Bee Simulator is more of a kids action game than it is a simulator. While it has an undeniable charm, it’s short, repetitive to a fault and feels like it’s been hastily cobbled together.

Despite its length and level of difficulty, Discolored is a short and sweet exercise in atmosphere and puzzle solving. Two hours of clever ideas and gorgeous visuals.

Need for Speed Heat may be a greatest hits collection of past success stories in an attempt to make up for the past, but it still pushes the pedal to the metal when it comes to being a guilty pleasure of pure street racing junk food that’s hot off the engine block.

There's not much in the way of new content, but Red Dead Redemption 2 is undoubtedly best played on PC. With scalable graphics options for future PC tech, improved input latency and an already burgeoning modding scene, Red Dead Redemption will continue to shine on the platform for years.

Its PvE campaign may be a bit of a wash despite the Looney tunes approach, but if you’re looking for some addictive multiplayer action that hasn’t changed too much between instalments, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is still a chaotic start to the day that is packed full of vitamin C for crazy.

Indivisible is one of the more memorable Metroidvanias that I’ve played in recent years with its unique and addictive combat system. Story issues aside I enjoyed every minute I spent with this game.

A middling collection of mini-games held together by an unfortunately lacklustre story mode, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is, unfortunately, little more than a distraction. While the throwback retro events add a much-needed bit of flavour, they're just not good enough to bring the series out of mediocrity.

Ring Fit Adventure isn’t for everybody, but for Gym-a-phobes looking to add a bit of activity to their lives, it’s a far better attempt at the gamification of fitness than Wii Fit ever was.

There's an undeniable charm to Boet Fighter, with its peerless art and often biting pokes at South African stereotypes. Unfortunately, the joke wears thin, and its moral lesson has been better executed in other games. It's also a bit of technical mess, and worst of all, just isn't very much fun to play.

Death Stranding starts off at a poor pace but eventually blossoms into a captivating tale with intriguing themes, solidified by compelling performances and an eventually satisfying pace to its gameplay. Not all of its systems mesh comfortably, but there’s enough here to drive you towards the eventual poignant conclusion.

Moons of Madness is an engaging and atmospheric effort that feels like a Love(craftian) child of Half-Life and Dead Space. You’ll be playing more for the cerebral rewards than the scares, though. Despite its seamless merger of cosmic horror and credible sci-fi, the game doesn’t quite match its potential in the consistent emotional intensity of its execution. Plus, the ending feels rushed.

The Witcher 3 for Switch is a marvellous port that makes some smart sacrifices to graphics and performance to translate a fantastic game in a downgraded but highly playable action-RPG.

A stacked package of single-player and multiplayer offerings, Call of Duty Modern Warfare may not hit every mark that it fires but this ballsy reinvention of the franchise is still the blockbuster benchmark that is thrilling, thoughtful and terrific.

Overall, I’m a little disappointed with Luigi’s Mansion 3 - though that's largely down to my own expectations. It’s an undoubtedly good game that’s competently made. It oozes charm and is filled with clever puzzles and fun boss fights. It’s just that all the bits between those start to become tedious before the game’s end.

Outer Wilds is a monumental success in video game design and storytelling and should be experienced by anyone who sees the value in immersive, interactive storytelling despite its graphical hitches on PS4.

MediEvil is a loveable, charming romp through a classic action game that unfortunately suffers because of overly stiff controls and combat that often feels imprecise and impractical.

Old at heart but young in spirit, The Outer Worlds is a vibrant and stunning new chapter from Obsidian that doubles down on what the studio does best and throws in some surprisingly fun gameplay on top of that.

Valfaris is a frenetic, violent homage to classic shooters and heavy metal, with satisfying gameplay and challenging boss encounters, it’ll be appreciated by anybody looking for something fun to head-bang to.

Autonauts is a colourful, creative and energetic game of automation and colonisation, whose cute facade is home to some truly engaging coding that never gets too complex.

Occasionally obtuse and slow, Disco Elysium excels at delivering one of the best role-playing game experiences in a very long time with exceptional writing, world building and mechanical immersion.

Little Big Workshop is an adorable slice of capitalism and taking over the market one quality product at a time, provided that you’re willing to work for that dream. Batteries not included in dreams of wild success.

Maintaining all the trademarks that distinguished it from other arcade racers, Grid has returned boasting driving just as engaging as before. Limits are reached in some core areas of gameplay such as though such as the number of locations, and the formula may prove stale for those looking for a road less traveled.

While maybe straying a bit too close to older games in the series, Doraemon Story of Seasons still delivers a charming role-playing farm experience with a gorgeous aesthetic and satisfying gameplay loop.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a return to form for the enjoyable platforming puzzler series, shifting back the perspective to 2.5D while delivering another stunning, satisfying experience.

A quirky love story of life, death and bureaucracy, Felix the Reaper is as effortlessly charming as it is relentlessly challenging in the puzzle department.

Without skipping a beat from the original PC game, Frostpunk’s console port is a slick and efficient strategy game of misery and compromise in the coldest apocalypse. You could say it’s the cold standard in console strategy.

John Wick Hex is a sharp-dressed, tactical, dog eat dog shooter that offers an unforgiving challenge with smart action and an authentic layer of style.

Concrete Genie is a short, deeply moving expression of creativity and life. Despite embracing some generic mechanics towards the end, Concrete Genie is a bold, passionate game that bears one of the most stunning aesthetics I’ve seen all year.

If you were waiting for a Dark Souls inspired game to set your heart aflutter with vampiric themes and pulse-pounding combat…then you might want to wait a bit longer, as Code Vein definitely isn’t that game.

FIFA 20 is a gift wrapped with flair and flamboyance on the outside. When you unwrap it, rather than it brimming to the full, it leaves you a little underwhelmed. It’s still good, there’s lots to be found inside and it will no doubt keep you busy for hours on end, but there's just not the same magic inside as there is on the outside.

Its world is magnificently detailed, the story is fascinating and while the bones may not have much meat on them for now, Hunt: Showdown is showing some promising signs of fattening up as it doubles down on adding to its creepy world.

Faithfully adapted, bristling with depth, beautifully written and gorgeous to look at, Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones is a fantastic role-playing game that’s hampered by a frustrating and tedious combat system that is sure to turn many players away in the early goings.

Dragon Quest XI Definitive Edition is a monumental game. It highlights everything the original already got right and adds so many unique features that enhance an already phenomenal experience. It’s a stand-out success for JRPG’s and RPG’s in general, both a modern epic and classic in every sense of the word.

The Surge 2 does enough to tweak the formula of the original to iron out some of the creases that plagued the original game, these improvements overshadowing the game's hit-or-miss writing and occasionally recycled content.

Blasphemous is a twisted take on religion and Metroidvanias, providing great combat, fantastic visuals and a world that’s soaked in both blood and well-written lore.

For the PES franchise, it continues to feel like two steps forward and three back. The gameplay is undoubtedly the best in any football game to-date once you get to grips with it, but in a world where gamers crave fresh content, it’s sadly lagging the competition. I get why Konami focuses on gameplay, but it does seem to be causing some tunnel vision, and the longer the other elements are ignored, the longer the game will be considered an “also ran”.

Borderlands 3 may be a brain-dead story of already dead on arrival memes and a cast that is largely forgettable (Save for Tannis, I still love you for being my socially inept spirit animal), but it’s easily the most satisfying power fantasy of the year thanks to its amazingly tuned gunplay and a sophisticated flow of action that picks up the juvenile slack.

Episode 4 has some truly engaging moments, but the issues that have plagued earlier episodes persist. By now, it’s likely that only the diehards – those who forked out for a season pass – will see this through to the end.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a loving remake of a decades-old game remake with just enough modern touches to make it worth playing again. Graphical overhaul aside, it’s perhaps a little too faithful to the original, while additions like the dungeon-builder are a bust. Newcomers get to experience one of the quirkiest games in the series, but for those who’ve played through it multiple times, there’s little reason to play other than nostalgia or adoration - both of which are perfectly good excuses to return to Koholint.

Daymare 1998 is a competent survival horror game that borrows too heavily from its influences to do anything interesting or unique and thus suffers from poor writing and uninspired gameplay.

Greedfall is an ambitious RPG with several unique mechanical hooks, character builds and combat encounters that unfortunately buckles under the weight of a bloated and tedious narrative that often turns everything into a repetitive chore.

What more could you ask for from a themed pinball experience? Zen’s love for the most entertaining sport and its source media is unquestioned at this point, and with their latest foray onto the Nintendo Switch they’ve more than proven their passion. They’ve created the ultimate Star Wars pinball experience for fans old and new alike, a collection of nostalgia that has unlimited pinball power.

The Sinking City both sinks and swims. Delivering a good mystery within a picturesque yet grotesque hellscape, while also held back by visual ramifications and tricky combat engagements.

There may be some rough edges, but for anyone looking for some fast-paced mobile suit action and who don’t mind a repetitive grind, Daemon X Machina is a big mech with cheese that’s worth sinking your teeth into.

NBA2K20 is an incredible addition to the series. The depth and attention to detail make it a masterclass in replicating the beauty of the game. MyCAREER particularly stands out with 2K being serious with the star cast of Idris Elba and LeBron James, with the latter also being the executive producer. This is a game that does so much right, you're quick to forget the incessant brand plugging and intimidating grind.

An incredible port of an incredible game, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is just as ground-breaking and clever as it was on PC while running impressively well on the Switch’s lower-end spec.

Despite an upgrade and loot system that’s fairly uninspired and slow, Remnant: From the Ashes manages to make a name for itself with some engaging combat, beautiful environmental design and exceptional boss fights.

Whether you call it an interactive movie game or desktop thriller, Telling Lies is a gratifying and authentic-feeling fly-on-the-wall experience. For the most part. Exceptional performances and an intriguing, topical story are undercut by a jarring gameplay choice that forces you out of the game when you least want it.

WRC 8 presents a complete rallying experience with its team management and career components. But while the driving does deliver a fun time, it's frustrating on a technical level and there are the visuals won't distract you from that fact.

A great port of a fantastic game, Torchlight 2 still holds up as a great example of an ARPG dungeon-crawler that is unfortunately plagued by some annoying bugs and control scheme limitations.

There are missteps, especially with the open worlds feeling lifeless, but Gears 5 is a more confident turn from a developer that no longer has to prove it’s capable of making a faithful Gears of War sequel. Bigger, better and more beautiful – and a bold step in the right direction for the series. The action is superlative, the writing hits humorous and emotional notes, and the number of multiplayer modes is extensive. If ever there was a reason to subscribe to Xbox's Game Pass service, this is it.

The Reignited Trilogy feels well at home on the Nintendo Switch. Spyro is still fun to play in a world that looks great. Incremental improvements on all fronts, gameplay and otherwise, keeps the adventure throughout engaging, if a little cumbersome at times.

Blair Witch is a creepy, tense expansion on the mythos established by the films and while it does capture the general aesthetic of the movie does stumble in trying to replicate that which made the franchise so well-regarded to this day.

Children of Morta is a resoundingly beautiful game that tells a compelling story of growth, forgiveness and love through a set of deep of satisfying rogue-like mechanics that only kept me invested in the gameplay but the journey of The Bergsons throughout my playtime.

Pillars of Eternity on Switch is the same fantastic CRPG with great writing, strategic combat and interesting lore but unfortunately dips in quality due to some below par performance and a less than handy translation of the game’s menus to the Switch’s controls.

While the attempts to inject a bit of life into the series with a semi open-world mode and a track editor are laudable, the game itself is just too familiar. Newcomers might appreciate what the MXGP 2019 has to offer, but anyone who’s played any previous game in the series will just feel like they’ve seen it all before.

Astral Chain is one of Platinum Games’ most complex and satisfying action games to date, with combat that’s suitably fast but far more purposeful and careful in execution. Its gorgeous world and enticing premise are betrayed by an uninteresting story and characters, but there’s little else to fault when you’re teaming up with your legions and solving cases across different dimensions.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is that kind of slice of classic cake that brings with it the pros and cons of a bygone era, but at least it’s the kind of game that makes you lust for the nostalgia-tinted days of funnelling coins into an arcade stand and engaging in some cathartic mayhem. Easy to pick up action, retrotastic visuals and a chance to feel like a hero with a power fantasy that works delightfully well on the Nintendo Switch.

It’ll be an acquired taste, but for those who have the patience for its deliberate opaqueness, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is the type of game its fans will be playing on and off for months, if not years. Its challenging nature makes it equal parts compelling and frustrating, but there’s no question this smart survival adventure contains loads of rewards for persistent players.

Control is an intriguing, fascinating experience. The third-person action, while slick and elegant, is perhaps a little pedestrian - but the completely bonkers story and the rewarding sense of exploration and discovery help cement Control as one of Remedy's best games.

Although it has its flaws, Erica is still a great revival of the old FMV genre, further erasing the line between video game and movie. An inspired control scheme, an engrossing multi-branched narrative that allows for multiple replays, and top-notch acting and directing - usually the pitfalls of the classic examples of the genre - make for a thrilling interactive experience.

Ion Fury knows what it wants to be: A satisfying romp through the past, emboldened by the future and metal to the max.

Saviours of Uldum offers up some interesting new mechanics and cards but rather than cleaning up the dirty patches prefers to make what was already clean shine even more.

Anno 1800 Sunken Treasures disproportionately delivers on both sides of its title. Players can continue to enjoy the established, structured and intricate gameplay, while also searching the seas for interesting and quirky objects to showcase on their new and vast landmass.

Silver Chains is a boring, confused horror game plagued by excessive clichés, jump scares and uninspired gameplay that fails to compel the player forward in any meaningful way.

Whether you’re a long-time Yakuza fan or just coming to this series, Judgment is well worth the investment. Boasting a cracking story, oodles of content and a fantastic fighting system, this spin-off can keep you glued for days… possibly months.

Wolfenstein Youngblood is a disappointingly bland shooter that fails to capture the intensity or passion of New Order and New Colossus, delivering a humdrum experience plagued by uninteresting design and grindy gameplay.

Occasionally interesting ideas and untapped potential don't make up for a woeful lack of content. It's short and it's shallow, but its biggest crime is that it's dull.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses doesn’t change how it plays on the battlefield, but its greatest advancements lie in the moments between the horror of war. The bonds forged between comrades in arms, the drive to really get to know the cast who you spill blood with and the opportunity to truly learn about the finality of death all combine across a vast and sweeping fantasy epic that’ll leave you breathless by the time the credits finally roll.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 doesn’t really do anything new, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable if mindless whirlwind tour through Marvel’s hottest properties. An entertaining story, satisfying combat and over-the-top action are sure to delight Marvel fans.

Lethal League Blaze offers up an exhilarating multiplayer game that can be tons of fun both with friends and solo but does feel a touch light on meaningful content.

Stranger Things 3: The Game is a great adaption of the series that maintains the mystery of the series but unfortunately misses a lot of potential the unique setting provides.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 refines its formula and cuts out many of the frustrations from the first game, delivering a more structured story and rewarding pacing that lets you see your hard work gradually blossom rather than be swept away. It's an engrossing sequel that is difficult to pull away from, and now far more welcoming to start too.

Eagle Island is an enjoyable rogue-like game and an unenjoyable Metroidvania that is fortunately pulled up by the fun combat system, beautiful art style and addictive dungeon crawling.

Sea of Solitude is a masterpiece of storytelling, art-design and thematic visualisation. While not necessarily lengthy or mechanically deep it is an astoundingly well-crafted game that should be experienced by everyone.

Graveyard Keeper is an ambitious life simulator that boasts gorgeous art and some interesting mechanics but unfortunately fails to meet the standards of the genre due to some overly complicated tasks and poor balancing.

F1 2019 is another exceptional racing game that caters to all spectrums of fans, giving you many modes, exhibition events and an exciting career mode to get familiar with its gorgeous tracks. It's simply one of the best simulation racers out there, again.

They Are Billions is a game based on just a single trick that’s up its undead sleeve. But it’s a hell of a trick, one that’ll keep you ensnared in its tangled web of survival for dozens and dozens of hours as the undead march upon your best base-building efforts.

As we got with Crash Bandicoot and Spyro's recent remakes, Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled is a loving remake of the Playstation's best kart racer. It's still as fun to play today as it was twenty years ago.

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 3 still has a problem with pacing and may put off players who aren’t diehard fans of this series. But for those willing to forgive some of its more mundane passages, this episode delivers a pretty compelling denouement and hints at better things to come.

Timespinner is a wonderfully accessible and inclusive Metroidvania that does justice to the genre despite some missed opportunities and brief run time.

Monster Jam Steel Titans is a very fun car trip leading to a disappointing destination. For all the excellent mechanics and the trucks themselves, there is only so much gas in this single-player tank to cover an empty world and a limited number of races.

The original Super Mario Maker is an enduring bit of software, but this makes up for just about every one of the original’s transgressions and adds a full-fat campaign to boot. It’s lovely stuff, offering a world of infinite Mario that has a little something for everyone.

The Sinking City is a great game for fans of Lovecraftian horror and delivers some stellar quest writing but unfortunately stumbles due to overused and uninspired mechanics, a bland protagonist and general lack of life.

Dynamic and dangerous, there’s no other fighting game like Samurai Shodown on the market. After a decade away, this latest chapter proves that idea once again with the sharpest swordsmanship combat around that manages to unleash a barrage of modern cuts while still retaining the magic of the original game.

Trover Saves The Universe isn’t the most challenging game players will experience this year, but it’s unique, and it’s also probably the funniest.

A glorious and brutal ballet of blood and bullets, My Friend Pedro is a symphony of action that will leave your thumbs aching for more of its completely bananas fun.

Good but not exceptional, Warhammer: Chaosbane is a solid and confident slice of medieval melee action. As Gothic as it is repetitive in the endgame phase, it’s still an enjoyable romp in the same vein as many an action RPG from yesteryear.

Cricket 19 won’t be winning any awards nor pioneering new things, but it is a fun game to pick up and play. It’s simple, intuitive and makes cricket accessible to just about anyone.

Refunct is a unique experience that despite the lack of content manages to communicate its themes through simple yet satisfying mechanics.

Packed with features, more challenging than ever before thanks to its crafty new Neural AI and still a love letter to an adrenaline-charged sport, MotoGP 19 is an amazingly complete package that is just one spark short of being a motorcycle legend.

Whispers Of A Machine is a solid Point & Click adventure underpinned with some intriguing choice mechanics, boasting a solid, if not revelatory plot. Worth seeking out.

Vectronom is a gorgeous and accessible rhythm-puzzle game that still manages to both challenge and entertain with tricky courses and a banging soundtrack.

Unruly heroes is a beautiful and delightfully charming game, with everything in it looking hand-painted, brought to life by magical animation. It's a pity that imprecise controls make its difficulty curve more frustrating than it should be though. A lacking bit of spit and polish prevent Unruly Heroes from being an outstanding action platformer.

Undead Horde is a satisfying hack and slash RPG that is perfect for anyone on the go, offering a good amount of customisation and gameplay.

The team mechanics put an interesting and unique spin on kart-racing, making Team Sonic Racing undoubtedly fun, but it’s missing the magic that made Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed a firm favourite.

Vambrace is a successful evolution of the mechanics that made Darkest Dungeon such a hit, but despite its beautiful art style and interesting setting, the repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful achievements make the experience for more tiresome than challenging.