It's been a long, long wait but Black Mesa is here. If you've never experienced Valve's original masterpiece, want to wax nostalgic about real story-telling in an FPS, or just want an excellent game to play, Black Mesa is where it's at.
Mandate of Heaven may not be a total overhaul to the series' formula but it still offers a lot of new things. The familiar map and lackluster new units are offset by the entertaining new styles of play, new heroes and interesting events. Definitely worth checking out if you've been itching to get back into Three Kingdoms.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a decent start for the next year of content, banking heavily on nostalgia and few mechanics. If you just want an excuse to play Destiny, it should suffice.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne has everything that a fan could possibly want - challenging monsters, tons of new weapons and armor, an incredibly in-depth combat system with even more nuance thanks to new moves and mechanics, and a boat-load of new quests. The typical annoyances remain but don't let that stop you from undertaking this icy exodus.
Despite concerns with the shift in setting, Age of Wonders: Planetfall presents a fun, 4X-style turn-based strategy experience. It's already stellar combat is bolstered by some solid diplomatic options, excellent race design and well-designed environments.
Total War: Three Kingdoms could have scraped by with minimal new features. Thankfully, it combines the Three Kingdoms universe with a bevy of compelling features and improvements to deliver a worthy follow-up in the series.
The mystery unravels at a decent pace in Close to the Sun but limited gameplay, some flat characters and a fairly uncompelling narrative make it passable at best.
Anno 1800 nails its gameplay loop with aplomb while adding plenty of new features to expand it further. From the grand aesthetic to the rich atmosphere and gameplay depth, Blue Byte's latest is a return to form for the franchise.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition is more than a blast from the past - it's a compelling game in its own right. Though it serves as more of a base for greater things than a pinnacle for the genre, there's still plenty of shooting, looting and Vault Hunting to be had.
Returning to what made fans fall in love with the series, Tropico 6 is an endearing, personality-filled city-builder that lets you think outside of the box. El Presidente has never looked this good, bribes or no.