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.

Assassin’s Creed’s gradual evolution to RPG is complete. While it remains familiar, the deeper combat, dialogue choices and consequences have upended Assassin’s Creed’s stealthy roots to deliver a sprawling, multi-tiered historical RPG epic. It’s the culmination of the series own journey, and only fitting it be called Odyssey.

Dragon Quest 11 falters in the pacing of its story and features an unimpressive OST but at the end of the day, this game is like getting together with an old friend and hanging out on a cool summer’s day; it’s familiar and oh so comforting.

Forza Horizon 4 isn’t as surprising or inventive as the last one, but that’s hardly a slight considering how good it was. Horizon continues to shine as one of the best things on the Xbox. It’s beautiful to look at, it’s fast and it’s unbelievably fun. Forza Horizon 4 is a joyous, enthralling celebration of racing.

Despite a few issues and a dearth of modes, Firewall Zero Hour is the best multiplayer shooter available on PlayStation VR, and one of the platform’s best games. It’s exhilarating, immersive, tactical team-based fun, and one of those rare VR games that I’ll keep playing long after finishing this review.

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.

Beyond the resolution increase, improved audio mix and middling VR, there’s really not much to this remaster. The exclusion of the first game also makes recommending last gen’s collection easier.

Aside from the microtransactions and occasionally tedious load times NBA 2K19 has all the modes, polish, challenges and value you’ve come to expect from the franchise.

Destiny 2: Forsaken returns the story that Bungie began back to its roots: A power fantasy with a more sombre story, that retools the sequel to once again feel like a hobby that’s well worth investing in, even if some rough edges do still show in this adventure to enact some old school justice on some new school enemies. Exciting, mysterious and always engaging, it’s good to see Destiny 2 back on track.

F1 2018 doesn’t skimp on technically deep and rigorous racing, but its approach to appease both hardcore F1 fans and curious racing fans alike make it a title that has a much broader appeal than just the sport itself. It’s a gorgeous package with smartly designed content to keep you entertaining on and off the track, and just a darn fine racing experience around every corner.

This singular vision is perfectly at home on consoles. The experience is mirrored more or less perfectly on the controller and the addition of split-screen is a welcome one. Its characters, world and combat are a breath of fresh air in a stale genre. Though new content would not have hurt this supposed Definitive Edition, Original Sin 2 is perhaps the most compelling Role-Playing Game in a decade.

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy might rightly draw ire for its overt, unnecessary sexualisation of fighting games’ femme fatales, but its problems extend further than social problems. It's anaemic in content and the fighting itself lacks any real depth.

Battle for Azeroth, despite the endless grind, has been an exciting expansion this far. However, raids and additional content are what makes the game great. Blizzard has made the entry level into the new expansion welcoming for new players and some die-hard critics have shared their concerns with the current direction Blizzard are going with making the gaming “easier.”

A fantastic game. The on-field experience is one of the most authentic, impressive portrayals of football you are ever likely to see. It’s what happens when a team is finally completely comfortable with the engine and system. Every match feels like it offers something different and that adds to the whole experience. The on-field additions certainly make up for the lacklustre menus, the loss of licenses and the lack of innovation, but only just.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is charming and energetic, action-packed and surprisingly capable of tugging on your heart strings to deliver a one-two punch to the emotional gut. If you had to sum up Marvel’s Spider-Man in one word, nothing would be more apt than…amazing.

At its best, Strange Brigade is a solid time-killer with plenty of class and brass to its name that is best enjoyed with a few fellow adventurers at your side as you tackle co-op conundrums. Hit or miss gunplay hobbles the experience, but at least Strange Brigade has plenty of charm and style to fall back on.

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.

Overcooked 2 is a lot more of the same, but it’s a well-rounded sequel that improves on its established gameplay with small, clever refinements across the board. Add to that new online multiplayer support, a quick-fix Arcade mode and more devious kitchens to conquer, and Overcooked 2 is a perfect choice for your next co-operative craving.

A chimera of genres, Dead Cells succeeds in forging its own path with incredibly polished combat, retrotastic art design and drawing the right amount of influence from the past.

Sonic Mania is a celebration of everything that made Sonic the Hedgehog such an enduring, beloved character. Plus adds to that, making one of the best Sonic games in decades even better.

It may be almost a decade old, but Red Faction Guerrilla’s bland sandbox and story is still easily overlooked in favour of its gold standard of open-world demolition that now benefits from a substantial bump in visual quality.