Gran Turismo 7 is the game that longtime fans of the series have been requesting for years. Although what's here isn't drastically different in format when compared to some of the earlier installments, the overall experience that Gran Turismo 7 provides is incredibly comprehensive and feels like a love letter to both car culture and the 25-year history of the Gran Turismo franchise. If you're someone who has been playing these games since the days of the original PlayStation, Gran Turismo 7 is definitely one of the high points of the series and is worth picking up immediately.
The best thing I can say about The Last of Us Part 1 is that it meets Naughty Dog's previous claim: this is absolutely the definitive edition of the game. Not only do the improved graphics, lighting, and animations make for a better throughline experience, but they also add more emotional resonance to Joel and Ellie's story than ever before. In the brief history of the PS5, The Last of Us Part 1 is one of the most visually impressive games that I've played so far and it makes me that much more excited to see what Naughty Dog does with its next wholly new project for the platform.
Even though it's not without some faults, A Plague Tale: Requiem is likely one of the better games I have played this year. In a time where story-driven action games are starting to become more sparse, Asobo continues to prove with Requiem that it's very much capable of assisting with carrying the torch within this genre. I'm not sure if we'll see future Plague Tale titles come about in the future, but given the leap that has been seen with Requiem, I'm definitely hoping that this isn't Asobo's final outing in this space.
Persona 3 Reload definitely still feels dated in some areas, which isn't always expected from a modern remake. Despite this, some of these older aspects of Reload are what I came to appreciate the more that I played.
Shadow of War finds its success in perfectly expanding upon everything that made Shadow of Mordor so great. Despite the game's slow start, once you get into the weeds of Shadow of War's systems, you'll find yourself engrossed and addicted to its satisfying gameplay loop for hours on end. This increased depth along with the much larger scale of the world and battles within Shadow of War make it a far better game from top to bottom than that of its predecessor.
Judgment is another winner for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and provides dozens of hours of mysteries, hijinks, and flying fists to keep you entertained.
Donut County is a charming and straightforward example of how video games don't need to be overly complex or contain multiple mechanics and systems to make for a good time. While your enjoyment of the game will likely depend on how satisfying you find its overall loop of dropping stuff into a hole, if this does click with you, then there's a lot that you'll love. For the low price of entry, Donut County is worth picking up and spending an evening with just to have a good chuckle.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has a special charm to it, which is something I didn't expect to say when first hearing about the project. While the allure of these two franchises coming together may be the draw for many, the surprising depth to its combat and the replayability that it offers are the real highlights. The fact that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle turned out as well as it did makes me hope to see Nintendo work with other developers again in the future to utilize their beloved characters in new, unique ways just like this.
Death Stranding has its fair share of gameplay issues but also boasts more heart and a willingness to take chances than any other game in years.
Bloodroots is a highly-replayable romp that will see you utilizing everything from a fish to a carrot in order to take down foes.
League of Legends is the most popular game in the world, and for good reason, but it's absolutely not without its fair share of annoyances.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales has a lot in common with its predecessor, yet still proves to be a compelling reason to own a PS5 at launch.
By all accounts, MLB The Show 22 is still a great baseball game, but it definitely isn't going to blow you away if you already put a lot of time into The Show 21. The changes that have been included here in the latest entry feel more iterative than they have in quite some time, which leads to the final product feeling a bit disappointing. Still, in all of the ways that matter, MLB The Show 22 is another strong installment, even if it doesn't quite feel like it has taken a next-gen leap just yet.
Remasters are a dime a dozen nowadays, and more often than not, I find that most of them aren't done very well. Simply bringing a game forward and upgrading the resolution to 4K for any title often isn't enough to impress me. Fortunately, Mass Effect Legendary Edition does not fall into this category. BioWare has done quite a bit here to make this beloved series more accessible than it has been in quite some time, especially when it comes to the visuals. Whether you're looking to play through the trilogy for your tenth time or you're finally looking to give the series a shot for the first time, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is absolutely the way in which you should experience all three games moving forward.
Horizon Forbidden West, by most counts, is another strong release for Guerrilla Games and PlayStation. This is very much a sequel that just looks to go bigger and better than its predecessor, and in that regard, it very much achieves what it sets out to accomplish. Although I wanted more from the story and the game's general structure is very much the same when compared to Zero Dawn, fans who loved the last title should still love the adventure that this follow-up takes you on.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a strong sequel that improves on nearly every core element seen in Fallen Order. Even in spite of some pacing troubles with its story, Cal Kestis is an even more compelling protagonist this time around and continues to be one of the best new Star Wars characters that has come about in the Disney era.
Pikmin 4 is largely a strong step forward for Nintendo and is a game that both longtime fans of the series and newcomers should find a lot of enjoyment with. Even though some new aspects that Nintendo opted to include in Pikmin 4 got stale quickly, the basic gameplay loop remains quite satisfying and features far more than ever before for you to sink your teeth into.
Salt and Sanctuary takes the Souls-like formula to 2D and almost perfectly executes upon it. While it may not win points for originality, Ska Studios has done a fantastic job of transitioning the Souls style of combat into 2D while simultaneously mixing in elements of platforming and level design found in Metroidvania games. If you still haven't given one of these kinds of games a shot yet, Salt and Sanctuary is a great starting point for novices of the genre.
At the end of the day, Playtonic accomplished exactly what they set out to achieve with Yooka-Laylee and proved that 3D platformers can still be relevant in 2017. Yooka-Laylee is a fun, familiar, and nostalgic trip to a genre from the past that still holds up incredibly well in the present. It certainly proves that there is a place in the current landscape for games of this genre. If you miss the mascot platformer of yesteryear, then Yooka-Laylee will almost certainly give you your fill and make you feel warm inside.
Despite the issues that I have with the tracking in the game, I still think that SUPERHOT VR is a game that all first year adopters of PSVR need to check out. Not only is it one of the most unique experiences I have had in gaming this year, it might be one of the most unique I have had in my entire life. While I think the game is probably much better suited on either of the other virtual reality headsets on the market, playing SUPERHOT VR on PSVR will still give you hours of enjoyment even if you do have to calibrate your device more than you'd like. DualShockers reviewed the original, non-VR SUPERHOT on PS4 earlier today — check out that full review here.