Seth G. Macy
Unparalleled realism and an entire planet to explore makes Microsoft Flight Simulator a simulation like no other.
Super Mario Maker 2 does nearly everything better than its already excellent predecessor, keeping the charm of a Mario game while introducing some incredible new ideas.
Octopath Traveler is a JRPG dream come true.
Kerbal Space Program is a deep, funny, and detailed physics sim that never takes itself too seriously.
Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze's addition of Funky Mode makes it more accessible without reducing the formidable platforming difficulty to a walk in the park. There's still a lot of challenge, even with the extra help Donkey's Funky uncle affords. But the Switch version manages to take just enough of an edge off a punishing game to let the fun platforming outshine its difficulty.
Fun, novel, and brimming with loot, Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption is the best of Borderlands 3's DLC batch so far.
NHL 19 proves you can have your cake and eat it, too. It has a complex, sim-heavy Franchise mode, fun, fast, ridiculous arcade modes, and everything in between. There's a style of play here for anyone, from the absolute rookie to someone who lives and breathes hockey. The action on the ice feels excellent and there's just so much to do in NHL 19 that I was able to find a game mode to match any kind of mood I was in at the time. We don't need to ask “where did all the arcade-style sports games go?” anymore, because NHL 19 folded them all into a fantastic, robust package oozing with pure fun. What's most amazing is how the modes are so different in tone, but maintain excellence throughout.
The great news is Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary DLC is more of the funny, loot-happy Borderlands 2 we know and love. It's a lot of fun and a novel way build anticipation for the sequel.
The games in the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy still deliver, but the bonus features are pretty standard fare.
Trials of Mana is a great remake of a 16-bit classic, but its 16-bit roots are often hard to ignore.
Bravely Default 2 is a long, familiar JRPG journey with excellent customizable combat and beautiful backdrops that pass the time as you work through its extended stretches of grinding.
Game Builder Garage is a robust, yet easy to learn, game engine that's absolutely delightful.
Exciting combat, fantastic art direction, and interesting environments only make me wish Boomerang X were twice as long.
Station to Station is a relaxing, cozy railway planner with clear goals, flexibility in how you accomplish them, and the absolute perfect amount of challenge. It doesn't try to be anything more than a fun and easy going experience, and the fact you can randomize levels and crank their difficulty up a bit provides some nice variety to how you approach each session. I love its voxel-based graphics so much, the music is soothing, and it just oozes charm. Even failing a level didn’t frustrate, because it just meant I got another opportunity to roll through the blocky countryside and do a little better. Its biggest strength lies in its simplicity, and it doesn't stray too far from that initial gameplay premise. Honestly, it doesn't have to.
NBA 2K18 is the gold standard for sports simulations, but this year's entry is overloaded with microtransactions.
NHL 16 brings the series back up to speed with some great modes and features, but you can't count on its online modes.
Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered does a good job bringing an older game into the modern era, all things considered, but it can be hard to go back to.
I found myself thinking about my daily farming routine in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns even when I wasn't playing it. Since there's never any feeling of the grim spectre of Father Time looming large and there are enough random events to shake up the daily routine, doing my virtual chores in these charming and beautiful towns and unlocking a steady stream of rewards is relaxing, despite some annoyances with unnecessary travel and unskippable animations. And since the only requirement of Trio of Towns is to prove that farm life is a noble life, the pressure to succeed is never daunting.
Runner 3 is a fun, challenging experience with a weird, charming aesthetic brought down by out-of-date graphics.
Moxxi's Heist of The Handsome Jackpot starts off a little bumpy, but when it goes all-in, it hits the jackpot.