I can’t recommend Manual Samuel to anyone, it’s an awful game. A comedy game devoid of a sense of humour that is only interested in sucking all potential fun out of itself and replacing it with outright frustration. I mean, the game works and all but it’s never good, it’s a bad experience.
That Inside manages to start really well, and then keep building up to an ending which is absolutely bizarre but simultaneously wonderful is a real testament to the skill at work from the team at Playdead. Inside is a pure consistent work that manages to play to its own strengths in very smart ways.
It's a shame that the developer of Stella Glow had to close on such a middling tactical RPG, and don't have a chance to really put much out there that can shine. This sort of game could tick the right boxes if you're looking for another strategy game to pass the time until Fire Emblem Fates comes out in Europe. Though if you're rather picky about these sorts of games, then it's probably best to wait for something better to come along.
While it does take its time to really get going (the story doesn’t feel like it properly kicks off until about 15-ish hours in), The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is a really fun game to play. The story moves slowly, and can take a while to get through, and while not much about it feels new, it does a good job of taking already established elements and making them into something fun.
Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours is jam-packed with brilliant shoot-em-up action. It's a game that can last you a long time, and hardly ever loses its touch over that period. Pricey compared to similar games, but what you get for that is absolutely stellar.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker takes an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach as a sequel. It feels largely unchanged from its predecessor, but the general core systems it is based on are well refined enough that it still offers a good challenge for those with the patience to tackle it.
There is a workaround if you can't get players in the same room to play with you, by live-streaming your game over the internet, but it's not a completely perfect solution. If you can get some friends in front of a screen and fancy a good laugh, The Jackbox Party Pack 2 is worth investing in, however it's jokes can get old if overplayed and is worthless without people to play with.
Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a good dungeon crawler with a few small annoying elements to it. For some those might all add up and cause a great deal of frustration, but for people who are able to put up with it and dig deep into the dungeons, there's fun to be had.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the best playing entry in the series, and while it's not going to wrap up the entire story in a neat little bow, it's a technical marvel that works beautifully as a playground for espionage.
While the main story missions are a little easy, it still is really fun to play with, and there are already plenty of user-generated missions to play with. Volume's purity of focus in creating simple stealth works well for the most part.
Splatoon isn't perfect, but despite the faults it's a wonderful game, both online and offline. There's some fantastic ideas here that can be built upon, but as it stands right now, it's already superb. A little rough around the edges, but in the heat of the moment during a good multiplayer match, it's a whale of a time.
It feels a little unfair to have to compare this to another game so much, but The Old Blood runs off of the same frameworks, characters and style that the The New Order came to define. Shooting Nazis until they explode is a fun diversion, but there's a better game that does that, and it's called Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a game so savage that it can be unpalatable to certain players. But for those who enjoy the thrill of overcoming difficult combat where a single mistake can be your undoing, I can't think of a lot out there that's better.