Grand Theft Auto V really surprised me. For a series I have had very little interest in the past outside an appreciate for technical proficiency, I found myself drawn into a world where lots of bad things happen to a good number of people - and I was often the one perpetrating these crimes. Call it self-aware social criticism or a guilty pleasure, Grand Theft Auto V proves to be a great deal of fun.

I’d usually count myself a completionist who’s only goal is to earn every single achievement possible, but Super Mario Odyssey showed me that there’s so much more to it than collecting things. Maybe I’ll revisit the wonder of the Cascade Kingdom and ride a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I could even play fetch with a shiba inu amongst the sand dunes, or bust out Mario’s infamous swimsuit and test my skills against an ornery octopus thirsty for revenge. The best part of getting to the game’s ending is the fact that it’s a journey of your own creation, and if you reflect on the game as a whole, it’s really a linear quest that somehow feels more freeing than the largest open-world game.

It is sharp, witty, intelligent, and just the right shade of nasty -, and is a true inspiration for future open-world action adventure games.

There are moments where Fata Morgana becomes very uncomfortable to witness, and a little like when I played Saya no Uta, I did need to put it down from time to time. This game is nowhere near as explicit or extreme as that one, but thematically it is, if anything, more demanding of the player. It's a little like how the real Grimm brothers fairy tales are deeply uncomfortable to read, though it's certainly not of the extreme, overt violence of a Marquis de Sade novel. If you want to see how a visual novel could be elevated to something approaching "high art," you owe it to yourself to play The House in Fata Morgana. The fact that the Switch release comes with even more stories and features as a "complete" edition just makes it all the more essential.

With Elden Ring, we're in masterpiece territory. FromSoftware is consistently great, of course, and I don't mean to denigrate Sekiro or Dark Souls here, as they're all exceptional, but Elden Ring has all the potential to have a similar level of impact as Demon's Souls here. Spinning a richly evocative and carefully paced tale of darkness and misery, Elden Ring isn't the most easygoing game, either in terms of its storytelling or general difficulty. However, not only is it majestic in scope and vision, it is one of the most perfect examples of how an open world structure can be used to the thematic benefit of the game, rather than just be a massive space used to hurl worthless content at players. In this way, Elden Ring joins a very elite group indeed... and is has arguably topped it.

The sheer scale and scope of it ought to be a reminder to the games industry that creativity doesn’t need the most powerful hardware, and the playful approach to gameplay makes this a rare open world game that’s a pleasure to explore and rewarding to immerse yourself within. I hope Nintendo understands that this can’t be the Zelda formula forevermore, and the next one will be an all-new and transformative experience again, but I also don’t begrudge the company the desire to take a second crack at what made Breath of the Wild so special to so many people.

Persona 5 is a really great game, so when I say that it pales in comparison to its predecessor, it is important to remember that I'm saying that it's only mildly inferior to one of the greatest games of all time. Persona 5's bloat and thematic step backwards are issues, but the raw gameplay is so enjoyable, and the characters so vibrant and well-written, that I haven't minded having the excuse to play through the bloat again. Not by any means.

In the end I came to the same conclusion now that I did back then: I had fun with the game itself, but it was the narrative that will no doubt be what sticks with me for some time.

It’s not a game with a deep and rich narrative. Nor is deep in any particular sense. That’s not a criticism, it’s just that there’s not much to analyse based on how I usually focus on in my reviews. The game’s core quality is that it’s a whimsical, creative playground of ideas. We do need more of that in video games, and while the art style and overapplication of branding does deserve some reflection for what it implies about the relationship between video games, marketing teams, consumers and the idea that this is meant to be an art form, what is undeniable is that Astro Bot is worth every second you put into it.

God of War on the PlayStation 4 has taken me completely by surprise. As a game that follows on from the old games, but somehow turns it completely on its head and makes it a world worth investing time into feels almost like a miracle. It is one of those games that takes Norse mythology as a core idea and treats it with respect, while also integrating it seamlessly into the story and making it important to the narrative. I have a newfound interest in learning more about Norse mythology, and it truly makes a game special when it encourages the player to learn more beyond the scope of the game itself.

I'm not sure just how much of my love of Legend of Grimrock is because of a sense of nostalgia, or a consequence of great level design. The game offers intricate maps and some classic crawler action, and it's as good a second time through as it was the first. Having this game on my iPad for play on the go is this retro 'crawler fan's dream.

It really does have an exceptional narrative that builds on everything that these developers have learned from their time on Persona, with enough depth of theme that the game should encourage people to analyse it for years to come. You might need a big chunk of time to actually play it, but it is worth it.

But I can’t help but wish for something more. Not in terms of visuals or gameplay. Those technical elements are fundamentally flawless. Rather, in this story-driven, narrative-focused experience I want a game that is brave enough to actually say something, and give me something to think about. Challenge me on a level beyond my ability to press buttons. God of War: Ragnarök manipulates emotions expertly and people often mistake that for depth. The relationship dynamic between Kratos and Atreus is appealing enough and I’m sure plenty of other reviews will talk about how it made them feel things. There are also plenty of big moments that we’re not allowed to talk about because of spoilers but, yes, those narrative set pieces really are dramatic. These things aren’t depth, though. Ragnarök is popcorn entertainment, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. This game’s going to sell a billion copies for a reason. It’s just worth drawing the distinction, because Sony could also be pushing for much more than what it does with these blockbusters.

I really loved the moment-to-moment movement of The Last of Us 2. I enjoyed plotting my way around, trying to minimise the amount of combat I needed to get into. I loved the rhythms and structure of the game, and as one of the final big shows for the PlayStation 4, it makes me wonder why we’re even bothering with a “next generation.”

Hades is an end-to-end delight, from one of the most vividly creative studios going around. Supergiant Games has taken a genre that is overused to the point of exhaustion, and found a way to make it interesting all over again. It's a game that plays on the primal, viseral sensations of movement and rhythm, but it delivers it with such precision that it is nothing short of hypnotic.

Don't think of the game as a free-to-play one. It's actually very expensive if you want to be competitive, and so it's a premium game. It's worth it, but go in expecting it to be a big part of your gaming hobby going forwards.

Yes, it’s ironic that the game doesn’t feature any actual military conflict in being a wargame, but there is no game out there that better simulates the tone and structure of a conflict as this one has done with the Cold War… which just happens to be one of the most interesting periods in the history of political strategy.

What you are getting with Metal Gear Solid V is hours upon hours of the vision of one of the most creative and artistic directors in video game history.

I know I can never recapture the fresh-faced wonder of my youth, but goddamn does Resident Evil 4 remake make me want to try.

In terms of giving the fans what they want, I’m certain Naughty Dog has nailed every part of the brief that it was given. Uncharted 4 shows a truly masterful eye for detail and is near perfect in mechanical execution. It’s also presented with cinematic brilliance. My issues with the game are less about it in isolation than it as representative to the broader AAA-blockbuster space. I am increasingly uncomfortable with the superficiality of these games, and the way that they work so hard to hide just how passive you are as a participant.

I'll be really disappointed if Nintendo really is shifting emphasis to turn Smash Bros. into a more "serious" fighting game. It says a lot about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that the biggest criticism that I have with it is that the intent of this game seems at odds compared with the intent of Smash Bros. entries in the past. This won't work nearly as well as a party game as some in the Smash Bros. series have in the past, but nonetheless this is a genuinely impressive fighting game with a nearly overwhelming amount of content that's going to make the more serious Smash Bros. fans very, very happy.

I genuinely believe this kind of game is something that anyone studying Hamlet should play and should make it part of their extended studies of the play. That's not to say it's not entertaining, because it really is laugh-out-loud funny and working through some of the decision trees gives it a lot of replay value.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a precious thing. It has the big blockbuster production values, but in sharp contrast to most other “narrative-driven” games in this space, it also respects the intelligence of its audience and is willing to engage with a rich tapestry of themes rather than leaving the onion unpeeled. My gut tells me that as respected and successful as this game has already been, it’s only really getting started and over time will sit alongside the likes of NieR, and Planescape: Torment as the most literary and intelligent games ever made. Goddard, Camus and Sartre would be proud (well, perhaps not, existentialists are not a particularly jovial bunch by reputation).

I don’t regret the 100 hours (or was it more?) that I spent in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. In fact, I loved so much about the game. I loved the expanded party of characters. Vincent's my boy and he shows up in style, Yuffie's my girl and she brings much-needed energy into the main cast. I also loved visiting iconic locations like Costa del Sol and the Gold Saucer for the first time in their remade form. Most of all, I love and adore the work that Kazushige Nojima has done with the narrative (especially the ending that, once again, challenges everything we assumed about the FFVII plot), and he further entrenches himself as arguably the most innovative and creative writer in JRPGs with Rebirth. I just really wish that Square Enix had resisted putting so much padding and pointless distractions between all that good stuff. Why undermine the things you do best like that?

Just as Journey is a beautiful game, it has a beautiful heart, and that makes the ending (which I won't spoil, even though you really should have experienced it by now), all the more heart wrenching, but ultimately beautiful.

Combat aside, Bloodborne is a visionary work by a visionary artist. Intense in both theme and application, it's a gory concession to the tastes of the modern mainstream player, while maintaining the spirit and uncompromising narrative that was the hallmark of the Souls games at their finest. But this is far more consistent in that application than those games, making it From Software's finest work to date.

Castlevania does seem to be a fading name in video games. Prior to Haunted Castle Revisited the last new Castlevania game was more than a decade ago now, and it was the dismal work that MercurySteam did on the series with Lord of Shadows. Castlevania Dominus Collection may well represent the last hurrah for a once powerful name in video games, but at least it reminds us of just how good this series could be.

Make no mistake, Papers, Please is a political and sociological statement, and often it's quite a distressing one. But it also stands as proof of the power of games to extend beyond the boundaries of simple entertainment and thrills, and it tells a hell of a story in the process.

Shovel Knight is yet another fantastic indie addition to the continually growing Vita catalogue. It might lack Vita-specific extras (and is therefore a pointless purchase for people who already own the game on some other platform), but for old-school retro platforming fans who might have missed out on this fantastic title so far, it's a must buy.

It's not the most artful, the most intelligent, or the most important, but it's certainly going to be the most spectacular. And I know for a lot of players out there, the spectacle is all that matters.

It's a game that deserves to be elevated beyond the jokes and seen as a genuine piece of video game art. I would be very interested if those who have come to the Souls series later will find the deliberately unpolished elements of this remake to be as appealing, but given that FromSoftware will almost certainly never touch the King's Field series again, for me, personally, this is as good as it's ever going to get. As a PlayStation 5 launch title, it's a fascinating example of something that is both deliberately old and a brilliant use of the console's very new hardware, and brought together, Demon's Souls is reason enough to own the console, all into itself.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is very much a love letter to the RPGs of yesteryear, and it's a proof of how enjoyable those games can still be.

There's no better time to buy into the console.

It might be a flawed experience, but that’s almost irrelevant when you consider just how much of it there really is on offer. This is how you do an “HD remaster."

The Banner Saga asks a lot of its players, especially in the early chapters, but those who stay for the long run will enjoy a mature, character focused story which is both challenging and memorable.

Bayonetta 2 will challenge some people. It will make the uncomfortable. It's transgressive in numerous ways, and with that comes the potential to offend. But in causing offence, Bayonetta 2 encourages conversation, and that's the very definition of a good work of art.

Rayman Legends on the current generation of consoles is the best platforming experience of this early 2014 year.

As JRPG’s have become more of a niche genre and have been steadily downgrading to be focused experiences, here comes Square Enix to deliver a Dragon Quest game that’s packed tight with the gameplay we know and love. While it doesn’t innovate much on the formula and might be a hard sell for those who can’t stand turn based combat or long, meandering plotlines, it is also comfort food for those who love this kind of play. It’s a testament to the robust qualities of the traditional JRPG genre, which arguably started with the original title in this franchise, that these mechanics are still so captivating and compelling 33 years later.

It could be argued that this is more of an incremental improvement over the second Forza Horizon game because the overall formula is not drastically different from what has come before. However, almost every single aspect from the changing weather and gameplay tweaks provide an improved experience that makes the exploration of virtual Australia an absolute joy.

Shadow of the Colossus is, in a way, overwhelming. It’s not just that the beasts that you are fighting are so massive, and the challenge in taking them on with nothing but a sword and bow can, at first, seem monumental. It’s overwhelming for its emotive power, its rich themes, and its uncompromising vision. There’s nothing genuinely like Shadow of the Colossus out there, and hopefully this new, pretty version, as superficial as that prettiness is to what makes the game so important, encourages a new generation of players to try it for themselves.

I’m sure others will (and already have) find meaning in Inside. There’ll be fascinating, insightful deconstructions and I look forward to reading them. There’s a wealth of praise for the game already. It’s clearly spoken to a lot of people, but it didn’t speak to me – except, perhaps, to berate me for not being smart enough to understand what it’s trying to say.

Part of me is agonising over every detail and wondering what – if anything – I missed, but that is already subsiding in the hours since I left that police station for the final time. I may be slowly coming to peace with what has happened, but the memories that Her Story created will last a lifetime. Her Story has become intertwined with mine.

Dark Souls 2 offers glimpses of hope and illumination, but they always feel just out of reach. Scratching just below the surface to take on the challenges Dark Souls 2 has for you is where this game's appeal lies. The game will not be for everyone, but for those willing to tackle this game, it is a rewarding experience.

As a fan of the original game, this Resident Evil 2 remake has been an utter joy to play. During my time with it, I was constantly in awe of the love and reverence the developers clearly have for the original. The spirit of Resident Evil 2 has been distilled down, concentrated, and reconstituted into this beautiful, hideous experience that completely undermined all my preconceptions. Resident Evil 2 remade is not the cheap B-movie of its predecessor. It eschews the horror-kitsch stylings that made the original games instantly memorable, cuts down the weird, and plays it entirely straight. It can be off-putting. It can feel too serious. But this package delivered by Capcom is undeniably brilliant in its own right. It’s a love letter to survival horror, delivered direct like a bullet to the head.

Donkey Kong Bananza is the perfect launch window title for the Nintendo Switch 2. It highlights the kind of creative whimsy that Nintendo can achieve with its new hardware, demonstrates that the Switch 2 really is more than a slightly bigger Switch… and is just a very fine game on top of all of that. Donkey Kong has finally appeared in a 3D platformer worth a damn.

That balance is why its predecessors were so popular, and that's why the sequel is certainly going to be a major hit.

Sadly, I found later levels lost a lot of the game's early steam, as too much of the old "pixel perfect" platforming starts to creep in.

The reality is that at this point Dragon Quest XI is an older release, and Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive Edition is itself not really that new. I have no idea what percentage of prospective Dragon Quest fans have somehow avoided playing this yet, but I imagine it's a now a very small number. With that being said, that "8-bit" mode really is a breath of fresh air to the original 3D game, so if you don't own a Switch and haven't had the opportunity to play this game that way yet, then it's actually worth the upgrade and replay even if you own the original.

We all need games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and while I don't think it's perfect by any means, and some of the new elements this time around come at the expense of what made previous titles so wonderful, the winning charm is still there in full. This will be Nintendo's biggest game of 2020, and with good reason - everyone who has been looking forward to it will be absolutely delighted by what Nintendo has delivered.

Between its twist of the Light versus Dark story, the delightful Dancer job, and the most stunning locations Final Fantasy XIV has seen, Shadowbringers is a shining example of why that formula works.

Overwatch is not typically my kind of game. Not by any measure. But the fact that I’ve been having so much fun with it that I’ve been playing it over some other games that I worship (but can’t quite mention yet) is testament to just how well Blizzard has done with this one. Bravo guys – someone has finally created a shooter I care about enough to actually want to play after finishing the review.

Just like Trails of Cold Steel before it, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is an excellent game, and a fitting second act after the first game’s exquisite setup. I can’t recommend it highly enough – just make sure you play Cold Steel first, otherwise you’ll miss so much of what this game has to offer.

Spider-Man 2 is as dumb as a bag of bricks, but that’s the norm for blockbusters. What it gets right is emotionally manipulating players to become invested in it, backing that up with one of the slickest combat systems we’ve ever seen… and then giving us two entirely different characters to enjoy that with. It is a true spectacle and while I wish that we, as a community, demanded better from narratives in video games, I couldn’t help but have fun with this one once I shut my brain off and just embraced it for the silly thing that it is.

Jack Jeanne is a celebration of the finest qualities of theatre, held within a visual novel that’s enjoyable to read. It has some distinctive, evocative art, and some minigames that help make the overall experience even more engaging. Yes, sure, future generations might not study these plays in school, as they do Shakespeare and Chekov, but the plays-within-the-game framing allows the writers to explore a love for the form, and that passion and respect infuses every second of the experience.

Velocity 2X takes everything that was great about the top down shooting action of Velocity Ultra and not only improves it, but adds a whole new layer of depth: platforming. It creates a new hybrid genre that's seamlessly blended together by its creative narrative and delicate balancing of controls for each style of game play.

This War Of Mine plays well, is challenging, and is a very good game. It just also happens to be a very good piece of art.

There's a consistency to the world design that is immensely pleasing, and it's easy to get lost within it for hours at a time. If the mark of a good RPG is a believable and vibrant world, in which progress to the next wonder is a reward in itself, then 7 Mages is a very, very good RPG indeed.

What Rayark does so well is emulate the experience of playing a musical instrument. VOEZ isn’t easy, and the icons flow in quick and furious, but as you master each track, your fingers start flowing across the screen, and the experience is pure, visceral elegance. Supported by a stellar soundtrack that has some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a rhythm game, VOEZ is essential stuff.

It’s difficult to shake the feeling that Atari’s management felt guilty for foisting the hellishly bad free-to-play Rollercoaster Tycoon 4 on fans, and RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is its apology for doing so. This is an excessive game with almost too much content and replay value, and is devilishly difficult to put down once you start playing.

This is quite simply the best Monster Hunter game I have ever played.

As someone that enjoys poetry, philosophy, and layered meanings within texts that look beyond the literal story, I personally look to something like Persona 4 Golden. This is my kind of narrative and experience, and indeed, Persona 4 Golden is one of the best we’ve ever seen in this approach to storytelling. It’s a true masterpiece, and now it’s on your Nintendo Switch.

Sea of Stars deserves to be played, and almost everyone who does play it will enjoy it. It’s a JRPG made for JRPG fans by people who truly love the genre. There’s even something admirable about how steadfast it is in being a classical homage. The sad reality is that most pastiches that lack the self-awareness to break free of being pale homages are doomed to fade while the classic works they ape remain eternally relevant, but for now, in 2023, if you’ve got some time to spare you could do far worse than Sea of Stars.

It’s incredibly frustrating to review a game like Tsukihime, because there is just so much to dig into with its narrative and thematic depth. I want to pull this thing apart piece by piece and examine the characters, dynamics, and brilliant use of language, that the need to avoid spoilers means that I can’t really talk about it. All I can say is that there is so much depth and intensity to the narrative that it works as a piece of literature, and for this remake that’s backed with utterly gorgeous art and presentation that pushes to the very boundaries of the visual novel format. It is such a good thing that we finally have this masterpiece on our Switches, easily accessible and wonderfully translated.

Shujinkou is a genuinely worthwhile language tool wrapped up in a genuinely worthwhile indie Etrian Odyssey-style dungeon crawler. It’s an inspired, intelligent idea and I hope people give it a chance despite being as indie as they come. On sheer ambition and creative energy, I would be hard-pressed to point to anything I have ever played that’s more impressive than this.

I can’t think of a game that I have played in years that has been made with as much love as UFO 50. It’s the kind of project that could only come from people who love video games that much, and it does feel like a celebration of video games right down to its digital pores. I would have happily purchased 20 (if not more) of the games in this collection as standalone titles. Having them all in one package feels so generous I almost feel like we’re all taking advantage of the developers here.

Phil Fish has forced me to put more thought into playing a video game than I would have initially liked, but I feel like a better gamer for it. I used to think that the joy of exploration and unbridled sense of discovery was lost to the games of consoles past, but Fez has not only proven me completely wrong, but it has given me hope for the future.

Even if you love The Last Of Us 2. Even if you think it’s the Citizen Kane of video games. Even if you think that Shakespeare himself would have thrown in the towel after seeing this game, realising he could never compete with it as a storyteller, you must surely realise that a game that is four years old and is readily available on your current console doesn’t need the remaster. Surely you understand that this is a ridiculous excess, done purely to milk revenue out of fans, and that it’s particularly frustrating given that Sony is sitting on dozens of incredible properties. That it would rather leave all of them on ice and inaccessible to release this indulgence just isn’t acceptable.

There are so many “retro homage” JRPGs these days that I tend to approach them with caution. Even when they’re made well, they rarely live up to the standards of the games that inspired them. Chained Echoes not only meets that standard but, were this released back on the SNES when Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI were flying high, people would have considered them comparable. It’s more than a homage. It’s a genuine and powerful contribution to the genre.

Without a doubt NBA 2K17 is the best basketball game on the market so far.

There’s an old saying, you can never have too much of a good thing. This is false. Hearts of Stone doesn’t offer that much new to the game, which is what the second expansion is supposedly meant to feature, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What Hearts of Stone gives players is another reason to dive back into this world, and enjoy the stories that lie within.

I enjoyed the more robust attention to telling a story and while this means that the levels are more structured, From Software deserves a great deal of credit for clever level design that makes great use of Wolf's prosthetic arm and his great sense of mobility. It will be interesting to see if Sekiro has the same longevity and rabid fan devotion as the Souls games, but I can fully appreciate From Software taking some chances and doing something quite different as well.

Tekken 8 is, without a doubt, a highly polished gemstone of a fighting game, and it offers players the opportunity to demonstrate some truly elite skills through the aggressive, offensive-first focus on the combat system. But outside of the overly serious, hardcore fighting game community, it’s difficult to see this capturing the imagination of many. A lack of humour, creativity, narrative and personality makes it clear that Bandai Namco’s only real interest was making sure that no one was offended by the game and therefore it will be the headline act at fighting game tournaments for years to come. Luckily for the developers, they hit the brief and it almost certainly will be exactly that game.

The main thing is the developers haven’t messed with the content. Because almost no one bought the Wii U, few people had the chance to play Bayonetta 2. With Bayonetta 3 on the horizon, giving people a chance to catch up is a really good idea on Nintendo’s part. That’s why these ports have been released, and they’re that good that, even if you were one of the few with a Wii U, you may as well buy them again.

Though the play room is where it's at its most pure, that sense of playfulness runs through the entirety of Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, from its creative level design and innovative use of VR to its cute characters, awe-inspiring environments, and subtle dose of black humour. Pure, joyful escapism doesn't get much better than this.

This is now the fifth time I have played Xenoblade Chronicles, and I've enjoyed it every time in the same way that I enjoy re-reading a good book. The game's themes, storytelling standards, and tone are all spot on. This is an interesting and fundamentally deep game that highlights the best of what is possible within the JRPG structure. It's a little disappointing that the developers didn't take this opportunity to tackle some of the superfluous stuff that is at odds with the better elements, and I've yet to be won over by the new narrative arc and whether it does anything to actually build on what was already a perfectly dense work. However, the core of the game is that powerful that the main reason to buy into this - that visual re-work - is more than enough to be worthwhile in itself.

The Legend of Zelda series has become the incarnation of an adult, and for better or worse, Majora’s Mask is the coming of age story that made us all grow up.

Capcom’s Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion is a prime example of what an expansion should be. Containing its own new story, weapons, gear and monsters, it doesn’t forget the previous content and it blends seamlessly with it and by blending with it, it’s entirely possible that going forward there may not be a Monster Hunter 5. Further expansions could simply be added on for a more unified experience in a title that could simply keep on giving instead of having to restart every time.

As a spiritual successor to some of my favourite RPGs of all time, Pillars of Eternity does those games justice with its ultra-traditional story, presentation and mechanics. But I recommend other people check it out as well, as it offers a sprawling world to explore, and a fantastic cast of companions to interact with, making it the perfect example of a retro genre done right.

The long and short of it is that FFVII Remake Intergrade is a truly excellent game, and it plays brilliantly on the Nintendo Switch 2. Having such an excellent port of an excellent game to play on the go more than justifies a second purchase of it.

The first of the two Mega Man X Legacy Collections contains four amazing masterpieces of platforming goodness. While it does not contain as many games as the original collection, the games here are all well worth your time, if not to revisit games from a bygone era, then to experience what all the fuss was about.

I have to go back to 2018 and NieR Automata (wow… that was six years ago now) to think of a game that has stunned me quite as much as Unicorn Overlord. That’s not to say I haven’t loved plenty of other games in the interim, but I’ve been waiting for a sequel to Ogre Battle 64 for 25 years now, and this delivers. I am so glad that Vanillaware was the developer to see the opportunity, because no other team in the industry has the talent to do something like this.

What I will say is that Dark Souls III has to be the end of the Souls series. This franchise sits so very close to tipping over that edge to a complacency that can easily be seen as mediocrity.

Taken by itself, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a spectacular example of an epic JRPG. Yes, the combat system is a little too overcooked for its own good, but the developer holds your hand nicely so that by the 40th hour the explosion of numbers, flashy attacks, and intertwined systems somehow makes sense. Aside from that, though, it’s a game that, for its size, is one of elegance and maturity. And that’s when you take it by itself. Philosophical, humorous, emotional, dramatic and always entertaining, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is going to be better remembered not for being its own entity, but rather like the third chapter in any great trilogy; as the perfect escalation to an enormously satisfying and appropriately epic conclusion.

For so many people, Super Mario 3D World is going to be an all-new experience, with the bonus of an all-new half-game in Bowser’s Fury. For the rest, it’s an excuse to play through a masterpiece of game design and then, as a bonus that almost overshadows the "main" event, there’s the new Bowser’s Fury to play through. Either way, this is an exceptional first release for Nintendo in 2021, and it’s a safe bet that the Switch is in for a big year, even as those new generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft start to pick up steam.

Pokopia is going to occupy you for so many dozens of hours. Even once you’ve completed the main story and collected all the Pokémon, there’s still the core sandbox to play around with. Where Animal Crossing does eventually become a series of routines that you get stuck into until eventually it becomes dull, Pokopia resists falling into the same box by simply giving you so many objectives for when you don’t feel like simply inhabiting the world. Which is just as well, because we’re all going to need a lot of this kind of calming escapism over the next few years.

This is a deeply immersive, elegant, intelligent take on Tetris, and the best example of it since the original on Game Boy.

Not every Atari game stands up today as a playable masterpiece, and that’s just fine. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration provides just about the best contextually driven system for playing and appreciating classic retro games that I’ve ever hit, and it’s an absolute must-have for any gamer of any age. I mean, Tempest 2000 is worth the price of admission alone, but along the way, you’ll learn a lot about gaming history, gaming development and even the weird and wonderful deals and dodgy antics that Atari got up to in its golden age.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, and Disney Crossy Road adds a whole lot to the package to make it a much more comprehensive game.

Three Houses is so vibrant that I didn't really mind the lack of difficulty. I was too invested in the characters, and looking forward to the next major plot point too much to really care. It can be bloated, messy, and unnecessarily padded with content at times, but when it comes to the core strengths of Fire Emblem - its character-driven epic fantasy, tight tactical battles and a full harem of both waifu and husbandos, Intelligent Systems have delivered something truly resonant with this one.

What this all amounts to is an expansion that doesn’t push Final Fantasy XIV in bold new directions because, quite frankly, it doesn’t need to. Stormblood takes everything that makes the game good and doubles down on it, expanding the world of Hydaelyn and filling it with more to see, do, and experience. Minor issues with its story and storytelling notwithstanding, this is everything I could want from a Final Fantasy XIV expansion.

Ōkami is truly one of the most incredible games ever crafted, and you're doing yourself a disservice if you look at it as a "Zelda clone". Look past that and look closely at the story it's telling, the symbology, and where the game got its ideas from. Ōkami is to video games what something like Spirited Away is to film; it's not only beautiful and powerful, but it speaks to the very core of the Japanese soul, and because of that it's hugely educational to anyone that has an interest in the country and its culture.

The man is a genius and he will be remembered as the game industry’s first real auteur. Miyamoto and many others were great game developers and artists before Kojima, but Kojima is a true, bona fide auteur. Death Stranding 2 doesn’t harm that legacy in any way.

It’s the grandest vision for the series to date, and adds an entertaining dash of culture shock to the exceptional, and unique blend of the best noir this side of Raymond Chandler and the surreal, offbeat, sharp humour. Once again, it really should be the last adventure for these heroes, and yet if the writers at Ryu ga Gotoku have more plans for them yet, be that somehow more sequels, prequels, or spinoffs, I am quite sure they’ll be able to hook us in all over again.

I thoroughly enjoyed each separate segment (except one) as discrete gameplay units and distinct slices of Resident Evil history. But as a coherent overall experience and statement of intent, Resident Evil Requiem is a mutated beast left to exsanguinate on the floor.

BioWare achieved everything that it needed to with Dragon Age: Inquisition. It revitalised a series that had suffered real brand damage in Dragon Age II, and easily stands as the best RPG we've seen in years. There is absolutely no reason to miss out on this one.

The creative team needs to find writers willing to back up the narrative context with a story that has meat, and the gameplay designers need to dare do things differently to what has come before. Horizon is a remarkably refined and technically brilliant game, but Guerrilla has yet to prove that it can take that next step and produce a genuine classic.

Superficial elements aside, Pike & Shot is a rock-solid simulation of an era of military conflict that is ignored by most developers and publishers.

Severed is the kind of game that I hope ends up on school and university “reading list.” Not because a particularly well made game (though it assuredly is), but also because it’s a masterpiece of theming and ambient storytelling. Games this evocative are rare and special indeed.