Tom Clancy’s The Division is almost everything that was advertised in 2013. While the visuals have certainly been pulled back a bit, probably because of hardware limitations, the gameplay has been delivered as promised.

For Pinball on the go, you would be hard-pressed to find a better option than Zen Studios’ Star Wars Pinball. From design to execution, Zen did an excellent job.

SIGNALIS from Humble Games is a horror fan’s dream. It’s simple and deep, contains a hefty amount of horror in its atmosphere, narrative, and design, and will keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Final Fantasy XVI from Square Enix still brings a wonderful story, well-defined characters, and a fantastic adventure on the Xbox Series X. It might not deliver the same graphical ‘wow’ that the other releases do, but it’s still a worthy game to take on for 50+ hours.

The Pathless is still a fun game after all these years. It is driven by a deep story and simple gameplay mechanics. While I would have loved to see a bit more life in the world, the gameplay is still very much engaging and endearing.

Sometimes it just takes time to get to know a game, and that’s certainly the case with Monster Hunter Tri. While it's initially overwhelming, if you can take some punishment and you don’t mind a deep game, at some point you’ll find yourself inexplicably hooked—and more than likely, it will be the online multiplayer that does the hooking.

I find this game to be very charming and relaxing to play, and that’s for several reasons. The pace, challenge, controls, general gameplay, the graphics, and the music all make for a really enjoyable game that’s hard to put down.

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is a damn good game that has little flaws attached to it, which is impressive for a launch title.

Nioh surprised me in several ways, all of them good. It feels like a bit of a sleeper title at launch that I think is going to catch a lot of people off guard, but if you have any interest in this niche genre or are a fan of Team Ninja’s, Nioh is definitely worth checking out.

Dead Space is a remarkable game, and surely one of the bigger surprises that will come out of 2023. EA Motive has done a great job in remaking one of the best horror games from the mid-to-late 2000s era; going as far as making certain segments feel wholly new again. As a player who never played the original, this remake feels like the definitive introduction to the franchise. I’m clamoring for more of Isaac’s story, and even perhaps beyond.

Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise is an entertaining game. It has enough depth, action, and crafting to keep you and your team occupied for a while. It’s not perfect in some respects, but it’s good enough when you’re looking for a team-based game that is more coop than not.

Dotemu, Guard Crush, and Supamonks have knocked it out of the park with Absolum. Its combat is satisfyingly stylish, encapsulating traditional side-scrolling beat ‘em up combat with the variability of endlessly fun roguelike gameplay. Punishing difficulty aside, it’s worth taking the time to explore the depths of its world and creatively defeat enemies in more ways than one. Absolum pushes the envelope of beat ‘em up game design to new heights, worthy of your consideration as we enter this holiday season.

Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver have finally been given the remake they deserve.

Death’s Door‘s brisk and satisfying story pace allows players to soak up the adventure with efficiency and delight, never dragging on because of complicated puzzles and strenuous combat. Ultimately, though, I never wanted Death’s Door to end because this is an immensely satisfying, lovingly constructed world Acid Nerve has made. Both a fairy tale and an epic journey, it’s packed with wonder and whimsy. Anyone who has a love for gaming will recognize something they adore in Death’s Door. This universe is too good to resist and it is my sincere hope that this first taste won’t be the last.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a completely different type of game from the first, and it’s better in every single way. It’s tougher, lengthier, more creative, more varied, and just plain more fun.

Dreamscaper is an exceptionally heartfelt, engaging roguelike. By offering up a gameplay loop that hopes to fuel a deeper narrative, players may find that the game is one of the rare instances of synergy in the genre. Using a smart upgrade system to fuel its weighty, acrobatic combat, Dreamscaper so frequently punches above its weight. For those who get lost in ever-engaging loops, this one is for you.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is an exciting game. It knows what it wants to do. It wants to give players options, it wants them to feel unshackled by design decisions that offer to gently nudge them in a direction or possibility. It wants to give a platform to four friends to cause chaos in a variety of scenarios. Breakpoint is a freeing game and it has its flaws. But, above anything, it is fun.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie from DON’T NOD plays like a proper branching narrative visual novel should play. The acting, writing, and general presentation are the icing on the cake to make this type of gameplay work very well. While it won’t be for everyone, it certainly is top tier for those who are looking for a good branching narrative journey.

NHL 12 is further proof that, for as complete as NHL 11 was considered, there seems to always be new, significant, quality additions that can be made from one year to the next.

As roguelikes go, Galak-Z's tireless air of optimism makes a case for its own dimension.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a thrilling rush. FromSoftware has taken their masterclass gameplay and constructed an entirely new and exhilarating loop. Despite forgoing familiar elements that made Elden Ring truly special, Nightreign maintains the essence of its wonder, empowering players by fulfilling their dream of an onslaught of challenging, brilliant boss fights, only prohibited by your own skill, ambition, and deadly efficiency.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 features some of the strongest launch content a Call of Duty game has had in years. The best part? It can all be played with friends and everything you do counts towards overall progression. But more importantly, the stellar maps and addictive Endgame provide ample ways to play Call of Duty how you want to. Incorporating best-in-class shooting to all these modes means that each pillar of Black Ops 7 is satisfying, exciting, and challenging. This may be the hardest Call of Duty to put down yet.

Wild Bastards’ bite-sized first-person shooter showdowns were a treat, especially when I was able to put together pairs of characters who complemented each other and made for something more than a simple shootout. A traditional shooter it is not, but its original gameplay loop and striking visuals make it a helluva good time.

Coming into DMC5 as a fan of the series, I had high hopes for DMC5. I’m happy to say those hopes were met and even Exceeded in some respects. While there is room to improve in some critical areas, primarily in level design, DMC5 kicks ass, in Style.

Sensibilities both modern and retro pepper the fabric of Olija. Players may walk away from the game feeling confused, satisfied, or yearning for more. While I lean towards satisfied with my time, I could not help but immediately begin another playthrough, hoping that more would be illuminated the second time around. Much about Olija is familiar and a game with less self awareness would have drawn out its ideas, pushing players with more aggressive enemies or platforming bordering on tedious. But that’s not what we got. Instead, Olija is a balanced work that speaks volumes despite its quiet nature, breathtaking in both its journey and execution.

Death Howl is a ferocious meditation on using difficulty as a crucible for improvement. It takes the mechanics of deck building and twists them in enough clever configurations that players will stare death in the face and relish in triumph. More so, this is a exquisite looking game drenched in mysticism that ruminates on the struggle we all face with acceptance of loss, transforming a game about cards into a truly enjoyable work.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes raises the bar with gameplay, presentation and fun. You will be playing this for hours after you complete the main mission. That's something you couldn't say with complete joy in your voice with previous LEGO titles. This certainly will be tough to top when the next LEGO game is released.

Genesis Noir is genre fiction that slow burns from a hard-boiled detective mystery to a cosmic exploration of potential and possibility. It showcases a form of storytelling exclusive to an interactive medium, not only immersing the player in rhapsodic visual landscapes, but expecting them to find tactile interpretations from its collection of curiosities. Genesis Noir doesn’t position chaos as a subject for control, only an objective to be experienced and appreciated.