With a campaign worthy of sequel status and a multiplayer mode full of fresh, entertaining ideas, there isn't enough praise I can lay on AC: Brotherhood.

The sheer amount of stuff to seek out and do in this game makes it utterly enjoyable.

As far as I’m concerned, Risk of Rain 2 is as good as gaming gets. Unlocking items, discovering new synergies, planning out builds — it’s all immensely satisfying. Make no mistake: This is a tough game, and the randomized nature inherent to roguelikes just won’t click with some people. But, for players with a taste for escalating action and challenge, this game stands as one of the very best in the genre.

This series is better than it has any business being. If you’re tired of the cookie cutter, hum-drum crap coming out of big studios, Yakuza 0 is the prescription for you.

With a campaign worthy of sequel status and a multiplayer mode full of fresh, entertaining ideas, there isn't enough praise I can lay on AC: Brotherhood.

While I’d rather not see a sequel, you should know that this Remastered version basically puts a T-ball stand in Sony’s living room where they’ve now started selling bats. Depending on the level of broken the company's biggest Bravia display could become given that scenario, I'd say the brand is worth a lot of money at the moment.

Rockstar Games have unleashed the Skyrim of third-person action games. It'll have a lasting impact through controversy, through harshly addictive gameplay, and by taking the zeitgeist of 18-36 year-old males hostage and torturing them with nipple clamps.

Pyre is a game-changer. It’s a shoo-in for best indie game of the year, and it will be a crime if it isn’t at least competing for Game of the Year by the time December rolls around. As someone who walked in without any expectations, color me surprised.

Rocksteady's heavily modified Unreal Engine is a sight to behold as well. I'd go so far as to say the developer has beaten Epic Games at its own technology with Batman: Arkham City handedly surpassing Gears of War 3's highest visual achievements. The entirety of the open world is detailed, vibrant, and packed to the gills with content.

That's the beauty of survival, and this world of fallout: It feeds on adventure and breathes in freedom, yet it dreams of order and the safety of the Vault. I can describe it, explain it, tell it in finely chosen words, but I can never make you fully understand for as long as you sit and listen. But even if I die, I do not worry. There will come a time when you will seize that lever and open that metal door, and it is then I will return.

With all the playtime, all the free updates, all the unique class-changing items, and the online community that will surely stick with the game post-launch you’d have trouble finding a game with much more to offer.

Okami’s single player campaign is one of the most ambitious we’ve ever seen, and with its score of collectible items, trees to save and animals to feed as well as characters you like and a story you’ll want to revisit, this is a game you could easily wind up playing twice or thrice.

An improvement in nearly every way over the original, which was arguably the best racing game previously made for the PlayStation... This game is beautiful, even hypnotic to watch, and fun to play.

The depth of this game is unparalleled; there are hordes of side quests and missions and cool little easter eggs. You need to follow the main story in order to open up the whole city and gain access to property acquisition, but you can still spend hours just wandering around getting into trouble.

This is, without a doubt, the closest thing out there to actually getting together with a bunch of your friends on a Sunday afternoon, taking your characters into a dungeon, and using you own BOO to find out if that bottomless pit was actually bottomless.

Doom Eternal has a lot in common with Doom 2. Both could never dream of matching the surprise or legacy of their immediate predecessor, but they each confidently expand on the historic foundations those games set. Using fast-paced first-person shooting as the framework, each sequel has wildly improved level design, a wider selection of demons to massacre, and a larger arsenal that come together to refine its core identity in the smartest, most respectful ways possible. However, Eternal is more ambitious than its 1994 counterpart, pushing even further and creating one of the best first-person shooters ever made in the process. The Doom Slayer has faced many nightmarish opponents and toppled them all, yet his greatest victory might be slaying the impossibly high expectations set by his genre-defining precursors.

With the game's mix of a hugely interactive open world, a compelling setting, and a finely tuned combat system, I'm eager to return to delve even further into the Animus.

Using graphics that are (pardon the pun) light years ahead of the competition, Colony Wars has the best graphics ever seen on the Playstation to date. Graphics aren't all, however, and Colony Wars is not just another pretty boy. With gameplay as fun and addictive as any other good game, Colony Wars is the brightest star in the galaxy.

Silent Hill 2 Remake sets a new golden standard when it comes to remakes. The story is carried over completely intact, honoring the original narrative while adding depth where appropriate. I absolutely loved exploring the expansive, redesigned environments, which are more immersive and atmospheric than ever before. The enhanced graphics and excellent sound design contribute to an experience that is both haunting and beautiful.

Strikingly beautiful technologically as well as aesthetically... From its fantastic delivery to its tense gameplay to its innovative multiplayer, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is an absolute femme-fatale of a game.

In the end, what we have here is the best use of the first-person engine that I have ever encountered. In a world full of "Doom" clones, it's good to see that some designers are still thinking for themselves.

You'll be laughing with delirious glee the minute you lay down 50 bucks and walk out of the store with two of the best console games ever made. Sure, they're older. Sure, they already came out on the PS2 and the PC. Some people prefer GTA III; others (like me) think Vice City is the better game. But what do you care? You get both!

It's the sort of game that comes around once every few years and totally changes the gaming landscape.

The remaster is just a timeless reminder of its importance in the pantheon of sneaking games.

There’s so much to Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and so much that feels like a miracle. Many sequels this far after a series’ prime can feel like they’re stuck in the past and are merely mining nostalgia. Crash 4 does do a bit of mining, but it also strikes gold in how it impeccably balances respect for the bandicoot’s history and modernity. Crash Bandicoot 4‘s stellar level design, responsive controls, deep replayability, and superb animation all come together to create such an outstanding experience that not only brings this bandicoot back to life, but also removes it from the dusty shelf where all the other taxidermied ’90s platforming mascots go to be forgotten.

The hundreds of beautifully rendered monstrosities, items and labyrinths will keep you on your toes for months. Blizzard is also one of the first software companies to offer FREE MULTI-PLAYER GAMING.

Bioshock is that rare game where the plot, environment, and combat are all steps above the normal video game experience. Games at their very best, like this one, can create amazing alternative worlds for us to inhabit, doing those things we can't do in real life. This is one product the free market should be very happy to have.

From its incredible multiplayer to its fantastic options and gameplay, this is the premier sports title for hardcore and casual gamers alike.