Metro Exodus falls easily into the "rough around the edges" category. Yet all of its issues are worth dealing with to experience the incredible amount of effort that goes into its world building. It does such an effective job of evoking fear and anxiety just while walking around. The shortcomings sometimes feel as though Metro Exodus is reaching beyond its own capabilities, but that same ambition is also what ultimately makes it such a powerful journey.

Crackdown 3 is partying like it's 2010, ignoring almost every advancement the open-world genre has made in the past decade. The attempts at humor and provocation are forgettable, and if it wasn't for Echo and Goodwin in your ear, there would be almost no real meaning to any of it. Crackdown 3 excels at almost nothing, especially in comparison to several of its recent groundbreaking competitors. No matter how strong your agent can get or how much demolition you can cause, there are simply better cities to save.

Far Cry New Dawn offers a leaner take on Ubisoft’s open world formula clocking in at about 13 hours, but hardcore completionists can stretch beyond that. The characters and narrative drag down the fun, but the variety in your tactics and arsenal allow you to approach each activity in different ways. It doesn’t revolutionize the series, but New Dawn is a solid entry that makes us eager to see where the franchise goes next.

Kingdom Hearts III brings the entire series to a climax and serves as a satisfying conclusion to the Dark Seeker saga. New additions to combat like attractions and Keyblade transformations are wonderful spectacles, and the worlds you venture to are some of the best ever in the franchise. Though some of its story may be lost on those who haven’t kept up, it rewards those who have stuck with it over the years. It may have a been a long time coming, but Kingdom Hearts III delivers on its promises, and it’s easily the best game in the series.

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.

Resident Evil 2 manages to remain faithful to the original while simultaneously feeling new and modern. Superb visuals bring everything to life, emphasizing the constant sense of terror. Puzzles are brilliantly balanced, and slowly escaping the RPD by uncovering its many mysteries is incredibly rewarding. Meanwhile, new additions like the secondary weapons and defensive herb increase the depth of consistently dangerous combat encounters. Whether this is your first trip to Raccoon City or one-thousandth, you are not prepared for the horror that awaits.

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition lives up to its namesake, delivering new content previously exclusive to Japan and updated visuals that enhance an already gorgeous aesthetic. The fantastic cast of characters, breathtaking world, and amazing combat elevate Vesperia to the highest point of the Tales series. This is the perfect opportunity for veterans to rediscover their love of this great RPG, as well as the best way for newcomers to experience an incredible game that still holds its own.

Travis Strikes Again has the right attitude, or at least an attitude you want to get behind. Yet it stumbles time and again with execution, taking an abundance of energy and squandering it in a game that’s often dull more than anything else. It's also frustrating when comparing the game to No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2. Travis Strikes again is not trying to be a direct follow-up, but those games still have a focus and flair that’s lacking here. By the time everything is over, it's hard to add up the experience in any sort of coherent way, and unfortunately, it's not even that entertaining of a trip.

While Vane may not reach the heights of its contemporaries, the bleak world it paints presents some interesting concepts. However, these ideas fails to coalesce into truly memorable moments, and it continually gets tripped up by technical issues.

Ashen won’t light the world on fire, but it’s a decent RPG with a mysterious setting. While it follows a well-known formula, it has worthwhile side quests, and the larger spaces are enjoyable to explore. Though it may never come close to the heights of the games that it takes inspiration from, Ashen is still an entertaining expedition overall.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fantastic game and one of the best entries in the series, and the only serious issue holding it back is the online performance. The various modes and features will satisfy those seeking a significant single player component and those desiring countless hours of local multiplayer mayhem. Ultimate celebrates the rich history of Nintendo and several other beloved franchises, and it’s the perfect game to end the year on. This is an excellent fighting game that people will clearly be playing for many years to come.

Katamari Damacy is still very much worth playing, especially if you haven't done so before. It is disappointing how barebones the rerelease feels at the asking price of 30 dollars. Bandai Namco should have made Katamari's rerolling onto the scene just a little more spectacular, but even with those grievances, it is without a doubt a gem of a game. Katamari is still just as ridiculous and heartwarming as it was on the PlayStation 2.

After the forecasted storms turn out to be little more than hot air and the sedated story fades into bland repetition, you’re left with little more than effective new ways to customize your grapple abilities and the same gratifying destruction that the series has nailed from the beginning. Just Cause 4 clearly didn’t get as much briefing as it should have before deployment. It’s rough edges are unmissable, and its structure weighs too heavily on the simple pleasures of blowing stuff up and funneling your own creativity into how you use the chaotic tools at your disposal. It’s still fun to start a revolution, but it feels like this series can do so much better.

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.

Fallout 76 is a game where you keep hoping that things will get better if you stay patient and play just a bit further. Such a moment never arrives, and with more time, it only becomes more obvious just how broken it is. When something goes wrong, you're not quite clear if it's your fault or the game's because of how many issues you run into. Any game releasing in this state is unacceptable, but the problems go well beyond the technical ones. When this hollow game is not actively breaking, it feels as though it's barely hanging onto a concept that doesn't seem in any way remarkable even in the best circumstances.

Darksiders III has a good framework, including the simple yet fun combat and interesting Hollow system. Unfortunately, it’s held back by its weak puzzles, uninteresting environments, and numerous technical issues. If you’re already invested in the series and want to see it through to the end, there’s enough to enjoy despite its flaws, but it’s not the strongest return for the franchise.

Battlefield V is another solid entry for the long-running series. War Stories and fortifications miss the mark, but the risky changes to spotting, squad synergy, and limited resources have added depth and shaken up the flow of matches for the better. The limited number of maps is unfortunate, but free content updates provide some hope for the future. Battlefield V deftly delivers on its promise of large-scale team-focused warfare, and we’re only just getting started.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! does introduce several good new features, but it fails to address some long-running issues. Though it’s nice to see Kanto brought to life again in this fashion, especially with some really nice new arrangements for the classic soundtrack, the game relies too heavily on nostalgia. It succeeds in making Pokémon more accessible than ever, but aside from the shift away from random encounters, it doesn’t take enough risks. This is a good entry point for newcomers to the series, but it ultimately leaves veterans yearning for more.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! does introduce several good new features, but it fails to address some long-running issues. Though it’s nice to see Kanto brought to life again in this fashion, especially with some really nice new arrangements for the classic soundtrack, the game relies too heavily on nostalgia. It succeeds in making Pokémon more accessible than ever, but aside from the shift away from random encounters, it doesn’t take enough risks. This is a good entry point for newcomers to the series, but it ultimately leaves veterans yearning for more.

At $39.99, Spyro Reignited is quite the steal. This is a very good set of remasters that drastically improves the visuals while preserving the style of the originals. All three games show some signs of aging to various degrees, but they all manage to hold up surprisingly well. Throw in a few new improvements and additions, and you have a solid collection of platforming games that appeal to both newcomers and veterans alike.

Hitman 2 adds enough minor improvements to set it apart from its predecessor. Complex, intricate locations are rewarding to explore, while pulling off the perfect assassination remains one of the highlights of the stealth genre. In the coming weeks, Sean Bean will play the role of an elusive target, and hopefully, Ghost Mode will expand on its promising premise. A few uninspired locations and cliché targets hold back the proceedings, but Hitman 2 hits the mark.

Déraciné maintains a calm and quiet focus on puzzle solving, characters, and its world above all else. Although it has a few underutilized mechanics and increasingly confusing time jumps, its story and atmosphere are strong enough to keep you engaged until the end.

Soulcalibur VI falls into some of the same pitfalls that plague the genre, namely poor storytelling and a lack of robust and polished online options. Still, the game gets so much right. The fundamental fighting feels great and the new mechanics only enhance what was already excellent. Soulcalibur VI sets out to revitalize the series and it largely succeeds, making Soulcalibur genuinely thrilling in a way it hasn't been for an extremely long time.

Black Ops 4 is by no means a perfectly consistent game, with the limp storytelling being a considerable low point, but it is the most exciting and ambitious the series has felt in quite some time. It's easy to focus on one particular mode, but the game becomes most impressive when taken as a whole. All three branches feel equally valuable, and jumping between them offers something different without sacrificing quality. Call of Duty has been going every year for what feels like forever, but Treyarch clearly shows that there's still plenty that can be done.

Red Dead Redemption 2 tests the boundaries of interactive immersion. Few games look this good, play this well, and have this much to offer. It begs you to slow down, turn every page of its dramatic tale, and savor every last breathtaking detail. It challenges you to be prepared for anything, and make the right decisions when your choices matter most. Arthur Morgan is the lead, but the world takes center stage to pull you in. With a list of challenges left to finish and an online mode launching soon, we plan to spend a lot more time in Rockstar’s unparalleled recreation of the old west.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a good platformer with tight controls that’s greatly enhanced by making the most of VR. Platforming, exploring environments, and fighting bosses, are all given additional layers of depth and scale that feel completely fresh and unique. Not only is it a good proof of concept for the PlayStation VR, it’s a legitimately great game, and one of the best uses of the technology so far.

It’s clear there’s some friction between the vision for Starlink and what we’ve come to expect for Star Fox as the two don’t mesh together perfectly, but what Ubisoft manages to accomplish is pretty remarkable. It’s a good game with a lot of small flaws, and this imperfect union shows amazing potential. It’s repetitive and certainly could use some more polish, yet it’s still strangely addictive and fun. If Nintendo is smart, they’ll continue this collaboration with Ubisoft, only hopefully next time it will be a dedicated Star Fox project instead of a tacked-on console exclusive.

Timespinner is good callback to the 90s and games that inspired it. It has some solid combat, decent exploration, and a great soundtrack. The story and side quests are a bit dull, and the time mechanic never delivers on its potential, but it’s still an enjoyable adventure overall.