I never stopped finding Passpartout enjoyable, thanks to its lighthearted presentation and biting, and yet amusing, sense of humour.

If you go into Yomawari with the right spirit (hah, I had to get one pun in there), both of these games are memorable, beautiful, elegant and often chilling. They've never looked better than they do on the Nintendo Switch's screen, which is the perfect size for a top-down, sprite-based game like this so that you can make out the details without feeling like the art is too "stretched."

The Room is an expertly crafted puzzle box game that does a whole lot of things right and I doubt anyone would have regrets picking this one up.

Without any statistical tracking, limited number of players on the court and only a handful of modes, that this title won't have quite the shelf life for me that a more involved simulation game like NBA 2K19.

Perfect for train rides or boring business meetings, Reigns: Game of Thrones is so much better than any other attempt to bring Game of Thrones to video games so far. This is principally because unlike the various attempts to make RPGs and strategy games out of the property, Reigns understands one thing with crystal clarity: Game of Thrones is about making brutal decisions, and then being brutalized for it. This game nails that theme perfectly.

Ultimately, that's what you want from a fighting game; something that anyone can pick up and enjoy on their terms. SoulCalibur VI offers an enjoyable story for people who want to get into the lore and characters, fanservice for people that like sex appeal in their fighters, as well as a blend of instantly accessible action and a learning curve for people that want to dig further into the mechanics of it all. Because it is so accessible and enjoyable, I suspect that SoulCalibur VI will become one of my most played fighting games, because it's just that versatile and enjoyable that I'll just default to it when I'm in the mood for a fighter (or looking to play with someone else).

It's pure fun, and with Warriors Orochi 4, Koei Tecmo has done such a lovely job that I suspect I'll be coming back to it frequently for many years into the future.

Space Hulk: Tactics is the most impressive Warhammer 40K effort I've played in recent memory.

Once you put aside Starlink’s somewhat confused nature and design, what you’re left with is a genuinely enjoyable open space adventure. It offers a fun little story (boosted by the presence of the Star Fox crew), enjoyably exotic worlds to scoot around, and tight, clean, and efficient combat. Remembering that ultimately Starlink is aimed at a younger audience, it’s hard to argue that the development team have in any way gone wrong in delivering both something new, and something that recalls the nostalgia from their own childhoods.

It misses all the marks on the most crucial elements, with a game that's constantly let down by its physics and controls and a story about "Gamers" fighting back against "anti-leisure laws" that seems to entirely miss the point of anti-authoritarianism as a concept.

It's neither a game to "win" nor play endlessly, but it's one you'll certainly be glad to have on your console.

There's nothing unpleasant about Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story. It's easy to pick up and play for short bursts, and as a simulator, its simplicity makes for a nice change of pace. It's also charming and actually does offer an intriguing world and narrative. In just about every area, the game could also have been much more than it is, but everyone needs inoffensive time wasters too, and Valthirian Arc scratches that itch nicely.

428: Shibuya Scramble is storytelling via video games at its finest. The multiple parallel stories, the twists and turns, the characters, each is reason enough to pick up this title despite the initial release being a decade ago. It plays with ease, allowing you to completely lose yourself if the story of Maria’s abduction and the ten most important hours spent trying to save her.

The World Ends With You's strengths are in its narrative, which is genuinely different and consistently interesting, and the verve and style with which it pulls it all off. There's reason for existing fans to play the game again, because it has an all-new chapter to work through, and there's certainly a reason for people who haven't previously played it to give it a go, because to this day, nothing else has quite managed to offer what The World Ends With You offers.

It's one thing to simply recreate the table, it's something else - and something valuable, to give fans of the form that bit of information and context that helps them to appreciate what they're playing that little more...Otherwise, everything you expect from Zen Studios is applied to the Williams tables; robust and comprehensive online leaderboards, plenty of alternative ways to play, and optional powerups to unlock and upgrade that both help to get you better scores, and mark out the progress that you're making.

Long term the WWE series will probably have to consider updating or even replacing its engine. The game mechanics are solid, but fundamentally do not change a great deal and there are signs of rickety infrastructure in the audio, some of the modes and more. There is still a lot of fun to be had with the enjoyable action, and I loved the focus on narrative around MyCareer, but most of the other stuff feels largely the same.

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.

With all the lavish features of other SNK arcade ports to Nintendo Switch, Zupapa is one of the more distinctive and enjoyable that we've seen from this retro series for some time. It's one of SNK's lesser known classics, perhaps, but it's so bright, charming, and oddball that it's one you won't quickly forget.

It's good. It's really, really good.

Despite the obtuseness of its gameplay, Reigns is a game full of interesting design choices that intermingle narrative and gameplay to create something you’ll be thinking about for weeks on end. This is a deceptively deep game you’d be happy to keep coming back to. It is novel, with high production values, and there’s bound to be some aspect of this game that will have you hooked.

Highly refined, beautiful to play, deep and intelligent, it's as endlessly replayable as the very best board games, and deserves to be respected as such.

Disgaea 1 is the one least likely to overwhelm people who aren't deeply familiar with tactics JRPGs and complex JRPG systems. For this reason, this remaster is the perfect entry point for the curious, and anyone interested in the history and heritage of Nippon Ichi's premier franchise will get a kick out of it too.

Destiny 2 Forsaken is a whole new game, a whole lot of game, but it’s also the exact same game. It's "fun" – Destiny always was – but it's a loop of endlessly increasing numbers and loot and numbers and loot and more numbers and not enough numbers and I just don't know why I'm doing it anymore.

Sitting squarely on the "fun for the whole family," end of Nintendo's spectrum, Super Mario Party is a joy. It's colourful, cheerful, and good-spirited, and backs that up with excellent board and minigame design. After a few iterations that were too experimental for their own good, Mario Party is back in form, and that has made me really happy.

So there are some neat little features to the newest Mega Man. However, while it's the kind of game that series fans should enjoy, there just isn’t enough to bring it to a new audience.

If there’s one takeaway to be had from the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle, it’s that genre-themed compilations aren’t the best way to repackage these classic titles.

Its focus on the dust and dirt of mercenary life in Greece instead of the clinical chairs of Abstergo is highly rewarding, and it manages to encourage interest in the rich history of the world without needing to lecture.

After many hours spent with FIFA 19, I can confidently say it is a really good game - probably the best in the series. The biggest concern for those trying to decide whether to buy or not is how much the minor incremental increases of the FIFA 18 release really matter.