Hades II is an absolute blast from moment one, and only gets better from there. Everything from the dialogue to the music, visuals, combat, and build possibilities feels polished to a mirror sheen. It’s going to take you a long time to even reach the depths of Hades or the peak of Olympus, but when you finally do you’ll get hooked all over again.

Persona 5 Royal is the crown jewel of the series. It expands and improves upon everything that made the original a powerhouse title in the first place. The new activities and confidants staggeringly stand out, and the numerous minor improvements subtly propel the game into a masterful league of its own. Roll out a scarlet carpet and hail the king of JRPGs.

The Last of Us is truly the game of a generation, and the Remastered edition brings the harrowing adventure to a whole new generation with expert style.

Rockstar San Diego has captured the environment and the emotion of the time masterfully. So much is done right that the bugs which do exist do not detract from the game. If you enjoy open-world titles at all, Red Dead Redemption should be in your gaming library.

Portal 2 is hands-down the best game thus far released in 2011.

Astro Bot captures all of the strong points of a brand new puppy. It’s cute, playful, and doggedly loyal to PlayStation’s history. While it still has room to grow into its legs and sharpen its teeth, most missteps are easily forgiven. I mean, just look at it!

Perhaps the greatest feat that Infinity Ward has performed is not only living up to the hype of Modern Warfare 2, but actually exceeding it.

It’s very rare that a game grabs me this completely, but God of War is, without a doubt, an early contender for Game of the Year. It’s flawless in its execution, and the new benchmark for action titles. Well done, Santa Monica Studios, and thanks for taking us on this entirely new adventure.

I’m both happy and sad that Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and last expansion for Elden Ring. On one hand, it’s a masterfully woven experience that expands on the contents of the base game, whereas on the other it leaves much more to be desired with its disappointing final boss. That being said, it’s still very much worth your time if you’re craving some more Elden Ring.

There are huge staircases, statues and mystical spheres…oh wait, that last thing is not in a typical gothic-style castle. The game is well polished and I never saw a graphic I didn’t like in the whole game.

I’m sure that it took a lot of convincing to get Activision to sign off on moving to a modern setting instead of the wildly successful World War II model that has performed so well since the game’s inception, but it has paid off in spades.

A fantastic romp with the Dark Knight through a suitably dark and depressing city, with your fists, your toys and a fantastic new take on the story. While it engages more sandbox gameplay, it ultimately is a true sequel to the Arkham Asylum in both feel and presentation and is a worthy purchase, even if it isn't that long or that large.

Metroid Prime Remastered is an amazing update to a classic game. Despite some remaining issues like clunky combat and platforming, the new control scheme and visual updates make this a must-play in the Switch’s library, even for those who didn’t enjoy the original. This is how you update a game for modern audiences.

Containing all of the downloadable content from the other two versions, as well as a fantastic story to boot, Bioshock is an incredible title.

Raiders of the North Sea Digital is a beautiful and fun implementation of a great board game. With the simplicity of placing and removing workers, and quick AI games are short. With a few additional tweaks to the interface and gameplay, it could be even better. Thankfully Direwolf has already released some improvements and is continuing to work to make the game as polished as possible.

There is one area where Gears of War does not shine – bugs. Four big ones affecting multiplayer are fairly widespread.

Overall, Metaphor plays like a dream from start to finish. There’s less downtime than Persona and fewer frustrating moments than Shin Megami Tensei, with the whole game feeling like a high-stakes road trip with your best friends. The road to the throne is a tough one, but it’s one well worth walking.

I’m sure that it took a lot of convincing to get Activision to sign off on moving to a modern setting instead of the wildly successful World War II model that has performed so well since the game’s inception, but it has paid off in spades.

Clearly Bungie's efforts were focused on the multiplayer facets of this game; and that alone makes it worth owning.

While the game does have a few flaws, there is simply nothing else out there like Oblivion. This is your early contender for Game of the Year, regardless of platform.

Street Fighter IV is proof that you can take classic gameplay and update it for today’s game consoles and it will be hit.

With this much improvement in the online mode after just one new game, I think Ubisoft will knock our socks off on the next generation of hardware.

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is a nearly flawless sendoff for Geralt of Rivia, and the world of The Witcher.

It’s rare to see a sequel nail it this hard, but God of War: Ragnarök has once again raised the bar for every action adventure title. It’s the best game I’ve played in a very, very long time, and is, in a word, perfect.

The only question you can ask yourself is how much time can you give a game that sucks you in and doesn't let go?

It absolutely boggles my mind that anyone could find watching a game for 10+ hours and interacting with it for less than half that a quality game.

Perhaps the greatest feat that Infinity Ward has performed is not only living up to the hype of Modern Warfare 2, but actually exceeding it.

Coupled with a download via the Playstation Store that’ll explain the series to you so far, this game is playable even if you haven’t been following the series for years.