The boss fights are often pretty straightforward and arguably a bit too easy generally. But they make for a visual spectacle and help to break up the platforming gameplay. And Bowser’s Fury is an odd but interesting side-addition where your Mario moves are curtailed and the big baddie pops up randomly every few minutes to shoot fire at you. It shines bright but is over quickly.

It’s atmospheric, scary and adrenaline-inducing space fun.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is not a bad game - it starts off strong and for some reason systematically unpicks everything by the time you’re 30 hours in. The battle system is fairly impressive but still carries some of the flaws the series has had for the past decade, and the writing of the central cast feels like a step back compared to the 3DS series’ entries.

It’s possibly Hideo Kojima’s magnum opus, and it’ll be a long, long time before I stop thinking about it.

Resident Evil Requiem is a wonderful modern gaming take on a classic series that both honours the gameplay wins of the past with more current storytelling and visual fidelity techniques. The monsters are horrors, the boss fights brutal and there’s more blood than you can shake a stick at. Perfect for survival horror gaming fans.

The work here should be used as a showcase for how to redevelop legacy products for a new generation. I would have liked to have seen it priced slightly lower, as I fear some gamers may be put off paying full-whack for a nine-year-old storyline. That said, if you really want to see what the PS5 is capable of when pushed, this is your game. And if you’re new to this series, this must be your next purchase.

Overall a fantastic new title for the PS5. That console’s now-best available exclusive action-platform game. A perfect hit for those hot summer days of gaming.

Id Software’s magnum opus, an epic of the videogame world that’ll be talked about for years to come, Doom Eternal is a triumph. It elevates everything that made Doom 2016 such a success, and keeps the pressure up from the opening minutes to the climactic final boss and falters only ever so occasionally en route. One of 2020’s first essential games, Doom Eternal is a masterwork of first-person shooter design, and sets the bar for what developers should be doing in the genre.

You may have played its various parts before in multiple other games but the makers have taken the best of the rest and forged their own unique hit with a pitch-perfect story and exemplary gameplay.

It also just oozes a sense of cool that is easy to get lost in. You aren’t always on the back of a motorbike, dodging obstacles and chasing your foes: things can get surreal, absurd and often incredibly moody as you swing swords, play on a head-mounted-devices and ride waves of puke to wrap up Sayonara’s exciting missions. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s a trip.

Grindstone is a fantastic puzzler for your commute.

With even more tools and features than before, Super Mario Maker 2 is a fantastic level-making package deserving of its number. Even players without a creative itch will have a blast with story mode, and being on a console with an install base already much larger than its predecessor ever had, there’ll no doubt be countless more exciting and inventive levels to come.

Rogueport is packed with fun and danger in equal parts and tons of personality, almost a character itself. And Mario of course holds it all together with some wonderful gameplay, comedy and an interesting storyline.

Overall, this is the best version of Ghost of Tsushima out there. While it is a year-old base game, there’s enough here for both newcomers and veterans alike to warrant another look. Yes, you could save a fair bit of cash going out and buying a 2nd hand PS4 copy. But if you want the most from your shiny new PS5 and are keen to delve into a sublime open-world sword game you really won’t find much better.

Final Fantasy VII Remake suffers from stop-start pacing, elements of archaic game design and some cheesy over-the-top filler material. But when it’s firing on all cylinders, Remake shows off the best of what Final Fantasy can offer in 2020: addictive combat, a compelling cast of misfit protagonists, and a living, breathing fantasy world. If you can break through the more sluggish and unenjoyable moments of the game, you’ll find an absolute gem of an action-RPG shining at the core, a promise of what Square Enix can do with role-playing games in this generation and generations to come.

Cuphead is frustrating but fair. It’s about incremental improvements over hours of practice. You need to constantly learn new tactics as each boss fights differently, and the penultimate battle is particularly inventive. No matter how upset Cuphead might make you, though, you keep wanting to come back. The sense of accomplishment that comes with victory washes away any anger you once felt.

This is a great showcase for the PS5 and well worth a look for those seeking a sci-fi epic packed full of challenge.

The story powers along at a gentle pace and can be a bit annoying, meaning a lot of dialogue skipping for me. But the gameplay itself is great - easy to get while complicated to conquer - and that 3rd person visual across a gloriously designed cartoon world can be beautiful. Its urge for exploration is everywhere and really helps to distinguish this away from other Switch titles.

The combat, visuals and audio all work so well together in delivering a frantic action role-player that’ll give you tons of fun.

If you’ve never played Uncharted before, this is as five-out-of-five a game as you’ll ever see in review...Grab this for £42.99 and set aside February for nothing else.

It is much more accessible than before but still retains all that juicy motorsport detail under the hood...A little more of the fun factor on the next iteration will elevate this series even further.

The games play well in the new-look controllers and they’re as addictive and as fun as they ever were.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the quintessential 2D Zelda experience. The gameplay never feels repetitive, and solving each dungeon or beating each mini-boss is equally as satisfying as the first. The audio is crisp and matches perfectly to the gorgeous visuals that players will be treated to throughout their time on Koholint Island. It pays homage to the original in the greatest of ways, by introducing an entirely new generation of players to one of the best Zelda experiences out there. It is a must-have for any Zelda fan, and so should take its place as a console seller for the Nintendo Switch.

I love that they added an interweaving sub-plot to the already interesting career of trying to win a championship. The rivalries are also done really well, where you are told to stay away from your rivals otherwise they may attempt to sabotage you on the track. It’s all quite fun.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may not be what anyone expected, but it's a fitting entry in a series that delights in surprising long-term fans and casual admirers alike. Whether you're interested in building your perfect pirate crew for hours on end, or just want to see the story through, there's a ton of things to do and with Majima around, it's a riot. It trades in some of its sentimentality for the bizarre and the brash, but finally having Majima playable again after so long feels like a breath of fresh sea air.

Overall, this is the best day one first-person shooter of the year and will only evolve and improve more as the developers tweak it. You’ve an awesome open world to explore for the first time in the franchise and a top-level multiplayer suite to battle endlessly through during the cold winter months. Well done Xbox.

It plays well and is ideal for gamers who want to grind through a title and put in many hours. You’ll kill a lot of demons, beat a few bosses and enjoy going off on side quests to delve further into the lore of the series.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 balances itself almost perfectly between the thrill of exploration and fighting of strange baddies, and the serenity of building. While it might lean over one way or the other on occasion, its foundations are solid and hard to crack.