Gran Turismo 7 is a game made for car enthusiasts. It wants to ignite a passion in players for the expansive, rich world of vehicle customization and racing simulation. Polyphony Digital’s dedication to creating one of the most realistic simulations on the market shows in every drop of rain and every reflective sheet of metal. While Gran Turismo 7 may not be for everyone, it provides curious players with an engaging system of progression that will slowly reveal the depth the game has to offer. From breakneck speeds at the Daytona 500 to moonlit races at the Tokyo Expressway, Gran Turismo 7 is a technical marvel and a PlayStation 5 spectacle.

Saros pushes the envelope on multiple fronts, changing the roguelike genre in ways that’s more player-friendly than ever while taking advantage of the PS5’s DualSense controller in novel fashions. It’s near perfect in several ways, even if its story lacks the satisfaction that its gunplay otherwise provides.

I’m just about beside myself with how cool and surprising of a release Quake Remastered is. I hope we’ll see the same treatment for Quake II down the road, but wow it’s really special to see this classic revitalized and given such good treatment in the process. Bravo to Bethesda, id, and Nightdive for doing such a great job with this release and offering it up to the masses at a price (just $10!) that you shouldn’t miss.

Sea of Stars excels on so many levels. Much of Sabotage Studio’s work is homage to the games the developers and ourselves played as children, living in these vibrant worlds of fantasy and magic. But rather than work to be a carbon copy of the past to remind players of the fun they used to have, care was taken to play with expectations and design around an updated vision of these classics. Few games can feel as nostalgic and modern as this, while becoming a classic in its their right. And Sea of Stars is a classic.

The Galaxy games are still ever so fun. I have to set aside my concerns knowing that new players will get so many good hours out of these games. I was thrilled to play them again, if it’s any consolation. You should be relieved that Nintendo has brought Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 to the Switch 2 without too many frills. It plays just like it did on the Wii and Wii U, albeit prettier and slightly more defined than I remember. It behooves any Switch 2 owner to acquire these masterpieces, especially those who weren’t around to play them in their original states.

Spin Rhythm XD offers a sublime VR rhythm game experience thanks to its natural-feeling controls and stellar-EDM soundtrack. It’s nothing like any rhythm game I’ve played in the past, and I’m fully on-board with Super Spin Digital’s approach to creating a rhythm game that puts the player firmly at the center of the soundstage. It’s the easiest recommendation I can make for any PSVR 2 player wanting a rhythm game that feels and sounds excellent. Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to put my PSVR 2 back on my noggin and get lost in the music.

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

Rocksteady and WBIE have managed to capture lightning in a bottle three consecutive times with the Arkham series, with the most refined and focused strike being Arkham Knight.

Rockstar really knows how to please with Red Dead Redemption and this DLC shows it.

In sum, Marvel’s Spider-Man is not only the best Spider-Man game to date, and one of the best games this year, but it’s also the best superhero game since Arkham Knight. It’s sure to appeal to any fan of Spider-Man, superhero games, or open world sandbox games in general.

Okami, in its fourth iteration, is unaffected by the ravages of time. 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.

Given sufficient time, Sun and Moon has the power to ensnare just as profoundly as many of the previous games in the franchise. And with its valuable combination of depth and accessibility (imbued with modern conveniences such as the integrated type chart hints), the game feels equal parts conservative and progressive—and is thus quite likely to please both traditionalists and newcomers.

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.

Crystal Dynamics did a great job with methodically thinking everything through before releasing the new Tomb Raider to the world. The story, gameplay mechanics, depth and visuals all make for an unforgettable experience, sans the multiplayer side of things.

Director's Cut is the right term for this release; Fargo and the crew at InXile have combed through both the finer details and the high-level ones of Wasteland 2, fixing, tweaking, and adding to take it from great to excellent.

Orcs Must Die: Unchained might just be my surprise game of the year to this date. The amount of fun that I’ve had with this game is insane. The game is polished and balanced. The year open beta definitely benefited the game a ton. I will recommend just about any gamer try this game, especially with the price of free. However once you begin your journey of killing orcs, you might not want to stop!

Deciding if a vanilla racing game is worth one of those tokens is ultimately up to the consumer. What I can say is within that relatively narrow definition, Forza 6 does about everything necessary to fulfill the niche to a high degree.

This game is everything the original was and more; it borrows the basic components and rebuilds them into something even more spectacular and cohesive than its precursor.

Best of all, it interprets the hardware's peculiar control options not as a dutiful obligation but rather as leverage for original ideas; there isn't a single part of the machine that feels wasted. Tearaway comes together by showing its player a good time, and it's intimately focused on driving that final point home.

Quietly, The Walking Dead continues to perform like a potential game of the year.

MLB 13 The Show shows its continual dominance in the video game world of baseball. Though it's not perfect, it still makes all the right improvements and additions to keep the game fresh and interesting.

At the end of the day, Hotline Miami's simple, quick gameplay, though frustrating, is kept fresh by the level design and unique fighting style it delivers. It's definitely deeper than your average action game, and not as straightforward as it appears.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a marvel of a little game that wins at being a “yoyovania.” The yoyo combat and progression are superb, its level design utilizing novel traversal elements without repetitious fluff, and its charm is off the charts. It’s no walk in the park, but it’s worth the payoff if you want a game that is a nostalgia bomb of classic Zelda fused with a yoyo thematic.

Dirt 2 has everything you want in a rally race-esque type game and nothing you didn't want (such as crappy controls and poor presentation).

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

DOOM Eternal follows in the footsteps of a storied gaming lineage. id Software has done an incredible job at putting care into this series since it was revitalized in 2016. Any player who considers themselves a fan of first-person shooters will immensely love DOOM Eternal because it pays tribute to the genre’s roots and how it has grown over the past three decades. Though it may feel brutal, smearing the entrails of thousands of horrifying hellspawn with a powerful arsenal is one of gaming’s best rewards. Don’t hesitate on this one.

For as great as Knights of the Old Republic was in the day, Dragon Age: Origins simply trumps it.

With a thankfully redefined purpose and a much more enticing endgame, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is probably the game you were hoping for years ago.