Void Bastards is many things when you get your hands on it, but the most important influences that it draws from all combine to form a game that feels uniquely witty, addictively compelling and satisfyingly deep to explore thanks to tight gameplay, a colourful comic book visuals and a style all of its own.

Simple mechanically, yet sophisticated in its story, Draugen is a brief exploration of grief, trauma, and mental illness wrapped in a compelling mystery that only occasionally drops the ball.

It’s also the work of a studio that’s obviously comfortable and confident with VR, who knows what works and what doesn’t in a medium that’s not completely opened its wings. It lets you tinker and play around, gesticulating and gesturing (even letting you flip the bird), with the realisation that immersion’s at its best when that sort of irreverence can be embraced. The whole affair’s buoyed by incredible performance capture, great voice acting and facial animation – plus a Grime soundtrack that captures the essence of London’s dirtier underground.

Rage 2 tries to do so many things in such a small timeframe that it forgets to do anything original or inventive with its many unfocused components. Its combat alleviates these issues in short spurts, but it's not enough to weave a cohesive thread through this confused trip through a familiar wasteland.

A clever, well-written appreciation of classic Point-and-Click Adventure games that should definitely be checked out by fans of the genre or anyone looking to recapture that Lucasfilm nostalgia

There's a stark lack of content on offer here, but that shouldn't detract from what's one of the best digital recreations of Golf available. There's not a lot of it, but what there is, is a joy to play.

Akane always ends in violence, bloodshed and the death of the titular hero. It’s the journey towards that inevitable conclusion, that makes this retro-styled experience one of the finest examples of its genre as it deftly weaves a subtle strategy with some of the tightest action on the market today.

Terrifying, addictive and constantly engaging, Darkwood is a joy to play and begs for multiple runs no matter how scared you are.

Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is a decent package, and while it does show its age in some mechanical instances, this slice of nostalgia is still a great appetiser for the next big chapter in Fairburne’s European safari.

Fade to Silence is an ambitious survival game with an intriguing setting but suffers from a laborious pace, poorly implemented mechanics and uninteresting characters and writing resulting in an unfun grind that never really pays off.

Days Gone has moments where it reveals its brilliance, but they’re buried under a litany of uninteresting and repetitive missions and numerous technical issues.

Curious design decisions and a confusing, cumbersome control scheme help destroy the immersion, but there's a certain charm to Immortal Legacy's ambition that makes it easier to overlook its problems. It's an occasionally fun VR first-person shooter adventure that's worth a look, especially for its budget price.

Forager is a quirky, relaxing game that is dripping with charm. A simple premise expanded on in meaningful and tangible ways creates a title that is not only delicious fun but also thoroughly addictive.

A bone-breaking blast of bloody fun, Mortal Kombat 11 is a celebration of ultra-violence that pushes the franchise forward to gloriously gory new heights.

A stunning remaster of one of the greatest game trilogies of all time. Whether you've played them before or just want to relive the magic, this is definitely worth picking up.

Anno 1800 can become confusing and complicated over time, what with the in-depth nature of this civilization sandbox franchise. But those willing to step up to the challenge are rewarded with a gorgeous and comprehensive game, built on micro-management and period-set obstacles and factors that nudge you along in your mission to build the next great island metropolis. For what gaming experience it represents, the franchise looks and feels great.

We. The Revolution is a gorgeous, high stakes, intense exploration of politics during the Reign of Terror and combines interesting mechanics and storytelling to fully immerse the player in a story of corruption and desperate survival.

The Mystery of Woolley Mountain certainly serves up rewarding mental challenges, but they’re paired with a constant challenge of another sort: the game’s unsophistication in almost every other department. Stilted in its art style and comedic choices, it will test your nerves as much as your brain.

Islanders is simple and straight-forward but still manages to make each of its city-building runs engrossing with a high-score to chase and procedurally-generated spaces to explore. It's the charming visuals and meditative soundtrack that make your brief stays worth it, enrapturing you in a relaxing aesthetic as you try to survive as long as you can.

Jetstream is a simple, uncomplicated gem of a puzzle game that does well to keep things accessible whilst also missing the opportunity to expand on many of the games more interesting challenges.

Xenon Racer harks back to the simpler days of arcade racing. It includes all one might need and expect from a game of its genre. Buts it starts to choke thanks to a compromised handling of the vehicle. The races are unappealing, despite you being in a drop-dead set of wheels.

FromSoftware proves yet again that they’re masters of their craft. Every aspect of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is just so lovingly crafted that any flaw feels like a droplet in an ocean of brilliance. Sekiro is the full package with immensely satisfying combat and an intriguing world to explore and discover.

Effortlessly charming, fun for any age and an imaginatively designed spectacle of origami originality. Yoshi’s Crafted World is fine art fun on the run or at home.

As a first step towards a future of more live service content, The Division 2 already feels amazingly complete. It works from day one, its various systems are staggeringly deep and its combat is in a class of its own. Everything else that’s still to come over the next couple of years? That’s a satisfying cherry on top of an already massive sundae of excellence.

Life Is Strange 2: Episode 2 is a disappointment. While it contains a number of revelatory moments and a couple of scenes that pack real tension, thanks to its lousy pacing and absence of agency, only the most committed fans of this series are advised to pick it up. Here’s hoping Episode 3 picks up the pace.

With sumptuous hand-crafted visuals and a throwback LucasArts approach to puzzle-adventure gaming, Trüberbook is a treat for genre fans. Well, in part anyway. It’s a pity that all the goodwill the game generates is drained by an unsatisfying story that doesn’t bother to answer even half of the questions it’s raised.

The difficulty curve is spot-on but storytelling pacing could be better and more emotional. With core game play that becomes as monotonous as you'd expect, the side-stories needed higher stakes for more emotional investment.

Move or Die is a fast-paced and frenetic party game committed to delivering you and your friends the most enjoyable and fun experience possible and at that it truly succeeds.

The Wizards: Enhanced Edition wrestles with the limitations of PSVR and never wins, deeply undercutting its enjoyable spellcasting with inaccurate motion tracking. These issues are only made worse by uninteresting missions and repetitive combat, making the initial splendour of this spellcasting adventure fade very quickly.

The Occupation's clever real-time investigations and immensely engrossing story are undone by its dedication to inducing tension by restricting saving, which is exasperated by uneven technical performance.

A new twist on the old formula, The LEGO Movie 2: The Video Game offers up some new mechanics and gameplay but fails at delivering an experience that is either memorable or fun.

Devil May Cry 5 is a masterpiece in action. It has heart and charm in its epic story that comes full circle on the series. It looks sexier than the sun setting over a billionaire’s collection of cars that are parked on a Santa Monica strip in California. It plays phenomenally well and will leave you drenched in sweat and satisfaction when the end credits roll, while wishing for more of its sassy attitude.

Degrees of Separation is a visually gorgeous and charming game that, while having some innovative mechanics, devolves into tedium due to a poorly paced story and repetitive puzzles .

Jump Force is a stunning explosion of iconic manga characters across decades of publication, all wrapped up in a single package of over the top brawling that is decadent on the outside and ultimately hollow inside when cracked open.

Despite a bare-bones multiplayer, DiRT Rally 2.0 is for hard-core enthusiasts of the sport. It is an unforgiving simulator that delivers a racing experience that, though highly difficult to master, is satisfying and requires utmost concentration and engagement.

Trials: Rising is a wildly fun game that offers both simplicity and depth in the most satisfying of ways, despite an occasionally annoying soundtrack.

Anthem may look like a slick blend of action and exploration all wrapped up in some shiny armour, but beneath its surface lies a game that is riddled with bugs, shallow world-building and a paint by numbers approach to its design.

Metro Exodus is ambitious, engrossing and at times genuinely disturbing. Above all it tells a fantastic tale set in a world that all the game’s superb aspects work hard to immerse the player in. While ‘the post-apocalyptic Russia’ may not sound like an appealing destination, Metro Exodus is well worth the trip.

Episode 1 can be guardedly recommended, then. It stumbles in parts, sure, but it also proves that DontNod has some ambitious ideas for this installment of its teen adventure series. On top of that, it ends intriguingly enough to ensure that many who play through it will want to see what the next episode holds.

The Textorcist is a punishing, brutally difficult game that feels so good to finally conquer. A truly unique and engaging combat system accompanied by great music make this a memorable experience.

Cracking the formula it set out with 12 years ago, Crackdown 3 delivers the solid and structured, though limited, gameplay of gunning down your enemies while leaping across vast distance and heights. Even if nothing especially new has been added to that formula. The multiplayer, however, feels more like a cop-out than anything.

It may not really do anything especially new, but ar Cry: New Dawn is an experience that encapsulates everything great about the franchise. It’s instantly familiar to anyone who has played any of Ubisoft’s shooters over the last couple of years, but it’s a confident approach that works well as a colourful diversion at the end of the world.

Apex Legends is a surprisingly different interpretation of the Battle Royale formula that introduces new rules for engagement while also refining many of the issues the genre has grappled with for months. It's ingenious tagging system and clever character abilities make it a multiplayer shooter that's easy to pick up and play, but also deep enough to sink hundreds of hours into for months to come.

Visually and audibly gorgeous, Inked battles to maintain its level of quality through an awkward camera, occasional obtuse puzzles and fumbled story.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was an unforgettable experience and as a long-time fan, it was everything I could’ve hoped for. Terrible story pacing aside, this is a special game and a fitting end to an over decade-old saga.

Tales of Vesperia stands as one of the best entries in the long-running franchise. Any issues I may have are minor compared to everything this game gets right. The Definitive Edition will be a treat for both returning players and newcomers alike.

Who knows, maybe Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy would have been more attractive in this day and age if it exuded more…Pharoahmones.

In the end, The Mage’s Tale is a decent, fun but flawed dungeon crawler that got a little more narrative meat than most games of its ilk. It’s not quite a full-blown RPG experience, but it’s enjoyable anyway.

Chirpy and charming, Astroneer is a lovely survival game for players who want a chill experience. Just don’t expect much in terms of varied gameplay (for now).

Visually charming, deliciously deep and packed with extra content, Wargroove is a strategy experience that works comfortably at home or on the move.

Resident Evil 2’s remake highlights just how great Capcom’s first sequel in the Resident Evil series ways, but does it in a way that makes it the most compelling entry in the series thus far. It’s smart changes merge with the classic design expertly, while its atmosphere is rich thanks to gorgeous lighting and incredible sound design. It’s a reminder of the past, but this remake would be a fine direction for the future of Resident Evil.

FutureGrind may only be made up of some bright colours, but it delivers a solid and challenging experience in the platforming genre. Simple mechanics and a selection of dynamic gameplay styles result in a satisfying playthrough.

Beyond the cheap titillation, Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal offers plenty of solid action and drama, all wrapped up in a gorgeous visual package that makes a tempting jumping on point for anyone who has ever wanted to hop into the long-running franchise.

The story’s nonsense, but the actual minute-to-minute air combat makes up for that. It’s almost always a joy to play, with combat that’s empowering, satisfying and spectacular.

The emulation is perfect, the extra features are great and the Switch is the perfect system for this bit of nostalgia. Unfortunately, the collection of games is a little lacklustre, with the real standouts games that we’ve seen bundled together many times before.

If you were expecting Ride 3 to be the perfect fusion of quality and quantity of content, then I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you: An adequate sequel that has more bugs in it than your helmet visor after a breakfast run, almost no soul to its racing spirit and the bare minimum of fun spread throughout its sporadic modes. The third time definitely isn’t the charm for Ride 3.

Fans might get a kick out of this self-aware spinoff, but its referential meta-jokes ultimately fall flat. Worse though is that it’s just not very much fun to play. It’s repetitive to the point of being tiresome, and not even its occasionally enjoyable boss battles save Travis Strikes Again from being dull and dreary.

My Time at Portia wears its influences on its sleeve but fails to build both a compelling world and charming inhabitants to engage with when reaching for the same lofty heights. Its loop of resource gathering and intricate building is implemented well, but it lacks the charm to make it all cohesive enough to be alluring.

Despite the cut content, New Super Mario Bros Deluxe remains the most feature-packed, and dare I say fun 2D Mario game in decades. If you missed it on Wii U, own a Switch and love Mario, platformers, fun and just plain good games, there’s no reason not to get New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. There's just no real reason for those who've played it already to get it again.

Rival Megagun plays like a shmup but has the soul of competitive puzzle games like Super Puzzle Fighter II. Undoubtedly fun to play with others, it loses its charm when played against the AI. It's a neat idea that's been imperfectly executed, but still manages to provide a few hours of head-to-head fun.

Road Redemption is a surprisingly sincere and brutal love letter to the past and its inspirations. It may look like a junker if you glance at its battle-worn chassis, but underneath the fairing is the heart of a surprisingly addictive and fun road warrior game.

Override is a game that had so much potential and could have done something great with more ambition. In the end, no amount of oil could polish this scrap metal into something decent and enjoyable.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a prime example for anyone making the case that video games are a powerful art form. Creatively ambitious, it’s exceptionally well-thought-out and implemented – making it striking at both a sensorial and psychological level as it delves deep into an exploration of life with psychosis. It has its gameplay flaws but remains must-experience for adult audiences. An instant classic for this generation.

Just Cause 4 may be a maniacal sandbox full of explosions and action, but it’s a world that feels dull, repetitive and hollow inside as it missed the mark on being the perfect vehicle for some much-needed Christmas Catharsis.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a game many consider as the catalyst for skyrocketing battle royale from a fun mod to a full on genre. They've had a slow start to catch up to rivals but after spending significant time with the PS4 release, they're on the right track.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is more than best-of-hits collection of Smash games past. It’s a tightly woven experience that deftly combines the old with the new and manages to meet the lofty expectations placed on it. It’s incredibly easy to pick up and play, with enough depth and nuance to keep players engaged. It’s the best Smash Bros has ever been.

If you’re a die-hard football fan but also a lover of the behind the scene workings of football, this is a game that will give you all of that to your heart's content. For the rest of us football fans, I’d suggest sticking to the latest iteration of FIFA.

Cattails doesn’t quite reach the heights of the titans it attempts to mimic. Despite its flaws and shortcomings, it remains a compelling enough adventure survival simulator - one that cat lovers in particular will find plenty of joy playing.

This year’s version is a competent upgrade for the series. On its own, it stands tall as an excellent farm simulator, packed with features and with a level of complexity carefully hidden under its seemingly simple menus. Giants Software has managed to build on their game series and create an incredibly immersive game.

ABZU is at home on Nintendo’s Switch. The simplistic, but vibrant visuals shine on the Switch’s screen, and the system doesn’t falter in its presentation or performance. There’s perhaps a little more aliasing than you’d find on its bigger console and computer counterparts, but the three-hour long adventure has been faithfully ported.

For over twenty years, Pokémon has been a source of joy and adoration. If Pokémon Let’s Go is an indication of where the franchise is headed in the future, it’s easily going to enjoy another two decades of love from a whole new generation of fans.

For over twenty years, Pokémon has been a source of joy and adoration. If Pokémon Let’s Go is an indication of where the franchise is headed in the future, it’s easily going to enjoy another two decades of love from a whole new generation of fans.

Beneath the mountain of bugs, shoddy design and inconsistent performance, there’s a genuinely good adventure waiting to be experienced in Darksiders III. Unfortunately, its numerous problems are more than just annoying in nature. They’re quite simply…apocalyptic.

Fallout 76’s mundane quest and lifeless story put too much weight on the aged combat and trivial crafting for them to bear. It’s a multiplayer experiment with far too many flaws to put up with, both in its limiting player interactions and its woeful technical polish. Fallout with friends is still an idea that could work one, but that’s not what Fallout 76 is serving up.

Despite these drawbacks though, Battlefield V offers some of the most rewarding, visceral WWII action in any game out there thanks to genius little tweaks to gameplay and immersion, all produced with an audio-visual technical mastery that is second to none. With its free live-service component as well, the future for the franchise looks very good.

Hitman 2 feels like a macabre collection of dominos falling and eventually toppling one final piece in a gloriously “accidental” death that can best be summed up as an act of god when the dust has settled. A game that’s more about the journey than the destination, Hitman 2 is lengthy, gruesomely charming and still hiding plenty of secrets up its immaculately dressed sleeves.

It wants its audience to switch lenses, zoom in and accept that war involves relatable individuals on all sides. No matter the uniform they’re wearing, or where they’re from, they bear the burden of choice and consequences at a personal level, carried out in seconds and minutes, just like us.

My Hero One’s Justice may be a faithful and stylish adaptation of the hit anime series, but all the fancy graphics in the world can’t do justice to a game whose kryptonite is a severe lack of real substance.

The Reignited Trilogy is Sypro in his best purple suit, with a stunning recreation of his three adventures making you forget how rough and aged they’ve become over two decades. Its gameplay is retrospectively simplistic but still engaging, with only persisting camera issues and troublesome audio implementations getting in the way of a special return journey.

Tetris Effect is a visual and auditory treat that bombards your senses with exploding colours and punchy electronic songs. But it’s real triumph is combining this with the delicate nature of Tetris, retaining the precise gameplay while also marrying it effectively with the beat of a drum. Tetris Effect is meditative, exciting and incredibly difficult to put down.

Call of Cthulu is a deeply disappointing game, because those opening hours showed such promise. If developer Cyanide had just stuck to the bits that work – the investigation – we’d have ended up with a better game. Instead of descending into madness, it descends into tedium.

Lego DC Super-Villains is a light-hearted and surprisingly lengthy romp for the whole family. Gameplay doesn't break from the established Lego formula, and the controls can actually be frustrating at times. You'll soldier on, though, thanks to an entertaining story and lovingly-recreated DC universe – especially if you're a comics fan.

Distance is a racing game which benefits from conventional arcade mechanics, mixed with a beautiful visual style, ambient yet archaic music, and a vast collection of user-generated content. Where it starts to choke is its repeat play value, and a multiplayer that is only as good as the number of players and maps you have.

A slight downgrade in some visual effects and audio quality do little to hold back what is otherwise a great and smooth port of Dark Souls.

Diablo III Eternal Collection is a comprehensive package that bundles together all the new content and reworked mechanics Diablo III has seen over the years, which works incredibly well on the Switch’s limited hardware. It’s just a shame some control schemes aren’t as engaging to play with.

Hamstrung by slow loading times and real-world thumb-twiddling, Ghostbusters World doesn't deliver on the potential of its interesting story mode and entertaining elements.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a story of endings and new beginnings, of the birth of legends and the consequences that come with creating a myth. It’s all wrapped up in an immaculate presentation, told over dozens of hours and adventures that leads to an inevitable conclusion: Red Dead Redemption 2 raises the bar for the sandbox genre and stands tall as the definitive western game of this or any other generation.

A grand return to form for a fighting game series that’s been overstuffed for decades. It’s simple to play, tough to master, and incredibly fun. The best the series has been since SoulCalibur2, the game doesn’t do much new. Instead, it adeptly refines something we’ve played before to deliver one of the most enjoyable fighting games in years.

Fireproof Games' The Room remains an engaging, clever puzzle game. It's a delight to uncover the secrets hidden within the mechanical boxes, but the Switch version just isn't a good value proposition.

Some fans of the Call of Duty franchise may have left, but Black Ops 4 is arguably the best time to come back. This may be the best instalment of the franchise yet.

Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales quickly establishes itself as more or less the paradigm of a genre. The alchemy of its RPG roots, addictive gameplay and wonderful story make it a far more fleshed-out package than many may have expected. While non-series fans may not find too much to write home about in terms of the tale it weaves, what remains in terms of gameplay is a fundamentally worthwhile package and one that one will provide many, many hours of entertainment.

I do hope there’s more to come from FIFA in the years ahead, but for now it’s more of a fun-to-have rather than a must-have for Nintendo Switch owners.

It’s not perfect, but WWE 2K19 is a massive and fun return to form that focuses on what truly matters inside the iconic ring and delivers a pulse-pounding thrill ride that finally feels like a showcase of the immortals.

The World Ends with You is a little less fresh and exciting than it was a decade ago. But, despite a few shortcomings and the loss of dual-screen play, it’s still an incredible game and worthwhile for those who’ve yet to play it. There’s not quite enough that’s new here for returning fans though.

FIFA 19 shows that sometimes it’s not all about reinventing the game so much as it is about making improvements to what already works so well. FIFA 19 is probably the best FIFA to date, but EA will not want to repeat the tweak-performance next time out.

Astro Bot would stand tall as a platformer on its own, but it genuinely uses virtual reality to elevate it beyond that. Delightful and joyous, It’s one of the best VR games to date, and an essential part of every PSVR library.

Super Mario Party retains the whimsical and hilarious nature of its predecessors while greatly expanding on its mini-games and their complexity. It’s a joyous time with a bunch of friends or family, even if you can’t actually get any better at playing due to its heavily randomised mechanics.

In a genre that has its fair share of challengers, V Rally 4 comes in dead last thanks to its bipolar handling, meagre selection of tracks and a modest grab bag of disciplines that fails to excite any fan of dirty racing.