Out of the Park 18 once again provides an excellent baseball management simulation experience. While it can be a bit overwhelming for those who don’t closely follow the sport, it’s still an excellent baseball management simulator for anyone wanting to manage their own team or even their own league.

Monster Slayers is a great blend of an RPG and a deck building game. While it’s not as complicated as traditional deck building games, it works really well with the RPG elements of the game. If you’re looking for something different than your traditional RPG…or deck building game for that matter…especially if you’re a fan of Vertical Drop Heroes, you should really enjoy Monster Slayers.

Bang-On Balls gets our highest recommendation, with no caveats. The worlds are huge, the game is beautiful, the action is fun, the secrets are deep. With a ton of interesting activities, intriguing puzzles, and cool stuff to collect, Bang-On Balls feels like developer Exit Plan threw in everything, including the kitchen sink. This is new benchmark for action-exploration-bouncing-combat-platformer games.

Ghost of Yotei separates itself from the original game in all the right ways, improving and iterating on everything from combat to quest design. This is what a sequel should be. This is why we play video games.

Beautiful, engaging and every bit as fun as it was nearly 15 years ago, Mass Effect Legendary Edition lives up to the name. It's a gorgeous, robust title that will make veterans remember how much they enjoyed the series while giving newcomers a memorable ride for the first time. There's no question you should pick this up if you fall into either category because Commander Shepard deserves that much attention.

Ed Boon can rest easy, his Mortal Kombat reboot is a resounding success. With its creative modes, stellar story and revamped fighting mechanics, Mortal Kombat is one of the best fighting games on the PlayStation 3. Best of all, there's more than enough single-player content for even those who never want to go up against another human being. Flawless victory!

Street Fighter III Third Strike: Online Edition is probably exactly what a fan of the franchise would look for in a remake of a PS2 era arcade fighter, and as such, should be a thrill for old school Street Fighter fans. Unfortunately for the rest of us, n00bs need not apply.

The epic scale of space battles and awe-inspiring backdrops they take place in make the Homeworld Remastered Collection a must own for real-time strategy fans.

Engaging, surprising, and hella fun, Zen Studios’ Star Wars Pinball is a must for pinball fans, Star Wars fans, and fans of videogames in general. With tons of features, modes, and options, this is the definitive Zen Star Wars collection. There is something here for everyone, and as a budget title, Star Wars pinball provides amazing bang for your buck. Simply put – this is a must have for Switch owners.

An incredible 4X space-based strategy title, sure to cause sleepless nights and groggy mornings. For those with “one-more-turn syndrome”, this one will consume your world.

50 years of memories. 50 years of being the king. I love how the 50th Anniversary Collection shows the ups and downs, and exposes the vulnerabilities, of one of the greatest companies of all time. Although some games could go, and I would love to see some DLC. Digital Eclipse deserves a round of applause for this as well. You love documentaries, and you love games, so here's both. And you're going to love it.

DmC Devil May Cry is a great action title and a worthy modernizing of a classic franchise that was a little too “of its generation” for modern gamers to embrace. However, no one should have any problem embracing DmC Devil May Cry.

It's not always about the adventure you go on, but sometimes it's the way the story is told. Bastion weaves an incredible story that goes places I wasn't expecting. The game's narrations are unlike anything I've experienced before; improving what could have been an otherwise mediocre dungeon crawler. With some clever twists and turns, Bastion stays interesting from beginning to end!

Sonic Mania is a franchise’s identity found. It’s simple, it’s straightforward, it’s what Sonic should be. The developers have gone back to the drawing board and have given new life to a franchise hat was on its last legs just a few years ago. This may be new life into the series, and here’s hoping that it continues to be so.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories doesn’t attempt to reinvent the formula, but it does offer you a fantastic action/adventure game full of memorable characters, fun missions and great music.

While the single-player offering is lacking, the well-polished skirmish modes make up for most of that deficiency.

If you’re worried about Persona 4 Golden showing its old age, don’t, because it maintains its allure and sparkle even after being buried away on the PlayStation Vita for over a decade. Atlus has managed to make the re-release of a re-release of a game that came out in 2008 feel like a fresh new experience. Persona 4 Golden is an absolute must play for any Persona fan, with its immaculate soundtrack, colorful cast of characters, and addictive gameplay loop.

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack may look like an unassuming LocoRoco rip-off, but in actuality it's Katamari Damacy with a demented undercurrent. This quirky platformer basks in the glory of 1950s science fiction films; all while offering a solid action/puzzler that feels right at home on the PS Vita!

Max Payne 3's bold and different direction from series' norms has resulted in a lackluster narrative and infuriating gameplay difficulty. A well-polished presentation and hectic gun battles aren't able to redeem the lack of a memorable and worthwhile narrative, an aspect that's defined the Max Payne series since its creation. Even with Max Payne in the game's title, the actual content couldn't be further from the truth.

If you've been looking for an alternative to the Tony Hawk games then this is it, just don't go in expecting this to be the same kind of over-the-top arcade sports game that the Activision series is known for. And in a lot of ways that's a good thing.

Just like when Resident Evil 4 reinvented the series, Resident Evil 7 has done just the same. Resident Evil 7 is an absolutely terrifying and thrilling survival horror game that starts off strong and never lets up until the final credits start rolling.

Lara has matured a bit from the first title in this rebooted series, but she's still the character we remember from the island. There's a renewed focus on utilizing stealth and surroundings in order to succeed to the best of your ability and plenty of side missions and extra tombs to raise the difficulty bar. Some A.I. issues bring the game down a bit at random times, but it doesn't change the fact that this game is quite deep and provides just as fun of a challenge as Tomb Raider.

Forza Horizon 2 is just about everything you would expect from an already superb game upgraded and moved to a stronger platform.

Moss is an excellent game that completely changed the way I feel about the platformer genre. An adorable main character, striking presentation, and perfectly balanced gameplay far outweighed my minor bouts of VR discomfort to create a truly special experience.

Zen Studios has done it again! Not only is the Plants vs. Zombies table as addicting and fun as the original game, but its design and feature set make it an instant classic on the Zen Pinball platform.

If action role-playing games are something you are into, then Dragon’s Dogma 2 is your next big game. It’s that simple. You may have been thrown off by talk of the lack of fast travel. But the game’s director Hideaki Itsuno, is right: a good game doesn’t need it. Dragon’s Dogma 2’s world is covered with experiences to have. It could be a hidden cave, a simple treasure chest, or even a giant griffin that just wants to create chaos for you and your party of pawns. Combat is easy to understand, and different enough from vocation to vocation that when I get bored with one class, I can easily switch to try something different. It’s not about the destination, but rather the journey. As silly as it sounds, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is all about the friends we made along the way.

There's so much to do and it's so easily to get lost for hours just exploring the world trying to find the right materials to craft some better gear, or to finish up that side-quest that you picked up in Puerto Valor, or maybe the casino is more your style? Dragon Quest XI is easily one of the best JRPGs this generation, and it would be a shame if you missed it.

By strengthening the writing and characters, Square Enix has brought every other aspect of Octopath Traveler snapping into focus with this second entry. Beautiful, engaging, and challenging, Octopath Traveler feels like a classic JRPG, in all the best ways. This is a huge, and hugely rewarding, game.

The Taken King shows off Destiny's full potential. This is a must have.

After almost a year of waiting for the right simulation racing game to come around, Dirt 4 has me zoned-in for the duration.

Returnal is a shining technical achievement, possibly the best looking game on PlayStation 5. With addictive gunplay, a brutal learning curve, and a focus on exploration and temporary buffs, roguelike fans will be in heaven. Be warned though, the difficulty level is not for everyone. Though I learned to love Returnal with time, many players may walk away frustrated.

What makes a must-play game? Is it adding more levels to an already stacked list of platform worlds from which to collect items? Is adding a commentary you can turn on and off at will worth it? How about re-drawn art? All of those things are here, any one of which could be argument enough for the need of a Braid Anniversary Edition. It just happens that Braid Anniversary Edition is a near-perfect way to try out Braid, if you haven’t before. As someone who hasn’t played before this edition, I think this is a great way to introduce yourself to Braid. Everything looks, sounds, and plays great.

Olli Olli 2 may be incredibly difficult at times but it is also non stop fun. It takes everything that made the first game great and made it even better.

After 25+ hours of gameplay, I can honestly say Forza 7 is outstanding. There is no sim that is easier to use (not Project Cars 2), has more vehicles (not Gran Tourismo’s 180), is more realistic (sorry Need For Speed), or better variety (not F1 – same car most of game), than Forza 7. There are better dirt track games, and NASCAR games, and car-sports games, but no racing sim has as much to offer as this one does. This is the best car sim of 2017… and potentially ever.

I enjoyed Astral Ascent when it was in Early Access and I still enjoy it after it’s official release. Multiple characters, spells, and abilities along with procedurally generated areas and some fun and interesting boss fights against the Zodiacs give Astral Ascent plenty of replayability. If these kinds of games are up your alley, you’ll get plenty of gameplay out of Astral Ascent.

While I'm not 100% in love with the game due to bugs and difficulty swings, Cyberpunk 2077 is still a solid pickup simply for its story and incredible world. Make sure your system is prepared for it and you'll get a good experience.

If you have a couple hundred hours to kill, I can think of few better ways to do it than with this JRPG masterpiece.

Ten years later, Twilight Princess is still a tale masterfully told and designed. The gameplay and story hold up remarkably well, and the HD visuals, updated textures, and a handful of improved mechanics make the HD version the definitive edition of the game. In a word, it is a masterpiece, then and now.

There's not too much to not like about Injustice 2's port to the PC. A great fighting game along with plenty of features to keep you busy.

Monster Hunter Generations is a great game, though newer players might get hung up early on once the training wheels come off and the bigger monsters come out to play. Veterans of the series should be able to dive right in after learning about the new mechanics and should find a rather enjoyable game that requires a lot of skill to master.

An almost flawless game, Radiant Historia is everything I hope for in a modern-day portable RPG. Atlus and Index Corporation have potentially created a rival for Chrono Trigger in terms of story telling and quality.

Go into Inscryption as unspoiled as possible, and trust in the game. You will find a deeply enjoyable card game, wrapped in a series of dark mysteries, wrapped in…well…other stuff. Part CCG game, part escape room puzzle game, and part bonkers gonzo whirlybird lunacy, Inscryption is one of the best games of the year. They should charge more for a game this good.

A worthy successor to the previous game. While Mario and his friends feel like themselves, the Rabbids provide the right spark of humor. Each character brings their own style, and finding the combination of characters that work best for the fight at hand is part of the fun. Different difficulty settings make Sparks of Hope playable for all skill levels, whether you want a challenge or just to enjoy the content. I didn’t find much replayability in the fights, but there were more than enough to hold my attention with the side content taken into account. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope makes me feel like a kid in a good, old, classic, Nintendo way.

Cities: Skylines brings the city building genre back after its near demise from other series' flawed game releases. The inclusion of large game maps, natural resources management, addictive progression system, and all of it running at a near-flawless technical performance make Cities: Skylines the new standard in city building games.

Project Gotham Racing 4 is a solid game that delivers a diverse collection of races to complete. Unfortunately it's marred by the fact that it's not all that different from Project Gotham Racing 3 and isn't as much fun as Forza 2. Still, this is an exciting racer that is well worth adding to your collection.

MercurySteam have pulled Samus from the jaws of death and delivered one of the best games in the series. Samus Returns perfects and reimagines the gameplay of 2D Metroid games and delivers one of the best titles on the 3DS. Every self-respecting Nintendo fan should own Metroid: Samus Returns.

This game is good. I have made good memories, and hope to make many more. I'm going to miss these characters, their quirks, their catch-phrases, and their flaws. It's a good egg.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the textbook example of a Japanese role-playing game that includes all of the required features such as a turn-based combat system and lengthy narrative.

The game sports great controls, a fantastic presentation and more fighters than I know what to do with. Best of all, the game delivers when it comes to deep game modes that will keep the action fresh for months to come.

While the formula works, it's starting to get a little stale so while I fully expect to see a Guitar Hero IV I hope the developer takes the game and add something truly new to the series.

Sly Cooper may not be as popular as Jak and Ratchet, but his PlayStation 3 trilogy is the perfect candidate for an HD makeover. The Sly Collection packages three of Sony's very best 3D platformers into one budget title. Throw in trophies and move support and you have a must-own collection for anybody who loves a good crime caper!

If you have a Wii and have complained at the lack of mainstream / hardcore games, look no further as Capcom has you covered with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars. TvC may be the most complete package available on Nintendo's console right now.

Daxter isn't just a great platformer with amazing graphics and sound, it's one of the best playing games you can get on the PSP. You can look around all you want, but there's no reason to; Daxter is the new king of 3D portable platforming games.

It's a solid baseball game for the PlayStation 3. The Road to the Show is still fun and there are some nice new additions. It's too bad some of the bugs in last year's version still show up.

GORN makes a gory, bloodfest type of fighting into a fun pastime that can also serve as a fairly good cardio workout. While there are buckets of blood and dismembered body parts flying around, it is designed in a way to make what would normally be prohibitively gross into something so fun that you will find yourself laughing at the incredible mayhem that surrounds you.

A worthy upgrade that brings it closer to the fidelity of its sequel, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the best version of a great sci-fi RPG. Guerrilla Games and Nixxes Software have turned this remaster skeptic into a true believer.

The game is very accessible.

Even if you're one of those people who has completely written off the Tomb Raider series, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is still worth checking out.

Weak graphics and stability issues aside, SWAT 4 is one of the most comprehensive tactical shooters on the market. The intuitive cursor-based command system works well and the attention paid to detail leads to an exciting, edge of your seat type experience that really has to be experienced to be believed.

Zen Studios has done wonders for the pinball genre over the past couple of years. The Xbox One version of their digital pinball platform is a big improvement over the previous releases, and the lineup of available (and upcoming) tables are easily some of the best experiences you can get on the platform.

Bravely Default is one of those games that we knew was going to be something special when the first previews started showing up in Japan. The final product is nothing short of Game of the Year material. It may be too early to call it, but for now, it's definitely a front-runner for such distinction.

Characters that are fun, interesting, and have a purpose. I had a lot of fun seeing where Cal Kestis’ story went, and I’m interested in seeing where these characters go from here. Combat is near perfect; no matter your style, the puzzles are challenging enough to keep me entertained when I’m not clearing out Stormtroopers. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the good Star Wars. The kind you hope for every time you start a new video game or begin a new Star Wars tv series. A story so good I don’t want to share any of it; go play it for yourself.

When they are firing on all cylinders, Bethesda games deliver pure video game magic, and Starfield is no exception. Offering an enormous galaxy to explore, a ludicrous wealth of interesting content, well-written characters, and innovative mechanics that push the genre in new directions, Starfield is a (mostly) clean experience at launch that should be experienced by all action/RPG fans. This is a new classic.

A strong RTS/RPG outing into the rich Warhammer 40,000 universe. Real-time strategy purists might find a bit to grumble about, but those wanting some real-time tactical RPG-lite goodness are in for a treat.

Esoteric Ebb is a gorgeously illustrated, dialogue-drunk RPG that marries Disco Elysium’s inner-monologues with D&D's gameplay bones. Its bureaucratic labyrinths, strange citizens, and bickering ability scores keep every conversation swaying between revelation and the ridiculous. Solid writing and solid technical performance make the whole investigation run smoothly. It’s a game for anyone willing to take the bad rolls with the good—and enjoy the story that spills out when the dice decide you’re not the hero today.

Brutal and beautiful.

Madden NFL 10 creates solid fun but doesn't bring a polished experience. While annoyances are disappointing, the game play is good enough to pick up the slack.

Astro Boy exceeded my expectations in every possible sense.

This is not only the best Turtles beat 'em up, it is the greatest beat 'em up of all time. This is a party starter; a feel-good moment in gaming. This game is the default blueprint for future beat 'em ups. Do not wait. Get this game. Play this game. Love this game. Oh...and Cowabunga.

It's not as polished compared to Rock Band 2 but it's not a bad game.

Overall, Out of the Park '13 made a few improvements over its predecessor, but the meat of the game is pretty much the same game, which is actually a good thing. If you already have Out of the Park '12, $39.99 might be too much for a few visual and AI improvements. If you don't have a prior OOTP game, OOTP13, much like last year's game, is an excellent baseball management simulator.

A rich, vibrant, and very accurate view into what it really takes to successfully race in America’s favorite racing league.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales shines on the PlayStation 5 with great graphics, solid gameplay, and excellent use of the new DualSense controller for a seriously fun game to play on the brand new console.

Soulcalibur 4 has its flaws, awful writing and stilted dialogue, but it is also the essential fighting game of the summer, if not the entire year. Well-balanced characters and endless customization will keep you coming back for more.

If you let yourself become engulfed in the world and take your imagination for the ride, you'll dive into one of the deepest and richest experiences ever. If you ask too much from the game you'll find yourself sorely disappointed.

Forza: Horizon turns away from the down-in-the-weeds realism of previous versions to provide a more approachable ride. It's chock full of things to do and races to run, but even just driving through the spectacular countryside provides hours of enjoyment. While it's not strong in innovation in the genre, it does a respectable job of maintaining the status quo.

Out of the Park Baseball 11 made many improvements to last year's already impressive simulation. With so many refinements that make it a better experience, it's a no-brainer for those looking for a baseball simulation game.

Teardown is one of the most fun games I have played this year. The combination of destructible environments and timed heists never gets old. Not quite mindless, Teardown is still a great way to turn your brain off and just blow stuff up. It is packed with so much content that you likely won't get bored of anytime soon.

At times, Arkham Shadow is the coolest VR game ever made. But a bevy of game-stopping bugs and some of the sharpest difficulty spikes I've ever encountered keep this bat from immediately soaring. An incredible - and incredibly gorgeous - VR translation of core Arkham mechanics, but still too rough around the edges for such a prestige franchise. Give it a couple of weeks and it will be a nigh-perfect experience, but it's a shame it's releasing in this condition.

Arguably the best racing sim ever.

I haven’t played an RPG this good since "Dark Cloud 2." It’s so polished and ingenious that it’s a wonder that Midway hasn’t put more marketing muscle behind it. Make no mistake, this is the best RPG to come out this year and may very well be the best RPG to come out for quite some time.

Live’s game is purely offensive with little regard for defense or fundamentals anything else. And like Carmello, its severely overpriced and offers very little in return.

This Special Edition XBLA release features stunning graphics, improved controls and brand new voice actors. Unfortunately it didn't fix some of the game's faults. But even with its imperfections, LeChuck's Revenge is an adventure worth going on!

Dark Souls makes me sad and I don't mean because of its grueling difficulty.. Don't get me wrong, the game itself is an awesome experience but there are some serious, yet simple, roadblocks to overcome in order to enjoy it on the PC and quite frankly, that is unacceptable in today's day and age. PC gamers deserve better than this and this experience could easily have been much, much better.

Pragmata was well worth the wait. It's an incredibly fun sci-fi adventure with amazing combat, lots of areas to explore, and two of the best protagonists I've seen in games in a while with Hugh and Diana. The story unfortunately may be run of the mill and predictable, but I still enjoyed the experience. Certain moments of the story hit hard like they should.

Smash Bros for 3DS is a solid polish of everything that made Brawl great, but faster, tighter and with even more content.

Downwell is pretty much the best mobile game on the go for the Vita. If the iOS controls were better, I wouldn't have felt the need to make the platform jump. But it plays so well on the Vita, it's practically perfect.

I've always enjoyed games that enable you to build things from the ground up, and Planet Coaster is no exception. Frontier's commitment to detail is not lost. You could spend days designing, constructing, and expanding the theme park of your dreams. At a time when visiting actual theme parks isn't the most appealing, this simulation scratches the itch.

NEO: The World Ends with You is an absolute blast to play, allowing me to relive a part of my childhood, with its head-bopping soundtrack, flashy and vibrant combat, and an excellent narrative that ties in with remnants of the first game.

Astlibra Revision can be a bit grindy at times and has a lot of dialogue, even for an action RPG, but I’d be remiss if didn’t say this is one of my favorite games I’ve played recently. The game looks and feels like you’re playing an anime (complete with intro sequence at the start of each chapter) and the music is really hard not to rock out to. If you’re into action RPGs or just want to give this a shot, you can check out the demo before hand to get an idea how mostly everything works. Once you’re ready to dive into the full game, there’s not much more to say but enjoy.

Jusant is one of my favorite gaming experiences of 2023. The rock-climbing gameplay is simple yet extremely satisfying to play, and it’s masterfully interwoven with the narrative and lore of the world. It’s a surprisingly quaint, emotional story that packs a punch despite having zero spoken dialogue, which is a testament to the narrative chops of Don’t Nod. I still find myself thinking about Jusant days after staring a meditative hole through its ending credits.

Earthion is an absolute masterpiece, both as a shmup and a modern game in general. It’s beautiful, engaging, has a heart-pumping soundtrack, and is the type of game that keeps you coming back again and again. This is a special gift for fans of the genre and will go down as one of the best shmups of all time.

Chariots of the Dogs is great on so many levels, from its fantastic time traveling plotline to all of its great pop-culture references.

Nioh 2 does what a good sequel should. It capitalizes on the best parts of its predecessors while providing new content and mechanics to advance the franchise. While the story structure and level design are largely the same, added weapons, more build depth, and new combat mechanics all enhance what the game has to offer. It doesn't always hit the mark perfectly, but it's a solid addition to the series. And let's face it, being a samurai is awesome.

The Witcher 3 today is just as much a master class in game and story design as it was four years ago. Feral Interactive did an impressive job porting this gigantic RPG to Switch.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak adds more of everything that fans want – more quests, more environments, more endgame content – all couched in the same great gameplay that made Rise one of last year’s best titles. Enter aware of the blistering difficulty, but also acknowledge Sunbreak providing the tools to overcome it. Embrace the multiplayer, be prepared to faint, and have a blast.

It doesn't matter if you're a longtime fan of the series or picking up the fake plastic guitar for the first time, Guitar Hero 5 has something for everybody.

You can't really go wrong with this collection. You get two fantastic games that still hold up today at a fantastic price. If you are a fan of Platinum Games now, you owe it to yourself to check out these older titles. The only shame is that Bayonetta 2 is a Nintendo exclusive and Vanquish never got the sequel it deserved.