Echoes of Wisdom mixes Tears of the Kingdom with the classic top-down Zelda formula to create a charming adventure that is both forward-thinking and nostalgic.
A faithful enhancement of one of the best RPGs of its era, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is once again one of the best RPGs of its (new) era.
Super Mario RPG is an overtly faithful recreation of the Super Nintendo hit, and this charming adventure has aged quite well.
PGA 2K23 vastly improves on an already great foundation with refined golf gameplay, customization, and an expansive suite of modes.
Cursed To Golf is a brilliant golf game that plays like a wildly experimental precision-platformer.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is a remarkable addition to an already superb game.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the biggest and most inventive entry in the long-running franchise.
Unpacking is a relaxing puzzle game that encourages you to reflect and move forward.
More than anything else, Metroid Dread feels like going back to a place of comfort after a long time away. Though the gameplay is refined and new features have been added to the mix, Dread sticks closely to the formula of its predecessors. In the end, for longtime fans like myself, that's probably for the best.
Mario Golf: Super Rush is a fast-paced spin on the relaxing sport that oozes excitement.
Madden NFL 21 has an excellent new game mode that's great for short spurts, but the series staples don't move the needle.
PGA Tour 2K21 builds off of the solid foundation of The Golf Club series, delivering a wonderful golf sim that's getting closer to the real thing.
Skelattack is a side-scrolling platformer with a lot of heart, but it ends too quickly and the obstacles it places in front of you are hampered because of it.
Kingdom Hearts 3: Re:Mind's new playable characters and post-game bosses aren't enough to save it from feeling like a tired retread of events experienced just last year.
Nothing offers the lighthearted, fun for all ages battle royale that Fortnite does.
Link's Awakening is the best top-down Zelda to date.
Blasphemous is an eery Metroidvania with gorgeous animations and combat that's just a tad too one-dimensional.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is one of the best games of the year, expansion or not.
Astral Chain is every bit as awesome as it looks in motion, which is to say it's downright incredible.
Madden NFL 20's Ultimate Team and Franchise modes are superb, but the career mode misses the mark.