Big lists can sometimes feel impersonal, and as you know, tastes in games can be very personal.
We’re not ordering the top fives because it’s not really about that this time - ordering things.
It’s more important for us, here, to give you a sense of why.
Oh and kindly feel free - in fact, feel encouraged - to share your top fives below.
Skip on the date, however, and your relationship might not be developed enough for events later on.
It’s a collection of mechanics which invite careful thinking and can make the dark nights feel even deadlier.
Meeting the new customers was a joy too - Riona, the banshee, was a particular favourite.
I also enjoyed the new item-based mechanic.
Even the shorter main campaign length works to its advantage by putting more emphasis on every decision you make.
The seasons wash over the valley and, with them, life passes.
The incandescent lighting system bathing the world in gold.
The depth of its top-down world.
And, perhaps best of all, the music that authentically replicates a SNES chiptune score with new richness.
“Limitations breed creativity,“composer Eric Brown told me.
Final Fantasy 16
Look, I know Final Fantasy 16 has its flaws.
Yet I maintain its opening few hours offer some of the most intense and dramatic storytelling of the year.
That’s what makes this, above all, a great Final Fantasy game.
That’s Cocoon in video game form.
But at the start, it all seems so simple.
You’re just a little insect in a minimalist sci-fi world with an orb on their back.
Hi-Fi Rush
I’ve just whacked on The Joy Formidable’s song Whirring.
Oh, the power of a good song at just the right time.
Go on Tango, give us a sequel.
Caelyn
Remnant 2
I can’t deal with live service games.
Games like Destiny 2, which I once adored, are basically unplayable.
Remnant 2, which I picked up on a whim, was a breath of fresh air.
It has not inspired me to pitch think-pieces at every editor in my address book.
And yes, there are lots of things that are the same as Breath of the Wild.
Wrapped in that gorgeous, compellingly explorable world, it was an absolute treat.
BG3 is special because it absolutely nails the experience of playing a TTRPG.
Everyone being horny and full of trauma isn’t realistic, but it is like a good RPG session.
It fixed every issue I had with the game and resulted in some of my favourite first-person combat ever.
My favourite CRPGs are ones that allow me to live out my own versions of genres I love.
But there’s so much more than that.
Rytmos is generous and expansive and outward looking.
It’s one of those games that is curious about the world and wants you to be curious too.
I have an old friend called Ray that I visit every now and then.
Next time I saw him, he had the disc on repeat all afternoon.
I had to play this game after reading Matt Wales' wonderful review.
Lots of great games this year - none were quite like this one.
He’s found the chaotic soul in an old design and jolted it to life.
Akka Arrh, then is choreographer, and precisely made, but it still feels wild and exploratory.
And it feels like I will never stop learning its nuances.
You might need to build bridges and knock down walls to form a path back to base.
It’s all worth it to see the treasure slurped up by your spacecraft.
You may play as an extraterrestrial explorer, but Pikmin is a game of small human pleasures.
There’s the simple joy of gathering items, building a collection - both of loot and Pikmin themselves.
Then there’s the fun of planning around the real time day night cycle.
Pikmin 4 is a consistently rewarding and gentle experience, and probably the most relaxing game of the year.
you’ve got the option to even give them gifts to level up your friendship.
I thought I’d hate it, but I honestly kinda love it.
It would all be too odd without Street Fighter’s irresistible combat holding everything up.
Online matchmaking is fast and delivers good matchups too.
After all these years and dozens of competitors, Street Fighter is still the best.
The map has been reinvented enough to keep me wanting to see how the next area has changed.
Not that there’s nothing new to discover.
It’s a great piece of Spider-Man fan service too.
Peter Parker and Miles Morales take turns beating up Marvel canon villains while going through hell in the process.
Sounds cheesy, doesn’t it?
That’s how Spider-Man should be - fast, funny, and deeply earnest.
More than anything I love the toy shop fun of unlocking new parts to bolt onto my mech.
There are careful weight and power supply limitations to work around.
The resulting mess of a machine looks hilarious and is absolutely useless in combat.
If you don’t mind the sparse storytelling, this should be your next action game.
