Jimmy Donnellan
The Hotline Miami Collection on Switch is the perfect reminder for the series' excellence for returning players and the best possible introduction for new players.
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE takes the bullet time brilliance of its predecessor and adds many new toys to its violent chessboard to even more thrilling effect.
An absolute delight, Tetris Effect twists and bends the mind of the player like few other games are capable of. While not quite a revolution of the classic premise, Effect provides players of all experiences the chance to discover what has made the franchise so iconic while also pointing towards the future.
Resident Evil 4 is a worthy companion piece to survival horror royalty that's sure to go down as one of the year's best games.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is the final stop on the game's redemption tour, and what a redemption it is. If you were still cynical about CD Projekt Red as a studio, it's time to start believing again.
Shakespearean and endlessly relatable, What Remains of Edith Finch is a stunning piece of drama which will stick with the player for a long time, though it might be best played on PC.
The Long Dark is the perfect example of the kind of game you can make when you aren't rushed to release.
At its heart, when you strip everything away, Hellblade is a frank and unrelenting warning about helping others, to not let them drift further and further towards darkness. For that reason alone, Hellblade may just be the year's most vital game.
Bursting with extra content and more addictive than sugar while giving the same rush, Super Cloudbuilt is an absolute delight and one worth seeking out.
Ruiner is an enthralling and blood-pumping adventure into a nightmarish future that absolutely should not be overlooked. Get it, Puppy.
Even with some sloppy writing and a hackneyed story, A Way Out's gameplay is so infectious and its heart so since that it's almost impossible to resist. Long live couch co-op.
While not without some faults and limitations, Frostpunk is an often harrowing parable on society that makes you the monster without you even realising it.
Full of heart and fresh ideas, Unravel Two is everything you'd want from a platformer sequel.
Captivating and tense, Firewall Zero Hour may be the perfect game to convince you on virtual reality.
Don't let Astro Bot Rescue Mission pass you by: it's one of the most innovative and downright fun PlayStation VR games you're ever likely to play.
While its initially harsh difficulty may ruin your happy memories of the original in a hurry, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is kart racing nirvana with an abundance of content to dive into that makes it more than just an exercise in nostalgia.
Featuring a beefy campaign, charming characters, and a daunting yet captivating difficulty, Desperados 3 brings the franchise hooting and hollering back to life — and maybe better than ever.
Drawing on some pretty obvious inspirations, Shadow Warrior 2 doesn't have many original ideas of its own, but that doesn't stop it from being one of most purely fun FPS games on the market right now.
Donut sleep on Ben Esposito's Donut County because it's a hole lot of fun, even if it is a little on the short side.
While Gran Turismo Sport may not be the Gran Turismo some were expecting, it’s still a wholly enthralling racing game that wants to make you become a better driver along the way. The big question has to be whether it was a risk worth taking, to effectively divide its playerbase. For serious racing gamers, Gran Turismo Sport could be the perfect choice, but for those who want the ultimate offline racing experience, Sport may come up short.