By taking the best element of games such as Enslaved Odyssey To The West, Journey, or any of the plethora of cyberpunk games you can think of and mixing them all, BlueTwelve have crafted a truly unique masterpiece worth your time and then some. With a lovable story populated by a colorful environment and characters all tailored to bringing this world to life. A fantastic means of traversal that encourages exploration and a somber tone that kept me engaged throughout my 12-hour journey, never waning my curiosity, Stray is one experience I cannot recommend enough. BlueTwelve Studio -- welcome to the big time.

Deviations from past Final Fantasies may turn off some players, but this game is so classy, it’s like mouthwash for the nasty taste FFX/X-2 left in gamers’ mouths. It redeems a hallowed series which had begun to spiral into teeny-bopper, pop-idol-infested hell.

It is easily the most ambitious and utterly crazy thing I’ve ever experienced, one that is rich with potential for emergent gameplay and unique, lasting experiences, with a star-studded cast delivering a compelling story that unfolds like a fever dream.

Saying The Last Of Us: Remastered is an absolute triumph seems redundant. I said it when the original released last year, after all. And yeah, it's basically the same game with a glossier coating and a few additions. But consider: What have we seen in the last 15 months or so that even comes close? Seriously?

Simply one of the best games of the generation and I’d even wager to put it up with some of the best of all time.

Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 is a marvel of a video game. A game-changing, genre-bending masterpiece. It serves as a testament to the passion of what can be accomplished by a talented team, rivaling the efforts of giant monolith publishers that have three times the budget and resources. It converted me into seeking out other turn-based experiences, but this excellent game may have spoiled me.

There is no doubt about it, but this is easily the best experience you'll have on the PlayStation 3 to date, simply nothing comes close to MGS4's presentation, story-telling, gameplay, visuals, and sound. The amount of classic homages paid to the previous games, with one in particular, will leave you breathless and, perhaps, emotional.

Split Fiction is a perfect game, I can’t put it any other way. Whether you’re talking about the incredible world-building, great central narrative or expertly designed levels, there’s not a foot Split Fiction puts wrong. Constantly keeping its gameplay fresh and bombarding you with new and exciting adventures, Split Fiction champions itself on being a wonderful time, and one you (and your gaming partner) deserve to experience.

1000xRESIST is genuinely perfect for what it is. I cannot demand, but I can very strongly suggest with every fiber of my being, that if you love art in any and all of its forms then you owe it to yourself to play this title. I would suggest, however, that you find something lighter to play, read, listen to or watch after. It does have rough and extremely heavy subject matters, and even if you do love art, you might want to consider what subjects you are currently able to handle before you do. Once more, Hekki Grace, reader. I’ll see you on the other side.

YOU MUST GET GT3! Your life depends on it!

All that can be remains to be said about Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is that it both defies and defines everything a videogame is and should be. In that order.

I suppose some people are still hung up on the concept of a "perfect score." Of course, it doesn't mean "perfect" because no game is flawless. In this case, I suppose I could cite the ungodly precision of enemies with grenade launchers, or the fact that the camera can go just a tad loopy in certain parts. But I say a perfect score goes to the game that is, upon release, better than all the competition. If nothing on store shelves can compete, if you rack your brains and can't think of a better game to come along in the past year or so, it deserves the maximum score. I also believe in the subjective aspect, in that if the game didn't make an impact on a personal level, the critic shouldn't hand out the 10. I've almost never done it because clearly, my requirements are steep. But here, I can't imagine giving out anything less...Side note: Though, with 36 perfect scores counted so far according to Metacritic (more than 1/3 of all 102 counted reviews), I'm hardly the only one to come to this conclusion.

A game of unparalleled scope and ambition, with breathtaking visuals, a broad-ranging but intimate story, and an incredible sense of identity and purpose, Red Dead Redemption 2 will go down as one of the greatest games of the generation, and perhaps video game history.

This brutally violent mythological adventure was the last place I ever thought I’d find deep, meaningful ruminations on what it is to be a father, and the sacrifices involved. God of War is brilliant in ways I never thought games could be. That it’s also perhaps the most highly polished game I’ve ever played, with unsurpassed presentation and mechanics, is actually secondary to the fact that it generated in me the kind of childlike awe I haven’t experienced in decades. I have been writing about video games for almost 20 years now, and in all that time I have never given any game a perfect score. Until now.

Even for those who have played and beaten the original Snake Eater, there is enough completely original content in Subsistence to provide several dozen hours of offline entertainment, not to mention an online multiplayer feature with massive replay value.

Do I recommend Silent Hill f if you like horror, the Silent Hill series in general, and good games? For the love of God yes, I do. I may not be the right audience, but I do know that, and I freely admit this might be recency bias and I’ll have to come back to this question at the end of the year when it’s GOTY time, that this is currently tied with Silent Hill 3 as my favorite game in the series. It’s terrifying, you want to see what happens next, and, this is somewhat unusual for a horror title, you want to play it again immediately afterwards, because there are unanswered questions on a first playthrough that do in fact get answered on further returns. I genuinely love this game and cannot recommend it enough, especially ahead of October and horror month.

Without a doubt one of the most gorgeous videogames of this generation. Gran Turismo 4 is a masterpiece and there's no two ways about it.

Stands out among the pack as one of the most awe-inspired games to hit a console since the release of "Final Fantasy VII." The unbelievably gorgeous visuals, that feature a level of detail never quite seen in a game before, are beyond words. Describing something as beautiful as ICO is hard to do. ICO is hands-down the best adventure/puzzle game of our time.

The character development...oh, man...the character development is unbelievable. Seeing such fantastic depth in these characters completely blew me away; some of them feel so life-like it's quite frightening.

There are simply features and options that Gran Turismo offers that no other racing game does.

You may think you're simply not a GTA fan. You didn't like the other games; they're just not your style. Well, we don't want to tell you what your personal preferences should be, but GTAIV is one of the best games ever made. Ever. Nothing is perfect, but this is about as close as you can get to virtual perfection when you look at the entire package.

It's one of the best games of the year, no doubt, and anybody who denies the game that much is a tree-smoking psychopath.

Not only the best action/adventure game ever to grace the Playstation 2, but also one of the most amazing gaming experiences of the entire generation, and one that should not be missed by anyone who can handle the extreme violence and sexual content.

When alls said and done VC4 is a behemoth of a game with insane replay value, and a great cast of characters. Here’s hoping the next entry can wow us all over again.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time moves at your pace, and it never stops giving you something new to do, no matter what that pace happens to be. Want to hang out on your island, talking to your rescued Buddies? You can absolutely do that. Wanna explore randomized dungeons that make use of what you’ve learned and trained with said Lifes? You can do that as well. Want to travel around, doing combat and various challenges on Ginormosia? Yes, that’s open to you too. Wanna keep doing that, and more after you beat the story and learn more about its characters? Also very much possible, and if you’re that far in, as I am? It’s worth it. It’s not perfect, but it almost is.

Uncharted 2 represents everything I've always wanted to see out of an action-adventure game such as this. It defines what videogames mean to me. It's designed in such a way that is completely the opposite of what most games in the genre have been doing, and yet, by taking a step back to a more traditional setup, it is without question the best game the genre has seen in a very long time. It is also without question the best looking console game I've ever seen, easily the best of the generation.

It plays like a dream, blurring the lines between both genres that it covers much more than any other game. And it looks the part too, as it is easily the best looking handheld game you'll see to date, along with God of War.

I can't praise this game enough for everything that it does so effortlessly. The adventure will run you about 8-10 hours, and chances are you will go back for another round with your acquired goodies in tow. God of War III is the epitome of what this generation is all about: lavish visuals, marvelous gameplay, storytelling that is unlike any other, and an overall presentation that simply cannot be beat.

The writing is great, the acting is superb, the characters are beautifully designed and developed, there’s a riveting sense of authenticity, and the immersion one feels is unmatched.

Arguably the best PlayStation Portable game to date. There is simply nothing on the console that comes close to its polish, gameplay, and production values. To have a game as epic as God of War in the palm of your hands is absolute bliss. This game alone makes purchasing a PSP worthy.

With full voice acting of over one million enrapturing lines of dialogue, new quests, and an undeniable painterly look, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is a landmark RPG. Boasting an excellent murder mystery, it also challenges the player in deconstructing a broken socio-political system and interacting with its inhabitants. The game then slowly unravels itself a dense meditation on the human condition, made possible by your dialogue choices and their consequences. What’s more, most bugs are now fixed, making the PS4 port a near-enough perfect platform for playing this near-perfect game.

Ultimately, we have a game that strikes the perfect balance between a single-player and multiplayer experience. Where almost all current FPS games boast a multiplayer component that is far and away better and more satisfying than the single-player experience, Killzone 2 boasts a single-player campaign that is every bit as much fun as the multiplayer - and that is truly a rarity.

Promise Mascot Agency is a freaking fantastic title. It’s a bit weird, yes, and it’s absolutely not for everyone. But, for the people that end up picking it up, I genuinely believe you will grow to love this game as much as I have.

Media Molecule has created a game that'll go down in videogame history as one of the best gaming achievements ever, and you'd be extremely foolish to pass this up. There is absolutely nothing out there that can give you this much bang for your buck.

The gameplay is absolutely phenomenal, as this is single-handedly one of the most environmentally open games since "Midnight Club" and "ATV: Offroad Fury."

This is one of the best games ever constructed and yeah, it just got better.

The game boasts an adventure that is so epic in size that it can only be the product of Bethesda. The Oblivion engine is a perfect fit to create a Fallout game around, and Fallout 3 is that much better off for it. With a game world that's as large as a real world city, mechanics that are engaging and easy to use, on top of unparalleled depth...Fallout 3 is the no brainer choice for those looking to embark on an epic quest.

An immensely creative triumph. At various times during this adventure, you will experience completely different emotions and you will face distinctly different situations. In addition to this fantastic variety and diversity, you get a story that is mysterious and satisfying on all counts. Factor in rock solid control, unbelievable design from top to bottom, the joy of powerful experimentation, and an unparalleled atmosphere, and you’ve got one mammoth achievement.

The control and responsiveness is perfect, the open-ended exploration is immersive as all hell, the stunning visual display and on-point voice performances are gigantic highlights, and the combat mechanic is second-to-none.

It’s a short title, extremely decently priced, and I genuinely love it quite a bit. It has my wholehearted recommendation, but I would advise take the word of someone that has the capacity to make a joke as bad and forced as the title of this article with a entire shaker of salt.

It's fun, lengthy, beautiful, and really, really satisfying.

Grand Theft Auto V is a gargantuan accomplishment, with an emphasis on the word “gargantuan.” It may still have an assortment of inconsistencies, idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but one could argue that such missteps still give this franchise a singular character.

It's difficult to find any messy balancing or inconsistencies, which is a tremendous accomplishment in and of itself.

All things considered, Elden Ring is a crowning achievement for FromSoftware but also for gaming. It takes the overused open world formula and flips it with a focus on exploration and freedom. It eliminates those limiting markers and quest objectives which every game since The Witcher 3 has used and that have really dampened the open world formula. For a game all about tradition, with its fantasy aesthetic and kings or rulers, it is amazing that Elden Ring breaks the mold and tradition by making such a compelling and intriguing experience. Once the bugs have been ironed out, there is no doubt in my mind that Elden Ring will be looked upon as one of the best games ever created despite the difficulty. It will be looked upon as a genre defining classic.

Hearts of Stone is a stirring good time and a great expansion the whole way ‘round. It doesn’t just give us a couple new missions spread out over the same areas, bringing in the same characters, and simply offering a few new pieces of equipment. This goes above and beyond, delivering an entirely new customization mechanic, excellent story missions, a boatload of surprising charm, fantastic variety in terms of objectives, activities and locations, and a new romance that’s well worth pursuing.

Assassin's Creed III is unavoidably, inescapably epic.

It's the ultimate example of the full console experience in the palm of your hands.

Heavy Rain isn’t just a masterpiece; it’s an ingenious step in the right direction...This may very well be the most “human” game ever made, and an absolute triumph for the industry. Take from that what you will.

What surrounds these upgrades is an air of amazing accomplishment; it pervades every second of your journey and continually reminds us why we love originality in the world of interactive entertainment. The only other downside is this- after playing, you'll probably cry at the thought of a long wait for The Last Guardian.

A mesmerizing and extraordinary experience. It successfully taps into the deepest parts of ourselves, allowing us to simultaneously reflect and explore.

There’s a lot of heart, a lot of innovation, and a clear feeling that this game wasn’t just developed by a talented group of developers, but by people who are truly passionate about Spider-Man.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is the role-playing game you’ve wanted for years. You glimpsed the future and now, with a few minor exceptions, that vision has been fully realized.

The solid story, the fantastic voice performances, the unbelievably well designed city, the attention paid to every small detail, the sheer amount of ridiculously fun skills, and the focus on player creativity is all amazing.

A brilliantly executed arena-based first-person shooter, with a plethora of depth, speed, and a virtually infinite scope on replay value. User-created content will drive this game and its online community for years to come, just as it has on the PC. It is visually stunning to behold, with superb texture detail everywhere you look.

Resistance 2 is a sweeping, grand epic of a masterpiece issued in staccato bursts of ceaselessly entertaining action, which ultimately provide the gamer with a wonderfully paced and satisfying adventure.

As I said, creativity and imagination are essential in any form of entertainment that can be considered artistic in nature. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing, that tops LBP2 in terms of ingenuity, and certainly nothing that makes an entire community dip into a wellspring of prolific inspiration.

With the exception of some questionable choices regarding microtransactions, Destiny 2 is a game that improves upon the original considerably, in every key area. This is, without question, Bungie’s best work yet.

Much like the Skater themselves, let me be clear: this is 100 percent recommendation, Skate Story is genuinely super cool and an artistic marvel, albeit not in the way a Clair Obscur is. Unique, fascinating, a tad realistically frustrating at times, despite the otherworldliness of the world, and a pretty cool time, all things considered.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a great sequel, combining the old and new with a fresh story, iconic characters, and instances of taking a side step and playing as MJ. It might feel repetitive after a while and a bit on the short side. But, it’s a quality webslinging experience that everyone should have, whether you’re a superhero fanatic or just a PlayStation gamer looking your next first-party fix. While it isn’t the best game on the market, it’s a stellar continuation to what will no doubt be a trilogy of webswinging action.

This is some crazy bang for your buck and you won't regret a second of it.

It may not take the same giant step forward as ACII did in comparison to the original title, but there's no doubt that if you loved ACII, you're gonna adore Brotherhood.

Someone once said that Shenmue crawled so that Yakuza could run. If that’s true, then Like A Dragon is the Usain Bolt of the series. There is so much to love and discover in the game’s 50 to 70-hour main story. Top this off with a new game plus mode, and you have an RPG that I can easily see being played for hundreds of hours.

I’m sure that naysayers and die-hard fans of the 2005 iteration will find things to complain about, but viewed as its own entry, this game will no doubt leave its unique mark on the video game landscape as a truly remarkable achievement made by passionate developers.

May very well go down in the books as the finest arcade racing game of all time, and one of the best titles the racing genre has ever seen.

Audio aside, Street Fighter IV is without question the best fighting game available right now, yes, better than Virtua Fighter 5. It boasts the amazing fluidity, balance, and appeal of Street Fighter II and III, with a great sense of reward.

Portal 2 is a memorable, challenging, beautifully designed sci-fi story.

One of those RPGs games that you'll likely play for months and months, without end. The sheer scope is so immense, that it feels as if the game has no end. Furthermore, the sense of freedom is arguably the best an RPG game has ever seen. But most importantly, Oblivion's learning curve is what you make of it.

Guitar Hero: Metallica is the best damn Guitar Hero game ever.

Bottom-line, Call of Duty 4 delivers. It is the very pinnacle of first-person shooters. Unlike another mega-popular first person shooter franchise, Call of Duty 4 keeps the redundancy and repetition to a bare minimum through the single-player campaign.

The storyline is excellent, the voice acting and effects are excellent, the size, scope and detail of the environment is both a pleasure to behold and downright thrilling, interacting with everyone around you is an impressive experience, and the plethora of gameplay additions are much appreciated.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the masterpiece we all hoped it’d be. It’s undoubtedly the best game of 2015 and the generation so far and further solidifies Hideo Kojima as a master of the genre.

Super Street Fighter IV is one of those rare exceptions where it's worth double-dipping. The exception is simply because instead of just releasing the same game with 10 new characters, Capcom went back and reworked the balance, added new modes, added bonus stages, redid the storyboards, changed various aesthetic bits and pieces, and on top of that only charged $40 for it all. To me, Super Street Fighter IV is a no-brainer.

The game itself will last you more than 20 hours, and with the extra content and hidden extras, you'd be doing yourself a big favor if you went out and bought the game as soon as possible.

Boasting splendid atmosphere that is superbly woven by the audio, visuals, and the gameplay, Dead Space is also the scariest, most tense game to come out in a long time. If you're looking for an amazing survival horror game, then look no further - Dead Space is your ticket.

After my 12 plus hours of playtime with Okinawa Rush, I can confidently say that this is the best beat-em-up I’ve played in the past decade. With nine endings, a co-op campaign, a plethora of things to unlock, and a light touch of Dark Souls RPG elements, Okinawa Rush is one game that I can see both fans and non-fans of the genre sinking a good chunk of time into, if not for conventional reasons, then for the sheer variety and ambition on display here.

The cars look more realistic than ever and are quite shiny, showing off real-time reflections. Like the vehicles, the courses are more realistic this year, and there’s a great amount of variety to them.

Yet another incredible entry into Sony's baseball sim franchise. The amount of modes to play through, the amount of options you have to sort through, the amount of depth, quality, and intricacy there is to experience is simply unrivaled not by just MLB 2K, but by any other sports game in general.

Includes most every feature, strategy, tactic, and gameplay element any die-hard fan could ask for. It's all here and really, I could go on writing and explaining for a very long time. But here's the point- the game attempts to put our nation's pastime at our fingertips, and it succeeds wonderfully.

Don't just buy this collection as a way to get your hands on the demo early, because this bundle of amazing software is dripping with quality. Both games have retained their signature gameplay, all the while gaining new and improved visuals, boasting full 720p resolutions, better texture details, anti-aliasing, trophy support, behind the scenes footage, and, yes, a demo of God of War III.

It's just a really, really well-made platformer and probably one of the best to come along in quite some time.

Red Dead Redemption is a triumph and although not entirely devoid of an assortment of little flaws and annoyances, it’s still one of the best of the generation.

An example of innovative interactive mastery.

A gorgeous, endlessly appealing blend of engaging gameplay and fantastic storytelling. Role-playing aficionados will adore the emphasis on the captivating narrative, the familiar characters keep you interested, the combat areas are larger and battles are more dynamic overall, and the freedom of choice cements the entire masterful experience.

Yet another masterpiece from the makers of all Final Fantasy games.

It's library of fantastic mash-ups are really something worth listening to, and certainly worth playing. The turntable controller isn't perfect, but it's good enough to experience a vast majority of the game and love every single second of it. With every session I pick the controller up for, it becomes harder and harder to put the game down - it's that good.

Bioshock is one of the most superbly haunting and unique gaming experiences you will play for a long time...With an amazing story, diverse gameplay, brilliant atmosphere, solid visuals, and incredible audio, Bioshock is one of the most complete adventures out there.

By being given four years of development time the developers at Raven Software have spread their wings and laid one gem of a shooter. Arguably, the best campaign in the franchise’s history is presented as the main dish with the multiplayer and Zombies modes adding zest to this well-cooked package. For only $70, this game is a must-buy for fans of shooters, spy-thrillers, hardcore gamers, and casuals alike.

Despite its few visual sore spots, it's one wonderfully sharp looking title with an addictive nature that'll have you pressing for more.

It hits you right between the eyes from the start and never lets up. The control is tight, the variety (fueled by different enemies, upgradeable weapons, and gigantic bosses) is absolutely essential, the atmosphere has a large impact, the story and characters are compelling, and the pacing and technical style is second-to-none.

The complete package is supremely well done; the immersive atmosphere is second-to-none, the action is always either tense and intimidating or all-out madness, the diversity of the levels is a joy to experience, and the story ain’t half bad.

If you're a fan of The Beatles, this Rock Band game is definitely the music game you want to own this year. It offers a ton of content and replay value, and truly makes for a great experience for you and your friends. I just wish they'd offer a patch to fix the microphone latency.

There's no denying that Soul Calibur III is the most refined, most feature-rich, and most artistically pleasing fighting game ever released for a home video game console.

On top of including the songs from RB1, they've also gone and fixed nearly every single issue we've complained about, and then some!

I simply cannot resist. And as a little tidbit, I discovered that Sony's SingStar mics work with the game, as well. Once again Activision has put together an extremely convincing soundtrack and have earned my attention.

It can be a little tough to get used to and there are a few small hiccups here and there, but for the most part, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is among the elite portable experiences available. Get it.

Dark Resurrection is so great, that many will argue that it's the best Tekken game ever – and I’d agree. It plays tighter than "Tekken 5" (because it's based on the updated Dark Resurrection arcade update), and it has tons of features not found in the home release.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the series. It really is one of the best RPGs I’ve played in quite a long while, and even though the competition is thin, that doesn’t stop Atlus’ latest effort from being a clear-cut winner.

Guitar Hero is everything a game should be -it’s innovative, it’s tons of fun, has tons of replay value, and it’s accessible to both new and experienced gamers.