The Division 2 nails the reasons that players enter the gameplay loop and grind out new gear, making repetition feel dynamic and fresh. completing that promise of a “Diablo as a third-person shooter.” This is one you’ll want to get into on the grind ground floor.

Madden NFL 18 is an impressive leap forward for the series. Not only is Longshot an ambitious and fantastically told story, it's one that isn't limited to preexisting football fans. There's also more ways to enjoy the game than ever before, as there are several play styles that will mold the game into either a more realistic or arcade-like experience depending on what the user desires. EA Tiburon has set a new high bar for the series, that they'll have to work towards reaching every year going forward. For now, though, NFL fans can enjoy one of the best sports games that Electronic Arts has ever put out.

This may not be the best Madden title ever, but it is definitely the most promising entry this console generation.

Quell: Memento is nice and a good way to kill a couple afternoons or trips around town.

Codemasters created a great foundation for themselves when they made F1 2015. It wasn’t the greatest F1 game ever, but it looked and ran great. Building upon that foundation, F1 2016 adds quite a few bells and whistles, along with a meaty career mode and an unforgiving Pro Career mode that is as much fun as it is difficult.

Forsaken will persistently be a different game with new things to do and discover each and every week, and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon.

If you don’t already own FIFA 10, 2010 FIFA World Cup should help you ease into the World Cup spirits and is a must-buy for any sport fan.

N++ features a thumping soundtrack, one that is guaranteed to get you into a nice rhythm as you send your ninja careening into the air.

For its surprisingly low asking price, Dyad is a visual powerhouse that must be seen to fully comprehend.

The good news is that most players will find something to enjoy in Desperados III. Mimimi Productions has learned from the few mistakes they made with Shadow Tactics to make a real time tactical strategy/stealth blend that works incredibly well on console. There are enough choices and replayability to suit both newcomers and veterans to the genres. The game is a worthwhile addition to your collection.

An essential VR game that gets across why virtual reality is so fundamentally different from traditional games. It immerses you in Schell’s take on spy culture, and provides some frantic heart pounding moments as you try not to die. The adventure is over all too quickly, but the format of the missions being launched from a central office is the perfect platform to bring in additional missions as updates or DLC, which I would wholly support if they matched up to the impeccable quality of the existing puzzles.

Is Sairento VR a masterpiece of technical innovation? Far from it. But despite its obvious visual and mechanical shortcomings, the game knows what it does well and takes every opportunity double-down on delivering this experience. You will find very few games on the PSVR that can provide a combat experience this frenetic, kinetic, and goddamn amusing. If you’re looking to take a slice out of crime and indulge your inner ninja, this one’s a cut above the rest.

Unfortunately, there are a few flaws that will make some players hesitant to pick this up, but, for $14.99, Skullgirls is as complete as any retail fighting game package. So if you have some friends to play with locally or a decent internet connection, Skullgirls is definitely worth a look.

Shines in every way one could expect from a downloadable title, and it simply can't come more highly recommended.

A hell of a fighter with some interesting additions that frankly, no one else is doing. That's great and all, but I do think it's time to Tekken to follow other's lead and do something drastic to reinvigorate and reinvent the series. While it's not a terrible thing, it really is just more of the same. But that "same" just so happens to be a solid, deep, rewarding fighter, with a huge, but somewhat bland roster.

Despite the annoying side-dialogue and the somewhat repetitive missions, GALAK-Z presents players will highly engaging and even strategic gameplay.

Sportsfriends is one of the necessities every gamer must have in their arsenal.

While the environments and fights may get a little redundant by the end, a well written story, plenty of side quests, and great character development save the day.

Hitman 2 continues the fun assassination sandbox gameplay that was in the reboot, with scant few details changed in the single-player campaign. The levels on offer are some of the largest, and certainly the most detailed for the Hitman franchise. Cutscenes may disappoint, but Agent 47 hasn’t been slacking at the job. He now has more options at his disposal than ever before.

OMNO is a game worth experiencing despite its minor faults, especially as it’s a great testament to what can be created by a single person. There’s no need for a complicated storyline, just simple puzzles and platforming to create a satisfying experience. The gratification comes from working things out on your own and making your own way to the Gate of Light through a journey that never become too difficult or frustrating.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a triumph of a sequel that ticks all the boxes fans will be expecting and then some. Not only does it look and feel great, but it backs up its eye candy and abundant atmosphere with an interesting narrative and a stalwart protagonist who won’t quit. It’s everything a follow-up should be and more from an IP that’s grown precious to players over the years, and a fine adventure that even newcomers will find value in tackling.

Death Stranding is not a “fun” game, but it’s an important and meaningful experience that earns its payoff through every bit of frustration and slog. Its a look at life and death, connection and solitude; a game about building up what matters most and supporting each other selflessly. You’ll be bored at times and downright frustrated at others, but it comes with a great reward at the end that is made sweeter by the trials that precede it. It’s brilliantly unique in its design and implementation of online elements.

It’s brutish welcome is certain to dissuade many newcomers with unrelenting AI and unnecessarily obscure move lists, but those that make it past the opening trials will be rewarded with one of the most unique and charming 2D fighters in a long time.

In spite of Fallout: New Vegas being plagued with bugs, it still manages to take what is familiar and make it work. Sadly, I'm still not sure if putting in the hours is worth the effort just yet because of the random crashing that occurs, and that can really break your patience if you forgot to make that last important save file.

If you’re in the mood for something that will really test your strategy-building chops, Invisible, Inc. Console Edition should be somewhere near the top of your wish list. It’s a tantalizing combination of turn-based tactics and stealth, wrapped up in the shell of an unforgiving roguelike where every single decision matters.

Mortal Kombat 11 is the best-looking, best-sounding, and best-playing Mortal Kombat game to date.

Controlling the game with the PlayStation Move controller could not be simpler. This game really showcases the two-dimensional accuracy of the system, and you can draw very accurate flight paths.

Many video games don’t age well, but Spyro Reignited Trilogy feels like the game didn’t age at all. Toys for Bob applied the fountain of youth to a 20-year old series, and the little purple dragon is just as perky and fired up as ever.

Control is another game from Remedy that does exactly what you’d expect from Remedy. It’s a little off-kilter, but thoughtful and meticulously written. It’s a little janky (sometimes a lot janky), but its mechanics amount to solid junk food when everything is functioning as intended. Control is definitely a step back into “AA” territory after the big ambitions that powered Quantum Break, but frankly this is exactly the sort of space Remedy excels in. While it can be rough at times, Control is like a paperback novel you pick up to kill some time, then unexpectedly find a lot of intrigue and charm.

The story is approximately double the length of that in Little Nightmares but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Players will take slightly longer if they look for the hidden areas that contain hats or holographic Kids that Mono can absorb into himself. While the story is concluded completely, things are left open for the possibility of a third game in the franchise. Maybe by the time that rolls around, there won’t be as much need for trial and error puzzling, or for accidental platforming deaths. For now, those who enjoyed the first title will likely love the second. Others will perhaps find it a bit too frustrating to see things through to the end.

In many respects, playing eFootball Pro Evo Soccer 2020 felt like playing an outing from EA several seasons ago. And believe me when I say that this isn’t a dig at all. The overall pacing is slower than FIFA, but it wasn’t that long ago that I preferred this more deliberate style of gameplay. Increasing the focus on ball control and consistently maintaining possession at the team level further drives home this impression. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’ve certainly made up enough ground to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the competition.

Death of the Outsider is just more Dishonored in about every way, but it could have been a unique experience with a few additions like the aforementioned inclusion of mini-bosses and some co-operative missions with Daud. But I enjoyed my time slinking through its world and saying goodbye to an underappreciated franchise that opens the door for an all new direction if the story is to be continued.

You wouldn’t think that after so many years of rumors and waiting that Streets of Rage 4 would not only actually come out, but far exceed anything in the genre, but here we are. This is an absolute must-play for both fans and newcomers alike.

Whether you’re a fan of the old Theme Hospital or a complete newbie to business simulators, there’s an awful lot to love about Two Point Hospital with its fantastic sense of humor and incredibly addictive gameplay. It also performs really well on the PS4 and the developers have done a great job of adapting the controls to console.

What I expected from GRIS was a solid, beautiful, platformer that could occupy a few hours of my time. What I got from GRIS was quite close to that, but somehow more beautiful than I could have ever considered or expected. If you want to see just how artistic games can get, or if you’re like me and just need a few hours occupied by beauty and platforming, then it’s hard to go wrong with GRIS.

Nevertheless, this is title crafted with care and a gaming heritage that ought to tickle any player — the Ammoconda, for instance, shoots out bullets in the vein of Snake. Toss in co-op gameplay, excellent writing and a genuinely entertaining sense of humor that is often self-referential and never trite and you’re left facing a competent shmup that is familiar, yes, but damn entertaining.

Dragon’s Crown is, hands down, one of the most beautiful and fun pieces of art that I have ever interacted with. The visuals alone would be enough to justify a high score, but the gameplay cements it in place, minus some confusion when the screen gets really busy and some minor annoyances with the menu system and story progression in couch co-op.

Child of Light is a great example of a modern RPG that bridges gaming with other forms of art.

The only downside to this Roki PS5 port is that it fails to use any of the new technology available to it via the DualSense. I would have loved to hear the crunch of snow come via the controller instead of my TV, and maybe let me use the touchpad to select/drag/combine items from Tove’s backpack—things that would have enhanced the experience and made it stand out from Roki‘s other releases. That said, this is a solid puzzle game and one I highly recommend devoting an afternoon or two to.

With loads of content to play, the addictive as always gameplay along with the enjoyable multiplayer mode, and three different storylines to play through, Kingdom Hearts fans can't afford to miss out on Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

When the journey comes to an end, you’ll find yourself in shock, emotionally-drained, and appreciative The Last Guardian stayed in development this long and still made it to release. The entire game’s pace is perfect. The difficulty and challenge is high, and completely reliant on how observant and explorative the player is. Every section of the game is stunningly gorgeous – a real work of art. The gameplay is pure perfection (aside for some clunky controls).

BlazBlue Portable has made the transition from the PS3 to the PlayStation Portable exceedingly well, replicating every fun and addictive element from the console version and adding to it with new content. Visually, the game delivers, with a perfected art-design, along with the phenomenal sound effects. BlazBlue Portable delivers in every element imaginable, and can be enjoyed anywhere on the go.

These games are enormous, and the developers and writers consistently delivering on the scale they do is impressive every time.

Nearly everything about the game, from how it handles difficulty to making sure every part of baseball feels dynamic, is handled brilliantly and is the result of years of hard work coming together. That amount of polish makes it all the more jarring that Sony has failed to get the online working right after so many iterations of this yearly series. It very well might be the best baseball game ever made, but it has to come with a huge asterisk at the moment.

United Front Games has not only created one of the most customizable video games of all time, but have managed to create a very well-rounded and enjoyable kart racing experience. The character, vehicle and track creation tools are easy to use but have a high ceiling for the creative player.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience what the Soul Sacrifice series has to offer, and are looking for an incredibly fun and robust game that is designed to be played in short bursts, then Delta is definitely the one that you should check out.

Between a few novel minigames in Neighborhood and some simple esports integration, 2K19 sometimes feels like a title update as opposed to a full-blown sequel. But what really matters, the basketball, is better than it’s ever been.

This isn’t just a simple port, it is a great new way to enjoy a game on a new platform for gamers that may have missed it on PS3, and it is full of new fun to be had for those that have already played it.

There are so many moves for each character, mastering even one complete move set will take nothing less than complete dedication. While it doesn’t feel as though Namco Bandai has done much to innovate in the genre from the surface, those who prefer Tekken’s brand of fighting than those of Capcom’s or NetherRealm’s will be in for a treat.

Fantastic gameplay plus great football mechanics and unmatched realism that completely captures the college atmosphere, make this a must-own title for all football fans alike.

Aside from a few minor platforming quirks thanks to the introduction of the third dimension, this is still the Blue Bomber that you’ve come to know and love. But don’t let the gorgeous presentation fool you, because it will still mercilessly kick your dick in with remorseless gusto.

It’s ironic that a game all about breathing life into pictures can’t breathe life into its own core mechanic. Witnessing a flat picture expand into something tangible or using photography to reposition the existing stage is a technical marvel that hardly goes beyond being just a visual spectacle. These systems deserve much more than that, but, like film lacking contrast, it’s underdeveloped and only a faint outline of what it should be.

An exceptional effort. It’s easily one of the best sports games of the year.

Burnout Paradise holds up, and if nothing else, you can now experience one of the top arcade franchises in the business on your PlayStation 4.

LEGO Stars Wars: The Skywalker Saga does a great job of giving everyone the LEGO world they love, with some nice tweaks to the formula that’s been in place for a while. It’s not a perfect game of course, with some camera and AI issues, along with signature TT Games glitches that plague parts of the game. However it’s still a good game and one of the best LEGO games to date. Perfect for kids and adults alike, there is something here for everyone and enough to keep you around for a while, especially if you want to collect everything. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great first build on the PlayStation 5.

An incredible eleventh-hour treat for fans who have invested their time and money into the handheld. If you enjoyed Guacamelee!, you’ll find a lot of what you loved in that game has returned. Vibrant colors with a unique “diorama” artstyle really pop off the screen, and its inventive gameplay successfully combines touch-twitch antics and old-fashioned role playing.

Orcs Must Die! Unchained is a shining example of how to balance a free-to-play game to be engaging without paying, yet rewarding if you do decide to drop some money into it.

My time with A Plague Tale: Innocence felt like stumbling across a low-budget, but well-made genre flick in a rental store that was placed in the horror section because it didn’t fit in anywhere else.

Blur is one robust package brimming with good times to be had. While the power ups are nothing new to racing fans, the way the cars react to being damaged by each adds a unique touch to the game.

Putting aside my harsh feelings for the inclusion of scenes from Re:coded while leaving Dream Drop Distance completely out of the picture, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is money well spent to fans of the series.

With a wide range of difficulty settings and over 25 catchy songs, Fresh Tracks is the latest must-own PS5 rhythm game. Whether you’re a relative newbie to music-based games or look forward to mastering difficult runs, Buffalo Buffalo’s debut game is a triumphant success. Stylish and fun to replay, players will look forward to every restart rather than bemoaning a run coming to an end.

If only I could easily skip pre-game and halftime discussion. That’s my biggest minor gripe here. All of that stuff is skippable, but it doesn’t happen fast enough for my liking.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a complete experience for a bargain price. Struggling through life as a psychosis sufferer is an alarming experience, and Hellblade provides an illuminating glimpse into the lives of those afflicted by such terror.

Distinctive characters, detailed maps and a lively sense of chaos all add up to one of the finest family-friendly multiplayer experiences on PS4. There’s also solo play this time around, and while that suffers a bit from balancing issues, it’s nice to be able to squeeze in a little experience-building and item-collecting in between rounds of online action. Overall, though, it’s the childlike qualities at the center of GW2 that are the most important — a seemingly limitless energy, a fearlessly goofy aesthetic and a commitment to making playing fun above all else.

If you delight in the sense of drama and anticipation that arises from impossible situations, if you are engaged by a twisting mystery that is never quite what you expect, then the Danganronpa series is for you.

The story is cute yet predictable, the puzzle solving fun, and the rhythm challenging. You can finish the game, discover all of the secrets, and claim that platinum trophy in under six hours if you’re purely looking to add to your trophy count.

There’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to its presentation and performance, but it’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed Shadows does so much so well. From its wonderfully realized world to its wealth of engaging quests and distractions, there’s plenty to enjoy here, regardless of whether you’ve fallen off the franchise in recent years.

FUSER is all about player creativity and freedom. It’s less focused on technical recitation of precise button presses and more on how in the groove you can get yourself. For decades, Harmonix has been harnessing the power of music and delivering a feeling of super stardom to players. FUSER puts that directly into the players’ hands more than any game before it. Even with a PS5 and next-gen games in hand, I can’t turn the music off. If you yearn for the days of the plastic instrument revolution, just without all that junk taking up space, FUSER will put you as close to the stage as any music game possibly can.

What could have been a simple cash-in HD port of the handheld title was instead lovingly (paper)crafted by the developers into a vastly improved, dedicated PS4 platformer.

A timesink well worth your $30. If you love strategy/turn-based RPGs, deep customization for weapons and body mods, level grinding and a hilarious story, then do not hesitate to pick this game up.

The combination of aesthetic beauty and environmental manipulation make for a relaxing and pleasing game that also manages to keep you on your toes, thanks to the chain reactions that may be caused by subtle changes.

Diablo II: Resurrected is Diablo II in everything that matters. Its strict adherence to the tone, themes, and even gameplay of the original makes this an incredible time capsule, revisiting a classic restored, yet not iterated on. It’s the best of both worlds; a game that looks and plays wonderfully in 2021, but embodies the dark experience that was first brought to the world more than 20 years ago. They just don’t make games like this anymore.

ICEY is a biting commentary on the entire medium of games. Beneath a solid 2D action game lies one of the most interesting titles I’ve had the pleasure of playing. It’s a game that isn’t afraid to take risks, and managed to constantly surprise me despite pulling off the ridiculous several times prior. Everyone who considers themselves a “gamer,” should play ICEY, and then sit down to think about its message.

Hunt: Showdown is perfect for gamers who are in it for the long haul. Those that love the rush of endorphins that come with a long-sought-after victory, and who are okay with death after death after near-victory after dumb mistake/disconnection/other tragedy that hinders an otherwise flawless ascent towards the next bloodline level.

Despite having a rushed feel and under appreciating some pretty large issues, Life is Strange: Episode 3 is highly intriguing, entertaining, and surprising.

Gunslugs is very good. Controls are excellent, graphics are cute, and the action is fun. Beating a hard level feels rewarding. Levels are randomly generated and tend to have decent design, but sometimes an awkward set-up ruins the flow and forces a restart.

Cities: Skylines is an impressively-detailed simulation, to be sure, and it’s a lot of fun once you start to get things up and running, with the caveat that getting it up and running is a lot easier said than done. This is not a casual game by any stretch of the imagination, and given how complex many of the mechanics are, it’s pretty ridiculous that the game doesn’t offer a more robust tutorial system. That led to a boatload of frustration early on for me, but to be fair, it also made things that much more rewarding once I got the hang of them.

FutureGrind’s story and sounds may not be the most gripping, but the breadth of what’s offered in terms of bikes, courses, and challenges make up for its other shortcomings. In the end, the quick thinking and creativity it requires make it a ride you won’t want to miss.

Overcooked 2 is a delightful follow-up where each consecutive levels feels either completely satisfying or enticingly challenging.

Try to get over the kids-only stigma Skylanders games might have, and let yourself enjoy playing in this world. Skylanders: Superchargers offers more than meets the eye, and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

It’s a great ending to a great game, and might possibly be called the best episode of the bunch.

The inclusion of the free roaming open world aspect is a huge step in the right direction, but is let down by the lack of a mini-map and some extremely shoddy vehicle work.

Things can go from excellent to utter crap in mere seconds, and entire missions can be lost easily, but that’s part of the fun.

Broken Age is a wonderful experience that I can’t recommend enough. As someone who grew up on the LucasArts-style adventure games of old Double Fine has pulled through with just enough nostalgia and modern aesthetic, offering up a fresh and funny classic in an age where blockbuster games rule the roost.

This is one of the best episodes in the season, and it alone can be listed as a reason to buy Life is Strange if you haven’t already taken the plunge.

With an impressive set of levels based on real-world topographical data provided by NASA, hundreds of connected events to conquer, and the always-on RiderNet to tie scores together, there is a ton of content in SSX. More importantly than that, controls are tight and incredible combos can be linked together by all the seasoned players out there.

Crysis brings a great single player campaign to the table, which has the ability to keep the average gamer occupied for about 8-10 hours, with some explosive moments to keep it flowing forward.

Ultimately, the incredible amount of fun and content to be had within Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 outweighs a lot of this package's negatives. But the lack of Peace Walker is such a glaring omission, it really cannot be dismissed all that easily.

It is a bit frustrating to not have the entire series added in, especially Lost Frontier from the PSP, but the set does not lose anything by just having the first three games. Aspects of the series also feel dated, but that is really the only bad thing you can say about this collection, which is a testament to the quality of the original games.

There’s a gem to be found in this game, but boy is it tucked in deep.

There is nothing more satisfying than when a developer learns from their past mistakes, and WayForward has finally refined the Shantae experience. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the belly dancing heroine’s best adventure yet, and doesn’t suffer from any huge leaps in difficulties like previous titles.

Children of Zodiarcs is a bargain at $17.99, and has plenty of content to sink your teeth into.

This is an excellent game. Life is Strange 2 is bold, ballsy, and wildly ambitious, promising an epic and personal odyssey across America circa October 2016. Dontnod is capturing the mood of a powerful country in the midst of a crisis of identity. If they can stick the landing, Life is Strange 2 has the potential to be a masterpiece.

While Gran Turismo 6 isn’t as groundbreaking as it’s predecessor on the PS3, it’s still a worthy addition to any GT fans library.

Now I look at Catherine and while it’s still fun to engage with its systems, and the soundtrack still rips, I don’t find it nearly as clever as it wants me to. All I see is a story that embraces its own toxicity, with views on relationships so useless and counterproductive it’s almost suspicious how desperately it wants Vincent to be a hero.

Whether you’re a series veteran or just interested in why gamers love to shout “EDF!” repeatedly, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 winds up being a lot of fun. It’s the most polished version of shooting giant ants that you’ll find. So, what are you waiting for, soldier? Enlist in the Earth Defense Force today.

Besides not being able to share levels and the somewhat overwhelming backgrounds, Joe Danger 2: The Movie is a fun and addicting game that easily lives up to the energy of its prequel.

Timespinner will definitely take a place on the list of games I remember and recommend over the years.