Fast, frantic, and far more addictive than it initially lets on, Windjammers is a wild reimagining of Pong, with a well-rounded competitive edge. While there isn't too much depth in terms of what players can pull off, the core mechanics make each round a thrill, emphasizing fast paced action above all else. As expected, the online scene is far from thriving, but playing locally or just with CPUs more than gets the job done. Windjammers is a welcome reminder of how chaotic the arcade scene was in the early '90s.

Those eager for another compelling, robust and utterly pleasant farming sim will find a wealth of fun to be had in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. This remake of the title that started it all is impressively complete and has a few new surprises in store, making it essential for genre fans. The bazaar mechanic further ups the ante and ensures every in-game week culminates in something exciting, making this one of the freshest and most enjoyable expressions of the classic farming sim experience.

Life is Strange: True Colors is a complete title that will take around nine to ten hours to finish. This might prove a bit steep for the price, but the pacing and character work do well to make this story worth the time. The colourful visuals compliment Alex's power, but there are a few rough patches along the way. Despite the soundtrack of original and licensed songs blending into the world, the Live Stream mode is half baked and should be revisited in the future because as a shared experience; this game shines with complexion.

It is clear that Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has been crafted with passion and love of the long-running series. The breathtaking scenery, emotion-filled cutscenes and new elements focusing on being an earth dancer takes the beloved adventure-filled world in an exciting new direction that holds hope for more innovation in future titles.

It may not be as updated as some may have liked, but that certainly does not prevent Nintendo from having another top quality game on 3DS now.

Episode 1: Roads sets Life is Strange 2 up for potentially great things, but the entertaining moments are extremely fleeting in what is clearly intended to be an emotionally-driven adventure that works to set the tone for what is to come, with particular value placed on the story of brotherhood. The supernatural element at play as the main plot device is interesting, but it again only works to serve as a teaser for what is lying further down the road for the brothers. Not as gripping as season one, but this short episode does its job.

It might, for better or worse, feel like Apollo Justice 2 to some, but the way the story unfolds over the five cases is magnificent and leaves players - new and old, alike - hungry for much more.

Codemasters truly are the experts of their craft. DIRT 5 is a step in a different direction that will be met with some fans not enjoying the rather arcade-style gameplay, but it is absolute joy for those do like this type of fast-fluid party action. There is enough variation in track diversity thanks to the dynamic weather and track terrain conditions to help keep DIRT 5 fresh.

Yet GoldenEye 007 could have gotten away without using that namesake as, against all perceptions upon initial reveal, this re-imaging is strong enough to stand on its own and, aside from a few online limitations and control niggles, it is easily one of Wii's best shooters.

Dungeon Encounters is a very difficult game to fault for its premise. It has very specific goals and it achieves them, much to the chagrin of the player and it achieves its goals thoroughly. This is definitely not something for the average Square Enix fan and caters more towards gamers who enjoy the likes of The Dark Spire or very old dungeon crawlers. Expect to have to rely on imagining the adventure and the battles, because of how nothing is ever realised in text or visuals. This is a hard title to recommend to general audiences, but for those who are truly hardcore RPG maniacs, Dungeon Encounters might be worth exploring.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War has high production values and is a fun open-world slashathon, but it's stretched thin. The storyline starts off promising, but all of the interesting characters get pushed aside to make room for nothing of consequence. Hours upon hours are lost to the abyss as players engage in a relentless cycle of gear upgrades and Orc recruits. Assaulting fortresses and conquering territory loses its appeal a bit too quickly. The game is pretty entertaining in short bursts, especially when Talion can make full use of his powerful abilities. Still, the lack of finesse when it comes to combat will make fighting feel a bit bothersome. The Ranger is at his best when he's eliminating the opposition with surgical precision, or making use of hazards in the environment. All in all, this title is worth a look; just don't expect to grow too attached to it.

New Cinema Labyrinth is wonderful for series fans. For Persona fans waiting on Persona 5 the Royale, this is a great way to fill the gap and is worth the price of admission just to watch the characters from these different games interact together. With so many inside jokes that fans will truly appreciate. Admittedly, the level design could be much better, with the labyrinths themselves a pale comparison to the Etrian Odyssey mazes it mimics. Thankfully, the addictive mapping, Persona-inspired combat, wealth of side-quests and the solid story combine to more than make up for its flaws.

Catherine: Full Body's narrative contributions may ultimately serve to hinder what was an otherwise thoughtfully written story about self-discovery, but the overall improvement when it comes to gameplay is almost staggering. With hundreds of brand-new stages to play through - both in the main game and in Super Rapunzel - along with deep online multiplayer, this is a remake that offers so much high quality content that it's difficult not to see the whole package as a complete upgrade. In fact, with so much content to play through, it's almost easy to forget just how poorly paced the new scenes are at times. When it comes down to it, Rin isn't nearly as interesting an addition as the new items and blocks are. If nothing else, Catherine: Full Body is far and away the definitive way to play the game… Just not the best way to experience the story.

Just like other games with similar mechanics it can be played without partaking in spending more money, but the grind will certainly put some casuals off ever investing a lot of time. Despite this, WWE fans will most likely be pleased with the refinements to the wrestling and updated roster, and if that is the case it is certainly a warranted purchase, but WWE 2K23 still leaves a desire for more.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 a lot of fun, with tons and tons of Easter eggs to prior games, all variations of humour, and loads of weapons and characters. There is very little negative to point at. The raw variety of characters, from the bold and aggressive to the fun and silly, to the dark and serious somehow all fits together. All of the upgrades to acquire for weapons, items and soldiers leads to a great experience of wanting to play one more level shooting up some aliens.

MadWorld definitely earns its place as one of Wii's must-have titles and completes a trinity of hugely enjoyable, quirky, mature titles on the system that don't forget what games are all about, the other two being No More Heroes and The House of the Dead: Overkill.

Although Going Under is a short venture where the art style and humour may not be for everyone, the fun action, creative world, and addictive gameplay make this an excellent roguelite well worth the work hours. And again, Jackie can pat the office dachshund!

This is a lengthy action platformer geared towards kids that will get mileage out of those that previously enjoyed Goemon titles back in the day. There are many similarities between Konami's sidelined franchise and BAKERU, but Good-Feel's latest release suffers from repetitive gameplay and a poor frame rate that hinders enjoyment. There is a strong appeal to the Japanese themes and setting, along with a cartoon style, child-friendly story and low difficulty that means all age groups can appreciate it. Just don't expect something quite reaching the qualities of Nintendo's top platformers.

The wait was worth it for this puzzle mashup, as Puyo Puyo Tetris embodies everything great about its namesakes, and compliments the host hardware perfectly. Concerns arise about the lack of Japanese voice work as an option, but as an overall package of content and pure replayability there are few better crossovers than this one.

There are some clever ideas thrown in that try to improve on the original game's plot, along with a handful of entertaining characters in amongst the obnoxious ones, as well as great use of 3D, but End Layer should be played for its battle and job systems first and foremost, provided the original title was enjoyed.

There's a huge amount of addictive gameplay on offer in Plants VS Zombies, all tied up in a humorous package that is perfect for short and long play sessions. Another success for PopCap that will keep many players busy for a good while, Plants VS Zombies is no weed.

Assassin's Creed: Origins is an absolutely stellar return to form and even those who have previously not enjoyed the series would be wise to give it a second shot here. The new combat design is a big improvement, the world is rich, the story compelling; there is a lot to like here and it also massively returns on its investment thanks to the amount of content.

The Wii U was filled with some absolutely wonderful releases, many of which were criminally underrated and missed out on by so many fans. Seeing them return on Switch is wonderful, and the on-the-go functionality of the system allows for even more ways to play. For its current low price, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Special Episode is well worth it. The initial description of recycled levels sounds a little off-putting, feeling that this could be a cheap, low-effort tack-on. It isn't. The new levels are filled with fantastic designs, while the remakes are complete overhauls, almost indistinguishable from their originals.

Boasting the best script, best overworld, and best pacing the series has ever seen, Tales of Vesperia stands out as the single strongest entry in the franchise. Though later entries do feature stronger casts and gameplay mechanics, this is not lacking in either department. The members of Brave Vesperia all share an excellent amount of chemistry with one another, and the combat, while comparatively simple, actually thrives in how easy to pick up but difficult to master it can be.

Pinball FX3: Jurassic World Pinball is a great addition for any pinball-lover who already has a huge collection of tables, or for someone starting out. Featuring the three tables from the hit franchise, this stays true to its source by having many iconic scenes. The only thing that's basically missing from these moments is the epic score by John Williams, which does detract from the overall feel of this pack. The tables themselves vary in difficulty, while featuring interesting skill shots, as well as various missions to combat the lose dinosaur threat running rampant across the park. With an imposing T-Rex, Stegosaurus, as well as the Indominus Rex standing guard on the tables, this is a must-have pinball pack for franchise-lovers, who will find plenty of Easter Eggs to satiate them.

This really is a mini-masterpiece.

Purists may lament that this isn't a true update of the original Ninja Gaiden II, as Ninja Gaiden II Black uses the Sigma 2 port as its base, but what has been put together here is still an incredibly fulfilling hack and slash action game that absolutely is one of the best in the genre. In a time where more and more franchises are going down the open and freer route, this is a reminder that a more linear and confined approach works wonders for this type of game.

A very good game with loads of content to it. It can last you ages if you're the imaginative type who likes to play around with words and, quite simply, play god, and that imagination will be stretched by the game's demands for unique items. Super Scribblenauts is a sure bet if you're after a different sort of puzzle game.