How impressive God of War is on PC really gives credit to Santa Monica Studio’s work on this game. It’s still a gorgeous journey through a unique take on Norse mythology, and a great way to play the game for the first time or revisit it before God of War Ragnarok releases. I’m as impressed with it now as I was the first time through it, and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Kratos and Atreus in the sequel.

It’s clear that there’s tons of potential here, and there’s so much to love about what 343 Industries has already introduced, but playing it at launch feels like you’re playing the worst version of what could rightly wind up being a fantastic game. Game Pass lets subscribers experience games like Halo Infinite on a whim, and it also lets developers like 343 take risks on launching a “Halo platform” that’s a work-in-progress. Currently, its single-player campaign is fun if somewhat empty, while its multiplayer flickers between exhilarating and frustrating.

I think ILCA did an excellent job on recreating the originals, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren’t great remakes. My gold standard for a game remake is Resident Evil 2. It brought almost every aspect of the original into a modern framework, improved upon it, and added new content. In contrast, these games got a (very) slight graphical upgrade and some quality of life changes. With how closely they follow the originals, these games are more recreations than remakes.

I think ILCA did an excellent job on recreating the originals, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren’t great remakes. My gold standard for a game remake is Resident Evil 2. It brought almost every aspect of the original into a modern framework, improved upon it, and added new content. In contrast, these games got a (very) slight graphical upgrade and some quality of life changes. With how closely they follow the originals, these games are more recreations than remakes.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition can be tolerable on the right system. Both PS5 and Xbox Series X offer users the best chance of brute-forcing past the performance barriers but, even then, occasional bugs and glitches can occur. Fun can be had on those current-gen systems, especially by those with some sentimental attachment to the original trilogy, but there’s still likely to be moments of frustration.

Vanguard is more of the same when it comes to the campaign, with very few sparks of innovation. It’s inoffensive, yet bland. Zombies tries something new but goes all-in with a single map that just doesn’t work well at launch. Multiplayer moves the focus away from the brilliant gunplay, pushing chaos above all else and making fundamental errors that shouldn’t be present in the 18th iteration of Call of Duty multiplayer.

Shin Megami Tensei 5 brings back the things that fans love about the series. Its biggest sin is that it doesn’t do much to innovate. Fans that were expecting to see a brand new vision for SMT will be confused because this is essentially the same demon collecting dungeon crawler it has always been. However, the quality of life improvements and the more expansive environments do add some new spice into the formula, and I had a blast fighting my heart out. It’s the archetypical JRPG, but that’s not a bad thing.

All in all, Football Manager 2022 is another sublime sports simulation. It once again proves that you can enjoy football games without directly controlling the players. Its new additions add to an experience already brimming with depth, and the refinement of the gameplay style means that you’ll struggle not to lose yourself within Sports Interactive’s digital training ground. Its proficiency on even the oldest of hardware means there’s really no excuse not to dive in. This is Football Manager at its best, the virtual equivalent of a top-corner goal.

Forza Horizon 5 is the best Forza yet and, not only that, but it also makes a strong case for being the best racing game period. A joyous combo of arcade racing and simulation-level depth, all wrapped up in a beautiful bow thanks to its diverse, expansive Mexico setting, this is an unmissable iteration in what is arguably gaming’s most consistently fantastic series.

Age of Empires 4 isn’t a bad game at all. I had a lot of fun with it. Its biggest problem is that it plays it too safe. It wants to capture the success of Age of Empires 2 so much that it never really gained an identity of its own. I hope that in the future, the devs take the asymmetrical civilizations further and focus on mechanics that evolve the Age of Empires franchise. There’s a solid foundation here, and if built in the right direction, it could lead to something special. For now, it’s too old school for its own good.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a solid original story from Eidos Montreal that deviates from both the MCU and the comics, providing something for Marvel fans across mediums to enjoy. However, while it’s certainly a step up from publisher Square Enix’s Avengers, it suffers with its own notable bugs and glitches that detract from the on-screen action. The day one patch will hopefully tackle these problems, and if so this is a highly recommendable superhero game that doesn’t quite step it up like Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, though still does right by its unlikely group of misfit anti-heroes.

Overall, Back 4 Blood is a great successor to Left 4 Dead. It definitely needs some tweaks here and there, but it’s a blast with or without friends, and the bots are pretty decent as well. Turtle Rock Studios could have just made a straight clone of L4D, but it didn’t. As the various new systems get polished and balanced, this game will likely be looked on as finely as its predecessors.

So far, Metroid Dread is a serious contender for my personal game of the year. It takes all the things that I loved about previous entries and streamlines them into a much more playable game. It’s the most accessible Metroid title to date, and it’s sure to win many new fans for Nintendo.

Unfortunately, Far Cry 6 has missed the mark again, with too few significant improvements and a lot of bloat. For those who love Far Cry, it’s yet another game to blast through and add to the pile, but compared to the competition, this series is starting to fall seriously behind.

Diablo 2: Resurrected makes playing Diablo 2 more enjoyable than ever. The visual upgrades are immense, and I still enjoy the tight game design as much as I did 20 years ago. I wish that more quality of life improvements were introduced with this remake/remaster. Just a few more small changes could have rectified some annoyances that stem from it being a 20-year-old game. As it stands, it’s almost too close to the original in all the wrong ways while missing multiplayer options that were removed for no reason.

Kena: Bridge of Spirit’s exceptional visuals clash with its unexceptional gameplay to create a gorgeous experience that would be forgettable if not for its technical prowess. Its combat, puzzles, and platforming are enjoyable but fail to set the world alight, though the adventure is elevated by the beauty of its open world and its highly animated characters.

This game’s biggest fault is that it has too much going on that detracts from the main plotline. I’m hoping Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio keeps taking risks with exploring gameplay outside of the Yakuza norm, and our next outing with Judgment (or another spinoff) will go further toward distinguishing itself as a unique property.

Arcade racers should be better represented on console and PC, with Cruis’n Blast ticking a lot of boxes for those who love this genre and wish that it wasn’t almost solely confined to arcade cabinets. There are few games that will pitch a unicorn in a race against a UFO, and such possibilities in Cruis’n Blast should be celebrated appropriately. However, performance problems, the absence of online multiplayer, and the lack of things to do for the solo player make for an altogether disappointing port, that nonetheless just about offers enough to warrant the attention of arcade racing fans.

Unfortunately, the weak recon missions made too easy by the lack of challenge from AI enemies, the small number of maps that are quickly mastered, and the limited variety in gameplay burdened by uninspired upgrades, ultimately prevent Deathloop from reaching the highest of highs. With online multiplayer enabled and embraced, however, it becomes easier to overlook the weak points and Deathloop comes out on the other side as a compelling lesson in how intimate multiplayer can greatly enhance the single-player formula.

“Why pay $4.99 on Steam for something that’s free on your browser?” is a common question that’s popping up. For me, Cloud Save alone is worth the price of admission, as I no longer have to worry about cookies (the other type) and backing up my saves manually. This combined with the music from C418 and support for Steam Achievements makes Cookie Clicker Steam the definitive version that’s worth paying for.

Tormented Souls is the successor to classic survival horror. I’ve wanted a new Silent Hill (or classic Resident Evil) game for years, but I’d trade all the drama and disappointment for a fantastic spiritual successor like this any day. Exploring Winterlake Hospital channeled all those feelings of dread and loneliness that made those games special and proves that the format still works. The biggest issues with Tormented Souls seem like they stem more from a problem with budget more than the devs’ ability. With indie games, there are always compromises that have to be made to launch a title, and I think Dual Effect struck the best balance it could here.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite sits squarely in the middle of other Alien games. There’s certainly worse out there, but there is also much better. It’s an uninspired struggle through a tired gameplay loop that just happens to be slathered in Alien slime and plays like one of the older Gear of Wars.

While the value proposition is up for debate, it’s hard to argue against the fact that Ghost of Tsushima has evolved beyond anything we had expected. From the post-launch patches that included improvements based on community feedback, to the full-fledged online co-op mode that was released at no extra cost and with free updates, Ghost of Tsushima is a prime example of how video games should be launched and supported after release. It launched in an already superb state and now it is even better and bolder.

Platformers have technically advanced a lot since the original Psychonauts, though they’ve never really grown up. Despite animated films from the likes of Pixar addressing depression, grief, and even dementia for a younger audience, games rarely explore hard-hitting topics in a way that’s palatable for kids. Psychonauts 2 not only does a terrific job of exploring mental health without the confrontational heaviness of the M-rated The Last of Us 2, while diving in deep enough to warrant lengthy conversations about its themes long after its credits have rolled. While its old-school nature can lead to frustration, I was far too enamored by its characters and their heart-warming empathy for one another to let it dampen my enjoyment of this long-awaited sequel.

Those that played the game when it was first released on Wii aren’t missing a ton if they skip this one. There’s no new content, just tweaks here and there. However, those who loved it will find this is the best way to play it now.

It might be a bit obtuse, but Any fan of 2D JRPGs must experience Legend of Mana. It was released when they were at their zenith, a time when it seemed like every month Square Enix was dropping a new banger. Hopefully, if these continue to do well, we’ll see games like Threads of Fate and (dare I say it) Chrono Chross get another chance to shine. These remasters are a way to go back to one of the golden ages of gaming, and they can keep them coming.

Square Enix’s direction with FF7 Remake has impressed me with how the extra worldbuilding and tweaks to the plot have enhanced a game I already cherished. I can’t wait to play the second part, and this DLC was a great morsel to tide me over until then.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the first PS5 exclusive that I can recommend everyone go out and buy. It's a cutting-edge visual masterclass of what the PS5 is capable of, but with the soul of the original R&C games, packaged with a comprehensive set of accessibility options.