Tunic desperately tries to recreate the magic of classic Legend of Zelda games, all too often doing so to a fault. It tries to be hands-off and instead leaves the player with no idea of where to go. It wants to have simple combat, akin to something like the Zelda Oracle games, but that approach gets stale incredibly fast here. More than anything though, Tunic left me feeling lost in its mysteries, which I didn’t want to solve out of need or drive, but because I couldn’t bear them anymore.

The King of Fighters XV is a game deserving of its title. It feels like the perfect evolution in a long-running fighting game franchise and isn’t afraid of being what its main fans want it to be. Mechanics aren’t watered down and it doesn’t backtrack on what makes the series so great. That makes for a perfect entry for all types of players. However, there is a severe lack of content, a curse that’s been plaguing fighting games for a very long time that sadly makes an appearance here. Thankfully, strong online play makes it a great fighter game for the hardcore players who simply wants to hone their skills and challenge the next player, which pushes KO FXV into the ranks of the best modern fighters around.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector balances survival stress and transhumanist optimism, even if those ideas are sometimes at odds with one another.

Octopath Traveler 2 builds on its predecessor's strengths to create another charming retro RPG.

Death’s Door is one of the best games released this year and will certainly be a game-of-the-year contender by the time 2021 wraps up.

From a gameplay standpoint, though, this is the best place to enter Bungie’s shared-world shooter, and the most fun Destiny has ever been.

The Master Chief Collection is a testament to the cult of fandom that Halo-lovers established around the series. Every map from every included game and their add-on packs is available in the multiplayer mode, and each runs in its originating game’s engine.

The Rise of the Golden Idol makes a great mystery series even better.

Even with its repetitive late game, I still enjoyed just about every second of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. In the game’s opening sequence, Kirby swallows a car and rides down a highway as a pop tune plays. In one shot, he’s cruising against the clear blue sky as some seagulls fly by his window. That’s how I felt whenever I booted it up: Head empty, soaking in the sunshine, not a care in the world.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a fantastic sequel on several counts. It improves on its predecessor in just about every way by finely tuning its stealth and navigation systems, adding more gameplay variety, and delivering a visually stunning world that puts games with much larger budgets to shame. Its weak spot comes down to its messy storytelling, which exposes the thematic limits of a medium that’s over reliant on violence as its primary form of interaction.

Moss bridges the gap between traditional games and virtual reality experiences. It’s an adventure game brimming with charm, crafty puzzles, and a fully realized fairy tale world that makes you feel as if you are really there. Moss is proof that virtual reality games can redefine well-known genres.

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a morbidly engrossing tactics RPG that takes the right notes from Danganronpa.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is not perfect, but most its problems can be ignored because they are relegated to portions of the game you can skip or speed through. The core experience of the game, the battles, are inventive and fun. Though it is still a strategy game, and therefore a niche experience that appeals to a specific type of player, its carefree tone, bright colors, and fast pace make it feel inviting. There’s plenty of nuance to find in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, so long as you’re willing indulge its playful side.

While it commits its fair share of game design sins, Blasphemous 2 delivers a rewarding, unsettling Metroidvania that's worthy of some devotion.

F1 2018 nails the feeling of Formula 1 like few racing games ever have.

Ultimax is practically a fandom fortress. It could be savory or bitter; that depends on the player's palette.

OlliOlli World delivers beautiful, fast-paced, and captivating skateboarding fun.

Shin Megami Tensei 5 is yet another gem for the Nintendo Switch that every JRPG fan needs to check out.

Gears of War 4 saw The Coalition faithfully tracing from the established Gears of War formula. Gears 5, on the other hand, shows the studio is ready to draw. A more engaging and emotional campaign introduces features we hope to see in all subsequent games, and the addition of Escape gives more aggressive players more reasons to keep coming back. Though Horde mode’s different upgrades can get a little unwieldy and we could do without the microtransactions, this is the best version of Gears of War we’ve played in years.

Forza Motorsport cements itself as one of the best-looking and most approachable racing simulators to date. It can sometimes feel too clinical, but the core driving is perfectly fine-tuned. It’s a tremendous first-party visual showpiece that demonstrates the power of the Xbox Series X and provides a consistent sense of progression to modify the experience. The work was worth it; Forza Motorsport seems well-equipped to handle the long live service journey ahead.

Mortal Kombat 1's creative Kameo system helps reinvent the classic fighting series, but poor single-player offerings feel like a step back.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla promised to return to the series’ roots after two big steps away from them in Origins and Odyssey, but what it attempts to rekindle ends up holding it back, and what it does best is what makes it decidedly very un-Assassin’s Creed. Those willing to embrace Valhalla for what it is will find a compelling and satisfying action RPG.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is unlike anything else you'll play in 2024, and that's why it's one of the year's best games.

Grim Fandango is a comedy, a romance, an adventure, and sometimes a farce, but more than anything, it’s alive.

Lost Legacy doesn’t reinvent Uncharted’s underlying Indiana Jones-meets-Prince of Persia conceit, but it tightens up many of its elements, with better gameplay design and a story that’s clear and thoughtful. This is probably the best Uncharted yet.

When you get into the flow, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is ruthlessly satisfying.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a must-play for both TMNT and beat-’em-up fans alike. It’s a game that takes what worked in the past, but still finds space to innovate beyond its fan service and nostalgia play. If you’ve ever felt like retro revivals can’t be much more than shallow nostalgia, Shredder’s Revenge will prove that there’s still more than enough room for an old genre to grow.

Hogwarts Legacy delivers a perfectly competent adventure, but its most unforgivable curse is its lack of imagination. Despite having access to an entire universe of possibilities, its sole trick is using magic to cover up tired video game clichés that feel entirely disconnected from the vibrant source material it’s adapting. The only unique aspect it brings to the open-world genre is franchise branding, making for a shallow experience that doesn’t offer much more than wish fulfillment for fans unable to let go of a dream.