Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam

Remakes and remasters, baby! They’re the hottest trend in gaming right now. If you want to see your favorite 2000s-era video games restored in glorious 4k resolution, look no further than this gory space thriller from EA. This is not just one of those remakes where the game got a facelift, though–this return to the USG Kellion has been restored from top to bottom. Boy, does it look good. (And fucking gross.)—Dom Nero

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Platform: Nintendo Switch

Fire Emblem games have made for some of the best tactical role-playing experiences since the franchise’s debut in the early '90s. The last entry, Three Houses, may be the game I’ve put the most hours into in my lifetime since raising little Chao in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle as a kid. Engage brings back classic battle mechanics and endearing ways to build support with you fellow warriors, making for another satisfying strategy game. There’s also a “maddening” difficulty for those willing to spend just a couple more hours navigating upgrade menus than I did.—J.R.

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Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam

What if Baby Driver was a video game? And what if that video game looked like a Scott Pilgrim comic book? Hi-Fi Rush hits so many nostalgia checkboxes that I feel like growing out emo bangs and loading up my iPod Nano again. It’s a beat-em-up-meets-rhythm-game in the most satisfying way, and it’s hard to imagine we’ll get to the end of 2023 without this one being close to the top of my final games of the year list.—D.N.

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Plattform: Nintendo Switch

They finally did it. After years of rumors and leaks, Nintendo finally dropped this glorious throwback to the legendary 3D shooter/platformer from the GameCube days, Prime. And. It. Rocks. Stepping into Samus’s shiny boots once more, the Switch finally has a 3D Metroid title to pair with its fantastic 2D side scroller, Metroid Dread, which released in 2021. Let’s hope they continue to drop Metroid games–at this rate, we could get Metroid Prime 4 before the Switch’s run over.—D.N.

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Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, Steam

So, in Shoulders of Giants, you play as a Frog. Who sits on top of a robot. The robot has a big-ass sword. And the frog has a laser gun. When you switch from the frog to the robot, the perspective shifts from an over-the-shoulder shooter to a big, wide-open hack and slasher. Playing this game for the first time, you wonder how this setup hasn’t happened before. It’s one of those novel concepts that feels somehow both brilliant and simple at once. My only complaint? The frog and the robot are both such good friends of mine, it’s impossible to decide who I like better.—D.N.

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Platform: Nintendo Switch

There should be a new (or in this case, old) Kirby game released every year. It’s like that saying from Twin Peaks. “Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.” Kirby is a gift to humankind and we all deserve a little Kirby in our lives. This game originally premiered on the Nintendo Wii, so it’s high time it got another run. And it feels right at home on the Switch. Which reminds me: I gotta play some more Kirby and the Forgotten Land soon. Maybe that’s my present for today.—D.N.

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Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Steam

Some games take weeks, maybe even months to complete. Blanc takes just a few hours, and it also looks amazing. The hand-drawn indie cooperative adventure about a small fawn and a wolf cub trying to find their way through the wilderness is simple, nice to look at, and certainly nothing you’ve ever seen in video games before. While Blanc may not be the most challenging, the journey is certainly worth the short time it takes to complete—especially if you’ve got a buddy to play along with you.—J.R.

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Platform: PC

At last, we’ve crossed the threshold–developers are making video games inspired by Wario Land. NOT Mario. Wario. That’s right. Pizza Tower is a disturbing and high-voltage ode to the Wario titles of old (specifically the Game Boy Advanced era) and it sure does feel like a welcome return. Just one note: needs more garlic.—D.N.

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Platform: PC

Why did it take me this long to get back into Age of Empires? For one, I don’t have a proper PC setup, and downloading Steam on my work laptop always seemed dubious. But also—crucify me for this, if you’d like—I much prefer consoles. Sitting on my couch and playing on my TV is the only way I really care to game. Even though gathering resources, not to mention structuring a siege, is 1000 times more convoluted without a mouse and keyboard, this is what I want. This release and the scheduled console release of Age of Empires IV later this year are meant for me and the armies of console gamers I stand alongside.—Luke Gillory

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Platforms: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, macOS, Steam

Chrono Trigger made a huge impact when it debuted in 1995. Almost 30 years later, we’re still seeing why. Sea of Stars is a heartfelt send-up to the Square JRPG and, like many games of the genre, wears its inspiration on its sleeve. The distinction here, though, is that Sea of Stars is fucking beautiful. The 2D pixel art is absolutely gorgeous, making for some of the most striking imagery we’ve seen in the genre in years.—D.N.

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Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Steam

This indie title from Scavenger Studio is a tragic and resonant tale of a world coming to an end, told through the eyes, and photo lens, of a young woman on her bicycle. Its art style looks like something between a watercolor painting and Into the Spider-Verse—with a hint of The Last of Us’s emphasis on the grandeur of a natural world reclaiming the Earth. We’re very much here for it.—D.N.

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Platform: PlayStation VR2

You have to treat Horizon Call of the Mountain like a screening of an Avatar flick. You're not going to get the best story! You might hate the main character after 10 minutes! But damn, it's gonna look good. Like, so good that you may drool and/or mutter wow over and over again like you're Owen Wilson in need of a battery replacement. So yes, the much-hyped PlayStation VR2 delivered a winner on launch day. Now, can we have more games? Please?—Brady Langmann

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Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Steam

Although it was initially met with a bit of derision from critics and players, Forspoken deserves some praise for just how ambitious the developers at Square Enix were with the size and scale of this world. Since everything in pop culture these days is so, so IP-driven, we don’t often get completely new franchises. Even when we do, they end up being overlooked because they don’t feature Luke Skywalker or Tony Stark in them. Sure, it’s not a perfect game, but I respect the merits of Forspoken. But the combat…it does get seriously fun.—D.N.

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