If you’re a fan of the JRPG genre, especially classics Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, or any of the original Dragon Quests I would heavily encourage you to check out Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age.

Pillars of Eternity excels at bringing the look and feel of the Infinity Engine games to the modern world in an expertly written story that’s worth sitting through for over 70 hours...Honestly, it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played.

Super Mario Maker 2 is a worthy successor to the original game. The additions of the new Super Mario 3D World style and host of new features really make this feel like a solid evolution of that creative explosion that began in 2015 on the Wii U. For many players, Super Mario Maker 2 will feel like a revolution, while veteran creators will take their knowledge into a whole new wave of level design. Nintendo has provided players with the tools to create an infinite amount of challenging, fun, and ridiculous Mario levels. Now we can all play with power. Infinite power.

Death’s Door combines excellent story and lore with challenging and rewarding combat. As an action game, there’s a lot to love about the enemies faced and customization available. Story can easily take the backseat in a game like this, but the sheer concept of it all and the lore dumped on top makes the story in Death’s Door equally intriguing. Acid Nerve delivers one of the more well-rounded titles I’ve played this year with Death’s Door.

Crusader Kings 3 is not only a return to its franchise's grand range of gameplay, strategy, and storytelling, but also a massive and meaningful evolution with little to hold players back from exploration and discovery throughout an intricate web of rulers, dynasties, and statecraft.

Forza Motorsport 6 is what I always wanted a next-gen driving game to be. It offers beautiful visuals, a wide variety of options, and uses real-world physics to dictate how vehicles perform...It's unlikely anything will unseat it in the near future.

Horizon Forbidden West is absurdly good in so many ways that it borders on must-play for open world aficionados.

It’s great on its own, but combined with Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2 it helps make up the masterpiece that is the World of Assassination trilogy

There’s tons of bonus activities to help keep you busy both in terms of subgames in Merry Magoland subgames and the new story content via the Magalor Epilogue. If you’re looking for a game for your kids to play, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is without a doubt one of the best offerings in 2023 with approachability found in every aspect from gameplay, to its whimsical core themes, to the fact that co-op multiplayer is offered pretty much throughout.

Despite having predetermined outcomes, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie does a great job at giving players a true sense of agency over the direction of the story. Even when things don’t go as expected, the events that unfold are no less intriguing. The game raises the bar for what can be achieved through player choice, and those looking for a compelling narrative-driven experience have plenty to enjoy here.

Despite the fact that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is also launching on the original Switch, it truly feels like the proper showpiece for the Switch 2. The supreme gameplay design is beautifully complemented by the different input options, all of which are suitable ways to play through this adventure. The experience is bolstered by gorgeous visuals and spectacular performance regardless of how you choose to play.

Tactical Breach Wizards is one of the cleverest and most enjoyable tactics games I've played in a long old time. A handful of useful features remove some of the genre's most frustrating pain points, and the forgiving structure lets you experiment with all manner of off-the-wall solutions, even if there really is just one ideal path forward. It's a blueprint for how tactics games should be designed, and I can't wait to dive back into it again.

I didn't expect to like this game as much as I do, and I certainly didn't think that a Story Mode would be the biggest selling point for a game known as a mini-game compilation, but here we are. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is an excellent game with a fabulous soundtrack and fan service for fans of either franchise. The game's Story Mode does a great job of introducing players to all of the mini-games, while also teaching them about the rich history and culture of Tokyo. Sega has done a great job as ambassadors for the city of Tokyo, and the 1964 retro 2D mini-games and events are nostalgia-filled romps that will leave players smiling from ear to ear.

Hellblade overcomes very minor hiccups with incredible presence, immersive design, and an overall package that truly leaves an impression, not to mention the fact that it’s only $29.99. If this is Ninja Theory stepping away from mainstream gaming, may they permanently inhabit this “Triple-A Indie” space they’ve carved for themselves and usher in a new era that strikes the balance between creative risk and high-quality production values.

Tales of Arise is an excellent JRPG that delivers just about everything you want from the genre: a rich story, intriguing characters, satisfying combat, and an endless amount of lore. The game isn’t able to skirt around the issues that often plague JRPGs, which I feel will make for a higher barrier of entry for newcomers. That said, Fans of the series and those that just love a good JRPG will fall in love with what’s there in Tales of Arise.

If anything these minor glitches are a testament to this game’s release being something of a minor miracle. Without going too much into the details, Aftterlove’s creative director, Mohammad Fahmi, tragically passed away in 2022. It is thanks to the teams at Pikselnesia and Fellow Traveller that the game was seen through to release. I can’t imagine a more beautiful tribute to a developer who is only ever spoken of in the highest terms by his peers than Afterlove EP — a game that understands that even if things will never be ok again, we can still keep living.

After Doom Eternal proved somewhat divisive among fans, Doom: The Dark Ages should be a Doom game everyone can appreciate. It’s fast and hard hitting, featuring robust combat systems that make learning their ins and outs fun and empowering. I daresay it’s even better than Doom 2016, and is a must-play title for everyone interested in Doom, first-person shooters, and action games as a whole.

No matter if you've played the rest of the Yakuza series and know it like the back of your hand, or you're just now getting started as a fledgling fan, Yakuza 0 is a must-play.

I’m amazed that it took 37 years to release an online multiplayer Ghostbusters experience where you can be your own Ghostbuster or play as a menacing specter against your friends. IllFonic has done a phenomenal job at creating a game that focuses on paranormal investigation and eliminations.

It’s not perfect (and carries many of the warts that are now tropes of the survival genre), but I’ve yet to find myself bored or disillusioned with any part of the experience. Like any game, Conan Exiles is best played with friends (and this game is AMAZING with a group of idiot friends). A battle to the death with 6 naked cannibals and a giant tiger is hands down the best gaming experience I’ve had in 2018.

Playing It Takes Two took me back to the era of couch co-op games that I would play with my friends and family. The shared laughs, frustrations, and triumphs are an aspect of co-op games that I had sorely missed. With inventive and creative gameplay puzzles coupled with some unique environments, It Takes Two is without a doubt the greatest couch co-op game I’ve played in recent memory.

Dead Space 2023 is a familiar, yet fresh return to the classic, visually and mechanically polishing the things that made the 2008 game amazing while reworking a number of key points to make it one of the most impressive and exciting modern horror experiences I have ever played.

Some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a game based on a popular franchise tailor-made for smartphones.

With the arrival of Donkey Kong: Bananza, Nintendo’s legendary gorilla is finally back in the spotlight for a new 3D platformer. This sprawling journey is rich with challenging platforming sequences, a plethora of unique enemies, and features that will alter the DNA of this franchise moving forward. Top it all off with a story full of heart, and you’ve got an excellent addition to the Switch 2’s young library.

Take a cornucopia of familiar Hyrule lands, add an absolutely fantastic soundtrack to each of them, and let a collection of amazing characters loose to tell a great story on the battlefield and off, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a game no Zelda or Musou fan should pass up.

To dismiss Tunic as a Zelda clone upon first glance would be doing it a huge disservice. Developer Finji has put together something special with this game, a game that lures players in with its adorable mascot character and delivers a deceptively difficult adventure. Tunic can be outright intimidating at points. However, the game does such a good job in helping bring players along, whether it's through stat upgrades or new pages of the instruction manual, that the difficulty never feels debilitating or inaccessible in any way.

If you can get past its tedious organization and swaths of overleveled monsters in your way, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is incredible. This was a game that eluded many fans back in 2015. Now, it has a fresh chance to shine and do so with a new coat of paint and some thoughtful QoL changes. It doesn’t always hit the bullseye, and some 2015 issues went unaddressed. That said, if you let yourself get lost in the wilds of Mira, it’s more than easy to overlook the few things that drag the fun down. Whether you missed Xenoblade Chronicles X the first time or are revisiting Mira, there’s a lot to love and appreciate for fans and newcomers alike.

It’s a fantastic game with a near flawless execution.The journey is enjoyable and the characters you help and hinder throughout the game make it an memorable experience. If you’re looking for a high quality, AAA single-player game, look no further than Shadow of War.

Those minor issues with the game aside, Dishonored 2 proves to be a return to a classic formula that worked so well in the orginal. Strong level design, open world exploration and the ability to play your own way with powers that can be adapted or modified how you want makes the game one of the top titles of the year.

Monster Hunter Rise was beyond anything I expected. The tried and true grind of Monster Hunter's giant beast battles is alive and performing exceedingly well for the Switch’s hardware. Its formula is also thoughtfully augmented with Palamutes, Wirebugs, and Wyvern Riding, all of which I’d love to see stay in the series after this game.

This is one of the best games to be released this year, without a doubt. While the campaign may have felt a bit short with its abrupt ending, it left me itching for a sequel.

It’s a little bogged down in video game chores in the open world. However, when you’re on the trail of the main quest or any given side story, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a compelling adventure worth seeing through to the final spiritual release.

Loop Hero succeeds as an adventure game by blending together elements of strategy and roguelikes in a way that feels clever and fresh. Giving players agency on the adversaries they encounter, and the frequency of said encounters, is an exciting spin on the genre, and one that forced me to strategize in a unique way. Couple the outstanding mechanics with a gorgeous and well-executed visual design, and you’ve got yourself one satisfying gameplay loop.

Half-Life: Alyx is a wonderful new addition to the franchise and sets a path forward for future games to take place in the same universe hopefully powered by this latest iteration of the Source Engine. Valve has showcased a clear way for developers to create a high quality AAA experience built for VR that still hits all the marks of a traditional PC game. While many players will be longing for the days of playing as the silent hero Gordon Freeman, it was an absolute delight to navigate this latest story. "I knew if you both stayed together you could get through anything,“ said G-Man once upon a time, but Alyx showed everyone just how powerful of a bad ass she is when tasked with her own adventure.

When I felt myself growing weary of the complication, I would march Maximillian into the mess hall and execute one of the stupider minions in front of his coworkers. This sent all the witnesses into a panic, resulting in improved productivity. I might be mentally damaged, but I’m having a great time and accomplishing my goals of world domination. Ultimately, Evil Genius 2 is a Dungeon Keeper clone in a different coat of paint. The surface has been well-prepped and the paint was applied with great expertise, though. If you consider yourself a fan of simulation-strategy games, this has to go on your must-play list for 2021.

When I began Horizon: Zero Dawn, I was anxious it wouldn't be able to maintain itself for thirty-plus hours. I'm thrilled that fear was unfounded. The play was constantly rich and rewarding, and the mysteries constantly unfolding. I'm left not just feeling satisfied the entire time, but wanting more. This one is something special.

Constance is a game about confronting your inner darkness. Its hand-drawn cartoony art style won me over initially. Its challenging platforming puzzles and boss fights that required me to fully utilize the plethora of techniques I’d learned throughout the journey kept me engaged and always felt satisfying to complete. This fluid and extremely rewarding gameplay loop alone solidifies Constance as a must-play platformer. The heartfelt story at the core of it all is a welcome added bonus.

I haven’t felt as challenged or as impressed by a puzzle game like Humanity since Portal 2 and The Talos Principle. Sony likely saw something special about it too (and this time at least, I agree), as it is one of the few games that will be available with a PS Extra or Premium subscription on day one. While Humanity does become less of a puzzler near the endgame, that’s a minor quibble in light of the risks it takes, its inventive range of content, its thought-provoking story, and its curiously peculiar presentation. (The dog is cute too.)

Was it worth it after eight long years of waiting? Yes, I think so. Hollow Knight: Silksong is beautiful and feels great to play. It’s filled with content and challenges that are fun to overcome. Its characters are delightfully expressive, and despite that charm, there’s a deeply complex and morbid air that compels one to want to save all these bugs from a terrible fate. I could have done without the numerous hours I spent on farming and other padded elements, but Silksong is still an enormously packed journey, and a tremendous payoff on a nearly decade-long wait. Just mind the challenge and don’t rush it. True endings won’t come easy, but that’s part of what makes victory feel beautiful in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Super Mario 3D World is a tightly-designed platformer, raucously fun in multiplayer, and a master's class in level design. Don't pass it off as just another Mario game. This one is not to be missed.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands tall among some of From Software’s most renowned titles. The challenge is clear and present, the story and mystery are equally intriguing, and the beautiful vistas and soundtrack work in perfect harmony. It might be entirely different to what came before it, but Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a near-perfect experience and a natural progression of the Soulsborne series.

Supraland is simply one of the best sandbox games I’ve ever played. It perfectly embodies the term, letting players define their experience. The only shortcomings in this title are some generic and lackluster character and item designs, but that’s a nitpick when stacked against everything Supraland has to offer. The gameplay feels like a love letter to a laundry list of classic games, doing justice to all of them. Supraland is a must-play game for fans of the open world.

Coming into 2026, I knew that few games were a surer bet than Saros. Housemarque’s 2021 breakout is still one of the PS5’s best games, and Saros will now stand alongside it. I could see some players lamenting just how similar it feels to Returnal, but Saros was exactly what I needed from a spiritual successor.

Injustice 2 feels like a step up from Gods Among Us in every way imaginable. It's a far deeper experience, follows up wonderfully on the last game's story, and also gives reasons to keep coming back for repeat visits. The rich cast of fighters all have their own distinct styles, but they're all wrapped up in an easy-to-learn fighting system that's just plain fun to play. NetherRealm has a true grasp of what makes the DC Universe special and this game is as much of a love letter to that world as it gets.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a great experience overall, and will likely find a passionate audience among those who love this series, but it also won’t do much to convert people who simply don’t enjoy the silly simplicity of the genre. It is both a worthy exploration of Batman and a fantastically fun LEGO title that takes full advantage of how loaded that premise has become over the years.

Mixing stealth, weighty gunplay, supernatural powers, and play-your-way weapons and gadgets, Deathloop is a greatest-hits amalgam of Arkane style with a splash of grindhouse grittiness and a satisfying murder puzzle narrative to put it apart from anything that has come before.

Should you pick up Mario Tennis Aces? If the answer wasn't immediately obvious already, that's a resounding yes. It's the best the series has seen in years, and that's saying something for this tennis fan. If you're looking for one of the best sports games the Switch has to offer, look no further. You've found it.

One of the best Madden games I have ever played. It’s accessible to new players and offers brand new experiences for seasoned video game football vets. There are some years when Madden just doesn’t have the right feel, and I usually will be the first to tell folks to hold off on buying the game. But this is not one of those years. 2018 is coming, and Madden is ready to give you hours of awesome gameplay experiences.

I knew Star Ocean: The Second Story R would be able to rope me back in with little effort, but I was nonetheless amazed by just how much it improves on the original game. Every angle I looked at seemed reformed with care and consideration to make the visuals and sound more beautiful, the combat more tactically refined, and the side jobs rewarding.

Age of Wonders 4 might be overwhelming at first, but it's brimming with potential and gives you the tools to tell unique stories with your chosen hero. The nearly decade-long gap between releases gave Triumph the chance to polish Age of Wonders 3's weak points and come up with substantial improvements to combat and presentation. The result is one of the best grand strategy games in ages.

Tripwire Interactive has managed to capture what it feels like to be Jaws, right down to jumping out of the water, landing on a boat, and chomping away at the hunters on it. That in and of itself is a momentous achievement to accomplish.

The detour into Mexico is a sight for sore eyes after a three-year stay in the rather dreary United Kingdom of Horizon 4. Innovation is about the last thing you’ll find on the Forza Horizon 5 buffet, but there is no denying that this is the best software available for Microsoft’s Series X|S consoles and, for people who have strong PCs, the best reason yet to pony up for a 4K 120Hz HDR display.

Mario Kart World features the most detailed gameplay mechanics ever featured in series history. The game embraces Mario’s platforming roots with a new moveset for racers to reach new heights in tracks by jumping, grinding, barrel rolling, and wall riding to multiple pathways and shortcuts.

This is the closest we'll ever get to a video game based on William Friedkin’s classic thriller Sorcerer. If you are a fan of non-conventional PC games, I cannot recommend Spintires:Mudrunner enough.

As one of games media’s self-described SaGa Sickos, I had one question on my mind coming into Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. Could a SaGa be rebuilt, explicitly for approachability, and still feel like SaGa? Or would sanding it down and making it friendlier turn it into a less daring and bold RPG that’s harder to distinguish from Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest? While some parts did have me feeling a little curmudgeonly, at the end of the day the answer is yes. Romancing SaGa 2’s remake is a fulfilling journey, giving fans of the original plenty to sink their teeth into, while simultaneously offering something that’s a lot more palatable for curious parties to finally set their fears aside and try something new. If it clicks, though, I implore you to dive into the deep end afterwards. Don't sleep on SaGa!

Silent Hill f enjoys getting under your skin. It’s a game that gives you objectives like “go on ahead” and “escape.” Every jump that the game elicited from me was usually followed by a wide grin. I loved the unique challenges that combat posed as I made my way from puzzle to puzzle, and the story’s overarching mystery is one worthy of the Silent Hill name.

I’m not a big Metroidvania guy, but Dead Cells managed to conjure up the same feelings I had when I played Super Mario World, Portal, and Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. It isn’t perfect, but no game is. It evokes feelings that remind me why I fell in love with video games in the first place.

Oxenfree is a fantastic horror game, and Night School Studio has definitely pulled out all the stops to bring this story to life. Its classic Telltale meets the horror movies of the 1980s, and they’ve hit all the right notes. The branching storylines, likeable characters, and underlying dread and mystery really help this game to accomplish everything it could. Oxenfree is sure to keep you guessing until you reach the final ending screen. At which point I can’t promise you won’t just start over, ready to explore the ghostly realm ocne again.

Claymore Game Studios realized what made the original Commandos games so great, retained the heart and soul, and sanded off all the prickly edges. Commandos: Origins is a love letter to the originals in everything it does. The mechanic-heavy sandbox gameplay, the unique cast of commandos, the gorgeous environments, and the level design, all of it coalesces into an experience that is contemplative and intense. It’s a brilliant and challenging strategy game. And doesn’t it feel damn good to punch Nazis?

Arise is an absolute triumph. The visuals are some of Enhance's best, utilizing the best of both Unity and its own proprietary Synaesthesia Engine. It's wildly fun and unexpectedly challenging in places, but above all, it's a relaxing pleasure.

Elden Ring Nightreign isn’t your dad’s Dark Souls game. It’s not a slow, methodical, and exploration-driven experience. It is high octane, caffeine into the veins, run until you drop. The game kept me up at night, well past my bedtime, as I tried to clear just one more Expedition – maybe this next run would be the one. I went to sleep with it on my mind and woke up ready to dive back in. Even after rolling credits, I wanted to get in and keep playing. FromSoftware has done it again.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door might be ever so slightly dated in its first two chapters and its insistence on loading every area with too many enemies. Its bizarre cast, excellent writing, and inventive battles mean it earns its reputation as one of the best and most inventive RPGs, though, and it’s just as fresh and imaginative now as it ever was.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a love letter to 40k fans. The minor gripes I have with PvP cross play and cutscenes pale in comparison to the overall package that’s bursting with content and hours of fun times with friends. The insane dedicated attention to detail is everywhere, even in the smallest corner of the game. Saber really took their time, cared about the IP, and it shows. I highly suggest grabbing a copy, getting your friends together and killing some Xenos scum.

Two Point Hospital is just what the doctor ordered. Management sim fans will eat this up and the game’s expertly executed presentation will be able to draw in players new to the genre with its humor and charm.

Pikmin 4 almost always had fun surprises in store with me for each day’s adventures. Every biome, cave, and challenge brought about new threats and surprises, and my versatility between my own upgrades and those to Oatchi and our Pikmin made sure we almost always had new and fun ways to approach each situation. Pikmin 4 does a good job of retracing steps in the series, bringing back features that players liked, and making them feel good in the new setting. It also keeps the new adventure compelling with fun objectives and loads of secrets. Oatchi is a clear contender for Shacknews Best Pet of 2023, and Pikmin 4 might just be the best blend of charming and intense that I’ve played all year.

Blue Prince is a puzzle gaming experience like no other. It's a roguelike that tests the player's ability to progress in their own mind as much as through whatever's in the game itself. It's deliberate with its pacing, which isn't always a good thing. It'd be nice to be able to move at a faster speed than walking speed, but I guess there's no running inside the house (or outside the house, for that matter). Despite that and an ambient soundtrack that can feel dull, Blue Prince's formula and its abundance of secrets are undeniably engaging. Even if it takes over 100 days to get to the fortune in the 46th room, this is a game that will have players feeling rich regardless.

The Quarry feels like a true spiritual successor to Until Dawn. Not just because it follows a group of young people running for their lives in the middle of the woods, but the emphasis on putting characters first in the story. Strong performances and solid writing actually made me care about the characters, which made the constant threat of danger all the more impactful. With dynamically branching pathways and some truly frightening sequences, The Quarry just might be my favorite game from Supermassive.

It's not just a great Kingdom Hearts game, it may very well be a game that gets revisited in December.

CS2 also proves that despite their reluctance to do so, Valve still has all the chops whenever they choose to put their game developer hat on. Nearly all of the changes in Counter-Strike 2 meaningfully enhance the experience without compromising what made the game special in the first place. With the foundation set for another multi-year run, I’m excited to see how Valve and the community evolve Counter-Strike 2.

It’s surreal to see a game I played in my first year of work at Shacknews finally find its way to that Version 1.0. I couldn’t be happier for Coffee Stain after its lengthy journey, but it helps that this is a really dang good sim, and a true creative sandbox. I think the freeform nature of Satisfactory is both its greatest power and its most intimidating offering, simply because the sheer lack of guidance can leave players directionless and overwhelmed, especially as you wait and stew on it while resources bake in the early game. However, the sheer beauty of Satisfactory as you slowly expand a little base into a highly programmed and automated industrial machine is a neat and rewarding process, and if you have a friend or two to bring along, all the more fun.

Streets of Rage 4 might be one of the pinnacles of the beat’em-up genre, seamlessly mixing arcade and co-op fun with absolute depth of visuals, a good soundtrack, and fantastic overall fighting design.

Tchia is a beautiful piece of art that is equal parts enriching and enjoyable. The heartfelt story is reinforced by a lovely tribute to the unique culture of New Caledonia. Outside of some standard open-world woes, Tchia is an endlessly charming game with an endearing protagonist at its heart.

Fans waited four years for NetherRealm to release a new fighting game, and all that waiting paid off. From the surprises in its new mythology, to the white-knuckled pace and creativity in its gameplay, Mortal Kombat 1 is the freshest take on the series in years.

Thank Goodness You’re Here is something altogether different from most of what I’ve played in 2024, and refreshingly so. It’s most certainly a game with some puzzle-minded antics, but it feels more like a lengthy comedy special, and the slapstick absurdity of it stays refreshing with plenty of surprises and ridiculousness throughout the adventure. Even the parts I didn’t initially enjoy ultimately felt like they needed to be there because it felt like part of the joke. Even so, be prepared for some very esoteric solutions and a complete lack of guidance as you learn to adapt to the wacky way this game wants you to think.

The online component for Smash Bros. is astonishingly smooth.

Between its solid combat, varied open world, and enjoyable characters, Rise of the Ronin sets a new tier of excellence in Team Ninja’s game design.

Alan Wake 2 builds upon a foundation that I felt was effective, but missing something in the original. In narrative, atmosphere, and gameplay, this sequel captures the sense of a self-aware fictional world that’s always contorting itself in real-time to move forward, and the result is a surreal horror/thriller masterpiece.

Last Train Home might not be as deep as some management sims or as broad in scope as other RTS games. However, it combines the best of both styles with some smart and welcome improvements that give it a strong identity. Combine that with a unique story and brilliant presentation, and you’ve got yourself a strong candidate for one of the best in the genre.

As you run, jump, and dash your way through Neon White, you’ll not only find yourself comfortably falling into the natural rhythm of each platforming puzzle, you’ll also find yourself eager to replay stages and beat your previous score, or your friends’ scores, or both.

If you love the series and want to experience more of what made the first two games great, you’ll find all that and more in Bayonetta 3, which dials things up to 11 and then some.

The game marks the official entry into the next generation of visual fidelity and scope. Even if you only have a passing interest in the subject matter, it is worth a look on Game Pass just to fly over your own neighborhood or to take a short vacation to Hawaii. With everyone looking to the upcoming consoles to provide the next-generation experience, don’t let this one slip off your radar.

In a year that produced intense titles like the Resident Evil 3 remake, Amnesia: Rebirth is another shining example of how Frictional Games’ approach to fear sets itself apart and shows another quality perspective of what the horror gaming genre can do.

Two Point Campus is intensely good on most fronts. The game is quite pretty, its comedy is charming, and its gameplay cycle is potently addictive. The climb from the lowest, most crummy campus up to the most noble and illustrious of college grounds is an addictive grind, and Sandbox Mode awaits those stalwart enough to overcome everything else.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands certainly manages to capture the same feelings we’ve had since first started playing the game. The leveling experience overhaul, constant sense of progress with rewards, and new campaign stories make Shadowlands a must-have for any avid player.

Lost Ark is the gold standard of Modern MMOs. Smilegate and Tripod deliver an incredibly polished experience that gives players dozens of dishes to choose from, all equally delicious. It hits on all those classic MMO beats, while injecting a fresh style and approach to all of it. Lost Ark has already proven to have some strong staying power in the east, and is now set up for a long and fruitful lifespan in the west.

Final Fantasy XV is the rare game that transcends its genre to become an appealing product to anyone who is a fan of gaming. While a few issues keep it from being considered “perfect,” Final Fantasy XV is one of the “must-play” games of 2016 and is an incredibly enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

There’s no arguing that Animal Crossing isn’t for everyone. But, if you’ve been a fan of the series before, and you’re looking for something juicy to sink your teeth into, then New Horizons is everything you could ever want from the franchise and then some.

Mario has ventured to massive worlds before. He's even surfed the cosmos across different galaxies. Rarely has a world in any of his games felt this connected. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a game about building bonds, the kind that Mario shares with his cherished brother.

An ambitious and solid first outing from the team at Squanch Games. There’s a real game here with some actual replayability thanks to hidden power babies, a few branching paths, and the crazy amount of voice acting that went into it. It looks good, it plays [well], and it is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud several times during your adventure. At a price point of $29.99, you’re getting quite a deal considering the amount of content being delivered, especially for a VR experience. While Trover has a few flaws, the overall package executes what it sets out to accomplish remarkably well.

What makes Detroit: Become Human a great game, though, is that even after going back through alternate narrative branches and winding down my play time, I’m still invested. The world that Quantic Dream gave me to explore is only a short leap from the one we’re living in now, and the ideas presented have left me contemplating the role AI could play in our lives sooner rather than later.

Everything about Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time feels perfect. Yeah, the game can be frustrating, and there are a few hiccups here and there, but for the most part the formula is still solid. The addition of new mechanics helps to bring the old-school design forward, and the overall design of the game – from levels to characters and beyond – is splendid.

This is a fantastic addition to the Switch library, not just as a great game but as one that benefits from the system's core features. It adds the requisite new content and fixes the one large oversight of the original. Mario Kart 8 was already one of the best in the series. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is even better.

I’ve played a lot of good mech games, but few have ever given me the sheer depth of customization in both cosmetics and functionality that we have here. It’s like a dream come true.

Starfield is more than a welcome addition to Bethesda’s family of RPG franchises, it feels like the start of a new era for the studio. Not only is it the developer’s most technically impressive game, but it also delivers a worthwhile narrative that takes some major swings and establishes a sprawling mythos. It has some blemishes here and there, but Starfield proves to be an awesome sci-fi adventure.

Darkest Dungeon takes the staples of roguelikes and adds the atmosphere and themes of Lovecraftian Horror and does so with incredible success. The game captures the feeling of battling an unending wave of nightmarish abominations with little to no chance of hope. But when you do succeed you feel like a million bucks. The difficulty may deter many people from trying this game out, but if you are brave enough you will be rewarded with a rich experience.

Atomic Heart is undoubtedly one of the best first-person shooter campaigns I’ve played in years. In addition to rock-solid gameplay, the game offers an intriguing mystery and a robust upgrade system. It’s even more impressive when you remember that this is the first game from Developer Mundfish. Outside of controversial themes and a lack of enemy variety, it’s hard to point out any glaring issues with Atomic Heart.

Bloober Team took what they learned from combat and survival design on Silent Hill 2, blended it with its expertise in environmental design, and told a story that sinks its hand-claws in and leaves you uncertain of your decisions at pivotal points. It’s not always ticking at a good pace, but Cronos is an intense time-hopping journey that adds frightful new flavor to the horror universe.

It’s not very often that a game of this calibre comes along. Disco Elysium is mad with psychedelic energy, unabashedly dramatic, and dangerously well-written. I wish, like the detective, I could forget all about Disco Elysium, if only to experience it again as if for the first time. It’s truly one of the greatest RPGs ever released.