I guess, in the end, it's not just that Breath of the Wild signals that Zelda has finally evolved and moved beyond the structure it's leaned on for so long. It's that the evolution in question has required Nintendo to finally treat its audience like intelligent people. That newfound respect has led to something big, and different, and exciting. But in an open world full of big changes, Breath of the Wild also almost always feels like a Zelda game — and establishes itself as the first current, vital-feeling Zelda in almost 20 years.
Reaper of Souls reinvigorates an already great game
Fallout 4 brings great gameplay to match its world and ambiance
A Link Between Worlds is the sequel I never knew I wanted
Ultimately, these issues are small nicks in an otherwise intimidating facade. Halo: The Master Chief Collection sets a bar that other remasters and collections will have difficulty reaching, much less topping. For players new to Halo, who have missed any of the included games, it is a stunning introduction to one of the most beloved series in video games. For Halo fans, it's a package that shows almost as much respect and affection for the Master Chief as they do.
Advanced Warfare shows what the series needed most was risk
The New Order's got all the workings of a classic shooter. But in their trip back to the well, Machine Games has brought all of its talents to bear. The New Order is held together, even rocketed beyond the basic sum of its smart levels and effective mechanics by its characters. That humanity takes what would be a good shooter and makes it something truly memorable.
Ori and the Blind Forest is a rare realization of fantastic design and production values in a space where I wasn't expecting to find it, displaying a spectacular level of confidence in what it is and what it does.
Sunset Overdrive is contagiously enthusiastic
Titanfall has all the makings of the next big thing
Forza 5 brings multiplayer to solo play
Halo 5 offers some of the best multiplayer the series has ever seen
Gears of War 4 is a remarkably complete package.
Battlefield 1 succeeds far beyond expectations
Plants vs. Zombies is an elevating factor in a tired genre
Strider takes the best parts of its lineage to heart
It's a smart game that doesn't punish you for it, a puzzle game that allows a sense of creativity. And while it isn't the most upbeat thing out there, there's a vein of hope that runs through it — and ties it all together neatly at the end.
For anybody else, Captain Toad's weird little experiment would be an afterthought. But Nintendo's exercise in digging has found something pretty special - an action puzzle game that succeeds on charm and smarts, rather than reflexes and spectacle.
Quantum Break is a surprising success
Doom struggles somewhat to finish what it starts, and for a franchise that practically created what we understand as shooter multiplayer 22 years ago, its largely flavorless multiplayer is surprising. But on the whole, as a new interpretation of one of gaming's most formative, difficult to pin down cyphers, id has done a pretty great job in making something that feels familiar and fresh, and, most importantly, pretty damned fun.