This sequel makes both the first game and John Marston's overall story better and more meaningful. Red Dead Redemption 2 is at once a startling evolution of the Rockstar Games formula and everything a fan could hope for from a Red Dead Redemption sequel.

The shortcomings do little to mar the overall experience, and most only become evident after you've spent 30 or 40 hours in this dazzling world. God of War is a special game. It's the sort of experience that people are going to be talking about for months to come, with a story that hits you right in the feels and smooth, beautifully staged gameplay that clicks immediately like a familiar, old friend.

Uncharted 4 lives up to the legacy the series has earned for itself, but it fails to evolve much beyond that. Naughty Dog proved with The Last of Us that satisfying gameplay could capably co-exist with a complex plotline. This is a step back from that.

From what I've played over a couple dozen hours, the game seems airtight. No bugs. No annoyances. No character that seems wildly overpowered. Of course, I'm not a professional Smash player so I can't look at it from that critical lens, but it feels good to me...In my experience as a casual-yet-passionate player, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is exceptional in every way.

It doesn't have an Important Message to deliver and it's not openly political or overbearing about driving home underlying themes. It's just an expertly crafted story that — through clever design and eye-catching art — propels you from one terrible discovery to the next.

The right memories are allowed to linger. This is more than just a Shadow of the Colossus remake; it's a definitive take, the game as it was always meant to be in our heads.

Every inch of the Resident Evil 2 remake is engrossing. It’s a masterclass in environmental design and atmosphere. It blends action, puzzles, and story into a well-balanced and fun concoction. All of that together makes RE2 an early game of the year contender for 2019. There’s just one thing I can’t get out of my head. The Resident Evil 2 remake almost broke me.

The game is relaxing and soothing. That's it's strong suit and it nails it completely, making it easy to sink hours and hours into in a single day...It is without a doubt the best entry in the series yet.

The challenge is something that Ori and the Will of the Wisps nails perfectly. Whether it's a boss battle, a chase sequence, a puzzle, or a section that's hard to navigate through, Will of the Wisps doesn't shy away from the difficulty.

If you're a fan of the Dark Souls series, this game will give you another simply great 50-60 hours, though you may end up finally having your fill.

It takes a lot of brain power to keep these relationships going and win battles. But there's no way I'm stopping now.

Respawn essentially reinvented the wheel here, creating a system of communication that effectively negates the need for verbal comms. Competing shooters would do well to take note. [Early impressions]

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2's most impressive achievement isn't just bringing back something old, though. It would've been easy to polish up grandpa's skateboarding game and put it out for $40 as a hollow appeal to nostalgia. All of the new enhancements, from fresh young skaters to fully appropriate new music, form a genuine fountain of youth for the franchise that open worlds and motion controls never could. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 doesn't have to pretend it's a Superman. It's already there.

This is a game where, a full 32 hours after starting, with all the key mysteries uncovered... I still felt like I'd only scratched the surface. That's a rare thing in video games. But that's Horizon: Zero Dawn.

There's so much to love in this tremendously well executed game that I absolutely have to recommend. It's cute, fun, and sweet. Plus, what it lacks in heart, you and your player two can provide all on your own. Happy date night, gamers.

Seeing what other people create on their blank Mario canvases is also a nice way to get inspired for your own creations, to see how different ideas can be implemented, and possibly most importantly, see what kinds of things don’t work at all.

That all sounds great, but there's a big caveat if you're looking at Rise as your first venture into the monster hunting grounds: It's still anchored to a ridiculously complex set of overlapping rules and systems, and from moment one it's a game that assaults you at every turn with "helpful" text-based tutorial pop-ups.

I can't speak positively enough about this game. At nearly every turn, Hitman III puts itself out there as the best version of itself. In so many ways it's the same game we've been playing since 2016 (and really since 2000). There aren't many games that can make the same boast: relatively unchanged and better off for it after two whole decades.

Remake is a great introduction to a genre-defining classic, allowing players with more modern tastes to learn the story and meet famous characters without having to endure archaic ‘90s graphics and gameplay. It will probably prompt a few newcomers to check out the original as well.

If you’re not into all the side cases, you can skip a lot of them and still have a good time, but you'll risk missing out on some nice upgrades and fun combat scenarios and puzzles.

The remake of Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch is so much better than the original.

It's a minor miracle that Capcom was able to bounce back from the atrocity that was Resident Evil 6 with a taut, uncompromising horror story that borrows the best bits of the series while pushing forward in welcome new directions. There might be a number in the title, but don't let that throw you...Whatever your relationship is to the series, Resident Evil 7 is sensational video game horror.

The pairing of The Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the Necrodancer was a mash-up I never expected, but it's a compelling experience that manages to succeed in every possible way.

The Outer Worlds is a Fallout game wearing a fake mustache.

Spider-Man: Miles Morales tweaks the original formula not only to fit its character but to show how stunning and exciting the next generation of games can look like. Far from being a rehash, it iterates on what made Marvel’s Spider-Man great and asks the right questions about how and why Miles Morales is different and important. He’s a new kind of protagonist in big release games, and one other franchises should strive to emulate: an unlikely hero whose perspective adds value simply by being his.

The lack of real differentiation throughout the game makes all of Crash 4 feel stagnant. It’s not doing anything particularly interesting, and when that fact is paired with its sometimes frustrating difficulty, what you end up with is a game that just isn’t particularly enjoyable to play...Sure, it’s pretty to look at, but there needs to be more than that.

At the end of Gears 4, Kait receives her grandmother's necklace from her dying mother. On that necklace is a Locust Horde symbol, and clearly there's some sort of strange connection between Kait and the Locust Horde. The way Gears 5 explores this is brilliant. It's inventive, it's surprising, and the method of delivery is wrapped up in a scary and enticing series of events that is delightfully gripping.

Without the benefit of being part of an extant franchise, Ghost of Tsushima shines as a carefully crafted, excellent standalone game that made me notice things about games I rarely pick up on — the way the protagonist breathes, the colors of dawns and dusks, the subtle animations of love and hatred. When I think about Tsushima, I think of something gemlike and precious, faceted without being showy and ultimately more valuable than it looks. When I finished my first playthrough, my heart broke until I remembered I could simply play again.