Once again, it’s a testament to the quality of Baldur’s Gate 3 that, through the bugs, difficulty level, and awkward UX, my friends keep coming back, and we all still can’t wait for the next lengthy, multi-hour session which will inevitably end with another dead merchant. It always does, and at this point, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Astro Bot has set a new benchmark that all 3D platformers now have to reach, and I’ll be waiting excitedly while they try.

As with any good roguelite, there are new pilots and ships to unlock, as well as card sets and modifiers to change what you’re capable of. It’s also injected with some of that Hades magic, with your pilots dropping new hints to the story with each successful run. The story and characters aren’t quite as in-depth as Hades, but it makes up for that by being funny and charming in a way few games can manage.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is the legendary game given more than just a new coat of paint. The visuals and sound design are brutally oppressive, the combat is sharper than a knife’s edge, and the world will make you want to uncover every corner. It’s as enticing as it is engaging, and intense as it is exciting. Resident Evil 4 is back, and it’s better than ever.

In almost every way you can look at it, Rebirth is a huge improvement over Remake. It constantly surprises you with how far it’s willing to go to recreate the moments you love, and even a poor ending can’t undermine the incredible 100 hours it took me to get there. Some of the open-world stuff starts to drag toward the end – especially in regions where the topography is more complex and hoofing it around is like trying to find your way out of the backrooms – but most of that’s optional anyway. I did it because I felt rewarded with special character moments that expanded upon the original game’s relationships in meaningful ways. I don’t know where Square Enix will take things from here, but I’ll be ready to mosey.

It’s not clear what the future holds for the Xenoblade series, but the director, Tetsuya Takahashi has confirmed that the story that started in the first game is officially finished with this DLC. Whether it will go the route of starting a brand new story in the same universe – like what Kingdom Hearts 4 appears to be doing – remains to be seen, but if this did happen to be the final thing we ever got in the Xenoblade franchise, I would be thoroughly satisfied. Future Redeemed is the perfect end to a perfect story.

From the mechanics to the characters, and even the visual flourishes that adorn every attack, Street Fighter 6 is peak fighting games. This is a traditional, grounded fighter that feels entirely modern and fresh thanks to the Drive Gauge and everything that surrounds it. No mechanic or meter feels wasted, everything in Street Figher 6 has been honed to a fine point. This will be the best fighting game of 2023, and perhaps even of the generation.

Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t do anything particularly surprising for Elden Ring players, but it’s worth the price of admission just to see FromSoftware flex its world design expertise in a more compact playspace. It also fits perfectly into the middle of the main game, which means you can step into the Land of Shadow and return to the main world armed to the teeth with an arsenal of fun and unique new weapons, from hulking katanas to reverse grip swords, beast claws, and poison bottles. Whether you’re here for the lore, the swords, or the vibes, Shadow of the Erdtree bolsters what’s already one of the best games ever made.

Taking the Persona formula and putting it in a different setting could’ve crashed and burned, but the team behind Metaphor: ReFantazio understood exactly what needed to change to make it work. The result is a game that has a sense of familiarity in its mechanics, yet innovates in ways that make it a distinct experience. On top of that, it pulls you into this brand-new world which is expertly crafted with larger-than-life personalities that pop off the screen and make for a thrilling adventure. I don’t know if Metaphor is planned to be a one-off or the start of a new series, but either way, it’s something special.

This is one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to review, and not only because I spent 40 hours playing it and felt I had only just scratched the surface. It’s a game that’s meant to be discussed. The mystery of games like Mooncat, Divers and the curious Terminal continues to confound me, and I can’t wait to see people inevitably figure it all out hours after launch. However, the way that the collection spans so many genres while still feeling cohesively linked is impressive, and I cannot wait for launch to uncover all the parts I couldn’t possibly figure out for myself.

Against the Storm is a perfect storm: It’s a unique blend of genres that executes its ideas without any great flaws. Instead of motivating you to play ‘just one more turn,’ it tempts you into building ‘just one more city,’ condensing the thrilling allure of exploration and mechanical intricacy of a city-builder into runs that will fly by as fast as raindrops in a hurricane.

The Pristine Cut has made one of the best “choices matter” games of all time even better. The new routes weave into the overall narrative perfectly and add more depth to an already excellent game. Black Tabby Games is going back to finish Scarlet Hollow before working on a new game, and I’ve never been so excited to see what’s in the kitchen.

Trails through Daybreak might not have the wow factor of modern, big-budget RPGs or the nostalgic pull of a retro Final Fantasy, but that works in its favor. Sure, there's room for more polish and meaningful evolution. But instead of chasing trends, Daybreak is just confidently itself, and it's much stronger for it.

Despite all of the playable cards being the standard 52-card pack, the extra systems surrounding it create a gameplay loop just as – if not more – complex, addictive, and downright joyous as Slay the Spire, and I don’t say that lightly.

Animal Well brings unique ideas to a genre that doesn’t often get them, with a firm grasp on how to design a world that constantly pushes you to explore deeper. All of its tools are things the genre hasn’t seen before, and that novelty makes you feel incredibly smart solving puzzles the likes of which you’ve never seen in any other game before.

It was one of the best games of 2023, and the new update has made it even better. It’s a game that everyone needs to play for themselves as each journey is unique, even though you will likely want to dive in for another unique journey straight afterwards.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 won’t do anything that blows you away, but it doesn’t matter when a game plays, looks, and sounds as good as this. It’s an improvement over the first game and proves how polished and slick a sequel can be when the developer is free to revisit and refine on top of solid foundations. Now we just cross our fingers and pray that Insomniac gets an 18-rating for its Wolverine game because it just might pull it off again.

Aside from all this romance games live and die on the cast, and there is an excellent cast of characters to choose from. No matter who you choose, you get to know everyone around you, and they bond together throughout the year independent of you. Each piece moves like fully formed people adding to that perfect feeling that what is happening is real. Jack Jeanne is the pinnacle, and evolution of the genre beyond simple dialogue trees. It’s a turning point for romance games, and we are unlikely to see a change so drastic for a long time.

I might rag on Destiny 2’s level design (I’d probably do the same with Halo, honestly), but I can’t fault Bungie on its pedigree when it comes to making a shooter that feels great. It’s far easier said than done, and many shooters manage to be merely functional and serviceable rather than fun – looking at you, Starfield, Borderlands, Outer Worlds – but Destiny 2’s guns are genuinely great to shoot. It helps that smaller, weaker foes will usually get wiped out in a fraction of an Auto Rifle’s clip, instead of acting like perpetual bullet sponges. Having dozens of weaker foes to fight against is far more satisfying than one big bullet sponge, and Destiny 2 understands this, all the way up until you find a dungeon or raid boss. [Review in Progress]

The best part of the new port is the potential for all the upcoming mods. All of my complaints can be fixed by the community through mods, although Square Enix should address them directly first. Overall, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks and runs better than its PS5 counterpart on PC. The amount of options and scalability is enough to satisfy most PC gamers with modern hardware, and certain quirks can be fixed with quick updates.

It was the little things that prevented me from claiming Sea of Stars as perfection. Without spoilers, one character does something VERY naughty, that ends in some very bad things happening, and everyone seems just okie dokie with it after the fact. No one brings up it was their fault, just because they’re good in battle, I guess. However, it is hard to criticize Sea of Stars, as it does what it intends exceptionally well, and it delivers something we’re all familiar with, in a very refreshing way.

Dave the Diver’s unusual genre blend creates an infinitely satisfying and addictive gameplay loop, which, thanks to the constant influx of new mechanics and game content, feels fresh and rewarding until the very end.

This is a game designed primarily to appease an existing audience, not court a new one. While that’s definitely good for die-hard Tekken players, it also means that Tekken 8 just feels like another one. Another Tekken game, without anything more to say. It’s Tekken, it’s great, but I wish it were more.

Overall this is Carlson’s best game yet, taking what made Limbo and Inside so great, and taking those puzzle mechanics to completely new heights. In a year of amazing games, Cocoon still stands out, which we certainly weren’t expecting so late into the year.

Not only does Unicorn Overlord have a deep story, but each member plays so differently that I was excited to learn just what they could do. Maybe I would have better understood all the strategy behind it if I sank an additional 60 hours into the game, but I left feeling satisfied and I’m more strategy game curious than I ever thought I would be.

Cyberpunk 2077 has always been good at pulling you into its world, but Phantom Liberty grabs you by the collar and pushes your face right into the grimy, piss-soaked alleyways.

Of course, it looks gorgeous. I won’t spend too long banging on about graphics because there’s literally a video at the top of this page, but modern advancements in lighting really lend themselves to this setting, with the brushed metal of your suit and the ship reflecting light. The darkness is actually dark, too, adding to the tension when you’re guided only by torchlight. In a nice touch, the lighting occasionally comes into play in combat, with red emergency lights strobing, illuminating the creatures closing in on you, getting nearer and nearer with every blink.

Sure, it’s the best version of Persona 4, but a lot of that legwork was done in the Steam port, so it’s hard to really give much credit to this. Still, Persona 4 Golden is a great game with a wonderful soundtrack and a combat system that absolutely rules, which makes it worth playing (or replaying) for any Persona fan.