Resident Evil Village may be the best Resident Evil of all time. It certainly is up there with the best of the series, but that heavily depends on your kind of RE game. If you enjoyed RE4 or RE7 then you’ll probably like this one. And if you enjoyed both of them as much as each other then this very well could be one of the best. It certainly is for me.

As it is, Mountains of Madness is fun as a casual diversion for Lovecraft lovers and Cthulhuphiles, and is nostalgia-adjacent for those of us who grew up around Guybrush Threepwood.

From the gameplay to the story, the heart and soul of Crash Bandicoot is here, and still as exciting as ever. It’s amazing that a series that has been so beloved by fans, and has spawned countless spin-offs - some great, and some not so much - has managed to return without feeling any different. It’s like the past 20 years has been one long fever dream for Crash, and he’s now awoken from a deep slumber for one last triumphant return.

Predictably enough, I loved it. I loved the stories, the variety in approach, the focus on concluding the trilogy in a (mostly) satisfying way. I loved the literary and cinematic influences. I really like IOI's commitment to ' backwards compatibility' - unlock a sniper rifle in Hitman 3, and sure! You can go back and shoot people with it in Hitman 1. I occasionally get frustrated with the way that the online mode features can be a little unforgiving on a poor internet connection. But overall this is a game I'm sure I'll still be dipping into for years to come, just as I have with the previous two. It's the best action shooter series out at the moment for sure.

Assassins Creed Valhalla is a lot of fun and easy to sink dozens of hours into. It is the best entry in the more recent trilogy and genuinely elevates the gameplay mechanics. Content could be considered somewhat bloated still, but it is diverse enough and the setting and story is solid most of the way through.

There’s a lot of surface detail, that is clearly just set dressing, yet it still provides one of the most incredibly realized and mature worlds to date. The story and characters are wonderful and pull you into their needs and wants. If you don’t mind a number of immersion-breaking bugs or lack of polish, then Cyberpunk 2077 absolutely measures up to be one of the best games out there, but only if you're willing to put the work in to find the good stuff.

Watch Dogs Legion is a fun and satisfying open world sandbox, with lots of tools for destruction and various strategies to go about completing your objective. It’s great in short bursts, but rarely has you hooked on any one thing to keep you coming back.

There is a lot to enjoy in The Falconeer, a lot to keep you picking up a controller and having another flight. It’s also warmly satisfying knowing this well put together game is a project of passion and it feels like it has the backing of some solid developers and publishers. It was completely bug free during my time in the saddle and that can’t be said for most triple A titles nowadays. And while it’s easy to recommend you pick up and enjoy The Falconeer, its real magic lies in waiting. As hopefully it's the start of a new series, where we eventually see The Falconeer Black Flag, or whatever Tomas decides to call it. And that is really where it starts to fill my flight chaps with excitement juice.

All in all, Ghostrunner mixes all the best parkour elements from Mirror’s Edge and introduces it to the chaotically symphonic combat of orchestral violence that is Hotline Miami. Run, die, run, and die again; it’s brutal in all the best ways and will have you aching for a perfect run. Whilst it does have some issues and can feel a little short, your time in Ghostrunner will be wholly enjoyable, and filled with so many ecstatic moments of blissful victory.

All in all, Star Wars Squadrons ends up trying to cater towards many different players, whether that be beginners or experts, flat screen or VR, and ends up feeling a bit flat with a lack of nuance and depth. However, the VR and HOTAS support more than makes up for it, and the simulated flying mechanics are decent if limited. It’s an enjoyable experience for the average Star Wars and flying sim fan, and perfect for getting beginners more interested in the latter. But you will almost definitely enjoy it more with a head mounted display and a full throttle-and-stick setup.

The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon adds a nice chunk to the already delicious pie, It’s a satisfying extension of an already entertaining experience, so if you enjoyed the base game then you will definitely enjoy this new expansion. The writing is stellar as always, with the typical Obsidian charm that hooked us the first time round. And whilst it’s mostly just more of the same, I’m perfectly happy with that.

Port Royale 4 is ambitious and delivers in most regards, leading to a well rounded and beautifully choreographed world. The green tropical islands seem to breathe with life and purpose, a purpose that you influence through a variety of means, whether through trade, nationalism or just blatant piracy.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 is a timeless classic that is always worth being reminded about. Some things were done well to begin with and the Complete Edition brings us back to the thrilling excitement of management sims.

Struggling has imaginative indie talent sloshing throughout. Plus, you can tell it's got a big publisher behind it, believing in its charm and uniqueness.

Crusader Kings 3 is at the start of its own story - I'm estimating we're going to see around 300 DLCs for this beast before it's all said and done - and already through its clarity of interface and intelligent design decisions I can see years of amazing "OH MY GOD, you'll never guess what happened in CK3" moments clogging up Felix's email inbox as I continue on my own journey with this wonderful, wonderful game.

Despite the glaring flaws in Horizon Zero Dawn upon release, and the occasionally shoddy dialogue and uninspired activities, what shines through are the major moments of awe-inspiring wonder and childlike discovery. The overarching story is also a joy to unravel, touching on some major themes and topics still unseen in many games today. And the standout star of the show is of course the mechanical creatures, who always steal the scene no matter the occasion.

Overall, the Destroy All Humans! Remake is a fun trip down memory lane, very fun in fact. And whilst the crude and immature humor appealed more to my younger self than now, it’s still a ridiculously entertaining ride. The remake’s biggest saving grace is nostalgia, and finally bringing this old classic to the PC system. Whilst fans of the original will be very pleased with the nostalgia trip and additional new content, even if it isn’t quite substantial.

Overall the game is the same as F1 2019 with some tracks redesigned and with the My Team mode added. It should give people a couple seasons to go through instead of career mode, which is still available for those who want to do both. We may not be too far away from having an F1 motorsport manager game or even an add on if this keeps going, maybe for those more interested in managing rather then racing.

Death Stranding is a wholly unique and fresh experience that will surely appeal to only a few, and the surprisingly engaging experience of essentially being a delivery man in the post-apocalypse is hypnotizing. Kojima’s standout weird and wacky writing is left unhinged here, and that can excite some or terrify others, but the truth is that Death Stranding on PC is definitely the ultimate version of such a very, very strange game.

It may not be a western classic like the old spaghetti westerns, but Desperados 3 stands tall as a great western tale not of redemption, but of brilliant tactical strategy. There’s nothing more rewarding than pulling off the perfect synergy of puzzle-violence (after loading up a quicksave 2, 3, or 18 times), and the amount of challenges to complete after missions is just begging to be replayed for the most passionate of perfectionists. Now if you’ll excuse me Pilgrim, I got a horse to catch.

Props to the small team for really doing a whole lot with a little graphically. The rain never seems to let up, and the neon glow of the noodle stands shimmer on the trash-strewn alleys, and the smoky canyons between the seemingly-endless skyscrapers adds a feeling of vastness to the city. Really though, when you get down to it, Cloudpunk seems more like a straightforward interactive novel than it does a really fleshed-out game. It takes the first part of the 'go anywhere, do anything' sandbox model and does it very well. It just doesn't really deliver on the 'do anything' part all that well.

SnowRunner is a beautiful - and oftentimes frustrating - experience, but it’s that journey you undertake, one that you carve out yourself, that makes all the trials and tribulations worth it. The struggles you face will become obstacles to conquer, with each route forming a sort of puzzle to solve. It may take a while to get into, and if you’re having trouble at the start then stick through it, as the long haul is well worth it.

What it lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in pure unadulterated joy. The simplistic combat, coupled with the ridiculously easy drop-in-and-play gameplay makes for a fun and engaging roguelite dungeon crawler either alone or with friends. You’ll have fun, that’s guaranteed, and is perfect for all ages. Don’t expect a complex story, rich with lore, but you’ll almost certainly have a good time if you’re a fan of its predecessor.

There’s a lot to love here about Gears Tactics, and it somehow manages to almost flawlessly blend the genre of one game with another one’s universe and characters with great execution. Yes, there are some issues, and they can be quite annoying, but in the end these won’t detract you from the sheer amount of enjoyment you will experience. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn good, surprisingly good. Now give me more, please.

If you’re looking for the authentic Resident Evil experience, this is definitely not it. But if you have a Resident Evil itch that you just need to scratch, this could provide lots of hours of entertainment for you, even without the Resident Evil Resistance standalone experience. But at the end of the day, I’d rather just play the excellent Resident Evil 2 Remake, or even the original Resident Evil 3 on my old PS2 instead.

Half-Life: Alyx is a tremendous VR experience that should absolutely set the standard of quality for all VR games to come. But the lack of replayability value, and the scale factor of enjoyment dependent on your hardware and room size, holds Alyx back from being a truly astonishing game. Is it worth it alone to buy a headset for? I’m not sure, that depends on how big of a Half-Life fan you are. But I can say that there are tonnes of other VR games available that are worth buying a headset for already, and Half-Life Alyx will still be a significant entry in that list of games.

The story is not something I particularly cared for in DOOM (2016), but DOOM Eternal somehow manages to wraps it’s silky tendrils all across your brain, and will surely provide a lot of excitement and satisfaction for those who have been following the DOOM lore and theory-crafting for these past games. DOOM Eternal is bigger and better in every conceivable way. Welcome back, Slayer, it’s good to have you home.

Overall, Road to the Black Sea is another fantastic DLC for Euro Truck Simulator 2 that everyone has been waiting for since Beyond the Baltic Sea was released last year. Now we're just keen to see whether and when the final chunks of Europe will be coming our way.