Thanks to a nice set of challenges, a charming style and sense of humor, and a ton of unlockable items to toy with combined with a hefty chunk of customization options, Two Point Campus easily graduates at the head of its class. The task of having to manage a successful university is tough but fair all around sucking you in as you try to figure out how to best increase your campus’ attractiveness for that one goal without breaking the bank. Two Point Campus is another winner from Two Point Studios and we can’t wait to see what profession they bring their unique simulator style to next…

Lumines Arise is an expressive, compelling puzzle game that manages to provide a carefully created experience that merges together sound, visuals and gameplay. It’s a spectacle of lights, colors and sounds that continues to be enthralling for long bursts. There are very few projects like it on the market, and it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who loves puzzles and contemporary music.

For disillusioned former veterans and newcomers alike, Warlords of Draenor is the time to pick up a new WoW expansion; it’s just that good.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is how a classic game should be remade. The new graphics style brings Dragon Quest III into the modern era while maintaining the original iconic designs. The quality-of-life improvements also make the 36-year-old game feel modern without sacrificing the core elements of the original experience. There are certain aspects that may not appeal to everyone, such as maintaining the original first-person battle perspective instead of changing it to the more animated one seen in more recent Dragon Quest games, or the omission of the Pachisi minigame. Even with these criticisms, however, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is among the best releases of 2024, reimagining the classic game in a contemporary form without sacrificing any of the original charm.

It may not be Platinum Games' most technically sophisticated piece of work, but it's damn good all the same. For $30, it's a total steal, and a great way to kick off 2013.

Chasm is one of the finest Metroidvania games ever created. While the game’s developmental journey was longer than expected, the wait was well-worth it. Every aspect of the game shows that a great deal of care was put into it and the attention to detail for the core gameplay pays off in spades. There are many different ways to play Chasm and all of them result in an unforgettable experience. It plays like a dream, looks stunning and features an atmospheric soundtrack that makes every new room both exciting and terrifying.

Ubisoft has successfully recreated what made Grand Theft Auto great, but incorporates enough original ideas to set Marcus’ journey apart and make it feel fresh.

Nearly one year later, Night in the Woods remains one of the most quotable and passion-fueled indie titles in recent years. While the Switch version’s technical issues does hold it back from being the best platform to experience the game on, the solid presentation, equal-parts socially-relevant and comedic dialogue and welcome additions to the core game keep Night in the Woods a must-play title for those who are experiencing or have had an emotional stretch of time as a young adult or simply those looking for a well-told adventure title.

Those seeking a satisfying, skill-testing platforming experience will love Rogue Legacy. It puts a fresh coat of paint on a variety of well-worn gaming genres and ends up a must-play gaming experience.

This is a tremendously unique, wildly creative endeavor that is a blast to play and even more enjoyable to listen to.

This is one of the top visual novel releases on Steam this year, and an excellent horror experience in general.

Rogue Legacy 2 is an enormous beast of an adventure, packed with fast combat, great platforming and endless replayability. It’s the kind of game that can be actively difficult to stop playing, with the spoils from one run opening up new opportunities in the next that can be difficult to resist checking out. While progress can be slow it rarely turns into a grind, with most hits and the inevitable death of the current hero feeling fair and avoidable if only you’d been just a bit more skilled. The generations come and go with each one sacrificing a member to castle and lands beyond, but the family obsession burns through the ages and makes it easier for the next descendant to go further and become stronger. It may take countless millennia to learn all the castle’s secrets, but seeing as it’s almost impossible to walk away from the quest, they’re bound to be unraveled some day.

For visual novel fans, or the curious, Ever 17: The Out of Infinity is an absolute must-play. It takes the disaster movie template from the '90’s and early 2000s and adds to it, creating a thematically-diverse, gripping story. While player choice isn’t going to yield wildly divergent results, it feels like it matters to both the story and to the player, which is a feat for a game that was created so long ago. This is one where avoiding spoilers is for the best, as this title has some surprising twists and turns. Even when a story beat relies on a trope, it evolves the trope into something new and interesting. It’s also a lengthy story that takes a bit to see the final ending, but never overstays its welcome.

Hades already looked great, but experiencing it in 4k on current-gen consoles is a sight to behold. Hades received numerous accolades and critical acclaim during the previous year, all of which it remains worthy of here. Supergiant has a built a name for themselves with a small but consistent library of games and Hades may be their crowing achievement (so far). The story is relatable and well written, the graphics are gorgeous and the soundtrack is worthy of live performance. While those elements are important, what matters with a game is how fun it is to play, and with the simple-but-addictive gameplay, there’s no excuse not to play Hades now that it’s available on every platform.

Mushihimesama is a phenomenal arcade game and an indispensable addition to any shooter fan’s library.

While Dusk is a throwback to an older type of game, it’s excellent in its own right, loaded with content and an absolute blast to tear through from start to finish.

It may have taken a number of years to get here, but Yakuza 5 was worth the wait. It’s not only the most robust and well-executed game in the series, it’s also one of the best games of last generation.

With the inclusion of Sunbreak, Monster Hunter Rise is finally a complete package and it does not disappoint. It’s the most fun and varied a Monster Hunter title has been since 4 Ultimate on the 3DS, taking some of the best elements from that title along with Generations Ultimate and the quality-of-life improvements found in Iceborne. The best part is with so much to do it’s shocking to realize that even more will come through free updates and it will be exciting to see just what other monsters decide to make a crash landing in Sunbreak throughout the year and into next. Anyone looking for a fantastic Monster Hunter package who hasn’t already picked it up needs to dive into Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak and begin one of the best hunts to date.

The original game has been reworked visually and mechanically to be far more playable in 2021, even though it’s still less than ideal when it comes to combat, especially moving onto the sequels. The second and third Mass Effects don’t receive as major an enhancement to their quality of life, but what they do receive is visual clarity. The game runs magnificently on current and last-generation consoles, not to mention load times are insignificant now and the graphical touches that have been instituted only help to enhance the experience. There’s nothing quite like Mass Effect out there, and having upwards of 300 hours worth of content readily available is an immense value that goes unmatched. It may have taken longer than we had expected to come out, but we finally got a remaster that’s does the franchise proud.

Its cel-shaded, low-poly art style is perfectly suited to bringing its lovable cast of characters to life and painting a cute yet macabre world reminiscent of Caroline and Okage: Shadow King. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure will make you grin like you’re a kid again from beginning to end.

With individualized players, explosive tactical potential and unparalleled realism, PES 2016 redefines what a soccer game can be.

Move or Die is a perfect example of genius in its simplicity. Genius that involves blasting a sentient teacup in the head with a sniper rifle, but genius nonetheless.

Despite issues here and there, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a game for the ages, focusing on engaging combat along with a world brimming with adventure. In true Metroidvania fashion, Hollow Knight: Silksong will have you coming back for more.

The gameday experience remains fantastic and properly replicates the atmosphere, while the changes to AI greatly affect the gameplay. These two additions alone make EA SPORTS FC 25 stand out as one of the best in the series.

Yacht Club Games has delivered more than anyone ever could have hoped for, and created an experience that gamers young and old will thoroughly enjoy.

NASCAR Heat 4 gets it right with properly replicating NASCAR and the racing is the best the series has seen. The AI does a wonderful job of not ruining the experience and is a better opponent than people online. The Career Mode continues to be deep. About the only knock the game has is that there is no major new mode but the advancements are enough. You won’t be worrying about that when you’re racing. I feel the dedication to eSports brought upon this upgrade of on-track action and the visuals get the necessary jump to be considered a major player in racing games. NASCAR fans should absolutely pick up NASCAR Heat 4.

Fenyx Rising doesn’t have any right to be as good as it turned out to be. It sounds like a mid-tier PS2 game and in a lot of ways it is, except it takes all the weirdness and creativity and “what on Earth is this supposed to be”-ness of that era and applies full AAA-caliber production values to every aspect of it.

By bringing Apollo Justice to 3DS, every main title in the Ace Attorney series is now readily available to fans looking to dive into court cases on the handheld. Upgraded audio and visuals make this more beautiful than ever, even trumping the work done on the original trilogy’s remake for 3DS. Fans of the series will be satisfied to know that the effort put into this remake is well worth picking it up again and players who haven’t been able to play this middle entry prior now have easy access to one of the early turning points in the series. Although it was a nine year wait, it’s more than satisfying to enjoy Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney once again looking as great as can be.