Though short, Stray is a delight of a game to experience. Forcing players to make organic progress feels like a genuine achievement, and viewing this world through the unique perspective of a cat gives the story considerable more weight. Stray is a game that you will think about even when you’re not playing it. Like a good book, its world pulls you in and you never want to put it down. It’s nice to see at least one cyberpunk game live up to the hype, eh?

If you enjoy dark stories, difficult gameplay and the original game, Little Nightmares 2 is absolutely a must-play dark fairytale that you shouldn’t miss out on (if you can help it)! LN2 is a triumph for Tarsier Studios, but definitely needs to rethink accessibility.

Altogether, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the best LEGO game I’ve played in years. It rightly innovates far beyond the standardised formula that this series has built over the years with some fresh ideas. With such strong source material, however, there are so many sequences that feel hung out to dry. Star Wars fans will find it to be a little undercooked as an adaptation.

This is one of the most stylish and heartfelt games I’ve had the pleasure of playing in years. It gave me everything I was looking for, and so much more I didn’t even know I wanted.

If the core F1 racing experience is what you care about most, then you likely won’t be disappointed by this year’s latest instalment.

When Alex experiences joy for the first time, a warm golden glow emanates from the characters, sparkling and twisting into the laughter-filled air. Life Is Strange: True Colors fills my heart with the same sensation. Then breaks it in the most bittersweet way I could imagine. Alex’s story is a colourful tapestry, stitched together with the gossamer thread of what it means to be human. It’s a glimmering, supernatural journey that reminds you life really is… weird.

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.

Rollerdrome is fantastic. It’s easily one of the coolest games I’ve played all year. Although there are a few missed opportunities here and there, the gameplay is continuously creative, the story alluring, and there’s never a dull moment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Season is a reminder that memories of the past are all we’re left with, and it staples the importance of being able to carry over that knowledge into future generations. Because otherwise, we’re left with a culture that is doomed to repeat the same mistakes and won’t have the skills to work past it.

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.

Want to take on this mega GT World Challenge, but don’t have a PC capable of running it? Assetto Corsa Competizione on PS5 is one of the most visually and mechanically realistic racing experiences out there. This update is miles better than any other ACC console offering, with its buttery-smooth gameplay and 4k graphics. The DLCs help to pad out the game and set it apart from any of its competitors. And, whilst the career mode doesn’t bring anything new to the table, the championship, challenge and online modes more than make up for it. Unfortunately, if you don’t have the spare cash for a wheel and pedals, it’s a sub-par racing experience that leaves the taste of burnt rubber in your mouth.

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.

Overall, I think the Dream Home Decorator pack successfully adds a new dimension to The Sims 4. As we hope all expansions do, it positively reflects the portion of the community who love all things build mode.

Scarlet Nexus is an addictive action RPG. Combat is fast-paced, visuals are bright and colourful and the story is so wonderfully bizarre that it will keep you wanting to keep playing. It may not be a game for everyone and it may not be without its flaws but those flaws are counteracted by what it does right. There’s a lot of mileage in the game for those that it clicks with.

The Quarry is a fascinating mix of gameplay, story, and casting which brings the teen drama horror experience to life on multiple levels. Suspense and the ever-feeling sense of danger is what we often love most about horror films, but even then, much of that can dissipate after the first viewing.

Putting it under the scope, Rebellion Developments has delivered a coherent, open-ended stealth experience filled with plenty of freedom. This is peak Sniper Elite, with so much about the game inspiring tactical, sneaky gameplay that makes you feel like a real wartime marksman.

My major disappointment comes from the lack of F1 Sprint at launch. It might not be the most tactically engaging aspect of F1, but it is a major component of 3 weekends (6 from 2023). I think it could provide a really interesting challenge with players only having 1 session to work on their setup before parc ferme locks the majority of changes, something that real team principals are forced to contend with. A shame, but as a foundation F1 Manager 2022 is an incredible triumph that has me excited for the future of motorsport management.

I’m going to be honest here and say that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands doesn’t make the best impression. Despite a fantasy-themed facelift and a bigger emphasis on character freedom, the issues that plagued previous entries in the series are still too numerous for it to feel like a substantial change. However, I’m still finding things to enjoy in it which, even as a Borderlands skeptic, at least makes it worth the price of admission for anyone playing this with friends.

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.

As a fan of FPS games and a casual fan of the CoD franchise, it pains me to say Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is one of my most disliked entries in the series. The campaign is a huge step down from its original namesake, and the multiplayer has disappointed me on many levels. I know Activision loves to get a slice of the CoD pie every single year, but I still think we’d be better off with fewer titles, bigger innovations.

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.

As Dusk Falls has a captivating story with more than a few rocky moments, but is as close to feeling “genre” as it can get. It also has a lot of shortcomings that might only be saved by the interesting multiplayer features. It’s the perfect game to pull out for any digital or physical get-togethers, but is otherwise a reminder of wasted potential.

There is so much potential here that doesn’t quite reach the mark, and it’s quite mind boggling as to why some of these problems exist when they didn’t in their previous work. However, with that incredibly addictive gameplay alone, along with the plethora of side-content, I can see traditional Final Fantasy fans having a lot of fun here, even if it’s a bit of a shallow adventure. Now that this engine has proven it’s worth in terms of gameplay, I am very excited for their next project if they have more time to spare in the writing room.

We Were Here Forever represents the growth of its developers – the franchise has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a school project and it’s brilliant to see just what this indie studio is capable of at its full capacity. It’s definitely worth playing if you have a friend to play with. Despite the loss of simplicity the previous games were known for, this doesn’t spoil an otherwise unique and interesting puzzler.