Austin Wood
The Witch Queen is not only the best and most complete version of Destiny 2, it's the foundation for something better still.
Solar Ash is a platforming playground that never loses steam, and it hides a memorable story of unfathomable tragedy.
Bravely Default 2 is one of the best games to point to when people ask what makes JRPGs fun.
Old School RuneScape is a massive but compelling time sink, and even after all these years, there's simply nothing else like it.
Beyond Light delivers one of the best raids in Destiny history and some of the best story moments in Destiny 2, and that's more than enough to make up for a few disappointing gaps.
The Pathless switches effortlessly between relaxing exploration and exhilarating story moments, and it's altogether incredible.
A gorgeous, tear-jerking platformer which improves on absolutely everything in the first game and ranks among the finest Metroidvanias available today.
A short and satisfying space adventure which really is laugh out loud funny
It's not quite on the level of The Taken King or Forsaken, but Shadowkeep feels like a major step forward for Destiny 2. It's a promising starting point for the game's third year, and for post-Activision Bungie. I've thoroughly enjoyed the 100-odd hours I've put into it, and I'll easily triple that play time in the months to come.
Code Vein's lackluster combat is held up by great character customization, and its boring world is driven by a memorable story. It's clunky and uneven, but fun.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is an excellent expansion so large that it almost feels like a sequel. It's a better version of a great game.
A first-person survival shooter that's as engrossing as it is unnerving, Metro Exodus tells a powerfully human story in a world that's equal parts style and substance.
After a precarious first year, I'm finally enjoying Destiny 2 again. It feels good to have it back.
My latest match was textbook CCG fun: I managed to barely scrape by in an unfavorable matchup, only to win at one health on the back of a few lucky top-decks on my end and two weak evolutions from my opponent. In that brief moment, I was over the moon about Shadowverse, and sometimes that's enough.
Without Evermore, Ni No Kuni 2 would have been good. Because of it, it's one of the best JRPGs on PC.
Even stranger than its premise and scarier than it looks, The Station is a short ride to a great ending.
Wholly unique and deceptively punishing, Uurnog Uurnlimited is as clever as it is creative.
A joy to view but sometimes a chore to play, Last Day of June delivers a touching story that's worth finishing.
Resident Evil Zero HD is Resident Evil Zero in a prettier dress. I hope that's what you wanted to hear going into this review, because if not, I suggest you swiftly move on. I thought I spoke Resident Evil, but revisiting Zero 14 years after the fact feels like reading cuneiform. The only way I can possibly imagine enjoying the game is viewing it through glasses so thickly rose-tinted that any bit of nostalgia bait would seem a hidden gem. And in those circumstances I'd sooner recommend playing a dated game that's actually fun.
Destiny did not need all of its innumerable growing pains, and many of its scars will never fade and should rightly never be forgotten. But The Taken King is proof that it wasn't fruitless. This is the game we were excited for back in 2013, and that we were struggling to find over the past year. The Taken King is what Destiny should be and should have been all along.