Sonic Frontiers features the kind of lightweight yet engaging storytelling that should easily enrapture fans young and old – though I'd hate to be a child forced to play through some of the abysmal platforming featured throughout. Was taking Sonic open world an ambitious endeavor? Yes. Did it pay off? Absolutely not.

I found God of War Ragnarok an oddly split experience overall. There's a light start that feels padded – still good but missing depth – which leads into a weighty finish that's every bit the equal of its predecessor. But despite feeling like a 15 hour story trying to fill a 30 hour game, God of War Ragnarok is still easily one of the best PS5 games of the year. Even when it feels a bit thin, that's largely in comparison to the last game, with this maintaining that same absurd level of polish, and entertainment, even when the story feels like it's filling for time. When the dial does finally crank up to 11 you can feel it kick in, and by the end there are some incredible beats and a hugely satisfying resolution overall.

As it did with its reimagining of Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward has used the past as a point-of-reference rather than a blueprint, and the result is thrilling. The MW2 campaign is reliably unrevolutionary, and the multiplayer is bold enough to press against expectations – even if it isn't successful in everything that it tries. Call of Duty is slowly wading outside of its comfort zone, and it's all the better because of it.

Marvel Snap is a wonderfully intuitive card game that is simple to play, easy to learn, and satisfying to master. Games may take just six minutes to play, but there's a depth of strategy and breadth of variance here that is truly awesome.

All this administrative juggling also takes its toll on a story that's hard enough to follow even when it has your full attention. With a cast of characters that can be difficult to tell apart, crucial details buried in reams of documents, and a penchant for surreal interludes, it takes some work to keep up with the haunting undercurrent of Signalis. At times it does seem worth the effort, because there are intriguing themes burrowing away behind the scenes. But then you find a key that prompts yet another trek across the current area, and perhaps it doesn't after all.

When the witch takes charge, this demonic fighter is better than ever. After eight long years, PlatinumGames has delivered a sequel which successfully celebrates the series, although it does have problems with pacing and a split-focus.

Simultaneously both full of heart and unapologetically in-your-face, it takes everything you loved about its predecessor whilst gently – almost invisibly – buffing the things you didn't like so much, too. What a treat.

There's a compelling game in Gotham Knights, but it's hidden away behind a messy UX, needless crafting and customization systems, and combat mechanics that have been stretched paper thin to accommodate four heroes. I do believe that WB Games Montreal is capable of greatness, but this isn't the game that Gotham deserves after the death of Bruce Wayne, and it's not the one it needs right now following Rocksteady's retreat to Metropolis for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

PGA 2K23 is a fine golf game that builds on its predecessor in every way, with fabulous gameplay, shot craft, and depth.

Despite the addition of women players in HUT and tweaked mechanics like last-chance puck movements, NHL 23 barely feels it's changed from last year's offering. It's a fun but all too familiar hockey experience.

A Plague Tale: Requiem doesn't drastically alter the foundation set by Innocence, but by iterating on its strengths as a character-driven fable within an oft-ignored historical setting, tells yet another tale to remember.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope captures everything that made the original so special, all while delivering a more complex and complete experience. It offers a new level of strategic depth, with world-building that makes it more of a Super Mario game than you might expect.

Scorn works wonders with Giger's and Beksiński's artwork, not only in terms of aesthetic fidelity but in creating a world that's utterly strange to exist in. This is a violent, painful, but fascinating place, thick with symbolism and interlocking puzzles that hint at some terrifying grand design. While it can be overly obscure and frustrating, especially in combat, Scorn serves up one hell of a journey.

Lego Bricktales is a relaxing and entertaining way to spend your time that does manage to recreate that tranquil vibe of building something, anything, out of Lego. It has its appeal and that's not weighed down too heavily by the lackluster exploratory parts, but with a little more attention it could've really explored what it means to play with Lego bricks creatively.

Overwatch 2 shines and pops with updated graphics and gorgeous new maps, but its deviation from the source material is impossible to ignore.

Slime Rancher 2 may play largely the same as its predecessor but, between the beautiful new world and some key quality-of-life improvements, the future looks promising for Monomi Park's sequel. [Early Access Review]

EA and FIFA part company with a game packing fresh content both on and off the park – but FIFA 23 is ultimately hamstrung by a pair of longstanding frustrations.

Grounded has always been a solid idea on paper, but Obsidian brings that potential to full fruition for launch, delivering on the thrills and fun of its brilliantly Spielbergian conceit.

Serial Cleaners' main problem is that it's kind of a wasted opportunity. There's room for a game like this on the market, and it's stylishly presented enough that it could easily garner an audience of obsessive stealth-loving cleaners. It just doesn't achieve the necessary tension to make it a compelling stealth game and its mechanics are too open to abuse to reward careful play and smart decisions. As a result, the potential thrill that it could have been is lost.

Soulstice does itself no favours by borrowing heavily from Bayonetta, and then falls short of its inspiration in every area. At best this is a functional but uninspired character action game. At worst it's a poor appreciation of the genre's finer points, stacking up systems that detract from the purity of exhilarating combat.

A nostalgic, swashbuckling adventure you won't want to miss.

No sports game gets the past right quite like NBA 2K23 – and its present-day immersiveness is incredibly powerful, too.

Nintendo's threequel has flashes of brilliance everywhere.

Even at this Early Access stage, Gameloft has created an awesome game here. There's enough content here already to give a good sense of what's to come, and a foundation to build something rather special.

The Last of Us Part 1 is, perhaps more than anything, a gorgeous visual love letter to its biggest fans, not to mention a welcoming set of open arms for the inevitable stream of new ones who will arrive to the game via the upcoming Last of Us TV Show from HBO next year. Judged in isolation, that's far from a bad thing. But in the context of an industry where remakes are continuing to push the boundaries of the art of restoration, Part 1 struggles to escape the shadow of feeling like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Immortality is one beautiful headf**k. Once again Barlow has surpassed himself, with this game surpassing anything else that's come before it in the genre.

Some fun improvements make this playable – yet Madden still features too much carryover. Not just from last year, but the last decade.

My Saints Row experience was enjoyable and more than occasionally frustrating: at times it feels like Volition is on the cusp of a breakthrough in both social commentary and open-world game mechanics, while at other times it feels like it's upholding the status quo. I love the new cast of characters and what they represent to marginalized community members who will play this game, and the story is compelling enough that I persevered in the face of some irritating bugs. There's a solid game here, and plenty of fun to be had with the new Saints Row, but I find myself wishing the team had taken the concept and ran with it to the bank - before robbing said bank, of course.