Deathloop is a game where observation and dynamic thinking go hand-in-hand with shotgunning goons in the face and snapping their necks ... it delivers bombastic thrills and wince-inducing kills with intelligence and elegance in equal measure.

The single-player mode is good. It's...good. It's pretty good. But with the faint-praise damning out of the way, you'll be happy to hear that the multiplayer game is outstanding.

It's important, however, not to mistake Ori and the Blind Forest for being simply beautiful. It certainly is--but it is also unceasingly clever. It consistently surprises you with new tricks: gravitational divergences, new ways to move through its spaces, and carefully designed levels that require you to think quickly and respond.

Lots of games are about the possible end of the world, but I can't remember playing one that thought about that end, or made me think about it, as much as The Talos Principle 2. As we live through what can often feel like a slow-motion apocalypse, it's been fascinating, heartbreaking, and hopeful to consider things like our essential humanity, the things that make us who we are, and the choices we have made and can still make. And also, the puzzles are really good.

By once again capturing that electric atmosphere in NCAA 07, and combining it with an ever-evolving set of control tweaks and gameplay modes, EA Sports has created a game that no fan of football video games--be they college or pro--will want to be without.

While Shogo's makers aren't Japanese, it's clear that the people who made it have a fine grasp of the subtleties of Japanese animation, as the game combines the conventions of furious action and vivid characterization within a conventionally first-rate first-person shooter.

So while Madden 2002 isn't reinventing football on the PlayStation, it is really the best you're going to get on the system. Arguably, it can even provide a more enjoyable experience than its big brother on the PS2.

One of those rare games that is simply addictive.

It's the way it handles player choice in particular that makes it most notable. There are no contrived right-versus-wrong decisions to exploit. The results of your decision don't just influence minor details: they lead you down wildly disparate paths, each as entertaining as the others.

If any developer's good at weeding out the chaff of more robust games in a particular genre, surely it's Blizzard.

Unity of Command 2 is an overall excellent wargame. The early going can be tough as it takes time to acclimatise to some idiosyncratic terms and learn to interpret the raft of poorly-explained icons. Persistence--not to mention some handy community-written guides--does pay off, though. Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded with one of the finest strategy games in recent times.

While the game is definitely a fine technical achievement and one of the best PSP games to date, the dull storyline and basic mission design do bring the whole thing down a bit.

More than anything else, Metroid Dread feels like going back to a place of comfort after a long time away. Though the gameplay is refined and new features have been added to the mix, Dread sticks closely to the formula of its predecessors. In the end, for longtime fans like myself, that's probably for the best. There's nothing to dread here. We're home again.

"Epic" doesn't quite begin to describe the scope and scale of the latest Total War game--there's a lot of strategic depth, with plenty of amazing combat to enjoy.

Whether exploring the full potential of a single element or throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I've got the itch to join the creator's club. Mario Maker 2 makes the learning process intuitive and enjoyable. Most importantly, it's enabled designers amateur and professional alike to share their creativity with the world. The community is off to a great start, and thankfully, the fun has only just begun.

Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future.

The sequel delivers the same style of stealthy action found in the first game, but it wraps all the action up in a much more inventive and somewhat lengthier package.

Doom 3's old-fashioned gameplay mechanics and level design are very much at odds with its cutting-edge, ultrarealistic looks. Yet the quality of the presentation truly is remarkable--enough so that it overwhelms Doom 3's occasional problems.

An excellent game that will appeal to any soccer fan who prefers realism to the fast-paced, high-scoring style of other soccer games.

Clearly superior to "F1 2001" in several important categories, and it's a superb single-player driving game for those who appreciate real-world driving intricacies and generally authentic visuals.

Easily the best Bomberman to hit these shores since Saturn Bomberman in 1997.

Its innovations with regard to timed-run and in-level goal designs are sure to become trends used in the next generation of alternative sports games.

Still a great college football game, but longtime fans will have trouble shaking the feeling that the series isn't quite living up to its awesome potential.

It's one of those amazing portable games that raises the bar and resets your expectations about what a portable machine can do.

The Stanley Parable is both a richly stimulating commentary on the nature of choice in games (and in other systems, too, like our workplaces and our families) and a game that offers some of the most enjoyable, surprising, and rewarding choices I've ever been confronted with in a game. Going the wrong way has never felt so right.

Overall, Episode 5 of Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within provides plenty of thrills and is a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Packs a healthy dose of content in addition to the PC-exclusive modding tools, making it the best version of an excellent game to date.

Rapture may not be as mysterious and intriguing this second time around, but it is nonetheless host to a powerful and moving tale that allows you to better realize--or pervert--Ryan's principles at your own discretion. Regardless of whether or not this is a return visit to paradise lost, there is plenty to be found here to make it a worthwhile, meaningful, and compelling one.

Going toe-to-toe with these intimidating beasts is the unmistakable core of the Monster Hunter experience, and Rise still feels like a distinctly Monster Hunter game, even if it's more of a fully-fledged action title than any other entry in the series. This renewed focus doesn't diminish its layered RPG mechanics, nor does it dumb down on any single aspect of the hunt. Certain changes make Rise a more approachable game for newcomers, but you also have the freedom to tailor the experience to your liking. The moment-to-moment combat is as impeccable as it's ever been and puts Rise on a pedestal as one of the feathers in the Nintendo Switch's cap.

An incredible hockey package that's filled with more game modes than you'll probably know what to do with. And once again they've orchestrated the best hockey gameplay you're going to find anywhere.

Couples a compelling, character-driven epic tale with strategic gameplay that is accessible and still manages to be challenging and satisfying.

Of all three Fire Emblem Fates titles, Revelation is the most rewarding. It marries the best parts of sister titles Birthright and Conquest, offering varying maps with complex and often interactive terrain, as well as ample opportunities to grind for experience and build relationships between members of its warrings kingdoms.

Civ 6 has a few rough edges, but they’re pushed far into the periphery by spectacular strategic depth and intricate interlocking nuances. Any frustrations I experienced were immediately eclipsed by my desire to continue playing. Just one more turn, every turn, forever.

Battlefield 1 is just an introduction to one of the deadliest world events in history, but it is an outstanding, feature-rich package in both its emotional stories and strong multiplayer.

The Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the definitive way to play the best turn-based RPG starring Mario. More of an enhanced HD remaster than a full-fledged remake, The Thousand-Year Door has small yet meaningful quality-of-life features that ease some of the bloat from the original GameCube version. The catchy remixed soundtrack wonderfully complements the thoroughly entertaining and dynamic turn-based battle system. Throw in a stellar cast of characters and consistently playful writing, and The Thousand-Year Door has all the ingredients of an incredible turn-based RPG. Well, it always had them, but now they are blended a bit better.

Legacy of the Void doesn't quite manage the brilliance of Wings of Liberty, but it's a worthy note to leave the franchise on.

There's a good chance you've played games a lot like Diablo III before, and at no point does it dare to surprise you by tinkering with its tried-and-true formula. But it creates such an enticing world and offers up such enjoyable abilities that it makes that formula feel fresh again.

Downwell continues to be a gripping, fast-paced action game that thrives by pushing you into taking huge, exciting risks. The new Switch version of the game is on par with other versions but carries a few unique pros and cons.

Separate Ways isn't just more Resident Evil 4. It's a meaningful expansion that delivers a new story through a distinct tone and with new mechanics. It is an essential extension of an already remarkable game. Although its nods to the past can feel a bit overt, it still packs a punch that'll have me playing it many times over again.

While the PlayStation 4 version had its hiccups with getting the squad together, those aren’t present at all in the PC version, which makes the most of its integration with Steam to get you playing together in under a couple of minutes. It's refreshingly simple compared to laboriously typing out a string of numbers, or fiddling with the PlayStation 4’s subpar native interface.

Diablo 3 is a game about long term goals accomplished in short, thrilling bursts. It's rewarding and subtle. It's flashy and boisterous. I have spent six years enjoying it, and will likely spend six years more. As far as video games go, that's a long time--I came into the Eternal Edition expecting a eulogy for one of my favorite games. Instead, I stumbled upon a celebration.

A great game that brings together a few styles of gameplay startlingly well.

The new nations offer up interesting variety and gameplay styles, while the new campaigns introduce the narrative drive and focus that the original campaign lacked. Thrones and Patriots is a highly enjoyable experience and an excellent expansion to an already outstanding game.

An amazing, wonderfully lighthearted game that boasts an intoxicating blend of strategy and action, and as such it's a dire threat to your professional and personal productivity...Quite simply one of the most enjoyable games to come out in years.

Every advancement Dig 2 makes to its story and mechanics strengthens your initiative to progress. There's an overwhelming sense of momentum that runs through the adventure; as if developer Image & Form sifted the original in a pan, removing its redundancies while expanding upon what made it so fun to persistently play. In your quest to acquire every upgrade and explore every nook and cranny, there's no shortage of hidden collectables to discover.

By sticking to the series' strengths, Modern Warfare 3 delivers some of the best competitive, cooperate, and single-player shooting in the business.

FIFA 11 is more playable, refined, and feature-packed than any FIFA game before it.

The New Colossus never lets you forget who and why you're fighting. Nazi brutality is on full display, from the blown-out, irradiated remains of Manhattan to each of the resistance members, who all carry mental scars if not physical ones. You're never given a chance between cutscenes, missions, and even downtime on the U-boat to lose sight of the Reich's cruelty. Wolfenstein's tense gameplay elevates this further by giving you the power to truly resist--and come out of each battle ready for another fight.

Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future.

This is the game that your Vita has been waiting for. For months, the shiny handheld has been aching to show you what it's really capable of, and with the arrival of Little Big Planet PS Vita, it finally has an opportunity to do so.

FIFA 13 is mostly a collection of subtle tweaks and ideas that, while an improvement, aren't all that essential, particularly for casual players.

Blizzard has proven it can still craft an MMO experience as well as--if not better--than anyone else.

Deadfire is dense, and it isn't a small game, easily dwarfing its predecessor in terms of scale. There's a lot to do, and it's easier than ever to get lost in the little stories you find, without following the arcs that the game has specially set out for you. Still, it's worth taking your time. The richness of Deadfire takes a while to appreciate, and like the brined sailors that call it come, you'll be left with an indelible attachment to these islands when you do finally step away.

Though it can take a bit to get the hang of it, the intricacies of Doom Eternal's combat, combined with its enhanced mobility and option-heavy level design, create a ton of white-knuckle moments that elevate everything that made Doom 2016 work so well. Its combat is just as quick and chaotic, but requires you to constantly analyze everything that's happening in order to come out victorious. Once you get the hang of the rhythm of Doom Eternal, it'll make you feel like a demon-slaying savant.

The bottom line is that if you're looking for a realistic and feature-rich baseball video game, you can't go wrong with MVP Baseball 2005.

The fact is, as an online role-playing game, Dark Age of Camelot surpasses any such game to date and promises to remain the finest in its class for a long time.

Utterly exciting and addictive. Counter-Strike is a model of its kind and a thrilling action game.

The "Madden" or "Tony Hawk" of stock car racing games. It's as close as you can get to the real thing.

In some ways it's even superior to Baldur's Gate II. It's filled with high adventure, epic battles, and plenty of surprises, and it's got a good cast, a good story, and more of all the elements that have made the series successful.

The awesome online mode and strong single-player segment combine to make Crimson Skies an easy game to recommend.

May very well be the best split-screen multiplayer-focused first-person shooter ever created.

The crash mode alone makes this game worth seeing, and the inclusion of the well-done championship and multiplayer modes makes it the best pure arcade-style racing game available on the Xbox.

With its training stages and slew of player replays to help, Hyper Demon feels a lot more approachable than Devil Daggers ever was, despite it being a far more mechanically complex shooter. It's still one that's going to take some time to wrap your head around, and even longer to start mastering, but that path feels far more rewarding when you're working with the knowledge of all its systems and just honing your skill with each new run. It's immensely satisfying to add milliseconds to your best time, enticing run after run to try and nail a new route you've just discovered through the game's rich enemy types. Like Devil Daggers, Hyper Demon is an immensely satisfying distillation of shooter mechanics that is expertly balanced, and it'll be difficult to put down once you get going.

This is more than a treat for fans of old-school games; Owlboy is a heartfelt experience that will touch anyone with an affinity for great art and storytelling.

Excellent maps, a focus on close-range combat, and great period atmosphere keep this downloadable add-on from feeling like more of the same.

The PC port may be on par with previous PC installments, adding higher resolution options while maintaining the gameplay that made the series great, but the narrow distribution and somewhat clunky external player-matching program make for a great game that's difficult to play online.

Though its charming and angsty story works well on its own merits, it’s special because of how it prioritizes conveying emotion over telling a straight narrative.

This fast-paced racer keeps you glued to the TV and on the edge of your seat regardless of which side of the law you're playing on.

Does a fine job of showing off the system's technical prowess while simultaneously providing more of the same smooth Ridge Racer gameplay that still holds up after all these years.

Playground Games continues to excel at making the act of virtual driving exciting, approachable, and entertaining without sacrificing complexity.

This control scheme, which is simple to pick up yet tough to master, makes for a huge variety of matches in Round 2.

Limited multiplayer options aside, Nex Machina is a game that confidently meets expectations. It's difficult, intensely satisfying, and packed with enough secrets and lofty secondary objectives to keep you enraptured for hours. It's a classic game at heart, but with refined challenges and exacting mechanics, it feels right at home in the modern era.

Regardless how you choose to progress, the immense variety in environments is reflected in the thoughtful pacing of what will be an 80 hour playthrough for many. Nioh doesn't escalate in intensity with every subsequent mainline mission, although the endgame is rightfully brutal. Instead, there's a rhythmic ebb and flow as you advance through the story.

New Leaf is an expected sequel that doesn't stray far from its predecessors. Still, the happiness of your citizens is so intoxicating that it's easy to be sucked into this portable adventure as you live out your dreams as an all-powerful mayor.

In exchange for the additional complexity and size, you'll have to tolerate low-resolution graphics and a few more gameplay problems than you might have come to expect from Blizzard games.

The gameplay is extremely tight and manageable, making the game incredibly fun to play. Although, quite honestly, the real reason that NFS III is so much fun to play is the hot pursuit mode.

In Exoddus, you have an incredibly welcomed quick-save option that allows you to quickly save your progress, anywhere in the game as many times as you want.

Looks slightly better than the PS2 and GameCube versions of the game, but its unstable frame rates can occasionally hamper the gameplay experience...If you have a choice, the PS2 version is still recommended.

The game seems dead set on making new players comfortable--but this inadvertently sucks out a lot of the challenge.

Richly textured and stuffed with memorable moments, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a marvel among role-playing games.

Enhanced realism and a great new control setup make NBA 2K13 a fantastic recreation of pro hoops.

The story veered off track in the last episode, losing a fair bit of steam after the introduction of an offputting new plot device--and the whole thing comes to a halt in this brief final act that lacks the devastating impact of the earlier episodes, despite more than a few heartbreaking moments.

Hellblade's most notable achievement is the handling of an incredibly sensitive subject matter within an engaging and well-crafted action/adventure game.

Addictive action and supercute visuals make Plants vs. Zombies an enjoyable, engaging romp.

Performance on our machine (featuring a RTX 3080 Ti, AMD Ryzen 5600X, and 32GB of DDR4-3200 RAM) was great, with the game defaulting to its highest preset and maintaining close to 100fps at 1440p. There's support for both FSR (handy for Intel and AMD GPUs) as well as Nvidia's proprietary DLSS, which improved performance as expected when active. Each of the game's lush environments was packed with details, although that shouldn't be surprising given how handsome it already is on PS5. There aren't any PC-exclusive visual features, such as ray tracing, so don't expect a drastic improvement such as the one Spider-Man Remastered received on that front.

Rocksmith isn't going to be replacing the likes of a keen ear, a copy of Guitar Pro, and a good set of tabs for me, but when I think back to when I bashed out my first clumsy Green Day chords on guitar, I'd have killed for as good a teacher as this.

Burnout Paradise includes all the fast-driving, hard-wrecking action you'd expect from a Burnout game, but with a fantastic new open-world design that gives it its own stand-alone flavor.

Quite possibly the best-looking game ever, thanks to the brand-new 3D graphics engine used to generate its convincingly lifelike, densely atmospheric, and surprisingly expansive environments. At the same time, when you look past the spectacular appearance, you'll find a conventional, derivative shooter.

Subnautica's story, scares, and beautifully rendered underwater setting make it one of the most fascinating survival games around. You will always have to grind away to a certain extent to gather necessary resources, but the overall experience is both accessible and refined. Subnautica may not make you eager to get back to the beach this summer, but right now there is no better virtual way to experience the beauty, and the terror, of the deep blue sea.

Grid is a classy arcade racing game, providing enough depth and variety to satisfy any fan of the genre.

The sheer number of things to accomplish in Stardew Valley can keep you interested beyond the original three in-game years you need to reach the end of your story--you may just want to start over rather than continue on. You’ll work quite hard to gather enough money for your first horse, so that you can quickly move to the mines to get a mineral to complete a bundle at the community center. It’s all centered around whatever it is you want to accomplish that day. And that’s truly what makes Stardew Valley such a lovely experience, it encourages you to go out and be the best you can be, in whichever task that brings you the most joy. Stardew Valley motivates naturally, with blissful optimism.

DMC5 proves the series can still be brilliant and imaginative without compromising its longest-held traditions.

This sublime platformer provides tons of challenge, precise controls, and incredible level design that will keep you glued to the screen.

Every bit the massive shooter package that its predecessors were, and it holds the series' standard high. The thrilling and emotional return of Master Chief and Cortana is the highlight, and the campaign breaks new ground in narrative quality for the franchise. The top-notch competitive multiplayer picks up where Halo: Reach left off, infusing the action with some mainstream elements while still remaining undeniably unique.

Poinpy represents my favorite kind of mobile game. Bouncing Poinpy around is a simple, repeatable, and fun mechanic, and I never once had to think about currency of any kind. It can be played with one hand and is both rewarding and challenging without demanding too much input from the player. With its soft ending, it is clear this is not a game you are expected to play forever. A conclusion exists and feels great to reach, but if you want to bounce your way up the well again while listening to a podcast in the future, you can always revisit that simple, joyful experience.

While there may be no star signings in this year's Football Manager, there are enough incremental improvements to keep it at the top of the table.

Stormblood has already gone above and beyond the experience delivered in Heavensward, and there’s no doubt that Final Fantasy XIV now has the content and longevity it needs to keep players engaged.

The Old Hunters is Bloodborne from another time and place, and with more difficult bosses and confounding stories to unravel, it's a fitting complement to the original, gruesome adventure.