Sam Spyrison
Need for Speed Unbound brings plenty of style and builds upon the high stakes dynamic established in 2019's Heat to create an engaging and enjoyable open world racing game.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is an exciting step forward for the series that continues to surprise with its increasingly deep combat, gratifying exploration and joyful presentation.
Rollerdrome effortlessly combines thrilling speed and adrenaline-inducing combat to create an exciting mashup of genres that will appeal to sports and action fans alike.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the most stylized and chaotic Mario sports game to date, with quick, intense matches that reward strategic and aggressive playstyles.
Nintendo Switch Sports doesn't revolutionize motion-controlled gaming, but instead brings it back at its peak with six enjoyable sports that play great locally or online.
Riders Republic makes a strong case as one of the best and most varied extreme sports games to date, with a solid offering of unique vehicles that are fun to use and master.
Twelve Minutes features a compelling time loop story with strong performances that will keep players hooked, even when the lack of guidance brings that momentum to a halt.
Mario Golf: Super Rush strengthens the core gameplay with its faster pace and strong fundamentals, but the barebones package will likely leave players wanting more.
Outriders is an exciting evolution of the third-person shooter genre, with thrilling sci-fi powers and satisfying gunplay that makes nearly every battle feel fast-paced and gripping until the last enemy drops.
The Pathless is an enjoyable adventure to a serene island filled with satisfying puzzles, mesmeric traversal and gripping boss showdowns. Some small frustrations, including unnecessary stealth sequences and little reason to deviate from the main objective, hold the game back, but the polished moment-to-moment gameplay combined with the inspired soundtrack make for a pleasing and fun experience that's easy to recommend to fans of open world and puzzle games.
Star Wars: Squadrons nails the inherently exciting feeling of piloting and fighting in its iconic starfighters, but the paltry single player and multiplayer modes fail to do anything ambitious or impressive with the core gameplay.
Mafia: Definitive Edition's gorgeous open world is weakened by its mediocre campaign and flat combat mechanics.
Fast & Furious Crossroads is yet another uninspired licensed game with lousy driving mechanics, dated graphics and a short, forgettable story.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout capitalizes on its bold and wacky take of the battle royale genre through its polished gameplay and wide variety of minigames that make it easy to pick up and tough to master.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is bolstered by its unique gameplay dynamics and beloved license, but falls flat thanks to unbalanced and repetitive matches as well as a general lack of polish.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is one of the best Star Wars games to date, thanks to intense combat and satisfying exploration and traversal.
The adrenaline-inducing, high stakes nightlife of Need for Speed Heat is an exciting idea that pushes the franchise forward after years of stagnation.
Despite the addition of retro 2D events and a story mode, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 does little to improve the franchise thanks to middling minigame design and an empty, lackluster campaign.
John Wick Hex excels at making the player think like John Wick, but fails to back it up with combat that is representative of the titular assassin.
What the Golf is the ultimate parody of the titular sport by boiling it down to its fundamentals and constantly upending the player's expectations to create a humorous and memorable game.