It may sound like I’m dishing out a lot of praise but I think just ‘fun’ describes Aegis Defenders quite perfectly. It’s hardly the best game anyone has ever played but it is charming and great to pick up and play for a stage or two at a time – also making it another game suited incredibly well for the Switch, especially considering the multiplayer aspect. Whilst it’s a short experience story-wise, it’s certainly a pleasant one (providing the frenzied gameplay doesn’t drive anyone mad) and, as mentioned, there is replayability in the harder modes.

There may be much of Rumu’s narrative that is not wholly original, but the story excels as it engages modern human sensibilities. It sometimes falls into sci-fi genre tropes, but never wallows in them. It is futuristic at times, but never out of reach. Always careful to remain relatable, accessible, and grounded. The lovable vacuum cleaner that is Rumu never forgets how to love, but as a game Rumu always strives to highlight compassion – an element crucial to molding an engaging story.

I don’t often criticize a game for not living up to the standards of another but Tiny Metal tries so hard to mirror Nintendo’s approach I must speak up when I see failings. When you come at the king you better not miss, and Tiny Metal stumbles at every step on its way there. I wanted to love Tiny Metal, I really did, but in the end, as I chipped away at the game, it just made my longing to step back onto the Advance Wars battlefield even stronger. At best Tiny Metal is a rough draft of something that could be great further down the line.

With over 100 levels, cartoony graphics, a low price tag, simple controls and humour to boot this is worth a few hours of your time but don’t expect too much replayability above restarting the level over and over.

There’s a creative mind-bending aspect to some of the puzzles – at the right zoom level panels can be visually combined in clever ways. It really is a very carefully crafted game and I found the difficulty level just right – both pleasantly challenging and satisfying. While over quickly, I really enjoyed Gorogoa.

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.

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.

I won’t pretend that Sonic Forces is a disappointment – it telegraphed its kitchen sink approach to content a long time ago. Desperately trying to please every kind of Sonic fan, it is every bit the mishmash of half realised ideas vying for your attention that it seemed like it would be. I guess I just never expected that their attempts to hold that attention would be so feeble.

I feel that Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku!’s repetitive issues will cause some people not to find any appeal in the game – you cannot get around the point that this game is driven by some grind and trial and error elements. If that gameplay loop doesn’t fit for certain people, then those will not have fun. For others, Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku! can offer a amusing challenge that scratches an addictive itch, but those will need to stomach some of its frustrations to find what makes it a good game and reap the rewarding gameplay after taking a few missteps inside its challenging dungeons.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is overall mostly a quality RPG that has charm and character, while making up for some of the lacking aspects of Xenoblade Chronicles X, but small issues stop it from hitting the heights of Xenoblade Chronicles, sitting in between the two games in this trio series. It retains all the great stuff about exploring beautiful and large unique areas, but forgot to take in the advancements made in map design from Xenoblade Chronicles X. It does take a while to find its feet, but once it starts going and you click with the combat, it’s an RPG that engulfs you in its long, amusing adventure for many hours, one that finished up Nintendo’s 2017 with another great Switch game.

Before the Storm redefines what a Life is Strange game can be. Going into this mini-story I believed the series needed the backing of supernatural mythology to carry the narrative, but Before The Storm proves that to be false. Life is Strange simply needs great well written characters, and when you place them in a compelling situation they will blossom. Where Life is Strange goes from here will be very interesting, but as long as the creators continue to treat the characters with the respect they have evolved to deserve I for sure will follow.

2017 may have been an exhausting year filled with quality videogame releases across different genres and multiple platforms, but Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is still worth setting aside some time for, especially for those starving for more Action RPG hybrids. The exp and loot grinding is still there for hardcore fans, but the smooth and solid action adds an extra layer of responsiveness and fun that can’t always be felt with turn-based battles, resulting in a winning combination that will eat up more of that free time no human could possibly have at this point.

Worms W.M.D‘s successful outing marks the series’ long overdue return to relevance. The detailed 2D graphics look great, run very smoothly and the new mechanics all slot in seamlessly alongside the 90s core of the game. This is now the definitive edition of Worms to buy – there is a lot to enjoy it’s one of the best in-person social multiplayer games available.

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.

Personally I’m hoping this release was simply a way to hold the fanatics over until the Switch Pokémon title rears its head in a year or two. Until then, I’d recommend playing Ultra Sun/Moon in bitesize chunks because it can wear pretty thin and quickly become a grind when playing through it rapidly. It should be enjoyed a little at a time or saved exclusively to be played on the go as a fun little time killer. The challenge and fun are waiting right there at the end for those who want to power through for it. It’s just a shame there are so many little things that pile up against the experience, like the pokémon-infused pokédex that never stops asking the same questions over and over or the lack of Pokémon-worthy music.

What is here is essentially a mini-game collection coated in a Kirby presentation. It’s a fun game, especially when you get four players together and can experience the game at its full potential, but Nintendo has been delivering amazing quality this year, even on the 3DS, but this is a chip in their fantastic release schedule. Kirby Battle Royale is lacking any will to innovate. It’s happy to be playing it safe and be a standard multiplayer game that will loose its replay value fast, and with the weak single player challenge that becomes repetitive before it ends, the game does not offer much to the huge 3DS library available other than being a average bag of multiplayer mayhem.

Clearly with the focus on combat and challenging enemies, there are similarities with Nioh and From Software’s Souls games, but unlike other games that have built themselves to be copies of the successful formula, the team behind Nioh have added their style into the mix to make it more than another game trying to lure the fans of hardcore action RPGs to it. Those additional ideas build on an already solid foundation, but enable Nioh to standout above the rest of the inspired clones with its hectic, faster paced and varied combat and addictive loot mechanics, to go toe-to-toe with the company that initiated this new wave of challenging combat, going as far as to better them in some areas.

The Mummy Demastered is a retro inspired game good enough to both whet the nostalgic urges of people of a certain age whilst fulfilling the needs of newcomers alike. It’s a game I never knew I wanted but am very happy I’ve now played; as it turned out to be one of the best anachronistic video games money can buy. It may have been spawned solely as a means to promote a movie, but it overcomes those unassuming origins and rises to become a tremendous addition to the Metroidvania genre. Like many of the retro games it shares ideals with I firmly believe I’ll return and replay it years from now when the urge takes hold.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole successfully continues the quality in adapting South Park to a video game, capturing everything great about the series and once again translating it to an hilarious and enjoyable RPG. The comedy will not be for everyone, and so it makes it hard to recommend the game freely, but for fans of South Park, this game cannot be missed. It’s jammed full of jokes, insults, cameos and nods to the show that fans will get a kick out of it, more so if you are also a fan of the superhero genre. The fantastic bonus is that it also happens to be a great RPG, which has grown and improved with more mechanics and depth than The Stick of Truth to ultimately offer another prime piece of licensed entertainment.

The playful childishness of the experience is really what pulls it all together and even though it’s by no means a bad game – it was definitely the angle it needed to hold together all the loose parts. After all, nostalgia can only do so much before players realise that games have moved on and evolved for a reason, especially when an absolute titan like Super Mario Odyssey was released almost besides it and flawlessly shows how to truly mix the old and new into something else entirely. In all I’d recommend A Hat in Time as a quick pick up game when there’s a lull in the market (which 2017 definitely hasn’t had), but not at it’s current price of £22.99, especially with the amount of irritating bugs I encountered throughout.

AER is at its best whilst flying through the sky with little care in the world for the extra tasks the game demands. The flying is fun, strangely meditative, and feels freeing. Sadly, disappointment comes from AER’s choice to remain hands off in directing players towards its content. Instead of been filled with wonder as I explored, aimless wandering soon took over as I wished for a more authored experience. That feeling of been continually lost quickly began to erode the fledgling feelings of joy I had at the outset of my adventure.

The story is extremely well written and the cut scenes are presented in a manner that will will have you forgetting these are characters in a video game. All of the characters are memorable, and the emotions shown through the voice acting are great and convey the character well. The main villain in Wolfenstein II is General Engel, who revels in her sadistic nature and is incredible memorable – the gleeful way she stomps around performing some of the most heinous things just goes to show how well fleshed out the character is. With the totally unthinkable scenes in the first 10 minutes of the game, to the insanity show by General Engel, players do get a feeling of how atrocious a Nazi ruled world would be. A faced paced FPS that is unforgiving in nature and just down right fun to play. It’s a nice break from the norm of games being released at the moment, and the focus for single player in Wolfenstein II only paid off here. With more content to unlock and the initial choices affecting the story as a whole, the replay ability is definitely here, especially with that “Mein leben” difficulty.

The Evil Within 2 is a grand follow up from a studio who has set out to fix the pacing issues with the first game, while offering a bigger, more coherent title that looks better and plays better with the reworked stealth and upgrade mechanics, but without forgetting the parts that made most of the original a solid action horror title. The Evil Within 2 throws players into its disturbing, more personal world for Sebastian, offering some great horror scenarios and thrilling, tense action to back up its amazing monster and environment design. Even though this year has been amazing for games, it’s not been the most active for action horror fans, making The Evil Within 2 highly recommended for people who enjoy throwing themselves into disturbing adventures to get their thrills.

JYDGE isn’t a perfect game. The gameplay could be improved in some sections. Stealth is one example, where some missions require not being spotted, but I never felt that stealth fitted right with this game, what with all the shooting and movement. Little issues with the game can be ignored when all the action is happening and you are in the zone, the great soundtrack adds to the feeling that you are the perfect cyber cop and must accomplish cleaning the streets of Edenbyrg. I had a great experience with the game, and being a fan of such movies like Robocop and Judge Dredd certainly adds to my enjoyment I had with all the action going on in JYDGE.

Hidden Agenda is a game built to be played with friends, but ultimately I found the most fun in single player. It is also a game made to be finished in one sitting, but I grew to like it more after two playthroughs. Wrapping the adventure up in the guise of a party game does it no favours, but it proficiently overcomes these issues to be a worthwhile experience. I’d love to see this series have another outing, and hope for a more ambitious sequel if it were to continue.

Not only does Super Mario Odyssey celebrate the history of Mario over his 30 years with nostalgic treats, but it embodies the delight of discovery that comes with the openness of a sandbox Mario title, pushing it forward with Nintendo’s creativity to think up thrilling platforming scenarios. Nintendo has delivered a superb game that wants to take players on a trip through its bizarre and wonderful landscapes without restrictions, something that has been absent for too long in modern platform games.

Whilst the game is densely packed with a ton of stuff to do, I still believe most of it is much too easy or repetitive – resulting in it feeling mostly like constant fetch quests. The parts I did love came significantly late into the experience and left me wanting more due to their brevity. It’s fair to say there’s something for everyone but that also makes it feel uneven. Up until the late game all the player does is run back and forth, switching between different times, battling with no interaction, and riding those damn trains that actually make stops like a 10-minute loading screen. I wasn’t really hooked by the bad attempts at humour or the weird little jingles that yo-kai types have, either, but I would still play a future Yo-kai game in hopes that the combat gets the lime-light it deserves. Until then, though, I can only recommend the title to a much younger demographic who could get the full experience, but probably still need their older sibling to help with those tougher fights.

The game is visually stunning and sets a new bar for the genre of Cyberpunk games. The voice acting from Rutger Hauer is perfectly casted, and he delivers the role spectacularly. Observer is overall pretty short, but it will have you playing until you push on to uncover the truth – it truly is a captivating game. The sound design is fantastic, too, from the impressive soundtrack, written and composer by Arkadiusz Reikowski, to the noise of creaky doors, all lends itself to a truly great psychological horror game.