Tropical Freeze caters to players who derive fun from overcoming adversity, which the game offers in near endless supply. If you can fall down a pit 16 times and still eagerly drift down on your 17th balloon, this is the Donkey Kong you're looking for.

Mario Kart World is indisputably the best first-party launch game for the new Nintendo Switch 2 console, and its new major departures for the franchise – like Knockout Tour and Free Roam – are delightful, but it remains to be seen if the kart racer can keep up the pace for the long haul.

A triumphant evolution of the series for existing fans, and the best possible jumping-on point (though far from an easy one) for new ones. Nioh 3 demands care, planning, and patience – and gives immense satisfaction in the form of a brutal but engrossing adventure in return.

Just for you, Metacritic! Punch-Out!! expertly walks the line between casual punchy-punchy and “serious gamer” depth. As with all the best fighting games, it’s not about seeing the end, it’s about how you get there.

Like most games by developer Treasure, Radiant Silvergun is an acquired taste, but this version is a fantastic port of a classic shooter. It's still worth experiencing today – especially now that you don't have to sell a kidney to afford it.

Heart of the Swarm transforms the StarCraft II landscape in all the right ways--enough to surprise and excite you, while still being amiably familiar at its core. As with its predecessors, it offers fast-paced real-time strategy with a great amount of accessibility and no skill ceiling in sight. Rather than feeling like an ugly middle child between Wings of Liberty and Legacy of the Void, Heart of the Swarm is a star in its own right.

I'd still recommend Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to the Metroidvania heads among us, as well as longstanding Prince of Persia fans whose experience with the series stretches back to the late '80s/early '90s. For those wanting more in the same vein as 3D adventures like The Sands of Time, this ain't it. But it is a return to relative form for a series whose last mainline outing landed 14 years ago – it's just disappointing that this very good game was held back from true greatness.

When the witch takes charge, this demonic fighter is better than ever. After eight long years, PlatinumGames has delivered a sequel which successfully celebrates the series, although it does have problems with pacing and a split-focus.

With solidly rebuilt controls only a little marred by a still-fussy camera, LEGO Star Wars II is even better than last years prequel trilogy-based offering. And, as the first LEGO Star Wars was an amazingly entertaining homage to Lucas's genius, this sequel stands atop the original's shoulders as the pinnacle of LEGO Star Wars fun.

An astounding technical achievement. It's one of the best-looking games ever, and it knows how to bring the spectacle. Its single-player provides a playground for the joyous nanosuit powers, although some buggy AI and generic aliens keep the campaign from soaring as high as it could have. The multiplayer, meanwhile, is a fantastic buffet of playstyles that rewards the creative player.

The difficulty may escalate faster than you'd prefer, but Crashmo is still an absorbing diversion for your 3DS. Like the best downloadables, it can be played for 10 minutes or two hours, satisfying players no matter how much they choose to invest.

Ghost of Yotei is a vast, sprawling adventure with one of the greatest protagonists in gaming. While some dated climbing segments and a nagging sense of artificiality prevent it from reaching perfection, Sucker Punch's historical RPG is a must-play revenge fantasy.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a fantastic remaster of an already fantastic trilogy that's well worth the money.

Despite being a very solid RPG, it never takes itself too seriously. There's just something very cheeky, almost silly about it all (and the game really focuses on this) as it throws one ridiculous situation at you after the next.

Modern Warfare 2 provides an astounding package of game modes, polish, and thrills. It’s just too bad PC gamers get the shaft with the lack of dedicated servers.

A successful sequel that both reboots and redeems the wayward series, though it's not a flawless victory. Character balance, inconsistent detection and a stingy coin reward system drag down an otherwise bloody good time.

It’s the rare game that gets better the more you play. The three or four hours it will likely take you to run through it from beginning to end will pass almost before you know it and, as the credits roll, one of your first thoughts will probably be that it’s not too soon to experience it all again, if only a couple of times more.

At least the second best 3D fighting game on PS2, and possibly the best. If you like graphics, fighting, or even just dressing up paper dolls, buy it.

Mixtape is a nostalgic, vibes-based experience set to a shockingly solid soundtrack that's narratively important and also kind of a bop all its own. Teenage ennui permeates but never overwhelms while Stacy and her buds try to have one last wild night before it's splitsville in what's ultimately a short, meaningful game that's relatively light on mechanics.

Even with our small list of complaints – add sluggish menus and lack of meaningful updates to Road To Glory and TeamBuilder to them – NCAA Football 11 is a triumph. It's the best college football game we've ever played, offering a tremendous experience to gridiron fans.

An incredibly rewarding game to play, and you can easily spend hours in training mode trying to master the tricky links and parries you'll need to win. It's been a long time coming, but 3rd Strike has finally gotten a console port worthy of its legacy.

The Zodiac Age allows Final Fantasy 12 to realize its full potential, thanks to a wealth of graphical enhancements, a soaring soundtrack, and the addition of the Zodiac Job System.

By sanding down some of the roughest edges of the genre, Arc Raiders delivers an extraction experience that manages to be approachable while still being palpably tense, incredibly dramatic, and occasionally kinda heartwarming. If you're new to the genre, this is the place to start.

The ability to share this joy with people around you and then play them from anywhere in the world serves to make this one of the better buys you can make for the DS.

Most Crossing fans won't mind the clunky interface or the lack of other upgrades because there's so much inherent charm seeping through the DS' speakers.

DmC's gameplay speaks for itself. It's challenging, accessible, and experimental in all the right ways, while retaining the top-notch combat that put Dante on the map in the first place. Sure, it's not without its shortcomings, but DmC easily ranks among the action game elite.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is not only true to its source material, but ranks among the best as a 2D fighting game. How long you stick with it might be entirely dependent on how much you love the series, though.

For those who enjoyed the first two Layton games, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is a must-have, period. And if you haven't played a Layton game yet, what are you waiting for? This is easily one of the strongest series on DS in every regard, from the brilliantly crafted puzzles to the exquisite art.

Silent Hill f is thick with a terrifying yet beautiful foggy atmosphere and truly gnarly monster designs, combined with incredibly well-judged, smart, and gut-wrenching writing. Grueling combat encounters can become more irritating than scary thanks to an overengineered system that still traps you with plenty of stun locks. Still, unravelling the fears that haunt Hinako makes for some of the best horror I've ever played.

With the inclusion of multiplayer, Dance Central 2 has become the definitive dance game on any console far surpassing its competitors. Thoughtful and intricate choreography that is still fun but accessible, a song list that is familiar and current with a depth of gameplay has made this title both challenging for previous Dance Central converts yet still welcoming for newcomers.

And despite its difficulty, the game constantly lures you back, persuading you that this time, you've got it figured out; this time, the high score is yours. But "this time" becomes "next time," and after several lost hours, you realize that this humble $5 downloadable might just be the best experience you've had with your Xbox 360.

This complexity demands your total concentration, resulting in an all-consuming gaming experience. You're gonna lose hours to this game.

As long as you're not expecting a profoundly original artistic vision, Bastion delivers on its gameplay. Bastion's main strengths are twofold – the combat is satisfying and varied, and the customization options are robust.

Sons of the Forest is a great horror game and survival craft em up that balances a strong atmosphere and terrifying moments with player freedom. Whether you want to build a better tree house, or survive the story, there's something here for you.

Lord of the Rings Online is already huge, deep, enormously entertaining, and brimming with secrets to uncover, and with the first free content update already announced for June, should only improve with time.

Vice City Stories is topped off with killer ad-hoc multiplayer for up to six people, which lets you tear it up on foot or in cars, helicopters and boats across 10 different modes. While these matches tend to get choppy, they'll keep you playing long after you've finished the game's lengthy storyline - as will all the hidden nooks, unlockable vehicles and dozens of optional tasks scattered around the city.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the best adventure this character has embarked on in over 30 years. Developer MachineGames has leveraged its expertise in the FPS space to deliver an immersive, authentic first-person adventure that is quite unlike anything you’ve played before.

Fantastic controls make an incredible first impression, and an execution-driven battle mechanic gives combat a unique feel. Unfortunately, the level design can't keep up with the quality of the basic gameplay, stretching a great core to its breaking point. The foundation of an incredible Shinobi revival is here, but bland levels can't keep up with the strength of everything else.

GRAW 2 doesn't blow its competition out of the water like its predecessor did, but it easily matches them. Not bad for a "rushed" sequel.

It's well-executed, it's got an appealing look and a sharp sense of humor, and the pacing works well for handheld play.

It maintains the mechanics that made the prior games great while modernizing them to excellent effect. Between the arcade mode and multiplayer, there's enough substantive content to keep you hooked for some time.

[An] incredibly fresh and successful take on skating controls, as well as a wide-open city with six-player online options (we liked the Deathraces and the Spot Battles). Skate is logical, authentic, and blissfully organic. Robots need not apply.

A brilliant reinvention for the series and great horror game in its own right.

Our only complaint is that EA should have let the Legends simmer for a season or two until a compelling, "holy crap this is awesome" way to integrate the greatest players in history could have been dreamed up. To be frank, the Legends detract from the game more than anything else.

While essentially a retread of its predecessor, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a magnificent adventure game, brilliantly combining action genres and letting you play the way you want to.

Knights of the Nine isn’t in the same league as stellar Morrowind add-ons like "Tribunal" and "Bloodmoon" but any fresh reason to revisit the world of Oblivion once again is all right by us.

By combining open-world thrills with simulation racing and letting you customize the experience to your liking, Forza Horizon 2 is an excellent entry in the series.

Aside from the half-functional multi-player and a brutal learning curve, there’s nothing about IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 that isn’t amazing. Superb aircraft flight modeling? Check. Amazing looking aircraft? Check. More than 220 different aircraft and around 200 missions? Check.

While Enemy Within isn't a huge makeover, it's enough of a facelift to make the trauma of devastating loss worth enduring, be it for the first time or the fifth.

Luigi's Mansion 3 takes you on a memorable spooky adventure packed full of creative puzzles, fantastic level designs, and oodles of charm.

As a complete package, Dance Central 3 is the best dance game yet. Whether you want to boogie with a bunch of friends or perfect your routines in single-player, Harmonix has hooked you up with plenty of gratifying options. This may not be the end-all-be-all of motion-controlled movin' and groovin', but it once again gives the Kinect a glorious, life-of-the-party purpose.

Dark Moon weighs in at about 14 hours long, though it’ll feel longer thanks to skillful pacing. And the game has a number of tools to keep sucking players back in. Each mansion has a ton of collectibles that in turn unlock new time attack modes for each stage. Then there’s the fairly basic multiplayer, which is worth a try if you can get up to four 3DS owners in the same room, but it’s a mostly forgettable.

While the turntable may never be as ubiquitous as a guitar, DJ Hero 2 continues to push the boundaries of music gaming and improves upon the original with features that make the game more lifelike than before. Beyond that, the music is what will draw you in and keep you playing, even if you aren't familiar with turntables or DJ culture.

By going real with the songs, next-gen with the graphics and online with the gameplay, it leaves the wishlist relatively barren. At the same time, it's not delivering us much new on the gameplay front, and in fact lags a bit in terms of smart strumming mechanics.

Like the original game, Dragon's Dogma 2 excels when you're out in its open world with your pawn allies – finding hidden caves and treasure, fighting monsters, and generally losing track of time. Also like the original, it falls short in terms of quest design, convenience, and general polish. A somewhat conservative sequel, then, but one that retains the charm of its predecessor.

Armored Core 6 is FromSoftware like we've never seen it, back on its mech beat with renewed vigor after 10 years away. It's an exhilarating game that lives up to the promise of action that only mechs can deliver, and it's a refreshingly short and easily replayed experience that still manages heaps of depth.

Heroes of the Storm is like a MOBA highlight reel, cutting right to the best moments and doing away with all the boring bits. It's a fast, lean, and relentlessly fun 5v5 experience.

Returnal can be messy, tough, and perhaps a little too uncompromising for a $70 game. And yet, despite the moments of pad-clenching exasperation, it remains a moreish experience even after you’ve plummeted its depths.

While Madden 10 is our favorite football game of this generation, it suffers from trying to do too much. We love the new gameplay engine (more, please!) but could’ve happily done without most of the presentation “improvements” that get more irritating with each game.

The good news is OlliOlli2 retains the pure mechanics of skateboarding despite its increased absurdity. The bad news is, just like in real life, skateboarding here is hard, and sometimes the euphoria you feel at the level’s end isn’t worth the grind it takes to get there.

Forza Motorsport 7 addresses every issue of its predecessor, turns the visual flair up to 11 and handles like a dream. An essential purchase.

Football Manager 2019 is a game that’ll get its studs into you early and you won’t be able to shake it free for some time. A must-buy for football fans.

If you're a JRPG or fighter fanatic with even a hint of interest in the other genre, P4A is an absolute must-buy. With such a wealth of story-based content laid on top of the game's steadfast 2D fighting foundations, P4A's impressive debut sets the bar high for all forthcoming fighters.

This 15-30 hours of gameplay is a must-play for anyone, even if you didn't finish the main game.

What Cyberpunk 2077 lacks in campaign length, it makes up for with breadth and soul, offering a world of intrigue and violence unlike any other.

Cairn is a zen, meditative survival game defined by the intentionality of its movement and the way you interact with its world - when its protagonist can be prevailed upon to act like the elite athlete she's supposed to be. When it works, it's excellent, but its core system is often too clumsy to bring to bear with the precision required to ape top-level climbing.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD preserves the best and worst of the 2006 original. Its opening can be tedious, but it’s worth enduring so you can experience such a magical world.

Predictably impenetrable, but cut through the leathery hide and there's enough great game in here to give a Tigrex indigestion.

While the dialog in Radiant Historia can become longwinded, the gameplay, music and graphics make up for it and then some. The gameplay potential posed by time travel is fully exploited and the game weighs in at well over 30 hours.

The perfect platformer. It's proof that the 2D side-scrolling formula still holds up after all these years. The characters are fun and quirky, the story is weird and loose, and the game as a whole is a pleasure to play. If you were waiting for this year's "must-have" app from DSiware, look no further.

The only thing to really rag on Portrait for is its length. Seven-ish hours is pretty short, no matter how you slice it. But, as with all the other Castlevania games, there are so many bizarre things to do once Drac's down that they totally make up for the main quest's length.

While co-op kicks an unholy amount of ass, the Fisher campaign wasn’t the drastic departure from the series’ punishing trial and error we were all expecting.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope captures everything that made the original so special, all while delivering a more complex and complete experience. It offers a new level of strategic depth, with world-building that makes it more of a Super Mario game than you might expect.

The War Within continues World of Warcraft's comeback trajectory with a war worth fighting for Horde and Alliance alike. While this expansion isn't groundbreaking, it does do a great job of setting the stage for the Worldsoul Saga.

It all adds up to a breakneck racing experience that offers a lot of fun (especially when you consider the online modes) for a little cash.

Hockey fans and casual sports gamers alike will love NHL 08, as its simple yet deep controls invite all comers to the ice.

Stunning, gripping, and touching in all the right ways.

While the game exists on four different platforms, the only noticeable differences between each version are the usual cosmetic ones, with the PS2 version looking slightly worse than the others.

Wasteland 3 doesn’t bring much new to the table, both as a CRPG and as a piece of post-apocalyptic fiction. But, it’s a terrifically executed role-playing game that rewards player investment from beginning to end.

We’ll happily play all season long, during which we’ll invent a thousand more reasons to love and hate it all at the same time. No matter what, though, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a tad disappointed that this year’s version didn’t make the same jump we’d gotten accustomed to the last two years.

By going real with the songs, next-gen with the graphics and online with the gameplay, it leaves the wishlist relatively barren. At the same time, it's not delivering us much new on the gameplay front, and in fact lags a bit in terms of smart strumming mechanics.

As a collection, this is both a great deal and a much-deserved reintroduction to a fantastic set of seemingly forgotten games. If you've never experienced the Sly world before, this is the best possible way to see and play it - all in one place with copious Trophies for each title.

It’s an excellent fighting game that deserves to be played despite its commercial handicaps.

Proves that they had planned out this season’s overarching story line with an unassumingly meticulous style. Even the smallest throwaway from previous episodes makes sense in the end.

It looks almost as good as its PS2 siblings and has full voice acting for all the characters, all without the excruciatingly long loading that seems to plague most other PSP games on the market.

Hilarious, heartfelt and high-octane, Tales from the Borderlands is a must-play game that sets a new standard for comedy games to come.

It’s not often that competing sports franchises do an about-face from one year to the other, but this season it’s clear that The Show has surged past MLB 2K8 in almost every aspect.

In all, Nintendo and Grezzo have pulled off a surprisingly refreshing retooling of the Link's Awakening engine. All hail Princess Zelda.

Fight Night Champion isn't going to reverse people's opinions of the shift in gameplay style that started with Round 4. It may help them warm up to things a little by providing more context and a story-driven backdrop, but it's still going to be a divisive decision.

Multiplayer shooters don't get better than Battlefield 4. Incredible destruction, smart map design, and solid tech combine to produce a true showcase for PS4 and PC. While solo play still lags behind, it's a big step up from BF3.

The Outer Worlds marks Obsidian operating at the top of its game, and a strong foundation for a new franchise that seems destined for greatness.

The game's greatest feat is adding strategy to the first person shooter and getting the player - whether working alone or with others - to occasionally stop, forget about the gun and just think. You'll be amazed at how well it works and at how good it feels.

A commendable achievement, and absolutely contains everything that made the console version great. However, our recurring problems with multiplayer (online and off) and the unavoidable concern of button layout hindered an otherwise amazing experience.

That’s a comic-book fan’s idea of heaven -- and that’s what City of Heroes delivers.

If you really, really want to play Mass Effect and simply can't get your hands on it for other consoles, the Wii U version will definitely work, and it's a fine iteration. But unless you fall into that niche, it's likely worth grabbing the games on other consoles so that you can get the full experience.

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are not only the best Pokemon games yet, but some of most enjoyable on the DS.

A superb blend of twin-stick shooting, platforming, exploration, and tactical combat.

Veterans of Splinter Cell Chaos Theory may be disappointed with Double Agent's multiplayer. Yet, while some may call this game stripped down, we thought the lack of gadgets streamlined the multiplayer experience and sped up matches online.