Polygon

Dead Rising 4 has thousands of zombies to kill, with an omnipresent Christmas theme that’s bizarre, unifying and, strangely, soothing. Right now, as we all wind our way toward the end of a very confusing, often sad and traumatic year, I found myself enjoying the opportunity to get lost in it without having to think about it very much. Dead Rising 4 may not be smart, but I was never bored.

Tyranny's bad guy morality system is a little on the nose, and other aspects of the game sometimes suffer. But the game's dedication to that conceit works, setting a path of bargaining and self-examination. Even amidst self-doubt, I did summon a volcano and destroy a library — and I’d probably do it again.

Orwell grabs the problem of how we balance our own liberty and our safety and turns it into a thrilling adventure. It unfolds complex debate points into a dazzling satire, that neatly presents all the relevant arguments as a series of moral problems, dressed up in a frighteningly convincing world.

Final Fantasy 15's own opening text describes it as "a Final Fantasy for fans and newcomers alike." The game contains pieces sure to disappoint players in both camps, but it also provides a refreshingly human take on the classic RPG journey that I hope will inspire future games in the franchise. Final Fantasy 15 can be baffling in some of its questionable choices, but across the board, it hits more than it misses.

"Guardian of Gotham" doesn’t disappoint with its climactic player choice, though, giving the player a clear, high stakes decision regarding Bruce’s two lives. Telltale has warned players that regardless of what they select, Episode 4’s final choice will dramatically impact the course of Episode 5, and when you get to it, it’s not hard to understand how.

Dishonored 2 occasionally stumbles under the weight of the almost too-intelligent denizens of its "Whalepunk" setting. But despite a murderous new sense of difficulty and a few surprising, if minor, shortcomings, Dishonored 2 is a much more fleshed-out realization of the world of Dunwall and the star-crossed Kaldwin family. For such a miserable, conflicted place, Dunwall and the Isles are a place worth exploring, something gaming could use a lot more of.

Pokémon's 20th anniversary year has been all about celebrating what's great about the series, but the newest pair of games prove that the series is ready and able to make big changes without sacrificing that original spirit. Without the heaps of content of series-defining entries like Red, Silver and X, Sun and Moon don't quite stand as endlessly replayable classics, but they're a wonderful testament to why Pokémon is still so special all these years later.

Pokémon's 20th anniversary year has been all about celebrating what's great about the series, but the newest pair of games prove that the series is ready and able to make big changes without sacrificing that original spirit. Without the heaps of content of series-defining entries like Red, Silver and X, Sun and Moon don't quite stand as endlessly replayable classics, but they're a wonderful testament to why Pokémon is still so special all these years later.

In expanding the first game's clever hacking options and through a story about taking on a system overwhelmingly stacked against the people, Watch Dogs 2 strikes an even more powerful chord at this precise moment in time. And if it went just a little bit farther in embracing that story and found a better balance between silliness and seriousness, it would be essential, rather than just cathartic.

I can lean back and pick out plenty of things about Owlboy that frustrated me, but its failings shrink in the face of its triumphs. I have no excess of affection for the 16-bit genre retreads but even as Owlboy lacks the tightness or consistency of many of the games it sits alongside, it’s far more approachable, far more endearing, and far more unique.