There’s a hell of a lot to like about Hi-Fi Rush: its sumptuous visuals, its over-the-top characters, its silly humour. When it comes to its gameplay, however, we just wish we liked it more. Between its overly long levels, excessive abundance of rhythm-based events, and bouts of combat that ultimately feel overly chaotic and prescriptive, a lot of potential is squandered. Still, there’s some good fun to be had, even once you’ve completed the game’s campaign. And we’d certainly be up for a sequel with some of the rhythm elements toned down.

In no uncertain terms, Nioh is something special. It’s one of those rare games that surpasses expectations, taking the best elements from a variety of genre-defining titles whilst sprinkling in a handful of its own ideas.

As a sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel. It does improve on the formula of the original game in various ways, however, and features a story with more impactful choices. Only some troublesome stealth sections and the odd bug bring it down a little, but it's still a fantastic experience overall.

If you haven’t already invested in Mortal Kombat 11, this Ultimate edition is a steal. For the price of the base game just over a year and a half ago you get the full package, which includes two great story campaigns, 37 customisable fighters and a whole lot more. Its combat might not be as fluid or enjoyable in action as the latest Street Fighter or Tekken, but it makes up for it elsewhere. As fighting games go, none are more generous than Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, especially when it comes to single-player content. None are gorier, either.

A sensitive, beautiful and emotional glimpse into what it might be like to live with Alzheimer’s Disease, Before I Forget feels as important as it is excellently-executed. It’s not exactly a ‘game’ in the traditional sense, but it’s an experience that will stick with you and perhaps make you look at the world in a new light. You’ll certainly never take your most treasured memories for granted again, that’s for sure.

If you’re a PC gamer with a thirst for adventure, or you’re simply keen to finally check out the Uncharted series if you haven’t owned a PlayStation console, it’s definitely worth investing in Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End may seem like a strange place to jump into the series but it works, while Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is pretty much worth the asking price alone as it’s such a well-rounded adventure. Sony continues its streak of putting out top-quality ports, and we’re here for them.

For a game with as much crafting as Subnautica has, it needs to constantly steer the player towards materials they’ve not seen before. Excellently, Subnautica delivers here too.

It speaks volumes that despite Devil May Cry 5‘s obvious issues, it still impresses so much. It’s a game that looks better than anything else available at the moment, and yet somehow runs at a solid 60 frames per second. And its combat is undoubtedly the deepest of any action game, making its linear structure actually not that much of an issue. Devil May Cry 5 isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn good Devil May Cry game. Honestly, I think Ninja Theory’s DmC was better, but in 2019 I’ll accept Devil May Cry 5 with open arms.

Even with the issues you can pick at in this remake, though, there's no denying that Persona 3 Reload is one hell of game. Its story is as engaging as ever, and now its gameplay has been notably improved, giving you more options in combat and out. Along with the new visuals and soundtrack, Persona 3 has never looked, sounded or played as good. It's just silly that it's arrived so close to the remaster of Persona 3 Portable: if you've played that recently, it might not grab your attention throughout due to its authenticity. For those who are yet to jump in or are keen to relive the classic yet again, however, simply play and enjoy.

Ghost of Tsushima was a great game when it launched just over a year ago. And now, in the form of a Director’s Cut, it’s even better. It seems trite to make a big deal over the visuals not being massively upgraded for next-gen when the game looks so phenomenal anyway, and what has been added – 3D audio and DualSense support – is enough to make the upgrade fee worthwhile for those who already own the original game and want to take on the new Iki Island expansion. That itself is largely more of the same, but its thoroughly engaging story that lets us learn more about Jin Sakai isn’t to be missed by those who were entertained by the game’s main campaign. And so, what else is there to say, other than for newcomers, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut on PS5 is absolutely essential.

The sound from completing a panel is extremely satisfying, and I’ve followed it with a victory dance more times than I’d like to admit.

Between its action-packed campaign and the interesting SnapMap level editor, there’s more here to keep first-person shooter fans occupied than any other game in recent memory, and to put it bluntly, DOOM’s campaign is the most outlandish fun I’ve had with a game up to now during this console generation.

If you’re looking to buy only one multiplayer FPS this year, Battlefield 1 is more than worthy of your hard-earned cash – I honestly can’t envisage anything being better.

For PS5 owners who have yet to take a chance on the Nioh series, The Nioh Collection is a must-have, providing they’re up for a challenge. Nioh Remastered – The Complete Edition and Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition, both also available separately, are expertly-crafted games that are hard to pick fault with. Across both titles there’s literally hundreds of hours of adventuring to be done, and thanks to leveraging the power of the PS5 the action has never looked or played better. It’s those with TVs capable of high frame rates that will get the most out of it though; these games really display the benefit of 120fps.

A game like Dark Souls 3 is best gone into blind so as to heighten the sense of wonder and accomplishment you feel when you discover things for yourself, and I don’t want to rob you of that. All you need to know is that without any shadow of a doubt, I believe Dark Souls 3 is the finest game in the Souls series to date. It looks amazing, sounds amazing, plays amazing; the only things that let it down are the minor technical issues and perhaps the sometimes inconsistent difficulty level.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best JRPG from Square since Final Fantasy VII. It takes a classic, carefully builds on it, and although certain changes made to the story may not be as well-received by all players, overall there's no denying that it's a massive success.

Without a doubt, the Switch version of Cuphead is the best. It’s still not the game I think it could have been, but the ability to play it anywhere and at anytime really does do it wonders. It may be a straight port, but it’s a bloody good one.

Guilty Gear -Strive- isn’t the most generous fighting game available when it comes to content, but its wonderfully energetic combat makes up for it. Its characters are larger than life, each bringing something new to the table that’s worth exploring before settling on perhaps one or two to truly master. And while it’s the easiest Guilty Gear game to simply pick up and play, there’s a hell of a lot of depth to be discovered by those who wish to compete at a high level. Thanks to brilliant netcode, it’s likely that a lot of fighting game fans will, too. The flashy visuals and rocking soundtrack are a couple of cherries on top.

Aside from some disappointing story elements and frame rate dips in battles, Sun and Moon encapsulate 20 years of series strengths and introduce enough freshness to keep the series running strong.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance once again puts us in control of the legendary Joe Musashi, and it's a genuine treat. Fast and fluid combat meets slick platforming and traversal, and when you add in the game's stunning art and excellent soundtrack, you're looking at game of the year material.

For those who want clear guidelines on how to progress, many will find the obfuscation and mystery of Kingdom tiring after a while. For those who want to know how to get platinum gamerscore, or how to beat the game in the quickest way possible, again, Kingdom will stubbornly refuse to comply with those needs.

Final Fantasy XVI is a brave new direction for the long-running RPG series, and one that pays off. We haven't been this engaged by a Final Fantasy title in quite some time, and we absolutely love the new action-focused combat system. Sometimes elements of the new and old Final Fantasy clash, and the story has some elements that left us scratching our heads, but overall this will be remembered as one of the greats. With stunning visuals, a rousing soundtrack, a fun combat system and an engaging politically-driven story, Final Fantasy XVI is quite simply a triumph.

No doubt some will have expected more of a visual overhaul, but it's hard to find fault with Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Both Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy still look stunning, and thanks to better frame rates and other PS5-centric features they are more immersive and fun to play than ever before. If you own one or both of these games on PS4 and are considering playing them again, it's well worth upgrading. And if you've never played them? Well, you'd be mad to let the opportunity pass you by again if you own a PS5.

While Blind Drive‘s premise is incredibly simple, it’s immediately addicting and the excellent narrative will keep you glued to the screen from beginning to end. You might be going into this adventure blind, but you won’t be disappointed.

Has Gran Turismo 7 fulfilled all of our wildest dreams? Unfortunately not. And for some players the new career structure, unwieldy menus and drone-like A.I. might really knock their duck off. But for those prepared to scratch under the surface and accept that not everything can be perfect, there's one hell of a racing game to be enjoyed here. Although to call it a racing game is perhaps reductive: this is about the love of cars just as much it is about racing them. Whether you want to learn about the history of some of the most iconic cars in the world, take stunning photographs, complete your car collection or race others online, this is the game for you. This is Gran Turismo, and there's nothing else quite like it.

Housemarque is back with yet another fantastic fast-paced third person shooter. Saros builds on Returnal, delivering deeper and more enjoyable gameplay, as well as a new permanent progression system and modifiers which allow you to tweak the difficulty to your preferences. All in all, it's Housemarque's best game yet.

Spin Rhythm XD is one of the most enjoyable music rhythm games we've played in a long while, being easy to pick up but having a lot of depth as you ramp up the difficulty. It's the control system that impresses us the most, though, making you feel like a DJ. It's just a shame that unless you love EDM, its track list has nothing for you.

There’s no denying Link’s Awakening is a very enjoyable adventure, however. It hits you right in the nostalgia spot if you’ve played before, and even if you haven’t it stands up well against more modern titles. After all, games are still continually being made in the vein of classic Zelda adventures. It’s just a shame it’s let down by such troublesome graphical and performance issues. With an optimisation patch and a price cut, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening would be a must-buy. Until then, it isn’t.