Even with a few technical hiccups, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night delivers on its promise, and it’s a great successor to past Castlevania games. Its sense of exploration, flexible shard system, and wonderful atmosphere far outweigh the negatives. Whether you’re a fan who’s been waiting for this day to arrive or you’ve taken more of a wait-and-see approach, having this worthwhile new adventure from Koji Igarashi is like reuniting with an old friend.

The Division 2 improves upon the original in nearly every way, offering a staggering amount of content to engage with. The Dark Zone still stands apart, delivering tense multiplayer scenarios, and the ability to play either solo or co-op is something we don’t take for granted as it’s not always easy to coordinate game time with friends or family. While we’ve grown accustomed to rocky launches from similar games, it’s easy to recommend The Division 2 as it is today, and the year one road map makes us incredibly excited for where the game is heading.

Gris takes you on a relaxing yet emotional adventure, encouraging you to take your time and soak up its world along the way. The gameplay may be simple, but it provides a strong enough bridge to engage with this enchanting world. It’s an inspiring work of beauty that’s well worth the journey.

Despite the wireless issues, weird schedules, and a bit of familiarity, Splatoon 2 comes out on top overall. The various modes, weapons, and gear offer a lot of strategic options to experiment with, but anyone can jump in, have fun, and feel like they’re contributing. It’s easy to get carried away for hours, splattering the world with ink, and we look forward to seeing how Splatoon 2 expands as Nintendo adds new elements over the coming months.

Horizon Zero Dawn feels like a franchise in the making. While not packed with narrative high points, it’s still a compelling introduction to a world in turmoil that answers a lot of questions, but still gestures toward a more climactic future. Its primary element, squaring off against mechanized animals, is such a success, it makes up for the ongoing repetition of the game’s activities. When we look into Horizon’s future, we see a sequel that can take this world and make it into something remarkable.

Dead Cell’s challenging encounters, rewarding exploration and meaningful upgrades mash together in a slick and successful way. While some moments can be frustrating and feel like a bit of a grind, conquering the island and unraveling its many mysteries is a gratifying journey.

With a first run taking 10 hours or less, Solar Ash is a focused affair that delivers on its vision without getting distracted by extraneous missions or checklists. The scale of its massive creatures pairs well with strong level design and interesting characters. It’s hard to avoid comparisons, but bold visuals and a sense of agility help separate Solar Ash from its inspirations and provide a surreal journey that’s all its own.

With a plethora of retro-inspired games available, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. However, Tunic makes a good case for itself. Along with its vibrant visuals and soothing music, Tunic provides a strong sense of discovery and adventure thanks to solid world design and its excellent in-game manual. Tunic doesn’t reach the heights of the games that inspired it, but it's a great time and worth your attention.

After the explosively popular Fire Emblem Awakening, the expansive Fire Emblem Fates, and the mobile Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Echoes is a welcome deviation. By stripping away some of the most familiar combat mechanics and digging into exploration and world building, Echoes satisfies in different ways than its immediate predecessors, and that satisfaction is more appreciated than expected. We’ve grown to deeply care about what we’re fighting for and relish the ways the game challenges our own Fire Emblem knowledge.

On the surface, Dead Island 2 is certainly all about slicing up zombies without a lot of emotional stakes, but there’s a notable attention to depth and detail that’s evident throughout. The sense of impact as weapons crack bone and send bodies flying entices you to keep tinkering with abilities, to go back for side quests after the story’s done, and to consider giving it another run with friends. Zombies have splashed down in LA: grab a hammer and get to work.

Beyond its charming artstyle, Ghost Giant is a surprisingly emotional game with an intriguing story, filled with likeable characters and some enjoyable puzzles. Though it does have a few technical issues, it’s well worth the time.

Judgment manages to be great regardless of where you're coming from thanks to the direction the game takes and how well it tackles that direction. If you're a longtime Yakuza fan already endeared to the series, there are enough tweaks and ideas to make the familiar enticing again. If you're brand new to the Yakuza style, no knowledge whatsoever of the past games is required, serving as a perfect starting point. No matter what your experience, know that Judgment is very much worth carving out time for.

It may not push its combat as hard as the original, but Axiom Verge 2 isn’t afraid of letting you forge your own path. Power-ups are spread out in a way that prevents them from simply feeling like keys needed to unlock the next area, and there are lots of extra goodies and fun secrets along the way. Axiom Verge 2 has a way of getting into your system and enticing you to uncover absolutely every last inch of its world.

Despite the cumbersome online and overly long story mode, Dragon Ball FighterZ is without question the best time we've had in a Dragon Ball game to date. It's such a delight to be able to play as characters who look and feel as powerful as they do in the source material. Yet even if you strip away the outer wrapping, there’s a completely solid and frantic fighting game underneath.

Ultimately, this is an audacious experience, one that feels unique despite its age, and it deserves to be tried by anyone that seriously enjoys RPGs.

Even when considering its shortcomings, it's hard to deny the quality of Nioh 2 overall. There’s a lot here, and considering how heavily the game leans on combat, it's very smart to offer the player so much freedom to find their own way forward. All of the weapons feel viable, and not only are there so many to choose from, but how you specifically wield each one and what you support those weapons with can vary significantly. While Nioh 2 doesn't have the same sort of spark that accompanied the original game, in many ways, it highlights why the series is special and refines the groundwork of what came before.

Mafia Definitive Edition is a loving and faithful remake of an underappreciated gem. The story, atmosphere, and sense of place have aged particularly well. The cover-based shootouts feature memorable scenarios, but the controls and Free Ride mode have room for improvement. After 18 years, Tommy Angelo’s violent tale of organized crime is still as memorable as ever.

There’s a lot to rightfully criticize, but this is also the most vibrant and exciting Halo has felt in what feels like an eternity. Regardless of the rewards, it’s hard to put the multiplayer down. Infinite needs to absolutely be called out for its glaring shortcomings, but it's also important to recognize that at its heart, there is something undeniably special here.

Fully understanding the nuances of For Honor’s intimate melee combat requires patience and dedication, but players willing to fully commit themselves to mastering the art of battle will be undeniably rewarded. There are still some questions regarding peripheral elements like the Faction War and Ranked Play, and there are some small missteps with the campaign and micro-transactions. However, For Honor brings melee combat to life in a fundamental new way with complex and satisfying mechanics. If you enjoy meaningful victories, For Honor is for you.

Regardless of a few dry spells, it’s where this seven-hour adventure takes you that’s most compelling. It isn’t a branching narrative, but there are multiple layers to how events unfold, and the game puts you in the middle of complex situations without over-explaining them, making them just as bewildering as if you were really there. It’s well worth grabbing a pair of headphones, turning out the lights, and seeing where this dark tale leads.

Deathloop absolutely has its issues, but none of them ultimately get in the way of the experience the game is trying to provide. There is so much delicious freedom available that you really feel as though you get to form your own identity in the game. It's a point that's made abundantly clear as you study the various playstyles of the people who invade you as well as the ones you invade. Arkane has built a reputation on making smart games that play as well as they're designed, and Deathloop is only further evidence of that fact.

Far Cry 5 will try to convince you the world is coming to an end. While the threat of the Eden’s Gate cult is ever-present, what we value most from our time traveling through Hope County are the individual encounters with clever quest-givers, our favorite specialists, or a trusty co-op buddy. It’s a shame the story unnecessarily brings things down to such a dark place, spontaneously interrupting your thrill-seeking pursuits with nothing but bad vibes. Far Cry 5 is like the 4th of July. There’s some serious subject matter being considered, but the experience is mostly about blowing stuff up.

Some mechanical nitpicks aside, the 4 to 5 hours it takes to travel through Planet of Lana are punctuated by striking moments of remarkable beauty and a strengthening bond with your cuddly companion. With so many massive games releasing this spring and summer, it’s worth taking a night off to embark on an adventure that still feels like you’re visiting a rich, full world, but in a more succinct package.

Pyre offers a unique blend of storytelling and thrilling arena combat. The ability to duel against friends adds incentive to keep playing even after the game is finished but it’s the cast of characters that steal the show. They are unquestionably worth investing in due in part to the sprawling history and noble journey they embark upon which you won’t soon forget.

It all adds up to make Far Cry 6 a game that is obviously flawed and obviously similar to other Far Cry games before it, but has such a strong spirit that it ends up being memorable regardless. Far Cry 6 is a compelling reminder that video games can be so silly and that sometimes that's exactly what they need to be in order to be effectively cathartic. Yet in spite of that silliness, the game actually isn’t shy about having something to say. Here is a game that is many, many things all at once, but it also seems to understand itself so well.

Despite having to endure a small yet annoying cast of characters, and the usual performance weirdness inherent in open worlds, Riders Republic is a huge step up from Steep. Newcomers can slowly develop their skills, focus on being creative, or just enjoy some of the most incredible places on earth. The truly competitive can get knocked around in Mass Races or replay events for every last star. It’s an inviting world that’s packed with crazy competitors and an addictive series of trials to master.

Boss battles aside, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a remarkable first effort from Ember Lab that showcases their amazing potential. They’ve crafted a beautiful world and touching story that really highlight the strength of their writing and animation capabilities, and the soundtrack is captivating. While Kena provides engaging activities as you explore, the inexperience with combat clearly shows. Kena serves as a strong foundation for Ember Lab to build upon, and it’s clear that given more experience they’re capable of great things to come.

Everybody’s Golf is engaging for players of all skills levels and it does a fantastic job at easing players in. Simple mechanics ensure anyone can play, but additional shot types add extra layers of depth and strategy. A steady stream of rewarding unlockables is bolstered by seamless online integration. Even if you don’t like golf, Everybody’s Golf is worth the time.