You ARE Peter Parker, you ARE Mary Jane, you are [REDACTED DUE TO SPOILERS], you ARE the spectacular Spider-Man and for dozens of hours you don't want to be anyone else than these beautiful characters, doing amazing stuff in a gorgeous, detailed and lively Marvel New York. This is the best superhero game since Batman: Arkham Knight and the best Spider-Man game ever, especially potent for sentimental fanboys like me.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach balances between genius and madness, but above all, it defies comparison. There are no other games like Death Stranding 2. Even Metal Gear* was never this bizarre, full of contrast and—yes, I’ll say it again—cool, and that includes Metal Gear Rising. Honestly? You could give this game any score, and it would be justified. That’s what pure art does to you. If that’s not cool, then I don’t know what is.

Returning players won't find much new here, but that shouldn't spoil the fun. Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 remain timeless classics and are a must-have for any Nintendo fan.

This extra long pit stop for the series has raised certain expectations, but secretly this is just Forza Motorsport 8. Fortunately, Forza Motorsport still has that wonderful magical combo of arcade and simulator gameplay.

The Plucky Squire does a lot of things right. It juxtaposes a delightful animation style and fun game mechanics with childlike wonder and an unsubtle but well-delivered set of life lessons. The most remarkable achievement, however, is not to be found in a review, but somewhere in my heart. With every page and puzzle, I forgot more and more about the world around me. And there, in the land of Mojo, I was ten years old again for a moment.

There would have been no shame if LA Noire: the VR Case Files was Rockstar's experimental venture into Virtual Reality, leading to an okay experience. But instead it looks as if the seven year old game was specifically made voor VR and it even sets a new standard. Only Rockstar can accomplish something like this; unprecedented.

Halo Infinite is a sequence of Greatest Halo Hits, stitched together with an open Ring world. The game offers a level of action that only the early parts can compete with in sheer fun. Ignore the 'call to duty' and ignore the 'battlefields': in the 26th century, Halo Infinite is where the shooter action of the year is.

Final Fantasy XVI isn't the next gen game I expected and as a fan you tend to be disappointed but if you go in with an open mind and Square Enix fixes that frame rate it's an action RPG not to be missed .

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is one of those rare sequels like DOOM 2, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metroid Prime 2 that seems identical to its predecessor, but manages to be a different beast entirely. It’s harder, more story-driven and even more subversive, and seems to specifically made to destroy the expectations of those who have mastered the first game. It might not be as pure and focused as Hotline Miami 1, but it’s everything we wanted from a sequel and way, way more.

The experience SF5 offers isn’t a completely new one but it will be a living platform for fighting fans for years to come and we can’t wait to see how it unfolds. [jan. 2016 / page 019]

Immortals Fenyx Rising offers delightful combat, smooth traversal and outstanding puzzles in an eye-catching, beautiful environment. The almost perfectly executed (and often well-stolen) gameplay, however, is somewhat at odds with the strange tone of the story. Ubisoft Quebec has tried to put a certain whimsy on the characters and dialogue, but I struggle to get caught up in the humour and playfulness of it. Hopefully you can, because if so, you and Mr./Mrs. Fenyx will have an excellent time together.

Rare Replay is a super extensive, well made and above all timeless ode to Rare’s body of work. The only bummer is the lack of GoldenEye and Donkey Kong game. [Sept. 2015, p. 062]

It’s a thrilling race game – the first one to actually make my hands sweat - but it isn’t the most beautiful one out there. You’ll need your best racing skills to complete it, but if you’re not scared by a challenge, DiRT: Rally is the perfect game for you. [feb. 2016 / page 068]

Anyway, all these negatives really only stand out if you place Dread in the pantheon of previous Metroid classics and then compare very closely. Because what I mainly want to communicate is that those Spaniards have done the impossible: creating a really good, classic Metroid! And that in a world in which the term metroidvania hardly raises any question marks. With production values of 2021, wow! So make a few more, MercurySteam; I promise I will never doubt you again. And… please don't take twenty years, okay?

BioWare has written and coded itself into oblivion (no pun intended) the last four years, resulting in a staggeringly huge adventure. It’s not flawless, it’s not on all fronts an improvement on the previous installments, but it’s a free-roaming RPG in which many a poor sod will lose their soul and weeks of their time in, with a happy smile on their extremely content faces.

Mr. X Nightmare makes an already very nice game an even more extensive and fun whole, thanks to the addition of a fantastic Survival mode and three delicious, new characters. This 10 MB really offers a huge amount of fun for the few bucks it costs.

With a sigh of excitement, a frustrated scream and a sad sob you will arrive at the ending of this art-y, pitch black trilogy. We won't give it our coveted Gold Award, because there hasn't been a lot of innovation through the years (part 1 was from 2014), but the trilogy as a whole definitely deserves cold gold.

The biggest letdown of Fallout 4 is that by now the engine is almost as retro as the style of the game, because this iteration has the same technical limitations Bethesda-RPG’s have had since 2006. Thankfully the story is more vivid, the customization system that handily cooperates with the building of settlements and the Power Armor is ridiculously expansive, and slightly faster gameplay makes it feel fresh enough. Bethesda-lovers will be engrossed, totally, but this is no revolution.

With Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sandfall Interactive delivers an impressive debut game. In this unique RPG, the French measure themselves against the Japanese, by combining an imaginative, fascinating and downright strange story with compelling combat and a memorable party. It results in a special and unlikely melting pot of Western and Japanese RPGs in one pleasant package.

Far Cry 4 is not the best game to come out this year, but definitely one of the more enjoyable ones. A blind purchase if you enjoyed Far Cry 3. Just don’t expect much in the way of originality.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond proves that Nintendo did a good job returning the series to Retro Studios. And they, in turn, claim to know exactly what they're doing. Capture a bit of the magic of the past, borrow lessons from previous installments here and there, and—unfortunately—never add anything new worth mentioning. But just as Metroid is a relatively small series for Nintendo alone, a relatively "regular" Metroid Prime game is still a fantastic title.

A gigantic time-guzzler that combines a lot of elements of the best open world games, from Assassin's Creed to The Witcher and from Far Cry to Red Dead Redemption; Horizon Forbidden West wants it all. Due to this enormous ambition, this has unfortunately become a less perfect and more overwhelming game than predecessor Zero Dawn, but certainly no less unforgettable.

If Monster Hunter isn't your thing, then Rise won't convince you otherwise. But anyone who's not shy for bossfights, will be taken by the amazing flow and refreshing focus on speed, and will lose themselves for tens or hundreds of hours in this deep and engaging monster-mayhem.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon offers a pulse-pounding and demanding gameplay experience, deep customization options and a desolate game world that looks like something straight out of a sci-fi painting. The influences of especially Sekiro and other soul likes are palpable, but Armored Core is really its own game. It's a must-play for fans of hardcore gaming experiences and manages to hit that chord flawlessly, save for some solvable balance issues.

One last time 343 Industries (and consorts Ruffian, Saber and Certain Affinity) honors Bungie's legacy with an ode so expansive, that it beats Halo: Reach as the ultimate Halo-package. Halo fans, who probably already own Halo Anniversary, should get this for the 106 MP-maps and Halo 2 Anniversary with its amazing new cut-scenes, plus, of course, the Halo 5: Guardians beta, and should consider Halo 3 and 4 to be very, very nice bonuses.

Its impressive roster of almost fifty playable characters manages to draw in both newcomers and veteran players, and keeps them hooked through relevance, balance and sheer playability. The physical limitations of the 3DS system does hinder the experience somewhat, especially initially, and this game’s equivalent of the Adventure Mode (Smash Run) lacks the immediate fun of its two predecessors. But the multiplayer is as strong as ever, with the potential to become the series’ most celebrated yet.

Black Myth: Wukong is imperfect, but it lives up to the hype. You feel a little more powerful every five minutes than you did before, and the excellent combat is not only addictive, it also communicates why Sun Wukong is one of the most legendary mythological characters of all time. If this quality is any indication of what the coming years will bring for Chinese games, we are in for a very good time.

Codemasters does it again. What could well have been an update to F1 2019 with a coat of new paint and some extra circuits, makes the optional Career mode with your own team feel fresher than ever. In addition, it races just a bit tighter, so that F1 2020 also climbs the top tree of the podium again in this rare, shortened season.