Mortal Kombat X is a near-perfect evolution of MK9, blending nostalgia with new roster additions that feel like worthy successors to those lost.
The Witcher 3 is probably the best open-world RPG ever made, but it still falls prey to some of the genre's worst traps.
Kerbal Space Program isn't just a fantastic space game. It's one of those games that makes you glad you play on PC, because it could only come to exist on PC.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is one part timely social commentary, one part "Did you see Blazkowicz ride that robot-dog through the streets of New Orleans?" No other game could pull this off.
Celeste is the best precision platformer in years, but it's also a game about the figurative mountains we all struggle with, and that's what makes it truly special.
Above all, Kentucky Route Zero is an argument that games can be more. That argument isn’t nearly so revolutionary now as it was in 2011 when development began, or 2013 when the first act released. We’ve (thankfully) made some decent progress in the years since. People bought Kentucky Route Zero, and those people did go start their proverbial bands.
The Talos Principle's philosophical puzzling is the closest anyone's ever come to recapturing what made Portal special.
Endless Legend makes a few notable tweaks to the 4X genre and steals Civilization's lunch money in the process.
The space-themed Beyond Earth is polished, deep, and addictive—what more could you want from a Civilization game?
Homeworld is just as revolutionary in 2015 as it was in 1999—and now it looks great too.
The Witness has taken hold of my brain, both waking and sleeping. If I'm awake, I'm playing. If I'm not playing (for whatever reason) I'm inking possible solutions into a pad of graph paper. Writing this review I've solved two more puzzles and I think have a lead on a third. It's compulsive. When I'm done and this is all filed away, I'll go right back to playing.
I love when something like Return of the Obra Dinn comes along and reminds me, even briefly, how many ideas are still unexplored.
Planet Coaster is one of the most player-centric builder games ever made, setting you loose with its tools to create the theme park of your dreams. And then some.
Day of the Tentacle is a classic, but not in the old musty way where you brush off a copy of some old SNES game and realize it isn’t as good as you remember. This is still one of the finest point-and-clicks ever made, with a witty story and some brain-bending puzzles. Also, a hell of a lot of dumb puns.
Battlefield 1's solemn campaign and over-the-top multiplayer may feel like polar opposites, but the complete package is all-around excellent.
Thimbleweed Park is excellent, both as tongue-in-cheek homage and in its own right. It's a LucasArts adventure game the way you remember them being, with the same witty humor and, yes, the same sometimes-asinine puzzles. The good and the bad. And really, I don't think fans would want it any other way.
Devil May Cry 5 is a game that delights in setting the bar high up front and then continually one-upping itself with ever-more-ludicrous cutscenes and some of the most stylish combat in the business.
Heaven's Vault is rough around the edges, but its sense of discovery and self-fulfillment are unparalleled thanks to its commitment to player agency and its unique language-translation mechanic.
Observation is grander than Stories Untold, more ambitious by half, but equally fascinating and inventive.
Layers of Fear 2 doesn't have many scares to offer, but visual panache and a multitude of classic film homages make for an extraordinary journey—for the right person.