Gabriel Zamora
Hi–Fi Rush drums new life into the action genre with fun cartoon-like visuals, excellent music, rhythm-focused gameplay twists, and addictive melee combat.
The Dead Space remake is a brilliant shooter that once again delivers gruesome body horror and satisfying gunplay, but spices up the familiar elements with new weapons and frights.
Crisis Core Reunion is a thoughtful, high-quality remaster of the PSP classic. The main story remains melodramatic, but the revamped battle mechanics deliver lots of baddie-bashing fun.
The Divine Force refines the Star Ocean series' combat and exploration to deliver a sci-fi tale with engaging, action-focused gameplay, but a few of the franchise's longstanding flaws persist.
Overwatch 2 is as fun and fast-paced as the original game, but its free-to-play structure sullies the experience a bit.
Rumbleverse might be a ridiculous, cartoony dust-storm of wrestling action, but it's shockingly fun and extremely balanced. A few hit detection issues aside, the free-to-play game is one of the most addicting and accessible melee-focused battle royale titles around.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is a highly polished action-adventure game that features familiar comic book set pieces, tight gameplay systems, and amazingly detailed New York City-based environments that keep you entertained throughout a lengthy campaign.
Live A Live delivers a gem of a JRPG from a lost generation. It's a nostalgic blast from the past with enough modern innovations to keep the experience fresh and engaging.
Stray is a wonderfully endearing game about humanity in a world without humans, delivering quality feline exploration/adventure, with some passable action thrown in.
Although a relatively short game by genre standards, Shredder's Revenge takes you on a fun, mutagen-powered romp through New York City's ninja-filled streets.
Triangle Strategy is an outstanding tactical-RPG that brilliantly marries narrative-based decision making with polished fantasy and strategy elements, making it a must-buy game for genre fans.
PowerWash Simulator pairs water-powered cleaning with relaxing tasks, resulting in a surprisingly zen-like gameplay experience.
Chocobo GP has the makings of a great kart racer with its diverse cast of specialized racers, excellent power-up combos, and terrific visuals. However, uninspired track design and excessive microtransactions mar the experience.
Elden Ring is a wonderful action-RPG that features thrilling combat, an amazing open world, and tons of replay value. Unfortunately, its PC performance needs work.
Lost Ark is a fantastic, free-to-play MMORPG that features exciting combat, attractive visuals, and a seemingly endless endgame.
Sifu is a surprisingly robust and thoughtful action game that hearkens back to the quarter-munching arcade days of old, and Capcom's cult classic, God Hand.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is an excellent reimagining of the iconic PS1 JRPG that features fantastic visuals and addicting combat. The new Yuffie side content provides additional fun, and even addresses a few minor issues from the 2020 console release.
Rune Factory 4 Special delivers all the life sim, farming, and RPG action of the original 3DS release-it's perfect for fans of the Story of Seasons series or Stardew Valley.
Battlefield 2042 is an ambitious shooter that features the excellent Portal mode-creation tool, as well as a few, cool game types. Unfortunately, technical issues and balance problems mean that you may want to hold off buying the game until EA Dice irons out the kinks.
The Tales series makes a triumphant return with Arise, a game that delivers excellent, highly polished RPG action that stands above its predecessors. Despite being a RPG, Tales of Arise features a rich combat system that makes the title contend with some of the best action games released this year.