If you're just here for the combat and don't mind a bad story, or if you're looking to soak up the nostalgia of the golden age of the genre for hours on-end, there might be enough here to justify a purchase. It was perhaps too much to expect that Octopath Traveler would compete with the JRPG greats, as sadly it misses the mark in understanding the nuances of what made those titles so iconic.
The Banner Saga 3 is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, offering a solid end to the narrative with inventive ways to keep the gameplay fresh. This last chapter is a great game on its own, but it also completes a series that has been exceptionally consistent in quality, which is worth appreciating.
Moonlighter is an enjoyable RPG with a fairly typical loot-grind cycle. It might miss the mark with some of its bigger thematic elements and could use a couple of tweaks to be a more well-rounded action game, but Digital Sun gets the important stuff right.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a fine game that makes it easy to get swept away in the pirate life and the thrills of ship combat. It's a solid evolution on the first outing, though the technical flaws are significant and ultimately detract from the overall impression.
Frostpunk is a solid entry into the city-builder genre with a unique survival twist, and one that's bound to appeal to those who have enjoyed similar games. Still, it lacks the personality and depth to win over anyone who doesn't already love micromanaging workforces and watching numbers go up.
For most of my time spent playing Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, I loved the beautiful world and engaging combat - the core of the game. But every once in a while, everything would grind to a halt and I'd have to deal with the overworld strategy mechanics that feel poorly integrated. Luckily, this sequel has enough great moments to overcome those annoyances.
I don't think MLB The Show 18 is as good as last year's game, but the improvements over the last two years are solid enough to carry the franchise momentum forward. Hopefully, next year's version will get back to the winning ways and bring more substantial changes.
Even as a simple party game, it's difficult to recommend Frantics. There's just nothing that really stands out as a high point. It's flawed in almost every way that really matters and doesn't offer the levels of entertainment one would hope to get from a game like this.
Celeste has a couple of hiccups in its aesthetics and tech, but the core of what Matt Thorson and his team have made contains a wonderful story of endurance and resilience for both the characters and the player, that begs not to be missed.
Crossing Souls is one of the most disappointing games I've played where something wasn't broken or technically flawed. Fourattic relies far too much on nostalgia, hoping that rehashing gameplay mechanics and storytelling of the 80's alone will make this a good game - but it can't and it doesn't.
Monster Hunter: World is a fantastic game that kept me enthralled for 60 wonderful hours. I loved exploring the world, discovering new areas, and engaging in epic fights with excellently designed monsters. There's so much gameplay to enjoy, that despite a few snags, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to almost anyone.
Lost Sphear is a middling JRPG that lacks style, tone, and substance. You can see certain ideas that are working hard to keep things afloat, but with a rough plot, bad cast, generic look, and combat that grows tedious, it fails to stand out.
Seven: The Days Long Gone has too much going on for any of it to work well. The developers clearly wanted to build a big and elegant stealth-action game with all sorts of features and mechanics, but their inability to leave anything on the cutting room floor has resulted in game that's a bit of a mess.
There's nothing that helps redeem Black Mirror for all of the issues that plague it. There are bits and pieces of a good game but they're buried under bad design and awful tech that keep Black Mirror from ever becoming an engaging experience.
Detention is a haunting and thrilling experience that's worth checking out, and is one of the scariest titles I've played in years. Those who dig horror and adventure games are in for a real treat.
Nothing in Knowledge is Power really hooked me, but it's certainly serviceable as a fun distraction. The power plays and bonus rounds mean you and your friends will probably get a good couple of hours of fun out of this, though it likely won't replace your usual favorite trivia board game.
Hidden Agenda isn't very deep, but it's a fun and creative game that you're going to want to share with all of your friends. It's an interesting showcase of making a typical adventure title into a party experience that takes advantage of the PlayStation's PlayLink platform.
The Evil Within 2 doesn't have anything new to offer the franchise. It fails to be frightening, the narrative is a mess, and it only manages to keep its head above the blood water with some decent survival-action mechanics.
It may not be the deepest experience around, but in terms of pure gameplay quality, Cuphead is a must-play for those seeking a challenge thanks to excellent controls and a unique visual presentation.
While still a solid basketball simulation, it's getting harder each year to recommend this series and NBA 2K18 feels like a continuation of that trend. Some technical issues plague many aspects of the game and at this point, myGM is the only saving grace aside from some visual and gameplay improvements.