Mike Splechta
Batman's biggest, best, most polished game yet. Rocksteady created a masterpiece that really lets you BE the Batman.
Own a Wii U? Buy Bayonetta 2. Don't own a Wii U? Buy a Wii U.
While it may not resemble the older games in the franchise, that might actually be its strength. It proves that just like Kratos, who was able to mature and grow as a character, letting go of his past while not forgetting who he was, the newest game was able to do the same.
I can't praise Bluepoint enough with just how much care and attention went into not only bringing this world back to life, but bringing it back in such an authentic way compared to its original. But even though Bluepoint will be getting most of the praise here for their exceptional work, I think it's also important to recognize FROMSoftware's original design, and just how well that design held up over the years. Souls fans with a PS5 certainly won't need to be persuaded to hop in, but I'd easily recommend Demon's Souls for the uninitiated to check out where the this third-person subgenre was conceived. The difficulty can be daunting, but it can also be overcome with enough patience and determination.
A game that's mechanically similar to the Metroid of old, yet still manages to have its own identity with some truly awesome concepts. It's gorgeous, challenging and a delight to play.
A fantastic co-operative twin-stick shooter with a surprising amount of depth. It's unrelenting, but not unfair. Pick this one up and convince your friends to do the same.
Keeping everything that made Far Cry 3 so fun, but also adding a few new elements to shake things up a bit, Far Cry 4 is a fantastic successor.
The world and characters come to life in CDPR's conclusion to The Witcher trilogy. A few minor bugs can't ruin what is otherwise a masterful game. If only the combat was slightly better
Gorgeous, challenging, heartbreaking but equally uplifting. Ori and the Blind Forest is a Metroidvania that shouldn't be missed by fans of the genre.
Accessible yet tough to master. Rocket League was an amazing surprise and easily one of the best sports games this year.