The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is hands down the best JRPG this year — and that’s saying a lot considering how many great ones have come out in the past twelve months. But what it has that most of those others don’t is heart.

One of the year’s best orchestrations of gameplay and presentation in unison, Card Shark is a smart, but above all, brilliantly-crafted journey of cunning and deception.

Stellar Blade delivers masterclass gameplay, spectacular visuals and a compelling universe. It no doubt will draw comparisons to Nier and its successor, but what Shift Up has done is improved upon the formula greatly in creating one of the best action games of the year.

The Beatles: Rock Band is very much so geared towards fans of the band. Some aspects might not mean much to you if you don’t know the band very well, but you will still have fun playing through the songs themselves.

Those who already own the release on consoles have no reason to double dip unless they want to play it on the go, but for those who prefer the portable experience, Mega Man Legacy Collection is a winner on 3DS.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is what MMOs should aspire to, telling a story for the ages and engaging their players with evolving mechanics. It’s an exquisite adventure that needs to be experienced.

It’s Angry Birds meets tower defense meets beat ‘em up meets crack cocaine levels of addictiveness in a hodgepodge amalgamation of stuff that absolutely should not work as well as it does.

Swinging across Marvel’s version of Manhattan not only looks good thanks to the beautiful lighting and attention to detail, but it has never felt so good either, being a relaxing and peaceful experience. Unfortunately, nothing is without its faults, as controls can be a bit finicky, and like all open world games, you’ll find occasional graphical anomalies. That’s not mention the side quests are a little lacking. This seems like a perfect fit to tell stories of lesser known or lower profile Spider-Man villains, but among the various side quests in the campaign, there’s only one that fits the bill. Regardless, Insomniac Games perfectly captures Peter Parker’s comical bravado, all while establishing a world ripe for its own unique expansion. In the end, Marvel’s Spider-Man is the most realized Spider-Man game yet.

Although it comes in the wake of dozens before it, Shadow of Mordor is the definitive Middle-earth experience. It smartly avoids trying to adapt already existing plot points, instead crafting its own unique story and overall experience.

Horizon Forbidden West’s PC release is a joy to play to get a refresher on the latest game in this series of breathtaking games so far. It's a blast to run around and experience the world the game offers with maximum detail. The work put into the game to make it run smoothly on PC is amazing. Players will be happy with this PC port and can look forward to experiencing the game once again without any restrictions or graphical limitations on it.

If nothing else, Company of Heroes 2 proves that Relic really is in the top eschelon of RTS developers. This is the crème de la crème, people. Do not be the one to pass it up.

Atomic Heart keeps on going and throws everything at the wall, from large set-pieces to quiet moments of exploration, packed encounters or tough single enemies, stealth areas that you can bull on through if sneaking isn’t your thing, and plenty of little puzzles to add more variety to a game that already had plenty. Whatever lies at the heart of Facility 3826, whatever the project ends up meaning, Atomic Heart is an incredible adventure into the retro-future history of a Russia that never existed.

Rogue Legacy is pure action platforming addiction, endlessly playable and fun from its low level beginning to high-powered end.

Super Mario Maker is a special video game, period. You could include all of the lengthy, metaphor-laden nonsense that your little brain can come up with as to what is and isn’t perfect about it, but at the end of the day, this is a title that allows you to create and play Super Mario Bros. levels for as long as your thumbs can handle.

Oddly enough, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is more about the journey than the destination. It’s sobering, funny, heartfelt, and inspirational all at once, sprinkled with some real life lessons in between. If this is what Starbreeze Studios is truly capable of, then we’re ready to see plenty more — especially if it means more interesting experimental mechanics like the ones exhibited here.

While learning how to Dream Sculpt is challenging with a steep learning curve, Dreams does not let its players flounder. With some practice, anyone can create whatever content comes to mind. Despite it being time consuming, Dreams delivers certain freedoms not found in other games. Dreams is a perfect title for players seeking a robust sandbox with exceptional creation tools. It just goes to show that anyone with a dream can make it a reality.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II continues the Calvard story arc set by its predecessor and also reaches the standard of excellence set by it. Whether tackling 4SPG jobs from the bulletin board, grinding for gear or playing minigames in the Märchen Garten or trying to advance through the main story, things never get boring in Trails Through Daybreak II. The roster of characters is varied and interesting, and watching their own history and motivations play out in the context the main story helps make them feel alive. Progressing through the main story campaign is kept interesting through the combined force of a strong narrative and great battle system, but the player can always take a break and use the Märchen Garten as a playground. These factors make The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II not only a great addition to the franchise, but an incredible JRPG in general.

Those looking for a new 3DS game to sink at least 100 hours into should buy The Fafnir Knight; it’s the definitive Etrian Odyssey game.

SuperHot VR is one of the best games VR has seen yet. It’s a little bit short and on rare occasions the AI goes a bit loopy, but during the 99% of the time when everything is trying to kill you, it’s an incredible rush.

Tomb Raider is not just a reboot, but a revelation in a series that had long passed its prime.

Ultimately, though, Lost Winds is a wonderful little game, and a great promise of what’s to come.

Much like the protagonists, Grounded sees Obsidian heading into new brand new territory that’s still familiar in some ways, and their expedition ends up paying off big-time. Excelling as a survival game with a nice and meaty challenge, an adventure game with a lot of secrets and goods to hunt for and a highly-enjoyable story, and a visual spectacle as you wander around and take in the eye-popping sights of now-majestic backyard clutter (and the more frightening sights of the impressive and imposing insects), this is one trip that’s tiny yet epic at the same time and is not to be missed out on.

With a kickass, overcharged aesthetic and silky-smooth mechanics, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma is one of the finest fighting games available today.

Concrete Genie could have simply been a game about painting and creating virtual pets that you can interact with and it still would have been a fantastic little game. But thanks to some fun action, nice puzzles and a beautiful world, it becomes something even more. The fun is in the creation, crafting a vivid world out of the pages you find and then letting your charming Genies play in it. It’s just one of those games that can be perfectly described as “feel-good.” You’ll walk away from it with a warm heart and a big smile on your face after the credits roll, yet end up diving back in so that you can find every secret. Concrete Genie is one of the PS4’s most notable highlights this year and PlayStation fans should be sure not to miss it.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is a great example of how a remaster should be, making three unique DS titles accessible once again on modern devices. Although Star Force comes as one possible evolution to what the Battle Network series proposed, the titles are still unlike anything else on the market in its combination of deckbuilding and action. The new collection is a complete pack that anyone interested in exploring the games for the first time or coming back to them should get.

Valkyria Chronicles is a timeless classic, and this exceptional PC port only manages to improve upon it.

Whether you’re a comic book or PC gaming enthusiast, Marvel’s Spider-Man is well worth experiencing for the first time or once more.

Psychonauts 2 is one of the year’s most enjoyable games and one of the best modern platformers of the past few years. The creativity in the visuals and level design is still on display at full blast, the story is superb and shows no fear when it comes to tackling mature subjects and the action is nice and intense, creating a perfect level of challenge.