Infinite Brust

You: A beautiful singer without a voice. Them: A weird sentient computer program bent on destroying your beautiful city. Your weapon: A giant sword called The Transistor. A giant sword that talks.

From that setup follows an evocative, exceptionally well-designed action RPG that will challenge you, thrill you, and maaaaybe even move you. Transistor is a marked evolution of the sort of art-driven, musical, mysterious storytelling that developer Supergiant established in their last game Bastion. Come for the great story, stay for the killer soundtrack, stay even longer for the intricately designed action. We're here with you, Red. Fight the Process.

A Good Match For: Cyberpunk fans, tactics RPG fans, anyone who wants a game with a button dedicated to making the main character hum along with the soundtrack.

Not a Good Match For: Those looking for a straight-up action game. Transistor may look like Diablo but it's far less snappy and requires a lot more tactical thinking in order for it to become enjoyable.

After years of changes both minor and major, the Assassin's Creed series had begun to feel in a rut. Finally this year, with the pirate-themed Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, the series has taken a major and unequivocal step forward. It doesn't lose all of the series' bad habits—hello, follow missions—but it improves many longstanding problems with better stealth, easier-to-navigate cities, and sidequests that actually feel like they help make your character more powerful. Best of all, it adds naval combat and a vast Caribbean overworld that make the game feel like, in the words of Luke Plunkett, "Wind Waker for grown-ups." 

The next-gen versions of the game look incredibly good, particularly the PS4 version, which runs in beautiful 1080p resolution. Add on the excellent single-player expansion Freedom Cryand Assassin's Creed IV becomes a cinch to recommend, and easily one of the very best games on PlayStation 4.

A Good Match For: Pirate fans; history buffs; anyone who's ever wanted to pull up alongside a British frigate, grab a rope and swing from one deck to the other before fighting their way up the deck to take on the captain. Basically, anyone who's ever wanted to be a pirate.

Not a Good Match For: Those who demand precision controls. The on-foot controls in Black Flag are probably the best of the series, but they're still a far cry from where a third-person stealth/platformer should be. It's time for a crouch button, Ubisoft