IGN

When Nobody Saves the World is at its best, which it is for a majority of the 15-hour campaign, it's a joy to play. Granted, its transformation menu needs a lot of work to make it useful on the fly, but there’s a wide variety of fun and humorous sidequests, excellent customization options that encourage experimentation between your various forms and the abilities they can equip, and clever dungeon designs that really demand you explore the full depth of that customization. That delicious center is unfortunately bookended by a slow beginning and a drawn-out end, but they’re worth pushing through and past to experience what is truly a unique and charming action-RPG.

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is a wonderful spin-off that combines block-falling puzzle and roguelite mechanics in remarkably clever ways, resulting in yet another excellent entry in the Shovel Knight series.

If you’re in the mood to mindlessly mow down waves of authentically modelled T-800s to the rhythm of Brad Fiedel’s iconic theme music, then Terminator: Resistance may well be adequate enough. But while there might already be a truly great Terminator game in some alternate universe’s timeline, in this one the wait continues.

Halo Infinite's single-player campaign is exactly what this series needed. It brings out the best in Master Chief's unique and satisfying combat style while leveraging old ideas to create memorable new moments. Its story falls short for both new and veteran players, but it was worth the six-year wait.

Chorus does an excellent job of cutting out the dull parts of space dogfighting, getting right to the flashy fun of blasting through enemy fighters and capital ships with superpowered abilities. Its large and pretty map is filled with fleshed-out side quests, and they’re varied enough that it’s easy to cruise around for a few dozen hours and really get the hang of the combat system.

Against popular thinking, the slower, methodical pace of Fights in Tight Spaces recreates that feeling of systematically dismantling a room full of goons that all the best action movies present so well, and that video games often struggle to properly simulate. The blend of tactical movement and positioning adds depth where the fairly limited deck synergy lacks it. And while the overarching progression can feel like an arduous grind at times, the compelling pugilistic dance in each isolated skirmish stays rewarding from the very first punch.

Aiko's Choice is a rewardingly difficult, well-polished, excellently paced bow on Blades of the Shogun's legacy. Honestly, the only major issue I had with it was that I wanted more when it was over after around 12 hours. These abilities are so fun to find new uses for, and these levels are so good looking and cleverly designed, that I felt like I had an appetite for a dozen more.

The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Super Mario each found new life on the Nintendo Switch, and following those games in kind is Animal Crossing: New Horizons: An expanded, polished, next-generation reboot of a classic Nintendo game. Perhaps most importantly, like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is full of surprises.

Solar Ash took me a little over seven hours to beat on normal difficulty, and while some of the anomalies and bosses were less entertaining than others, and there were moments of frustration with the controls, this was a world I enjoyed spending time in. This game may take place in a ruinous void, but its clean yet vibrant visual design is full of life, as is the story that ultimately gives Rei’s journey meaning.

The more time I spent playing Ruined King: A League of Legends Story the more I found myself wanting from the LoL universe. The gorgeous graphic novel art, accompanied by fantastic character development and voice work, and a solid story kept me engaged from start to finish. The intricate yet easy-to-digest turn-based battle and upgrade systems generally reward experimentation and exploration while allowing more methodical strategies to shine.

It’s so nice when a game actually lives up to sky-high expectations! Halo Infinite has been one of the most anticipated games out there since it was first announced three years ago, and for its multiplayer component to so fully deliver on the series’ classic feel while also keeping up with the modern-day competition in the FPS genre is a huge achievement.

People who played Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl can revisit familiar places and relive familiar scenes once more. For those setting out through Sinnoh for the first time, plenty of new encounters and surprises await. Players of this remake will find the easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokémon series, plus up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.

Being able to hop into a tour looping around the raptor enclosure or taking direct control of a ranger team rushing to stop a catastrophic escape attempt during a raging storm creates a lot of the exact, awesome moments I want out of a modern Jurassic Park game. Especially compared to its frustratingly shallow predecessor, Jurassic World Evolution 2, uh, found a way.

There are certainly bursts of satisfaction to be earned when you get on a roll with an inquiry, but too often the vague case criteria can cause your sleuthing to stall and force you to fall back on guesswork, while the annoyingly unhelpful advice from Jon only makes these moments feel all the more frustrating. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is a decent detective game set in an open-world that’s a bit too elementary.

New World is a very pretty survival-MMORPG hybrid that saves its best moments for the endgame – but you have to be willing to grind like hell to get to them.

Aside from a few standout moments sprinkled over its fleeting five hours, for the most part it plays it a little too safe in regards to mission variety to feel like a standout in the series. It may look and sound spectacular, but it could’ve used more stylish sections like Petrova’s to distinguish its gameplay from the many battles we’ve fought before.

I just couldn't shake the feeling that this was Persona without the heart – without the unforgettable companion characters, the potent personal story, the incredible soundtrack, and the jaw-dropping twists and turns. Still, if you're looking for a meaty, demanding, endlessly deep, and overall outstanding JRPG to sink your teeth into, Shin Megami Tensei V has heaping portions of it.

Forza Horizon 5 is a deep and nuanced car nirvana for revheads and auto geeks to endlessly collect, tinker, and experiment. It’s also an extremely accessible buffet of racing spectacle open to everyone, from Deluxe Edition diehards to Game Pass nomads – no matter their driving skill or mechanical knowledge. It’s an occasionally goofy but always earnest Valentine to Mexico’s world-famous culture, and a romantic ode to the magic of road-tripping through postcard-perfect vacation vistas.

Riders Republic is an ambitious, captivating open-world sports game that had me laughing, sweating, and cheering more the longer I played. It borrows quite a bit from other open-world racing games like it and still has some kinks to work out with the stability of its online service – but it’s astounding just how much Riders Republic manages to successfully pack inside itself, with enough consistently entertaining variety to keep me playing for a very long time.

Unpacking’s greatest achievement is that it tells a story without any of the tools we’d usually consider essential. There’s no dialogue, very little text, and no visible characters. All you have to work with is a series of rooms, dozens of boxes, and the year in which each stage takes place; it’s up to you to put everything together as you see fit.

The best thing about Fracked is how it keeps pulling you along, giving you new things to do every few minutes. It’s so effective I only really noticed that the enemy AI and variety is lackluster when several of the shootouts toward the end went on for too long. But it works well in small doses, and aside from that, I particularly liked the climbing sections and environmental puzzles. It comes in hot, delivers its VR action charms, and ends before wearing out its welcome.

Disciples: Liberation struggles against itself. It contains a rich world and high-stakes story that are coupled with fun and varied tactical combat, but this RPG feels destined for cult status, especially among those who didn't know they wanted this particular blend of genres. Despite its epic length, it’s a game that feels like the start of something bigger, and I had enough fun that I'd at least try a sequel.

Inscryption is a surprising and delightful meta-twist on the digital card games that have exploded in recent years. Its unsettling story is the perfect vehicle for its ever-evolving mechanics, which constantly keep the simple but entertaining card game at its heart fresh. It’s a wonderfully strange game, but Inscryption is truly excellent because it’s also a genuinely fun one – and like Pony Island before it, you should probably go in knowing as little as possible.

Mario Party Superstars is an amalgamation of some of the best boards, minigames, mechanics, and quality of life improvements from the whole series, resulting in the best Mario Party has been in a very long time.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy nicely balances a goofy, action-filled adventure with some genuinely heartfelt story moments, and the choices you’re given can add some surprising personal twists to your particular playthrough. Its combat and level design are relatively simple if still consistently entertaining, but it’s the relationships and banter between its characters that keep everything fresh as they evolve.