If you loved Persona 3 or Persona 4, you’re going to be ecstatic with how Persona 5 keeps the momentum going and delivers one of the greatest JRPG experiences of all time.” 7. This is a deep and gorgeous RPG that’s slicker than Fonzie after wrestling with an oiled pig. Other, smaller quality-of-life changes make things easier, like getting texts from friends when they want to hang out. Dungeons are more fun to explore and you have more options in battles. Persona 5ĭean Takahashi: “Persona 4 is such a beautiful RPG that it seemed like an impossible task to ask any sequel to surpass it, but Persona 5 manages to keep the series’ conceits working while adding meaningful improvements. It’s both wonderfully weird and beautifully melancholy.” 8. Instead, its tortured world, bizarre characters, and quirky twists ensared me.

Surprisingly, it’s not the combat that makes Automata so memorable. But the buzz for Automata roped me in, and the pedigree of Platinum Games when it comes to action is so high, that I decided to try it. I don’t think I even considered playing the first Nier. Mike Minotti: “ Nier: Automata is the game that came out of nowhere. While it borrows heavily from the likes of Far Cry, it’s a more interesting and less repetitive effort than we’ve seen from that series.” 9. Nier: Automata It offers a gorgeous and interesting world rich with adventure (including plenty of giant robots to kill).

GamesBeat reviews editor Mike Minotti: “Like with God of War and Uncharted before, Horizon: Zero Dawn should be the start of another PlayStation iconic franchise.

Best games of 2017 gameplay