Al McCarthy
Madden NFL 18 marks a second consecutive year of Madden football in a holding pattern. Features and additions to this year's game either just don't feel noteworthy, or miss the mark entirely.
The Lost Legacy is a worthy expansion for Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog pushes right up to its own high bar in terms of story telling, visuals and gameplay design. So long as you aren't expecting an adventure of the size and scope of the base game, it'll be hard to leave disappointed.
The presentation, the characters, the gameplay -- Agents of Mayhem feels like a great game in spots. It's got all the Saints Row style that you're accustomed to seeing from Volition, but it lacks in features when compared to other open world games of this nature.
Fans of Call of Duty shouldn't have had to wait this long for the definitive edition of a classic.
Twin stick shooter purists will love Nex Machina for its fast paced action and incredible presentation, but this is a game that's clearly been designed to keep you coming back for more.
Zipping around levels with your hookshot and using your various power-ups to navigate some of the tough scenarios that the game throws at you is rewarding. If Roguelikes are your thing, but you're not looking for something that's too taxing Flinthook is worth a look.
With massive levels, a multitude of challenges, targets, and assassination techniques, Hitman is IO's most ambitious game in the series. Stealth, action, brutality, hilarity, Hitman debuts impressively in its first season.
If you’re looking for endless side-scrolling action on a handheld, you aren’t going to do better than Super Mario Maker on 3DS. It’s the most Super Mario we’ve seen packed into the handheld to date with a seemingly endless number of levels to tackle that will keep you busy as long as you let it.
Trumping the first in nearly every way, Dishonored 2 is at the very top of the list of "must play" first-person action games in 2016. Causing bloody chaos or sticking to the shadows, Arkane gives players the tools to run wild in this new world. This brand of gameplay combined with a beautiful presentation and plenty of customization leads to fun playthroughs of Dishonored 2 whether its your first time or your fifth.