The Sunbreak expansion only serves to elevate the already excellent experience that Monster Hunter Rise features, with a slew of new monsters, locales, armor, weapons, mechanics, and quality of life updates. It builds on nearly every aspect of the base game, without compromising anything in between. Just know that there is a high barrier to entry, especially for non-hardcore fans, in terms of price, difficulty, and grind.

Neon White is a ballet of bullets and death that always leaves you wanting just one more run. There are a ton of levels and powers to master, along with a witty and sincere story at the center. One of 2022’s best games.

At the end of the day, Darklings is a mildly disappointing, but also intriguing, beauty.

Shadow Complex is yet another example of how fun, creative gameplay does not have to be limited to the bigger budget AAA titles.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a completely crazy tour-de-force that carries you through trenches all around the world, as well as giving a great refresh to the multiplayer mode that has all but defined Activision in the console market.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut may be overlooked by those who have already played it, but it is a robust experience worthy of a playthrough by its own right.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice manages to live up to its monstrously high expectations in nearly every way. Its high-risk combat system is as satisfying as it is punishing, and its level design begs you to explore every inch of the world. While its locations and enemies aren’t as varied as in previous From Software games, you’ll hardly notice when you’re locking swords with opponents across several beautiful settings. Sekiro tells an intriguing tale about loyalty and mortality packed with surprises and easy-to-miss side stories.

Wednesdays is a great example of how video games are an important vessel for different perspectives and awareness. Whilst it is more visual novel than actual game, just the simple act of clicking text boxes that maybe shy away from the topic or get straight to the point allows the player to control how they consume such a deep and nuanced topic. It’s definitely a game to give a chance to, especially when it won’t cost you a thing.

Along with FreeStyleGames critical examination of every bit of DJ Hero and their effort to improve everything, they have succeeded beyond measure and created a title that no music fan should pass up.

If you’re looking for a whimsical and accessible racing game to play with your friends and family, Mario Kart 8 is one of the best. Just don’t expect any additional content outside of the most basic modes.

Simple, inspired, and constantly encouraging, Super Mario Maker gives players the freedom to enjoy Mario the way they like to the most. The pre-made levels are mostly just samples, but the real potential lies with the online community. Super Mario Maker not only respects Mario’s 30-year history, it gives players the keys to the Mushroom Kingdom like never before.

The graphics, sound and gameplay combine to form the best Tekken game yet.

The story is mysterious enough to demand further investigation, but after a while you start wishing they would hurry things up and get to the good stuff. It’s only later when you’ll stumble onto the Catch-22 that the only truly "good stuff" in the game is that you can blow up a lot of the boring stuff.

Mr. X Nightmare is loaded with enough new content to keep players engaged or bring back those who may have strayed. As an old school fan, it’s great to have Max back but the new faces fit into the roster nicely and bring their own beautifully animated flair to the party while survival mode provides plenty of replay value.

You don’t really see games with the level of Polish that Nier: Automata has. The combat is smooth, the story is captivating, the world is alive and evolving, and it’s all backed up by an incredible soundtrack. The game does lack with its textures and can get repetitive at times, but even with those problems the game sets itself apart from most on the market today, and it’s one of the more original and enjoyable titles to play.

I cannot stress strongly enough just how much fun and how addicting this game is.

It Takes Two is one of the most unique games I’ve played in a long time. The heartfelt story can be really dark at times, but does it’s job to reinforce the narrative. There aren’t many co-op games on the market, and none of them do what It Takes Two does, with each bit of the platforming gameplay being tons of fun and adding enjoyable new techniques as you make your way through each level. It may be tough to lock someone down for fifteen hours to play it, and even then I feel like I’m reaching for this as a con, but if you find someone that wants to play It Takes Two with, you probably won’t want to put down the controller.

Despite some gripes about the translation from PC to console, The Banner Saga 3 does an admirable job wrapping up a grim tale of separation and loss. And it does that with challenging and fun tactical battles as well as fascinating player choice throughout.

The overall polish has improved, and there is more fun to be had in this iteration than any previous. It no longer feels like a forced checklist, instead offering players the freedom to partake, skip, or mix and match as much as they see fit.

The Last of Us: Left Behind is at its best when it focuses on the quiet, somber moments between our on-screen heroines. And while it may feel more like an expansion rather than a necessary addition, Left Behind’s narrative still feels important.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the best Monster Hunter has ever felt. It looks incredible and plays even better with fluid weapon combos, an incredibly addicting gameplay loop, and various monsters to fight. It’s not quite perfect, with the multiplayer features being unintuitive, but once you start playing you just don’t want to put it down.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is one of the best games I’ve played this year. It’s fun, it’s endearing, and I just want to play it again. The gameplay isn’t much different, but it’s refined and has aged like a fine wine, with the technical prowess on display we’ve come to expect from Insomniac Games. If you’re looking for a great narrative, the story is arguably the best in the series, with the grandeur of a Marvel movie in tow. One could imply the game isn’t long enough, but that’s only because they put down the controller, and that’s just not what you’re going to do if you have a copy of Rift Apart.

Just the simple addition of being able to move while punching is enough to recommend this game hands down.

From mind blowing graphics and lighting effects and the brilliant experience of speed. The enormous amount of vehicle choices and racing options. Music choices out the whazoo, and stellar sound effects.

It's rare to find an RPG for a handheld system with this much content. There's so much video game joy here that you it should satisfy just about any RPG gamer.

Torchlight II represents the perfect iteration of a series, combining solid innovation from Runic along with a deluge of feedback courtesy of fans and player mods. Runic and Perfect World have given us everything we've asked for – I can't think of a single game that can make that claim in recent memory.

It is rare when the sequel surpasses its predecessor, but XCOM 2 does it with style and verve.

Dishonored 2 is like a pretty painting stuck in an ugly frame — painfully close to being complete. New abilities and upgrades, the addition of a second playable character, and creative level designs illustrate Dishonored in its peak condition, but the game is hampered by technical issues on console as well as a predictable plot. These criticisms are easily forgivable though, because Dishonored 2 is so engaging in its moment-to-moment gameplay. Very few games can boast so lofty a degree of player agency as Dishonored 2, and when you consider this, the ugly frame doesn’t seem as important after all.