Christopher Byrd
Few mainstream video games have tried, let alone achieved, anything close to the emotional intensity that courses through this game.
The latest in Sony's flagship blockbuster series is entertaining from start to finish
"Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle" has lots of charmingly frivolous things to think about and it's easy to collapse into its world of tactical antics because its gameplay is so absorbing. In the most complimentary sense, it feels like something Nintendo might have done if its humor was a bit more rough.
While I think "The Last Day of June's" narrative flow is slightly undermined by the fact that players can spin their wheels looking for puzzle solutions, it is, on the whole, a small, vibrant game that reminds us that everyone is filled with depths that belie the selves we present to the world.
"Destiny 2' is a case study in the difference a smooth presentation can make. This is still a series about vaporizing aliens and the virtual incarnations of other people but it's more inviting now than it has ever been.
It's been awhile since I played a game where the ability to shoot an opponent felt so alternatingly risky and exhilarating.
Ultimately, "Figment" is a well-designed adventure game that looks to flatter the senses with its levity and zest for life.
'Cuphead' is really hard but learning its tricks is awfully fun
'The Invisible Hours' gives new hope to those who might have started to sour on VR games
This is one of the closest things to the fountain of youth that I expect to come across.
In "Assassin's Creed Origins," history and the amusement park intermix and the result is thoroughly transporting.
'Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus' delivers the year's best first-person shooter, single-player campaign
A rare combination of accessible but strange and intuitive but mind-bending
As someone who has played too many gun toting dudes, I'm delighted to see a game built around a dynamic young woman who can get a junkyard truck running, act as an emergency stand-in for Ariel in the "Tempest," and solve a mystery, all while growing up. I look forward to seeing where the series goes next.
'Accounting +' is pure VR fun
A touching, brilliantly-designed indie game
I suspect one of the reasons many have hailed "Shadow of the Colossus" as a work of art is because it left them feeling pensive.
"Moss" creates another model for a successful VR game.
'A Way Out' presents a way forward for shared video game experiences
To my surprise, I still enjoy Far Cry's particular blend of lush environments, fluid combat, and crazy happenings — like hunting a wolverine, then stumbling into a firefight full of exploding vehicles, or crashing a helicopter into an airplane and nabbing a trophy in the process ("Squash and Run").