Dragon’s Dogma 2 captures the spirit of the original without sanding down the edges of what made it excellent. Its insistence on player exploration and discovery, coupled with an ending I will think about for the rest of the year, makes Dragon’s Dogma 2 a standout game and a worthy successor.

Armored Core VI is a solid return for one of From Software’s long-dormant franchises. It still carries many of the mech genre’s old contrivances, like its generic mission structure and predictable plot. However, it modernizes mech action meaningfully to introduce it to a new generation. While legacy fans may have some complaints about the “casualization” of Armored Core, I am ultimately glad the series is back and firing on all cylinders.

You can’t knock Neversoft for resting on its laurels. In what seems like the umpteenth GH title released this year, the company delivers yet more solid work. Guitar Hero 5 is clearly aimed at correcting some gripes shared by long-term fans of the series.

At times, I was glued to my controller as I discovered the next village, plot revelation, or impressive boss. Dragon Quest has stuck around for a reason: It does what it does well, and the formula still works. However, Dragon Quest XI’s lack of evolution is a hindrance. It’s about time the series took some risks.

You couldn’t pick a better time to try Destiny if you haven’t yet. The Taken King is a testament to Bungie’s craftsmanship and its ability to listen to the feedback from the players who both loved and hated year one. The studio has given us a game that truly is legend.

With quick and action-packed games, Heroes of the Storm is accessible to new players, but with enough depth that to ensure that you are still learning new ways to use your abilities in different situations and battlegrounds after hundreds of games.

Possibly the thing that most amazes me about this title is the fact that rather than unbalance the original, as expansions are infamous for doing, it levels the playing field. Civilization III is a totally rejuvinated game with Conquests installed. [Jan 2004, p.155]

While the game still looks like a next-generation title, it lacks many of the subtle points of refinement the Xbox 360 version offers. Environments are noticeably muddier and jaggier, as if Ubisoft forgot to use anti-aliasing...Despite these minor flaws, Rainbow Six Vegas offers a fantastic FPS experience that rivals anything else on the PlayStation 3. If you haven’t played the game on the 360 already, this is a must-buy for any self-respecting fragger.

Path of Exile’s loot collection and combat looks and plays like others in the genre, but its innovations have widespread effects separating it from the competition. Its multiplayer longevity is difficult to predict, but as a campaign-driven action-RPG, Path of Exile succeeds.

Returnal is a relentless nightmare that’s a dream to play. The journey is full of horror and terrible discoveries, but also unbridled curiosity and wonder. If you have the taste for it, this is an adventure that begs to be experienced.

A real standout is the game’s gang tackles, which allow some control in moving the pile, but at the same time is not too powerful.

Rev 2 has a lot of new content for returning players to dig into for a low cost, and the Guilty Gear Xrd package as a whole should be enticing to newcomers, even if Rev 2 itself doesn’t have a whole lot of new things for them to do. The fighting is fast, complex, and fun, and it features one of the best on-ramps for fighting games this generation. If you have a penchant for anime, belt buckles, and an endless love of guitar metal, Rev 2 has a lot to offer.

Regardless of whether you choose to tackle the game's more difficult aspect or not, OlliOlli2 succeeds because the levels – in conjunction with the runner-like platforming flow – are well designed.

Unfortunately, Forza 7 finds itself in a similar position as Forza 6 – a title that performs well on the track, but disappoints off of it. This many iterations in the franchise's life, I wish we still weren't waiting for its best version or missing features from previous entries. However, this is the road we're on.

I was a bit worried that moving toward a slower, sim-based game would hurt the experience, but I found that it’s just as intense.

Ender Lilies doesn’t revolutionize Metroid’s decades-old template, but that’s okay. It’s a well-made experience, and I had a great time pouring over two dozen hours into this adventure. The presentation rocks, the action is more rewarding than punishing, and its gothic world and lore are alluring. Ender Lilies is a great meat and potatoes experience, demonstrating that simply executing a familiar formula at a high level can be just as welcomed as reinventing the wheel.

Mastering the mechanics of this engine involves a lot of time and effort in the training room. This game hits a lot of the notes that catch the attention of casual and hardcore fighting game fans, even if it won't necessarily bring them together.

Viewtiful Joe 2 rejuvinates my obsession, but it doesn't take it to the next level. The changes to gameplay are miniscule at best, and I wouldn't necessarily say I'm fond of them. [Dec 2004, p.160]

Humanity strikes a delicate balance between challenging me at every turn and allowing me to feel like the god its narrative props me up to be. It’s an imaginative experience that provides a rush I imagine computer programmers feel when dozens of commands and lines of code finally work together to create a desired outcome. Its puzzles come wrapped in a beautiful package, from its minimalist visuals to its excellent clicky electronic beats. And best of all, these elements work together to emphasize a simple but effective message about what it means to be human and why life’s most intricate puzzles are easiest to solve when we work together.

Shivering Isles is a bona fide masterpiece and the best that the Elder Scrolls series has to offer.

Day of the Tentacle is largely removed from the adventure genre’s shortcomings, such as obtuse puzzle design, though it lacks a certain depth to its story. Nonetheless, its strange premise, witty one-liners, and brain-teasing puzzles help it remain something special.

Cyberpunk 2077 is dark and disturbing at times (frighteningly so), but the majority of its content is fascinating, and loaded with depth through the various RPG systems and lore. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Night City, and Johnny Silverhand is a great partner to see the sights with. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t overstay its welcome with its critical-path story, and invites players to jack in and stay for hundreds of hours of unique content should they want to. It didn't blow me away like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but is still a hell of an opening to what will hopefully be a new series.

Whether it's the first steps of an online franchse via your EA Locker or your life as the equivalent to Budweiser's Leon in NFL Superstar, Madden's exploration of new areas is not to be missed. [Sept 2005, p.92]

Xenoblade Chronicles reminds me of why I fell in love with RPGs in the first place. From the thrill of stepping into a vast land with endless possibilities to the surge of a hard-fought battle against larger-than-life creatures, Xenoblade holds plenty of excitement.

Birthright is a grueling, fantastic experience that not only matches the quality of its predecessor but possibly outshines it as well, more than earning its place at the table of must-play strategy/RPGs.

Dirty Rally can be unforgiving, unrelenting, and seemingly as high in its demands as the infamous hill climb at Pikes Peak. But the journey is sublime.

Exciting level design, a stellar soundtrack, and cool expansions on the original formula work in one accord to deliver the Sonic game fans have been waiting for.

Every bit as impressive as the company's flagship NBA title. In fact, I'd say that it even plays a hair better. [Dec 2004, p.167]