Forza Horizon 3 pulls out all the stops to provide one of most fluid and enjoyable racing experiences out there. A must have for casual car fans and hardcore gearheads alike, Forza Horizon 3 may even surpass the mainline series in terms of fun with this effort.

Somehow, Sega, Christian Whitehead, and the development teams behind the original Sonic Mania have found a way to make the best Sonic game in years even better. Sonic Mania Plus is now nearly everything it could and should be, with new playable characters, modes, options, and polish sure to please fans. There’s a small handful of areas in which the game could still be improved, but really, this is just about as good of a Sonic adventure as we could ever have hoped for.

Remakes can seem like the low-hanging fruit of game development, but Bluepoint does Shadow of the Colossus justice with an evolution of the classic game that improves the overall experience while maintaining its familiar spirit.

A Link Between Worlds recognizes that it’s not tacked-on stealth segments or waggling a controller to roll bombs that makes Zelda tick—it’s the unbounded exploration and freedom found in the NES original, and it’s finally back in full force here. Every Zelda fan needs to play this game.

More than just a simple remake of a cherished classic, Resident Evil 2 is a reinvigoration of the entire franchise, showing just how much life it still has left without the need to make drastic gameplay or stylistic changes. From start to end, this is a phenomenal showcase of old mixed with new, both giving players the chance to relive an important chapter in the life of the series under fantastic new conditions, while also potentially paving the way for Resident Evil for years to come.

While some of its features and design decisions might not sit perfectly with all fans of the franchise, Dark Souls II once again proves how enthralling and engrossing From Software’s formula of skill-focused combat, demanding challenge, and bleak ambience can be.

For now, Animal Crossing: New Horizons feels like a no-brainer for fans of the franchise, and a perfect place to start for newcomers—with the exception of ruining every other previous Animal Crossing game, should you ever want to go back to them.

Since its original debut two years, Diablo III finally receives its definitive edition. It includes the original game and the Reaper of Souls expansion and features amazing graphics, great controls, and polished gameplay. Throw in a few new features and this version is the one to play.

With a focus on exquisite gameplay, Overwatch has asserted itself as the new standard not only in team-based shooters, but esports as a whole.

Far Cry 3 manages more than a shift on your view of its wisecracking protagonist. It's the sort of game that makes the genre's best look absolutely ordinary-which, in a story this beset by twists, turns, and turmoil, may just be the biggest mindf*** of them all.

Fans of the original Trials will love the steps the series has taken to move forward while being more open for newcomers to jump right in and have fun with it. It can be a bit frustrating at times though, as the game almost has an old-school platformer feel to it being easy to learn, but very difficult to master.

Several design flaws are noticeable a decade after the original release, but with a host of minor, welcome gameplay tweaks and a gorgeous HD upgrade, this is the definitive version of perhaps the most original Zelda adventure.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps does everything that a good sequel is supposed to do. It refines The Blind Forest’s mechanics, expands on the world, and throws in a whole bunch of new moves and concepts. But in an era that’s rich with “emotional platformers,” Will of the Wisps doesn’t do anything to make itself stand out. It’s a fine, if not forgettable, experience.

In an age when pure stealth experiences have become increasingly rare, Mark of the Ninja proves there's still gas left in the tank, with ingeniously designed mechanics and a slate of gadgets and abilities that make stalking your prey from the shadows an absolute treat.

Monster Hunter: World has found a way to lower its barrier of entry for newcomers while still delivering an immersive experience that long-time fans of the series crave. The combat has a bit of a learning curve, and multiplayer could use a few tweaks, but no matter your experience level with the series, this will be time well spent for all hunters ready to pick up a sword, bowgun, or gunlance.

Guild Wars 2 fine-tunes much of what we've come to expect from an MMORPG (crafting) while turning other aspects on their head (dynamic level adjustment), resulting in possibly the most refined, enjoyable game the genre's ever seen.

NBA 2K13 offers a solid upgrade from last year's installment, but there's still enough unnecessary frustration here to make me believe there's room for something greater.

The queen of stylish action has now made her way to the Nintendo Switch, and along with Bayonetta herself comes two of the best action adventures money can buy. While both games have minor nitpicks and there, overall they’re fantastic experiences enjoyable by casual and hardcore players alike, giving form to quality re-releases on Nintendo’s latest platform.

Damned impressive, standing head and shoulders above the original and other games in the genre as the most addictive, engrossing co-operative FPS game of this generation. A bona fide game-of-the-year candidate.

Some aspects of Majora’s Mask haven’t aged quite that well, and one boss fight has been changed dramatically for the worse, but on the whole, Nintendo has done a stellar job updating the quirkiest and most thematically rich Zelda game for newcomers and old fans alike.

While it’s taken us nearly two years to get to the point where Street Fighter V probably should have been soon after it launched, in a way, seeing the game grow into what it’s become in Arcade Edition almost makes the experience just that much sweeter. The core of Capcom’s latest Street Fighter entry has always been great, but now, everything surrounding that core has finally reached an equal level of quality.

Titanfall 2 is to be respected for accomplishing all its objectives. Quantity in games is nice, but Titanfall 2 proves that quality is often preferable.

While it’s still impossible on a personal level for me to admit that any of Dark Souls’ siblings could better it, when taken as a whole, complete experience, Dark Souls III may be the best chapter of the Souls series that From Software has crafted. A fitting way to end, if that will indeed be the fate of the franchise.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is the Wii U port that Switch owners have been waiting for. Besides the inclusion of online multiplayer, 3D World is the same good game that players already experienced on the Wii U, and fans of the series who missed it the first time around will enjoy its hybridization of 2D and 3D Mario gameplay. But the highlight of the package is Bowser’s Fury, a scaled-down but surprisingly robust mini 3D Mario game that actually takes some chances.

Dead Space is one of the true legends of the survival horror genre, and EA Motive’s new remake does the original game full justice while also introducing a variety of fantastic new additions and reworkings. Other than some slight disappointment in its visuals on a technical (but certainly not artistic or atmospheric) level, this is a remake that finds a near-perfect balance between retaining the heart and soul of its predecessor and reanimating its body in some unexpected (but positive) ways.

Dark, difficult, and deliberately ambiguous, Dishonored asks you to forget much of what you know about the modern blockbuster, tossing flashy gameplay sequences and heavily scripted moments to the wayside in favor of exploration, tension, and eventual triumph over foes who genuinely deserve a knife to the neck.

To say that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a phenomenal remake would be selling Firaxis' monumental accomplishment short. The developer hasn't just managed to capture the spirit of the original; they've also tweaked, trimmed, and innovated enough to deliver the freshest, most engaging strategy game in recent memory, if not ever.

Right from the start, this episode cranks up the tension to 11. Unfortunately, this may also be why it burns itself out as the shortest episode of the series. However, it's also one of the most satisfying, as everything you've built up to finally comes to a head-and in the end, you'll do whatever you can to protect Clementine in this accomplishment in videogame storytelling.