Harry Kalogirou
Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles is a loving recreation of the first leg of Tanjiro and Nezuko's journey. It might not push the envelope in any meaningful way, but I can guarantee that this will satiate Demon Slayer fans and maybe even provide some entertainment for newcomers. It delivers on exactly what's promised, and I think that is what most people will want out of The Hinokami Chronicles.
While it feels like Game Freak have been trying to find their footing with Pokémon over the last few years, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a confident showing by ILCA that proves the series is far from dead. The classic formula is unchanged here, and still holds up, which will no doubt please long-time fans and newcomers alike. Smart new additions that feel like natural additions to the base game, coupled with a visual overhaul that captures the feel of the originals make for an experience that's as nostalgic and comforting, as it is fresh and reinvigorating for the franchise.
While it might not provide the visual fidelity and exploration we might wish for in an open-world-esque Pokémon game, it does provide a satisfying and addicting gameplay loop, alongside a surprisingly enjoyable narrative to boot.
While it feels like the impact of Breath of the Wild is waning as the open world genre starts to stagnate again, Elden Ring stands out as not only an achievement in FromSoftware's hall of fame, but also as an open-world RPG. Elden Ring is without a doubt, FromSoft's most ambitious undertaking yet, and like Dark Souls before it, I believe it will leave a permanent mark on both the open-world genre and the games industry in general.
Where Beyond Light and Shadowkeep felt like foundational expansions, The Witch Queen is the fully realized, feature-rich pay off that players have been waiting for. While it's easy to see that PvP is still comparably neglected to PvE, a superbly focused campaign, an excellent raid, and reinvigorated Void subclasses are just a few of the inclusions that build The Witch Queen up as the best Destiny expansion thus far.
While Tiny Tina's Wonderlands doesn't offer a vastly different experience from what came before, it does venture outside of its comfort zone enough to establish its own identity. It's an excellent extension of the already great Assault On Dragon Keep, and is a worthwhile adventure for any fan of the series, with extensive build crafting, an entertaining cast of characters, and a world worth exploring.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes feels tailor made for the relatively small cross-section of people who are both hardcore fans of Musou and Fire Emblem. That isn't to say you won't enjoy this if you liked Three Houses, there's a lot that Three Hopes has to offer on a first playthrough, just be ready for the repetition to set in if you want to see it all through to the end.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak takes an already meaty game an expands on it even further. Despite a few missteps, Sunbreak sports a roster bolstered by sheer quality, smart improvements to the Switch Skill system, and the introduction of Follower Quests which coalesce together to propel Rise into the upper echelon of Monster Hunter titles.
While its unclear whether Soul Hackers 2 was an attempt to make a more inviting Shin Megami Tensei game for newcomers, the end result is a disappointingly streamlined RPG that both newcomers and long-time fans will inevitably bounce off of. It's a perfectly fine RPG, but so much of what makes SMT special is sorely lacking here in a palpable way.
While more iterative than it is innovative, Splatoon 3 is without a doubt the best entry in the series yet. Despite lacking new multiplayer modes at launch, there's a clear commitment to content and quality, with each aspect of the package being pushed to its logical extreme through smart and meaningful additions. This is the most feature-complete and tightly designed Splatoon to date, and you'd be missing out if you choose to pass it up.
While Overwatch 2 is still a good time, and an improvement over the original, it feels like less of a sequel and more of an update. There's some solid changes to the foundations of Overwatch, but a noticeable lack of new content, archaic game modes, and balancing issues leave something to be desired.
While Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a markedly different game than Kingdom Battle, it's a more than worthy sequel that successfully steps into its own space within the realm of turn-based strategy. It's undoubtedly one of the best games on the Switch, and one of the best showings from Ubisoft in recent years.
Whilst there's still stumbling missteps as Game Freak try to find their footing in the future of Pokémon, Scarlet and Violet is an endearing, and enjoyable attempt at a fundamentally different Pokémon experience. New ideas, some quality of life improvements, and some excellent new Pokémon designs make the trip to Paldea worthwhile.
Evil West is a relic of a bygone era, one that any fan of high-octane action games should experience. An all-round excellently paced main campaign, ridiculously fun combat, and flexible character progression make for one of 2022's best games, and one of the best third-person shooters in recent years.
Dragon Quest Treasures is a simple yet wholesome and endearing Dragon Quest experience that stands out among the crowd. It might not retain some of the luster and sheen from mainline entries, but an addictive gameplay loop and enticing exploration makes for an adventure worth undertaking.
As an experience more in-line with the pre-Fates era of Fire Emblem, Engage is a worthy celebration of one of Nintendo's longest running and most storied franchises. Despite many flaws, none of them offset the experience so drastically to sour the overall experience, making for another great entry into the gilded halls of Fire Emblem.
Like A Dragon: Ishin, offers both a familiar Yakuza experience in an entirely unique setting. Some technical issues and arbitrary systems can't hold back a compelling narrative, excellent combat, and a compact open-world packed to the brim with engaging content. Like A Dragon: Ishin shouldn't fly under your radar during this busy period, and is well-worth diving into for both series veterans and newcomers alike.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a quintessential package for newcomers to the franchise. A fantastically realized set of Copy Abilities, swathes of worthwhile content, a great new epilogue, and gorgeously enhanced new visuals make for a timeless experience that's only hindered by a noticeable lack of difficulty.
Despite Team Ninja falling into the same pitfalls suffered by prior titles, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another deeply satisfying Souls-like. A steep learning curve and frustrating amounts of loot don't do much to keep Wo Long back from offering another finely tuned combat system, blended with a unique setting and new systems that break new ground in the subgenre.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is far from Destiny's worst expansion, but just as far from its best. For every step forward, there's another step back, and what you get out of it ultimately comes down to what you prioritize. It simply isn't as well rounded as The Witch Queen, but still offers many excellent gameplay additions and quality-of-life improvements that elevate the whole experience.