If FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE is a proof of concept in stress testing the Switch 2’s processing power, consider it passing with flying colors. It’s the same incredible FFVII remake that’s been available on multiple platforms since its original release in 2020. While it doesn’t add anything new for first time players, it’s the best example of a AAA port done exceptionally well on the Nintendo Switch 2. If you’re a Final Fantasy fan, Switch 2 owner, and have been waiting to play VII REMAKE INTERGRADE all this time, now is the best time to play. If you’ve been waiting to play a AAA port on your new Switch 2, this is assuredly the best port that should be added to your library.

Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a shining star in the Street Fighter family. Everything about it feels refined, smooth, and it harkens back to a more concentrated fighting time where the bells and whistles of the fighting experience purely relied on characters and moves. It’s good, folks, especially on the PC.

I think Valve and EA have stepped the game up in the sequel. I really believe they fully understand the value of players going online and playing the game with and against each other.

Axiom Verge is a solid game with very little to complain about. In the case of it arriving on the Wii U, it's definitely a case of better late than never.

Unicorn Overlord is a masterpiece of a strategy role playing game. Its presentation in giving players freedom to play as they like, go as strategically deep as they like, and the masterful onboarding of often-overly-complicated SRPG elements make it a compelling and beautiful experience. If you’re unfamiliar with SRPGs or are a longtime fan, look no further than Unicorn Overlord.

Valve has done it once again. Left 4 Dead 2 takes everything that was amazing about the first installment and puts it on steroids.

Titanfall 2 is everything that Titanfall should have been. It contains a wonderfully endearing campaign mode that contains some unique and fun gameplay design, while satisfying the multiplayer experience with a bevy of modes and customization options. This certainly feels like a complete game.

Dark Souls' tenacious pursuit of gaming idealism, even at three (or five) entries deep, remains a virtuous enterprise. It's also a show that, no matter how well executed, loses potency with each consecutive performance.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of the must-have titles for this holiday season.

Ambling around a cursed utopia and interrogating its eccentric characters while listening to jazzy, saxophone-obsessed electronica remains a fitting masquerade for a mercurial murder mystery. Almost two years after its first release, Paradise Killer’s commitment to its vaporwave aesthetic remains a model for creative fiction and an amusement park for industrious detectives.

In the end, The Ballad of Gay Tony serves as a cork popping celebration for Grand Theft Auto IV, and I couldn't think of a better send off.

Sektori is pure. Sektori is addictive. The vibrant chaos amidst heart-pumping techno music will leave players in a trance-like state, lost in an explosion of particles, color and skill. Destined to be an arcade classic, the intense, shifting levels beg for replay after replay to master its finely-tuned difficulty curve. Sektori proves, if anything, arcade is not dead, it merely needs new masters.

Nothing can topple Tetris. Tetris Effect accepts this premise and surrounds Tetris’ core with audio and visual cues that tap into subconscious, kaleidoscopic emotion and draw raw optimism out of the player. This combination is now inseparable. It’s essential. I don’t want to play Tetris without Tetris Effect.

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.

Gravity Circuit contains the best parts of the SNES-era of 2D action platforming without the artificial difficulty spikes and frustrations. Its combat is fluid, easy to pick up, and exciting to master. Its pacing ramps up with the player. Its music is a nostalgia bomb of high-energy and synthetic charm. Yes, it’s a short play, but it contains enough content to satisfy most players and get them hooked into using Kai’s hookshot over, over, and over again. If this doesn’t sound like a love letter to retro platforming, I don’t know what will.

FIFA Soccer 11 takes what it already did great in FIFA Soccer 10 and adds bit more to the overall gameplay and design to make it even better.

Eidos Montreal did a superb job with crafting a nearly perfect product. Though not quite as groundbreaking as the original, DXHR certainly pays solid respect and homage to the series, and is a very welcomed addition.

L.A. Noire is everything that people expected it to be. It has a fantastic set of stories that drive the game from beginning to end, beautifully motion captured actors and enough gameplay elements to keep the gamer deeply involved. On top of this there is a large city to explore and enjoy. Rockstar certainly brought the goods with this one.

The convergence of Japanese folklore and a Sumi-e aesthetic over the blueprint of The Legend of Zelda created a benign opus that, eleven years later, remains unchallenged and unequaled by any scale of competition. Okami, even with its pronounced vulnerabilities, is a singular creation and merits constant preservation.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is a new journey with a tonal shift compared to its predecessor, as the narrative is smaller in scope and far more personal. On the gameplay side of the tracks, the new game tightens a lot of loose ends from the first game, expands the world of Death Stranding through new environments and gameplay improvements, and exceeds all expectations with how a game should look on PlayStation 5. This is a solid contender for Game of the Year.

Horizon Forbidden West on the PC is another example of a game done right in its conversion from console. It brings the same great gameplay, performance, and gaming experience that was established on the PlayStation 5 two years ago.

Bottomline, Ryu ga Gotoku Studios has another huge hit on their hands with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Rich, complicated stories and characters, with intriguing developments for individuals as well as bonds between characters greatly adds to the mystic, while a slew of mostly-optional side gigs further compliments the outstanding team-based combat. For many of us, the Yakuza/LAD series has become as comforting as a warm chicken pot pie on a cold day. I have spent more hours roaming the streets of Japan (and now Hawaii) in this franchise than perhaps any other game world ever. These games are familiar, enjoyable, and even though the gameplay does not vary much from one adventure to the next, the quality, accessibility, pacing, quantity, and fun of playing these games continues to pay dividends. At the end of the day, whether you’re a series veteran or a curious newcomer, you cannot go wrong with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is one of the most expertly crafted pieces of DLC available to players. What is offered here is not only new, nerve-wrecking content but the opportunity to drastically change the base game and how players tackle its intense challenges. Ms. Chalice is a significant addition to the game with her additional abilities and may take the sting out for newcomers. But where The Delicious Last Course truly becomes a feast is in the truly stunning boss encounters that will challenge every available reflex and absolutely dazzle with complex, gorgeous animation. Simply put, this is a treat.

Dishonored respects its audience by not only trusting them with a myriad of options, but also having the courtesy not to stand in their way. Its gameplay systems are open and intuitive, and reaching their potential feels special in a manner unrealized by any of its contemporaries.

Resident Evil Requiem is a return to old-school Resident Evil structure with new-school flavor. It’s a more compact and claustrophobic experience compared to the previous title, while bringing dual stories, intense action, and horror, and a proper number of puzzles into the mix.

Apex Legends is one of the more entertaining, beautifully balanced, and gorgeous games in the Battle Royale genre. The fact that it is free is delightful, and a good move by Respawn Entertainment. I hope they continue this trend with future updates. I may yet stay in this genre for a while because of this game.

One of the most obvious 'must buy' releases of this generation.

Strong gunplay and near-perfect control form a great shooter, but indulging in the fiction and emerging frail and traumatized provides an experience of much greater value.