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.

As good as the PS3 version is, it's not as impressive as the Vita version, simply due to the fact that the PS All-Stars on the Vita so closely matches the experience of a home console-something I've never yet seen. It's a technical marvel.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games fixes some major issues with 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, but doesn’t go all the way in updating it for current consoles.

It’s undeniably a weird package, but Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV manages to make its eccentricities work for it, rather than against it. Not only is it the best fishing game I’ve played in virtual reality, but it’s also a true delight for Final Fantasy fans.

While it may not redefine the Metroidvania style of games by any stretch of the imagination, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is a stellar example of the genre done right. Featuring mildly interesting characters, a world teeming with life, and a well-designed map that is very player-friendly, it genuinely feels like it does damn near everything right. As long as you don’t mind an occasional table flip encounter here and there, this is a hare-raising adventure for the ages.

Square Enix has taken quite a few risks with Final Fantasy XV to make it different from past installments or even JRPGs overall. Despite some graphical issues, they have pulled off an amazing experience, and it’s one that veterans and newcomers alike can immensely enjoy. This road trip has been well worth the wait.

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.

A decent campaign is paired with a beefier custom story mode, to provide for dozens of hours of gameplay, even if most of the cutscenes are more visual novel than actual cutscene.

This game has been so much fun to play. Even when I am cursing at the screen during a boss fight, Dread Nautical has me coming back for more. It’s wonderfully sadistic and addictive in all the right ways. Sure, there are a couple of things that irk me. Like when the reticle wanders across the map and I have to figure out where it went. Or when just as I am moving my third character into a room the ambush happens and my character holding the medkit is trapped outside. But that’s the heart of the game, and I am here for every single moment of it.

It truly is a gem of a game, complete with a unique set of mechanics and a world that slides from odd to entrancing and slightly terrifying throughout the course of its story.

The games translate very well to modern times and are worth every penny spent to add them to your library, with at least 40 hours of gameplay in the first one alone. Oh, did I mention that they also have trophy support?

[There are] so many ways to take on this single mission, part of the fun will be seeing other players’ creative ways that they assassinate the targets. If you’ve ever wanted to play the part of a super agent in a large sandbox, this is as good as it gets. With a fairly robust content creation engine, and future missions promised throughout the coming year, it looks like Hitman will be the weapon of choice of stealth gamers for the foreseeable future.

Stardew Valley is a game so completely full of content, that it is hard to fathom that it was created by a single person.

Some games allow us to escape reality, and some force us to take a long hard look at it. Detroit: Become Human is one of those games that straddles the border between entertainment and reality. The themes it covers are very real, and it allows us to get a unique perspective on societal problems we may have never given much thought to before. No matter who you are, no matter your race, gender, political affiliation, age, or economic standing, you can find something in Detroit that will resonate with you. Detroit was never an easy game to play. Many of the choices were hard ones to make, and there's no real right answer. It's a game that cautions us not to repeat mistakes of the past. My choices shaped the story and personalized it, allowing me to see those decisions play out in myriad unique ways, plot holes, clumsy controls, and all. Even as human as we are, we are always becoming human, and no matter which path you take, Detroit is our story.

Blood & Truth isn’t doing anything completely revolutionary for VR, particularly because we saw many of its own bullet points back at the PlayStation VR’s launch. However, it packs these ideas into a cinematic package whose presentation can hardly be rivaled. If you want to step into the shoes of an action hero a la James Bond or Jason Bourne, Blood & Truth lets players live those experiences. From high-octane explosive thrills to intimate emotional moments of character connection, it exemplifies everything that an interactive VR action movie should be.

The Forgotten City is a consistently engaging mystery that I couldn’t help but get trapped in. It features an amazing blend of narrative mystery buoyed by some fun bouts of exploration and light combat, just enough to really break up the pace. It’s a game that encourages you to put pressure on its established boundaries to see what you can break and change. There’s a brilliant web of mystery within a time loop that you can manipulate, delivering some great and clever commentary around a whole bunch of topics. Seeing how far Modern Storyteller has come from “The Forgotten City” mod to this full game makes me beyond excited to see what Nick Pearce and the team come up with next.

A wonderful game.

I never thought building in the name of saving the world could be this entertaining or keep me up so late at night. I’ve always enjoyed the crafting side of RPGs, but this takes it on to a whole new level.

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

This isn’t the most elaborate or intense game in its space, but it’s the happiest to be there.

For all the complaints that I have about this year’s installment of MLB The Show, it’s still easily the most comprehensive and gratifying sports title on the market. When at its best, no one can hold a candle to the authenticity and refined gameplay, perfected over numerous years spent iterating and listening to their audience. My criticisms come from a place of a hardcore fan that wants the development team to aspire to do more than just meeting the status quo.

Eugene Jarvis and Housemarque have come together to create one of the best playing twin-stick shooters ever made. While I do wish there was more content (I can only hope this gets the same amount of support as Resogun did) , there are enough difficulties that I’ll still be learning the intricacies for several months to come.

Firewall Zero Hour is an intense, immersive experience which will put the Aim Controller through its paces, and may be the best VR shooter released thus far.

Knack 2 is an improvement on the first game in every way possible. Mark Cerny and his team have proven that they can take criticism, iterate on it, and then give players even more for their money than was expected.

Trüberbrook is a very impressive mystery adventure game that will leave players wanting to experience more of Hans Tannhauser and the charming town of Trüberbrook. The unique, hand made graphics are one of the biggest, and most impressive features of the game and will likely leave you wanting to see more games made in the same style.

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.

Black Ops 2 brings the same intense action the series is known for, with some interesting Treyarch twists. It may not be shiny and sparkly new, but it's a hell of a lot of fun to play.

This is a game you and your loved ones should play/watch together. It tells an incredibly personal story about love, loss, and growth that serves as an example of how far the video game medium has come as an art form.