The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening review
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a near-perfect remake of one of the best Zelda games. With a beautiful new art style, plenty of welcome improvements, and a ton more collectibles to find, Link's Awakening is brilliant for both newcomers and longtime fans. Chamber Dungeons is a dud, though.
Gears 5 review: A much-needed win for Xbox
Gears of War 4 showed The Coalition could trace from Epic Games' work, but Gears 5 proves that the studio is capable of creating an innovative game all by itself. Huge leaps in storytelling, fantastic competitive multiplayer, and several cooperative options all add up to one of the best games on Xbox One.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne review: It won’t leave you cold
Colossal in both scope and enjoyment, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is more than the average expansion. A fun story complements the interesting new biome, while the monster list includes both old favorites and compelling new monsters to topple. Iceborne is a formidable, constantly rewarding challenge.
Madden NFL 20 review: Get ready to run
Madden NFL 20 brings Ultimate Team and Franchise mode to the next level thanks to the overhauled player ratings system and easy-to-follow progression. But the run game feels like a cheat code, and the new Face of the Franchise career mode is contrived and underwhelming.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood Review
Wolfenstein: Youngblood introduces the Blazkowicz twins, Jess and Soph, as well as co-op, RPG-style progression, and non-linear missions. When you’re deep in the fight with a friend by your side, Youngblood can be great fun.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order review
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 crams 30-plus heroes and more than a dozen heroes into one familiar story. Though impressive in scope, the button mashing combat grows stale and the RPG elements are severely underutilized. It’s fun to play with friends on the couch, but don’t expect much depth.
Super Mario Maker 2 review
Super Mario Maker 2 improves on its predecessor in virtually every way, offering a robust level design toolkit to make your side-scrolling Mario dreams come true. It’s an equally lavish experience for those who just want to play. The lengthy campaign alone is worth the price of admission.
Days Gone review
Days Gone’s predictable but well-written story is littered with repetitive missions, shoddy stealth and gunplay, and needless survival mechanics. It’s riddled with performance issues, like janky animations and consistent framerate drops. Days Gone is the first truly disappointing PS4 exclusive.
Mortal Kombat 11 review
Mortal Kombatt 11 reinforces NetherRealm Studios’ status as the greatest western fighting developer on the planet, building on what made Mortal Kombat X so great while adding in a few new tricks. If you can only buy one fighting game this year, make it this one and save yourself the hassle.
MLB The Show 19 review
MLB The Show 19’s major game modes and core gameplay feel very familiar to last year, with the exception of some welcome fielding improvements. However, the new March to October mode shines, offering a fresh, engaging way to experience a season without having to sink dozens of hours into it.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ditches some elements of From Software’s Souls formula, but make no mistake: This is the hardest game the studio has ever made, and it will kick your butt until you’re ready to cry. It makes victory that much sweeter, especially if you use the plethora of new tools, skills, and abilities at your disposal.
Apex Legends review
Since its launch, Apex Legends has amassed incredible popularity. The free-to-play battle royale from Respawn Entertainment has improved on the genre, bringing features and an approach that we haven’t quite seen before. It’s been a month since its release ... does it still shape up?
Far Cry New Dawn review
Far Cry New Dawn is essentially an extension of Far Cry 5 than a full blown sequel. It outshines its predecessor, though, in many ways. It makes better use of the open world by focusing on scavenging and crafting, and this makes the post-apocalyptic Hope County far more rewarding. It could use a better story though.
‘Resident Evil 2’ review
2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake brings the legendary Raccoon City incident to a new generation of players, acting both as a nostalgic throwback and a thoroughly modern horror game with some of the best visuals of the generation and best-in-class sound and environmental design.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe review
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe bundles two distinct Mario Wii U experiences into one package. New Super Mario Bros. U has some of the series’ best designed levels, and New Super Luigi U packs the toughest test the franchise has seen in decades. Both are brilliant, inventive, and endlessly charming.
‘Just Cause 4’ review
Just Cause 4 is filled with high-octane explosions and ridiculous stunts. While the spectacle of it all is a literal blast, the world is shallow and feels like a retread of Just Cause 3, a game that launched three years ago.
’Celeste’ review
In the crowded genre of retro-pixelated 2D platformers, it’s hard to find one as immaculate as Celeste. From its simple mechanics that evolve in clever ways to its wondrous, secret-filled world to the sterling story it holds, Celeste is a magnificent journey and one of the best games of 2018.
‘Darksiders III’ review
Darksiders III brings Souls-like combat without sacrificing what made the other games so good. New protagonist Fury is a joy to play and while gameplay can be buggy, Darksiders III still manages to combine different influences into an engaging and action-packed adventure filled with creative enemies and clever puzzles.
‘Diablo Immortal’ hands-on review
Diablo Immortal is a mobile game and while that spells microtransactions and watered-down gameplay for some, our hands on with the game suggests otherwise. Diablo’s upcoming prequel is fun, not just because of its grab and go capabilities, but because it’s a true Diablo experience.
Battlefield V review
Battlefield V’s War Stories give us a new perspective on World War II, but the game’s lack of polish across both its campaign and multiplayer modes are almost impossible to ignore. For fans of DICE’s large-scale, destruction-filled combat, however, there is still plenty to love here.
‘FIFA 19’ review
FIFA 19 is still a great way to play virtual soccer, but the changes made in this year’s game don’t push the series forward, and The Journey story mode stumbles in its final installment. Diehard soccer fans will find plenty to love across its variety of modes, however, including the always-great Ultimate Team.
‘Destiny 2: Forsaken’ review
"Forsaken" marks the biggest expansion yet for "Destiny 2," and though it starts slow with a revenge tale that doesn't quite work, it hits a stride in its later hours that will keep fans of the game invested for a long time, with plenty of fun things to do and weird places to explore.
‘NBA 2K19’ review
NBA 2K19 takes strides in many facets of the gameplay with the end result being an experience that harps on user skill and playing disciplined basketball. MyCareer also benefits in a few major ways to make the story mode better than ever.
‘Madden NFL 19’ review
Madden NFL 19 feels very similar to last year’s iteration in many ways. Small improvements to the run game and player mobility adds polish to an already refined experience, while a more accessible Ultimate Team and custom draft classes offset the utter disappointment that is Longshot: Homecoming.
‘Hitman 2’ review
IO Interactive and Warner Bros introduce us to ‘Hitman 2’, a sequel that embraces what made the series so unique and takes it to another level.
‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ review
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a loving tribute to Nintendo and gaming history. A terrific multiplayer fighter in its own right, even single-player fans have plenty to love this time. Extra DLC characters will flesh out the already enormous roster of famous fighters and will keep Switch owners occupied for a long time.
Anthem review
Anthem is an online shooter from BioWare that’s been compared to games such as Warframe, Destiny, and even Borderlands 2. It’s already proven to have a stunning open-world with action-packed combat that distinguishes itself with its story, characters, and lore. But will it continue to invest in those things as we get closer to the end game?
Pokémon: Let’s Go review
Pokémon Let’s Go takes players back to Kanto for a jubilant journey through Pokémon history. Though battling with wild Pokémon has been removed, Let’s Go’s lack of random battles feels like an overall improvement. Kanto is more charming than you even remembered, making Let’s Go a relaxing and inviting entry in the series.
Metro Exodus review
Metro Exodus moves the action out of the Moscow subway system and across a devastated Russia, but 4A Games’ latest shooter didn’t forget what made the series so beloved in the first place. Only occasional technical and structural issues hamper what is the best Metro game to date.
Rage 2 Review
Bethesda Studios puts Avalanche Studios in the driver's seat in the second attempt at the world of Rage. Rage 2 sticks the landing when turning you into a postapocalyptic superhero, but doesn’t inspire much confidence in the things Avalanche is known for.
The Division 2 review
After spending 55 hours with The Division 2, it’s clear that Ubisoft has improved on the original in almost every way. The world is richly detailed, the story missions are wonderful, gunplay and enemy design are great, and the endgame content is worth sticking around for when the story wraps.
‘Forza Horizon 4’ review
Forza Horizon 4 adds a new twist to the popular franchise – seasons. These change the huge map, demanding new ways to approach the same old challenges. This promises almost endless racing, but will you want to keep playing? Our Forza Horizon 4 review reaches a definitive verdict.
‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ review
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey features an impressive and lavish open world that far exceeds the size of its predecessors. Unfortunately, the compelling family story is hindered by repetition and needless level grinding.
‘Dreams’ hands-on preview
Media Molecule's game-, movie-, music- and artwork-creation tool "Dreams" is going to make it ridiculously simple for anyone to make, share and play video games, and a lot of other things, with their PlayStation 4s. It really is as easy as it looks.
Senior Gaming Editor
As Digital Trends’ Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran of the industry who first began writing about games professionally as a teenager, Giovanni brings a wealth of knowledge and historical context to Digital Trends’ gaming coverage. He brings that expertise to everything he writes, from interview features to reviews. His specialty is criticism and he’s committed to raising the bar for video game reviews. Just read his ambitious UFO 50 review as proof!
Giovanni majored in Film and Photography at Ithaca College, and that skill set had intersected with his games writing through his career. He previously worked as a Segment Producer on Polygon’s daily gaming show, Speedrun, and has contributed video content for sites like Prima Games and Hard Drive. He’s always willing to experiment with new media, whether that be via podcasts or creating videos for Digital Trends’ YouTube channel. He has previously written for Inverse, Fanbyte, The Inventory, and more. He began working with Digital Trends in 2019 as a Destiny 2 guides contributor before moving into his current role as Senior Editor.
His love of gaming dates back decades. Giovanni grew up in Massachusetts with his mother’s hand-me-down Atari 2600. He was hooked from that point on, spending his childhood obsessively playing Sega Genesis or Super Smash Bros. Melee with his friends. He carried that passion into college, where he hosted and produced Ithaca College’s own studio format video game news show. Since then, he has been committed to giving back to the video game industry that raised him by providing honest criticism, sharp analysis, and thorough coverage.
Giovanni is currently based in Brooklyn, New York where he works alongside his cat, Mirah. On weekends, you can find him birdwatching in local parks or watching professional wrestling, his second love behind gaming.