While Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn does not bring much innovation to the genre, it’s taking aspects from other games and spinning them with a flavour of Final Fantasy. This mixture makes it one of my favourite MMOs of the last couple of years and one that certainly goes into my top three of all time.

It might not be the best version of Slay the Spire, but it’s the only one you can take on the go at the moment, being ensnared in its fun, rewarding gameplay, which can lead to missing a bus stop or two on the way to work without feeling all that bad about it.

Overall, Animal Well is a visually striking 2D metroidvania that immerses you in a pixelated world full of mysteries. As you explore this intricate “puzzle box world,” you’ll rely on a variety of items to navigate its passages and uncover hidden secrets. While the game definitely caters to completionists, there’s plenty here for all players to enjoy. The core gameplay is packed with puzzles, intriguing locations, and a sense of discovery that will keep you engaged. BIGMODE definitely found a great debut game and developer in Billy Basso, and I hope their relationship brings a fresh and innovative energy to the gaming scene once again.

South Park: The Stick of Truth is the first time that a South Park game truly feels like an addition to or extension of the show, while giving fans a hilariously good time to boot.

Short and sweet as the experience may be, Rez Infinite is still a highly recommended VR game that begs repeat playthroughs, and will undoubtedly prove a dazzling experience for even the most skeptical VR critics (even the ones with potentially weak stomachs). More importantly, the PSVR2 version is undoubtedly the best, most definitive version of the cult classic game, making it one of the few unironic instances where a title truly was “ahead of its time”.

Speaking of unlockables, I would also like to have being given the chance of getting to mention the likes Time Attack, which is supported by online leaderboards, and Endless Attack, which is probably the most hard-hitting survival mode ever included in a game in the history of time, tasking players with getting by as many screen as possible before unmercifully dying.

Anyone interest in the need to be scared should check out Outlast. It takes some ideas from Amnesia, but blends them with its own unique gameplay mechanics and setting.

Crea is a fairly deep sandbox game that’s capable of keeping a person entertained for hours, and as a bonus can also be played cooperatively for a further nuanced/social experience.

I highly recommend this game to those PC gamers out there that love those fast-paced, dodge-everything shoot 'em up games, or those who just love music or retro-style games.

Here's what it boils down to. It's a Kairosoft game and all of them are easily worthy of ten hours of your time, considering they cost less than five dollars each. Venture Towns doesn't differ greatly to their other titles but has the same addictive gameplay. If you are a newcomer, ask yourself if you would prefer to build a modern-era city, if not have a look at one of the other amazing Kairosoft games.

Even after ageing a good five years, God of War III still remains a fabulous action game jammed with memorable set pieces and locations.

If Activision had found a way to allow importation in to Guitar Hero World Tour a la Rock Band AC/DC, or at minimum allowed Death Magnetic DLC to work on the Wii version, it would have been exceptional.

In the end, Disgaea 5 may not have evolved much from its glory days, but the latest entry proves that the tried-and-true mechanics still hold up, even if the aesthetics and characters remain somewhat antiquated. There is no other RPG that features this many options, which will undoubtedly win over the hardcore RPG crowd with far too much time on their hands.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is a solid, all round, action RPG that anyone can pick up and get into. And for fans, well, you’ll be happy to know that this is up there as one of the better entries in the franchise.

Total War: Rome 2 is a hugely in-depth and highly engrossing experience; it has it’s pro’s and con’s (as does every game), but this is a game that will age like a fine wine and as such get better with time (and developer support and updates).

If you like your point and click adventures there really is only one reason why you shouldn’t buy this, and that is if you already bought it on PC. Otherwise this is a great addition to Xbox Live Arcade’s selection of point and click adventures. You won’t find many games funnier than this.

I really can’t stress enough just how much fun Everybody’s Golf is. From the moment you pick up the controller and start hitting your first ball, you come to understand the charm that the game is filled up with. It’s golf at its purist fun.

A fabulous gateway for new players and something fresh for those of us already obsessed with digital cardboard rectangles, Balatro is an explosion of glee but it burns out fast.

Mullet Madjack is a rush of action, a pump of dopamine throughout its entirety, just like the core mechanics of the game. This is fast, frantic and chaotic which goes all in with its well-executed life countdown gameplay. Everything is built solid to support that concept; it never frustrates. The game focuses on what makes a fun shooter, the speed, the violence, and the addictive gameplay loop. Mullet Madjack delivers that engaging rush that keeps players on their toes. It could do with more elements, more powers, and more building blocks for its levels, as those soon begin to lose their spark. But, for the affordable price (£16.95) and the compelling gameplay within its Endless Mode or difficulty settings, it is worth spending time with to enjoy its energetic gameplay.

Cat Quest turned out to be a low impact game with a high emphasis on fun. It’s a great armchair zen experience that fits Switch to a tee. It’s easy to play for five minutes, an hour, or more, and always make worthwhile progress – even on busy days when time is not on your side. It’s a pun filled game that’s a purrfect fit for gaming on the move. Sure, not everyone will approve of it’s unapawlogetic feline-centric wordplay, and upbeat pawsitive nature, but others may just find the humour to be cat-hartic – especially whilst compared to the self serious attitude seen in other modern RPGs. If dog is your pet of choice there is however no hope for you. Sorry.

If it wasn’t clear from my introduction, then it should be now. Samurai Warriors 4 is Omega Force taking the series forward by recalculating its understanding of the franchise and adapting it to be better at what it does best – supplying none stop badassery, frantic, fast action with improved mechanics to the core gameplay and plenty of content to explore, which in turn shifts the title for best entry in any Warriors game to date into this warlord’s castle.

While it might not be the best racing simulation on the market, there is no other place to get the full experience of Formula 1 as one of the ten teams or as a fresh newcomer on the block. If this is the final game for the current generation of consoles, then this is a lovely way to end that cycle. If Codemasters keep this up going into next generation, then expect the series to only get better, because right now, F1 2020 is a worthwhile investment for F1 fans and fans of realistic style racing games.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden also brings in oodles of personality and an intriguing world through its exploration parts and charming characters that banter with each other through humorous dialogue. The game’s only let down is its focus on delivering more of a role-playing game, which has taken away the replayability that rival games in the genre have going for them, thanks to the use of random generation, but that shouldn’t be too much of a negative on a game that offers a great first playthrough experience.

The dialogue options in this game do serve to reveal an intriguing insight into Michonne’s character: in other Telltale games, I rarely, if ever, chose silence even though it was always an option. With Michonne’s character, however, silence almost always seems the right option. Telltale skilfully displays how Michonne is a woman of few words and I enjoyed painting her as the strong, silent type.

As I play more of Republique and the story gets bigger and better, I am beginning to get a real feel for who the goodies and baddies are.

With its sandbox style approach to escaping, sometimes you might find yourself flapping in the wind and unsure what to do next. The pacing of the game has been improved since the first one, with less time spent waiting around. The 16-bit style visuals have also been given a nice step up, with the game overall looking and playing great.

Son of Scoregasm has the mechanics in place for some addictive high score attack gameplay. It’s such a simple twist on the twin-stick shooter formula, but having multipliers tied to the pulse bomb gives itself some originality, but more so, an addictive and tense scoring mechanic that benefits risk/reward and skill for anyone good enough to make it through all the levels. Don’t let its visual simplicity mislead you, while this game is simple to pick up, it turns into a challenging game, fast, but also an entertaining one, which pretty much sums it up. Son of Scoregasm should supply a few days of fun for anyone looking for something to play on the Vita in quick bursts while on the go.

Worms W.M.D. is a triumph. Sure, we could tie ourselves in knots asking why they didn’t come out with something like this sooner, but what would be the point? For now, let’s just bask in its wormly glory.