While the puzzles can be tricky and resolutions are never easily signposted, you’ll have great fun slowly working your way through the tougher, more intense elements of this game to unveil ever-more details around what’s really going on in this dark world. It’s much longer than the first game too, so you feel like you’re getting more bang for your buck. Although one downside is there isn’t a huge amount of replayability in the longer term. A top effort, and we’re already looking forward to Little Nightmares 3.

Against all odds, Elden Ring Nightreign keeps FromSoft’s streak alive despite a very, very surprising left turn into multiplayer. What could have felt like a game chasing trends or designed by committee has maintained so much of what’s special about the core franchise.

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.

Overall, Pragmata is a well balanced dual combat/puzzle solving space game that strikes the right tone between emotional connection and outright fighting challenge. It looks great on console and borrows design elements from past sci-fi space epics to deliver a well-rounded gamer’s game with a distinct style of its own.

Overall, you get a lot of bang for your buck in this year’s Black Ops. While the campaign is a bit meh, it’s got a couple of really neat ideas and an unusual theme for a Call of Duty title. The multiplayer is fast, frantic and as good as ever and the real selling point of this title. And the addition of meaty zombies and dead ops modes means there’s plenty of gaming to be had in the overall package.

An epic game with tons of content.

It’s a brutal game and one that’s fully sat within the oddball Japanese manga-style of near nonsense storytelling. There can be too much lore when all you want ultimately is the addictive gore of the gameplay. Difficult, frustrating, face-flushing - this game is all of them. But it’s also fantastic in its fluidity when you get things right and rewarding when a chosen baddie is finally slain after the umpteenth attempt. Overall, another strong title on the Xbox and PS5 consoles.

Well worth a look if you fancy trying a different looking and feeling race game.

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 one hell of a football package that now tries to satisfy both classic arcade-loving football gamers and the diehard players who strive for an ever more realistic title to enjoy. By giving you the option now for both, FC 26 elevates its gameplay offering on last year and makes this a must-buy for football fans. Although don’t expect giant changes anywhere else in the title, more small tweaks.

Plenty of modes, plenty of unlocks, this is a full and fun package of wild racing.

Horizon: Call of the Mountain is the single best VR game I’ve played and shows exactly what the PSVR2 is capable of. It has its glitches, some of the climbing can go a bit wonky at points and the general gist of the game never wavers too far from climb, shoot arrows at baddie, craft a bit, climb, etc. But as developers get used to the tech things should only improve. And for now we have a wow game at launch for the new device.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is the perfect antidote to anyone that felt Eternal was getting away what made the reboot so special. It’s as metal as they come, endlessly playable, and with memorable moments scattered throughout – whether it’s the ones you create moment to moment or those id has laid out.

With 4K resolution, 120FPS multiplayer, cross-play action from Xbox to PS5 Dolby Atmos music and Spatial Audio sound effects, this is the best version I’ve ever played of this game.

The story unfolds at a nice pace that allows you to dip out and into side quests throughout the map to become a part of a wider nation-shaping arc. Rise of the Ronin is another cracking PS5 exclusive.

It’s a warm nostalgic hug of a game for fans of Indy and well worthy of being the last big hit game to see out the year.

And while leaks suggest the Nintendo Switch 2 is imminently on the horizon, it’s brilliant to know at such a late stage in this console’s life that the firm can still deliver nice little surprises like this for gamers...Fun, playable, challenging and packed full of replay value.

Overall, another fantastic Mario game and a real fun standout for the Switch console.

Overall, the game itself plays very much like before. But with the added extras and better visuals the package as a whole is fantastic value for gamers who have never tried a Tony Hawk game before and will be very appealing to those old school players who want to step back in with their on-the-go handheld.

Six years later, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is still an exceptional adventure game - the only difference on Switch is that you can now take the fun on the road with you.

Battle for Bikini Bottom is like comfort food. It’s easy to indulge and uplifting in all the right ways. Like a childhood blast from the blast, it’s quickly easy to see why this licensed platformer became a cult-classic. It’s hard to judge whether it will find an audience now. The platforming genre is gearing for a new renaissance with the upcoming Ratchet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot 4, but maybe this is should be seen as a love letter to a bygone era and transition from the old to the new.

World War Z is a pretty fun but extremely short co-op zombie shooter that is eerily similar to Left4Dead but helps counter the withdrawal any fans of that franchise may have. A few more bug fixes and much more in-game content would give this game the much-needed resuscitation it deserves.

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.

Over 200 hours worth of high-quality content, playable at home or on the go, Final Fantasy X/X-2 Collection is a must-buy on the Switch. Those that have played before will happily greet old friends, while those that haven't explored Spira will find just as much to love.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a vibrant, detailed, and exciting adventure filled with bustling hubs and lots of hidden treasure. Sadly, whilst the battle system looks good on paper, it isn’t the enjoyable or in-depth RPG system long term fans were hoping for. The writing is consistently laugh-out-loud funny though, and that’s the most important thing in any Paper Mario game.

If you stick with it, No More Heroes 3 is great fun, packed full of enjoyable gameplay and frantically memorable moments.

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 an incredible game that is well worth experiencing, but there’s an elephant in the room. The Switch price is £35.99, which is sure to demoralizing consumers as it’s more than double the Steam price, for a port that doesn’t improve on the original. There aren’t even touchscreen controls, which would have been a perfect addition for the Switch.