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Super Mario Odyssey honors much of what makes other 3D Mario games great, plus it adds plenty of its own flavor to the Mario stew thanks to its capture mechanic. Mario Odyssey can keep you busy for hours and hours if you want it to, and you probably will. Outside of a few instances where the camera took on a mind of its own, I can't think of a moment when I wasn't enjoying myself while journeying with Mario and Cappy.

Assassin's Creed returns with an entry that moves the series forward, but also goes back to the beginning of the Brotherhood. This new entry is a bit more of an action RPG, telling the story of how Bayek of Siwa becomes the first Assassin alongside a number of intriguing side quests. Combat is overhauled, but it's still a bit muddy when fighting multiple enemies. What absolutely does work is the world itself; Egypt is beautiful and the diversity in the environments is impressive. I'm unsure if Assassin's Creed Origins will convert anyone who isn't already a fan of the series, but it does what it does well enough to join the top of the franchise.

It certainly does that effectively, but it does mean that those who've always enjoyed Gran Turismo's single-player component are left distinctly wanting. The game's always-online requirement may also be a problem for some. Ultimately, GT Sport is a truly brilliant driving game—it's just that it lacks the scope, scale, and depth of previous iterations of the series.

Like Stick of Truth before it, South Park: The Fractured but Whole plays like an episode of the show. One of the good episodes, mind you, that's more about the kids interacting with each other than politics. Though it drags at times, The Fractured but Whole carries a sweet, twisted charm that makes it hard to resist if you're similarly twisted. It's still not recommended for anyone who never found the show funny to begin with, though.

Shadow of War is much bigger than its predecessor, offering more orcs, more gear, more to conquer, and your very own orc army. It's a massive game with so much to do that it can feel like a bit of a grind later in the game. Likewise, the loot box mechanic interfaces with army upkeep in a way that feels less than satisfying. Shadow of War is still a great game, but there's a linger corruption that keeps it from perfection.

Forza Motorsport 7 is another great racing game from Turn 10 Studios. More than 700 vehicles across 30 divisions can race on 32 different tracks. Dynamic weather has improved and overall Forza Motorsport 7 is still a stunner. Turn 10 muddies the progression this time around with loot box-style Prize Creates, but they don't completely kneecap the rest of the amazing experience.

Heat Signature looks like Hotline Miami to the untrained eye, but this is a game that rewards planning more than violence at a breakneck pace. Sneak your way onto procedural-generated ships and use a wide variety of gear to maim, steal, swap, teleport, decrypt, and simply break your targets. Heat Signature provides some amazing watercooler moments, but eventually players will hit a pretty high difficulty wall and the game punishes failure hard. Until then, there's a unique stealth action title to be found here.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is simply the pinnacle of the CRPG genre. It offers a campaign with memorable characters, interesting role-playing options, and excellent systemic combat. The environments are beautiful and the soundtrack is solid. That alone would put it at the top of the heap, but then Larian added offline and online coop, a PVP arena mode, and Game Master mode, the greatest throwback to the Dungeons & Dragons pen-and-paper games that underpin the entire genre. I might have small issues here and there, but Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best in a strong year for gaming.

The action on the field is a bit more nuanced; the presentation has been spruced up; and there's a new chapter of the Journey to digest. But at its heart, FIFA 18 is much the same as its always been: the sort of fast and frantic soccer game you play on the couch with your friends. And that makes it plenty fun.

Destiny 2 is a vast improvement over the original Destiny. The shooting is still top-notch, Bungie has crafted grand worlds to explore, the environments are simply beautiful, and the delivery of the game's story is much better. The game still falters in when it comes to satisfying endgame progression and it's missing some standard MMO features. All in all though, Destiny 2 is a damned good MMO time, no subscription fee required.