Neon White is a stylish, unique title that’s sure to see a dedicated community of speed runners and action game fans alike flock to it. It’s like nothing I’ve played before, and I can’t stop thinking about its lucid but responsive gameplay even after playing for hours on end.
Two Point Campus is the kind of moreish strategy experience that can occupy players for a matter of hours or a matter of months. It constantly builds upon itself and its predecessor without feeling overbearing and is the most fun you can have in education. A certain A-grade for fans of its predecessor.
The highest praise we can give Two Point Hospital is that it feels impossible not to have fun with it.
In short, Total War: Warhammer II offers plenty of content for fans of strategy games, Warhammer and Total Warhammer fans, and new starters to the genre. It is easily one of the genre's finest, standing alongside X-Com 2 as one of the best PC games of the last few years.
Frostpunk is bleak. Really bleak.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is an excellent package. Its overly-complex narrative bogs down so much of what makes the game a carefree thrill ride, but a great campaign structure, intense multiplayer and a VR tour de force make this the best game in the storied franchise and one every pilot should pick up.
With impressive tactical depth, a challenging campaign, an excellent multiplayer suite and an outrageously deep set of tools for user-generated content, Wargroove is one of the games of 2019 and is well worth a look - doubly so for Advance Wars veterans.
Madden NFL 20 might just be the series' best outing to date. Between a less-oppressive Ultimate Team Mode, an excellent player career mode, and more exciting on-the-pitch plays it offers a whole lot of excellent content. Minor tweaks aside, Franchise mode could do with some love next year, but it isn't enough to dull these Friday Night Lights (sorry).
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is more of one of the best games of this console generation, and for many, that'll be all the recommendation you'll need. It's a tough, punishing battle against incredible odds punctuated by elation and carving your vanquished nemesis into a sword with which to hunt its compatriots - and it's bloody brilliant.
My Friend Pedro is one of the year's best titles, and is easily among the Switch's premier indie titles. It's funny, it's stylish, and it's challenging in all the best ways, and definitely needs to be played by anyone looking for their next quick hit of action gaming.
Hotline Miami and its sequel stand the test of time as two titles built around an excellent combat loop while offering so much more as well. The visuals, soundtrack, and kinetic combat combine to form one of the greatest indie titles in history - and one still worth playing in 2019.
From its breathless opening hours to its twisting narrative, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty would be worth the price of admission for its plot and characters alone. That it also offers an impressive new district, open-world dynamic events and even more ways to build your own Cyberpunk mythos make it an even easier recommendation.
Helldivers 2 keeps kicking me in the rear end, and I can't help but respect it. Visiting its warzones often feels like a one-way trip, to the point where I'm surprised to make it through. My group chats are awash with war stories of hard-fought victories and those times I dropped an airstrike on my head. And through all of the chaos, like a grizzled veteran who's seen some s**t, I've got a smile on my face every time I drop.
Small foibles aside, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might just be the Switch’s prettiest and grandest game of 2022. With a deep combat system and surprisingly effective story, along with quality of life improvements over the prior game, it’s a true spectacle whether you’re playing in handheld mode or docked. It really is a must-buy for JRPG fans.
Even when stripping away the glossy licenses and arenas, Multiversus remains an excellent fighter that feels like a great barometer of how to do free-to-play right. That low barrier to entry makes it a great way to spend an evening with friends, and with more characters to come, it could grow into a true “Smash killer” over time.
If you're looking for a multiplayer shooter to fill your days with color this winter, then Splatoon 3 will keep you octopied (sorry). Its changes are small and easy to miss, but there really is nothing like it at all. A lot of the game's continued success will come down to Nintendo's own support of the game and its community, but after seeing the support for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the recent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, Splatoon 3 is swimming in the right direction.
Overwatch as a franchise has always felt like a child taking toys out of a box to hurriedly show you what’s next, breathless through excitement before switching to another. In that sense, Overwatch 2 is a bigger toy box, with a few more action figures and incredible new dioramas to pose them in.
ario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope builds upon its predecessor in surprising and delightful ways to create a tactical RPG that stands among the best in the genre. While it may lack the challenge of some of its contemporaries, it's a fun adventure that, despite still feeling like a fever dream cooked up by a child's imagination, is one of the finest titles of 2022.
A fun, fairly brief campaign that offers plenty of memorable scenarios and a suite of improvements that turn The Division 2 into a true contender for the looter shooter throne.
Sairento on PlayStation VR may not be a big-name title, but it deserves to be. Excellent combat, unique movement mechanics, and a steep learning curve make it a must-play for anyone looking to unleash hell in VR.