Gran Turismo 7 does its best to straddle the gap between casual and hardcore racers. While it certainly does a great job of onboarding newcomers warmly, it does so at the risk of boring it's more eager fanbase. That makes GT7 a difficult game to recommend unless you love cars and their culture with your whole heart.

All-in-all, FAR Changing Tides does all the right things you want from a sequel. It makes visible improvements over the first game, while also not overshadowing what that game did brilliantly. On the other hand, those who couldn’t get on with the original’s micromanagement aspects won’t find it to be anymore lenient.

If Dark Souls was the earthquake, Elden Ring is the aftershock. In a sense, it’s more of a love letter to the Soulsborne fanbase, incorporating dramatic fragments of each past game into a single product that is rewarding and fulfilling. While not perfect, I believe that FromSoftware has followed through on the hype surrounding this game and been able to create something truly mesmerising.

Horizon Forbidden West is a triumph for Guerrilla Games. It takes the shining promise of Zero Dawn and elevates it in almost every way possible. This truly feels like the RPG the studio has always wanted to make, and I’m so glad that it finally gets to breathe without being overshadowed.

Despite an excellent combat system and intriguing world design, Sifu falls too short of its premise. Regardless of whether you’re playing it casually or going harder, the death mechanic is simply too punishing to be enjoyable. Perhaps with a fairer system, this would make for a better game.

OlliOlli World’s visual style, fluid controls and accessible flow make it a fantastic entry to the platformer genre. Abundant in personality, it was obvious that taking some time out to create a worthy sequel has paid off for Roll7. Fans will adore it.

Even if you’ve played through Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy before, I’d recommend returning to them for this collection. Playing at a higher frame rate won’t completely transform these games, but it certainly makes them more enjoyable. After five years with nothing new in the world of Uncharted, now is a better time than ever to jump back in.

As with any new game, the future of this game entirely is uncertain, but this launch has made us very hopeful. Konami seemingly is keen to learn and is already doing user surveys to find any flaws in the system, and with the questions chosen it seems the team are looking at the right areas already. With some patches and more quality of life features, this game could easily become the definitive Yu-Gi-Oh! experience, but only time can tell.

God of War is a narrative gem. What it lacks in pacing and agency, it more than triumphs in writing, acting, and directing.

Is Scarf a good game then? It’s certainly not terrible. I’d suggest it might even get lost in the shuffle that is the end-of-year period, which it doesn’t deserve. The game has a great foundation for puzzle design blended with platforming and exploration. Otherwise, the shortcomings with the game’s story aren’t intrusive enough for it to be a massive problem. It’s a solid little thing to spend a couple of evenings with.

Overall, the 16 hours I spent with the Halo Infinite campaign certainly had dull points. However, sheer thrill shines through at several points, proving that there’s still life in this 20-year-old franchise. It’s now up to 343 Industries to keep it that way.

Exo One is almost a perfect sci-fi puzzle game, let down by one poor level right in the middle. The movement, the beauty of its scenery, and the peculiarity of the narrative is something I really appreciate about video games as an art form.

After spending time with each of the three modes in Battlefield 2042, none of them are worth purchasing the game for in its current state. All-Out Warfare loses focus of what makes Battlefield games fun and feels lethargic to play. Hazard Zone feels like an afterthought that’s merely included as a box-checking exercise. Portal shows the most promise, but mostly serves as a bittersweet reminder of how great the series once was.

I don’t think I’ll revisit Back 4 Blood in a decades’ time the same way I do with Left 4 Dead now, but it does a good enough job at modernising the formula for better or worse.

Overall, Call of Duty: Vanguard is another solid entry to the CoD series. Sledgehammer has worked almost entirely by the rulebook, but has made enough improvements to deliver a template that can carry the series forward for another year. There’s a promising lineup of post launch content on the way too, leaving the future looking relatively bright for the future of Call of Duty.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with how Forza Horizon 5 has turned out. The variety in activities as well as care and attention put into its mechanics and world makes Mexico such a delight to explore. It’s most certainly the best game in the series, and could well be the best game on Xbox right now.

Going into Riders Republic, I thought it was going to be the gunning down steep slopes at high velocity that would make me feel ill. It turns out that the only aspect of Riders Republic that knocks me sick is the out-of-touch presentation of the NPCs. I’m being facetious here, because Riders Republic is one of the more genuine surprises of the year. I didn’t expect to find myself trying to perfect downhill runs until 3am. And yet, Riders Republic has completely dug its hooks into me. It imitates the unbridled feeling of freedom from the Forza Horizon games and perfects it in its own subgenre. If you’re looking for an octane-fuelled romp of a game with guaranteed fun, look no further than Riders Republic. Just be sure to bring your own jukebox.

Aside from some minor technical hitches, though, Escape Simulator is absolutely worth your time. If you and your mates have been craving some escape room action throughout the pandemic, then Escape Simulator is a sure-fire alternative that won’t leave you disappointed.

Enemy encounters are also made annoying by the fact that your character’s movement feels like you’re trying to weave through a busy train. You pull back on the thumbstick to move backwards, and instead the avatar does a mindless dance around the space they’re in. Try to position yourself just right to avoid an enemy attack, and you’ll spend a great deal of time fumbling around with the controls that you’ll get hit anyway. With most of the playable areas being so tight and close-quartered, why do we even have the option to dodge an enemy attack when they’ll end up getting you anyway?

It’s certainly a competently-designed RTS. Thanks to unique units, buildings and technologies, playing around with each civilisation is fun and offers a different experience each time. Unfortunately, with it feeling so similar to Age of Empires 2 but with many stripped down features, it’s extremely difficult for me to recommend spending £50 on this when you can grab Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition for £15. Maybe it will be better after some updates, but right now it’s just reminding me of better games.

There’s some frequent but minor performance issues aside. Be that as it may, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most enjoyable games you’ll play all year. You might have never gotten into one of the comics or films. Still, there’s something in this space-adventure epic for everyone. You could wait until the last of the technical creases are ironed out, but none ruin the core experience. If you’re looking for a game that’s brimming with heart in both story and gameplay, this is one for you.

It sounds like I’m ragging on Far Cry 6 a fair bit, but that’s mostly just because of how much it feels like squandered potential. We’re at the sixth installment of this series now, spin-offs notwithstanding. And yet dismantling Castillo’s grip on Yara doesn’t feel too far removed from going up against Hoyt Volker, Pagan Min, or Joseph Seed. If you’ve played a recent Far Cry game, you know exactly what you’re in for with 6. It’s a well-trodden formula of epic scale that has just enough life in it to keep it from being tired.

Overall though, Alan Wake Remastered is the same game it was in 2010 but with slightly nicer looking graphics. If you enjoyed the original, you’ll most likely enjoy this. If you hated it, there’s nothing about this new release that will change your mind. And if you’re brand new to the series, it’s definitely the best place to start.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is perfect for fans wanting to revisit what they grew up with on modern consoles. It’s also a great entry point for new fans. Some of the best levels and modes in Super Monkey Ball history are all in one place. Although some elements of the game have aged better than others and there are a few missteps there’s no denying that there’s a charm to the latest Super Monkey Ball. Even with its issues, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a delight to play. It fills you with nostalgia whilst also showing the strengths of the series. It will be interesting to see where the franchise goes next.

Some battles may not be as enjoyable as others but there’s so much fun to be had in most of them that it doesn’t matter. The story is interestingly bizarre, the characters are larger than life and the combat is a delight. Arguably the most important thing though is that it’s a worthy entry in the franchise that will no doubt be another cult classic in the world of gaming.

If you’ve been holding off on Death Stranding in the hope they would improve it then Death Stranding Director’s Cut is the perfect time to jump in. Even outside of that though I found Death Stranding a fascinating game to be playing for the first time.

Despite these gripes, Deathloop on the PS5 offers some fantastically unique features that properly elevate the experience in new and creative ways. It’s the definitive place to play the game if you’re on console – though it’s not like you have much choice.

Tales of Arise is a beautiful JRPG that is fun to play that fans of the genre will no doubt get a lot out of. Its gradual introduction of mechanics also makes it a wonderful experience for those looking to dip their toes into JRPGs for the first time or after a long time away from them.