Much like Limbo, Inside also has a timeless quality to it and is yet another must-play experience from Playdead.

Anyone who loved Bastion is going to adore Transistor. The storyline is far more compelling and the combat feels like a natural extension of it. Transistor gives you faster and slower-paced ways to play, and that means it’s going to have a broader appeal.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s elusive, mysterious quality may be just that… it feels like every character in it has a soul. Considering the number of people across Rockstar’s entire studio roster that poured their blood, sweat and tears into this game it is no wonder that it actually feels alive.

It effectively closes out this generation on a high note while simultaneously raising expectations for gaming storylines and their presentation in the next console generation.

It's refreshing to play a title that is both old school in its gameplay, but new school in its storytelling.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an all-killer, no-filler follow-up to the 2018 classic – and has managed to unseat it as the best Spider-Man game ever made. It takes all of the same core gameplay and fine-tunes it while cutting out a lot of the bloat and telling a better story to boot. It looks gorgeous on any console you play it on, but PS5 users do get a boost in graphics and the added tension on the trigger when you’re swinging helps a bit with immersion when compared to the normal DualShock 4 controller. Anyone who loved the original game will enjoy this, and you may very well come away from it digging it more than that.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a tremendous game and definitely the best one on the Wii.

Destiny 2 is a near-perfect sequel and fixes the few things that were problematic with the original. It is one of Bungie’s finest games yet and a fantastic FPS that offers a nice learning curve that makes it more accessible than most shooters on the market. The story has a surprisingly high amount of depth to it and adds life to the in-game world in a way that the original simply couldn’t. Anyone who enjoyed the first game should pick this up, and those who missed out can safely jump in thanks to the story structure recapping the broad strokes of what happened before and letting you know things fairly quickly. It’s a gorgeous game that sounds epic and controls like a dream too.

This is very nearly the perfect game. This game is as close to 100% as I've ever seen.

Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games’ best effort, one of the PS4’s greatest games, and the best game ever crafted from the ground up for the platform. It combines a gripping narrative with intense action that blends both fast-paced combat with slower-paced, tense stealth sections perfectly. Everything about their vision for this game clicks into place and is accentuated by a stellar presentation. The game features top-shelf graphical work, a unique and enjoyable soundtrack, alongside a fantastic cast to make an unforgettable experience.

It will go down in gaming history as a classic that defined its generation.

The Last of Us Part II takes everything that made the first game such a sea of change in the industry and amplifies it. We have seen Naughty Dog itself raise the bar and while this is easily their best PS4 game, I think the original game’s narrative ever so slightly tops the sequel even if the scope is larger with a more expansive cast. Part II plays better than the first, with more involved stealth and combat along with many quality of life improvements to make it a more enjoyable experience. In terms of all-time great games, it is right up there with the original and you can flip a coin on which is “better”. The original hooks you more right away, while the sequel is more of a slow burn that builds everything up just a bit more. The Last of Us Part II is Naughty Dog’s finest game yet.

Ori and the Blind Forest is a must-own for anyone who loves Metroidvania games.

Forza Horizon 5 takes an already-amazing series and makes it better with a grander scale, but also an increase in quality. Even in its earliest days, it’s clear that the game will have a longer shelf life than prior entries thanks to the revamping of user-generated content adding more kinds of gameplay to the mix. Having things like obstacle courses thrown in helps evoke a bit of Project Gotham Racing, while the increase in NPCs and overall world-building makes for a better overall experience. Forza Horizon 5 is a more back-to-basics game in the sense that it puts the player on an ascendable ladder and doesn’t feel aimless like the prior two games – which in hindsight, were a bit unwieldy with regards to giving the player a set path to actually enjoy its many offerings. Forza Horizon 5 is the best entry in the series yet and should only get better as time goes on and more content is added.

God of War has a far grander scale than either Horizon Zero Dawn or The Last of Us and tugs on different emotional heartstrings while still making you care about the cast. This is the best incarnation of Kratos yet and one of the finest experiences on the PlayStation 4.

Overall, Gran Turismo 7 is the greatest entry in the series to date and the perfect gateway game for those who are lapsed fans of the series. It takes everything the series has done right while cutting back greatly on things that have bogged it down over the years and outside of the lootboxes, feels like about as perfect an entry in the series as one could imagine. The completely restructured career mode makes for a far more fun and engaging experience and the menu overhaul makes everything so much easier to do. It looks great, plays near-perfectly, and is the exact kind of game I always wanted from the series. Simply put, Gran Turismo 7 is a must-buy for racing fans.

While not everything about the Anniversary versions is better, the overall look of Halo 1 and 2 has never been more impressive. It feels like you can finally see the worlds you were meant to see then, but that technology couldn’t properly display.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds is an outstanding expansion that not only tells its own story, but makes the main game better and more rewarding to play as well. Lapsed fans should make sure they’re at a solid level of at least 25 or so if they want a good challenge, and going back into the world of Horizon Zero Dawn is a blast. Aloy’s new abilities greatly expand her riding skills and the new cast of characters provides another set of people for Aloy to interact with and continue a bit of her journey. It controls wonderfully, looks gorgeous and has some top-notch acting as well. At $20, it provides a hefty amount of content and never feels like a cash grab – it’s a rare piece of DLC that makes the core game better.

A masterpiece on so many different levels, and this review is barely able to convey my sheer respect for this game.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is one of the best values on the Switch. It goes above and beyond the usual port jobs to create a whole new experience – one that fits the platform perfectly. You can easily lose hours playing stages to completion or kick back for five minutes and play a single stage in portable mode and have a blast. This is a very versatile adventure and one that all past and present fans of Mario should pick up.

Unravel is the best puzzle-platformer since Journey, and the best side-scrolling one since LIMBO.

Overall, Sonic Mania is a remarkable game and the best Sonic game released in over a decade. When looking at the game as a whole, it’s hard to find fault with it. Some may wish all of the stages were all-new, but the existing stages have all been revamped – so it’s less a retread and more of a remix blended with a lot of new content. It’s clearly a passion project and one that should result in Sega revisiting the idea of more 2D Sonics, hopefully with a focus on taking what makes this game so good and expanding it into future 3D entries. Sonic Mania is a must-buy for anyone who has ever loved Sonic the Hedgehog games – it will remind you of why the character had such a huge peak, and is a great buy for either the Switch or PS4.

With graphical refinements that create a better-looking experience, the PS5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best way to experience the core game, while Intermission is a finely-tuned side story. Yuffie is completely unlike any other character in the main adventure, and will make for a lot of fun to use when she takes on a bigger overall role in future entries of Remake. Anyone who held off until now to get the game will be happy to see just how much more of Midgar’s world is showcased in Remake versus the original release in ’97, and those wanting a faster-paced gameplay experience will love the action-centric take on FF VII’s ATB system. It’s a must-buy for long-time fans of the series and PS4 owners of the original full-on Remake release can upgrade to the PS5 version for free, with Intermission only costing $20.

If this is the last piece of story we get from The Last of Us and the franchise ends with one installment, it’s a good way to go out.

I’m having trouble remembering when I’ve had this much fun with a FPS in the dozens I’ve played over the years. The first Half-Life for sure, and BioShock. Dishonored probably. Prey is better than the recent Wolfenstein revival, as good as that was. Deus Ex? Solid, but IMHO not as good. So, anyway, bottom line, I’m giving Prey what I believe is the highest score I’ve ever given. It’s that good.

Visually, Vice City is truly amazing, portraying a living, breathing city with unbelievable depth. Every building, from the lowliest storefront to the largest skyscraper, seems to have its own history, personality and flavor.

One of the darkest, angriest, most action packed adventure platformer ever. The result is a game that literally turns the stereotypical revenge story upside down, with a complex plot, an expansive setting and an anti-hero that you’ll love and hate at the same time... I can’t even explain how beautiful this game is.

The only possible flaw I can really find with it is that it is over relatively quickly - it took me about six hours to beat it. However, in that time, LIMBO delivered an incredible experience from beginning to end, had no filler, and provided more memorable moments in that short time than many games of a far greater length.