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Mario Tennis Fever is easily Nintendo's best Mario-themed tennis game in ages. Filled with tons of racket types and characters to unlock, the fun you have playing online or against the CPU never falters or feels stale. I've had such a great time diving into the pretty solid Adventure mode and Trial Towers. The strategic layers the game adds through various racket types go a long way and mesh well with the fast pace of tennis.
Romeo Is a Dead Man is yet another strong action game from Grasshopper that’s sure to be divisive. It may not be the best game of the year when all is said and done, but it’s hard to imagine anything else feeling quite as unique.
Crisol: Theatre of Idols is a steadfast horror survival game. While its inherent inspirations are worn proudly on its sleeve, Crisol rarely steps outside of its comfort zone. I like the idea of sacrificing health for ammo, but it needs substance to really sell the idea. Enemies might hit hard, but enemies rarely outpace themselves, and it becomes easy to guess where enemies will come from and how fast they'll lunge at you. The sense of tension in the world's empty streets and earlier sections is genuinely impressive, though.
Nioh 3 fractures Team Ninja’s formula, pushing players to master brutal Samurai power and lethal Ninja agility in every demanding encounter.
Code Vein 2 excels at being a more accessible sequel, offering a game that fans of the original will find irresistible. However, it's technically unpolished on consoles, and it struggles to stand out in a sea of soulslikes. What Code Vein 2 does better than the others, though, is the excellent world-building and exploration and some fun, brazen characters that'll make you love them.
Ultimately, what matters in Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is the journey. Every character you meet, every party member you recruit, has a tale you want to experience. With reworked combat and vocations, a stellar party, and dozens of memorable locations in need of help, Reimagined is one of the finest games in the series.
Cairn wasn't on my list of must-play titles this year, but it needs to be on yours. It's a puzzle game disguised as a climbing game, as no two climbs ever feel the same or offer the same solution. Cairn is just this incredible game I can't put down.
I Hate This Place does a great job of creating an 80's vibe with a classic action-horror atmosphere. The story is interesting and dark, the protagonist kicks ass, and the action is fun and visceral.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch 2 is bent on stranding you once again on an island of your own creation. And while there's a small cost for the upgrade here, you'll get challenge and some satisfying answers to previous pain points.
The game's visual identity is striking, and the spacecraft's transformation as it comes alive is excellent. There's a great sense of atmosphere that's reinforced as you keep moving forward, that eventually gives out because of uneven and frankly, unnecessary combat.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade adds significant quality-of-life improvements. The addition of the Xbox Series and Switch 2 is the cherry on top for series fans, but the icing on the cake is having an incredible RPG available on the go.
Cassette Boy has an engrossing core mechanic and a great retro look and feel. Puzzles are interesting, if not convoluted at times, and the world includes lots of nooks and crannies worth exploring.
Big Hops uses a fun, joyful, and colourful world to invoke a sense of adventure waiting to be explored. Using your frog abilities is always a blast and provides some of the best traversal available in a modern 3D platformer.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon comes out swinging after a largely divisive previous entry in Daybreak 2, where so much of the story was tied up in time travel shenanigans. However, the main narrative is compelling despite a slow start.
For those governors who do learn how to play with productivity, Anno 117: Pax Romana rewards them with one of the most satisfying civilization growth simulators out there right now.
Renegades is competent, polished, and approachable—but cautious to a fault. It keeps Destiny functional and familiar at a time when the game arguably needs boldness and self-confidence. For longtime players, it doesn’t feel like a new course has been set, only that the ship has been carefully steadied.
Duskpunk is excellent, a dark and dirty story of revolution, choice, and ultimately, hope, if you so choose. It's a fantastic Citizen Sleeper-like that stands on its own merits.
Skate Story is brilliant and a skateboarding game like no other. Tight skateboarding, heady narratives, gorgeous graphics, and a banger soundtrack make it one of this year's best experiences.
With dozens of Metroidvanias and challenging platformers available each year, Constance could get lost in the shuffle. But I'd argue, it needs to be near the top of that pile. With creativity at its core and mechanics that offer a rewarding challenge, Constance is now one of my favourite Metroidvania games.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a good prequel with stunning HD-2D graphics that stands shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the series. Taking what made the battle system great and adding a back row of four more party members to combat provides a new level of strategy. However, a mid-game difficulty spike is uneven in the big moments, so farming for better equipment breaks the pacing up to that point.