Hitman 2: Play It Now

20.
Hitman 2
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Hitman 2 is the ultimate murderous playground. Its levels, from the beaches of
New Zealand to a car race in the streets of Miami, are luscious and detailed, packed
with secrets to find and an endless number of routes to your target. It’s a blend of
quick-thinking – how do I deal with that guard that’s just spotted me? – and careful
planning, and you could spend a full hour just walking around each level, watching
it tick over like clockwork as you plan the perfect strike.
It never takes itself too seriously, which we like. It has a homing briefcase that will
lock onto an enemy’s bonce wherever you throw it, and you can stab goons while
dressed in a full chipmunk outfit if you can find the right disguise. Best of all, post-
launch DLC has added all of Hitman 1’s levels, making the sequel the ultimate
assassin’s hub.
Play it now:
Steam
Humble Store
19. Mass Effect 2
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Mass Effect Andromeda was a dud, but the original three games are still our go-to
RPG trilogy. No other series has got us as invested in its characters, and some
storylines span all three games, running for hundreds of hours on end. The sci-fi
setting, with its varied cities, planets and ships, is endlessly cool, and missions never
feel repetitive, but it’s the crew you assemble, and the way Commander Shepherd
interacts with them, that makes it stand out. You’re given weighty decisions to make
that can literally decide the fate of whole space species, so it really feels like you’re
leaving your stamp on the galaxy.
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In that regard, Mass Effect 2 is the best of the bunch, and its characters are the
ones we remember fondest (don’t worry Garrus, you’re still our favourite). But if
you can stomach some clunkiness, you should really start with the first game,
because choices you make there shape what happens later. If you want to dive
straight into the sequel, that’s fine as well: just watch a recap or read a summary of
the first game.
Play it now:
Origin
Steam
18. Call of Duty: Warzone
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Warzone is the best battle royale on PC right now. Apex Legends is a
close second, and a better bet if you want to control ultra-mobile heroes with cool
abilities, but Warzone plays like the greatest hits of the genre so far, with a few
inventive twists. When you die, you get one chance to respawn by winning a 1v1
gunfight, which creates chances for memorable comebacks. Contracts give
structure to each round by asking you to find a series of chests, defend a given area
to reveal the next play circle, or hunt down an enemy, their location revealed on the
map. All this gets you money, which you can spend on kill streaks and loadouts that
you’ve put together between games.
It’s built on top of Call of Duty’s signature high-octane action and low-recoil gunplay,
well balanced to allow PC players to team up with friends on consoles. Individual
locations on the map have their own personality, and some are even based on
existing maps from the Call of Duty series. It means that no matter where you’re
fighting, whether it’s on a giant ice lake or the bunkers of a military base, the
environment presents you with tons of tactical options. You can play solo, duos,
trios or in four-player squads; trios feels like the sweet spot.
Play it now:
Battle.net
17. Disco Elysium
(Image credit: ZA/UM)

Disco Elysium’s tale of a washed-up, alcoholic detective sounds like a cliche. 10
seconds in, you’ll realise it’s anything but. You might have a heart attack trying to
unhook your necktie – which itself is arguing with you – from a ceiling fan. You can
look in the mirror and convince yourself you were once a rockstar that played to
screaming audiences, or discuss the complex political breakdown of a city plagued
by corruption with a racist lorry driver. And that’s just within the first half an hour.
Disco Elysium is a game that celebrates language and characters: an RPG without
combat where all your duels are verbal, and every conversation is peppered by
funny asides from different aspects of your own psyche, all clamouring to have
their internal voices heard. You have a long list of choices for nearly every piece of
dialogue, and what you say meaningfully impacts the characters around you. It’s
witty, it’s bleak, and we can’t get enough of it.
Play it now:
Steam
Humble Store
GOG
16. Crusader Kings 3
(Image credit: Paradox)

Ideally, the word “grand” in a grand strategy game should refer to multiple things,
large-scale battles for example or the size of your hopefully ever-expanding
kingdom. But for the Crusader Kings franchise, grand has always also referred to
the grand follies of court life, taking the social element of the genre further than
any other title. Crusader Kings 3 builds on existing systems with its stress system,
which is literally what it says on the tin – a great reminder to look after your mental
health. Because every time your ruler does something that disagrees with their
tendencies and beliefs, they will become stressed, until they eventually reach a
breaking point. Building a dynasty, too, is important, with a myriad of different ways
to find a partner, grow your family and then ship your kids off to form hopefully
successful political marriages. The amount of options and power you can amass in
CK 3 truly sets its apart as a title that allows you to express your own creativity. You
set the rules for your society, and react flexibly whenever a neighbour takes offence
or takes a shine to watch yours. Whether it’s stories like “I built a family of
genetically optimised assassins” or “I abducted the pope”, every playthrough will
lead to a healthy dose of drama, which is what life, both real and virtual, is all
about.
Play it now:
Steam
Microsoft Store

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(Image credit: Square Enix)

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

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