Assassin’s Creed Shadows should undoubtedly be the best game in the series to date. The world of Japan is not only the most stunning and varied in the series with its different seasons, but arguably one of the best-looking games of all time. The gameplay also finally finds its neat middle ground with the slower action RPG stylings of Yasuke and the assassination-focused side of Naoe. Unfortunately, the world is frustrating to explore most of the time, holding back this title from its greatness.
Sugardew Island fails to not only live up to the Nintendo DS Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon games, but be memorable in any fashion. Outside of the shop system that I enjoyed for a time, all of the progression and farming mechanics are mediocre.
Atelier Yumia is the bold and right new direction for this series. While it took time to adjust to the action combat, it is unlike anything I’ve played before and quite fun.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is one of the most impressive sets of value and nostalgia with a handful of excellent games. Admittedly, many of the games are filler, but there are around 5 or 6 games like The Sacred Cards that are worth your time and still hold up well even today.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a brilliant start to what is possibly going to be a lengthy and stunning visual novel adventure series. The art style is incredible, the pacing never wastes too much time, and the cast is smartly small to give enough focus on each
Avowed is an intriguing fantasy RPG that is reminiscent of a smaller scale Skyrim but more welcoming for newcomers. The quality-of-life features are fantastic, even if the content leaves something to be desired.
Civilization VII comes close to easily being the best in the series yet. The gorgeous visuals, smooth gameplay features, and more easily understandable mechanics make this welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike. But the frustrating Ages system overcomplicates and holds back an otherwise exceptional strategy experience.
It contains all of the content from the original Wii and later 3DS releases, plus some neat quality-of-life modern improvements. At the same time, it plays everything pretty safe to make for a solid but not must-have platformer.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension finally does this Mistwalker JRPG justice with its arrival on modern console and PC platforms without a subscription. The hand-created visuals and environments look stunning, the memorable story is helped along with a great cast of characters, and the new additions like voice acting and Final Fantasy music make this better than some Final Fantasy games in recent memory.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard does little to hint at the grand return of BioWare. Like Inquisition, Anthem, and Mass Effect Andromeda, The Veilguard does a great job with combat but lacks the meaningful story, writing, and exploration this studio desperately needs.
Black Ops 6 is one of the most impressive disappointments in Call of Duty history. Despite the best gameplay in the series outside of the jetpack era, the general content from Zombies to multiplayer maps is downright terrible across the board, leading to the most mixed game yet.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is the premier way to check out this intriguingly non-linear JRPG. Players go about the battle against seven fallen heroes and the various generations of an empire with a solid level of player choice. Though the graphics, gameplay, and voice acting aren’t extraordinary, they do enough to make this a remake worth playing for newcomers and existing fans alike.
Super Mario Party Jamboree attempts to cater to old fans and new, and to pretty solid success. This is the most content in a Mario Party game yet and it shows through the great seven boards, tons of minigames, and decent amount of modes. Some of the modes, such as multiplayer, aren’t as impressive, but this is still a Mario Party worth looking at.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, the third game in this series, tells a compelling and deep mystery that is far darker and more disturbing than anything we've seen from Nintendo before.
SaGa: Emerald Beyond fascinates (for better and for worse) from start to finish. The multiple protagonists, bizarre presentation, and straightforward mechanics make for a rather easy but wholly unique JRPG.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth shows Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the entire Yakuza: Like a Dragon series at its finest. The best game in the series offers shocking and unbelievable content for players to experience across game modes like Dondoko Island, the brilliant and gut-wrenching story, and the intriguing new characters. Though it has some pacing issues here and there, and I still wish for slightly faster battles, this is the biggest, greatest, and most compelling adventure for Ichiban and Kiryu yet.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising certainly looks like one of the most gorgeous fighting games out there and it plays well, even if the actual content feels a bit bland.
In the end, Modern Warfare 3 begs the question of whether this annual cycle should continue or not. Almost half the game feels shoehorned in, such as the forgettable campaign. Meanwhile, the other half has mixed results in the case of the multiplayer maps. But if players engage with the truly special parts of MW3, such as its exceptional improvements to gameplay and spectacular alternative modes like Zombies and Ground War, they’ll find there is a worthy experience in there somewhere.
RoboCop: Rogue City may not do anything extraordinary, but it doesn't have to. It takes the RoboCop license, makes me care about it, and provides a solid Deus Ex-like RPG take on Detroit.
Crymachina offers a cybernetic futuristic world with excellent action-based combat. Though it loses itself in the weeds with its plot, it delivers nonstop fun.