The House in Fata Morgana on Nintendo Switch is the best way to experience a true masterpiece of storytelling.

As someone who owns four different versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I still don't consider it a perfect game or one that I would score a 10 despite loving it. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the other hand, is an easy 10 and Nintendo's best game yet. It is a masterpiece in just about every aspect.

Persona 4 Golden on Nintendo Switch feels perfect. Having now played this new version on all platforms, the Nintendo Switch version is the one I'd recommend above all for the system's hybrid nature, and because Atlus has done a fantastic job with this port bringing one of the best JRPGs of all time to a new audience. Hopefully it gets a physical release in the future.

Street Fighter 6 is a superlative fighting game with its robust online, amazing single-player content, gorgeous visuals, and sublime gameplay. It might be one of the best launch packages for any fighting game ever, and is a game of the year contender.

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: Sunbreak was already beyond amazing when it debuted last year, and the PlayStation and Xbox versions arrive with three title updates included making it even better. While it is unfortunate that Capcom couldn't launch them with all title updates included, Sunbreak is an essential, and I can now recommend Rise without caveats on PS5.

Persona 5 Royal was already the best version of one of the greatest JRPGs, and it has gotten an excellent PC conversion that is a joy to play on Steam Deck and PC. With the inclusion of all prior DLC from the start and support for higher frame rates and multiple control options, Persona 5 Royal on PC is absolutely essential. If you held off on prior console versions of Persona 5, your wait has been worth it.

Metroid Prime Remastered is a fantastic release in every way. It feels amazing to play and looks brilliant. We've seen many classics brought to modern systems with varying results, but Metroid Prime Remastered is sublime and a must-play for every Nintendo Switch owner.

Hi Fi Rush is a phenomenal experience from start to finish with fantastic characters, sublime music, gorgeous visuals, great voice acting, and superlative gameplay. It is essential if you enjoy action and rhythm games.

Guilty Gear Strive on Xbox Series X is superb. The game itself is even better now than it was at launch, and is my favorite fighting game on Xbox by a big margin. If you skipped Strive back in 2021, there has never been a better time to play one of the best of the best.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is the ultimate version of one of Square Enix's best franchises. It goes above and beyond with its fanservice, gameplay, and superlative selection of music from most of the publisher's best games. While it isn't flawless, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line gets my highest possible recommendation if you enjoy rhythm games and Final Fantasy.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is an incredible reimagining of a classic. The stellar pacing, memorable characters, and monsters aplenty combine with sublime gameplay and superlative visuals to make it absolutely essential.

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.

Tetris Effect: Connected is one of the best Nintendo Switch games you can play today and a perfect complement to the amazing Tetris 99. If you haven't gotten it yet, the Switch conversion is brilliant and well worth your time. Hopefully it gets a physical release soon.

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.

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.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie still feels like a dream release after how far behind the West was with Kiseki localizations. Well, it is now here, real, and spectacular thanks to its story, music, and brilliant PC port.

Whether you played Ghost of Tsushima before on PS4 or are completely new to it, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut is well worth your time on PS5 with its stunning visuals, great use of PS5 features, excellent combat, and superlative soundtrack.

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.

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.

The wait for Drainus from Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth developer Team Ladybug on Nintendo Switch was long, but absolutely worth it. The Switch arrives with all post-launch updates from the start, and it is an excellent conversion that looks and plays brilliantly on Nintendo's hybrid system. This is one of the best modern shoot 'em ups, and a perfect fit for the Switch library.

Fire Emblem Engage is one of Nintendo's best games in years, and a much more polished release than Fire Emblem: Three Houses which I loved. While it suffers in its story compared to recent releases, it is still an essential for tactical RPG fans. It also happens to be a gorgeous game that shines on the OLED Switch display.

Guilty Gear Strive is an absolutely incredible fighting game with its gorgeous visuals, sublime gameplay, kickass soundtrack, and robust online play.

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.

Streets Of Rage 4 - Mr. X Nightmare DLC takes an already brilliant game and elevates it even further with a superb survival mode, amazing new music from Tee Lopes, and the addition of more playable characters at a stupidly low asking price.

Persona 5 Royal on Nintendo Switch is the true successor to Persona 4 Golden on PS Vita. Despite the visual cutbacks compared to the PS4 version, it is an essential for Nintendo Switch owners. With the inclusion of all prior paid and free DLC, this is a fantastic value proposition and well worth your time even in this busy month.

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.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox on PC is easily the definitive way to experience one of Falcom’s most ambitious games and one of the best action RPGs you will play this year.