When it comes to Metroid, there’s almost no need for an introduction. It’s the franchise that helped to kick-start the Metroidvania genre, and stands among most any of Nintendo’s other properties as one of the best series in gaming. Of the many titles the series has put out though, some are definitely better than others, which is why we’ve compiled our ranking of the best Metroid games of all time.

14. Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Federation Force certainly isn’t a bad game, but it doesn’t feel as “Metroid” as other games in the series; due in no small part to the absence of a playable Samus.

As technology exponentially advances, it only makes sense for classic titles from yesteryear to receive the remake treatment. While some are totally remade from-the-ground-up, other offerings net a more rudimentary “spit shine” finish to help bring the experience up to modern standards. With the recent cavalcade of remakes releasing this year, we thought that now would be an ideal time to update our list of best remakes of all time. So, without further ado, let’s shake a leg and get right into it!

20. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Metal Gear Solid is one of the most prolific games of all time, even creating the brand new genre of Stealth-Action. Recreating such a classic experience is no small task, but it’s one that developer Silicon Knights took to with gusto.

Final Fantasy XVI on PS5

After every Eikon battle in Final Fantasy XVI, I kept asking myself “how can the next one be any better?” Only to be proven wrong each and every time.

The scale and scope of Final Fantasy XVI are absolutely staggering on every level, from the complex narrative that feels like a multi-season TV show, to the expansive action combat that grows and changes meaningfully across dozens of hours. All of this is highlighted with what might be the best boss battles I’ve ever seen in a video game. There are some minor quibbles to be had, but Final Fantasy XVI is an instant classic in a series already filled with many.

The Fire Emblem series was properly revived with the release of Awakening back in 2013, and it’s only gotten even more popular since then. Which means that it’s time to rank all eight main Fire Emblem games that have been released so far.

Note: This list is only for the Fire Emblem games that have been released in North America up to this point. There’s also a spoiler warning for most of the titles listed here.

The Mario games stand the test of time as some of the best video games around, especially when it comes to the 3D versions of the games. Whether you’re traversing around a full world as the mushroom-cap menace himself or side-scrolling with friends, there’s an endless possibility of fun to be had.

Below, we’ve ranked each of the seven 3D Mario games from worst to first. Be sure to let us know what you think of the rankings in the comments.

Persona 5 Royal is something that most fans expected at one point or another, considering the previous two entries in the series came out with updated re-releases, Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden Respectively. Even though it’s become tradition for the series, Persona 5 Royal feels like a step above even the stellar Persona 4 Golden.

At a recent preview event we were able to play roughly one hour of Persona 5 Royal, and even in that small window it was clear how much effort has gone in to making Royal something special for both new and returning fans.

Persona 5 Royal is expanding on the already massive base game with new characters, new story, new areas, and more. As with Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 Golden, the re-release promises a wealth of new content. At a recent preview event we managed to get our hands on Persona 5 Royal for roughly one hour.

While an hour is just a chip in a massive 100-hour game like Persona 5 Royal, there are still a number of little details we learned. Our demo let us play through parts of Kamoshida’s Palace and explore the new area of Kichijoji in Tokyo.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finally completed its first Fighter’s Pass, with all five characters now playable. While Ultimate is getting six more DLC characters, this was originally planned to be the only Fighter’s Pass, so it’s worth looking back on each character and how they stack up.

We’ll be ranking the characters based more on how unique they are and what they bring overall to the game, rather than their potential for tournament play.

To coincide with Final Fantasy VII’s 23rd anniversary in Japan, Square Enix released an action-packed trailer for the Final Fantasy VII Remake. The trailer showered fans with details and teases, from the reveal of Red XIII to another look at the brand new SOLDIER character.

There are a few particularly interesting details to pick out of the new trailer, and we’ll go over each one in detail.

Rumors have been swirling about a potential upgrade Nintendo is planning for the Switch in 2020, a Switch Pro if you will. While nothing has been confirmed, Nintendo has a long history of console iterations. They did the same thing with the 3DS, releasing a more powerful version dubbed the New Nintendo 3DS.

On top of that, with the PS5 and Xbox Series X due out later this year, Nintendo might feel compelled to introduce a higher-end version of the Switch to stay relevant in the next-gen with their current-gen product.

Observer

Observer is one of those uniquely cyberpunk ideas, letting you play as a detective that can hack into people’s brain implants and see their memories and thoughts.

It’s not often that you see cyberpunk games combined with psychological horror, but the team behind Layers of Fear does it well in Observer.

The year is starting to kick off with February 2020, bringing a host of PS4 games, both large and small. Chief among those is the official release of a long-anticipated exclusive, Dreams. The novel player creation title has already seen a host of incredible projects, and it’ll be even more exciting to see what happens with the full release.

There are plenty of other titles to watch out for too, so below you’ll find the new PS4 games releasing in February 2020. If you want to see more about the biggest games of the month, keep scrolling down.

Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind has shown, once again, that we’re all just on Tetsuya Nomura’s wild ride. Before we go on, it needs to be said that there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for ReMind, so read ahead at your own risk.

In the Toy Box world of Kingdom Hearts 3 we were introduced to Verum Rex, a suspiciously Final Fantasy-esque video game in the Toy Story world. As it turns out, Verum Rex and its main hero Yozora might be a lot more important than we thought.

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot on PS4

Dragon Ball Z is one of the most storied anime franchises of all time, and we’ve seen countless video game adaptions over the years. Color me excited then when Kakarot promised to be a full-blown action RPG that lets you live out the story of Goku. While that had me excited going in, the result isn’t quite as stellar as I was hoping for. When Dragon Ball Z Kakarot shines it shines brightly, but it’s bogged down by some questionable design decisions along the way.

Kakarot brings every single saga from Dragon Ball Z into one experience, this means you’re playing from the Saiyan Saga to the Buu Saga. The main “chapters” of the game are these sagas, with an intermission between each one that lets you explore the world.

Use All of Your Options in Combat

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Tips & Tricks

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot uses a combat system similar to past games, where it’s basically a third-person brawler. There are a ton of options the game gives you, however, and if you want to keep up in the tougher battles you’ll need to use everything at your disposal.

Of course you have your melee attacks and Ki blasts, but there’s also Super Attacks mapped to LB+face buttons. You’ll want to keep your Ki charged up constantly during battle, not just so you can use Super Attacks, but also so you can use instant dodges to counterattack enemies.

It’s Heavy on RPG Systems

The last few Dragon Ball games have been fighting-focused, but Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a bit of a different beast. There are multilayered elements of RPG systems, all of which are focused on developing the strength of Goku and friends.

This starts with a basic leveling system and experience, which you’ll earn through battles and quests. Past that you can collect food and create meals, which will give you temporary boosts on top of permanent stat increases for the character that eats it. There’s also a skill system with a massive skill tree for each character.

Explore the World of Dragon Ball

While Dragon Ball Z Kakarot isn’t exactly an open-world game, it does let you explore the world of the series like never before. You’ll primarily be taking control of Goku, flying around the lush green hills and other vibrant locales.

While you’ll still be following the main story of Dragon Ball Z, there’s a ton to do outside of that. Goku can use his tail to fish, pulling huge monstrosities out of the water. You can engage in his favorite pastime and chow down to get buffs.

It Has Serious Style, and a Bopping Soundtrack

That image up above, yeah it’s from the main menu of Tokyo Mirage Sessions. An animated menu that really nails the tone of the overall game, and that sense of style permeates to every aspect.

Before Persona 5 blew everyone away with its slick animations and absurdly good style, Tokyo Mirage Sessions laid the groundwork, and now the Encore version on Switch is giving the game a second chance.

Bandai Namco has released a new gameplay video for My Hero One’s Justice 2, showing off two new playable characters, Izuku Midoriya Full Cowling 100% and Kai Chisaki Ver. 2. If you’ve been keeping up with season 4 of the anime, you’ll know that Deku and Kai had their climactic showdown in the latest episode, with Deku unlocking more of his power than ever before.

The two characters will be included as early unlocks for anyone that pre-orders the game. You can take a look at the new trailer down below.

Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential RPGs of all time, and its legacy has been felt ever since its original release. While the remake is certainly drawing all eyes right now, thirteen years ago Square Enix doubled down on the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. This introduced brand new characters and plot elements, chief of which was Genesis Rhapsodos, a flamboyant new villain closely tied to Sephiroth.

Out of everything introduced by the Compilation, Genesis was the largest addition, and he’s even teased again at the very end of Dirge of Cerberus. At this point, we don’t know what, if anything, the Remake will be adding from the Compilation, but it’d be a real shame to just let Genesis fall by the wayside.