It makes you think, it makes you smile and it compels you to play just one more level. Flat out, the most addictive platform game ever created, if not one of the most addictive games ever created.

This is the pinnacle of adventuring, Zelda style. It takes the core elements that fans know and love from Nintendo's long-standing series, and mixes it smoothly in with gorgeous open-world exploration of Xenoblade Chronicles, to craft something so breath-taking and absorbing that hours upon hours will pass by without notice, and barely any progress will have actually been made in the main story because there were so many other aspects to take in and play around with, as well as sub-missions that fit so naturally into the core quest. Nintendo has outdone itself with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - absolutely sublime work.

Few single-player experiences excel simultaneously at telling a deep and poignant story, whilst also providing the player with such a huge extent of freedom and possibility. The universe is exceedingly broad, varied, and beautiful, not to mention overflowing with interesting characters, wildlife, and things to do. The sense of polish and finer details really bring things together, along with the excellent musical score, fantastic voice acting and the title's intense and visceral cinematic qualities. Fans of the original Red Dead Redemption will be enamoured by the sequel. It doesn't just accentuate the West, but animates it on a new level, with a greater sense of life, community, and narrative. It's epic.

The wait is over; the pinnacle of 3D adventures has arrived in the form of Super Mario Odyssey. It beggars belief just how much Nintendo has packed into this latest outing, without compromising the core Mario goodness of the past. Just as with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Mario series has now reached a special new level of greatness that will be hard to surpass in the future. The Nintendo Switch is fast becoming the hottest platform, crammed full of sublime quality gaming experiences like this fantastic new escapade.

If it really is the last major title that the Wii U ever sees, then it's a fantastic way to bow out - The Legend of Zelda has never been so perfect.

With a vast world to explore with varied stories and secrets to discover, Baldur's Gate 3 definitely shines. The cast is largely appealing and voice acting is top notch all-around, even if the storytelling and line delivery is varied in its pace. Character progression is somewhat weak in the opening levels but has a strong foundation for a great buildcraft experience, even if it lacks some on the fly experimentation seen in Larian's past efforts. Despite some performance woes in the later parts of the game and controller hangups, this is a journey worth taking for fans of Dungeons & Dragons or those new to the role playing field.

Elden Ring serves as a testament to open world video game design. There is a true sense of accomplishment once that rock-hard enemy has been slain and, something that compels a player to relentlessly do it over and over again until they succeed is truly rewarding. The world is humongous and an epitome of how exploration should be encouraged, by intriguing players to see what is over the hill. Elden Ring is an unmissable, must-play, gaming experience with surprises galore.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom accomplishes that incredibly difficult task of following up a critically acclaimed game. It hooks, teases and surprises at every turn. Another essential game for the Nintendo Switch and chapter in the ever-expanding Hylian story.

The original Persona 5 was already a joy to play; however, this version definitely steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the park. If Persona 5 was a perfectly executed and baked sponge cake, Persona 5 Royal is the same perfect sponge cake... but now filled with lashings of jam and cream. Everything that has been added has been amazingly well implemented. This is a wonderful title, regardless of whether or not it is compared to the original… which is still a delectable sponge cake! The story, characters, music, gameplay, and animation - everything comes together and creates an experience that is the personification of JRPG perfection. Incredibly unique and enjoyable!

A post-apocalyptic road trip that offers a fantastic, riveting experience, where destruction and beauty, and hope and despair, get entwined in a way that’s nothing short of genius, The Last of Us is so good that its somewhat repetitive, and occasionally dull gameplay isn’t enough to rob it of its rightful place amongst the video game greats. Therefore, if looking for an unforgettable action-adventure, with strong cinematic sensibilities, and a heavy emphasis in adult, character-driven storytelling, look no further than Naughty Dog’s classic, especially now that the remastered version has made the original even more stunning.

An already amazing game made even better, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is superb in this upgraded format. Technically much more sound and with fun little extras, this is the definitive edition and a killer addition to the Switch 2 library. It's a shame that, ultimately, Zelda Notes is separate from the game, but it does add some great extra content for those willing to download and sync up.

The real star is the fluid combat, realistic visuals, and the rousing set-pieces. It is unclear how far the PlayStation 4's architecture is being pushed, but it wouldn't be surprising if God of War is pushing it to its absolute limit because there is never a moment when it does not look stunning. There is a so much to like that the weaker aspects get drowned out and easily ignored and pulling that off is no easy feat.

There are few games that command the title of Masterpiece. Without any doubt whatsoever, Metroid Prime Remastered is fully deserving of this moniker. The fact that minimal changes had to be made to a game that is 21 years old is a true testament of the original game design, gameplay loop and art direction. The icing on the cake for Metroid Prime Remastered is obviously the enhanced visuals and a control scheme that is far more fitting for the modern era. The Nintendo GameCube version may now lay to rest, as Metroid Prime Remastered is the definitive method to play this outstanding masterpiece.

An excellent remake of the much loved Nintendo 64 classic: refreshed, renewed but still very much familiar and fun.

Finally, being able to play Persona 5 Royal on the go is truly a dream come true. There are some downgrades due to the limitations of the Nintendo Switch, but the balance between downgrades and retaining enjoyability has been perfected. It is, at last, time to steal some hearts while out and about.

As someone who repeatedly had the Witcher series suggested by other reviewers and then digging in the heels and refusing to try it, what was missed was one of the best games created on a modern console. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt deserves all the plaudits it receives and in its new next gen update, there really is no better way to experience it. Although lacking in new content, the quality-of-life features and sheer beauty of the whole thing make this well worth a revisit.

Elden Ring is an experience that will not be forgotten in a hurry. It's a tremendous, hulking, massive achievement but because it is tremendous, hulking and massive, it is one that comes with many caveats. The shelves in CeX and conversations with people who stopped playing at Stormveil castle can certainly attest to some of those caveats. Much like any FromSoftware title, it's not going to be for everybody, but paradoxically it is one of their hardest and one of their most accessible to date. It offers huge value in one package, and perhaps is a little too much value, only becoming clearer when nearing the endgame. Don't be mistaken by the criticism, though. This is a phenomenal achievement with a moment-to-moment that is incredibly engaging and immersive. No doubt it will be deserving of the end-of-year accolades it will inevitably receive. One pushes through Elden Ring as one pushes through life, with all the highs and the lows that it brings.

Epic, beautiful and quite wonderfully Nintendo in its almost sexual brilliance. Arousing stuff.

The Last of Us Part II's purposely bleak, pessimistic narrative spares no one, and offers a deeply engrossing tale of vengeance that grabs and never lets go. The production values, and overall attention to detail are insane, making one wonder what the developer will do when it gets its hands on the PlayStation 5. The gameplay and overall structure and pacing, while still not the thing that matters here, is thrice as good, making this a far more enjoyable experience, with a higher replay value from the original.

It's strange to see an 18 rated title on DS (and it certainly earns it), but Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars fits into the library well and should be seen as something approaching an essential purchase for owners of the system.

Tetris Effect: Connected is a beautiful game and a great multiplayer-focused refresh of the initial PlayStation 4 game. The visuals are gorgeous and deserve to be experienced in VR. Depending on the display, HDR or SDR colour ranges might not look right until some tweaking is done outside of the game. However, once it clicks this is one of the best puzzle games and definitely a fantastic way to play Tetris in its modern format solo or with others.

Hades is just all around good. From its tremendous voice acting and intriguing story to its fun combat and insanely addicting gameplay loop, there is little wrong here. Graphically it's a little dated and its difficulty wall will be off-putting to many, but these are about the only major issues. Otherwise, the fun of trying "just one more time" mixed with trying to get all the right power ups in a run is a rare entertaining time. Fans of Rogue-likes owe it to themselves to check this out, especially since it is less than half the price of AAA titles.

It's more than just a simple Mario title with multiplayer bolted on. The game weaves together a plethora of unique, compelling and occasionally downright bizarre ideas that simply work.

Absolutely, absurdly, ungodly, good. An honest to Gods masterpiece, the likes of which are rarely seen anymore. As fun on the first run as on the fiftieth. What makes a Roguelike special is one that can keep the player engaged long term and there are so many little elements that will keep its audience coming back again and again. It's hard to find a flaw. To find a way this could be better. Supergiant have set their bar high here, delivering a game that will be used as an example in numerous areas for years to come. Following on from Transistor, and Bastion, it's exciting to see what they'll do next.

Persona 5 is an absolutely amazing game that convinces with its art style, music and story. It has anything one could ask for such a game and more. The turn-based battle system offers a wide array of opportunities. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is definitely recommended to give it a go.

The beauty of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is that it extracts the key core elements that make the series so impressive in the first place and brings along a large does of familiarity, but then goes on to mix in a whole host of newly-styled dungeons, brand new puzzles that appeal to a broad audience, as well as superb 1:1 sword control that actually needs to be mastered for progression rather than being added as a gimmick or just for show and a twist on the normal storyline.

Beat Saber feels like the title that has propelled VR gaming into the mainstream and its effect on inspiring a whole host of other developers to enter this space cannot be underestimated. The core gameplay loop here is one the whole family can get involved in and it is not an over exaggeration to say this game can consume hours once it gets its hooks in. The BTS tracks are a welcome addition and if there is one band whose music seems to fit perfectly with this, it surely has to be theirs. Energetic, bombastic and addictive - prepare to be replaying Dynamite a lot to perfect its tough beat map. While some will argue the game itself and subsequent packs are ever so slightly overpriced, with multiplayer now active and the ability to add as many custom songs as one desires, for any VR owner this is simply a must-buy.

There always seems to be areas that Nintendo doesn't quite expand on - and with the removal of descriptive Trophies whilst using copy-pasted official art for Spirits, and the absolutely pitiful online mode setup and features contained within, it's difficult to say that this really is the ultimate Smash game. Regardless, it is a fantastic celebration of not just Nintendo, but video games in general, and it will provide months, if not years, of both solo and multiplayer mayhem.