Dishonored 2’s beautifully bleak world, incredibly level design, and top notch AI make for an altogether grand experience that will have fans of the classic Thief series truly enthralled.

I greatly enjoyed my time playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The combat feels great, even though it can get repetitive, and the lightsaber gameplay is some of the best there has ever been in a Star Wars game... There are so many aspects of Jedi: Fallen Order that I loved, and I hope we get to see more from Respawn in the future. For now, I think this is the Star Wars game we’ve been looking for.

Is Pillars of Eternity the perfect game? No, but it is an incredibly good one. When fans backed the Kickstarter to the tune of nearly four million dollars, they did so on the promise of Obsidian returning to their roots; more than that, that they would return we RPG players to our roots. By taking cues from the past, Pillars of Eternity bears lessons for future developers. Accessibility is fine, but players learn to love depth. Cutscenes are important, but less so than a well-crafted story. And the world itself should be the reason to explore, not the experience from the 100th bandit. Pillars isn’t perfect, no, but it may just be a modern classic.

Burning Crusade Classic has been an excellent launch of some of Blizzard’s best expansion content to date. It’s an excellent experience for veterans and players who never got to experience Burning Crusade the first time around. However, if you are looking for an authentic TBC experience, this isn’t it. I mean, you can’t get that no matter what because part of the experience is we all knew so little about WoW’s inner workings, and there’s no way to recreate that. If you’re looking for a version of WoW, that’s a bit of a slower pace and less handholding (unless, of course, you get certain addons), then you should probably give Burning Crusade Classic a try.

When you finish Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, you’re going to be elated. MachineGames’ sequel is probably one of the most cathartic experiences I’ve had in gaming.

Remnant II is a fantastic game for a base price of $49.99. I enjoyed Remnant: From the Ashes, even with the issues at release. Gunfire Games has refined what I loved from the first game, fixed the problems I noticed, and continued to expand on this post-apocalyptic universe that they had only scratched the surface of before. At the same time, they have successfully iterated on various systems to make for more fun gameplay and added a lot of replay value. Even on the base difficulty, the game can be challenging. The co-op is a great experience as your frantically clear areas and have friends cover you while reloading as the mini-boss charges, and I can’t wait to take on the Root with a few more friends.

Arc Raiders is a love child of a developer that genuinely cares about quality and player enjoyment. The simple attention to detail, the fantastic graphics, and the phenomenal soundstage work together with core player systems in a way that, honestly, not many other games come close to. I was so far away from the ledge when it came to Arc Raiders, I had zero interest in it, even looking into it, and yet one slight push from some friends, and a server slam event later, here I am gushing over it. With gaming giants all attempting to capitalize on a genre made popular by Escape from Tarkov, a game that I’ve long considered the crowning jewel of the genre, Embark Studios has taken Arc Raiders and made it the epitome of what an extraction shooter should be. It’s chaotic, it’s random, it’s sometimes painstakingly frustrating. But in the end, it’s fun. In the current gaming climate, where companies are pushing the limits on what to charge for games, Arc Raiders is a simple $39.99. With a game as good as this, selling over 2.5 million copies so far, what more can I say?

Overall, in spite of things that should bring Genshin Impact down, the game is so much fun to play that the negatives are ultimately minor gripes. [...] The gameplay is smooth and simplistic, and it works great on all platforms - though I’m still not sure why the PlayStation version can’t be linked to a Mihoyo account so I could play on my phone when I’m not at home (PS Vita version please??) but it’s a small gripe to an otherwise terrific game.

These games were BioWare at the height of their powers. BioWare showed us the culmination of everything they learned from their previous games and created a story truly epic in scale…and they actually pulled it off. It devastates me, then, to know these games are from a bygone era. The BioWare which crafted these games simply doesn’t exist anymore. Replaying these three titles continues to hammer that point home. I know I’m cherishing every second I’m spending within Legendary Edition. These games are a treasure and deserve to be recognized as such.

The Switch 2 launched with Mario Kart World, which is plenty of fun in its own right, but that game wasn't quite the definitive Nintendo experience early adopters were hoping for out of the gate. One month later, that experience arrived; Donkey Kong Bananza is incredible, one of the best games you'll play this year, and a game I plan on going back to over and over again throughout the life of the Switch 2. Sometimes,I just want to monkey around.

Obviously, Shadowlands isn't perfect. There are some balancing and tweaking which need to be done and will continue throughout the expansion. However, this is an expansion where I can honestly say the core systems feel solid.[...] Blizzard has struck an outstanding balance between giving us plenty to do and respecting the fact not everyone can play 24/7. I'm currently at a point where when I have free time, I want to log in and do things instead of feeling like I have to for x, y, or z reason. It's a great feeling.

Dragonflight has been the revitalization that World of Warcraft sorely needed after Shadowlands. Yes, there are some issues that still could use some work, but that’s the nature of MMO development, especially when you change things up to such a degree as this expansion did. I’m also heartened to see them willing to make big adjustments like they have planned in 10.0.5. I honestly thought Guardians were going to have to suck it up until 10.1, at the least for a talent tree rework. If they can keep this up and regularly deliver content and adjustments, Dragonflight could be the best expansion World of Warcraft has ever done.

What makes Darkest Dungeon a fascinating experience isn't the rich character progression and overarching strategy, but the way it manages to make each character feel like a living, breathing human before asking you how much you'll ruin them to increase your bottom line. There's pockets of subtext that I continually filled with my own moral struggle. Spaces left ingeniously blank where, when I allow myself to reflect on my actions, I realize that the greatest evil isn't waiting at the end of a dimly lit crypt. It is sitting right in this chair, typing these words.

Cyberpunk 2077 is not perfect. But the fact is, it doesn’t need to be to completely surpass my expectations. Given my experience and placing that against my expectations, I can unequivocally say that Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the greatest games I have ever played. The brilliant world, outstanding level design, seemingly endless density of detail paired with exceptional performances in incredibly engaging stories, all backed by truly groundbreaking graphics technology combine to create a supremely exceptional experience.

For my first Digimon experience ever, Time Stranger was the right way to go. Not that I have an aversion to the cartoony stylings of the franchise's past – I am a regular Pokémon player, after all – but the turn-based RPG hook, coupled with the interesting party-building systems, made me realize the potential that Digimon holds. While I can't guarantee I'll become as big a fan of Digimon as I am of its competition, thanks to this Digimon Story, this former Stranger will certainly give future games the Time of day.

It’s not without its faults, though, with crashes, stuttering and weird bugs that will, hopefully get squashed soon, but the total sum of its parts cannot be denied: Europa Universalis V is Paradox at the height of its powers, and I cannot wait to see where things land as the game matures over time.

If you liked Final Fantasy VII Remake, you're going to love Intergrade. I know that sentence has a lot of "well DUH" energy, but it's the truth; at its core this is an enhanced version of one of 2020's best games. From visuals to framerate, Intergrade improves upon the original, with some scenes really popping off of the screen thanks to the PlayStation 5's prowess. Intermission is at its core more of the same, but the tandem attacks are an excellent addition and the story implications are intriguing. It's not Part 2, and Lord knows when that's actually happening, but for now Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade scratches the FFVII Remake itch.

The gameplay loop is tight and rewarding. You are left feeling you have accomplished something each time you take down a monster. Some of the monsters are truly giant and monstrous and offer a variety of different challenges. Capcom has managed to make one of the first must-play titles of 2018.

Final Fantasy XV may not feel like an older game from the franchise, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I grew up with the older Final Fantasy game and while XV is different, that doesn't make it a bad game in the franchise. I enjoyed my time spent in game and look forward to doing more.

It has a beautiful art style going for it and fun behemoth fights as well as weapon mechanics.

Back in June, after the initial excitement of this announcement had faded, I worried that the game wouldn't translate well to the current era of gaming. Thanks to beautifully updated visuals, a few choice additions, and a wonderful soundtrack, I was proven wrong. Super Mario RPG absolutely still has a place among Nintendo's elite, and this remake removes any doubt.

Hitman 3 defies every expectation I had for it, from the size of its maps to the scope of its missions. I am truly free to approach these jobs however I wish, so long as the objectives are met, and that freedom is downright exhilarating. It’s not without its foibles, the inconsistency with its enemies being one that I ran into, but any issues are easily overcome by the quality of the overall experience. This may be 47’s last hurrah for a while, but dang if he doesn’t go out swinging.

Skyrim may be aging, but it’s still easily one of the best RPGs ever made, and a pure joy to play on the Switch. Add-on support would be nice, and the PC version is still definitely the most “complete” version because of the modding, but if you’ve ever wished you could have Skyrim on the go - Bethesda and Nintendo just granted that wish.

Nioh 3 is a triumphant adventure that stands up to the mightiest contemporaries in the Soulslike genre… It’s impressive how consistently strong the series is, and Nioh 3 does not disappoint.

Anno 117 somehow feels like both a natural progression of the franchise that took all of the seasons of DLC and quality of life updates from the previous title and a big, bold swing to keep the title as the defining game in the genre. If you’re looking for a reason to think about the Roman Empire every day, Anno 117: Pax Romana is that. The gameplay is easy to learn but challenging to master, and in terms of bringing new audiences to Anno, I think this can do it, without overwhelming them with the systems. Still, that depth and challenge are there for those seeking it, especially for those among us with hundreds of hours in one save.

Overall, End of Dragons feels like ArenaNet has taken all the lessons of both Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire and honed their newest expansion into the best of both. The few areas where things aren't quite there, they are working hard at fixing them in the right way, which will be best over the long term, rather than quick kneejerk solutions. This is the perfect capstone to the story they have been telling for the last ten years, and this expansion makes me excited to see where they will go from here.

In the end, Final Fantasy VII REMAKE is a fantastic game – one that fans of the original should play. The new story beats and incredibly jaw-dropping conclusion left me yearning for more. And while some might be bummed this is simply the first installment in an episodic series of remakes, I don’t feel gipped by the episodic nature here. After forty hours with the JRPG, I’m eager to go back to relive chapters of the game, finding collectibles and powerups I might have missed throughout my first playthrough.

When it comes to first-person shooters, Doom Eternal is one of those games that you can get lost in. The combination of graphics, story, and intense action is enough to keep you playing for hours, pushing for “one more try” after a demon inevitably eats your lunch. In a time when people are grasping for something to occupy their minds, Doom Eternal couldn’t have come at a better time.