Nier: Automata is a game I will absolutely never forget playing. It's wholly its own unique product, ripe with those brilliant, eccentric moments I've come to expect from Yoko Taro - the father of Drakengard - and Platinum Games, the storied developers behind Bayonetta, MadWorld, and a host of other fantastic action games. In the end, I'm glad to have spent so much time with a game that's so clearly the product of genuine passion, even if it didn't know when to roll the final credits.
Skylanders Imaginations is built for the long haul with great replay value, which may be one more reason for the series to take a year off.
The Tomorrow Children is a city manager, mining sim, and tower defense mashup - a brilliant idea supported by unimpressive tech despite an inspired visual design approach.
Madden NFL 17 turned a corner. While it hasn't overhauled its entire system to the point that it looks like a game-changer, the little aspects make the follow-up more polished. Kudos to EA Sports to stepping up its game.