Cuphead ought to handily quash any lingering questions as to whether video games should be considered works of art.

Bottom line, if you’ve already played Rise of the Tomb Raider on Xbox rest assured that you need not buy it again for PC. But if you’ve yet to dive in and choose to play on PC, take some satisfaction in that you’ll be getting the best version of the game currently available.

The entire time I was playing Saints Row IV, I found myself constantly thinking "It would be totally awesome if..." and then the game would do that awesome thing before I could finish my thought.

If you’ve never played Final Fantasy X before, this is a perfect opportunity. You can see the charms of the old-school JRPG in a modern game package and see why so many people cared so much in the first place.

Complex, sometimes unwelcoming (though less than in the past) — and utterly satisfying when you beat your way past the walls it puts up.

Titanfall is perhaps the most accessible competitive multiplayer shooter ever, while still maintaining a fun competitive reward system for skilled players.

From a story perspective, Lara is now as interesting a character as (though wholly different from) sardonic Nathan Drake. This feels like Uncharted will have to start chasing Tomb Raider.

It’s weirdly compelling. I didn’t get up from my computer once during the two-and-a-half hours or so it took me to reach the end of my little investigation.

Which isn’t to say that these build and smash missions aren’t fun. They are loads of fun. I just didn’t get that same feeling of personal progression I did when I played WoL; I felt when I was done with that game I was better at StarCraft. Here I felt like I had just completed some enjoyable levels.

Bayonetta 3 won’t be for everyone, and that’s OK. There’s room for all sorts of oddities in our modern gaming landscape. And if you’re willing to just sit back and be wowed by a mountain of manic mayhem, chances are you won’t regret the time you spend with Bayonetta in her multiverse of madness.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is short. I finished it in a single three hour Sunday afternoon session...But it’s also immensely gratifying.

For a modest price of $34.99, the Homeworld Remastered collection gives you an experience like no other in the real-time strategy genre. There are games out there like Sins of a Solar Empire that try to emulate what Homeworld did, but others don’t compare.

On the one hand, Plants vs. Zombies 2 is all kinds of fun. The action is as compelling as ever, and the new plants, zombies, rail mechanics, and various mini-games only make things better...On the other, its aggressive strategy to make players spend money within the game is a bummer.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen is an entertaining epic. Fifteen bucks might seem steep for a mobile game, but it’s a reasonable price to pay for a fantasy adventure that could end up keeping dedicated RPG fans occupied for weeks or months.

A horror game, through and through. And it’s twice as terrifying when played in virtual reality.

There are few video game adventures that are as good as this one.

The level of choice when it comes to Horizon’s 2‘s core circuits is surprising and ensures there’s something for everyone, regardless of your taste in cars.

In a medium overloaded with huge and hyper-violent experiences, it’s an absolute delight to encounter a game like Luigi’s Mansion 3, a small but painstakingly architected adventure that engages us with its creativity, innovation and individuality.

The company has made the game it promised when it when back and rebuilt FFXIV 1.0.

Undeniably distinct from any of the games in which Luigi co-stars with his more famous brother, it’s a rollicking little romp hampered only by its flawed interface, which is more a problem with hardware than game design.

The best example of this incremental improvement is in the game’s new raid.

I don’t see Returnal becoming another Uncharted-style mega-franchise for Sony. It’s just too punishing and quirky to nab a massive audience. That said, it’s a well-produced and polished play that doesn’t really feel like anything else out there at the moment. If you’re not afraid of a challenge, it may be worth adding to your PlayStation playlist.

Even with the arrival of some worthy competitors – like Slightly Mad Studios’ laudably hardcore Project CARS 2 – Forza still feels like the reigning champion of authentic racing. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but until something truly ground-breaking within the genre comes along it’s hard to fault Forza Motorsport 7 for being anything other than the best racing sim around.

In the end, the biggest problem you might face is simply figuring out how best to play a game clearly meant for consoles on a mobile platform.

A weirdly engaging game that can easily eat away a long evening of couch lounging.

If you are looking for a very good meat-and-potatoes Zelda game, Twilight Princess HD will likely scratch that itch. If you can’t see yourself playing more than a couple of hours of it, maybe pass.

The sooner you can wrap your head around the fact that Dirt Rally isn’t so much about winning but rather finishing the race, the more likely you’ll be to stick around.

The tremendous exploration and rewarding combat do a pretty good job of filling the narrative void. Metroid: Samus Returns reconfirms all the reasons why this franchise has persisted for more than a quarter century, and adds a few new features that ought suggest it will continue to entertain for years to come.

Ni No Kuni offers players an experience unlike almost any other RPG. At once, you are transported back to the innocence of a childhood filled with monsters, magic, and mysticism; but at the same time you find yourself immersed in an emotional story about a protagonist dealing with his innermost emotions.

Bravely Default‘s combat system sits comfortably among some of Square Enix’s best including those within games like Chrono Trigger, earlier Final Fantasy games, and Dragon Quest VIII. It’s that good.

It took a little longer than I’d have liked to really draw me in, but once Star Wars Jedi: Survivor had its hooks in I went happily along for the ride. If Kathleen Kennedy greenlit a Cal Kestis TV series or film, I’d be over the moon. Maybe just with a little less wall-running.

Doom in 2016 may not be quite what I had anticipated, but it has just enough old and new to make me a fan.

It’s inspiring to see a video game series make a leap from the 2D realm to 3D this seamlessly. Gaijin Games has made a quality experience that can have you hooked — if not a little addicted — after only a few minutes of playing.

It’s jam-packed with funny, heartwarming, wholesome scenes and dialogue. And it’s a pleasure to play. Swiftly and effortlessly swinging through corridors of New York skyscrapers is exhilarating, and the combat choreography is stunningly cinematic. If it weren’t for the repetitive nature of some side activities — such as tracking down loot stashes and saving civilians — it would earn must-have status. As is, it’s still the best game to show off PlayStation 5’s potential to players of all ages — especially if you want to have a terrific time in the process.

Frogmind’s debut side-scrolling action adventure game is the most beautiful iOS release I’ve played in a long time.

While [the] handheld game stands on its own and recreates the same fun, bombastic, brawling experience it does feel a little pared down.

The game’s map is straight out of Super Mario Bros. 3. The villages you visit are right out of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. The game’s eight knight-themed bosses are a clear reference to Mega Man as are the various powers you accumulate along the way. The game’s magic system comes straight out of Castlevania 3.

I won’t judge anyone who gives this one a whirl and simply decides its not their cup of tea. I suspect it’s a little akin to bungee-jumping, high-stakes investing, or alcohol — some folks just don’t have a taste for it. But for a handful of players looking to test themselves and the limits of their perseverance, Nioh 2 is probably going to be a nice slice of video game heaven.

If you are a diehard baseball simulation fan, you’ll feel right at home. If, however, you were looking for something with a little more simplicity and arcade-like control elements then MLB The Show 17 may be the time for you to give the series a try again. There are a lot of things both new and old to like with this year’s version, and I’m glad to be back to my wannabe-athleticism tendencies.

The improved endgame combined with a far more satisfying campaign makes Destiny 2 an easy recommendation for folks interested in an online shooter. If Bungie can sustain the feeling of progression through the long months between expansions – and perhaps do just a little more to make the experience a bit more welcoming for lone players – then I suspect Destiny 2 will enjoy a long life.

There is an incredible amount of content across all four games, and having that much stuff means you can basically play it in any way you like. Further, every single aspect of the game is unlocked at launch, every map, every level, every upgrade.

Playing an $18 game like BattleBlock Theater leaves a fellow feeling like he’s been hosed on nearly every $60 game he’s ever bought.

Of course, there’s more to Brave New World than Culture Victories, and more than I could hope to absorb in a single 20-hour game. Firaxis has added new world wonders, abilities specific to each of nine new civilizations, a couple of period-specific scenarios, and even some fresh military units, like the late-game XCOM: Enemy Unknown-inspired XCOM squad, which I built but, sadly, didn’t have occasion to use.

Far Cry 4 is filled with crazy action sequences and harbours a deep disregard for political correctness that dares players to complain about its depiction of bare-breasted women wielding machine guns and jokes about maxi pads used as bandages...However, if you’ve played Far Cry 3, it’s all going to seem pretty familiar. Routine, even.

If you’ve never played it, or if you want something that really shows off the horsepower your new system, this game does it. If, however, you’ve already bought the game, it’s kind of hard to recommend getting it again at full price.

Ninja Theory didn’t just overhaul Dante. It also infused the series’ plot with some big — and surprisingly timely — ideas.

An unexpected delight that blends the look and feel of a Mario adventure with the goofy potty humour of Ubisoft’s Rabbids franchise and then drapes this colourful mosaic over the framework of a deep, challenging, and lengthy turn-based strategy game.

Just as entertaining as playing some of the games is fast-forwarding through the progression of Rare’s work over a period of decades. It’s like watching the evolution of the medium itself.

This carefully designed, constantly evolving, and weirdly dynamic army of Orcs – especially those strong enough to repeatedly defeat me (more on that in a bit) — is what made me keep playing Shadow of Mordor through to the end, even as I felt growing dissatisfaction with the game’s stillborn and often threadbare narrative.

Throw in positive tweaks made to Career Mode (the ever-cumbersome transfer network runs itself a bit better than before; there are more objectives that dictate your strategy both in and out of competition), and this is a FIFA game that seems to realize there is competition out there and it has to do a lot more than update the rosters to succeed.

That rare remastered anthology that’s worth your attention.

The resounding theme of Gears 5 seems to be marrying old with new. There’s never any mistaking it for something other than a Gears game, thanks to its polished cover-based combat mechanics, gleefully gory action, and 4K, HDR-enhanced graphics that raise the bar of what we can expect from an Xbox One game. But it’s also trying to grow the Gears experience by focusing on new characters, altering the flow of the campaign, and adding daring new multiplayer modes.

I doubt I’ll ever rank among the Vainglory hardcore, but right now I’m having a great time dipping into the arena for half an hour or so each evening.

Turn 10’s 8th kick at the Forza Motorsport can should have plenty of appeal to gearheads looking for a photorealistic, physically accurate simulation of high speed racing. And since it’s included with Xbox Game Pass, there’s no reason for subscribers not to take it for a test spin.

When it comes down to it, though, I play Gears games for their spectacular campaigns, and Gears of War 4’s single-player mode just doesn’t live up to the standard set by its predecessors. It’s too conservative to wow us the way we expect, and it lacks many of the larger-than-life personalities that made the original trilogy so fun and memorable.

Warzone is actually the first Halo multiplayer mode I can see myself jumping into with strangers more than a few weeks after the game comes out. In the past, Halo multiplayer got so competitive so quickly after launch that it simply became no fun unless you had enough friends to fill out the teams.

The franchise’s famous environment traversal mechanics — essentially parkour — are similarly streamlined yet no less satisfying, thanks largely to the undeniable compulsion the game instills in players to keep moving to see what lies beyond the next ridge or river. Exploration is a driving force.And, of course, it looks phenomenal and runs smooth as an oil slick on next-generation hardware. Players looking for a substantial game that shows off the graphical capabilities of their new systems that will keep them busy well into next year won’t be disappointed in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Overall, Deus Ex is perhaps less ambitious in its storytelling than its hot button ads might suggest, but is still an exemplary example of open-ended problem solving gameplay.

Five years in the making, this one-man project is an ode to retro games like Metroid and Castlevania. From graphics and music to design and mechanics, it channels a late 80s gaming vibe in a way few other modern takes on classic genres do.

From its unrelentingly dark story to its challenging difficulty to its imperfect controls, in no way is The Banner Saga 2 the sort of game one sits down to play casually. It is an intense and demanding experience right from the start, and it never lets up.

Simply put, aside from Nathan’s absence and the lack of anything notably new in how we play, there’s very little to disparage here. Naughty Dog remains a master of storytelling and spectacle rivalled by few other studios. I can think of no good reason to ward Uncharted fans away from The Lost Legacy.

At this point even a game like FRU is highly unlikely to make anyone rush out and by a Kinect camera. But any existing owners still interested in the possibilities of Microsoft’s sensor bar would do very well to give this refreshingly inventive little indie a shot.

They may have to fight their way to liking the game instead of it capturing their imagination from the very start. Xenoblade Chronicles X is probably the best RPG on the system, but your mileage, much like your Skell’s, will vary.

The tweak on the formula set up by GW and SSHD may seem minor to begin with, but once the outer layers of the game are peeled away, Resogun reveals itself to have a significantly different feel than either of its predecessors.

SOMA is made so much better if the player hasn’t the slightest idea of what’s in store before booting it up.

It’s not quite the brand new Oddworld game for which devout fans have been patiently waiting for nearly a decade, but it certainly whets one’s appetite.

It’s still the only place where you’ll find cutting edge development in a sports game, and that alone is worth the price of admission.

In the end, though, Hitman‘s second episode and the limited Elusive Target mode simply confirm my original impression of the franchise’s new episodic format: It hinders rather than helps the experience.

This one definitely won’t be for all tastes, but players with a penchant for Japanese culture and a love of tactical combat are bound to find a little slice of criminal soap opera heaven in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

It’s smaller, but it’s also undeniably bolder and more focused than any of its recent predecessors. And for a series known for its more is more philosophy, that’s no small feat.

Tsushima's geography is rivetingly beautiful, from bamboo forests and heaving mountains to picturesque waterfalls and seas of swaying pampas grass composed of thousands of gently moving blades each of which will catch the moonlight on a clear night. I could almost feel the chill of thunderstorms as they came crashing in and the heat of the sun as it rose above the horizon in a dazzling blaze of light.

It’s polished and fun – easily one of the top side-scrolling platformers yet released for Nintendo’s handheld – but there’s just not much significant new material here.

Whether this is worth $15 is really moot: if you’re a Street Fighter devotee, this is a required update, end of discussion.

Splatoon 3 feels complete. The new additions are more significant than what we had in Splatoon 2 at launch. They make it feel like a finished game.

This only lightly altered HD port won me over simply by providing the opportunity revisit a game for which I harbour wonderfully fond memories. Would that more remastered and rereleased games accomplished as much so effortlessly.

Its vision is clear, and there can be little doubt that much love and passion was poured into its crafting.

Ultimately, Dragon Quest Builders takes what makes Minecraft great, uses that template within a more traditional adventure/RPG, and does so with polish and personality. Absolutely worth playing.

There’s a very human pleasure in the mysterious. It encourages thought and excites our imaginations. But people are smart. We can tell the difference between legitimate mystery and something that is left unexplained simply for the sake of being unexplained in a vain attempt to fabricate depth and hidden meaning...The initially promising Transistor is, unfortunately, a case of the latter.

It’s one of the best MMOs on the PC and basically the only game of its type on the console. The company has made the game it promised when it when back and rebuilt FFXIV 1.0.

All I want in a galaxy exploration adventure is for it to convince the lower levels of my brain that I’m an honest-to-goodness spaceman, the star of an epic and action-packed space saga. Starfield delivers on this, and then some.

There’s no question that Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, bugs and all, remains one of the best puzzle/tactical fantasy RPGs around.

As heartbreaking as it is in places, A Normal Lost Phone is, ultimately, a story of optimism. And stories with positive messages are absolutely vital to the community this game addresses. It deserves to be played.

That said, Simply Mad’s latest earns a pretty easy recommendation for anyone looking for a racing game unambiguously and unapologetically locked in the simulation category. Its vision is clear, and there can be little doubt that much love and passion was poured into its crafting.

The slog is real, but worth it for hard core JRPG fans.

The older I get, the more I want to play games like this. I doubt I’ll remember even the names of half the shooters and action games I play this year, but there are several arresting moments in Little Nightmares that I’m pretty sure are going to stick with me for years to come.

If my daughter’s reactions while playing are any indication it seems safe to say most kids will love this Skylanders adventure at least as much as its predecessors. The new magnetically joined toys are unquestionably cool and there’s more to do within the game and keep them coming back than ever before.

Push these qualms aside and Bardbarian is just about everything I want in an iOS game: quirky, quick, cheap, fun, and habit-forming.

Intimidatingly epic.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a finely tuned and well crafted trial of reflexes that rewards tenacity and endurance with the satisfaction of having achieved something far from easy...Just don’t expect the kids to stick around and enjoy it with you.

It might contain a racial stereotype or two, and it is certainly lacking a strong female presence, but Gears of War: Ultimate Edition reaffirms Epic’s classic third-person shooter as a titan of the big-men-with-big-guns genus.

Getting the most out of Watch Dogs 2 requires a good deal of patience and the resolve to play the way you’re supposed to play – especially when you first start out.

Perhaps most importantly, you’ll earn all of your victories through skill and strategy without being prompted to pay to win. It’s strange that such a simple thing ought to earn praise, but such is the current state of mobile gaming.

Gorgeous hand drawn presentation makes its fantastical world and characters feel like paintings come to life, and will likely leave fans of dynamic game art drooling. Ditto for music lovers, who will go ga-ga for the game’s gentle, moving theme and rousing orchestral battle melodies.

On the subject of breathtaking scenery, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a showcase for what an Xbox One can do.

The Wii U version of the game isn’t perfect, however. The bigger screen and 1080p HD graphics do add to the flair of the game — the textures are redone for the more powerful Wii U, while most of the game models are the same — but no one would mistake them for something that wasn’t also designed to be played on a handheld. The framerate is much better and, most importantly, you can play online with other players.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 has stuck its landing. Like other games of its ilk, it could do with learning a lesson or two from its competitors, but it has arrived playable, polished, and with so much stuff to do that most players probably won’t even reach its sizeable endgame — which, at this point, I’ve only read about — for weeks, if not longer. I’m not ready to give it a numbered score, but I do feel comfortable saying this is one loot shooter you can dive into with confidence on day one. [Review in Progress]

This game isn’t for the uninitiated. It’s clearly created for fans who think the idea of a pot bellied pig named Fluffy is funny, who can’t look at Barbara Streisand and not think about Mecha-Streisand, and who randomly yell “BEEEEFCAKE!” to their friends every now and then for no reason.

All is not perfect — there are still some visual glitches and long load times to contend with — but for a title routinely derided for not improving enough between titles, Madden has really raised its game this time around.