A top-notch expansion that nearly surpasses GTA IV itself for sheer fun and replayability, The Ballad of Gay Tony puts a fittingly explosive, over-the-top coda on the story that Niko Bellic started.

Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is the culmination of CD Projekt Red's efforts to right the wrongs of a challenging launch, with this premium expansion combining with Update 2.0 for a total revitalization of Night City. This is Cyberpunk 2077 at its best, and with the price of entry this low you've got no excuse not to dive back in.

The best puzzle games have the ability to make the player feel inversely smart and stupid. Fez takes this further than any game we've ever played, giving us the feeling of being both cackling genius and babbling idiot within minutes of each other. It's an absolute triumph in creating something new both in terms of its platforming and its puzzle solving; blending together genres in ways we've never seen.

Again, it feels like we're well-served for horror game remakes at the moment, but Motive Studio's Dead Space is a horror remake done right. It really is a sublime mix of fresh and familiar, and it's freaking terrifying in its loud and quieter moments. Its reworked visuals and stunning dynamic lighting totally transform certain areas, while the remake's new dismemberment animations mean hacking off enemy limbs with the Plasma Cutter, uncovering bone and muscle tissue as you do, is now gorier than ever. I know this first hand, because I was too scared to run.

You won’t experience the same feeling of immersion that you’d get from playing World of Warcraft or EverQuest II as the game loads you and your party to areas separated from the rest of the players online every time you leave town, which makes playing Guild Wars feel more like a 3D version of Diablo II at times.

The Séance of Blake Manor is an incredibly detailed supernatural mystery where every guest is laden with secrets to unravel. Set across a weekend where every minute of every hour matters – each magical attendee having their own schedule – few detective games feel this immersive and rewarding to pick at. Weaving together mythology, magic, and historical detail, each case you solve fairly sticks to the rules, no matter how supernatural. This is a hotel worth checking into.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses fully realizes a new, meaningful direction for the franchise that makes it the best it has ever been.

The power of the Xbox 360 is put to brilliant, vicious use in Burnout Revenge's second lap, and it's still one of the most thrilling racing games we've played. Get online and hurt someone.

There are still a few issues with the online side of things so if you're thinking of picking this up solely for multiplayer purposes then you might be left a bit cold right now. But offline there's more than enough to sate any footballing hunger you've had since the World Cup and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better football game for a long time.

Buy this immediately, and witness why a billion polygons a nanosecond will always take a backseat to rock solid craftsmanship.

The content isn't much more graphic than your average TV cop drama (apart from the occasional nudity), but it's heavy subject matter for a game, and Noire plays it surprisingly straight, with very little of the wry humor that characterizes most Rockstar releases.

An astounding masterpiece that reaches new heights of brilliance thanks to the Nintendo Switch.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach builds on the foundations of the original, but adds whole new wings with a different vibe. This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse – but it well serves series fans like me. Charmingly bizarre with its worldbuilding and spectacle, there's still a real sense of community as you bring the world online with other players at your side.

If not for the annoying, checkpoint-based, save-game system, it would be difficult to find fault with the single player campaign at all. Multiplayer could use some work, but it will get the job done for deathmatch fans.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a sublime RPG with a fantastic combat system, absorbing stories, and at-times fascinating story, if it wasn't let down by its drip-fed narrative nature and heavy nostalgic leanings.

With a confident and satisfying campaign, a fascinatingly well-designed destination, and several standout endgame pursuits, Destiny 2: The Final Shape is an excellent offering for veteran and returning players of the FPS. Even with some classic endgame grinding repetitiveness, it's an incredibly well-executed expansion that nicely rounds off a decade-long journey, making it Destiny 2's best.

Dispatch might be the best superhero TV show of the year, even though it's a game. Incredible acting talent pulled from Hollywood, Critical Role, and beyond bring this hopeful yet deep world of heroics to life, filled with enough interaction to really help you feel like a part of the narrative yourself. Each episode is smartly pitched to be TV-length, making it impossible not to binge with how wonderfully focused each story beat feels.

If you're after a challenging and engaging game that'll reward you with a huge well of gameplay with polished style, and - we'll just say it - you're not afraid to nerd out, Persona 3 FES is an all around quality title that it'd be a shame to miss.

An immaculate battle royale that could be sold at a premium price point, but instead is one of the best free-to-play games ever.

Keeping almost everything that made the original great while taking suitable steps to amp up the fun, Dead Space 2 will please both the series' fans and those just starting with this haunting adventure.

Intelligent, fun, challenging and beautifully realized, DX:HR is an incredibly polished game that lives up to the impossibly high standard of its predecessor.

Dragon Age: Inquisition creates a massive, vibrant world on a scale far greater than its predecessors, and does an excellent job of making you feel in command. The heart of this game rests with its characters, who keep you invested in the action.

Not everyone will love The Beatles: Rock Band, but everyone should love it, because it’s amazing. It’s everything a Beatles fan could want, and even if you’re not a fan, you may find yourself converted after a few songs.

The first time Lumines exchanges squares for balls your brain will start to slide out your ears. Play it for a week and you’ll start of dreaming falling boxes.

The content isn't much more graphic than your average TV cop drama (apart from the occasional nudity), but it's heavy subject matter for a game, and Noire plays it surprisingly straight, with very little of the wry humor that characterizes most Rockstar releases.

Ratchet & Clank Future isn't a revolution, but it is a marvelously kickass game that'll keep you entertained for hours as you plumb the depths of its huge levels, find creative ways to blow up its monsters and try to ferret out all its dozens of cleverly hidden items.

Vicarious Visions has built an engine that could actually push the series in a new direction, with the focus on skating rather than gimmicks that came from the annual release cycle that the series was stuck in. Here's hoping this is more of a warm up than a victory lap.

You're getting a completely solid solo game, a simple-but-exciting two-player, and then a collection of super-quick stylus games - that's real value.

Metal gear Solid: Peace Walker is huge, diverse and beautiful. Sadly, some awful boss fights and simplified stealth means it's not quite essential.

It's not just another yearly update with some obligatory back-of-the-box modifications; it's a loving study of the greatest player of his generation and his biggest rivals, played out with beautiful sights and sounds that remind us just how great the Air Jordan era was.

An open-world that tailors to each and every interest, Horizon: Zero Dawn keeps combat fresh, with an intriguing protagonist to match.

It's not just another yearly update with some obligatory back-of-the-box modifications; it's a loving study of the greatest player of his generation and his biggest rivals, played out with beautiful sights and sounds that remind us just how great the Air Jordan era was.

The Last of Us Part 1 is, perhaps more than anything, a gorgeous visual love letter to its biggest fans, not to mention a welcoming set of open arms for the inevitable stream of new ones who will arrive to the game via the upcoming Last of Us TV Show from HBO next year. Judged in isolation, that's far from a bad thing. But in the context of an industry where remakes are continuing to push the boundaries of the art of restoration, Part 1 struggles to escape the shadow of feeling like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Not everyone will love The Beatles: Rock Band, but everyone should love it, because it’s amazing. It’s everything a Beatles fan could want, and even if you’re not a fan, you may find yourself converted after a few songs.

With the best combat and narrative in a 20-year series of action RPGs, Monster Hunter Wilds is the new peak of Monster Hunter, only further enlivened by a colorful cast of monsters that defies longtime design conventions.

The game’s blood-spilling action is balanced by strong exploratory elements and frequent plot updates.

If you're looking for a new kind of shooter, look elsewhere. Modern Warfare 3 succeeds by doing more – much, much, much more – of what's always worked spectacularly for the series. We still can't get enough.

The open-style missions--combined with the weapons and abilities--make a thrilling playground to explore, tough enemies present a significant challenge, and the multiple outcomes, characters, and setting create an exhilarating world to discover. Dishonored is a game that you won't want to miss.

Not to get too lofty, but you know how a musician's ears have been trained to pick up elements in music – I honestly felt like that during the last stretch of Cocoon's puzzles. I knew what the game wanted from me and I followed. It's a silent language that you learn to translate. Cocoon cuts out all the noise, and the result is one of the best puzzle adventure games of 2023. I've learned to pick up Cocoon's silent harmonies, and they're beautiful.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is an intricate puzzle box of interconnected parts. At times it can feel overwhelming, but ultimately this stylish noir's captivating puzzle design anthology and spellbinding story feels like an entirely new and contemporary kind of puzzle game.

Mario Kart 8 is a slick and gorgeous-looking kart racer that's perfectly solid but not always as exciting or addictive as we've come to expect from the series.

Brimming with positivity and encouragement, Super Mario Maker's brilliant toy box gives you everything you need to easily create and share some truly fantastic levels.

NHL 11 continues to dominate the sports landscape. It's a no-brainer must-have for any modern sports gamer, whether you can successfully discuss the nuances of the Left Wing Lock or can barely name a couple of players on your favorite team. There's enough here for everyone to have a blast.

The weapons are better. The plasmids are better. The enemies are better. At some points, even the storytelling is better. What’s most amazing and surprising about BioShock 2, however, is that by diving deeper into Rapture’s tortured history and exploring more of Rapture’s haunted world, it actually manages to make the original BioShock better, too.

A dense, detailed, and hugely varied strategy roguelike, Mewgenics borrows much from its iconic predecessor with an imaginative and rewarding gameplay loop. Occasionally harsh RNG can be a buzzkill, but doesn't prevent this from being a worthy successor to The Binding of Isaac.

While it's certainly not perfect, Nier: Automata is nonetheless a breath of fresh air that will challenge your thumbs as well as your thinking - a game with hydrocarbon heart and silicon soul that will stay with you long after you've set the controller down.

It Takes Two is a Pixar-worthy adventure that consistently innovates, offering players an excellent co-op experience unlike any other.

In spite of all the work that obviously went into crafting Uncharted, its gameplay comes up a bit short, turning key moments in its 8-to-10-hour run time into frustrating, repetitive slogs. Still, it's a lot of fun overall, and its cool pulp-fiction atmosphere and wildly entertaining story will keep you grinding through even when things get dull.

A gorgeous, tear-jerking platformer which improves on absolutely everything in the first game and ranks among the finest Metroidvanias available today.

Graphics, gameplay, atmosphere, all-important multiplayer... Rainbow Six Vegas gets pretty much everything right. It even shines on the little details, like wind whistling through a freshly shattered window or jackpot coins spilling out over a freshly bagged terrorist.

Unlike so many remakes of classic fighters, Turbo HD has soul...It’s definitely a must-have title for any self-respecting fighting fan. Period.

Pentiment tells a tale that enthralls at the level of the personal and social alike, exploring a history that doesn't merely recreate period objects and customs, but functions as an evolving process sculpted by individuals within circumstances beyond their control. A melting pot of ideas and characters adds nuance to tightly plotted murder investigations, as does an art and scripting style inspired by 16th century scribes. The pace may feel slow at times, but for all the focus on dialogue choices, Pentiment is anything but all talk.

You'll come for the solid FPS experience, but you'll stay for the delicious helping of online goodness. We just wish that the single-player mode could've been as fun and thrilling as the original. One thing is certain - DICE is providing one of the best online FPS experiences you'll play on a console.

It feels as though Insomniac's writers have taken their cues from more recent Marvel movies, managing the tricky balancing act of cartoon mayhem and emotional payoffs. It made me, a casual lombax fancier, more invested in the series than ever before, and hoping we get to see a lot more of the fabulous foursome soon.

Doom Eternal is a smart iteration of what came before it that occasionally stumbles under its own desire to evolve.

It's the perfect type of game for a handheld, easily playable in short doses or long sessions, and it's a triumph of clever, captivating game design.

NBA 2K17 continues the theme of excellence that has made the series so popular. It’s slick, smart, and deep. It is the model that all modern sports video games should aspire to be, appealing to virtually every type of player and fan.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a lovingly touched up classic full of plot twists and betrayals that can hold its own against modern RPGs. Minor elements are starting to show the game’s age, but it’s still a standout tactical RPG that genre enthusiasts will love with fantastic enhancements that elevate the original. There's never been a better time to experience this legend.

The World Ends With You is an amazing marriage of style and gameplay. The dual screen combat further stretches what the DS can achieve in gaming that is far from a lame gimmick.

A fantastically designed hack-n-slash RPG. And, because Runic released the full modding toolset it used to create the game, perhaps the best is yet to come once the modding community goes to town. Even without the potentially infinite number of player-made maps, skills, and items, Torchlight II is a worthwhile loot-fueled adventure that will soak up hours of your day without you even noticing.

With an arsenal of new gadgets and upgrades at your disposal, XCOM 2 feels like XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a million mods enabled, creating a deep and engrossing strategy game.

Any criticisms of Dishonored 2 feel like nitpicks of a thoroughly entertaining, mechanically complex, impressively realized world, just like the first. My primary playthrough as a stealthy, nonviolent Emily clocked in at over 15 hours - and though I sometimes found myself wishing for more character development in the overcrowded story, I was never for a moment bored with the otherworldly abilities of my agile assassin.

Horizon Forbidden West is a tweaked, enhanced, and confident sequel that exceeds expectations, delivering an open world full of compelling characters, an intriguing story, and yes, more super awesome robot dinosaurs.

Getting your head around the combat is key to having a good time. Once mastered, you'll find an immersive action romp full of original challenges, incredible environments and interesting characters. This game might have been around for years, but the intensity of the gameplay has yet to be bettered.

Fire Emblem Fates smartly revises a quarter-century old battle system and offers ever more reasons to care about your little chess pieces, but neither version does enough to welcome new players.

Just unhealthily addictive. Our fingers are still aching from mashing the triggers with too-enthusiastic motions.

This is one of the most in-depth strategy games and touching RPGs ever made.

NHL 11 continues to dominate the sports landscape. It's a no-brainer must-have for any modern sports gamer, whether you can successfully discuss the nuances of the Left Wing Lock or can barely name a couple of players on your favorite team. There's enough here for everyone to have a blast.

If anything, it feels as though the vast environments and detailed Pokémon are simply too much for the handheld. There are occasional framerate drops, and much of the game disables the 3D slider, which is a shame considering how many areas look as though they were designed specifically to take advantage of the added depth stereoscopic 3D delivers.

With the hype and excitement surrounding Treyarch's first Call of Duty where they aren't bound by a World War II setting, it's a shame that they went for more of the same MW2. This isn't say it's poor but personally I feel they've missed an opportunity to really stamp their authority with Black Ops. Still, as a complete package with a great story, strong FPS action and a killer multiplayer mode, Black Ops remains unmissable.

Deathloop is a killer new-generation showcase that will keep you guessing until the very end.

If you can steel yourself for a challenge and come to grips with an unwieldy checkpoint system, Ori and the Blind Forest will mesmerize you with its lush world and incredible artistry.

The Talos Principle 2 takes all the genre-defining traits its 2014 puzzle predecessor championed, and improves them. Those familiar with the original will fall in love all over again, while newcomers will be kept on their toes from beginning to end.

The immersive world, memorable characters, exhilarating combat, and branching storylines will have you coming back to play it again and again.

Hearthstone is addictive, highly strategic, and chock-full of fun collectible card battling; the fact that it's totally free (if you want it to be) makes it one of the best values in gaming today. This is your new obsession; embrace it.

Fans expecting something as expansive as San Andreas will be disappointed, but anyone looking for portable craziness at impossible speeds should pick this up.

Frustrating boss battles and cumbersome controls distract from an otherwise fun and isolating adventure.

One of the best strategy games of the year, and arguably one of the best ever.

Super Mario Maker 2 is the almost perfect package, putting equal emphasis on discovery, creation, story mode, and outright brilliant gameplay.

Capcom has done it again, re-energising a classic series like never before, and pushing the genre forward in a fresh way. It looks better than ever, plays better than ever. It's Devil May Cry better than ever.

For now, local wireless matches will have to suffice. But with only one relevant complaint, and a staggering list of positives, Dark Resurrection rules the portable fighting ring with an iron fist.

The weapons are better. The plasmids are better. The enemies are better. At some points, even the storytelling is better. What's most amazing and surprising about BioShock 2, however, is that by diving deeper into Rapture's tortured history and exploring more of Rapture's haunted world, it actually manages to make the original BioShock better, too.

Monster Hunter Rise is a great adventure, providing fascinating new tools like the Wirebug and walking a fine line between arcade and fast-paced HD gameplay. The Rampages are a neat new addition when used sparingly, but a reliance on online hunts to finish Rise’s story is a puzzling step.

The weapons are better. The plasmids are better. The enemies are better. At some points, even the storytelling is better. What’s most amazing and surprising about BioShock 2, however, is that by diving deeper into Rapture’s tortured history and exploring more of Rapture’s haunted world, it actually manages to make the original BioShock better, too.

We're not against the idea of mandatory server-based DRM in all cases, but for us to agree to "always-on DRM," we need the servers to be "always on."

Running through each level (even multiple times) is a charming, creative, and incredibly rewarding experience, regardless of whether it's to beat your friend's leaderboard score or if you're simply going after every collectible for that satisfying "pop" sound.

With so many modes and diverse rewards to uncover in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, it almost feels like 2.5 games in one package. Plus, the fact that the online component works so incredibly, and we still can't pick a favorite between playing as a cop or racer speaks volumes to the game's quality. Quite simply, there is no better, more accessible racing game out there.

Though it doesn't outshine Dark Souls, Nioh's distinctly Japanese setting, thoughtful level design, and demanding difficulty lead to some supremely satisfying payoffs.

If only New Leaf had taken a few bolder steps forward from its predecessors, this would be utterly essential. As is, it’s ‘merely’ one of the finest social games ever made. Get involved, and you’ll be forever bragging to your friends about your latest item. For instance, a tarantula. Bet you haven’t got one of those.

Building upon and refining its predecessor's commitment to historical realism, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an absorbing RPG that fully immerses you in medieval life. If you have the patience to endure a wilfully slow progression system, you'll be richly rewarded with heaps to do in 15th century Bohemia.

Truly a labor of love, this amazing sequel fortifies the foundations laid down by a flawed classic and creates a brilliant masterpiece. Visceral combat, dizzying player customization and a truly immersive story all come together to create one of the best role-playing experiences of the year.

For the first time since it went from being a good basketball game to a cultural touchstone, it's taken a step backwards. The controls have become far too complex for much of its audience, and there's no one mode that captures your attention as much as the now-absent Jordan and Greatest challenges.

If you think that repeating the same 10-second phrase of a song dozens of times until you master it is fun and rewarding on its own, then Rocksmith 2014 is an excellent way to enhance that experience; and its suite of tutorials, minigames, and other distractions will go a long way towards keeping you interested.

343 Industries' Halo 4 establishes itself not as "the next" Halo game, or "another sequel," but instead opts to be a new beginning for the franchise--one with more commitment to its characters. It's refreshing to see the series admit its shortcomings and catch up with its contemporaries without sacrificing what makes it unique, and that's just what Halo 4 does, creating a name for itself without relying on its popularity, and getting us excited to start, continue, and one day finish the fight all over again.

Stormblood tells an intriguing tale of resistance and rebellion, with well-defined characters, exciting dungeons, and awe-inspiring new classes, but leans just a bit too heavy on the grind.

Far from tacked-on extra content, The Old Hunters is the expansion Bloodborne deserves, with morsels of lore, imaginative weapons, and engaging battles making it well worth your time and pain.

A slick and entertaining conclusion to a trilogy full of inventive, beautifully crafted levels to explore and exploit.

Impossible to recommend ahead of the PC version because of some issues with the port, but nonetheless one of the most unique experiences on console.