A great twist on the classic 4X formula.

This fast and exciting racer continually finds a way to keep you circling around for another lap.

SoulCalibur VI is a fighting game that's easy to recommend.

Crysis comes to consoles, and four years after its release on the PC, there's still nothing quite like it.

Plug in your gamepad and brace yourself: Devil May Cry 4 on the PC is every bit the equal of the console versions.

Swords & Soldiers is an engaging, goofy romp that takes out the complexity of other real-time strategy games but leaves in all the fun.

As unforgiving, repetitive, and frustrating as it can be, the urge to jump back into the game and take out that frustration on hordes of enemies to the tune of the most-proper soundtrack with a toy box of guns is hard to resist. Strafe wears its influences on its sleeve but stands on its own as a fun, intense, and fast-paced shooter with distinguishable charm.

Easily the most cohesive and well-rounded surfing game to hit the PS2 yet, and a unique and enjoyable extreme sports game in its own right.

Refined controls and additional modes of play make Pro Evo's second Wii outing an improvement over last year's debut.

Like all the best titles in the genre, it has a low barrier to entry and high skill ceiling. For those looking to get in a few games with friends it's welcoming and immediately enjoyable. For those committed to ploughing the depths of its systems to get tournament ready, it has plenty to unpack and understand. Better still, those that want to play alone will find SoulCalibur VI has some of the most substantial single-player content in any fighting game today.

Crysis comes to consoles, and four years after its release on the PC, there's still nothing quite like it.

It isn't the most full-featured port, but excellent combat and challenging puzzles make Darksiders a brutal blast.

WWE 2K25 is an excellent game on a mechanical level, offering tremendous depth and breadth to create matches that mimic reality in exciting ways. Its bevy of game modes comprises several worthwhile timesinks and interesting new wrinkles, each of them appealing to one or more sections of wrestling fandom. Its creation suite is in a tier of its own and deserves to be the envy of everyone else bringing user-generated content into their games. Online multiplayer woes exist in both previously seen and new forms this year, but there is so much here that deserves praise. I wouldn't throw out an otherwise exciting WrestleMania over a bad match or two. Similarly, I don't feel a handful of poorly implemented PvP features leaves WWE 2K25 as anything less than the number one contender for sports game of the year.

Sure, games such as "Supreme Commander" push the science-fiction RTS genre in cool new directions, but the World War II RTS genre has yet to learn the lessons of Company of Heroes. With Opposing Fronts, THQ and Relic keep a great thing going.

The Sims 3's latest expansion isn't entirely ambitious, but it's loaded with great new content and goofball charm.

Just as you might improperly dismiss Flower as "not a game," you might also improperly dismiss it for its brevity: You could easily finish in an hour, and that hour progresses at a relaxed pace, lulling you into security rather than pumping adrenaline into your nerves. But value is more than a simple price-to-minutes ratio, and I'd sooner revisit Flower's serenity than countless 50-hour grindfests.

Persona 5's transition to tactics-based combat is a triumph. Every aspect of Tactica is so well conceived and moving that what's created is something truly exceptional, especially in regard to its story. I grew to adore the Phantom Thieves even more and fell in love with Toshiro, Erina, their story, and everything their characters stood for. Despite being a spin-off, Tactica has a beautiful message delivered with a clear voice. It's a fantastic addition to the Persona 5 universe--one that celebrates its spirit and resolve while also taking the conversations and ideals explored in the game to new heights.

The good news is that, in transitioning to PC, the game remains largely successful. All that remains is for the game's two remaining episodes to stick what is undoubtedly going to be a rough landing for everyone involved.

Regardless of your musical tastes, Crypt of the NecroDancer takes a proven but basic recipe and improves it with a seemingly simple twist. It would have been a fine roguelike game without its musical side, but the rhythm mechanic makes it a truly special experience.

Night Call’s real strength is in the stories it tells about Paris, about the people who live there and the meaningful connections you can have with them no matter how brief or unexpected. It's these people you'll remember once you've solved each case, not the fares you charged them.

There is a lot to enjoy about this new era of NetherRealm's top fighting game. Mortal Kombat 1 casts a much-needed set of fresh eyes across its lore, which reinvents the roster in new and interesting ways. Not every choice works, both in character design and development, but the ones that do make an immediate impact. Fighting with these new characters is awesome thanks to air combos and Kameos, even if the modes outside of campaign leave something to be desired. The future of Mortal Kombat is bright, and MK1 marks the first step on that new path. I just hope the next chapter gives me more to sink my teeth into.

If you're up for some pretty punishment, Oblitus provides an experience that you won't soon forget.

Bleach: Dark Souls improves upon what was already a fantastic game, and belongs in your fighting game collection.

Mortal Shell succeeds more often than not at capturing the specific feelings intrinsic to Souls-like games. The twists it adds to From-inspired mechanics do well to help this sort of game become more approachable than most, while maintaining the same air of mystery and foreboding that makes the genre itself so intriguing. Mortal Shell makes for a strong introduction to Souls-likes, a demonstration for new players of what so many have found so interesting about From Software's games and those like them. But Mortal Shell is also a lovingly crafted, weird, and deceptively deep game in its own right that rewards you for wandering its twisted paths and challenging its deadliest foes.

A funky little pocket peripheral adds a fun new twist to a dated formula.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a great arcade flight sim that packs in a lot of action at a low price.

The moments where Outriders is taking daring swings at mixing disparate elements are when it's at its best. The game is surprisingly deft at combining things that shouldn't work together: Its story is often funny but similarly severe; its combat requires you to take cover and to charge; its abilities make you phenomenally powerful but prone to overestimating yourself. If you can find the balance in Outriders, People Can Fly's RPG-shooter finds ways to combine well-worn video game ideas into something new and fun. Especially when you're accompanied by friends and put the time in to really understand the game's systems, Outriders rewards you with epic battle moments and a sprawling scope. It left me wanting to continue venturing out into the wilds of Enoch to see what I might find there--and to smash whatever it was with seismic earthquake magic.

Despite a few issues, Dirt Rally is a triumphant return to form for Codemasters. The PS4 version arrives as a slightly more fleshed-out package at release and its technical performance is admirable. It's still mightily difficult, but if you're a rally enthusiast or even just have a passing interest in a challenging racing game, you can’t go wrong with Dirt Rally.