30. The Last of Us: Part II (PS4)

How do you follow up one of the best games in the last decade? The Last of Us: Part II had a lot to live up to, with many fans of Joel and Ellie's odyssey protesting the very notion of a sequel. However, Naughty Dog is Naughty Dog, and the studio delivered big time. Following the footsteps of Ellie and Abby in their parallel quests for vengeance, Part II not only advances the storyline of fan favourite characters, but it fills out the original story with wider context, muddying the waters of morality even further in this post-apocalyptic world. Add to that some of the best third-person gunplay in the business, best-in-class visuals, and peerless accessibility features, and you have yourself something pretty special.

29. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4)

Insomniac knocked it out of the park with its first Spidey game, but the follow-up is arguably even better. As the name implies, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales focuses on the younger, less experienced hero as he gets to grips with his new abilities, some of which are wildly different from Peter's. While the open world is largely the same, playing as Miles refreshes the game in a few small ways. His electrical powers amp up combat, a penchant for aerobatics makes swinging even more fun, and the story explores his home life and family to great effect. It's a smaller game than Spider-Man 1, but it packs just as much punch — if not more.

28. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV (PS4)

Bringing a bombastic end to the Cold Steel saga, Trails of Cold Steel IV attempts to tie four games' worth of stories up across an adventure that can last well over 100 hours. A daunting prospect, but developer Falcom somehow makes it work — and that's perhaps Cold Steel IV's most impressive achievement. This is as dense as Trails games get, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay. The series' turn-based combat has been adjusted for better balance, there's a greater sense of freedom to exploration, and a huge roster of playable party members allows for some serious tactical tinkering. A deeply engrossing, often brilliant finale.

27. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (PS4)

Stuffed with extra content, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (try saying that three times fast) features not only two of the most beloved action RPGs in history, but also Re:Chain of Memories from the Game Boy Advance, and Birth By Sleep from the PSP. The game hasn’t aged as gracefully as others on this list, but there is undeniable magic here and, of course, a huge sequel to dive into.

26. NieR: Automata (PS4)

NieR: Automata's complete and utter disregard for your time pays off in so many ways. Yoko Taro's android-based adaptation of Hamlet may seem like anime schlock for the first 20 hours or so, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded with one of the richest narratives in games today. This character action title revels in subverting your expectations, and it crescendos with a mind-blowing climax that will leave your jaw on the floor.

25. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4)

A leap forward from the first two Cold Steel titles thanks to a new engine, Trails of Cold Steel III sees a slightly older Rean Schwarzer return to his beloved Thors Military Academy as an instructor. Guiding an all-new Class VII in their special ops missions, it isn't long until old friends (and old enemies) start popping up in what is often an engrossing character-driven story. What's more, Cold Steel III makes some fantastic additions to the series' already great turn-based combat system, while larger environments offer so many opportunities for exploration. One of Falcom's finest.

24. Horizon Forbidden West (PS4)

With Horizon Forbidden West, Guerrilla Games had to deliver something pretty special to top the beloved first game. Fortunately, by improving on its weakest areas and tightening the design, the sequel more than lives up to Aloy's debut adventure. A huge, varied open world is home to not only brilliant new machines to fight, but also some of the series' most interesting and fleshed out human tribes. Between beautiful settlements, old world ruins, and natural environments, the world is a pleasure to explore with Aloy's new traversal methods. The main story manages to pack in some big surprises while the supporting characters and missions are vastly improved, and there's more than ever to do outside of some of the best combat in any open world title. It's, somehow, a better game than Zero Dawn in almost every way.

23. Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Square Enix actually did it. It actually remade Final Fantasy VII, and the result isn't a complete disaster. In fact, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a fantastic action RPG. It may not cover the whole story of the original, but it greatly expands on characters, themes, and plot points included in the Midgar arc. Its crowing achievement is its outstanding combat, which blends real time movement and action with time-pausing command menus. It feels like the evolution of Final Fantasy's classic Active Time Battle system, and it's amazing. What a time to be alive.

22. Final Fantasy IX (PS4)

Many a Final Fantasy fan would tell you that Square's series peaked with Final Fantasy IX. An indisputable PlayStation classic, it first released as an utterly outstanding swansong for Sony's first console. A masterfully crafted world is inhabited by excellent characters, and it's all placed alongside more traditional RPG mechanics, refined to near perfection. With superb story pacing that whisks you from one gripping scenario to the next, it's still incredibly hard to fault Final Fantasy IX.

21. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)

A role-playing game with action more fulfilling than most corridor shooters, Guerrilla Games’ heritage with first-person shooters means that Horizon Zero Dawn’s sizeable quest list is one you’ll actually enjoy clearing. The real surprise here, though, is the richness of the post-apocalyptic world that protagonist Aloy inhabits; this is a science-fiction story set against a tribal backdrop, and it marries these incongruent themes masterfully. An incredible effort from the Dutch developer.