A true masterpiece by today’s standards, the newest Zelda game is a technological wonder considering it’s been made to run on a rather outdated console. This is a must-play even if you haven’t played a Zelda game before, but you might not enjoy it if you’re not into sandbox experiences.

Dark Souls 3 is the final game in the franchise according to director Hidetaka Miyazaki, and the game is clearly designed with the previous two installments in mind and with ideas taken from both Bloodborne and Demon's Souls, to create a balanced, accessible and beautiful experience.

Final Fantasy XVI is one of those very rare masterpieces with issues. Developed by a stellar team, the game shines when it comes to story and combat, but fails in other aspects like narrative structure, itemization and RPG elements. Featuring an enthralling story and gripping characters that scream Game of Thrones, Final Fantasy XVI is an emotional ride from start to finish. With more than 10 hours of cinematic cutscenes and an amazing soundtrack, Final Fantasy XVI is a feast for the senses. And the best thing is that you don’t even have to have played any of the previous Final Fantasy games to enjoy the latest entry. Final Fantasy XVI is a must-play regardless of whether or not you like action RPGs.

Dave the Diver is captivating. It throws a lot of ideas at players, most of which are great. The dominant mechanics, diving and restaurant work, have depth and plenty of surprises. Even after many hours of harpoon fishing, it’s still thrilling to evaluate a target, aim, fire, struggle with it, and repeat until the result is extra sushi material. The many narrative threads don’t always connect with each other meaningfully, and there are some side activities that don’t impress. But Dave the Diver has cool characters, a strong core gameplay loop, and plenty of attention to detail to impress players with.

30 Birds is a wonderful experience with a great world and impressive presentation. Zig is a fun protagonist, and the development team has innovated a lot for its varied mini-activity line-up. Music is an integral part of the game, with a focus on creativity that gets highlighted when players get a chance to get on a synthesizer and create some tunes of their own. Exploration is mostly a pleasure, as long as players don’t rely much on the smartphone map. The four Lantern hubs are stunning and feature a mix of characters and secrets. 30 Birds is a unique game that showcases how variety, both in terms of gameplay and influences, can create a wonderful world for players to get lost in.

There’s no doubt that Nioh 3 is the best game in the series. Even though everything has been streamlined and made easier and more fun, it’s hard to make a Nioh game easy for a newcomer to the series. There are two things that will help new players from having an easier time in Nioh 3. One of them is reading each of the dedicated tutorials in the game. The second one is simply practicing everything that the game teaches you. If you’re on the fence about the game’s difficulty, don’t be. Nioh 3 offers so many ways of defeating every challenge in the game that it would be a pity to lose on so much fun just because of a misconception. Nioh 3 has everything that a fan of the franchise had dreamed of and more. I don’t think I need to recommend this to those who loved the previous titles, but as fan who developed an obsession for the series, let me just say that Nioh 3 absolutely blew my mind.

Firaxis has managed to deal with all the criticism leveled at the first title in the rebooted series and has created a great new classic, with XCOM 2 set to become one of the video games that generates record-breaking hours played numbers for fans of the strategy genre.

Playing SUPERHOT is fun even when I constantly fail because I know the game is now cheating in any way and that next time I have a chance to be more stylish, better prepared, smarter and faster to reach a new high score in Endless Mode or deal with another of the challenges.

Invisible Inc. has a ton of deceivingly complex interactions hidden behind its glossy exterior, and although it lets you take your time when it comes to plotting, due to its turn-based nature, it's always reminding you that you’re running against the clock.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses offers an incredible experience from beginning to end, although the “end” is not really the END, as the story certainly deserves to be viewed from more than one perspective.

Thanks to an amazing cast that’s doing an outstanding job, a compelling story told through the eyes of multiple characters, and top-notch combat, this epic and heartfelt journey strikes all the right chord. It’s impossible not to recommend God of War Ragnarok, but just in case you had any doubts, I strongly advise anyone mildly interested in gaming to play Santa Monica Studio’s latest masterpiece.

Episode 5 delivers a stellar conclusion to the adventures of Bigby Wolf. There are great conflicts in terms of dialog and combat, so players will be solicited in all sorts of ways. It also displays Bigby in all his big bad wolf glory and leaves a fair amount of possibilities for a likely second season of series.

Ultimately, Journey to Un'goro manages to excite even the most hardcore Hearthstone players, which is no small feat these days. I believe Blizzard has outdone itself with the new expansion, as Journey to Un'goro is not just fun to play but also extremely versatile.

The writing, arguably the most important part of any role-playing game, is solid and surprising, humorous at times, and full of gravitas when the action calls for it; there is a ton of innovation as far as the character system goes, which also translates into gameplay mechanics, the interactions with the game world are rich and rewarding, and there is overall a lot of thinking involved in playing through it.

The Legend of Tianding shows how indie developers can mix solid mechanics and cool history-based protagonists to deliver a fresh take on the classic side-scrolling brawler experience. The game is tough but fair, asking players to master a series of moves and constantly finding new ways to test their skills. I would have liked less backtracking and, maybe, more meaningful side quests but simply engaging with the core missions is very fun. The Taiwan historical setting mixes very well with the presentation. More developers should try to use universes that have not been previously explored to add another dimension to their titles. And all fans of the genre should play The Legend of Tianding to enjoy its many good ideas and great execution.

Naughty Dog worked hard to improve the textures seen in the PS3 game, not to mention the character models, the animations, and much more.

Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2: Atlas Mugged is the best in the series so far and a high point in recent Telltale experiences. It shines both through its story, its action sequences, its clever dialog, and the pretty impressive scenes scattered through its plot.

Victoria 3 is a video game that existed as a hope and a meme for so long that it’s hard for any real-world product to satisfy every fan. But the game as it stands on launch, with its focus on pops, its economic model, and its diplomatic plays concept, should satisfy most newcomers and long-term fans. Some mechanics feel a little undercooked but will surely be built upon via expansions. I really want to see more depth for internal politics and diplomacy. The launch version of Victoria 3 still delivers a great grand strategy experience that allows players to engage with an exciting historical period, as long as they invest time and energy.

Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open is a unique experience that uses familiar gameplay concepts. The setting, combined with the supernatural elements, gives players an interesting setting to engage with. The narrative is carefully constructed and has plenty of emotional moments. Ting is a great main character. The mechanics are pretty simple, with mini-games that are easy to master and some QTE sequences that aren’t too frustrating. Try to play just one or two episodes at a time. Paper Ghost Stories: Third Eye Open nails the atmosphere and the story and I suspect many players will start researching Malay culture after playing it.

If you've ever had more than enough time for a movie, but not enough to finish a season of your favorite TV show, then you know the pleasure of watching a mini-series. That's precisely the feeling that Bladed Fury will give you, as it will charm you with the fluid, fast-paced combat, tease you with the beautiful and surreal art-style, and then leave you wanting for more at the end of the short campaign.

The Banner Saga 2 is a very solid sequel, improving both on the story and the gameplay mechanics of the first title in the series, with the only major downside being the fact that newcomers will have to play or read about the first title to have a clear idea about the narrative and the choices that they will have to make.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is hands down one of the best RPGs launched in the last couple of years, but I'm more anxious to learn when we'll get PoE III since the ending of Deadfire is awesome in a painful way.

Rebel Galaxy is clearly designed to appeal to those who played and loved Elite and Freelancer when they were popular but I suspect that the game also has the potential to attract classic RPG lovers who are looking for something more than classic fantasy.

As someone who played all Borderlands games, and even the Tiny Tina spin-off, I can definitely say that Borderlands 4 is my favorite one so far. Not only does it have very satisfying gameplay and a great story, but the open world of Kairos is amazing and full of quests, side content, collectibles and so on.

Aether & Iron is one of the most atmospheric video games I've played in recent memory. Even characters who show up for a scene or two seem to have an inner life, and the aether-powered New York is an excellent example of alternate history. After a while, I started playing in shorter sessions, completing only two or three quests at a time, to extend my time with the game. Car combat is a good gameplay system, adding variety and tension, but the mechanics do not match the storytelling. The vehicle customization is a little fiddly, while the idea of environmental dangers for flying cars is a little incongruous. These are minor issues for Aether & Iron, which is impressive in its ability to marry a cool world and strong characters with decent, if not innovative, gameplay.

Empire of the Ants is a gorgeous video game that gives players an ant’s eye view of both combat and platforming. It looks spectacular most of the time, especially the environments, but takes plenty of liberties when it comes to ant society and general creature abilities to create a decent narrative. The strategy game elements work well, although there aren't many complex systems to master, while platforming feels unnecessary. The single-player campaign offers some interesting tactical challenges, and the free-for-all three-sided multiplayer is pretty exciting. Empire of the Ants does not innovate much but offers a unique strategy experience.

Dragon Ball FighterZ truly is one of the best fighting games made in a long time hands down, so I'd suggest anyone who's into the genre get it sooner rather than later.

Crown Gambit is one of the rare video games that effectively combines a gripping story and engaging gameplay. The premise is a little familiar but the title, while borrowing from popular culture, focuses on three very likable characters and spins plenty of narrative threads smartly. Choices matter and replaying to test different paths is viable. The card-focused battles are fast and varied. The many boss engagements and the artifact fights ask players to carefully consider each hero’s abilities and when to dip into artifact use. Crown Gambit has only one slightly annoying idea, the chases, but all its other ideas work together beautifully to tell a good story using solid mechanics.