Ghost of Tsushima is surely not a revolution in the open world panorama, yet Sucker Punch managed to craft a must-play hit much more meaningful and interesting than other similar experiences. There’s no need to re-inventing the wheel if you are confident of your idea. Ghost of Tsushima is this.

Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most exciting games of recent years. It further polishes the winning intuitions of Monster Hunter World and grafts them into a living, changing open world to deliver a first-rate synaesthetic spectacle in the most successful instalment of the prestigious Capcom series. Repetitive by its very nature, but if the exquisite arcade action grabs you there's no escaping it.

Hades on PlayStation 5 is the essential masterpiece we all know, embellished by the 4K resolution and a mild use of the DualSense features. A real must-have.

GRIS is an outstanding work of pure art in the world of video games. Its gameplay, however simple, is but a vessel for a strong and emotional message carried out by an exceptional visual and sound direction. The first title from Nomada Studio is moving, delicate and elegant: a real gem in the landscape of independent video games.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is one of the masterpieces of the year, a title that stands out in the already large Annapurna stable and yet another confirmation of Simogo as one of the most talented teams around. A puzzle game, a graphic adventure, a detective story, even a simple dungeon crawler, chameleon-like and always surprising, but above all a cursed, engaging, disturbing story, which starts from a psychological thriller and ends up thinking about art in the broadest sense of term. Obsessive level design, extraordinary atmosphere, incredible moments for a work that I have no illusions about being commercially successful but which, perhaps, like certain arthouse films, could become a cult.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a storm of punches that hits straight in the stomach. It’s a video game that monopolized my free time and that I'll continue to dissect well beyond my (current) fourth playthrough. It’s a game that has crept between my mind and my heart, something that I’ll hardly be able to chase away from there. Not that I’d want to, to be honest. Northway Games has managed to create something that transcends genres, a video game that I’d like to be enjoyed by as many people as humanly possible.

Now that Hellblade II has arrived on PS5, there's no excuse not to play it. Especially since once you've finished the game, you can start again by activating developer commentary, which is also added for free on Xbox and PC, along with Photo Mode and the other improvements in this Enhanced Edition.

The remake of Dead Space follows the track of the original game, obviously (and considerably) improving it from a technical point of view and adding or modifying some gameplay elements. The result is a sci-fi horror adventure that will please series veterans and thrill-seeking newcomers alike.

The Switch version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an incredibly funny and exhilarating game, the best collection of everything good the series has to offer. If you already have the new Nintendo console, it's a no-brainer; if you don't, well, it's probably time to reconsider.

Street Fighter 6 is Capcom who gets up after the half-slip of the previous chapter, taking note of what was wrong and finding the courage to further refine the combat system of its most famous series, imagining convincing mechanics and expressing the will to open the fights to the widest possible audience. The result is absolutely recommended.

In terms of settings, gameplay dynamics and sheer fascination, Subnautica is the best single-player survival game out there. It's full of bright discoveries, a great sci-fi experience, and at the same time a cruel and unforgiving survival horror. James Cameron would absolutely love it.

Instant classic, without mincing words. Cocoon is a magnetic, sneaky work, one of those that you just don't know when to stop playing with, it is so organic, fluid, stimulating, absolutely determined not to allow brain breaks. A puzzle adventure that constantly seeks out the new, the amazement, with the virtuous reuse of known design elements which, used wisely, support and allow the explosion of ideas of pure gaming genius. Outstanding shots, which often led me to relive the impact of Fez and the first, surprising indie masterpieces of the past decade. A special video game, one that is not easily forgotten and whose genius we will find in many other titles in the years to come.

XCOM 2 comes really, really close to the perfect score. The gameplay is incredibly complex, deep and polished, and the freedom for the player is simply amazing. XCOM 2 is challenging, incredibly rewarding but never frustrating. It's just February, but this is already one of the best titles of 2016.

It's difficult to imagine another game capable of drawing our attention like this one. Monster Hunter World is huge, captivating, challenging and addictive, especially if played with a group of friends. Capcom has improved so many things over the original formula, it's almost impossible to keep track. Seriously, there's no better moment like now to begin your hunting career.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a wild journey within an incredibly fascinating setting; some technical uncertainties destined to disappear and a partial repetitiveness limit its glory, but overall it is an adventure worthy of William Gibson himself. Cyberpunk 2077 allowed me to finally feel immersed in that pen & paper RPG I discovered in 1988, pouring rain clouding my view in a kaleidoscope of neon signs, just as I had imagined while leafing through those pages. Some may not consider it a perfect game, but I do.

The series arrives for the first time on PC as a really well done adaptation. Monster Hunter World is a stable and ever so graphically satisfying experience.

The Shadow of the Colossus remake is "simply" the love letter from Bluepoint Games to Fumito Ueda's timeless masterpiece. In the work there is so much of that passion that you can safely perceive it in every single pixel that gives life to this production: it is not just a trivial polish of memories, but a tribute with all the honors of the case, the authentic testimony that with commitment, devotion and respect can be achieved results that even exceed the original work.

Thank Goodness You're Here! It is a fantastic story of great depth, written and structured with lucidity and liveliness. It brings so much to the table that may be little known to those who just intend to play without too much ceremony, but who may find one of the hottest video games of this summer, in the same way that Slay the Princess was almost a year ago. For those who are already familiar with the misfortunes of the world, well... He may be at his home. With me it was like that.

Forza Horizon 5 turns "more of the same" into a mark of true excellence, furtherly polishing and improving on a winning formula and making it exponentially more spectacular on a technical level and more enveloping on an environmental level, and mixing it all with its distinctive driving model, a unique mix of a simulative superstructure with an arcade heart beating beneath the hood.

When you're the best, the hard part is confirming it. Firaxis Games does it again this time, and it does it on many levels. It does it with the revolutionary age system, with specific game mechanics for each of them. And it does it on many small occasions, every time it makes a choice simple and intuitive, perhaps thanks to the cleanliness of the interface. Civilization VII is at the same time the most complex 4X on the market and the easiest to approach, with a remarkable vastness of possible approaches. The fact that the imperfections can be counted on the fingers of one hand is something miraculous.

The Last of Us – Part II delivers exactly what you've been expecting: adult storytelling and perfectly balanced gameplay. This game will give you shivers down your spine for nearly 30 hours and something to remember long after its end.

Mario Kart World evolves the iconic series with interconnected tracks, expanded multiplayer chaos, and a thrilling mix of exploration and competition — all while staying true to its fun, frantic roots.

Between its improved technical performance and the additions to Bellabel Park, the Switch 2 edition feels like the most complete version of a video game masterpiece that, even at launch, seemed unlikely to improve. Yes, only Nintendo can surpass Nintendo.

Releasing a remaster of such a prominent game just over three years after the original was certainly a gamble. Fortunately, Naughty Dog has combined the audiovisual restoration work (adequate and perceptible in some parts of the game, almost superfluous in others) with a general optimization that has improved the quality of the experience with a much more solid frame rate and noticeably faster loading. To further increase the value of this version we find a challenging and fun new roguelike mode, three cut mini-levels, skins to unlock and various other extras that further delve into the world of TLOU2, allowing us to discover all the details and secrets.

Cult of the Lamb looks like a roguelike in The Binding of Isaac way, but in reality, it is also a deep god game. The message behind the title is: you have to be afraid of losing those who the day before you treated as pawns. You feel omnipotent and invincible, but the truth is that you are a slave to others like anyone else.

It took me a couple of days to convince myself, because at the beginning Return to Monkey Island seemed to be a victim of the hype: what should we have expected, in fact, from those who wrote the rules of the game and today it goes down again in the arena after thirty 'years? But then I became more and more immersed in the crazy archipelago invented by Ron Gilbert and I can not help but promote the work with flying colors. Only, always remember to face it in difficult mode, because with the "casual" one you would end up getting only a small percentage of the achievements and missing out on much of the more "cerebral" fun.

Playing Neon White is like being John Romero in 1993 in front of a machine running the original DOOM. The same need for speed, the same surgical precision, the same satisfaction in beating a level and getting the maximum score. Arcade at its finest, at its essence, at its core. One of the fastest-paced experiences on the market and definitely this summer’s gaming obsession.

Warhammer 3 is hands down the best Total War ever made. Despite some issues, some of them concerning diplomacy, the many new features and factions largely offset the problems of the game.