Tears of the Kingdom is a triumph of open-ended game design that pays homage to the best parts of the Zelda franchise's own storied history--and sometimes exceeds them.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury packages one of the best recent Mario games with a delightfully odd new experience.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looks and plays better than ever thanks to new-generation hardware, but it's still the same lovable, goofy series at heart.
Nobody Saves The World is a fiendishly compelling action-RPG with creative ideas that all fit together for frictionless fun.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an improvement over its predecessor in every way, and one of the best modern Mario spin-offs.
Marvel Snap is an elegantly simple and inventive approach to digital CCGs that emphasizes adaptation and creativity.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a bountiful blend of stealth, strategy, and swashbuckling.
This is the rightful successor to Super Mario World, and hopefully, will serve as a touchstone for 2D Mario going forward.
Prince of Persia boldly reinvents itself as a metroidvania, and it feels like it has found its new home.
SteamWorld Heist 2 takes a cult hit and expands it massively, without sacrificing its charm or making its systems overwhelming.
UFO 50 is a masterful compilation of retro-style games that invokes the sense of delightful discovery at the heart of the 8-bit era.
The Plucky Squire is a joyful, beautifully visualized adventure game, bursting with inventive ideas that will make you feel like a kid again.
Blue Prince is a masterfully intricate roguelike puzzle game that reveals increasingly elaborate details and interlocking systems as you peel back its layers.
Mario Kart World expands on almost everything that made Mario Kart 8 such an enduring success, laying the foundation for years of raucous racing to come.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor wears its influences on its sleeve, but integrates them so well with its own ideas that it stands up as a unique achievement on its own.
Top to bottom, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a delightful little treat of a game. It shows a purity of puzzle design that few studios can match, and it wraps it all in a sugary-sweet presentation that only the most jaded could refuse. With a game this good, Captain Toad may just be Nintendo's next breakout star.
Super Mario 3D World is a tightly-designed platformer, raucously fun in multiplayer, and a master's class in level design. Don't pass it off as just another Mario game. This one is not to be missed.
Halo 5: Guardians isn't 343's first Halo game, but it's the first that really makes the series its own. This isn't a reflection of Bungie's efforts, or a remaster, or stage-setting. The studio has put its own identity on this Halo game with smart moves like a more identifiable story and a wider array of multiplayer options, along with increased polish like Guardians' incredible visual punch and impeccable multiplayer balance. For the first time since 343 took the mantle, I came away feeling that it was a change for the better.
Nintendo is known for being conservative and protective of its properties, and it's taking an uncharacteristic risk by giving players this much control over its most iconic character. We're already seeing creativity flourish. I can only imagine what will happen when we're all Mario's caretakers.
Overwatch is a collection of firsts, but it carries itself with the confidence and proficiency of a veteran. It has plenty of room to grow and expand, but as our first step into this world, it's inviting, competitive, smartly designed, beautiful to look at, and fun to play. You can't ask for much more than that.