If you're a fan of the franchise, or of horror in general, Resident Evil 7 is a must-buy purchase.
Prey might not be the prettiest game, but it's among the most atmospheric. Arkane Studios has proven itself time and time again to be comprised of world-class world builders. Prey is no different. If you're a fan of Dead Space, Deus Ex, or Bioshock, you simply have to buy this game.
Ultimately, Far Cry 5 is a relentlessly fun, aggressively varied open world shooter that will keep you hooked for dozens and dozens of hours. The game's world has never felt more alive, brimming with animal ecosystems, serene lakes, and verdant forests, with spectacular scenery just begging to be screenshotted.
Capcom has shown the world exactly how classic games should be remade, and its name is Resident Evil 2.
Two Point Hospital is a rewarding and addictive sim that must not be missed.
A perfect blend of satisfying Wild West tropes, a surprisingly compelling story, and an endlessly-gratifying tactical layer that will make you feel like the architect of a bandit-murdering Rube Goldberg machine. With guns.
Wasteland 3 is a testament to the power of the branching narrative, taking it far beyond binary choices and into a grand canopy of cause and effect. It gives the wintry climbs of Colorado a lifelike quality that must have been painstaking to build. The most impressive RPG in years, Wasteland 3 is a masterpiece.
Gears of War 4 just feels great. It feels like the return of an old friend, and The Coalition masterfully weave that nostalgia into the game without smothering us in it exploitatively — which is something they very easily could have done. Gears of War 4's greatest moments can be found in between the lines. They're in the shadows of familiar silhouettes, in the tones of nostalgic sound effects, in every COG tag you find scattered around the battlefield, and every ridiculous, over-the-top set piece.
I simply cannot write about some of Inside's most hauntingly memorable scenes and most diabolical puzzles without ruining the magic – so I won't. Fans of Limbo should know that they're in for a treat with Inside, and if you're new to Play Dead's brand of Lynchian puzzle games, know that Inside is a unique, 4-6 hour experience that'll change your perception of what a puzzle platformer should aspire to.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world masterpiece that features some of the most immersive and liberating storytelling this industry has to offer. With full freedom to choose V's personality, looks, and gameplay style, Cyberpunk 2077 gives the player an unrelenting amount of control in a world that delivers dozens upon dozens of hours of high-quality content. Cyberpunk 2077 is a mammoth achievement and solidifies CD Projekt RED's place at the top of the pile.
Little Nightmares II builds on its predecessor as a sequel should, expanding the scope of the universe both in terms of lore and mechanics. Little Nightmares II is one of 2021's first must-play titles.
DOOM allows you to become the main character of your own personal gory action movie; the conductor of an unholy, death metal symphony. As you vault and explore vantage points, as you blast demons mid-air as you leap down and stomp on demonic brains.
With a surprisingly heartfelt story, witty and memorable characters, restlessly satisfying combat, in an expansive and well-optimized hand-crafted world - simply put, God of War is a must-play game.
RimWorld has become a lauded classic on PC, and with the Xbox port, Double Eleven delivers a master class in how to bring games designed for mouse and keyboard intuitively to console. RimWorld is an utterly brutal survival sim where cutesy simplistic graphics belies endless depth, and you get procedural drama on a scale I have never before experienced in video game form. This game is a masterpiece, and RimWorld for Xbox faithfully shepherds the budding franchise to a brand new audience.
Simply put, Diablo 4 may be Blizzard's best-ever game, and that's a really tough legacy to live up to. Immaculate storytelling meets stunning art, polished, bug-free gameplay, atop endlessly customizable combat with the promise of dozens, maybe hundreds of hours of content — Diablo 4 might be Blizzard's most important, pivotal game since World of Warcraft. Do yourself a favor and go in completely blind. Even if you're not a typical fan of isometric action RPGs, I'm confident that you won't be disappointed.
I am resoundingly impressed with how well the control schemes have translated to a controller, and it gives me hope that we could one day see more complex management-type games hit Xbox One, now that Cities: Skylines has shown us the way forward.
Cuphead is an instant classic that will build a solid fanbase across Xbox One and Windows PCs, and hopefully, spawn bigger and bolder sequels in the years to come. Amazing job, Studio MDHR.
Halo Wars 2 proves that the franchise is strong enough to work extremely well in other genres. Under the careful scrutiny of 343i and Creative Assembly, Halo Wars 2 doesn't feel like a spin-off. Instead, Halo Wars 2 stands proud among the greatest games the franchise has to offer.
Rebellion is on track to become an essential AAA studio with Sniper Elite 4. The bottom line: If you were a fan of previous Sniper Elite games — you have to buy this game. If you're a fan of stealth games in general — you have to buy this game. If you were holding off due to Sniper Elite's historical lack of AAA polish — you have to buy this game. Sniper Elite's fourth installment propels the series into the big leagues for the first time, and Rebellion deserves every shred of praise.
Wolfenstein II is a moving and evocative game that you won't soon forget – a quintessential first-person shooter experience.