TechnoBuffalo

Nobody expected NieR: Automata to be this good, but by sheer force of will through all parties involved, it could very well wind up being the best game of 2017. It's a game that improves on the tired genres that it borrows from, and more importantly, it takes everyone's game to the next level.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to stand for a long time, I think, as the height of achievement in building huge virtual spaces for gamers to explore. The level of detail at this scale is staggering, even as I find myself unable to ignore how much required overtime went into making things happen, and how many of these details – like horse testicles ascending in colder weather – took real human work hours while actually doing little to flesh out the game world. But it’s impossible to deny what a beautiful, sad, huge, and remarkable thing Rockstar and its many employees, past and present, have put together.

Sonic Mania is for everyone, and everyone should buy it. It succeeds at being a love letter to SEGA's classic days just as much as it succeeds at being a smartly designed video game with all of the reasons in the world to return to it over and over again. Older fans will love it, newer fans will love it, parents can play it with their kids.

...there hasn't been a Mario game like this for me since Super Mario World.

Everything Shovel Knight does, it does incredibly well. It's balanced enough so that both old-timers and newcomers can find something to enjoy, and never once does it falter in its mission of paying tribute to classics.

Consider this a huge thumbs up for Velocity 2X. For a simple arcade game, it packs a ton of replayability and depth, and it never fails to deliver that arcade rush you're looking for. Whether you play it casually to beat the stages or play it to 100 percent, you're going to find a rewarding experience inside.

It's a great joke of a game where the punchline can be felt by both players and spectators, and that's why I think Octodad is so special.

Broken Age is silky smooth, deliciously humorous, visually stunning and completely delightful.

Nintendo's created a heck of a Mario Kart game that's great for fans and newcomers alike. It's what this series should be.

Despite essentially being the same game four times running, Forza Horizon has life left in it, and it leaves me looking forward to wherever the next game takes it. In the meantime, I'll probably be playing this into 2020 just like I've played Forza Horizon 3 in the months running up to this one. It has that much life in it.

My one recommendation: take your time...enjoy a little bit of the tale and keep it in the background as a great break from real life.

Yoshi’s New Island is amazing from beginning to charming end. Don’t hesitate for a second to buy it folks, unless you hate smiling.

Pokémon X and Y is a stellar entry in the series. Get it.

Horizon Zero Dawn is, at times, the best game on the PlayStation 4.

Hollow Knight is a testament to the everlasting enjoyment of the Metroidvania genre. Its spot on controls, exciting boss fights, and sense of progression pull those willing into a surreal, dark world loaded with secrets. Addiction and obsession start to settle in until every last one is found, a sign of the best that the genre has to offer.

Even if you've been away from the series for years, Assassin's Creed Origins is a great jumping-on point.

I can't honestly say it's the best Monster Hunter, as I haven't played the others, but it's the best way to get into Monster Hunter, for sure, and it stands on its own as one of the best games so far this year and likely one of my favorites going forward.

Instead of a tired, bored tale of vengeance, Sony has revived a god.

Machine Games mixed an old school shooter with interesting, well-written characters to make something that adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

I'm glad I had my PlayStation in time, because inFamous: Second Son might be the first platform exclusive to make the system worth buying.