- Sniper Elite 5 - playing through the dlc levels the last couple days and really remembering how great this was. Absolutely had some things that I wish they had done more like the previous game, but overall it’s a great package and reminds me of the Hitman games in some ways as well. Having a vehicle explode right next to me made me jump a bit, and while I see some stuff like rain splashing across a tree texture that’s out of place or people walking and warping through trucks, there’s nothing else like this.
- Plague Tale Requiem - I absolutely love this game, which is odd because I couldn’t get past the first few minutes of the original. Great story and made me care about the characters. Had a few rough issues with camera angles, not allowing you to do certain things that seemed obvious and a fight toward the end and class of enemy that felt very unfair, but still was a great experience.
- Tinykin - wasn’t planning to play this one but checked it out after seeing some of the comments from others here, and it didn’t disappoint. Great fun little world, and it just hit the spot.
- As Dusk Falls - my biggest complaint with this game is how hard it is to get my other players together to play it. It’s a great first title from a talented studio and I’m excited to see what else they do. Also great seeing that the director and I think studio head was at the game awards sitting next to Phil S and Sarah B.
- Lego Star Wars - I had this pre-ordered for 2? years and it was worth the wait.
- Pentiment - the reason this is not higher on the list is because I haven’t had more time to play it. But can tell it’s a favorite experience for me so far, if anything it might have a little bit too much going on, too many places to see and conversations to have since I know I’m going to probably play it a few times.
- Nobody Saves the World - not really something that I was expecting but had a great time with this and need to get around to the dlc.
- Tunic
- Two Point Campus
- Vampire Survivors
Best ongoing:
- Forza Horizon 5 - new content every month, new story stuff every couple or three, and adding songs from the old games was awesome as well. If they’d bump the garage limit I’d be happier but still great. Forza Horizon 1 and Forza 4 are why I got into Xbox in the first place, and I still love this even now that the creative director is working on Fable.
- Halo Infinite - for all the hate this gets, I’ve had a blast. They’re working on more consistent content drops which is my biggest comment on it, so I don’t have any real gripes.
- Minecraft - this game just keeps getting new stuff, it always deserves a place on the list!
Honorable Mentions (aka ports)
- Deathloop - wasn’t expecting to like this much, but it’s been great.
- Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - this pc port was awesome, had a ton of random pokes at real world stuff and just was off the walls. Can’t wait for the sequel!
- The Pedestrian - really cool game with a lot more to it than I expected
- Zero Escape: The Nonary Games - I had to be talked into this but really enjoyed it. Still need to finish up VLR.