Life is Strange: True Colors is an excellent entry in the series, and a great place to jump in for newcomers. Some technical issues can’t be overlooked now that it’s a full-priced title, but it’s something that seems easily fixable with a patch or two. Alex Chen is an incredibly endearing character that asks us to face our grief and empathize with other people’s struggles, reminding us of our shared human experience.

While the narrative doesn't especially resonate, the rest of the game very much succeeds. In other RPGs, extraneous features and side activities feel like they exist merely to tick off expected boxes, but in Ys VIII, they serve a much more significant purpose. There's a cohesiveness to everything that makes the individual components stronger than they would be by themselves. Ys VIII ends up being so enjoyable because of how thoughtfully most of its pieces are considered and implemented.

For as much as the game asks of its players it gives just as much back if not more in return. In every aspect, you can see the love and care that went into it, be it the charming characters, inventive world, or carefully contextualized story. Pure fantasy is at its best when it desperately and genuinely wants to transport its audience to a place that is so very different yet immediately relatable. To do that, it must in some ways believe in the magic it’s trying to sell. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 absolutely believes and is all the better for it.

The Banner Saga 3 is both heavy and beautiful. The characters that you get to know throughout the Trilogy are not invincible heroes but ragged, flawed, and incredibly vulnerable. It’s melancholy and fraught with distress, yet even its darkest moments tend to have some form of silver lining. In every struggle, as you question whether you’ll live or die, there’s a sense of satisfaction that at least this is a life worth living.

Punctuated by an impressive original score, Attack on Titan has just about everything one could ask for from a video game adaptation of the series. A few blemishes hold the game back from being something truly special, but Omega Force and Koei Tecmo are certainly on the right track.

Wonderlands does not reinvent the wheel, or in this case the rocket launcher, but strides forward confidently enough to prove that it doesn't exactly need to. It would be an even better game if its own humor just let up a bit, but even so, the journey through such fantastical realms is also ultimately a success exactly because Gearbox has such a proficient understanding of its distinct genre.

Compared to past games in the series, Gran Turismo Sport is an admittedly trimmed-down experience. There are fewer cars and features with no trips to the moon. However, it’s also true that much of what was lost really needed to be cut. GT Sport makes the most of its new focus on competition and it does an admirable job of training you to be a better driver. It can be intimidating to head online for the first time, but once you finish a race in a respectable position, it feels like all the time you’ve invested has truly paid off.

If you have an attachment to the world and characters of Persona 5, you owe it to yourself to play Strikers. The shift in genre makes combat exciting, and the story manages to capture so much of what made Persona 5 such an outstanding game. The Phantom Thieves are back, not in some watered down spin off, but in a way that will very likely steal your heart all over again.

It’s clear that The Fractured But Whole has a few issues that could have been ironed out prior to release, which is surprising given the game’s delays. However, like The Stick of Truth before it, this game absolutely nails the look and feel of the show. Overall it’s a slightly weaker effort than its predecessor, but it is still one of the funniest games out there.

Even with the disappointing episodic format, if you're looking for classic Castlevania, Curse of the Moon 2 is a largely excellent way to satisfy that craving. It can be grueling at times, but the gauntlet it runs you through is worthwhile to conquer. Considering there hasn't been a peep about any proper Castlevania games, hopefully there can be a lot more Bloodstained in the near future.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a solid return for the long-running series. Sure, the story has its weak points, but it honestly plays second fiddle to the impressive aerial combat. The unique handling of each aircraft, and the excellent mission scenarios deliver on the goods, and it’s further enhanced by stunning visuals, effects, and masterful sound design. There’s still room to improve, but Skies Unknown definitely hits its mark.

A Way Out is an exceptionally unique game. It asks a lot out of its players and demands they work together and trust each other in order to progress. The story is somewhat inconsistent, but offers enough variety and surprises to keep things fresh and exciting. If you are even remotely interested in co-op, A Way Out shouldn’t be missed.

Bravely Default II is a familiar yet enjoyable JRPG. Though some aspects like its visuals may not hit the mark, the job and combat system are excellent and give you freedom with your party. It can feel a little safe at times, but Bravely Default II is still a solid choice worth seeing through to the end.

Starfield is a very ambitious game, and while it brings much of what veterans of past Bethesda games love to the table, it under delivers on the promises of captivating space exploration. It could also use a bit more polish, especially when it comes to some notable quality of life omissions and visual hiccups. Despite these shortcomings, Starfield affords you the freedom to play how you want and provides worthwhile storylines that are rich and complex, regardless of which paths you go down. Sometimes it truly is all about the journey.

Outlast 2 is relentless in its assault on your senses with palpable feelings of tension, danger, and anxiety. You’re always on the run, constantly at risk, and lost in the Arizona wilderness, surrounded by menacing nightmares.

Since its debut in 2006, Yakuza has been relegated to a niche audience in the West, which is more heartbreaking than ever after finishing Yakuza 0. It's a game that offers an abundance of varied activities and memorable stories. Even with a lack of difficulty and a few minor pacing hiccups, Yakuza 0 demonstrably proves that this long-running series has so much bite left in it.

Cyber Shadow is a great modern take on the retro games that inspired it. Jumping and slashing your way through each of its areas is a lot of fun, and its checkpoint system smartly eliminates potential frustration and repetition. Even though some aspects could be better, Cyber Shadow is still a very enjoyable adventure and a strong debut for Mechanical Head Games.

With a less tiresome structure and more interesting narratives, Octopath Traveler could have been an outstanding RPG, but even as is, it's a very good one. It's exceedingly rare that any combat system can remain interesting throughout the sometimes gargantuan lengths of these games, but the system here has done just that. Thanks to the abundance of freedom provided to the player and the design of them fights themselves, it's a joy to fiddle with everything the game has to offer, particularly if you're already wired to obsess over that sort of thing. Octopath Traveler does not in excel in every area it pursues, but the ones in which it does shine strongly.

Destiny 2 is very similar to the original which is both good and bad. The lack of any new enemy types or classes is baffling, but the shooting still feels incredible. Storytelling has improved significantly and gearing up for the end-game content is much more accessible with a sizeable amount of variety. It’s still very early, and judging by how much the original grew after launch, it’s hard not to be optimistic for the future. Even as it stands now, Destiny 2 is a great foundation for an extraordinary social experience with engaging combat.

This is the biggest Show yet with a tremendous amount of options and ways to play. A few online hiccups and microtransactions hamper the overall package, but nearly every other aspect of The Show is wonderful. Whether you are a veteran of the franchise or a newcomer intrigued by baseball, MLB The Show 17 is a towering home run.

Though it has its issues, Lords of the Fallen is still solid overall. Its dark and brutal world is a compelling backdrop, filled with enticing exploration and deadly foes. Meanwhile, combat is engaging and offers a fair amount of flexibility. It may not be the next big breakthrough for the genre, but it's a good time and worth fighting through until the end.

While more variety and polish would be appreciated, that doesn’t stop Creature in the Well from being enjoyable throughout. It feels great to grab a bullet out of the air, charge it up, and slam it back in the other direction, and getting a ball to ricochet through a narrow gap is always satisfying. Gorgeous visuals certainly help, but it’s the gameplay’s intrinsic rhythm and the sense that there’s always room to improve that serves as a solid hook through to the end.

In an era when Monster Hunter dominates the space, it's nice to have a newcomer step up to the plate and offer some competition, and Wild Hearts is a good start. It has a solid core with fun monsters to fight and the Karakuri system is genuinely great, setting it apart from its peers. While performance woes can hinder it, Wild Hearts is still a good time overall, and hopefully the start of a bright new future for the IP.

While there’s certainly more to be desired in terms of exploration and discovery, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a solid first take from Surgent Studios. There are enough tools to keep combat from getting stale, and the platforming challenges are sure to keep most players on their toes. (Although they could throw in a couple checkpoints between the instant death spikes.) With full completion taking just ten to twelve hours, it’s worth joining Zau on his journey and experiencing everything Kenzera has to offer. There’s clearly a lot of love put in from the team, and that passion comes through in every aspect of its presentation.

Despite its technical hangups, Haven has passion and charisma to spare thanks to some clever writing and an honest portrayal of a devoted relationship. There are rough patches when you get stuck on confusing terrain or come up against a temperamental adversary, but the journey is mostly as difficult as you want to make it. Keeping these wanderers together is a pleasant challenge, and re-assembling the puzzle pieces of their past has a satisfying payoff.

At 10 to 12 hours, Röki is a substantial adventure that avoids some of the typical pitfalls of the genre. While there is a fair bit of backtracking, puzzles feel naturally entwined with the story as it unfolds, with significant new elements that change things up just when it’s needed. Meanwhile, the nature of where this story goes effectively draws you closer to this family’s struggles, taking it beyond a simple fable. It’s a small game with a lot of heart.

Mortal Kombat 11 is in a strange place. It's odd to see a game get so much right but also undercut itself. The push for more customization both cosmetically and with character abilities is a wise one that feels like a natural extension of the ideas presented in Mortal Kombat X. The story is also strong, and additions to the core fighting mechanics are immediately easy to appreciate. It's just unfortunate that some aspects are overly designed creating a brutal grind that can't help but taint the experience.

Mario Tennis Aces is an improvement over its predecessor with the long-awaited return of the story mode and exciting new mechanics which make for much more intense and enjoyable matches. The limited scale of the story mode and lack of additional challenges, especially in regards to the mini-games, do hurt its appeal. The online mode is solid, if not a bit sparse, so your mileage may vary depending on your affinity for multiplayer. It’s not quite at the level of earlier installments, but Aces shows that the Mario Tennis series is back on the right track.