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Deeper and deeper into the game, the subtle design improvements steadily accumulate. These feel like the right advances for a series that always explored new gameplay on the back of improved technology and an attempt to recreate mundane real-world matters rarely seen in games. The earlier Uncharteds, for example, used better in-game physics and scene-staging tricks to present playable fights on top of unsteady trains or inside wave-tossed boats. That ethos is apparent throughout this game, with every death-defying swing of Drake’s rope, every well-staged set piece and every tweak to the climbing and combat.

Lost Legacy deviates notably from the established Uncharted 4 formula during its second act, which takes place within an unusually large, open area. Armed with a map straight out of Far Cry and a jeep straight out of Uncharted 4’s Madagascar chapters, Chloe and Nadine solve puzzles hidden within a variety of ancient structures strewn about the region. They’re also free to tackle a handful of optional side challenges that only the most pressed-for-time gamer would choose to skip.

Death Stranding pulls from a variety of sources. The resurrections and multiplayer aspects of Dark Souls, the wandering of Proteus and No Man’s Sky, the clumsy body movements of QWOP, the skeletal remains of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and more surprisingly Metal Gear Survive. These pieces come together into a unique package with a simple loop: you start here, now please go there. Pick a mission, grab your gear, figure out how to get there, climb over whatever mountain is in your way without losing all your cargo. Fall, get up, keep going. Rinse and repeat, with added layers of intrigue and combat challenges as the story progresses.

[God of War 3] is a game that is so mighty in its expression, so loudly in your face, so boldly an advertisement of the power of the PlayStation 3, that it leaves its mark, punches its impression in your memory and seems too good to chuck. This game shows off and gets it right. It is an Olympic achievement, worthy of Kratos’ burning drive.

This new God of War is an excellent game, lovingly crafted and engaging all the way through. But much has changed. It’s not merely the drastically revamped combat, with its over-the-shoulder angle and its emphasis on evasion. It’s also the story, and the way it tells that story, with an emphasis on family relationships and quiet, low-key moments.

While at times God of War Ragnarök can feel more like a big DLC than a full sequel, it also tries to expand on the formula of the first game. One example of this can be found in some of the big, open-world-ish locations where you’re free to explore and complete side-quests and objectives in whatever order you choose. These segments remind me a lot of the similar moments in Uncharted 4 and Gears 5. Like those games, Ragnarök doesn’t go full open world, but instead uses these larger areas to experiment a bit.

Ghost of Tsushima’s swordplay is basic and engaging, a mixture of light and heavy attacks, parries, and dodges, tied to specific buttons or button combos. The combat system is very easy to grasp if you’ve played any recent video game, perhaps as a way to indicate, through gameplay, that Jin has been learning to fight with a katana since he was a child. As the game goes on, you learn various stances—combat styles that you can shift into at will—by observing and killing Mongol generals. Stances are meant to deal with different types of enemies: The stone stance, for instance, is better suited to taking down swordsmen, whereas the water stance’s flow of bludgeoning strikes is perfect for decimating shields. These stances, much like the rest of Jin’s repertoire, can be improved with skill points earned from defeating enemies and completing missions to unlock more combo strings and increase damage.

Miles Morales is also a more narrowly-focused game than the original, and I’m not saying that in a negative way. The best moments in this game are in its specificity, in how it shows the player what it would feel like not to just be Spider-Man, but to be a Spider-Man frequently compared to the original. You’ll see the same things from new perspectives, and in that way they’re almost brand new.

The main appeal of this new Spider-Man as a game isn’t the ability to immobilize and cocoon enemies. It’s being able to shoot a web at something and close the space in-between, either by pulling it closer or moving closer to it. Those webs are the satisfaction of desire in one of its most simple but symbolic forms. Want the remote that’s sitting in the chair across the room? Shoot a web at it. Want to get to the end of the block quicker during your commute? Shoot a web at it. Want to save the love of your life from falling to certain doom? *Thwip Thwip*

The humor is spot-on. The sublimely satisfying platforming and shooting controls are intact. There are new places to explore and some of those collectible gold bolts might not be where they were the first time around, but that just makes finding them all that much more satisfying.

Rift Apart is, beyond doubt, a fabulous game. It took me 18 hours to reach the credits, because I hunted down every scrap of Raritarium, looked for every secret I could find, and just bathed in its visually astonishing art. I had the best time doing it. Yet, the further I got, the more it nagged at me just how little this series has advanced in 19 years. If having the dimensional conceit and the extraordinary tech wasn’t enough to inspire something new, then what will? If there’s another Ratchet & Clank to come, it’s going to have to make some significant changes, because this might be the last time it can be repeated through its charisma alone.