With our Game of the Year Awards, we've picked through our favorite games from 2018 to choose just a handful to celebrate, but there were so many more great games this year. The concept behind this article is pretty self-explanatory, so we'll just get right to it. Here are the games we scored highest (80% and up) in 2018:
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"... I haven't played a multiplayer shooter as exciting as this for ages, and I'll be coaxing friends into its co-op mode for months to come. I'll also try—and occasionally fail—to describe just how good it sounds from moment to moment to anyone who'll listen. See you at checkpoint C."
Verdict: Somehow in this most well-travelled of multiplayer FPS paths, Insurgency: Sandstorm feels fresh and innovative at every turn.
Ashen
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Epic Store
"To say Ashen borrows liberally from From Software's Soulsborne series is an understatement, but it in many ways necessitates the 'Soulslike' label. Yes, Ashen echoes the core mechanics of Dark Souls, but it does so which such finesse that it hardly matters. Its passive co-op features offer new insights into the genre, and the variety of its beautiful world is an absolute joy."
Verdict: Ashen's slant on the Soulslike subgenre isn't revolutionary, but is a wonderful example of the familiar formula executed well. It's thoughtful, gorgeous, challenging and a dream to explore.
Dusk
Our review (89%) | Buy it: Steam
"Dusk doesn't recreate what FPS games were like in the '90s just to do it again. Dusk instead captures how those games feel now in my mind, tinted by 20 years of rose-colored memories. It shouldn't be possible, and it's a remarkable achievement. "
Verdict: An obsessively tuned, finely crafted shooter that more than recreates the speed and pure joy of '90s classics.
Katamari Damacy Reroll
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"It’s weird in a way that doesn’t feel forced and the joy of rolling up a cat which previously towered above you, watching its little legs kicking about, is as pure now as it was in 2004."
Verdict: Wonderfully weird and inventive. Katamari Damacy isn’t perfect, but it holds its own impressively well 14 years on.
Artifact
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"Value for money, I'm well aware, is going to be a big factor for many looking to buy the game. But the strength of the design will be enough to keep me hooked. Not only is Artifact's depth remarkable, it also doesn't come at any great loss of accessibility. I'm excited to see the metagame develop over the coming weeks and months."
Verdict: Building the best decks will cost you, but Artifact is an intricate and rewarding card game.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Our review (81%) | Buy it: Steam
"While it lasts, Mutant Year Zero is a tense, absorbing and atmospheric new member of the XCOM family. I suppose wanting more of it is a good problem to have."
Verdict: Its mix of tense tactics and realtime exploration gets much right, but Mutant Year Zero doesn’t feel quite finished.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Our review (81%) | Buy it: Steam
"A few years ago, Games Workshop loosened their grip on the Warhammer 40,000 setting, and the result has been a glut of small budget games set in the grim darkness of the far future. The quality has been mixed, but every so often a game like Mechanicus comes along that uses that glut to explore a previously neglected corner of the Warhammer universe, and makes it all worthwhile."
Verdict: A diet XCOM in a fascinating techno-cultist skin.
Hitman 2
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam
"When 2016's Hitman was announced as being episodic, I was confused, yes, but also excited at the idea of constantly expanding space for new Hitman levels. By being so much like its predecessor, Hitman 2 is set to fulfil that original goal. When paired with the additional Legacy Pack—free to owners of 2016's Hitman—which adds the previous game's levels, Hitman 2 positions itself as the essential platform for entertaining murder puzzles."
Verdict: Essentially more of its predecessor but with a more consistent quality of levels. Which is fine: its predecessor was great.
Football Manager 2019
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam
"Combine all of this with last year's dynamics system and overhauled medical and scouting systems, and Football Manager 2019 marks another impressive stride forward for the all-encompassing footie management simulator. The long-serving series is the best at what it does, and will be forever judged on its incremental changes year-on-year. Not every annual update is a leap, but this instalment dazzles with both its headline features and a multitude of second tier improvements."
Verdict: Football Manager returns with a kitbag full of new and overhauled features. It's the best at what it does, and FM 19 is the best it's ever been.
Bad North
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Discord
"If you can stomach the harsh consequences for failure then Bad North is a great little strategy game, perfect for playing on a break or in short bursts. I keep restarting in spite of the failures and the resets, so that probably speaks volumes for how compelling it is. There's just something about watching those little sprites batter each other that keeps me coming back. At least until I burn my house down."
Verdict: Mostly delightful and sometimes punishing, Bad North is a fun alternative to more complex strategy games.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Return of the Obra Dinn is a stunningly clever thing and one of the best puzzle games on PC. It not only presents you with a vast, complex, and interconnected mystery to solve, but trusts in your intelligence enough to let you do it yourself with almost no hints, markers, or guides interfering in the process. Few games have this much confidence in the player, and it’s a deeply satisfying experience as a result, even if I did occasionally feel like I’d hit a dead end."
Verdict: A beautifully constructed and powerfully atmospheric mystery that you really have to work to solve.
Wandersong
Our review (88%) | Buy it: Steam
"Wandersong might be the most heartfelt platformer that I've played since Night in the Woods. And while I don't think its message is as specific or revelatory, it's still a worthwhile and clever exploration of its themes, and a reminder that there's joy in the act of play."
Verdict: "I listened to Wandersong's soundtrack while writing this review, and I've been happily jiggling my leg throughout."
Exapunks
Our review (79%) | Buy it: Steam
"Exapunks is a two-coffee game, one that requires focus and alertness. Even then, there's a hard limit on how good I'll ever be. I feel out of my depth, like a smart dog who graduated puppy school and has been put in a physics class. Infinifactory and Opus Magnum remain the Zachtronics games I'd recommend to people, but if you aced both of those and are ready to graduate, Exapunks is the next level."
Verdict: Exapunks is a hacking game that will make you feel like a genius or an idiot—sometimes both in quick succession.
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Our review (81%)| Buy it: GOG
"Thronebreaker's scenario variety is the crucial final element that makes it feel like time well spent, even as I approached the 30-hour mark. It's too light on systems to be a fully fledged RPG, and too unbalanced to be robust and challenging card game. But through a great story, surprising, enjoyable encounters, and a new spin on The Witcher's world, Thronebreaker carves out a niche that's well worth your time."
Verdict: A captivating story and varied card battles ensure this light-touch RPG remains entertaining throughout its lengthy campaign.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical, uPlay
"Assassin's Creed Odyssey is enormous and beautiful, and it effortlessly ties action, stealth, sailing, faction control systems, mercenaries, and cultist hunting together into one cohesive game that, even after 50 hours, I want to keep playing. Odyssey is a lot more than just another Assassin’s Creed, it’s an RPG of unparalleled scale supplemented by satisfyingly layered and deep progression systems that each play their part in bringing ancient Greece to life."
Verdict: Though the main story suffers because of it, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a remarkably massive RPG held together by a web of satisfying pursuits.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Battle.net
"It can be hard to remember that this is the series that redefined the online shooter just a decade ago. Black Ops 4 is what it says on the back of the box, and little more, but the weapons are fun to use (particularly Prophet’s shock rifle, which never gets old) and its lighter, faster take on battle royale is best-in-class, at least at this early juncture for the genre. So even though nothing about it is surprising, this year's CoD still gives me what I want after 15 years of blasting through the series: all-adrenaline, with guns that are a joy to use. That's good enough for me."
Verdict: A quality-made but unsurprising multiplayer FPS that offers refined versions of the current most popular modes and top-tier shooting.
FIFA 19
Our review (83%) | Buy it: Origin
"You can’t ignore FIFA 19’s obvious and sizeable qualities. Depending on your threshold for corniness, you could argue it’s worth it for The Journey Alone, and although PES feels like the more organic, spontaneous and subtle game of football, EA Sports’ latest effort isn’t far behind it. However, the significant new features feel a bit thin on the ground this year, and that shouldn’t be ignored."
Verdict: Maintaining an almost impossible level of polish across its many modes, FIFA 19 might not eclipse PES 19 on the pitch, but it demonstrates its worth via The Journey.
Forza Horizon 4
Our review (89%) | Buy it: Microsoft Store
"The best thing I can say about Forza Horizon 4 is it's worth enduring the pain of the Microsoft Store for. But where Forza Horizon 3 quickly established itself as my favourite racing game, FH4 isn't quite as noticeable a step up. It's still an incredible sandbox, with a consistently satisfying loop of fun and rewards, but its differences won't be apparent until the weeks and months to come, and the success (or not) of its seasonal event structure. What's already here is beautiful, entertaining and polished, but it's not yet clear if it can maintain the promise of the festival that never ends."
Verdict: Unless you're looking for a hardcore sim, Forza Horizon is still the best racing series around.
The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"I’ve sunk about 40 hours into The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep so far, and I’m not ready to hoist my 'Saved the World' tankard just yet. It's a really big game. But even though I have yet to dispatch the latest and greatest threat to the city of Skara Brae—and the greater world of Caith, because the adventure goes far beyond Skara Brae's walls—I am happy. This is the dungeon crawling adventure I've been waiting for."
Verdict: An old-fashioned game in a shiny new package, The Bard's Tale 4: Barrows Deep is a worthy addition to a classic series.
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Our review (86%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical
"It’s a pity that its moments of light relief sometimes strike the wrong note, and that later chapters introduce more far-fetched ideas that sit awkwardly next to the more sober character work. Yet these aren’t ruinous by any means: Valkyria Chronicles 4 has the narrative depth to match its tactical smarts, with enough small refinements to outrank its predecessors."
Verdict: Combines robust storytelling with consistently inventive, surprising missions.
Destiny 2: Forsaken (DLC)
Our review (86%) | Buy it: Battle.net
"It had a lot of mistakes to correct, and between an engaging campaign and an engrossing endgame, it's managed to right almost all of them. I'm coming up on 100 hours logged in the expansion and I don't even feel close to done, nor have I slowed down a bit. My friends and I have been burning the midnight oil and playing almost every night, which would've been unthinkable before. After a precarious first year, I'm finally enjoying Destiny 2 again. It feels good to have it back."
Verdict: A fantastic course correction that makes Destiny 2 worth playing again. Here's hoping the momentum lasts.
Frozen Synapse 2
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"Frozen Synapse 2 is not a game of dice rolls or chance. Luck isn't meant to be much of a factor. It's about running the very same simulations your opponent is probably running too and then trying to get inside their head and figure out what they'll do with that information. Just like in chess, it's about seeing a good move and then looking for a better one."
Verdict: Frozen Synapse 2 has plenty to offer with its campaign, but again, this sequel is at its best when playing against other fallible humans.
Megaquarium
Our review (86%) | Buy it: Steam
"So some of its systems are a little obtuse or would benefit from a bit of post-release tweaking but none of that got in the way of me properly losing myself in Megaquarium’s little world. The building is simple but fun, letting you shape your venue, but ultimately not distracting from the main draw: curating and caring for the fish."
Verdict: A charming watery theme park management game where fish are friends, not food. Until they eat each other or you forget to feed them.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam, Green Man Gaming
"The balance of puzzling, exploration, and action has always felt a little off to me in this modern incarnation of Tomb Raider, leaning a little too heavily and frequently towards the latter. But Shadow shows impressive restraint, rarely using combat as a crutch and focusing more on what makes this series special: namely, raiding tombs. And the tombs here are undoubtedly the star of the show, and some of the best in the series.
Verdict: A greater focus on raiding tombs, and massively improved stealth combat, make this one of Lara Croft's best modern adventures.
Two Point Hospital
Our review (87%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical
"While Two Point Hospital does cover a lot of familiar territory, it doesn’t feel like it’s been rudely dragged out of the ‘90s. If you’ve been offering up stethoscopes to Hippocrates’ ghost for a new Theme Hospital, you’ll find it here; but if you’re not craving that fix of nostalgia, Two Points Studios’ spiritual successor will still keep you up to your elbows in corpses and icky illnesses until the wee hours of the morning."
Verdict: Two Point Hospital is a brilliant management game, regardless of nostalgia.
Donut County
Our review (83%) | Buy it: Steam
"Donut County is an entertaining diversion: it’s quirky, simple to play, and doesn’t outstay its welcome. Given so many games-as-service are currently vying for hundreds of hours of your life, small gems like this are a valuable and finite source of relief."
Verdict: Donut County is a short, entertaining tale of a trash panda who just wants a sweet quadcopter.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
Our review (86%) | Buy it: Battle.net
"In the wake of Legion, I was concerned how Battle for Azeroth would up the stakes. How do you go bigger than an intergalactic demon army led by the greatest villain in Warcraft history? But Battle for Azeroth simply avoids the comparison altogether. It's an expansion that proves I don't need an apocalyptic threat to inspire me to fight, I just need a vibrant world and characters to care about and some fun new features to play around with. Battle for Azeroth has more than enough of those."
Verdict: Even if its new loot system is a bust, Battle for Azeroth is a vibrant expansion full of wondrous new locales to explore, characters to meet, and stories to tell.
Shenmue I & II
Our review (88%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical, Humble
"Shenmue is a strange, meandering, often obtuse series. You spend most of it walking up and down the same handful of streets asking horribly-acted NPCs banal questions. Sometimes you might get to fight someone, but not often. And yet, I love it. I love its passion for the mundane. I love its sad, downbeat tone. I love the detail of its environments. I love it when it snows. I love that stupid rock music that plays whenever Joy is riding her motorcycle. I love asking people if they know where I can find some sailors. I love the music that plays in the MJQ jazz bar. I love that fight on the rooftop as the sun sets over Kowloon. I love forklift racing. And I love how, all these years later, I’ve never played anything else quite like it."
Verdict: A weird, beautiful, melancholy martial arts adventure. Flawed, but an unforgettable, singular experience.
Unavowed
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam, Humble, GOG
"Unavowed is another fantastic adventure from Wadjet Eye, and it’s great to see studio founder Dave Gilbert back in the saddle. The humour didn’t always land for me and some of the voice acting is a little iffy, but otherwise this is a fine example of a modern point-and-click adventure. The addition of character customisation and companions doesn’t sound like much, but it massively changes the feel of the game, even if other aspects, such as the puzzles, are still steeped in the past. The next time you wake up with a sore head and no memory of the night before, be thankful you didn’t leave a trail of death in your wake."
Verdict: An atmospheric, well-designed adventure elevated by borrowing elements from role-playing games.
Monster Hunter: World
Our review (86%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming
"Like your character, Monster Hunter: World dresses its breathless combat in every assortment of the most arbitrarily complicated garb, all in the name of variety. It is an abyss of 'replayabilty’, an exercise in patience and observation for the ultimate payoff: an infinite black sea of invigorating dragon murder. And a new hat."
Verdict: Monster Hunter: World’s thrilling fights with fantastic beasts never get old, even if they require tiresome item management during downtime.
Overcooked 2
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam
"Functionally it’s not much different with strangers, but Overcooked was made for good-natured bickering with people you know. As long as you’re cooking with friends, you’ll have a riotous time with a sequel that still offers one of the most deliciously chaotic multiplayer experiences on PC."
Verdict: Busy friends list but short of local pals? This safe but solid sequel was made for you.
Dead Cells
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam, Fanatical, GOG
"Dead Cells' punishing structure can cause grief. Its boss battles are well-conceived and gratifying to overcome, but being reset back to the start of the game every time you die makes it a slog to practice against them—something that Dark Souls or Castlevania players, with their nearby save points, take for granted. Similarly, you might grind away to unlock the right weapons for an encounter you've been struggling with, only to find that they don't spawn at all in the run where you need them. And when a good run goes south, it's always heartbreaking. This is an excellent game, but it can be pretty mean sometimes. Or to put it another way: this is one of the best games I've ever quit in frustration."
Verdict: A stellar action platformer with gorgeous presentation and excellent combat. Punishing but worth it.
Chasm
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam
"You’ll have to repeat sections over and over again to master them, and I found my patience wearing thin more than once. But that’s part of the deal in these kinds of games, and if it’s a quality, polished Metroidvania adventure you want, you can’t do much better than Chasm, even if it does play it a little safe."
Verdict: Beautiful pixel art and tight controls make Chasm a fine, if reserved, modern take on the Metroidvania.
Yakuza 0
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam
"Putting up with a minor annoyance is worth it, because Yakuza 0 is one of the most eccentric, idiosyncratic and downright charming games around. It deftly moves between drama and humour, between story and action, between arcade action and lengthy, well written pulp dialogue about a man who is incredibly good at punching. There's simply nothing else quite like it, and it's well worth your time."
Verdict: Comfortably the best, funniest and most heartwarming game about a desperate battle over real estate, now available on PC as a good port at a generous price.
The Banner Saga 3
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"With the world falling apart, it makes perfect sense to zoom in on its people—and their wildly different responses to their extraordinary predicament make for enthralling, wrenching drama. The result is a thrilling and affecting finale that closes the book on a bleak but riveting journey in fine style. It is, in short, the ending the saga deserves."
Verdict: A daring, exciting and bleakly powerful payoff that handsomely rewards your investment in its characters.
The Sims 4: Seasons (DLC)
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Origin
"But, more generally, Seasons makes the world of The Sims 4 feel richer and more real. The events are useful for pushing you out of ruts in your playstyle and mixing up the day-to-day routine of your households. It’s the same price as the base game, but it’s worth it because it reinvigorates the whole prospect."
Verdict: Changing weather and festive traditions enrich the four-year-old life sim.
Lumines Remastered
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"This puzzle classic, which blends block-dropping action with beat-dropping rhythm, is still enthralling nearly 15 years after its original release on the PlayStation Portable, and 10 years after it first emerged on PC. Now it reemerges, this time properly built for PC, pin-sharp and remastered and feeling just as fresh to play, even if its tunes maybe don’t sound that way."
Verdict: Lumines can still pull you helplessly into its block-swapping, rhythm-matching heaven.
Yoku's Island Express
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"Think of pinball, and you think of flashing lights and clattering noise. It’s a fast, precise, demanding form of play. You certainly couldn’t call it sedate. And yet here’s a game that makes it so. A self-styled ‘pinball adventure’, Yoku’s Island Express carries itself with a carefree charm from title screen to credits and beyond, its cheerfully mellow vibe ensuring that any moments of potential frustration just melt away."
Verdict: A blend of mismatched genres that somehow works, Yoku’s Island Express is a beguiling game of modest brilliance.
Moonlighter
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Moonlighter is the unlikely intersection between roguelite dungeon crawler and shop simulation that many will recognize as inspired by Recettear, the 2010 indie game from Japan that originally popularized the combination. Will, the protagonist and proprietor of Moonlighter, spends days tending his shop and nights exploring the town’s procedurally generated dungeons. Some town elder named Zenon predictably cautions Will against his heroic dreams, encouraging him to keep his nose down and make a living. I say: You do you, Will! Live your passion and don’t let any old guy stuck in his ways tell you that you have to work in customer service the rest of your life!"
Verdict: Moonlighter is a cute and casual revival of an uncommon mashup but doesn’t stick around to push the boundaries.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"If only all stretch goals were as good as this. Conceived as a bonus for those who backed Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on KickStarter, Curse of the Moon looks and plays like a classic 8-bit game that never existed. Inti Creates’ last involvement with the crowdfunding platform didn’t end too well, its good name tarnished by association with Keiji Inafune’s disappointing Mighty Number Nine. This, however, bears all the hallmarks of a developer determined to redeem itself."
Verdict: Made with affection and artistry, this retro appetiser is a very pleasant surprise.
Cultist Simulator
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"The goal is to establish a Lovecraftian cult. You'll collect and study unspeakable grimoires, carry out unthinkable rituals, attract a devoted cadre of followers, and find a way to finance your obsessions—all while trying not to lose your mind along the way."
Verdict: A dark, engrossing, and challenging narrative card and crafting game.
Super Mega Baseball 2
Our review (88%) | Buy it: Steam
"Super Mega Baseball was a brilliant arcade sim that was let down by its lack of online play. The follow-up keeps the accessible hitting and pitching mechanics, smooths over some rough edges, and adds everything that was missing, including multiple online modes, a detailed team editor, and custom leagues. Basically, it does everything a sequel should do, and the result is the best on-field baseball sim on PC."
Verdict: The improvements over the original make Super Mega Baseball 2 the best on-field baseball sim on PC.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Our review (88%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Pillars of Eternity 2 is another fine RPG from Obsidian, brilliantly showcasing the studio's knack for strong world-building, intelligent, expressive writing, and varied quest design. It’s a big, deep, wordy CRPG in the classic mould, but with enough new ideas to feel like more than just a throwback. The sailing is the only thing I didn’t really engage with, feeling somewhat half-baked compared to the rest of the game. But if it’s a fantasy RPG filled with pages of brilliant, descriptive dialogue you’re after, and a huge, open world to explore, the Deadfire Archipelago delivers all that and then some. We’re more spoiled for choice when it comes to RPGs like this than we were in 2015, which makes Deadfire feel a little less special than the first Pillars. But that’s a minor gripe in light of the fact that this is another great game from one of the best studios in the business, offering many hours of quality roleplaying."
Verdict: A massive, bountiful RPG with richly descriptive writing, a well-realised setting, and deep tactical combat.
The Swords of Ditto
Our review (79%)| Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Four days to save the world? It doesn’t sound like much, but having a solid deadline at least gives you a chance to prepare for impending doom in this cheery, likeable action RPG. Once every 100 years, the evil witch Mormo descends on the eponymous island village; you, inevitably, are the chosen one, a warrior of legend charged with stopping her. Sharp swordsmanship is key, but not as important as efficient time management. Whether you can stay focused in a world of distractions, however, is another matter entirely."
Verdict: Familiar, lightweight but almost impossible to dislike, this is an effortlessly enjoyable action RPG.
BattleTech
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"These are inconsistencies in what is otherwise an accomplished and fundamentally sound strategy game. BattleTech's success at making you feel—and want to live with—the interesting consequences of each mission is its greatest achievement, and will hopefully have an influence on other developers working in this genre. Where it fails, it fails because it doesn't fully implement all of its best ideas. Given the quality of what it accomplishes elsewhere, however, that's a good-faith sort of failure."
Verdict: A deep tactical wargame with strong fundamentals supporting a broadly successful campaign system.
Frostpunk
Our review (89%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Frostpunk is a city-builder and a society simulator, but most of all a crisis management game where the crisis doesn't end until the game does. A few hours with Frostpunk and the tornadoes and tsunamis of Cities: Skylines seem like minor inconveniences. The traffic jams and noise pollution you used to fret over are now an utter fucking joke. In Frostpunk, if citizens are unhappy enough they'll banish you from your own city to die despised and alone. They might leave town if you fail them, but first they'll spend days trying to convince others to join them in mass exodus. Frostpunk is a tense, gripping, and often stressful survival strategy game filled with difficult, sometimes unthinkable choices. It's tough to play but even tougher to stop."
Verdict: Frostpunk is a stressful, stylish, and addictive survival management game filled with incredibly difficult choices.
The Pillars of the Earth
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"While Pillars deals with religion, politics, and war, and uses the complicated real history of The Anarchy to flesh out its setting, the characters keep the story grounded and relatable. Nothing else on PC tells a story quite like this, and although it will be a hard sell for some, the slow pace is worth persevering with if you value storytelling above all. Sometimes it slows to the point of dullness and interaction is limited at best, but I loved immersing myself in this evocative medieval world."
Verdict: A beautiful medieval adventure that uses real history and interesting characters to tell a compelling story.
Fortnite
Our review (87%) | Download it: Epic's official site
"And maybe because Fortnite is free, or because it's so scalable and runs flawlessly on years-old systems, or because you can team up with friends on a console and a damn telephone, but enough players stuck around to force Fortnite's building system into something fun despite a steep learning curve and clumsy controls. It was a miraculous design hail mary that has worked sensationally. The time and pain I've poured into learning such an obtuse system for an otherwise approachable, cartoonish battle royale game has easily paid off. There's nothing like Fortnite out there."
Verdict: There's a thrilling shooter-builder battle royale monster beneath Fortnite's building system, and it's more fun slogging through endless failure and a lopsided map to find it than you'd expect.
Far Cry 5
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam, Uplay
"Welcome to Far Cry 5, where a quiet spot of fishing can and often will result in piles of burnt wreckage and scattered corpses. It's a chaotic and wonderfully ridiculous open world sandbox of destruction and violence where a short drive down a dirt road can quickly become a pitched battle, as enemy vehicles appear and engage you, friendly fighters arrive and open fire at them, and ravenous animals leap from the woods and attack both. When the smoke finally clears, you may realize you've forgotten where you were going in the first place. Then an eagle swoops down and attacks your face."
Verdict: The wonderful chaos of the open world and your choice of how to tackle it is occasionally stifled by bad boss fights and worse boss speeches.
Octahedron
Our review (79%) | Buy it: Steam
"Octahedron sets you at the bottom of vertical levels you have to climb in time with throbbing electronic beats. Rather than just being a gimmick, the act of creating platforms is looped into pretty much everything you do, tying into both your movement and your attacks. It is clever, extremely intuitive, and most importantly fun to experiment with."
Verdict: Octahedron gets more mileage than you'd think out of the ability to summon platforms beneath your feet.
Northgard
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam
"Northgard looks like a throwback, a game that would have comfortably fit in with Age of Empires and Settlers, but while the inspiration is clear, it would be a disservice to imply that it's mainly trading in nostalgia. This Viking saga builds on the history-themed RTS romps of the '90s, but it's not beholden to them."
Verdict: Northgard is a surprising, elegant RTS that's laden with a very dull story.
Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Our review (90%) | Buy it: Steam
"Ni No Kuni 2 is gorgeous, charming and constantly evolving. Its combat is layered and exciting, and polished by a medley of systems that let you finely tailor your play style. Its globetrotting coming-of-age story is a bit saccharine, but it's told well, and packs an ending that still occupies my thoughts. But its crowning achievement is tying all that and more into an involved and deeply satisfying kingdom building sim, one that enhances every other part of the game."
Verdict: Without Evermore, Ni No Kuni 2 would have been good. Because of it, it's one of the best JRPGs on PC.
Surviving Mars
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"Despite its survival bent, Surviving Mars still follows the same pattern as Haemimont's Tropico, turning resources into finished products and building whole industries out of them, all while trying to keep everyone happy, or at least placated. It's something familiar to hold onto when the curve balls start flying."
Verdict: Surviving Mars is a lot of hard work, but managing a burgeoning colony never stops being compelling.
Final Fantasy 15
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam
"The visual improvements here show that the Windows Edition is the definitive version of Final Fantasy 15: it has never looked better, and mod support suggests an exciting future ahead for the game. It's a shame that FF15 doesn't recapture the depth of the series’ past entries, and games like The Witcher 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 really highlight the weaknesses in the sidequests here. This road trip, though, is still well worth taking."
Verdict: Offers a fantastic road trip, even if it's not a particularly in-depth RPG.
Kerbal Space Program: Making History
Our review (82%) | Buy it: Steam
"Despite the huge number of free mods, KSP's developers found a way to make their expansion valuable: They built a new set of tools that the community hasn't provided for itself. The KSP community is fantastic, and more ways to create and share space adventures is exactly what it needed. For the price, it's nice to also get the big dump of new, historical parts, but Making History is great for the making, not the history."
Verdict: KSP's sandbox gets bigger by focusing on what makes it a great PC game: flexibility, freedom, and random explosions.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam
"Kingdom Come is a mess of bugs, and there’s the constant feeling that independent developer Warhorse is biting off more than it can chew. But there’s a charm to its scrappiness, and it does enough interesting stuff that I’m willing to tolerate the creaky framework struggling to prop everything up. It’s one of the most satisfying, rewarding role-playing experiences I’ve enjoyed on PC for a while, but the inconsistent performance and the game’s tendency to completely break does test my patience from time to time."
Verdict: Bugs and performance issues aside, Kingdom Come is a seriously satisfying role-playing experience set in a rich, reactive world.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"It's frustrating that a sequel would still struggle to nail such simple multiplayer basics, and the obscured RPG progression doesn't entice me the way it does in similar games. But Vermintide 2 succeeds on the merits of its stellar combat and level design. After nearly 40 hours, that Rotblood warhorn signalling a zerg-like rush of raiders, or the sound of a Gutter Runner assassin chattering in the darkness, still turns my blood to ice."
Verdict: Vermintide 2's combat and level design are so feverishly fun that I'll put up with its bad matchmaking and RPG progression if it means chopping more ratmen in half.
Full Metal Furies
Our review (84%) | Buy it: Steam
"Full Metal Furies' most entertaining idea, though, is the deep set of skill trees and equipment upgrades for each character, which encourage creative experimentation and multi-character combos. At one point, I upgraded my engineer's turret to shoot in every direction at once, locking down a section of the screen with low-damage bullets. While enemies were pinned down, I marched my tank right into the middle of the group and used her special power, a shout that flings victims in every direction. Some poor soul had to scrape chunks of bad guy off the ceiling after that move."
Verdict: An excellent beat-em-up with tons of wit and great combat, Full Metal Furies belongs on any couch co-op playlist.
Chuchel
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
On balance, I think I slightly prefer Botanicula—its thematic cohesion and more overt musical playfulness resonated with me more. But that takes little away from the many things Chuchel does well. While I rarely found it laugh-out-loud funny, there's a joyfulness to its scenarios that I couldn't help but smile at. And, while it can often feel arbitrarily surreal, it grounds itself well with a central relationship between Chuchel and rodent-ish nemesis Kekel that's heartwarming to watch unfold.
Verdict: Joyful and surprising, even when you're cracking open an anthropomorphised egg.
A Case of Distrust
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam
"The mystery is engaging, and resolves in genre appropriate fashion. Malone's interactions, though basic, are enjoyable—a fulfilling loop of gathering information and using it to put the squeeze on suspects. Moreover, A Cast of Distrust feels atmospheric and evocative—its unique look and sense of style creating a compelling period drama that cuts through the few small missteps and frustrations."
Verdict: A well-formed slice of noir mystery, beautifully presented. Some writing issues aside, A Case of Distrust is well worth your time.
Into the Breach
Our review (93%) | Buy it: Steam, GOG
"For those who loved FTL for its thoughtful and clever design, it’s all here, too. But Into the Breach is a much tighter, more focused game. While there are plenty of weapons to experiment with, pilots with differing abilities to unlock, and level gimmicks to get your head around, you’ll have a very good idea of its breadth in your first run. For some, Into the Breach might lack a sense of mystery and expansiveness, but for me, it’s more than enough to fuel a hundred hours or more of the most consistently rewarding tactics I’ve played in many years."
Verdict: Exacting, agonising, challenging, and intensely rewarding, Into the Breach delivers in the tiniest package the most perfectly formed tactics around.
Rust
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"It's hard to think of many other games that are this uncompromising in its worldview, and I'm utterly entranced with how little faith it has in our ability to get along. We could build a utopia on this island! We could cast aside our weapons, and construct a peaceful commune where everyone is fed, warm, and loved. I love how Facepunch dangles that potential in front of our face, with no real incentive pushing us in any direction. If we are to dehumanize ourselves, and turn this Eden into a battlefield, we will do it on our own terms. In Rust there is a real sense of complicitness when you eventually succumb to violence, more potent than in any other survival game on the market. Despite the lack of rankings to chase, or K/D to nurture, or exclusive vendors to unlock—despite the unassailable fact that none of this will matter as soon as the server is wiped—we are at war, and we always will be."
Verdict: Rust is a malicious experience rife with betrayal, cruelty and greed. That can make it both frustrating and sublime in equal doses.
Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"12 sits in an awkward place in the Final Fantasy canon, sandwiched between the FF11 MMO game and the restrictive rebound of Final Fantasy 13. Its opening third does it no favours, and the confused plot never engaged enough to pull me into the inter-kingdom squabbling. If you approach it as a vehicle for party experimentation then it's easy to fast-forward to the quality extra-curricular stuff, like the hunting lodge that lets you fight up through a series of increasingly intense monster battles. The gambit system is so good it deserves to be spun off into its own RPG sub-genre. If you like theorycrafting, clever levelling systems and lavish worlds, this could easily be your new favourite Final Fantasy."
Verdict: A decent port of a great Final Fantasy with one of the cleverest combat systems in RPGs.
Civilization 6: Rise and Fall
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"It’s an expansion that homes in on these single moments or specific periods and gives them greater meaning and impact. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to see the big picture, especially when you’re desperately trying to get enough era points and time’s running out. It shakes things up, so it won’t convert everyone, but the added tension and dynamism is a massive boon for a series where the pace can be a bit predictable."
Verdict: Rise and Fall is a great addition to Civilization 6 that doesn’t quite go far enough to be essential.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Our review (83%) | Buy it: Steam
"If your impression of all this is one of a game aimed at, and solely at, people who wouldn’t know a super cancel if it smacked them in the face, think again. As you’ll discover once you clear the generous, if insultingly easy, Story mode, and either take on the upper tiers of Arcade mode or head online, this is a game of tremendous complexity. The moves may be easy, but working them into a team of three, finding synergy in assists and supers, is anything but. The CPU AI suddenly turns into a monster with a few dozen tournament wins under its belt, while the online competition is stiff indeed. The game does a wonderful job of easing you in, but a pasting, whether you venture online or not, is as good as inevitable."
Verdict: Accessible yet complex, chaotic yet beautiful, this is the real fighting game deal.
Subnautica
Our review (89%) | Buy it: Steam
"I have spent nearly 50 hours on my current playthrough and my total playtime is over 120 hours. I am actually still playing (although I did indeed rage quite twice because of the vehicular issues). I have more than 2,000 screenshots of the beautiful world and its strange creatures, and now that the review is over I can go back to meandering at my own pace. It is, without doubt, my favourite game of the last five years."
Verdict: A smattering of technical issues keep Subnautica from true legendary status, but only just.
Celeste
Our review (80%) | Buy it: Steam
"Celeste is an adventure about overcoming adversity, and what better way to simulate adversity than with a punishingly difficult platformer? Don’t let that scare you, though. For those who have finished (or almost finished) the likes of Super Meat Boy, 1001 Spikes, and N++, Celeste probably won’t feel difficult at all. And that’s because, crucially, Celeste is a game that feels designed to accommodate people who can’t complete those games. Rather than being hard for its own sake (sometimes, in the right hands, a good thing), Celeste is hard for a reason that dovetails with its themes and narrative. And much like the demons that haunt the game’s protagonist, the difficulty does relent. You will finish this game. But if you’re like me, you’ll die upwards of 3,000 times doing so."
Verdict: An engaging, vibrant and challenging platformer that adds narrative to a genre often shy of it.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Our review (85%) | Buy it: Steam
"Taking it as a whole, PUBG is an achievement in contradictory brutality and breathing room. It's a hyper-competitive sandbox shooter where you can be killed from half a kilometer away without any warning. It also has an autorun button so you can take a generous bite of your sandwich or shout thanks to your most recent Twitch subscribers. PUBG has plenty of issues to address before it fully exits adolescence, but its mixture of nonchalance and military intensity is deep, respectful of your time, and a reliable war story generator."
Verdict: PUBG takes the tradition of big-map survival games like DayZ and compresses it into digestible, 3-to-30-minute sprints that are reliably scary and low-key.
Iconoclasts
Our review (78%) | Buy it: Steam
"Iconoclasts is a fine game, offering both satisfyingly sharp platforming and shooting, and some really smart puzzles. It’s enormous too, packed with secret areas and other stuff to discover. And although I found the humour a little glib and childish at times, it tells its heartfelt story well. A lot of Metroidvania games go for a bleak, downbeat atmosphere, but Iconoclasts is infectiously vibrant and sunny, even if the story does occasionally venture into dark territory."
Verdict: Slick platforming, well-designed puzzles, and a huge, connected world, with occasional moments of frustration.