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.

While all its relevant parts are good, none of them really stand out among today’s very best. So if you’ve only given this a passing glance when scrolling game trailers on YouTube and it’s not particularly floating your boat, be prepared for a decent player here but not one that’s going to dazzle you for months ahead.

It’s not too taxing and the gameplay is easily conquerable, meaning older gamers should probably avoid. And while it does get very samey after a while, the storytelling is always funny and the extra element of putting yourself in the game adds to the lols.

It’s a calming, relatively tranquil game with a huge addictiveness at its core and a desire among players to come back and try to snap an ever-better picture perfect moment.

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Returnal so far and its unique die-and-start-over mechanic, excellent graphics, gameplay and sound all work brilliantly to deliver yet another fantastic first-party exclusive for the PS5.

Overall, a great race game that gives us a glimpse of what’s to come with the new consoles. While it’s quite niche in it’s genre-specific focus, there’s a good game in here that will appeal beyond diehard Moto GP fans.

If you’re looking for something different, a bit like a touchscreen mobile game, but one that is unique and will test your puzzle skills, give it a go.

Developer Big Ant Studios claim this is “the most comprehensive tennis experience” but sadly when it comes to gameplay it’s more Queens than Wimbledon.

It’s a decent effort, one that monster truck fans alone will get the best out of. But if you’re a gamer looking for a top-rated car and racing experience, there’s better out there.

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.

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.

The graphics aren’t amazing, certainly not in the next-gen category, the story writing lazy and predictable and the role-play poor. But there is a great combat hack-and-slash in this title dying to get out, almost like a werewolf itself. It’s a shame the developers didn’t ditch the average bits and focus on unleashing that beast. Perhaps a slimmed down sequel could do just that job.

It’s addictive, great fun and all about people playing online together. And it feels original, even if many of the individual elements are borrowed from other games. If you have a PS Plus subscription it’s a no brainer to download this free title at some point over the next two months before it becomes paid for. Destruction AllStars is a brilliant new addition to the PS5 roster and will brighten up dull February with some colourful car-smashing fun.

Scott Pilgrim doesn’t have the same attention-grabbing appeal to the modern blockbusters and with many people still fresh to the winter’s big titles thanks to getting them as Christmas pressies I worry that the early January release may fall flat. However for those looking to revisit this game, people with fond memories of a cult classic, they’ll find it a joy still to play and well worth a look. It plays brilliantly, has a really tough challenge to the gameplay and still inhabits all that charm and uniqueness you remember.

It’s very limited in it’s fighting mechanics, game modes and there’s no huge addictive quality bringing you back time and again for more. If you’re looking for a 3D-looking Smash Brothers-style fighting game that’s simply not as good as that Nintendo classic then try this. But as much as I wanted to smash up giant robots with my own mech monster, the limitations of Super Mech League left me cold.

If you’re willing to loose yourself in Cyberpunk for the long term you’ll definitely get your money’s worth out of a strong role-player that’s flowing with action missions.

Overall, this is a fantastic new IP for Ubisoft and they should be commended for allowing this development team to pursue an idea that sprung out of the Assassin’s Creed development.

Overall, you do need to remember that this is a glorified addition to the base game and not a totally fully fledged title of the same size as the original. So it is more limited and fans will burn through it a lot quicker. However as a tech demo for the PS5 it’s immense. And for those that love a fresh, modern take on superhero storytelling, this is a brilliant exclusive game for Sony.

Overall, a great start for the PS5 era and a perfect example of a game that doesn’t have to be in-your-face to still dazzle.

Overall, there have been better Call of Duty games in the past, particularly around the single-player campaign. But Black Ops Cold war gets both the multiplayer mode and zombies just right and those are the ones that really count most for fans.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is another success in the series. We love that it’s starting to look back at older, more classic elements of the franchise and finding ways to reimplement them in an ever-evolving, fresh feeling new game.

I suspect only those who are really into sticking with practising the skills available, like with a real instrument, will carry on playing this long after the novelty wears off. But if you’re looking for something fun, colourful and different that you can share with pals at home during the dark lockdown weeks ahead, give it a go.

Overall, we have a fantastic new open world title to enjoy here. One that is very English, packed full of wild and interesting characters, each with their own story to tell. It’s a huge step forward in that regard and one that should be celebrated as it shows a way forward for video game development. And while many elements in gameplay and story may feel familiar, they work really well and the amount of things to do, see and experience are truly amazing.

It’s not perfect, it feels like the start of a new genre rather than the definitive conquering of one. In time I can imagine garden based versions, bigger and bigger tracks with loops, jumps and hills, and a raft of copycat games.

Crash 4 is a cracking platform game and an excellent way to start saying goodbye to the current console generation before the inevitable switchover to PS5 and Xbox Series X.

This game is a very decent alternative racing title for the Forza fans to try. And with a lack of titles in general until the new Xbox and Playstation consoles hit shops this winter, it is worth trying out good strong games like this even if they're not accompanied by the blockbuster telly adverts you'd expect from bigger budget hits.

Those who enjoyed Life is Strange will find quite a lot to love in Tell Me Why . It’s strange that this game isn’t a third entry into the series when it very well does feel like one. After several releases with very similar gameplay structure, you’d think there’d be some more improvements in regards to the slowness of picking of objects and cycling through dialogue. However, as you’d come to expect, the characters are great and the overall story is intriguing enough to keep going. Tell Me Why is another interesting and captivating episodic adventure, albeit a familiar one, from one of the studios that does it the best.

I have no doubt that the team at Wales Interactive are filled with great ideas and I’m fairly confident its next game could be something truly special. As it stands, Maid of Sker feels like a replication of past ideas, none of which are strengthened.