The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game that is meant to be loved and savored for years to come, and I'm sure it will be looked back on with as much fanfare and admiration as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Nintendo's other hallmark titles.

It wouldn’t surprise me if I ended up spending 200 hours on a single save, then loading it back up in a few months to do it all again. Whether I’m chasing the thrill of a daring train robbery, or the serenity of a solo camping trip, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open-world game I will return to time and time again.

It's been a long time since I've lost myself in a game to the point that its jaunty tunes are running through my head throughout the work day. Super Mario Odyssey has done that and will continue to do that for a long time. There's plenty to see on this journey, so book a one-way ticket and enjoy the ride.

Larian Studios has tapped into the Weave and conjured up a near-impossible miracle, bringing the creativity of Dungeons & Dragons to life in Baldur’s Gate 3. Players are given real agency to pursue the narrative in a way that suits them and to dive into combat and experiment with a dizzying number of options. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a truly phenomenal game that has managed to sweep up the imaginations and dreams of players and developers alike. Baldur’s Gate 3 may just go down as one of the greatest games of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has lived up to the high expectations created by the success of Breath of the Wild with its exquisitely intertwined gameplay systems, outstanding music, and a legendary story culminating in a magnificent denouement. It's not every day that such a special video game like this comes around. Truly the stuff of legend.

Hades 2 is everything that a gaming sequel should be, and it's one that will keep me coming back, whether it's on PC or Switch 2. (Cross-save works great, by the way.) Because even after conquering Chronos and scaling the surface, there's still so much more to do. Every time I thought I had this game or this story figured out, something else would happen that would turn everything on its head. Like the late "Rowdy" Roddy Piper used to say, when I thought I had the answers, Hades 2 changed the question. Heck, I might still discover something mind-blowing even after this review is posted. I look forward to seeing it. There's always something new to find in the House of Hades, a house that's eternal and yet never gets old.

Astro Bot is a charming and cheeky nod to a lot of PlayStation history and a powerful demonstration of PS5 hardware, but more than anything, it's just a ridiculously good game.

God of War feels like a breath of fresh air, thanks to a reimagined world and some deeper customization features. But at the root of the game is the classic God of War combat, slightly less gory but only slightly less grisly. Tearing monsters apart bare-handed is just as much of a rush as it ever was. And that's good, because even if it's time to grow up, it's okay not to change too much.

Simply put, Elden Ring is Miyazaki and FromSoftware’s magnum opus. It feels like the vision for the genre has reached its final form. Elden Ring is a meticulously crafted game, with a world begging to be explored and experienced. It is truly mesmerizing in its scope, an astonishing success and everything I had hoped it would be. Forget what you knew about the genre, the real Soulsborne starts here, with Elden Ring.

Santa Monica Studio has captured lightning in a bottle for a second time. God of War Ragnarok left me speechless; it’s such a beautiful game both visually and narratively. The team has somehow managed to take what made the original such a wonder and expand upon it, delivering to players a masterpiece, an experience that sits atop the God of War pantheon.

The Last of Us Part 2 is not for everyone. It is a dark and riveting experiment. A symphony of madness, revenge, and brutality. It is the song of humanity’s greatest darkness, and an absolute delight to partake in. The fine folks at Naughty Dog have outdone themselves this time around. The clever blend of cinematics and gameplay all come together perfectly to create an unforgettable experience that rivals some of the greatest classics in American cinema. All that’s left to do now is see it for yourself.

Whether you’re looking for a challenging action game or just want to enjoy a beautifully illustrated and orchestrated story, Hades might be my preferred recommendation for romps through Hell.

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.

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.

God of War already played well and looked great on the PS4, and as expected it’s even better when unleashed on PC.

Resident Evil 4 remake improves upon a masterpiece in ways that will make it hard to go back to the original. It might very well be the most perfect horror-action game I’ve ever played.

What I can say, however, is it is the best representation of the Uncharted series we have seen to date, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t experience it firsthand.

The World of Light campaign is the absolute icing on the cake, offering up tens of hours of fun and some genuine surprises. The only thing really holding Ultimate back from perfection is its online play, both because of its connectivity hiccups and because of some odd design choices.

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.

Every plot beat or character written in pencil, waiting to be erased if it doesn’t fit the narrative ideas the Remake series tries to tie together. Rebirth’s narrative choices can feel inconsistent at times, and often questionable, but its heart carries through...Despite it all, a stellar combat system, evocative soundtrack, and extensive cast of characters make this a journey worth seeking out, even if the pieces don’t fit perfectly. I look forward to seeing how they tie this story together and hope that its third entry is more focused on what makes this series special.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a delightful surprise in what has been an amazing year for Nintendo's iconic mascot. The game offers the right amount of challenges while remaining accessible to a wide cross-section of players. It can be enjoyed as a single player and also as something to be broken out in a party atmosphere. At its core Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a fun and fantastic escape from reality that will leave players smiling for years to come.

You’re going to die a lot and become extremely frustrated more often than not. I can say Bloodborne is an experience that I will never forget as its combat mechanics, especially its transforming main weapons, helped me to adapt to the task at hand and I will gladly continue adventuring through in order to witness everything Bloodborne has to offer.

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.

Over the past five years or so, Konami has become a standard-bearer in preserving and presenting video game history. There have been bumps along the road of course, but Castlevania Dominus Collection is not just a set of ROMs grouped together that benefits from comprising all-time greats. While those games are still obviously the main attraction, the amount of effort put into making these games look and play great, then supplementing them with absurdly high quality materials (including deep cuts even a degenerate like myself was shocked to see) is revitalizing. On top of that, giving M2 the resources to bring back its own long-lost remake series in such a surprising way pushes this collection straight to the top of my must-play list not just in 2024, but in gaming as a whole.

It’s been a heck of a ride, with the story twisting and tearing my heart out every chance I gave it. Most of this heartbreak stems from the choices that I made, which is why I love this series so much. Even so, some of the simplified elements like potion crafting or combat left me wishing it had kept more of its legacy intact.

On its continuing streak of great games, Capcom has brought one of their crown jewels back and reforged it into something altogether incredible - a proper return to marquee fighting game greatness for the franchise.

As far as an action-RPG goes, Demon’s Souls is as tough, but rewarding as I’d expect a Soulborne game would be. Bluepoint did an incredible job of pulling this 2009 title into 2020 and giving all the gloss and polish the PlayStation 5 can wring out of it while still playing perfectly smooth and mostly free of loading. The combat feels tight and impactful, the area selection is delightful, and the character customization looks better than ever even by current Soulsborne standards. Smoothing out inventory systems and adding some more secrets is also a delightful plus. Even so, I just wish Bluepoint had gone all the way in inviting some improvements into the game’s archaic systems. Grinding items in a Soulsborne is just annoying and not being able to sell anything kills me inside. But if you can get past those things, Demon’s Souls is mostly on point as a high-quality upgrade to one of the foundations of this genre’s legacy.

Those who enjoyed and have missed the controller-throwing fury of Cuphead will be happy with the Delicious Last Course. It's a wholesome story, features more of the vintage art style that made the original so memorable, and the addition of Ms. Chalice even makes the base game retroactively more accessible.