Stately, vivid and tragic, this brooding epic finally reaches its climax. [Recommended]

Stealth, horror and procedural scrambling converge in a thrilling package. [Recommended]

A beautiful if brief puzzle platformer that invokes the spirit of Flash gaming.

Octopath Traveler is the kind of game that gets hand-waved aside as being for "the old school", but that's to overlook its charismatic innovations in battle and the curious, detached, even austere construction of its narrative. [Recommended]

Bomber Crew takes the FTL formula to WW2, but it can be a bit of a bumpy ride.

A neat little curio that channels a cult piece of hardware, and some of the fighting greats.

The creators of Flatout channel a little of the classic Destruction Derby as this brilliantly destructive racer emerges from Early Access. [Recommended]

As someone who initially dismissed The Crew but eventually fell in love with it, I dearly wished to see its promise fulfilled and its incredible map brought back to life. The Crew 2 can't manage either feat. It is a sound enough arcade racer as it is, and there's every chance that it will eventually flower into a great game. But it is a much smaller, less ambitious and less exciting game than it pretends to be, or than it could have been.

If Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was the brainchild of a man who couldn't hold back the tears when his game was announced at E3 2017, then Donkey Kong Adventure is the product of a man who knows and relishes in how well liked his child really is. [Recommended]

A stern yet scintillating 2D adventure that makes a point of not holding your hand. [Recommended]

This is the rare game that excuses itself for taking whole hours out of your life, and it gives you more than a little in return. A lasting smile, a song soaring in your heart and blocks falling from the heavens everytime you shut your eyes. 14 years on, Lumines is as potent a puzzler as it's ever been, and in this it's as close to perfection as it's ever been. [Essential]

But after the dismal Ultra Smash and the lacklustre compilation that was Superstars, Mario Tennis Aces is a return to form for Camelot, even if it's not quite the equal of this series at its very best. It's a good game, if never quite a great one, and one that's still capable of some real magic. This is Mario Tennis serving up a much more full-blooded spin on the sport than we've seen in quite a while, even if its new depths have been pursued to a fault.

Nintendo's trickiest game in years is also one of its most joyful. [Recommended]

Don't get me wrong; I loved my time in Las Cinco Muertes, and there's immense satisfaction to be found in just sitting back and watching your creations roam. But with a brutal learning curve, weak tutorials, and a lack of meaningful gameplay once your parks are mature, even the most ardent paleontologist may struggle to keep coming back for more.

An eccentric action puzzle game sits a little uneasily in this full-fat package.

A racing game that mostly does away with the racing, Onrush is a chaotic and curious spin on a much-loved genre. [Recommended]

Dontnod takes a thrillingly Gothic perspective on early 19th century London, but squanders it in a dreary and indecisive adventure.

A magnificent nightmare, for those with the stamina to master the gruelling card game that houses it. [Recommended]

Legends should only grow in their retelling, and with 30th Anniversary Collection and Digital Eclipse's fine work Street Fighter has never stood taller. [Recommended]

Limp and lumpy online isn't quite enough to distract from the brilliantly reverent package curated by Digital Eclipse. [Recommended]

The west is an empty, lonely place in this well-timed release - but that's not exactly what you're after from an MMO. [Avoid]

A classic tower defence game gets a makeover, and a welcome touch of physics.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 isn't as fresh as the original, perhaps, and it's not as gloriously dark and confusing as The Tomorrow Children, but it is precise and clever and it asks quite a lot of you when you're playing. For me, that was enough to win me over.

A glorious marriage of pinball and platforming and a wild-spirited adventure to cherish. [Recommended]

An addictive mix of combat and commerce. [Recommended]

Its big themes are glibly handled, though this is still Quantic Dream's most credible and satisfying interactive yarn by far.

A mournful yet bright and enormously warm-hearted adventure with a novel landship mechanic, sublime backdrops and a brilliant score. [Recommended]

There are times when State of Decay 2 is so buggy that it stops being a stodgy post-apocalyptic looting game and transforms into metatextual horror theatre. [Avoid]