When My Friend Pedro was announced back at E3 2018, it was a title I was very eager to try, not mention curious about its controls and the fact that you’re led around dozens of violent set pieces by a banana. For as crazy as its premise is, its ballet of violent destruction is even more so, offering one of the best action titles of the year.

While these newest entries don’t revolutionize the established formula we’ve played over the course of twenty-some years, they do streamline the baggage from the earlier games. What they bring to the table is a more enjoyable gym battle experience, engaging co-op events, and a fun and enjoyable story that makes this my favorite Pokemon adventure to date.

To say EA has been kind to the Star Wars license is questionable, but with Jedi: Fallen Order, EA might have finally delivered as not only is it the best Star Wars game in years, it’s frankly, one of the best Star Wars games ever made, even with its slew of technical problems.

With the creation of Kojima Productions and assistance from Sony, Death Stranding was announced at E3 2016 with more questions than answers. Even after it was shown year after year until release, it was drastically unclear just exactly what it was. Regardless of the varied opinions of the game, Death Stranding is unquestionably interesting and something altogether unique.

Taking the name back and placing you within the confines of a whole new narrative, Modern Warfare feels familiar in many ways. The series once against takes up relevant topics that are part of the current political climate and while it attempts to border on the edge of pushing deeper into its controversial topics, it, unfortunately, doesn’t and does tend to play it relatively safe.

Regardless of your playstyle, The Outer Worlds will have you contemplating the vast choices given to you when approaching not just combat, but the various ways dialogue can have a huge effect on the outcome. Each of those choices are backed up by superb writing, a fairly endearing cast of characters, and engaging confrontations, where words can often be more powerful than laser fueled ammunition.

Dragon Quest has been a very reliant JRPG series with each subsequent sequel and Echoes of an Elusive Age is no different. Where many JRPG’s have reinvented themselves and drastically changed their identity with each iteration, Dragon Quest XI feels old and dated in all the right ways, firmly sticking with what has worked for years.

With The Outer Worlds and Activision’s reboot of Modern Warfare just around the corner, I had some time to dip into Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, a title that has been receiving a ton of criticism from fans and reviewers alike. Being called a jack of all trades, yet master of none, I can see much of the issues and criticisms that have turned people off, yet I also had a fairly enjoyable time here among its vast problems.

Children of Morta is a title I’ve been excited for ever since it was shown off at the Microsoft 2018 E3 press conference, and when given the chance to review it, I installed the game immediately. While I wasn’t initially expecting a rogue-like adventure with members of an adventuring family, it’s those very things that give the game its own unique charm.

With Bungie recently going on their own, breaking away from Activision, I was curious about what the studio would do next. With making Destiny 2 largely free to play, and returning to the moon, I jumped back in to soak up the nostalgia and see what the game had in store for me.

Developed by the same studios that brought us the God Eater trilogy, this anime aesthetic vampire romp through a post-apocalyptic world is fairly enjoyable but suffers from a drab story that attempts to add emotional weight through a series of drawn-out memories that move at a snail’s pace.

The Surge 2 is a stellar follow up that satisfies on a combat level that I’ve wanted in games like this forever. The dismantling aspects to its raw and destructive encounters ensure I am always gaining new weapons and armor to make the road ahead possible. With intense boss encounters and an impressive intricate world to explore, The Surge 2 is one of the best games I’ve played this year.

With a metric ton of locations and secrets to discover and some very enjoyable endgame activities, Borderlands 3 is a tremendous success despite some questionable technical hiccups that just shouldn’t have existed. While Borderlands 3 is still more of the same, it is still downright amazing and you can consider me addicted all over again.

Going into Astral Chain, and being a fan of Platinum games, largely because Bayonetta 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and Nier: Automata is very impressive as well, I had a fundamental idea of what to expect here. Helmed by Takahisa Taura, the man behind Nier: Automata, Astral Chain started life due to the cancellation of Scalebound, a title originally set for release on the Xbox One platform.

French developer, Spiders, is a studio I’ve kept my eyes on ever since 2014’s Bound by Flame. I adored the game as I also did with their 2016 follow-up, The Technomancer. Flying under the banner of being one of those “Euro Jank” studios, their releases have always shown passion and creativity over their more technical and visual elements.

Gears of War has been an incredibly beloved Microsoft franchise since its debut some 13 years ago. While the series is now developed by The Coalition, under the leadership of Ron Ferguson, a man who has been with the franchise since its conception, the series continues to remain popular and relevant due to what I feel is its greatest strength; its heart.

If you’re familiar with 2015’s PS4 exclusive, Until Dawn, then going into Man of Medan is going to make you feel right at home. The first in the developer’s biannual Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is another performance capture choose-your-own-adventure told through the faces of little to well known actors as they avoid death’s cold hand with a button prompt here and a bad choice there.

While the game certainly has some interesting ideas and genuinely creepy atmosphere, it can come off a bit weak in its overall gameplay variety. That said, Blair Witch still offers a fun and enthralling experience for its average 5-6 hour length. Those looking for a solid horror experience can certainly have a very good time here.

Control, the developer’s latest, feels like a combination of their past works, using the DNA from what has come before to create a truly engaging release that is hurt only by a few poor design choices and some severe technical problems. By wielding a mass array of powers and an ever-shifting gun, Control can, at times, be something truly special.

Bugbear Entertainment, the developer behind Flatout, is back with Wreckfest, a return to the glory days of Destruction Derby while also feeling like a successor to Flatout itself. While the title can certainly offer a trip down memory lane, its technical problems and last gen visuals hold it back from standing alongside the greats.