlayStation 4 and there are a number of innovations to appeal to a Western audience, but Iron Rain still falls into that campy B-movie aesthetic.
It's cute, it's colorful, it's Chocobo and you've probably already played Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon if you've owned a Wii in the past decade.
The shooting and looting of The Division 2 each are strong enough on their own that a lackluster story and proliferation of glitches aren't enough to sour this trip to America's capital for a bit of R&R in the Dark Zone.
ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove goes old-school and ignores those experimental sequels to create a spiritual successor that's even more charming than the original Genesis adventure.
Apex Legends is a surprise addition to the battle royale genre that rewards players for team play rather than playing maverick and gunning for high kill counts. If Respawn can keep new content and characters flowing, Apex Legends easily stands a chance at being the best in the genre.
Kingdom Hearts III is a marvel of presentation filled with heart and charm, but might not quite be the dramatic finale that fans have waited half their lives to see come to a close.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's aerial dogfighting is absolutely exhilarating in multiplayer and might very well be my #1 multiplayer game to start out 2019 once my HOTAS arrives.
Born of experimentation and a combat system quite unlike anything else from its time, The Last Remnant Remastered takes all of the PC enhancements and balance changes that were never previously available on console and adds in a few graphical filters to appeal to another generation of console players.
As campy and over-the-top as ever, Earth Defense Force 5 remains the best not-Starship Troopers shooter we'll see. EDF still remains a niche title without amazing production values, but there's a definite charm to hunting down thousands of insects with your friends.
Never before have I played an interactive novel that kept me so compelled to the very end, and once it was wrapped up all neatly, 428: Shibuya Scramble continued to surprise me with more and more story than I could've ever asked for.
The Persona Dancing Endless Collection's price tag is the true shadow of this rhythm compilation. If you choose to do battle with your wallet, you'll be rewarded with a trio of rhythm games that are filled with style, remixed beats, and another chance to spend a few hours with those RPG party members you developed such deep social links within previous adventures.
As one of the best looking FPS on the market, nothing else can compete with the destruction and visual assault of Battlefield V. However, this great war stands incomplete with many features not yet available at launch.
Déraciné is a wonderful faerie tale from beginning to end, with all the mystery and lore breadcrumbs of a proper From Software to keep players guessing until the end.
Call of Duty Black Ops IIII revitalizes the annual shooter by dropping the traditional campaign and focusing more on the cooperative multiplayer, from a trio of distinct Zombies experiences to one of the best takes on Battle Royale to date.
While you won't find any additional features like Saturn-exclusive content, art galleries, or even a main menu with music, what you will get in Castlevania Requiem is a double pack of Konami's best vampire hunting adventures at a budget price
Warriors Orochi 4 is like a dream Musou game: matching up the two largest rosters from Omega Force, but like a dream, can at times be pointless or without direction.
Lost Paradise is most certainly based upon the Yakuza framework in most ways, but there's a sense of growth and expansion that Kamurocho simply can't match. From exploring the wasteland to fisting your way to glory, Kenshiro's path to reclaiming his love will require hitting the streets, rescuing lost children, and powering up to become one of the strongest acupressure practitioners the world has ever seen.
Timespinner looks great, plays great, and feels like what a modern take on Metrovania should be, spiced up with some time manipulation mechanics that feel a bit underutilized in the grand scheme of things.
Metal Max Xeno is one of the most average RPG's I've played in a long while. It's almost a comfort food in a strange way: warm and familiar but without any spice.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner - M∀RS is still one of the best mecha action games to grace any platform, although the decade and a half since its original release have caused Jehuty to lose some of its luster. While the native 4K60 and PSVR support is a great improvement, some other aspects of the game just feel out of date.