DW8:XL remains the series peak across all of the innumerable Warriors titles that Koei has produced, and having it on a portable for the first time only cements the Nintendo Switch further in my esteem.

It weaves a ripping yarn, and has a beautifully detailed combat system that is endlessly rewarding to tinker with.

Despite the original PlayStation 3 version of Borderlands 2 ending up with an aggregate score of 91 per cent on Metacritic. It’s hard to recommend this PlayStation VR release. It does contain all of what made Borderlands 2 a delightful game, but it's the inferior version, trading comfortable controls, co-op and DLC for the marginal thrill of having a 360-degree perspective on the world.

With every new iteration Football Manager seems like your decisions and strategy are more accurately reflected in the on-field performance and results of your team, and that consistency and reliability is ultimately what's important in making this series such a strong outlet for storytelling.

At its core, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds relies on the unpredictability of players to help provide the variety, and that is not a bad way to go. Still, I would really like to see the technical issues smoothed out and more variety in the form of maps added to help make PUBG's a better overall experience.

OkunoKA is exceptionally serviceable to the hardcore-platforming brand, and there’s not a whole lot for me to say beyond that.

Polarising as it might be, it's something everyone should try, because it's also the perfect example of how games can be used to a genuinely artistic outcome.

It may not be for everyone, but if you’re thinking you might like it, you’re probably right, so long as you don’t mind the learning curve. Even with its slow pace, its charming presentation and looming challenge will pull you back for more.

Visually vibrant, and with a superb, deep range of music, Akihabara - Feel the Rhythm Remixed is one of the better ports from mobile to console. It's just unfortunate for the game that 2018 threw up both a brilliant entry in the Lumines series, as well as the majestic Tetris Effect. A year ago Akihabara would have come across as something vibrant and fresh. As it stands now, it instead looks and plays like a lesser homage to its peers.

Between the gorgeous artwork, haunting score, and increasingly abstract world, it manages to take you on a journey through depression that words alone never could. If it's something you've experienced yourself, you can probably guess where it's going and what those shadows might be, but Gris is no less powerful for it. In fact, it's quite the opposite: at least for me, the familiarity of Gris' journey is what made it so impactful, like it was reaching out a hand and saying "I understand."

The console can do much better than Drive.Club Unlimited 2. This is just unacceptable.

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.

As a game, EDF 5 is such a massive leap from the previous title in the series, in every way, that it feels like it belongs in a different series entirely. And yet, for all its nonsense, giant monsters, and ever-escalating explosions, there's also a sense that this EDF, moreso than its predecessors, has also remembered that something can be B-grade, and still convey some kind of message of worth.

Strategic Command WWII: World At War doesn't come across as overly accessible to any but the most hardcore strategy game fan, but that's just the surface of it. Underneath that is a genuinely good effort to capture the many diplomatic and strategic complexities of World War 2, and coupled with quality AI, this is a game that offers armchair generals a lot.

There’s still a case to be made for Hyperide VR – especially its potential to become something worth more of your time. It has some tense, entertaining moments that may catch you off guard. It may leave you wanting more, for better or worse, due to some mechanics that are interesting but not fully realised. And it’s cheap. But it’s by no means a classic.

It's hard to find anything to really criticise with Marenian Tavern Story, because it's so sweet and good-natured that it's hard not to enjoy your time with it. It's let down by budget constraints and a pedestrian localisation, but it's also a vibrant, pleasant and light-hearted little adventure that gets everything right in the areas that matter most.

It's a lot of fun, and something I'll come back frequently for short bursts. The biggest problem Warband Skirmish has is that it's a free to play game that the developers have attempted to force a "premium" monetisation model onto.

Horizon Chase Turbo does a good job of creating a sense of speed, and emulating the look and feel of Out Run. Where it falls down is in replacing the timer mechanics of Out Run, which made for a frustrating but ultimately exciting and tense arcade game, with a more typical racing track structure. It plays fine, but with none of the intensity, nor sense of reward, of the game it pulls almost all of its inspiration from.

Let me introduce you to a game quite special. It's a game that is so offensive to the senses, and so utterly clumsily programmed, that it is genuinely unplayable. "Unplayable" in the literal sense that "I sure as hell couldn't finish it and I would be genuinely surprised if anyone actually could." Let me introduce you to Crimson Keep.

The best parts of Cattails are when you’re just getting to take in the scenery, hunting some field mice, and then chatting with other cats. There’s so much charm in the sprite work and dialogue, so it’s all the more disappointing when you’re cast into dull combat exchanges simply because a RPG needs fighting.

Ultimately the only complaints that I can levy against SEGA Mega Drive Classics Collection are that there is not quite enough icing on what is an admittedly very generous cake. With this compilation you’ll be getting 50 games at an absolute steal – and while some of them are historical curios that won’t be worth your time, most are fantastic.

Thankfully, the design is very, very good.

Atlus has proven that Persona 4 DAN was not a one off, and while SEGA and Atlus seem to have lost the Hatsune Miku license recently, it is clearly not because the company has lost the ability to produce a sublime example of the rhythm game genre.

what Darksiders III gets right - the combat system and that beautiful, intricate labyrinth design - it gets so right that it can hold its head high against the many peers that it has at this at this time of year.

Intriguing, intense and extreme, Killer7 is as relevant, playable, and valuable as it has ever been.

Compared with Final Fantasy XV, released in the same year as World of Final Fantasy, I find this game that much more enjoyable and replayable, because it is a gorgeous throwback to the history of the franchise, and because it doesn't take itself seriously.

I do think that the game is one or two elements and patches away from being a truly enjoyable party experience, so while I’m putting it aside for now, hopefully this will be one worth coming back to.

There's something compelling about building up a farming empire. If nothing else, the developers are doing genuinely good work in highlighting a job that we should all be much more aware of. We don't survive without our farmers, after all.