Wario's relentless onslaught of microgaming still packs in a tonne of fun, especially for newcomers. For long-time Wario players, WarioWare Gold is a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to have a collection of games from across the franchise in one collection, but it also means that fatigue and familiarity can set in pretty quickly.

It's a delightfully irreverent, casual tabletop warfare game that offers some surprisingly satisfying strategy gaming. There are a few fundamental flaws that are overshadowed by slick production values and some wonderfully witty writing.

It’s definitely fun in short bursts, and is perfectly suited to the Switch with its casual, light-hearted multiplayer. That said, it’s just not especially engaging or memorable. As far as rhythm games go, this one going to be a bit like Marmite. As a rhythm game. it’s not nearly as quirky or interesting as something like Rhythm Heaven - and as a sports game, it can’t top Wii Sports. As a combination of both, it’s unique - but the sum isn’t as good as its parts.

It’s by no means a great game, but The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame does more than enough to avoid accusations of being an egregious cash-in. The simple co-op platforming coupled with the invigorated combat system deliver a game that’s a mindless bit of fun.

Forza Motorsport 7 is the exhilarating, technical racer you expect it to be when you’ve finally put rubber on the track. But outside of that it’s a mess of randomised loot boxes, microtransaction structures, tepid progression and watered down multiplayer support. A real bump in the road for this illustrious racing franchise.

With one of the most addictive turn-based battle systems you’ll find today in a JRPG, Tokyo Mirage Sessions was a blast to play. It’s just unfortunate that the story and characters were about as bland as flavourless rice cakes.

Fun, quick and light strategy game, Starships is a great introduction to strategic gameplay or for those who don't have time for a longer experience. On its own, it feels shallow and lacks extensive replay value. Not suited to PC, I think Starships will do best on mobile.

Marvel’s Avengers is both a fantastic story and a dead-average grind for meaningless loot. When everything comes together, it’s a brilliant power fantasy with heart and a true passion for its source material. Those moments are fleeting though, held back by a range of technical issues, shockingly sloppy design, and no solid idea of what kind of game it really wants to be. Some assembly, definitely required.

Anarchy Reigns is one of the cheesiest games in recent years. It’s limburger, gouda, mozzarella and various other assorted dairy products rolled up into one package of lactating violence and rap songs that will leave your head spinning and your thumbs broken. But if you happen to take a bite of that cheddar, you might just fall in love with it.

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.

Despite the inconsistent difficulty and the terrible camera, it’s still a vastly superior game to the original release – by a long, long way. It’s infinitely more fun to play, looks and runs better and features buckets upon buckets more blood and gore.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity falters greatly in its narrative. The time-traveling aspect felt like a cheap and easy way to rewrite history without actually adding much to the established lore. That said, this did allow Princess Zelda to shine which ended up being a pleasant surprise. The gameplay is the main hook and it’s a bloody fun one at that. There is lots to love here if you can ignore the weak story.

Ark: Survival Evolved is far from being complete, what with its many bugs and a feature bloat that doesn’t always hit the nail on the head. And yet, it’s still an addictive grind that proves that life can find a way.

Backbone presents the player with an intriguinging world, populated by interesting characters that drive it’s often depressing and strange story home to what feels like an eventually inevitable conclusion. It’s just a pity that the minute-to-minute gameplay is not only uninspired, but it’s also rather boring.

Make no mistake about Paper Monsters Recut. This game will not push your platforming skills to the limit, it is a simple platformer that is aimed at a much younger audience, but if you give in to your casual side and give it a go, you might just end up enjoying it.

Some interesting new approaches to classes that are now familiar, the DLC brings some cool things to the table. While it can't fix the core issues with the game, it adds some fresh content for those who are still playing and looking for something new.

Semblance is a frequently delightful, innovative platformer that's all about breaking the rules. When it’s at its best, it’s devilishly clever, but it has a curiously stilted pacing and flow. Its subversive take on mouldable platforming is fun to play, but ultimately its underutilised core concepts will leave you wanting more.

Pulse is a great idea, translating the isolation of being blind into a funky adventure of discovery. It's just not much more than that really, as the concept can be short-sighted in the long run.

A vertical shoot-em-up that does its best to modernise the genre with an upgrade and progression system. It successfully captures the spirit of older games of its ilk, but the perpetual grind may dissuade many players.

Project Warlock has its moments, but the retro good comes with some nostalgic bad. If you’re able to look past its flaws, there’s a chunky and satisfying first-person shooter that still manages to be a blast from the past when you get to grips with it.

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.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind are well-told and compelling mystery games presented in a loving remake that improves on the original titles while sometimes remaining a little too faithful to outdated designs.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind are well-told and compelling mystery games presented in a loving remake that improves on the original titles while sometimes remaining a little too faithful to outdated designs.

DESYNC mixes fast-paced action with gnarly visuals of a bygone era, living up to a promise that that it’ll kick 50 shades of neon out of your butt and then some. Your mileage on such punishing and relentless gameplay however, might vary depending on your tolerance for pain and synth.

EVE: Valkyrie is a delight to play, with tight and accessible controls. It’s the space-bound dogfighting dream you’ve always wanted, but a lack of single player content and some nasty microtransactions take the shine out of it all.

Surprisingly deep enough, flashy and cathartic, Screamride is its own roller-coaster beast, even if it is uneven at times. But thrill-seeking fans will be in for a treat with a game that will have your buttocks firmly clenched with vertigo-inducing action.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is exactly what you'd expect a remake of Capcom's classic: It's painfully difficult to the point of parody, but it also features gorgeous visuals and imaginatively punishing design to create a beautiful knightmare.

There is nothing wrong with FIFA 15 and it plays great, but so did FIFA 14 and for the first time in a long time I cannot find a reason to upgrade. If you have FIFA 14 then just stick with it, you’re not missing out on anything.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst is a flawed but ultimately fun and fast-paced monster hunting game that provides some of the most extensive customization options this genre has to offer.

The roguelike elements didn’t quite work out for me, but I’m sure Sundered will find its audience. Though I learned not to hate them, I would have preferred if the game stuck closer to tradition. It becomes a good game, but until you really become acquainted with how it works, it can be a frustrating and monotonous slog.

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.

Is Vikings: Wolves of Midgard the kind of game that you can have a run at and finish in around the 12-15 hours it’ll take to finish its campaign? Absolutely. Just don’t expect it to be able to keep a grip on you once the end credits have thawed out.

All ages gameplay, a colourful world to explore and a platforming mascot who has some potential to join the legends of the genre in the years to come. Super Lucky’s Tale won’t push your skills too far when it comes to its imaginative level design, but it’ll still be a cathartic way to wrap up the year thanks to its nostalgic focus on the past.

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.

Dex is gorgeous to look at, has a captivating story to engage in and is downright frustrating when you need to fight your way out of danger.

Mortal Shell is an excellent entry in the Souls-like space with some fantastic ideas around character progression and combat, but is unfortunately let down by a health system that discourages exploration and an element of tedium that unnecessarily pads out encounters.

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).

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.

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.

Like its setting, The Shore is both rugged and stunning. While lacking finesse and complexity in gameplay, the Lovecraftian horror adventure is unquestionably impressive as an almost one-man indie effort. Standing out from other Cthulhu Mythos games, The Shore is stuffed with cinematic moments that establish the scale and otherness of its universe. It’s very brief, but that helps make a detour to The Shore worthwhile.

Crimsonland has always been a book that you can judge by its cover: A loud and silly twin-stick shooter that throws buckets of enemies at you as you fend them off. Not the most complex game ever devised, it’s still a firm slice of action that’s perfect for killing aliens and time.

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.

While the game is fun and quirky, it's far better suited to its original home on handhelds. On the PS4, it simply doesn't hold up as a fully fledged game. However, for that price, it certainly is worthwhile if you're looking for something fun to play while waiting for all your other PS4 games' patches and updates.

A flawed game at times, but an equalling captivating one in others. It’s repetitive gameplay loops and standard mechanics hide an engrossing tale grounded by top of the class performances. It’s a tale that pays off in closing, if only just barely.

If this is a celebration, then it's a muted one. I'm not sure Singstar will ever relive its glory days, but Celebration is a decent karaoke game that doesn't need extra accessories and peripherals. It's fun and infinitely better than singing along to your favourite song on the radio, pretending your hairbrush or potato peeler is a microphone.

Tricky Towers is an okay single-player game, but you’re going to want this Tetris-inspired skyscraper builder for some couch co-op. It’s easy enough to grasp, but it’d be a whole lot more satisfying if the balance of the game wasn’t heavily favouring the luck of the draw over actual player skill.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn't really Metroid game, then. But if you can set aside your preconceptions of what Metroid game is, you'll find a more than competent first person shooter that’s fun to play - even if it is let down by some odd design decisions and a lack of checkpoints.

It should be an easier purchase to make if you haven’t played DDD before, but other than that, it’s hard to recommend this collection if you’re only getting it for 0.2, however awesome it may be. I do also understand just how starved Kingdom Hearts fans are however, so do know what you’re getting yourself into, but take solace in the fact that even though 0.2 is short, it’s a thrilling ride.

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 worthwhile attempt to bring one of the most seminal shooters to VR. Gory and visceral lead-based exorcism, let down by some frustratingly inadequate controls.

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.

XCOM 2 on Switch is a functional, enjoyable port that falls prey to some of the weaker hardware offered by Nintendo. If you can look past all the performance issues and long-ish load times, XCOM 2 continues to be one of the best strategy games ever published.

Though it fails to live up to the promise of its biggest ideas, Knack is a good game, a solid a challenging old-school adventure for gamers young and old.

Shu is great in its presentation, but falters with its raw mechanics. It provides a solid, albeit simple platforming 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.

Lara Croft’s final adventure in her revival trilogy is easily her weakest yet. Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s story fails to critique the heroine in the many ways it attempts, while aging gameplay mechanics and troublesome new additions undercut deeply satisfying exploration and an exquisite visual presentation.

It’s a simple well-presented trivia game’s perfect for quick, bite-sized casual gaming for the whole family. Its questions aren’t nearly as varied or interesting as the ones you’d find in You don’t Know Jack, but they definitely have broader appeal. If trivia’s something you enjoy, and you miss games like Buzz, Knowledge is Power is lot of fun.

Though its brevity's become it's biggest talking point, there's much more to Ground Zeroes than meets the eye. Beyond that it's accessible, featuring the most fluid stealth the series has shown - and delivers a promising glimpse at the future of Metal Gear Solid.

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.

Airplane Mode is everything you’d expect from a well-crafted flight simulator where you’re not in control: Boring, hopeless, and a dangerous invitation into the depths of your own unhinged psyche brought on by a high altitude prison that you paid to be incarcerated in. It’s almost the end of the year, and I think I’ve just found the winner of the best horror game of 2020.

If you've been waiting for an MMO on Xbox One, this is an easy recommendation. It's not particularly deep or intricate, but there's enough content to keep you busy for a long while. The frame rates are a significant problem, but probably won't deter anyone from playing the game.

While its premise is absurd, Sushi Striker's core action/puzzle mechanics are undeniably fun and initially addictive. It wears a little thin though, with the campaign becoming laborious well before it comes to an end. Thankfully the multiplayer is superb, and is a perfect fit for both the 3DS and the Switch.

It has its flaws and combat can get boring, but compared to many of the other F2P games out there, Destiny of Spirits stands on its own as a decent example of F2P done right.

Technomancer makes a valiant effort to be the next big open world RPG and comes close to achieving it, but in the end it feels like the developer was trying to fit too many things in to one game.

The Farce is strong in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as TT Games doesn't deviate too far away from their usual formula of puzzles and slapstick.

Miitopia still retains its charm as it hops from 3DS to Switch, as well as a decent upgrade in the visual department. It's no 100-hour epic, but it's a cute and quirky little RPG that makes for an adorable distraction when you need to let your brain rest for a bit.

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.

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.

Malicious Fallen is often frustrating but it’s also capable of providing some incredible highs. Give it a chance, and it might just surprise you.

As Marvel games go, Iron Man VR doesn’t quite hit the high mark set by the superlative Spider-Man, but it’s an often engaging and exhilarating experience to step into shellhead’s signature armour. Long load times, overused padding and poor writing mar what would otherwise be the ultimate Iron Man adventure.

Infamous: First Light provides a bite-sized experience, a mere sliver of Second Son. It mirrors that games main themes and focuses on the best of its powers, but is let down a little by its bfrevity.

Romantic relationships have their ups and downs, and players will likely go through the same experience with Maquette, which seesaws between satisfying and frustrating. Charming world design and bittersweet relationship observations are offset by a couple of opaque puzzles and patches of gameplay clunkiness (bad enough to force level restarts), which mar the overall sense of enjoyment.

Pure Farming 2018 suffers from tedium that masks itself as originality, which only highlights how similar it is to others. There is very little reason to recommend it over its competitors, but that's only because of similarity; not a lack of quality. If you're looking for an intro to farming games, then you may find a chilled and informative experience here.

Frustrations aside, Rainbow Moon is well worth the money. If you’ve played it before, there really isn’t a reason to buy this game again but if you’re one of the people that has yet to try it out, be prepared for a long but ultimately fun grind.

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.

Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015 is a surprisingly polished product. Though unnecessarily explicit and somewhat controversial, it does provides a selection of some rather fun minigames, which will steal at least a few hours of your time.

Exploring the world and causing trouble was really satisfying, but the appeal disappears as soon as you realise there is only one map. Hopefully Steam Workshop expands on the ideas here, otherwise it may not have much lasting appeal. A multiplayer mod is a must for the future of Goat Simulator.

It’s beautiful, it’s charming and its insights are given greater punch by exceptional voice acting. Yet, despite ticking so many boxes, The Magnificent Trufflepigs never manages to find the sweet spot of player satisfaction due to some odd, clashing design choices.

The change in tone set by the last episode continues, and for a while is darker and sombre than a children’s game should be. And, by the end of it, it feels like the story’s come to a close, though there’s still another episode left.

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.

While it makes an excellent party game, I’m not sure that I see Crimsonland having much longevity beyond that. It will definitely come out from time to time when I want to coordinate with friends or family to kill all the things, but it’s not particularly memorable as more than a retro action shooter brought back to life on PS4.

With a lengthy campaign and a ton of post-game content, Rainbow Moon is well worth the R125 price tag and while it does it have its flaws, the addictive grinding and fun battles coupled with excellent music will keep you coming back for more.

L.A. Noire is still a strange, sometimes brilliant game that you should try at least once. But if you’re returning to try and recapture what enjoyment you might have had with it six years ago, you might find yourself staring at a package that hasn’t aged well at all.

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.

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.

Appearing out of nowhere, more than a decade after the original game's release, Titan Quest: Ragnarok is a welcome and nostalgic treat for fans of the action-RPG franchise who longed for more. But despite the glowing nostalgia and overall thrill of being back in this world, this expansion has its flaws with unnecessarily boring bits and a dated presentation.

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.

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 hard to deny that it is a fun thing to play with family and friends – even if the formula is in dire need of a shake-up. Its focus on having fun over meticulously learning dance steps makes its a great game for all ages, though it's “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it" approaches wearing a bit thin.

Sparkle is an admirable choice for Vita owners who are fans of marble shooting. It’s nothing new, but it’s a cheaply priced game that’s liable to earn hours of your time.

When it all comes together, Rainbow Six Siege offers some of the best multiplayer action you'll experience this generation, but the anaemic content and lack of a cohesive single player campaign mar what should be one of this year's best shooters.

The Surge is a flawed but ultimately enjoyable action RPG. While it can be incredibly frustrating at times, the fantastic combat and body part targeting system does enough to overshadow the bad parts.

DOOM is a technological marvel to behold on the Switch, and the fact that id Software got it working at all seems like a miracle. But the magic comes with some heavy concessions, making DOOM on Nintendo’s handheld a more difficult recommendation for Switch players than any other platform.

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.

Beyond: Two Souls biggest criticisms don't come from the fact that it's not a "game," but rather from the fact that its very core, the story it hinges itself on, isn't as good as it should be. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far.

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.

TT Isle of Man: Ride On The Edge is a definitive race around a legendary and lethal track, one that captures the thrill and joy of two-wheeled power unleashed with a satisfying and strapping sense of speed. A pity then, that the rest of the supporting architecture doesn’t measure up.

It’s a game that could have used some more polish. The experience gets clunky at times, the user interface can be needlessly complex, gameplay can be unbalanced and the general visual appearance can be decidedly uglier. But there is more than meets the eye here; State of Decay does offer value for money, in a way that few modern blockbuster-budgeted games can, for a mere third of the price that you’d usually pay in the end.