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.