Following two remakes of classic Resident Evil games, the franchise is back and pushing forward with the changes made in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in tow. Resident Evil Village continues the story of Ethan Winters as he tries to save his daughter from werewolves and vampires. The first-person gameplay, which debuted alongside Ethan in Resident Evil 7, feels better this time around. Village also expertly carries forward the tension you feel while being stalked by a powerful and ghastly creature, and the boss battles only bring the tension to new levels as you take on all manner of abhorrent beasts and baddies.

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Hazelight Studios’ debut effort, A Way Out, pioneered new ways to tell a narrative in the context of cooperative multiplayer gameplay, but the team truly perfected it with It Takes Two. The splitscreen co-op multiplayer game leverages its unique mechanics to provide fun and challenging puzzles, platforming sequences, and minigames as you work your way through several creative levels. It Takes Two isn’t just one of the best co-op games of all time, it also features a heartfelt story that touches on themes you don’t often come across in games.

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The “World of Assassination” trilogy from IO Interactive came to a thrilling conclusion with 2021’s Hitman 3. The latest game in the series not only provides players with an abundance of killer content, but also a ton of side activities, gameplay that rewards experimentation, and outstanding level design. On top of all that, if you own the last two Hitman games (or their content packs), you can import the levels from those games into Hitman 3 and play through the entire trilogy in one seamless experience.

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After a turbulent launch, Halo: The Master Chief Collection has grown into one of the best collections we’ve seen. Initially gathering and remastering the mainline games (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4), the bundle has grown to include Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST in addition to a ton of other improvements (including all new content for the classic games). On top of the massive collection of multiplayer offerings, players can experience all of these campaigns for a total of 67 missions across the six games.

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Call of Duty has always garnered attention with its massive campaigns, intense competitive multiplayer, and tense zombie modes. Those hallmarks are all alive and well in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but its the battle royale component, Warzone, that is perhaps the biggest draw for players these days. Featuring amazing visuals, fantastic gunplay, and a ton of content delivered in a steady stream, Call of Duty fans have more than enough to keep them coming back for more.

Click here for our Black Ops Cold War review and here for our Warzone review.

Coming off the critically acclaimed Odyssey and its massive expansions, the Assassin’s Creed franchise delivered the Viking fantasy players have been craving. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla masterfully balances its combat, exploration, and storytelling, giving players an engaging and epic experience from start to finish. Valhalla takes many of the successes and lessons of Odyssey and carries them forward, offering another stellar adventure in the ever-growing Assassin’s Creed universe.

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When Sea of Thieves launched in 2018 on Xbox One, it felt more like wading through waist-high, lukewarm pools rather than the oceans of content we hoped for. Fast forward three years and Rare’s swashbuckling adventure is worthy of sailing the Seven Seas. Superb post-launch support from Rare has added a ton of new content and activities for prospective pirates to take part in, and has made it a mainstay on the Twitch charts. The Xbox Series X/S version brings with it various improvements, and we’re excited to see how the game grows going forward.

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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s long-running Yakuza series bid a fond farewell to its protagonist Kiryu after seven mainline games. With Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the developer took a chance with Ichiban Kasuga, a loud, dorky, and well-intentioned protagonist that players immediately fell in love with. However, the changes didn’t stop with the gold-hearted Kasuga. This also marked the series’ transition to turn-based combat, which it transitioned to in seamless fashion. Despite these massive changes to the well-worn formula, Yakuza: Like a Dragon still feels decidedly at home when stacked alongside its predecessors thanks to the serious drama, the goofy side quests, and the nonstop action.

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Gears 5 continues the story of the growing Gears of War cast in an action-packed campaign full of narrative twists and new conventions for the series. However, the main reason Gears 5 is still such a mainstay in Xbox consoles to this day is the post-launch support provided by developer The Coalition. Horde, Escape, and the competitive PvP modes all received content updates following launch, but the biggest release came in the form of Gears 5: Hivebusters, a campaign expansion. When the game arrived on Series X, it brought with it a bunch of improvements including higher-resolution textures, better framerate, and new visual effects, making it the best place to play Gears 5.

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The 2D platformer genre isn’t what it used to be, but that hasn’t stopped Moon Studios from releasing some of the greatest entries in the illustrious genre’s recent history. Ori and the Will of the Wisps took everything the first, beloved game did and made it better. With a fantastic story, a breathtakingly gorgeous world, and gameplay that allows you to run, jump, and fight through any challenge thrown your way, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an action-packed platformer that delivers on all fronts.

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