On the surface, Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle looks like a children’s card game with glorified animation, but it is actually more than that. With solid battles and structured rules, a large variety of cards, and a lot of NPCs specializing in different classes, every time you challenge someone it feels like a completely new experience. While following a cheesy and fun storyline in this RPG, the card game remains consistent and the characters predictable, making it easy to focus on strategizing and advancing to the top. Sure, there are moments where the repetition is evident, but there aren’t many RPGs that don’t require grinding.

With so much to see and do, Swords of Ditto is a heart-warming adventure I simply can’t get enough of.

The Wizards Enhanced Edition is a pretty fun VR fantasy adventure that brings consistent thrills to the PSVR in its cool spellcasting and its polished presentation. You’ll feel like a real, powerful wizard slaying orcs and goblins and lots of other crazy creatures — and the launch price of $24.99 is pretty sweet too. The relatively short length and one-note gameplay might spoil the magic a little bit, but there’s no doubt that this is a VR game that all aspiring warlocks should consider trying.

FIFA 21 is a complete package that will keep football fans hooked for the entire season. Although there are only a few small improvements, the tactical possibilities that these unlock are vast. With Dual Entitlement, meaning you can transfer your progress to next-gen consoles and the fact that it's packed to the goalposts with content, FIFA 21 comfortably takes the golden boot for 2021.

Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection is an easy recommendation. While one game is indeed better than the other, there are still two very strong games for one single price. And you can’t forget the addition of the previously released DLC that makes this whole package an extremely good value. Ubisoft has redeemed themselves with an almost perfect port of Black Flag while understanding the advantages that the Switch had to offer such as the motion controls. And of course Rogue is no slouch either. Ubisoft proves that you can port large scale games with some hard work and passion.

Forgotton Anne is a beautifully-crafted, polished experience that is a couple notches from being a stellar gaming experience.

For anyone who missed it back in 2019, Days Gone Remastered is the best version of a game that’s definitely better than its reputation suggests. Its implementation on PS5 is very well done, and the new game modes are interesting to spend time with. With a haunting open world to explore, a substantial narrative and excellent combat, Days Gone Remastered is a solid action adventure and easy to recommend for fans of the genre.

The Dark Anthologies: Little Hope improves on the franchise’s previous entry in all aspects and is one of the most compelling narratives that I have experienced in recent times. With an incredible ending that left a profound, lasting effect, this is a game that fans of interactive dramas need to experience. Supermassive Games have slowly honed their skills in order to be considered one of the giants in storytelling and Little Hope has left me excited in anticipation of the next entry in what is proving to be a landmark series.

The Yakuza Remastered Collection is not a complete rebuild a la Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2. While the visuals are much improved over what they looked like as much as 10 years ago, they are definitely showing their age. But with so much story, so many great characters, so many beat-downs to deliver, this is a trio of games that gives you great value for the price (especially if you get it on Game Pass). For series old-timers or newcomers alike, the Yakuza Remastered Collection is a game every Xbox owner needs to check out.

It has been upgraded and polished, for sure; but whether that justifies purchasing a whole new game is questionable. Last year, I had no hesitation in recommending that you buy NHL 16. This year, as great of a game as NHL 17 is, you might want to stay on the bench for this one.

It’s exciting, not disappointing, that there’s so much left undiscovered for me, and I can’t wait to pick up GHOST’s world again, only for some dour fast-food employee to tell me to get lost. Gladly, I’ll say, in this hypothetical scenario I have created inside a video game for myself. I’ll gladly get lost.

Though Stellaris has its blemishes and can bog down in the middle, it’s an intergalactic success more often than not. It looks and sounds superb, and provides an infinity varied experience through its random elements.

Aside from the less than stellar implementation of the multiplayer #IDARB is a boat load of fun, easy to pick up and will have you laughing for hours. This Canadian made game manages to shine in nearly every department.

From the Wii-like characters and its entire eye-popping arcady graphical design to its surprising variety and depth, Super Mega Baseball 2 provides a fun and exciting twist to a sometimes boring and cumbersome sport (sorry baseball fans).

World to the West is a clever, bright, and very enjoyable adventure platformer with increasingly difficult challenges, unique and lovable characters, a host of great skills both from the start and to unlock, and it really is just a pleasure to get lost in the story.

In a deluge of Soulslikes and 2D Metroidvanias, 2021’s Tails of Iron stood out, thanks to its beautiful art, excellent combat, and engaging premise. All of that’s true for Whiskers of Winter. The sequel is just as visually distinctive and narratively interesting. The game’s combat can be extremely challenging, but this time there are options for dialing back the difficulty, which makes the game slightly more accessible to less hardcore ARPG fans. Tails of Iron 2: Whispers of Winter doesn’t radically reinvent the first game’s art or approach but definitely improves and deepens it. Anyone feeling fatigued with copycat pixel art Soulslikes should give Whiskers of Winter a try.

At first glance, Realm of Magic can seem barren. However, it’s all a guise as the true game begins in its mystical new realm of Glimmerbrook. All in all, The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is a ton of fun. With a bunch of newly added features to take your Sims game to the next level and a ton of different new paths to experience, this game pack does not disappoint.

With a variety of missions to choose from at each stage and in-depth customization options, Project Wingman also tests the player’s intelligence in creating synergistic builds and risk-reward assessments. Aside from a multiplayer mode, which this game sadly lacks, this is one of the best infinitely replayable jet-fighter game modes I’ve ever seen.

Nintendo has created a fun and accessible product that is a great introduction to programming. Through the perfectly paced interactive lessons, anyone can start making games in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the omission of in-game community creations does hinder what could have been a complete creative suite, however, this won’t stop enthusiasts from creating and sharing their games in other ways.

Rivals is easily the most fun I have had playing Rock Band 4 in the past year. It’s breathed new life into a game that frankly had a rough first year.

There is a lot to love about Freedom Planet. From the fantastically colorful 16-bit graphics, the unique cast of characters down to the varied styles of music playing in the background, Freedom Planet offers tons of replayability. Not to mention the writers did a great job with the flow of the story and being able to effectively combine serious moments with witty and humorous situations. If you enjoy platformers, speed running or you’re a Sonic fan, definitely give this a shot as you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, is a great, even perspective changing game that showed me that games don’t need endless action to be fun.

Blackwood Crossing is a game I highly recommend experiencing. It’s a game that defies explanation but has deeply emotional implications. If you’re as fascinated as I am by the emerging trend of games that portray real feels then Blackwood Crossing is a no-brainer.

UnMetal is an incredible tribute to one of the greatest franchises in the medium. While the game pokes fun at the title and highlights flaws and silly elements, it’s clear that it is done with love and admiration for the series. Similar to how Mel Brooks lovingly rips Hitchcock apart in High Anxiety, UnEpic Fran does the same with Kojima. The varied gameplay and creative storytelling will keep you in hysterics throughout. Although some may find the retro gameplay a little grating, fans of Metal Gear and the stealth genre need to experience this side-splitting tactical espionage adventure.

Sure, there is nothing incredibly original about the game but the sheer size and magnitude of this zombie outbreak is undeniably impressive and certainly gives us a glimpse of what we can expect from these next generation consoles.

While the story itself was very interesting, I had a much better time interacting with my friends and bringing our characters to life.

KuloNiku is a lovely slice of cozy gaming. With pleasing visuals, flexible gameplay, charming characters, and solid storytelling. It’ll have you addicted and sweating over your virtual stoves for hours on end. Definitely one to pick up and add to your cozy collection.

I’d love to say that Song of Iron was a great game made by one developer, with no qualifiers. I think where Song of Iron has some issues has less to do with it being a solo effort than perhaps the impracticality of the extreme minimalist approach as a concept, coupled with some consistent mechanical frustrations with movement and combat. Still, I love that Song of Iron is not weighted down by feature bloat. It’s a spare, beautiful-looking, engrossing iteration of a genre that always needs fresh ideas and bold, singular visions.