Dragon Age Inquisition has raised the bar for storytelling. It's the sort of game you think you have figured out after a few hours, but time and time again it'll surprise you. With a rebuilt combat system, an open and inviting world, 150 hours of content, and a warm and familiar storytelling system, Dragon Age Inquisition is the best RPG I've played in a decade.
With only a single nitpick, and so many fantastic upgrades, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition truly is the best version of the game, PC and Mac included. Couch co-op with up to four players, online co-op with up to four players, an upgraded system beyond Loot 2.0, better round-robin gear distribution, and all of the social elements added to this version of Diablo III are icing on the cake of the additional chapter and Crusader class delivered here. So yes…it's worth the double dip. If this is your first foray into the world of Diablo, this is the absolute best version you can play.
This feels less like a review and more like a love letter to Forza Horizon 2. This game was an absolute joy to review, and I'll play it long after this article goes live. Like opening the hood on a Ferrari, Forza Horizon 2 is filled from fender to fender with absolute awesome.
If you've not gathered it thus far, the house that brought you Fallout: New Vegas, Dungeon Siege III, Alpha Protocol, Neverwinter Nights 2, and Knights of the Old Republic 2 have struck gold once again. An epic RPG, a licensed game that somehow transcends its source material, and the culmination of everything South Park has come together to create the funniest game I've played in a decade. Stuffed with fan service, South Park: The Stick of Truth is better than any episode of the show, and it's so much better than any of us could have anticipated.
With intuitive controls and great tunes, Disney's Fantasia: Music Evolved is not only a fantastic rhythm game, but one of the best Kinect games ever made.
While Blackbird's HD update of the original Homeworld titles may have shipped with a few nagging bugs, this original and inventive prequel reinvents the series in way I hardly even hoped could be possible. It's fresh but familiar. It's Homeworld, but it's something new. Like its story-chronological successors, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is amazing — there's simply nothing else like it.
No game has captured the nuance of pen-and-paper RPG quite like Divinity: Original Sin 2. Every moment is filled with meaningful choice with real consequences, and every character has a story to tell. In an RPG landscape where dialogue options are dumbed down, and quests have become package delivery to a specific map coordinate, Divinity: Original Sin 2 stands out as one of the best RPGs I've played in a decade...maybe even longer than that.
Stunning graphical overhaul aside, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age delivers several gameplay-improving mechanics never seen in North America. While balance is still occasionally wobbly, there's no doubt that Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a masterclass in the light but deliberate touch necessary to take something great and make it even better.
While I will continue to miss Sully, Nathan, Elena, and young would-be adventurer Cassie, The Lost Legacy is another amazing adventure in the living Uncharted world. Whether it spells the start of a new direction for the series, or a fun encore, it's an excellent experience for any Uncharted fan.
Harebrained Schemes has transformed the complexity of the pen and paper BattleTech universe into an incredible game that welcomes veteran and rookie pilots alike. BattleTech represents the perfect culmination of all of their previous works, and the team should be proud of how well it all came together.
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is easily one of the best tactical games I've played in recent memory. The fact that it was made by just two people is mind blowing. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, or games like Banner Saga, Fell Seal will scratch that itch. Just know going in that it might be a little bit before we get our next content fix.
Igarashi-san has made another masterpiece. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an unapologetic celebration of the best parts of his previous work, bringing them all together with some fresh approaches to progression. Gorgeous and rewarding, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is phenomenal and is a worthy, near flawless successor to Symphony Of the Night, and that's high praise indeed.
Control manages to take the awesome cutscenes we see in other games and makes them playable. A bizarre adventure with rewarding power fantasy, this is the culmination of all previous Remedy games. Part exploration game, and part sci-fi shooter, Control blends a tight narrative, stunning graphics with RTX-powered lighting, and a hub-based world to create something entirely new and absolutely gorgeous.
With procedural worlds, fantastic cooperative combat, and a storyline that makes you care about the entire Bergson family, Children of Morta represents the best example of games as art. There are still a few months to go in 2019, but Children of Morta is looking like my Indie Game of the Year.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an absolute masterpiece. Well paced, written, and executed, the game is Respawn's best thus far.
Audica morphs elements from several music genre bests, but putting a Harmonix spin on it. With a smooth pickup and play difficulty curve paired with a solid and ever-expanding soundtrack, Audica is another fantastic beat buster from Harmonix!
At 192 pages, this hardcover book is filled from cover to cover with amazing concepts and final artwork that brings the story of Gears Tactics to life. It breathes even more life into characters that you'll grow to love over the course of the game, providing a better understanding of friends and foes alike. While Gears isn't known for its story depth, this book from Titan has something to say about that.
Ghost of Tsushima is easily the biggest and most ambitious game Sucker Punch has ever undertaken. It's also the best game they've ever made. Akira Kurosawa would be proud.
With visuals completely redesigned from the ground up, rebuilt mechanics, and even a dose of extra content, Observer System Redux delivers on the gritty retrofuturistic cyberpunk world of horror. Rebuilt stealth sections fixed the largest complaint, and the hitching in the original release is gone. The original was good, but this is great.
Sam and Max Save the World looks as great as it sounds. With upgraded visuals, fresh jazzy music, remastered audio across the board, this is the best this game series has ever looked. Bring on Season 2, 3, and beyond!