A beautiful experience. Even with the long load times and, overall, feeling that this game is catered to hardcore players, there's no getting around just how gorgeous and fun it truly is.

Bayonetta 2 is a smashing success, and proves that the WiiU can be the home of some great core titles.

Despite a convoluted story filled with silly retcons and nonsense, it's still fun to play through to see the (for now) official ending to the original Mortal Kombat story. With 12 additional characters and tons of skins, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is absolutely worth a buy for those who have yet to check out MK11. The new characters are still great additions to the roster for those who have experienced all the content since the beginning.

After spending 20+ hours with this game I have no qualms calling it the best action platformer of 2004. It’s just so insanely polished, beautifully designed and amazingly addictive that it’s a wonder that it took me this long to review it.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is an even better game than the original release. Any graphical wrinkles are outweighed by the smooth new Wii controls, which put other sloppy “Wii-makes” to shame.

Forza Horizon 3 brings an incredible diverse open world in the Australian Outback that begs to be discovered. With a great soundtrack, a plethora of vehicles to unlock, and plenty of challenges varying in difficulty, Horizon 3 proves to be a must buy for racing fans.

Overall, Sonic Mania Plus is a great game. While the Plus part really only gives you two new characters and a harder version of the game, current Sonic Mania owners will only have to pay five dollars for the DLC which isn’t too bad. Even 30 dollars for those wanting a physical version is still worth it for the main game alone if you don’t already have it. Either way, fans of Sonic who haven’t played this yet should definitely pick it up at some point.

Out of the Park ’16 proves once again why it’s the go-to series for baseball management simulators. With the new license to use real MLB players and the other additions and improvements, there’s not much you can’t do in this year’s edition. If you’re looking for a great baseball management simulator, you’ll be hard pressed to find something better.

Forza Horizon 5 is built to deliver hour after hour of glossy, beautiful fun. Hit the race mechanics as deeply as you like. Zip around the amazingly beautiful map in a Corvette for no reason at all. Find secrets. Build out your car collection. Get rich. Have a good time the way you want. Go anywhere, do anything, just don’t skip this stellar game.

The game takes a powerful machine but it does offer some great visuals and some fun gameplay for the first half. Once the aliens come it goes a little bit downhill.

Aside from the camera issues I'd say that Ninja Gaiden is everything that I could have hoped for in an action game. It's got intense action, a deep and varied combat system, lush visuals and the overall challenge that I had been waiting for.

Chains of Olympus is one of the best games for the PSP and another great addition to the God of War series.

The guilty-pleasure, fast-food champion of MMO gaming has expanded their menu, upgraded their sides, and supersized everything on your tray. Eat up.

MLB 10: The Show is a well made game. I recommend this title if you love baseball; everyone else can find something different to play. The initial difficulty can be frustrating but a complex and rewarding game can be found just beneath the surface.

Shadow of the Colossus is one for the books. Twelve years later, it's still a powerful, immutable, singular experience. A masterwork of the genre.

Geralt goes out on a high note. Developer CD Projekt Red, once again, raises the bar for every other company making an expansion pack.

The PS3 finally gets a new signature title with a game that will have wide spread appeal. Killzone 2 sets new standards for graphics while providing a solid story with interesting characters. Co-op would have been nice addition but it's still the most fun I've had with a FPS game in a long time.

As much as Bungie wanted to sell Halo: Reach as a story-driven first person shooter rife with the familiar golden gameplay methods fans have come to expect from a Halo title, Halo: Reach doesn't answer to this standard. The game ultimately shines in its ridiculously fun and addictive gameplay that sees its mastery in the various multiplayer modes available.

Dark Avatar is a great expansion to a fantastic franchise. This is the highest score I’ve given, and Dark Avatar earns every point. This is 4X strategy at its finest.

Role-players, put your lighters up in the air. This is every bit the sci-fi rock concert it was meant to be, with an unbeatable cast, an impenetrable storyline, and an undeniable gravity making Mass Effect impossible to escape.

For Batman fans, this game is a long time coming. Taking the Unreal engine, Rocksteady has gone and made a truly fun superhero game and it looks incredible on the PC.

Split Fiction is one of the best genre crossing, action packed, adrenaline rushing, heart wrenching games both Jason and myself have ever played. A few hours in, we were dodging ogres and shooting down ships. By the end of the game, our friendship became stronger, our hearts grew three times larger, and we realized that Split Fiction is one of the best games of this era. Anyone saying otherwise, is spitting fiction.

It’s one of the few games where I’ve had a ton of fun even when I m losing a match. I’ve had many cool experiences playing it and a lot of “did I just see that” moments but all of that is crapped on by the bugs and quirks in the game.

Make no doubt about it, this is the definitive way to play Borderlands 3. Whether you’re venturing into the Borderlands for the first time, or revisiting now that the technical issues are fixed, you’re in for a hell of a time.

Atlus has undoubtedly created a definitive experience that takes the crown jewel JRPG of the generation. Persona 5 Royal improves on everything the vanilla version was lacking, with new content, gameplay adjustments, and quality of life improvements, whilst telling a compelling narrative with colorful characters. This PlayStation 5 native port may be off-putting to previous owners on PlayStation 4 with no upgrade paths, but the faster load times, silky smooth 60 frames per second, 4K native resolution, and all included DLC make this title a must-play for any JRPG fan.

The single player campaign finishes up the story nicely and there's a ton of replay value in mutiplayer mode. I'm in love with the new Beast mode and still thoroughly enjoy Horde mode with the new additions. Not much has changed up from the previous two games though in terms of gameplay and presentation, but it's still a fun game.

This is a game that will still be talked about five years from now—even 10 years from now. Inside was pretty much three hours of me shaking my head, clutching my chest, and realizing every few minutes that my mouth was hanging wide open. It’s an analog science-fiction thriller, and so good that it’s impossible to improve upon. It’ll get right inside you.

Classic gameplay, infused with fresh concepts and graced with stellar graphics and sound, make A Link Between Worlds one of the best games in the Zelda series and a must-own title this holiday.

NieR Automata: Game of the YoRHa Edition was my first foray into the NieR series and I personally loved it. I know some people soured on having to basically replay the same game again just to get to the third run that opened up more of the story, but the first two routes don’t take incredibly long to play through if you don’t do any side missions. Then again doing the side missions just made the game more fun for me and I kept forgetting that I needed to finish the main story to write this review. If you’re into hack-and-slash RPGs and don’t mind having to play through the game three times to experience the full story, give this game a shot.

The PC port is just as good, if not better than it's console counterpart, but you're going to want to use a gamepad. Using a keyboard is possible, and there's even a few mods out there to make it more functional and ergonomic, but it's still clunky and unintuitive compared to using a controller.

Resident Evil 2 is a breath of fresh (or should I say foul and dead?) air into the bloated world of open-ended gameplay mechanics that, instead of leaving the player feeling empty and exhausted for the amount of options, leave them with a constant sense of tension but knowledge and will to push on. Truly an innovation that proves its necessity.

Just as Super Mario Odyssey cemented the original Switch as a must-have platform, Donkey Kong Bananza smashes it's way into the Nintendo hall of classics, bumping the Switch 2 from "really nice" to "must buy" status. Don't let the smashing mechanics fool you, this game is just as smart, deep, and clever as any of the Mario or Zelda titles. Nintendo has set up and intricate and beautiful playground, and then releases the player into it as a wrecking ball. Fun doesn't get much more fun than this.

Drawing from open-world standard-bearers like Red Dead Redemption, Just Cause 2, and Skyrim have allowed Ubisoft to craft an open-world FPS that really follows the classic open-world template, and is easily the best Far Cry-branded game I've ever played.

Dark Souls II carries on the Souls series' trend of being one of the most unique, well made, and difficult Action RPGs on the market. Its a strong sequel that shows Dark Souls wasn't just a fluke, and that this series is here to stay.

It’s also one of the few first person shooters that made me jump from ambushing Nazis.

Just watch out though because once the game digs its claws into you it’ll own your life. If you want to buy the game give your friends an early notice, because they won’t be seeing you for a long while.

Without a doubt in my mind, this is the best version of Diablo 3 that is available on consoles. The campaign itself is a solid and enjoyable adventure, but the Adventure Mode, Nephalem Rifts, and nearly endless loot is what will keep you coming back for more time and time again. Make sure to bring friends to maximize the fun.

Slay the Princess is my first visual novel in my roughly thirty-five years as a gamer and I enjoyed every minute of it. With so many dialogue options to choose from, no two runs of the story are the same, and even when you get to the story’s finale there are still a few different ways it can ultimately end. The voice acting and soundtrack ties everything together beautifully and for someone who never got into visual novels, I can’t recommend this one enough. If you’re looking for a psychological horror story with quite a bit of comedic dialogue thrown in, then definitely prepare to Slay the Princess…that kind of came out weird.

The Lost and Damned gives you everything you could possibly want in a Grand Theft Auto expansion pack.

A stunning achievement both technically and narratively, Spider-Man 2 makes every moment of gameplay feel epic while still delivering a great story with a ton of heart. The creators at Insomniac know and love these characters, and that care manifests both in the quieter moments and in the jaw-dropping cinematic action scenes. Thrilling, gut-wrenching, and visually spectacular, this is among the best representations of Spider-Man in any media. An absolute no-brainer for every PlayStation 5 owner, Spider-Man 2 shows what your system is truly capable of.

The Wii U is now home to the definitive version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

It may be the least hyped part of the Orange Box but Portal is a strong addition to the lineup and really stands out on its own.

XBox One owners have no excuse to miss out on this game. It is one of the best examples of video games as a medium of entertainment and needs to be played by every person possible. I cannot stress enough how important this game is, or how good it is.

If you enjoy RPGs even in the slightest, you must own Persona 4. It is quite possibly, the greatest PS2 title ever made.

To no one's surprise, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is visually and audibly beautiful. Once you get the hang of Ori's abilities, the platforming is fluid and satisfying, the combat is cool, and the game rewards your exploration even when said exploration is a result of getting lost. Through it all lingers a feeling of accomplishment that makes it so easy to keep playing, even through the frustrating parts.

Regardless of if you’re experiencing the story for the first time, or returning for the $10 upgrade, this is the definitive version of one of the finest video games ever made. It’s worth playing for the story alone, but the No Return mode is an intense and fun addition that might keep you around longer than you expect.

The lack of plot may turn some people off but the excellent puzzles and mood make this a must have for hard core gamers.

A fabulous port of a fabulous game, God of War Ragnarok combines great story telling, great action, and great graphics to deliver a top notch experience.

Think there are already too many ninja games on the market? Think again, because Mark of the Ninja is one of this year's best games. With a lengthy campaign, stylish graphics, responsive gameplay and a surprise ending, Klei's newest action game is a must-own. Even if you're normally not into stealth games, Mark of the Ninja is well worth your time!

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars shines bright on Sony's handheld, bringing everything that made the original so much fun with it.

I was expecting Dead Space 2 to be a great game, but it exceeded my expectations with beautiful, creative environments and a large array of both enemies and weapons with which to kill them.

The HD-ification of Okami is a stunning success. The improved visuals alone make the cheap price of admission worth it. And if you missed this game in 2006, now's the perfect time to make up for it.

While not as fresh and new as the original game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is a phenomenal action game full of unique modes, fun multiplayer and tons of excitement.

Maintaining the beloved "Civilization" feel while adding some delicious "boardgame" goodness, Civilization V is a solid addition to any strategy library.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption overcomes its small flaws with an adventure that will keep any gamer captivated from start to finish.

Monster Hunter World is a fascinating and beautiful game. MMO fans, action fans, RPG fans, and open world fans will all find something to love. This is a game that invites players in and gradually reveals its glorious depths. The non-conventional multi-player aspect might take some time to get used to, but the core loop of hunting monsters and crafting gear is so strong and addictive that even the most skeptical players will be snared by Monster Hunter's hooks if they give it half a chance.

Guild Wars 2 surpasses the original in every aspect, from its massive and atmospheric world to its addictive and engrossing gameplay.

With its sharp presentation and emphasis on variety, Forza 2 is definitely one of the best games of 2007.

Pushmo is easily one of the best puzzle games I've ever played in quite some time. With over 200 puzzles already in the game, plus the ability to create your own, this game has quite a bit of replay value and depth to it.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a fantastic introduction to the series for newcomers, and a no-brainer for series veterans. This is one of the best and most reliably fun JRPG franchises on the market today, packing a fantastic narrative, a beautiful world, a rewarding battle system, and memorable characters together in one deep and sprawling package. You can't miss with this one.

Hearts of Stone is a metric ton of fantastic Witcher 3 content. It's a must for owners of the original game.

With absolute minimal issues with gameplay, the deepest roster in any title to date, updated career and pro modes, and some of the most accurate player models, FIFA 13 is the best soccer game to date. If this were the World Cup, FIFA 13 would be hoisting the trophy.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has FromSoftware’s typical brutal difficulty, but honestly that’s beside the point. What matters is the thoughtful, precision-based combat, smart use of stealth, and a skill tree that’s trimmed of fat. This game shows what you can do with game design if you dispense with the extraneous and focus on strong core mechanics. It’s a punishing, rewarding, and beautiful experience.

Tekken 8 is not just a return to form, it's a Tekken masterpiece. Without question, this is the most fun I've had playing a Tekken game in a very long time. It's only a matter of time for people to call this one scrubby too, and I am here for it. Harada, hat tip to you. Beautiful and very fun game.

It’s all there: high fidelity track and car models, intelligent and aggressive AI opponents, and a game structure that allows you full latitude in how, when, where, and what you want to race. It’s hard to find anything to complain about in Viva Media’s new GTR 2.

Polyarc has done an outstanding job with Moss Book II and I never thought I could get so emotionally attached to an adorable mouse like Quill. An immersive world and lovable main character are only the cherries on top of what otherwise is a solid VR puzzle-action-platformer game.

Borderlands 2 takes the franchises's successful formula of tons of guns and absurd humor combined with enough bells and whistles to make you drool like a dog at feeding time and simply updates it instead of changing it completely.

Persona 3 Portable would have been a great game even if it was nothing more than a straight port of the PlayStation 2 game, but instead Atlus added enough new content to make this the first must-own PSP RPG of the year!

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an expertly crafted strategy game that improves on the original in every way. It's a cinematic treat that is accessible enough for gamers of all experience. Best of all, it's not a bore. With more than 70 missions and a competitive two-player mode, XCOM is a high water mark for 2012!

Easily one of the most cinematic games released on any platform. The graphics and sound grab you from the first mission and carry you through to the end of the game. The only thing that is really holding the game back is the buggy/laggy multiplayer which will hopefully be fixed soon.

If you’re a fan of the series, this is one you definitely don’t want to overlook.

In most games there is a simple pleasure of success that accompanies them. The payoff for Dark Souls isn't guaranteed, but goes somewhat deeper than that. It feels a little more like genuine accomplishment, found in small does along the way and promised in large measure when you finally find yourself skilled at this wonderfully unique little corner of the gaming world.

The development team catered to their core group, and I feel they made the game that they wanted to play. But ultimately I also feel I have to hold them responsible for making a game that feels inaccessible in so many ways.

Symphony of the Night is full of imaginative gameplay, great level designs, outstanding music, and some of the greatest action you've ever seen.

Peter Molyneux has earned a standing ovation for realizing his magnum opus, with Fable II serving as the pinnacle of his body of work, and a high-water mark for player-concocted storytelling in a role-playing game.

With new gameplay mechanics, improved combat, exciting new online multiplayer options and a brand new storyline, Brotherhood is packed with an overwhelming amount of content!

Left 4 Dead 2 took a great first-person shooter experience and added fresh new gameplay modes, loads of murdering and surviving accessories from melee weapons to adrenaline shots, all of which continues to satiate my desires for an FPS game that I can happily and easily spend a copious amount of hours on.

Axiom Verge is a great game with plenty of exploration, and the additions to the Wii U version were nicely handled. Fans of the Metroid series will likely want to check it out. Be cautious however, as there’s a lot of back tracking to previous areas that felt like it could have been handled better. If you can get past that, you have a great Metroid-style game that feels like it belongs on an 8-bit or 16-bit system.

Just like on the PC, the 360 version of Left 4 Dead is just immensely fun to play. Whether you go on the hunt or are the hunted, Left 4 Dead will leave you wanting more every time you finish a campaign.

While it's a short campaign, the game's solid as a rock and offers a good deal of replayability.

For Left 4 Dead fans, there's more zombie killing fun in this one and it does feel different from the first game. The many additions really help expand the game and almost makes the first game seem like a beta.

Titanfall 2 succeeds in being both accessible and fun, which is a nice change of pace in the modern era of shooters. It isn't the most complicated of shooters, nor is it the most refined. However, it very well may be the most fun, which is the most important thing to a gamer.

Dark Souls 3 is going to be the most accessible game in the series, while still maintaining the brutal levels of difficulty and reliance on skill. If this is the end of the Dark Souls series, then they've chosen the perfect time to bow out.

Like the visuals, the audio is amazing. The score of the game is probably one of the best I've heard and really gives you a sense of the epic nature of the game.

Forza Horizon 6 lands the Horizon Festival in Japan with all the polish and ambition you'd expect from Playground Games, delivering one of the most beautifully realized open worlds in the series' history. The dual campaign structure adds a new layer of depth. The Discover Japan content helps sell the setting in a way that feels deeper than surface level tourism. Fans will be right at home here. Forza Horizon 6 is, in almost every meaningful way, more Forza Horizon. If you've loved it in the past, you'll love it again. Frankly, it just doesn't get much better than this.

Prepare to die! You might thing that Namco's newest role-playing game only exists to torment you. But look deeper and you'll discover that Dark Souls is one of the best adventure games in years. With an incredible amount epic boss battles, hundreds of hours of gameplay and a unique online interface, Dark Souls is one game you'll be thinking about for years to come!

The Ballad of Gay Tony is not only an over-the-top action game with tons of great missions, it's also the perfect way to conclude the Grand Theft Auto IV storyline.

If you want combat that feels unmatched in a life sim, Kynseed has it. If you want to look at beautiful pixel art, and hear a soundtrack that fits a game exceptionally well, Kynseed has that too. You can pick what you want to do in life and go out and achieve it. There is so much to see and do that it can feel overwhelming. But Kynseed lacks too. There’s little emotional toll to building relationships, and frustrating gameplay bugs. The attention to detail is massive in places and lacking in others. Knyseed is close to being the groundbreaking life sim of my dreams. But unfortunately, that dream is still elusive.

This is the deepest football game to ever be released on the planet. From players transferring because of a lack of playing time, from your star quarterback cheating on his exams, if you want the most true to life, exciting football game available, NCAA Football 2005 is definitely your choice.

Sektori is an adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-your-seat assault on the senses. I barely blinked, I barely breathed, and I’m seldom so enthralled with a video game, even if I can’t manage to beat it.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty proves once again that CD Projekt Red are the undefeated champions of DLC. At $29.99 it offers supreme value, with a compelling new story, location, and hours of content that outclasses many other full-blown AAA titles. After a few rough years, both Cyberpunk 2077 and CD Projekt Red have regained their footing rather triumphantly.

Tetris Effect is the most optimistic game of the year. Plus, nobody saw it coming. It shouldn't be possible to say this, but this is the best Tetris has been in decades.

Motive has done a bloody brilliant job with their faithful reimagining of Dead Space, ultimately setting the new standard for future remakes. Everything you remember about the original is here, but better, with visceral combat encounters, intricate puzzles, and an extended narrative. This is not to mention the beautifully terrifying visuals, immaculate atmosphere building, and excellent technical performance that act as cherries on top. It’s without a doubt that this is the definitive way to enjoy one of the best survival horror experiences of all time.

After a rough start as a full band game Guitar Hero has found its sweet spot.

Final Fantasy VII Remake, only a year old, gets a next-gen remake, and the results are visually stunning. The new Yuffie-based Intermission chapter is a ton of fun, and its lighter tone demonstrates ways that the Remake saga can move away from the sullen tone of the first game. Bouncy and full of life, Yuffie brings some much needed levity to the proceedings, shining a new light on the game as a whole.

Whether you want to just jump right into a game or season, or want to create a league from scratch, Out of the Park ’15 has the ability to do it and once again raises the bar for baseball management simulators. While the 3D effects to need some work, there’s no doubt that this is an awesome simulator for those who want to customize any and every aspect of the game.

In an unexpected twist, I find myself immersed in a JRPG set in Shakespeare's realm, complete with nods to all kinds of other pop culture mainstays, like Sailor Moon. The writing is so good it's like a Shakespearean comedy; the twist of adding modern translation is just hilarious at times. Having to switch between the two styles of dialogue is like deciding between quill and keyboard - annoying at first, but it grows on you. The game's structure is more repetitive than I would like at times; exploration leaves a little bit to be desired too. Still, it's reminiscent of classic JRPG styles, making you feel like you're back in your nostalgic gaming heyday. Recommended for any RPG fan.

Following the new real-time strategy model, World in Conflict eschews raw material resource management for strictly military resource management: land, sea, and air units.