If you're new to Armored Core like I was before playing Armored Core 6, this is an excellent entry point into a franchise I wish I had experienced before. With Armored Core 6, FromSoftware has one of the best games of 2023, and it feels like the studio's most-polished release yet. It was a joy to play on Steam Deck pre-release, and I'm having a ton of fun replaying it on both PS5 and Xbox Series X right now.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak enhances and improves Monster Hunter Rise in every way. The monsters are more challenging, the music is a lot better, and the postgame is actually good for more than a few hunts. The new mechanics add even more depth for those looking to dig deeper into each weapon. Even if Capcom didn't do a single title update, this would still be absolutely essential for every Monster Hunter Rise owner. It is that good, and I can't wait to put hundreds of hours into it over the next year.

Monster Hunter Rise on PC has all the updates and new content added to the Switch version right from the get go with vastly improved performance and graphics. While the visuals could've been improved further, this is still the best way to play Monster Hunter Rise.

Anonymous;Code is the best Science Adventure release since the original Steins;Gate thanks to its superb localization, story, and characters. This is an essential on Nintendo Switch, and only held back by a few issues.

Bayonetta 3 excels in its combat, music, voice acting, and scale making it essential for fans of the series, but it has a few technical issues holding it back. This is definitely PlatinumGames' most ambitious game yet, and an excellent exclusive for Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero to Azure is one of the best duologies I've experienced in any medium. If you enjoy JRPGs with amazing stories, fantastic music, and brilliant characters, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not playing both Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure.

Nioh 2 Complete Edition on PC includes everything from the PS4 version and some exclusive features making it a brilliant package overall and it is absolutely essential on PC for those who were waiting.

Eschatos is already one of the best shoot 'em ups on Nintendo Switch. I hope some of the performance issues in Tate Mode can be resolved because that is my biggest issue with this release. Other than that, Eschatos is a sublime experience that I recommend to all fans of the genre. I hope we get a physical release in the near future.

Persona 4 Golden is a masterpiece and one of the best JRPGs ever. If you've waited for a competent version of Persona 4 Golden on PS4, your wait has been worth it, but Atlus should've done more for those playing on PS5 and PS4 Pro.

While Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade itself is a bare-bones PC conversion, it is an absolute joy to play on Steam Deck. If you skipped the console version and own a Steam Deck, it is definitely worth grabbing. I just hope it gets patched to fix some issues that still linger from the original PC launch back in December last year.

Just like Trails from Zero, The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure on Nintendo Switch is the gold standard of how an older game should be brought to Nintendo Switch. The improvements and upgrades over the PS4 version are massive, and PH3 took things a step further to even add options we'd usually see only in a PC release. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero to Azure is an essential duology for every RPG fan on Nintendo Switch.

Despite some difficulty spikes, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is one of the best metroidvanias I've played in years, with gorgeous visuals, remarkable atmosphere, and amazing soundtrack.

Sumire is a short but brilliant emotional adventure about getting the most out of limited time by experiencing love, friendship, growth, loss, and more.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a bigger and better sequel in almost every way. It feels like the jump we saw from Assassin's Creed Origins to Odyssey. There are some annoyances like turns taking too long even when sped up, or how enemies spawning out of portals are handled, but Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is one of the best Switch exclusives of the year, and a showcase for the OLED screen in handheld mode.

Raiden IV x Mikado Remix brings the best version of an arcade classic to Nintendo Switch with a wealth of modes and an exclusive soundtrack making it one of the best shoot 'em ups you can play on the system right now.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero on Nintendo Switch is the gold standard of how a JRPG should be brought to Nintendo Switch. It has improvements and upgrades over the PS4 version every way, and also goes above and beyond with many features to make it even better. I hope PH3 works on more Switch conversions in the future, because is now the best Falcom release on Switch.

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is another fantastic game from Square Enix, and an essential for fans of mystery, horror, and adventure games. It feels great to play on both Switch and Steam Deck. I want to see more releases like Paranormasight and The Centennial Case from the publisher.

The World Ends With You on PC is a bare-bones conversion, but one that runs great. This is easily the definitive version of one of Square Enix's best games in years.

Easy Come Easy Golf is a great addition to the Switch library and it is one of the best golf games on the system alongside Golf Story and What the Golf. If you skipped this on Apple Arcade or don't want to play it on a subscription, the Switch version is worth your time.

Despite the technical issues, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (with the base game) is one of the best Nintendo Switch games ever. The expansion enhances the base game to make it an easy recommendation for any newcomer to Monster Hunter, and an essential for every base game owner on Switch. Hopefully Capcom can improve the multiplayer performance in future updates.

AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative gets almost everything right. It builds on the original in just about every way and remains a more accessible entry thanks to new quality of life features and difficulty options. The narrative is more over-the-top than the original with its humor turned up even more, and it excels with its excellent characters. If you enjoy mystery adventure games, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't buy AI: The Somnium Files nirvanA Initiative. It is an easy game of the year contender.

Atelier Ryza 3 is Gust's most ambitious game, and a fitting finale for Ryza. Gust and Koei Tecmo have delivered better visuals and performance over the console versions on PC, but Ryza 3 unfortunately has some issues on Steam Deck at launch.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn feels like it is a bespoke Nintendo Switch game rather than a remake of an older title. It looks and plays like a dream on the system both docked and handheld, and the addition of proper HD Rumble makes it even better. With Tactics Ogre: Reborn and Triangle Strategy, Square Enix has delivered two of the best tactical RPGs within months of each other on the best platform for the genre.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn on PC is an essential for tactical RPG fans with its deep gameplay, tons of customization, superlative soundtrack, and with how amazing it feels on Steam Deck. It took Square Enix a long time to bring Tactics Ogre back, and I'm glad we got such a great version of it.

Over the last few weeks, there hasn't been a single waking hour I haven't thought about Shin Megami Tensei V. The combat, music, and design are all amazing and the only area it falters is in the technical aspects. Despite that, this is one of the best JRPGs in years and everything I wanted from a new Shin Megami Tensei game.

Judgment is one of Sega's best games in years, and it has finally arrived on PC with many modern PC features and it also plays great on Steam Deck out of the box. If you skipped the recent PS5 or Xbox Series X remaster, this is an essential.

Live A Live was an essential on Nintendo Switch last year, and it sees an amazing glow up on PS5 with its boost to resolution, frame rate, and improved load times. While there isn't anything here that justifies a purchase if you played it before, newcomers will find a sublime JRPG in Live A Live on PS5, and I still hope it gets a physical release in the future.

Castlevania Advance Collection is one of the best game collections available today with three quality Castlevania releases and a bonus extra game complemented by a wealth of additional features and content.