In the end, Comrades feels like the missing puzzle piece of Final Fantasy XV. Not only does it plug a narrative hole, it does so with coherency and commitment to its end-of-the-world bit. Yes, the multiplayer itself is over simplistic and you can actually play the expansion without interacting with others — but then you’re missing the point of story Comrades is trying to tell.

If you don’t play many shooters and haven’t seen what the genre has been up to in the last few years, its additions might seem fresh enough. If you’re the type to buy FPS games often, you won’t find much new or impressive here.

It’s a little hard to achieve that goal when relying on “been there, done that” tropes like an innocent girl juxtaposed with evil motives and supernatural powers. But there are new, interesting things at work. These get better as the game goes on, culminating in a satisfyingly climactic endgame sequence.

For players that appreciate classic run-and-gun combat, punishing difficulty, constantly learning from failure, and breathtaking art, Cuphead’s experience will not disappoint.

Despite the poor narrative, there is some fun to be had throughout the 9 or so hours it’ll take you to beat Lost Legacy. While it’s definitely not the globe-trotting adventure of a full, numbered Uncharted, this expansion has a few great moments of its own.

I wish I could say Kiryu’s sendoff was the best Yakuza game of the bunch, but last year’s Yakuza 0 still stands out. Yakuza 6 succeeds, though, despite its shortcomings. It’s definitely the best looking, most technically impressive Yakuza game. And The Song of Life is its most heart warming (and heart wrenching!) story.

Octopath Traveler is a gem of an RPG with genuinely brilliant battle mechanics and a world worthy of celebration, but it’s hamstrung by an ambitious structure that doesn’t suit its narrative ambition.

Neither easy nor unforgiving, it makes you wonder who Aces is really for; stalwart Mario fans may love the premise but find the complex combos tricky to master, whilst tennis purists may love the core game, but also struggle to adjust to those special abilities...That said, it’s beautiful, it’s polished, and it will likely be a smash hit for anyone who’s been waiting all these years for a complex and challenging Mario tennis game.

Despite its lack of polish, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an engaging ride. If players are willing to embrace the beauty of history and the challenge of survival in a world that cares nothing for its inhabitants, role-playing doesn’t come much more satisfying than this.

Ultimately, Darksiders III takes players on a compelling journey that — when it hits its stride– stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best releases this year. Yet, just as the game starts delivering on its lofty potential, unfortunately, Gunfire Games often gives you another reason to grumble. If you can look past its woes, there’s a lot to love here — but be prepared for a frustrating delight.

As frustrating as it is brilliant. Whilst the story beats and core gameplay have fairly aged gracefully, despite the shiny HD sheen, the overall presentation of the game looks less flattering in 2018. It’s odd – in a game that’s very much the ‘how do you do fellow kids?’ of Japanese role-playing games, the story is the one element that doesn’t feel dated.

Dissidia is undeniably attractive and enjoyable to play. However, the steep learning curve and amount of time needed to master makes it a fighter that’s not for the faint of heart.

Ultimately even its breath-taking cinematic conclusion isn’t enough to stop Detroit Become Human feeling like at best a flawed classic and at worst a frustratingly restrictive experience. Despite that, there is definitely a story worth experiencing here, and if you can endure the game’s more tedious aspects, Detroit’s branching endings will undoubtedly be spark countless chapter replays and heated conversations for years to come.

For fans, this is a substantial expansion providing new characters, a new continent to explore and plenty more to comfortably fill your boots. Considering the retail copy includes a downloadable code for all the expansion pass content, it’d be a waste not to.

Despite the strikingly different premise from Life is Strange studio Dontnod, the team's expertise in characterisation and world-building dovetail neatly into this vampire romp. Reid's world is full of detail and flavour, its cast fully-realised and three-dimensional. It's just frustrating that its clumsy combat and limited loot detract from its otherwise unique ideas and exhilarating story.

Combat does get harder later, but it stops short of doing anything new or interesting. But it does its job well enough for a parent to steal the controller of their kid for a few battles. That old rivalry with Star Wolf needs to be settled.

It’s bold and adventurous world design that should undoubtedly be praised. If story and atmosphere can carry a game for you, then you should be able to look past the weaknesses elsewhere to enjoy this quirky and distinctive adventure.

The Zelda skin helps keep things fresh, keep things different enough to warrant a purchase of this for even the most veteran Musou fans. If you’re new to the games but like Zelda, don’t go in expecting a masterpiece. But if you’re down for simple, popcorn-movie like fun you can’t go wrong with Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition. There’s a ton of content, multiple fan-favourite characters, and an over-the-top, cheese-ridden story.

Combat does get harder later, but it stops short of doing anything new or interesting. But it does its job well enough for a parent to steal the controller of their kid for a few battles. That old rivalry with Star Wolf needs to be settled.

Under-cooked is actually a really good way to describe Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War. It’s got all these good ideas, but they’re not combined in the right way. There are loads of bugs.

Although it may not be saying much, this is the most authentic representation of the series in a video game to date, and it is comfortably the best game based on the show so far. Yet, unless you are a child or somebody completely obsessed with Adventure Time, despite its charm, Pirates of the Enchiridion will struggle to keep your attention for long.

They’re titles that everyone should play to see (in the same game, no less) how this medium grew from short-burst coin-ops to something more expansive, grounded and mature, and onto the multifaceted, enveloping open-world experiences we love so much today.

It’s charming, it’s sweet, it’s peddling a message of kinship and harmony… but it does it all so dryly...Sorry, Yoshi – you’re a good boy, but you’ve got to learn some new tricks.

If VR and/or Final Fantasy aren’t your thing, you may want to sit this one out.

If you’re not a huge fan of Fire Emblem, you may want to sit this one out.

It’s traditional to a fault. It may look beautiful and the voice acting is a worthwhile addition, but overall Dragon Quest XI does nothing to push the JRPG genre forward. It’s a shame, as despite Square pushing XI as its big Western RPG this is a game that’s incredibly hard to recommend to a new audience.

Nostalgia purists wanting to play Secret of Mana in 2018 are recommended to pick up a SNES Mini and enjoy the original in glorious HD. There’s not enough in the way of improvements in this remake to warrant the attention of the old guard.

Taking time out from fighting shadows or stealing hearts, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight give you a fun way to hang out with your favourite SEES members or Phantom Thieves, while the series' iconic music has lost none of its resonance.