New Horizons is packed with delight. It’s fun, with rare cross-generation appeal. The deserted island theme had some worried the latest entry would stray from the traditional model, but those fears should quickly be alleviated. It does, however, allow for new experiences and prevent the series from feeling stale almost 20 years after its debut.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a monotonous chore that spoils its charming premise with weak roguelike design and repetitive combat. The colorful, new visuals and endearing story give the remake a welcome dose of character, but the added features overly simplify the adventure. It might be enough to keep the franchise’s youngest fans occupied for a few hours, but there are plenty of other Pokémon games on Switch that deliver a more satisfying experience for all ages.

The highest praise I can give to Reforged is that it’s still Warcraft III. The stellar single-player campaign and strategic multiplayer action are all well preserved here. The updated graphics are a welcome addition, which replaces the original game’s out-of-date visuals with an expressive new look and feel. Unfortunately, the launch version of the game feels far from finished, with bugs and key missing features preventing the current build from being the definitive edition of Warcraft III. It will likely get there eventually, but it’s odd for a remaster to feel like it’s starting from scratch, not presenting an endpoint.

Pascal's Wager doesn't quite match the impressive standards of its inspiration, but Dark Souls fans should check it out.

Respawn Entertainment has shown a game is definitely more than the sum of its parts, and this sampling of classic Star Wars tropes and modern gameplay trends makes for a flashy and frantic adventure. Put it on your must-play list for the holidays.

Death Stranding is The Tree of Life of videogames. Some people will hail it as a technical and narrative masterpiece that pushes the medium forward. Others will simply be bored to tears by the slow, repetitive gameplay. Both takes are valid. Death Stranding is a bold project that’s sure to be as divisive as the political anxiety it’s commenting on. It won’t change the minds of Kojima detractors who think he should just make movies, but the game’s thoughtful social components showcase why he still plays such a vital role in the games industry.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has an outstanding campaign, and the multiplayer will have you itching to play just one more game over, and over, and over again.

The game never felt like a chore. Instead, I wanted to come back to it day after day, even when the workouts were making me feel the burn.

Shadowkeep is an expansion that’s brimming with potential that it’s actually poised to capitalize on. Its campaign may be a lukewarm retread through the franchise’s history, but the endgame loop is feeling more robust than ever. If the game’s first post-launch update is any indication, Shadowkeep promises a compelling reason to return to Destiny 2, putting more emphasis on world discovery than an endless loot grind.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is an enormously ambitious game that is more varied and engaging than its predecessor, with a story that had us invested and a despicable villain to hate. Unfortunately, the excellent third-person shooting is often overshadowed by finicky cover mechanics and bugs. It’s still worth playing, but it will probably be a more enjoyable experience after Ubisoft has time to smooth out some of the more broken parts.

The Journey is sorely missed in FIFA 20, as the story we get instead simply isn’t up to the high standard of its predecessors. The visuals also lag behind other AAA sports titles. Despite this, FIFA 20 remains the best way to experience soccer in a game. It makes a few minor adjustments to the formula without breaking what’s worked for the series over the years.

A near-perfect remake. Its wonderful redone art style suits the quirky Koholint Island. The dungeons are as clever as I remembered, and Nintendo added a bunch of additional collectibles and quality of life improvements to make exploring the world even dandier. The new Chamber Dungeons mode is bland and forgettable, but it’s totally optional and doesn’t deter from this grand old school Zelda adventure.

NBA 2K20 takes a step forward with its story, but is hindered by its uninspired gameplay.

When the brunt of your game consists of slamming buttons to fight off beasts, you better make it feel good to distract us from the repetitive nature of it all.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is one of the best games of the year, expansion or not.

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.

Control feels like the first step in a bigger project for Remedy Entertainment. While it doesn’t reach its full potential in storytelling and there isn’t enough variation in the combat, the powers that are there are great and the creepy atmosphere complement the action well. Traditional single-player games that aren’t bogged down in level-gating or unnecessary role-playing mechanics are a rarity these days, and that alone makes Control worth paying full price for.

Madden NFL 20 is a stellar football sim, especially for those who enjoy Franchise or Ultimate Team. The reworked player ratings system adds authenticity to the on-the-field gameplay, and Ultimate Team is easier to follow than ever before. It’s not without its faults, though. The running game feels like a cheat code, and Face of the Franchise is a boring, poorly written career mode.

When all is said and done, and Nazi Germany’s ego has been bruised by a couple of rad teenage girls, one fact remains — Wolfenstein: Youngblood is fun as hell. The goofy Blazkowicz sisters make it compelling enough to endure its sometimes annoying quirks. Bring a partner for best results. The game shines when you’re playing co-op alongside a friend.

It’s hard to say how things will feel as the main story continues in smaller updates over the next few years, but what’s on offer right now suggests Shadowbringers is the finest storyline we’ve had yet. The only thing holding it back now is a truly seamless world – and that’s more a consequence of early design limitations that can’t be undone. If you haven’t played Final Fantasy XIV yet, you’re really missing out on something special.

Super Mario Maker 2 is the best of both worlds. For creative-minded players, the level design suite is robust and includes a number of excellent new features to make an even greater variety of courses. For those who just want to play, Super Mario Maker 2 has an excellent campaign filled with 100-plus Nintendo-designed levels — not to mention the constantly growing library of user-created levels. The online multiplayer isn’t feature-rich, but it doesn’t stop Mario Maker 2 from joining the lineup of top-tier Nintendo Switch games.

The up-close-and-personal style of combat that id Software games are known for was the first milestone in Rage 2 and that’s reflected in the overall package. When you’re fighting, the game is at its absolute best. The elements around it don’t feel as if they received the same amount of love and drag the experience down a few notches. Fans of id Software games or anyone looking for a good old fashion Doom shooter will find it in Rage 2. Fans of Avalanche Studios’ sandbox games will want to stick with Just Cause 3 or 4.

Days Gone may have excellent dialogue and enjoyable cutscenes but it’s obvious that its gameplay didn’t receive that same level of refinement. It fashions itself as a stealth game, but the stealth mechanics are sometimes unpredictable and the melee combat grows stale quickly. Its pivotal moments turn its hero into an action star, but gunplay is underwhelming and lacks any real thrill. Though it places you in a post-apocalyptic setting, the survival mechanics do nothing more than add monotony without ever raising the stakes...Sadly, Days Gone is the first real clunker of a PS4 exclusive.

The combat is the most fluid it’s ever been, seamlessly flowing from one move to another. The huge number of attacks and play-style options make it feel like the ideal choice for dedicated fighting game community members while the game-changing Fatal Blows help to make newcomers feel more welcome to the genre. The story mode heightens gameplay with gorgeously-shot cutscenes and the numerous modes will keep you busy for weeks after you’ve finished it. It’s safe to say that the series has long exited the shadow of competitors and that Mortal Kombat 11 stands as the pinnacle of this ascent.

MLB The Show 19 stands apart from last year’s entry largely because of the excellent new March to October mode that brings a refreshing way to play through a whole season quickly. Playing through iconic events in baseball history in the Moments mode is hit or miss, but it’s a welcome addition nonetheless. Fielding is improved thanks to new player ratings and complementing animations, but overall the core gameplay is quite familiar. Sadly, Road to the Show, Franchise, and Diamond Dynasty, while still great modes, don’t turn the wheel.

It demands a level of determination and skill that far exceeds every other Souls-like game before it, but just as Sekiro can be downright infuriating, it can be just as, if not more, satisfying. It feels like the uncompromising realization of FromSoftware’s vision, and you can’t ask for much more than that. If FromSoftware intends to make a sequel, we’ll have our controllers ready – and the backup controllers for when we break the first ones.

The Division 2 is the best loot shooter I’ve ever played. The cover shooting mechanics are refined, enemy AI is smart and punishing, and the mission design is varied and surprising. Ubisoft has created a wondrously detailed post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. that compels you to keep scouring for loot. The story flounders, but the activities soar all the way through the lengthy story and engaging endgame. The Dark Zones don’t feel as consequential as the main map at the moment, but they still offer additional fun.

Each of the top contenders in the battle royale genre offers something different, but there’s a reason Apex Legends has exploded in popularity so quickly. It’s the most accessible and straight-up enjoyable game that uses the formula.