eFootball PES 2020 is a near-perfect football sim that deserves your attention.

GreedFall has some of the most compelling characters and storylines so far this year. Unfortunately, they're buried by dated technology and a serious lack of polish.

On the overall spectrum of FF titles, while not the worst, FF8 is neatly placed in the middle — some great ideas, but at the cost of a confusing tale.

Gears 5 is a beautiful balancing act of new and old, and it manages to offer the franchise’s trademark action and gore while telling a compelling story that sets up the future of the series in a big way.

WRC 8 is finally a true match for the Dirt series with its authentic presentation, engrossing gameplay, and varied selection of vehicles and circuits.

Though River City Girls may be called a side story in this universe, it has become one of my favorite games of the year.

Green Hell wants to put you through hell and back in an uncompromising and original survival experience with one of the best narratives the genre has ever provided to boot.

With a new love interest, a new ending, hours of new content and a gameplay system that’s unlike anything out there, Catherine: Full Body is a brilliant remaster of a cult hit.

Hunt: Showdown is an incredibly intense and sometimes nerve-racking game that will require a lot from you. In return, it delivers an experience and a world you will have a hard time finding anywhere else.

If you can forgive some of its cheesy narrative moments and glitches, Man of Medan shows promise for a future franchise. You just have to play with a friend to fully appreciate it.

The wolf brothers have faced a lot since they left Seattle, but “Faith” ups the ante in one of the best episodes so far, even if it could do with just a bit more gameplay.

The marvel of evolution gives way to a gameplay loop that quickly irritates without enough variety to spice it up, which, when combined with poor combat, fiddly controls, and repetitive crafting, all add up to an experience that might drive you bananas.

Bugbear have once again proven they’re the rulers of destructive driving games with arguably their best effort yet, stripping away the unnecessary parts of their previous series and focusing on what works.

One of the most innovative shooters in years is now one of the most innovative shooters on the Switch.

Even if you’ve played them many times in the past, there’s something about this Switch port that feels fresh, providing a welcome reminder of just how brilliant both games are in their own distinctive ways.

What Oninaki promises is a thoughtful, expertly-crafted and gorgeously-animated story that will have you seeing it through to the end and into the Beyond.

From the Ashes is a brilliant game that takes what is good about Soulsborne and combines it with a satisfying co-op shooter.

Rad could and should become one of 2019's greatest sleeper hits.

Terrible balancing, repetitive gameplay, and a scarcity of content make Vicious Circle feel like a game that wasn't ready to be hatched.

Even if it may take you quicker than an afternoon nap to dust off, Darq is an experience that horror fans won't want to miss.

The issue is that it is trying to nail something that started to feel stale almost 20 years ago when a little game called Half-Life came out and changed everything.

Resort Boss: Golf tees off well, but by the time it gets to the green it’s a little under-par.

Despite its faults, Bear With Me has a lot of charm and heart. It likely won't blow you away, but there is enough content with The Complete Collection to warrant your attention.

Damsel is a fast paced and stylish affair that keeps your heart racing with intense gameplay, despite some eventual repetitiveness.

When it works, Friday the 13th is a truly exciting bout of cat-and-mouse gameplay that offers plenty of thrills and tense moments, but technical issues, clunkiness and a laborious levelling grind can add up to frustration.

While Metal Wolf Chaos XD isn’t about to set the world on fire with its stellar graphics, revolutionary gameplay or thought provoking and hard hitting narrative, it does hold a place as unique and ridiculous piece of gaming history, and I’m glad the West has been given a chance to properly celebrate it.

The depth of Planetfall's decision-making, presentation, unique features and overall high quality of polish alone warrant a look.

The Blackout Club is an often brilliant evolution of the co-op multiplayer experience that is weakened by the repetitive nature of its core gameplay along with a discouraging grind.

And even though it’s throwing a pack of quite disparate elements into one weird cocktail, the result doesn’t taste half bad.

There’s a sad irony in the fact that The New Order was so refreshing as it didn’t rely on tired modern FPS conventions like cover shooting and regenerating health, yet here’s Youngblood trying to get a slice of the homogenised live service pie with systems and mechanics that feel completely alien for the franchise.

Fantasy Strike’s philosophy of a truly “accessible” fighting game is a successful one, with plenty to love for new fighting games players and veterans alike.

Technical and pacing issues aside, the writing of Night Call is what makes it such a fascinating and, at times, enthralling game. Sit back with a cup of coffee and become an unofficial therapist for a few hours with this dark descent into Paris.

Redeemer is a deeply flawed game that manages to provide moments of fun but too often feels frustrating and under-developed.

Etherborn is a beautiful and innovative puzzle-platformer that can often be headache inducing, but even so it is very much worth your time.

Streets of Rogue has the heart and complexity rivaling any major release, even without a story to back it up. If you have the hard drive space, there’s no reason not to pick it up immediately.

Summer Catchers is a game that I want to love, but it actively works against itself to keep me from fully enjoying the world around the action. With such wonderful art and style, this was a game built upon lofty dreams that just couldn’t quite reach expectations. RNG as a mechanic can be fun, but when it’s the core loop of your gameplay, every moment is just a gamble.

Despite a plethora of decently challenging and fast-paced levels, Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity’s lack of level and gameplay variety stop it from being the next arcade classic.

The slow pace and relatively easy combat make for a great game to relax with, which fits the Switch perfectly.

If you don’t have a PC that’s up to standard or just want to suffer consecutive panic attacks from the comfort of your couch, They Are Billions is one of the best RTS games you will find on console.

A perfect homage to an older genre, Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet is filled with humor and charm.

Blazing Chrome isn’t some grand reinvention of the shoot ‘em up genre at large, but for the most part, it does a masterful job of utilising the genre’s best conventions.

While minimal features and a noticeably short playtime offers an experience that is almost fleeting, its tragic story and heartfelt message leaves an everlasting impact.

Super Mario Maker 2 is the ultimate package for both casual and dedicated Mario fans.

While Irony Curtain doesn’t add anything particularly new to the point-and-click genre, satirical humour, likeable characters and fun gameplay make this a puzzle game definitely worth your time.

Monster Jam Steel Titans has an identity issue. It’s stuck somewhere in between wanting to recreate the actual fun of monster trucks, and making just a fun, exciting game, and in the end it manages neither.

Though some weak modes dampen the overall package, Samurai Shodown might just offer the best pure fighting game experience in recent memory, for both veterans and newcomers alike.

With upgrades and improvements made to practically every aspect of the game, F1 2019 looks stunning, and gives driving enthusiasts plenty to get to grips with.

The Sinking City is a certifiable mess to play. The impressively omnipresent screen tearing took forever to get used to, loading times seemed to drag on longer and longer the further I got into the game, and the framerate could be best described as sluggish at worst and choppy at best.

Bloodstained doesn’t hide what it is or where it came from; it embraces that. I wish it had been a new Castlevania game, but it doesn’t need to have the name to champion everything that made that excellent.

The crazy amount of content will keep players busy for a long time, and with post-launch updates promising even more to come, Mario may just have to beware an inbound blue shell.

While mechanically flawed, Judgment bridges the gap between new and old Yakuza fans marvellously and points towards a confident future for a new franchise.

Its fantastic art and concept cannot help Mainlining on Switch from being an absolute chore to play.

Even with an underwhelming final third and a paper-thin plot holding it back, My Friend Pedro is a fruity and exhilarating ride.

It has its bright spots, but Home Sweet Home is more like an Airbnb than the real deal.

Though it has its faults, if you like sex jokes and puzzles tied into a decent point-and-click dating adventure, Larry Laffer’s latest outing is the game for you.

Super Skelemania is a speedrunner’s delight masked as a Metroidvania that does little to differentiate itself from the titans of its genre.

Vectronom is an incredibly fun and unique puzzler with a fantastic soundtrack, making it a perfect fit for the Switch.

Dated, buggy, and irredeemably wearisome, DayZ on PS4 offers an experience as empty and uninteresting as Chernarus itself that was certainly not worth waiting nearly half a decade for.

Fun combat and great co-op do their best to mitigate the shortcomings Chaosbane has with its serious lack of variety.

Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons is such a natural fit for the Switch that it’s easy to look past its age and just enjoy the experience as the story sweeps you away.

Shakedown: Hawaii offers a wonderful cavalcade of carnage down in paradise. The place is inviting, but may lose its appeal for some after the jokes and violence get old.

PSVR's newest killer app, Blood & Truth is a superbly silly shooter that will make you feel like someone straight out of a John Woo movie with a cockney twist.

Conan Unconquered’s core mechanics are fun and playing with a friend can be a blast. I just wish there was more content.

Total War: Three Kingdoms is the best the series has been in a decade. By emphasising on characters and their relationships, each campaign feels like an epic narrative of friendship and betrayal.

There’s Norway you won’t be engrossed in this beautifully crafted and well written Scandinavian mystery.

While Layers of Fear 2 might make a misstep in how it concludes, almost everything preceding is a horror joy and a significant improvement on its predecessor, it aptly adding more layers to the experience.

Resident Evil on Switch is a familiar experience with some excellent gameplay that can be enjoyed in handheld mode. The few flaws it has shouldn’t detract, but the price might.

When it sinks its fangs into you, Mordhau has dozens of hours worth of head chopping, arrow shooting, character customizing, build testing, and lute playing to offer.

No Code’s sophomore title nails the organic intricacies of feeling like an artificial intelligence system while also telling a compelling and ambitious science fiction narrative.

id Software's magic touch with the old ultra-violence isn't quite enough to completely save Rage 2 from the rest of its sloppy and seemingly rushed trimmings, but if you want to play as a superhero who isn't fussy about killing, you're well set here.

Any issues with Truberbrook are more than outweighed by the brilliant visuals, great audio, and enjoyable cast of characters.

Despite its meandering dialogue and laughable French accents, if you are looking for a rewarding single-player driven campaign, A Plague Tale: Innocence is the game for you.

Life is Strange 2's third episode is the shortest so far, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still pack a punch.

Hell Is Other Demons goes the distance in its refined and frantic gameplay that captures the nostalgia of 8-bit arcade shooters.

Close to the Sun’s art direction, themes, and basic ideas are going to draw many in, but once the story gets started and the gameplay fails to advance, they’ll be trying to jump overboard.

While it’s not the most immediate of games and probably won’t appeal to those who want constant stimulation and action, VA-11 HALL-A has a tonne of heart that cannot be denied and a lot more depth than you may initially realise, all backed by razor-sharp writing.

Sure, it's clunky at points, has enough rough edges to cut someone, and is perhaps too slow in getting to the good stuff, but give Days Gone and Deacon a chance and they will win you over.

Butting heads with the combat system gets in the way of enjoying the game’s rich world. Nothing is worse than being ripped out of your immersion every few minutes and forced to engage with a jarringly flawed, broken feature.

A true love letter to the platform games of old, if you are looking for a fresh challenge and can forgive its predictable narrative, Giga Wrecker Alt will be a treat for you.

A great game that will likely be even better soon, Mortal Kombat 11 offers plenty for any fighting game fan, though it does need some refinement with regards to certain modes and features.

Though filled with interesting ideas and mechanics, Outward is let down by poor combat, dated visuals, and performance issues.

It's not revolutionary by any means, but World War Z is a fun zombie shooter that actually surpasses the movie on which it is based.

Katana ZERO’s almost unprecedented level of polish, lightning-fast gameplay, and thought-provoking story make it one of the year’s best indie games.

There are a handful of things to really like here, but when it comes down to it, there’s an unjustifiable price tag hovering over a game whose content is as light as a feather.

The positives outway the cons in this indie title. A short and flawed yet satisfactory game, Path To Mnemosyne is recommended for anyone who is looking for a good brain teaser.

There is always something new to see in Heaven’s Vault, and I was constantly taken aback by Inkle’s sheer and heartfelt attention to detail. Every turn of the plot, new character and puzzle was enough to see me through to the mystery’s end, and somehow even the minimal gameplay adds meaning to the story in a way few other puzzlers manage.

My Time At Portia is a great alternative to those farm and living games that are everywhere at the moment, but is just let down by bland presentation.

By all accounts, The Cinema Rosa could, and should, have been so much more, but what we’re left with is a small game with big problems.

Woolley Mountain is a touching homage to 80s and 90s gaming, but modern audiences may struggle to get along with it.

Weedcraft Inc is a supremely addictive tycoon sim that lets you build an empire of your ethical choosing with a tonne of complex and complimentary systems to keep you lighting up.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain shakes up the series at its core, and still manages to be a decidedly great EDF game. Character creation and the PA-Gear fit right in and offer a newfound sense of personalization and freedom, while the grim presentation and heightened difficulty will keep you engaged throughout. It’s a real gem.

There is more content to play with here than a thousand Dragon Balls could ever wish for. Simply put, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission is a gigantic bounty of arcade and card-based fun and creation that keeps on giving.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a polished version of an already almost perfect trilogy filled with more quirky characters and complex murder plots than you can fit in a courtroom.

Competent but uninspired match-three gameplay and a surface level story leave The World Next Door with little to offer unless you’re looking for a simple, relaxing experience.

A pale imitation of a great franchise, Dangerous Driving just can’t quite fill the hole left by Burnout.

A fun budget fighter that has its core mechanics in the right place but is currently missing a lot of content, Battle for the Grid is a good fighting game with the potential to become great.

Dance of Death is obviously made with a lot of love, and though it’s not perfect, it’s a solid point and click game with a modern twist.

Sekiro is a tremendously fun and difficult game -- everything from the combat to the world itself is crafted in a masterful way. Even after spending around 40 hours to beat it, I still want to come back for more in the coming weeks.