Many games often aspire to deliver more, sometimes bartering in dizzying excesses--be it in high-octane action or through big, sweeping narratives that thrust you into a heroic position. But it's the diminutive tales and everyday experiences of A Short Hike that give the game its comforting, even pastoral allure. It's about seeking quiet communion with nature even as you make your umpteenth hike towards the peak, or finding contentment in stumbling upon tinier, quaint scenes. It proposes that even the smallest and most mundane of vignettes can be as enthralling as grandiose universes and narratives of more ambitious games. As I embark on yet another leisurely trek after ascending the summit of Hawk Peak, I can't help but heartily agree.

Everything that Chosen brings--from the elite soldiers to the deeper connections between your squads--feels like a living part of the XCOM universe. If you like your deep strategy and brutal turn-based tactics alongside brilliant interplay between camp and emergent drama, there is none better.

The fact that your decisions stick with you after walking away from the game is a testament to the great storytelling on hand. Fallout 4 is an argument for substance over style, and an excellent addition to the revered open-world series.

Achieves that rare quality of having something for nearly all strategy gamers, and most will find a lot to like in it, for a very long time.

More planes, better graphics, and more options than ever before right out of the box, but the game will likely reach its full potential only if it receives great support from its player community.

FirePower is what Combat Flight Simulator 3 should have been in the first place, and it is a must-have expansion for current or potential owners of that sim.

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

Above all, R4 is incredibly fun to play. Unlocking the cars (more than 300 in all, though most are basic variations on a few common themes) quickly becomes an obsession, and the Jogcon adds a ton of depth to the game's control.

While it's not the most beautiful hockey video game, NHL 2001 comes through where it counts - the gameplay.

A great game... Any fan of basketball who isn't necessarily sold on the complexities of your average NBA simulation will find plenty to love here.

Some will cry about the frame rate, and some will wish the game featured real riders, but even these woes are forgotten when the game itself is so scrumptious.

Shenmue II is so much better than its predecessor, refining nearly every aspect of the original. It's a polished game that serves as a showcase for the DC and the evolution of the RPG genre, and fans should definitely find a way to play it.

By focusing on the core themes of exploration and high-intensity combat while treating you to lush graphics and multiplane complexity, Shadow Complex is an excellent current-generation take on a classic gaming genre.

Major improvements to the cooperative mode coupled with the Vita's portability make this the best version of the already excellent Spelunky.

The new king of the court as far as arcade basketball games go.

Looks and sounds great, it's exciting, it's suitably bug-free, and, at a time when eight hours is becoming the standard length for single-player shooters, it's long. Quite simply, Mafia is one of the best games of the year.

This is an exciting and rewarding game, but the series' signature thrills have lost some of their luster. Modern Warfare 3 iterates rather than innovates, so the fun you have is familiar. Fortunately, it's also utterly engrossing and immensely satisfying, giving fans another reason to rejoice in this busy shooter season.

It's not often that a game's plot slips past the bitterness of grief to finally get to the acceptance, but that's the triumph in What Remains of Edith Finch. Ultimately, if the game has any resemblance of a moral, it's that the bravest, most beautiful thing every one of us does is choose to keep going, despite knowing what's coming.

The game more than makes up for any apparent absence of run-and-gun action with the raw intensity and realism of its battles combined with the added tactical considerations required in the challenging campaign. The online aspect is equally compelling, making for a complete and thoroughly impressive game experience.

What makes Human Revolution on the Wii U special aren't the additional features, but that which was already constructed. The game draws remarkable contrast between the sterility of the corporate world and the grit of the city.

Ultimately, Madden NFL 06 is a highly playable game of football, but in comparison with the leaps forward the franchise has made in previous years, 06 feels like a false start.

It's a unique experience, and part of the magic of the original version. While I think multiplayer is the more approachable feature, and what I would want if forced to choose, I do wish there were a way to have both in a single package. But there's no time for regrets in Tetris. The next piece is falling and you only have a few seconds to put it in place. Then the next piece, and the one after that. Some people meditate to clear their minds. Other people cook, or build models. Tetris Effect has a similar capacity to clear your mind. In 2018, that made Tetris Effect feel special. In 2020, it feels essential.

The incredible variety of ways you can engage or evade your enemies makes Dishonored impressively flexible and utterly captivating.

Thoughtful puzzles and striking aesthetics make Limbo a cerebral adventure you must experience.

It's a great Mario Kart clone, and it succeeds where the likes of Mega Man, Bomberman, Diddy Kong, the Chocobo, and even Mario himself have failed.

Its beautiful vision of 15th-century Rome is just one of many reasons to get lost in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Issues aside, Cabernet is an incredible RPG. The concept of comparing vampirism to addiction is nothing new, but framing that storyline within the real-world history of the middle class during the 19th century adds a compelling undercurrent to Liza's story and the various people she befriends, betrays, and smooches during her struggle to come to grips with her new existence. The consequences of Liza's actions feel impactful, and seeing each character's arc all the way through is narratively fulfilling. This is the level of quality that stories about vampires should strive for.

Cocoon, as the name suggests, is a game about self-evolution. From the moment you emerge from the womb-like structure at the game's beginning, pushing forward and learning are your primary focuses--even if what you're ultimately accomplishing feels a bit unclear. But it's also about how the self is but a small part of life--how entire worlds can fit in an insect's tarsal segments. From its puzzles to its visuals, Cocoon is a beautiful game filled with brilliance and meaning, delivered in a subtle yet unforgettable way.