When it comes to Civilization, there’s so much going on and so many variables in play that it could never be perfect. Instead, what you can hope for is a complex but easy to follow game of Civ that you’d gladly playthrough again. One that doesn’t feel broken or at odds with what it’s trying to do. Civilization VI: Rise and Fall hits that sweet spot, with deep and rewarding new features that provide a more cohesive and memorable experience than the base game. Where no path feels too detrimental, whilst highlighting self-evident things like the power of religion and a well-stocked army. From the new Golden Ages through to the Governors and expanded Districts, if you’ve ever been a fan of the series – now’s the time to jump back in.

There's so much depth and scope to Monster Hunter World that some aspects I've only lightly touched on, or haven't even mentioned; the Canteen and its bizarre cat-chef, the Special Arena, Investigations and Bounties, the Hub's numerous activities. NPCs and provisioners, the marvelous Palico gadgets and so on. After 60+ hours and having just recently finished the bulk of the main story and hitting High Rank, there's still so much more I've yet to see. For the sake of getting this review out before Christmas 2142 all you need to know is that Monster Hunter World is an amazing, complex, and beautifully realised evolution of the franchise. It's been made extremely accessible to new hunters, whilst also being an enjoyable and thoroughly rewarding game for existing fans.

Shadow of the Colossus has its place in videogame history. It’s not indelible, but it is much-loved and for a number of good reasons. It’s just a barebones experience that can get tiring quickly, and feels like it needed just a little bit more “oomph”. I’m not here to rag on what it meant as a game back in 2005, but I am here suggesting that a visual overhaul of this nature -- in that it is glorious -- could have also come packaged with camera and gameplay fixes, at the very least. You’ll need patience and determination above all else, but if you’re an eye-candy sort of person, Shadow has it in spades. I just wish it also had a little something more as well.

Music-mixing is how DropMix is labelled, but mixing in the form of stitching together various loops – represented by cards – on an interactive board and a connected smart device app. The fact that it can convey the feeling of mixing and production, whilst giving anyone the chance to change and add to music without the need to worry about tempo or key, is worthy of praise. And, another feather in the already feather-stacked cap of Harmonix – creators of Amplitude, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band.

The Red Strings Club offers up a great cyberpunk narrative. One where the mechanics-driven activities like mixing drinks and building genetic augmentations only serve to add doubt and flesh out a memorable cast of characters. Coupled with a great soundtrack that doesn’t lean on any one style, wonderful locations, and a few surprising twists, it offers an impressive future-tale. One that isn’t afraid to delve into the idea of friendship, humanity, and what technological breakthroughs can bring us as a species.

An experience filled with interesting characters, great writing, and genuine love for the source material and themes.

In the end though, what you get with this budget, Australian-made title is a game with endless challenge, with a sense of direction not necessarily ever seen in a wholly-made local product, and a lot of fun. Anthony Skordi returning as the beaten Dealer serves up arguably the best voice-acting performance of the year and the game’s overall presentation and polish, outside of the negatives mentioned above, belie the budget constraints Defiant likely faced. This mature and confident game development in a genre they’re pretty much crafting on their own at the moment. Honestly, I can’t recommend Hand of Fate 2 enough.

Even with all of this new stuff, bug fixes, and improvements, Destiny still suffers from a lack of a real endgame. After completing the campaign, Adventures, and Raids (and acquiring all that juicy loot), once your power level hits the current cap, there's not much else to do. Aside from starting fresh on a new character. Due to Destiny's core system and design this doesn't offer too much in the way of a new experience.

Gear.Club for Nintendo Switch does offer split-screen racing, but again the core racing isn’t all that fun. The best bits are outside of the racing, collecting and upgrading cars, and remodeling and arranging your garage. Which, in case you were wondering, isn’t a good thing for a, you know, racing game.

Outside of the story, exploration, and puzzles, combat can play an equally big part in the overall story. But underneath the shiny new visuals, Outcast remains pretty much the same. Which means controls and combat that was fine if a little clumsy in 1999 is even more so today. But just like then, it’s quickly overlooked for what is an adventure quite unlike any other. An impressively realised world filled with character, moments of sheer triumph, and charm. Outcast: Second Contact is well worth a look for both fans and newcomers alike.

While it’s currently available on the other two super-systems, we reviewed the game on Switch and, if you own one, suggest you look to the little console that could for your L.A. Noire experience. It’s a wonderful fit on Switch and shows there’s a mature lifeline on the horizon for Nintendo, and the Nintendo loyal above the age of 15, ahead.

Ashes Cricket isn’t perfect, but that’s unfortunately to be expected from Big Ant cricket games at launch. But the stacks of little bugs aren’t enough to detract from the overall accomplishments of a fully featured cricket game, which is as appealing to cricket aficionados as it is to those looking to have a quick bash. If Big Ant follows the trend of its previous games, the subsequent patches will help to convert the game into a game with an even louder appeal.

Portable Skyrim, the reason some us bought into the whole Switch concept to begin with. And with so much content, I’d forgotten just how rich and detailed the world of Skyrim could be. Perfect for making even a long commute feel like a breeze.

Sonic Forces isn’t a bad game, nor the worst Sonic title in years. In fact, it’s quite fun and keeps up the series tradition of bringing a sense of speed to the forefront. But compared to say, Super Mario Odyssey, you get the feeling that it’s just another example of a fun and shallow Sonic game in a long line of fun and shallow Sonic games.

As a Star Wars fan, Battlefront II is disappointing. As a Battlefront (2015) apologist, it’s sad to see that familiar sins have popped up again, and questionable design decisions mar the fun parts: the campaign, split-screen versus, Heroes vs Villains, Starfighter Assault, and those rare fair fights on Galactic Assault. There’s a good game buried somewhere beneath too many cons. I just hope that Motive, Criterion, and DICE can right the starship before too many players launch their escape pods.

Even after all this time, DOOM is still a blast to play through. Making the Switch release my third time I got my ass to Mars in order to send a whole lot of demons back to hell. And Cohagen, if he's around. Being able to take it anywhere, at work, on a train, pop it in your bag, and resume later - is great. Awesome even. Portable DOOM single-player and Arcade Mode alone make it worth it for any Switch owner.

There’s plenty of good to be found, but Payback doesn’t seem all that interested in rewarding and promoting that side of the game. And in the end, delivers open-world racing that confuses and confounds moments after it surprises and delights.

The RPG side of the game is handled very well, and its challenge is really very good in the larger modern gaming landscape. Combat still needs tweaking from a design perspective, but is more than passable while the checklisty mission system does need a major overhaul, but when stacked against the game-world created here, and how much content it’s filled with, it can be forgiven.

Yes, it’s another Call of Duty, but it’s a Call of Duty by a rock-solid team who care about quality and stamping themselves as a premier Triple-A developer in a very crowded space. Another great Holiday release to add to your (likely) growing pile.

Spintires: Mudrunner has a tiny 1.1GB install because there's really not much too it. There are no peasants wandering the woods or working at the lumber yards. No other vehicles hauling lumber or otherwise in motion. The fauna has become extinct and only birds remain. It feels like you are the sole survivor in a post apocalyptic USSR where the cold war turned nuclear hot. Which begs the question: why you are hauling lumber? And for whom?

Wolfenstein II is packed full of great and memorable moments, not only in the story it tells but also the combat it presents. From walking the streets of Roswell, New Mexico and seeing KKK members walking together with Nazis to sneaking up on an unexpected soldier only to gruesomely amputate and decapitate them before they could recite their favourite verse from Mein Kampf. It’s provocative and intense in equal measure. And in the year 2017, when real Nazis are trying to make a comeback the world over, also cathartic. And necessary.

There’s plenty here to love, but you will need patience and you will need resolve, because the orcs and their player-defined society is a thing of, as I said earlier, unnatural beauty, it’s just a shame the rest of the game suffers in their expanded development wake.

Super Mario Odyssey isn’t just the best platformer to come around in years, it’s also one of the most essential releases of the year. Period. A showcase for Nintendo’s development talent and Mario as an iconic character that can still deliver surprising and transformative experiences even after all these years. It’s a game that not for a second lags or starts to feel like more of the same. It rewards players in ways that we rarely get to see, and even when it’s over it begins anew and invites you to keep exploring, keep discovering, and keep reaching for the moon.

The online career and Sport mode may signify a new direction for the series, but shows promise. With time, no doubt GT Sport will evolve with new modes, vehicles, tracks, and even additional weather effects. And when the day comes that we can witness all the wonderful detail and beauty of Polyphony Digital’s creation, via watching a replay of a crash-free online race set at night along the rain-soaked roads of Tokyo, this could become something truly special.

It’s for both South Park fans and RPG fans, but finding that balance between the two audiences might prove a bit tricky. However, if you’re a fan of both you’re in for a challenging and investment-heavy treat. The game’s polish was worth the wait. It’s combat is much-improved and the story -- if you care -- has some wonderful peaks across a South Park consistent delivery of social commentary alongside all those aforementioned dick, shit and fart jokes.

The tension and intensity can be felt throughout both the open-world sections, where you can choose where to go, as well as those where you’re simply walking down a hallway filled with framed pictures highlighting truly chilling acts of violence. It’s a thrill ride quite unlike any other, and as a survival horror release it will leave you shaking or at the very least on the verge of needing a nice long vacation.

There’s still a lot to like about The Pact, it continues this season’s trend of improved animation and performance for the series. And with origin stories and background out of the way, it means that new ideas can take the front seat – as realised in the depictions of newcomers Bain and Harley Quinn. It also ends on a cliff-hanger, which will no doubt make the wait for Episode Three feel that much longer. Overall, a good but not great episode.

I played on both PC and Xbox One and found -- for the most part -- it to run satisfactorily, but it does suffer from some long loads and frame-rates can chug a bit if you’ve had it running in any background for too long. But really, those are about the only major concerns overall. It’s delivery of an interesting and new game-world is handled well; inviting newcomers in to learn as much as they can about these battle chasers as possible. And with success, there’s bound to be a bigger and better entry in this franchise moving forward. Addictive, challenging and charming in its throwback love, coupled with stunning art, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a gamer’s game. It doesn’t over-promise to under-deliver, and perfectly delivers on its premise. Absolutely worth your investment.