Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is much more than a port and there’s enough there to justify a re-purchase, even if you’re still one of the ten people still playing it on the Wii U. For those that aren’t existing fans, all you need to know is that this is one of the biggest science fiction epics on the Switch, and while I do prefer the intellectual depth and fantasy trappings of the “proper” trilogy, it’s hard not to be thrilled when exploring your way around this lush, unique vision and world.

Fallout 4 still has its issues, especially around glitches. Bethesda will probably never learn there (and, given sales and hype behind the game, Bethesda knows it doesn't actually need to learn). However, the game itself works by building a closer connection between player and narrative, and a settlement system that gives players a genuine excuse simply to live within a world.

When my biggest criticism of a game is “the font isn’t quite right,” I know I’ve played something pretty special. Radiant Tales doesn’t subvert the otome genre. It is not meant to challenge the audience to think deeply about things. It is, simply, a well-written and well-meaning romance story about a troupe of performers and a highly magical adventure they embark on together. It’s like the non-steamy end of Harlequin novels, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone benefits from a little romantic fantasy at times.

Bustafellows is part crime caper and part otome romance, and those are common enough things, but it's the quality of the writing and the strong thematic core that helps to set this one apart. It might be perhaps a little too long for its own good, and so some of the impact of it is softened via desensitisation, but even then, there's no real lull in the storytelling, and it's one of those rare lengthy games that isn't simply throwing content at players. The best crime fiction stories are page-turners, filled with excitement and drama. Bustafellows adds several proverbial tonnes of charm, humour and panache into the mix, and thanks to all of that, it is one of the most dynamic and exciting visual novels you can find.

You don't need to have played any other Phoenix Wright games to enjoy The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. It is related to the broader franchise (Ryūnosuke is the ancestor to Phoenix), but it's a completely separate adventure. The historical context makes Ryūnosuke's adventure particularly compelling, but even if you're just looking to let that wash over you and be entertained, there's enough humour and style to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles that the only real problem with it is that it outstays its welcome by just a little too much.

Dragon Quest III was a pioneer and was very far ahead of its time. The first Final Fantasy had only been released shortly before this game, yet in terms of storytelling, worldbuilding, and themes, Dragon Quest III was much more sophisticated than Square’s inaugural title. The HD-2D engine is just the cherry on top. Thanks to that, this is one of the best retro remakes I’ve ever played.

There will be essays written on Disco Elysium. This is one of those games that will be studied in universities as Citizen Kane is studied in film and D. H. Lawrence's work is all-but unavoidable if you study literature. It's not necessarily the most outright entertaining thing the medium has ever produced, but it's an important work that explores the boundaries and potential of video games, while also having the nuance and layers it needs to challenge players to think beyond the joy they get from pressing buttons. Even if you have to play the Switch port, as inferior as it is, you should make sure that you play Disco Elysium on something.

Blues and Bullets is without a doubt the most true, and also most effective, crime noir game we have to date, with a masterful understanding of the themes and visual motifs that comprise a noir tale, and an understanding on how to work within those without being clichéd or trite.

Warhammer convincingly teleports you into a fantasy universe where those miniatures that you used to spend weeks and months painting in anticipating of grand tabletop wargaming are able to come to life.

But, like I've said, those nifty puzzles are just the jumping-off point for what makes this such a remarkable, memorable experience. A clever game of unloading boxes would have been enough to make Unpacking worth playing, but it's the way it weaves its beautiful story through those puzzles that makes it truly sublime.

F1 is my preferred format for racing, and I would argue that Codemasters as given more respect to the F1 license in building it up over the last few years than anyone else. F1 2020 is on the cusp of being a top-flight annual licensed sports game like 2K's NBA, EA's FIFA and Sony's MLB The Show, and it has managed to get there without nickel-and-diming consumers to anywhere the same extent. This year's edition might be iterative on the track, but the off-track improvements show that Codemasters hasn't yet run out of ideas yet either.

The Vita has no shortage of quality JRPGs on it, but Final Fantasy X HD Remaster should certainly be in the running for being the finest. With a rich narrative, quality gameplay, and a now in portable form, it's one of the finest games in the entire franchise.

This is the best iteration of the game so far, but your mileage may vary depending on what system you are playing it on. The experience was far better on the New 3DS, and those who liked the underwater battles of Monster Hunter 3 might bemoan their absence here.

Tactics Ogre Reborn is the essence of one of video game’s true masterpieces. On this, the second remake, it has proven that it is functionally timeless, both in terms of storytelling and the quality of play. There weren’t many tactics JRPGs around before Tactics Ogre, and those that were largely looked to Fire Emblem for inspiration. Now, though, the isometric combat system that so many tactics JRPGs use these days was inspired directly by two classics – this one, and Final Fantasy Tactics. We have a lot to thank Tactics Ogre for, and Reborn demonstrates just how playable it still is.

If you’ve played the original Dragon Quest Builders, the sequel is ultimately more of the same, except polished in very way. The slight improvements in building, inventory, combat and town management make this game an easy one to play, so much so that I imagine it’d be hard to go back to the first once you’ve become accustomed to the new mechanics. If you’ve got a lot of time to kill, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great choice – it’s clever, rewarding, and has a wealth of possibility.

Steins;Gate Elite is not only the perfect visual novel improved, but it's also a shining example of what the top tier of visual novels should look like.

We talk a lot about “love letters” to classic games when modern developers make pixel-perfect SNES-era JRPGs, or a developer like Digital Eclipse turns a collection of retro games into a museum-like experience (as in Atari 50). Those are indeed love letters in their own right. But I am now convinced that absolutely no one on the planet loves any video game more than the entire team at Bloober Team loves Silent Hill 2. The amount of analysis that must have gone into understanding every minute detail of the original, and then the loving devotion and commitment to capturing all of it to bring it into modernity unspoiled has made this a uniquely passion project. Boiled down, there’s almost none of Bloober Team that is actually in this game, and yet Bloober Team’s poured everything they had into it. That is nothing short of total reverence to a masterpiece.

Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is a fantastic fighting package offering lots to love for both series fans and newcomers alike. This is a flashy, modern fighter which boasts both gameplay depth and an anachronistic punk aesthetic.

The Science Adventure series has always been the “AAA” of visual novels, offering production values and sheer confidence in the experience that is well beyond what almost anyone else can achieve. Anonymous;Code is, apparently, the end of its particular series, and that’s a massive pity, simply because I don’t think I could ever get sick of this kind of creativity. However, as an anthology of stories, the Science Adventure series are a masterwork within video games, and Anonymous;Code is the perfect, thought provoking, intelligent “page turner” to end things on.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is delightful and easy to recommend. As I mentioned in my original review of the game, as flawed as I find them to be, I enjoy the personality and tone of the Donkey Kong games more than any other platformers out there. That still holds mostly true to this day. Though I now do turn to Shantae as my primary source of bouncy fun, I’ll always jump at the chance to get some more Donkey Kong on. I’ve greatly enjoyed the chance to play through Tropical Freeze again, though as one of the few that does own a Wii U, and a copy of that game I’ve got to also accept that I’m not really the target audience for such a vanilla porting effort.

Mario Kart World is magnificent. It features the tight and refined gameplay you expect from the series, a brilliant new Knockout mode, and such colourful energy and vibrancy that it was the perfect title to launch the console. I really didn’t think there was much else Nintendo could do after Mario Kart 8, but I stand corrected.

It’s good that we’ve had a creative vision as pure as Bayonetta, and now we’ve seen the developers push it as far as it will go. Thanks to excellent characterisation, a true understanding of how to work with both hyperbole and surrealism within a narrative, and a ridiculously complex, but rewarding, combat system, Bayonetta 3 has been well worth the wait.

Out of the Park 18 is a competent entry in a legendary franchise which offers management enthusiasts a staggering about of depth. Whether you already love baseball or you’re yet to discover what truly makes the sport great, OOTP’s robust engine and deep customisation options cater for the needs of any player. It’s a fairly steep learning curve starting out, but once OOTP hits its groove, it’s sure to captivate your attention for years (or at least until OOTP 19 rolls around).

There are a few minor further issues with the collection – the music is almost shockingly low resolution and difficult to hear, and the interface was clearly designed around touch input so the controller is a little clumsy, but those fade into the background quickly enough and are easy to ignore. What rises above and beyond for Sorcery! is the quality of the writing. My recommendation is to play this like you would read a good book. Forget the in-game music. Put on a pair of headphones with some meditative ambient sound (I like rain “music” myself) and lose yourself in the words. Do that, and the minor irritations along the way will feel rather irrelevant.

Nightdive proves over and over again that for a certain type of vintage video game – the more mature and high-profile “blockbusters” of yesteryear – it is a formidable choice for not only making the game playable on modern hardware, but straddling the balance between giving the nostalgic the game they remembered while making it as playable and enjoyable as new games today. Heretic and Hexen are both brilliant dark fantasy adventures, and they’ve been polished to a special kind of sheen that celebrates the impact they had on many thousands of fans back in the day.

Ghost of Yotei achieves what it set out to, in that it wanted to take what makes Ghost of Tsushima so popular (the visual engine, the combat, Sucker Punch’s open worlds) and transport it to a “barely settled” location where they could give us a rip-roaring, all-American Wild West story. So… good on them for achieving that, I guess. But, as I brace for the inevitable comment moderation job ahead, I gotta be honest and say I just didn’t care for any of it. Or the way it capitalises on the Japanese/Ainu setting rather than tries to work with it.

Final Fantasy XII’s willingness to be different and innovative has left it feeling every bit as modern and poignant now as any new JRPG on the market, and it remains my favourite game within a series that I hold very precious to me.

For the price, Star Wars Pinball is a fantastic package for fans of the science fiction franchise as well as those who just like a good game of pinball. Sure, some of the new features are better than others, and any time you have a large collection of themed tables, some are going to be more enjoyable than the others, but they are more the exception than the rule. With all kinds of tables offering a variety of sound effects, music, visual flair, ramps, multiple levels and a nice sense of progression, there is a lot to enjoy here. That makes it an easy to recommend package that I am going to spend a lot of time with in the coming weeks, months, and probably years.