The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD makes a few smart improvements to an excellent game. A cumbersome control scheme still holds it back, however.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade leverages the PS5 to make a great game even better, but it's the Intermission DLC where the experience really shines.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the exclusive title the PS5 has been waiting for. With finely tuned gameplay, an ambitious story and terrific production values, it's a high-water mark for the series.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids is an expansion that plays it safe, delivering the same basic gameplay and structure as the core title.
Nier Replicant deserves praise for its clever characters and unorthodox setting, even if the gameplay and level design can get repetitive by the end.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey has everything it needs to be bigger and better than Origins. But in practice, it's mostly just bigger.
Demon's Souls is the standout title among the PS5's launch lineup, combining tight gameplay, gorgeous graphics and an unforgettable setting.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a good time, with fun combat and a beautiful setting. But it's also full of the open-world busywork that's characterized the series lately.
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition still possesses some of the original game's flaws, but also builds on a lot of its charms in ambitious and satisfying ways.
Ghost of Tsushima is pretty similar to other open-world games, but a strong combat system and a solid samurai story give it some staying power.
Pick up The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening if you have any affinity for the series and don't mind replaying a 26-year-old game. However, if you've played the Game Boy original to death, you won't find much new here.
Buy Man of Medan if you liked Until Dawn and want to see how The Dark Pictures Anthology might shape up. Avoid this game if you can't abide performance issues or slow gameplay.
Old-school Castlevania fans should pick up Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night right away. So should anyone with an interest in Metroidvanias, action/RPGs or high-quality side-scrollers in general.
Trover Saves the Universe feels really, really chill, and that alone makes it pleasantly different from most other games out there.
In spite of some imperfect emulation, Mega Man X Legacy Collection reminds players why they fell in love with the series.
Everything in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is out to delight the player, and just about everything succeeds.
Mass Effect: Andromeda isn’t the most innovative game out there, but it’s easy to get lost in this imaginative space opera.
While Tales of Berseria isn't quite as good as the series gets, once this game gets its daemonic claws into you, it's hard to put down.
Final Fantasy XV is a masterpiece, channeling some of the franchise's best qualities while adding something new and unexpected at every turn.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is a beautiful game where your decisions really matter, but it's mostly the same as Seasons 1 and 2.