My 40 hours in Yakuza: Like a Dragon were a great experience regardless if I was playing on my original Xbox One or seamlessly transitioning my save onto the Xbox Series X for improved resolution, frame rate, and loading times. I loved its characters, humor, and willingness to balance complete absurdity with utter sincerity. And even though the battle system would occasionally trip over its own feet, I still adored watching my crew beat the hell out of some weirdos, grow a little bit closer, and celebrate their victory with karaoke back at the pub.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a brisk, gorgeous platformer that has no qualms with taking off the training wheels.
The first part of Dark Souls 2's DLC trilogy is as tense, challenging, and rewarding as anything in the series.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one of the smartest, most charming puzzle games of 2014.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture excels at building a dense world, evocative tone, and rich cast of characters. Its five hours are filled with some really great exploration, discovery, and memorable moments. Piecing together its web of heartbreak, loss, and ultimate revelation provides a great experience. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture rewarded my patience with a fulfilling journey.
The Wolf Among Us Episode 2: Smoke and Mirrors is a great second act to Telltale's adventure noir.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter's story is powerful, and its world is one of the most beautiful I've ever played through.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a gorgeous, fantastic sequel that gives you the freedom to make your own fun.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D proves that interesting game design and strong world-building never get old. Even 15 years later, it still delivers charming characters, tense resource management, and a world rife with personality. Despite some cumbersome menus and a single drag of a dungeon, Majora's Mask is a great adventure that (repeatedly) stands the test of time.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 1 is a hilarious, fantastic start to Telltale's trip to Pandora
Though it only took me just under two hours to complete, the second the credits stopped rolling I immediately restarted What Remains of Edith Finch. Each of the vignettes is so distinct and surprising that I didn't have enough time to absorb and dissect what I had just played before being whisked away to the next one. But after fully piecing together the threads of the family and sifting through the allegories of their final moments, I was left with a beautiful, heartbreaking mosaic that exudes life, even when mired in death.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 2 continues Telltale's insanely hilarious ride through Pandora.
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the most gaming fun I've had with either series in years. The story is great, the levels are dense with fun puzzles, and unlocking all of the secrets is a blast. Whether I was going through it solo or playing alongside a buddy, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens proved to be an adaption worthy of its incredible source material.
Ratchet and Clank is a culmination of everything Insomniac has done with the series over the past 14 years. It takes the characters that we fell in love with long ago, and sets them off on their most gorgeous quest yet. The deep and rewarding weapon system, beautiful and varied worlds, and charming-as-heck story make it an adventure that anyone with a PlayStation 4 should strap in for.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 5: The Vault of the Traveler finishes off Rhys and Fiona's journey in impeccable fashion. From heartbreak to hilarity, it runs the gamut of emotions in some really effective ways.
Rare Replay is an incredible package. Its presentation is charming, the extras are amazing, and so many of the games included here are still a blast to play. Whether it's your first time through or you're revisiting decades later, Rare's journey through the past 30 years of video game history is a fascinating one, and Rare Replay does an incredible job of capturing the essence of what makes the studio's work so unique in our medium.
Three years later, Journey remains one of the most powerful games in recent memory.
Sunset Overdrive provides some of the most fun, frantic, and fantastic gaming I've had on the Xbox One.
Broken Age: Act 2 is an amazing adventure filled with great writing and fantastic puzzles.
Tales from the Borderlands Episode 3 balances humor and drama to deliver the best chapter of the series so far.