Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to prove that the Final Fantasy franchise can thrive in the action game scene with this first franchise venture from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. The title isn't a true home run, but it is an exciting adventure that expands the franchise lore in a unique direction. The Final Fantasy Job system is as interesting and exciting as ever and adds a unique twist on the action game format as players grind through each challenging dungeon and fill in all the Job talent trees one by one.
Halo Infinite is inevitably going to see a ton of play thanks to its day one inclusion on Game Pass and the campaign is well-positioned to impress. There are plenty of mechanical, enemy, weapon, and story throwbacks for longtime fans to smirk at and the game is approachable, exciting, and endearing enough to potentially win over a whole new generation of Halo fans.
Overall, Age of Empires definitely brings enough to the table and captures enough nostalgia to make it an easy recommendation for any fans of the franchise or the genre. For gamers new to RTS, the Story Mode and campaigns actually make it a very strong choice for diving in as well, as long as they aren’t expecting cutting-edge graphics. The fact that the game is going to be available on Game Pass Day One could potentially help expose a large new audience to the franchise and build up some new fans. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reception it receives and, if its successful, what sort of post-launch content could arrive in the coming year to keep the community hooked and engaged.
Blizzard attempts to breathe fresh life into an iconic classic with a fresh coat of paint and minor quality of life upgrades in Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps pairs a strong narrative with a larger world and an enhanced talent system to make a must-play platformer.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Empire combines puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat to deliver one of the most ambitious single-player Star Wars games ever.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is back with a PC port that allows users to explore some new content and push their settings to the max.
Magic Arena brings the iconic card game into the modern era with a digital adaptation that finally matches the quality of the paper version.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch gets a port for the Switch and a Remaster for PC and PS4 and now is the perfect time to revisit the classic.
Kingdom Hearts 3's addictive combat systems makes taking on waves of Heartless exciting and rewarding even for players who have no idea what is happening.
Fallout 76 attempts to take the series into the world of always online multiplayer, but it may have left too much of the original franchise trademarks behind.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey pushes the franchise further away from action and into true RPG territory with dialogue options, branching talent trees, and an addicting armor system.
World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth sets out to win back old players and draw in new ones with an increased level cap, new zones, and a restructuring of PvP.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War somehow finds a way to improve on the winning Shadow of Mordor formula and create an incredibly dense and entertaining new piece of Tolkien lore.
Agents of Mayhem may take place in the Saints Row universe, but this adventure title has its own bizarre cast of vulgar misfits aiming to save the world from mad scientists.
With Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Ninja Theory attempts to deliver a AAA experience in a $30 package and delivers on just about every front, with only a few problems.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 attempts to bring the military first-person shooter franchise into AAA territory with an open-world setting and a bigger budget.
Mass Effect: Andromeda starts out just a bit too slow, but is sure win over fans of sci-fi action RPGs once the real open-world space exploration begins.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands offers an incredibly expansive open-world shooter with plenty of customizations, but shines brightest when players have three friends along for the ride.
Tales of Berseria takes the usually upbeat RPG franchise down a dark path that pays off thanks to a compelling story, interesting characters, and an updated combat system.