A spectacular throwback to the era when wrestling games were must-own. Add live – or even quarterly – updates to 2K20 and it’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

By taking ideas from some of the best games of the last five years and combining that with a respect for the material that isn't so excessive as to alienate non-fans, War for Cybertron ends up being the best Transformers game yet.

Demonschool makes punching a parade of gloriously grotesque creatures an absolute riot. An approachable tactical RPG with a radioactive amount of style and flair. However, for a game about punching demons in the face, there's not a lot of crunch.

Nintendo serves up an immediately accessible and hilariously chaotic multiplayer experience, but a duff single-player campaign and hodgepodge assortment of other modes leaves you feeling that Mario Tennis Fever hasn't quite aced the complete package.

While some of its threads don't always come together as neatly as they should, Fullbright's sophomore effort is a quiet and haunting examination of the ways corporations dehumanize us all.

What you'd expect from a Wii launch game: It gives you a sampler platter of uses for the console's new tech, with plenty of exaggerated movements and bite-sized variety that's best in small doses.

An atmospheric, challenging shooter unlike anything else out there, but it's definitely not for everyone – the odd controls and punishing difficulty will no doubt turn off many casual fans. If you love a short but intense thrill ride and/or carefully perfecting your high-score game, however, you'll find a lot to love in Guwange.

Once you get used to the steering and can take the corners, FlatOut 2 is an awesome racer with enough destruction and mayhem to last you awhile. And if you do get frustrated, the game provides plenty of ways to relieve stress - like launching your helpless driver into really hard objects.

A challenging, gorgeous rhythm game that marks a joyous reunion with characters you adore. It's a new way to enjoy Persona 4’s outstanding soundtrack.

Ubisoft Bordeaux has delivered exactly what it promised. Assassin's Creed Mirage is a compact, stealth-focused adventure that punishes anyone trying to go in loud, and it does so in a world that's always a delight to explore (and be chased through).

Until the time comes for Tiburon to break down the game to its lowest level and rebuild from scratch, NCAA Football is going to keep on looking and feeling like it has for years now. While to us that's not necessarily a bad thing – after all, the last thing anyone should want is a repeat of the NBA Elite debacle – some people will inevitably feel like the franchise is growing stale.

Spec Ops: The Line has its issues, but they're overshadowed by a brave, compelling narrative that treats the medium with respect, and calls you a son of a bitch for playing it.

Traditionalists will cringe at the new controls, but we applaud EA's attempt to simplify things so more folks can get involved. It may not work perfectly, but it's the right thing to do (and the right console on which to do it).

FC 25's gameplay familiarity may trigger initial disappointment, but career mode tweaks and the brilliant Rush mode soon pull you back in for another year. Ultimate Team, meanwhile, remains divisive as ever – but fans of that mode will love its myriad fan-service additions.

A Call of Duty title that reigns everything in and is afraid to try something new, Black Ops Cold War gets the basics spot on but doesn't have enough content to warrant the price tag.

Grid Legends finds its niche alongside Forza Horizon and Gran Turismo, offering track-based thrills for all skill levels.

PGA Tour 2K21 offers the best stroke play in years, with deep and rich shot and swing craft. Only a lean career mode proves its handicap.

Sable is downright beautiful in its execution and storytelling, and captures an innate desire for exploration like few other open-world games.

Between the rampant frustration, the princess' flat-out stupidity, and the extremely difficult puzzles, there's little to keep you pushing ahead in Dokuro save from the allure of catching the heart of fictional royalty.

A stellar first WWE outing on PS5 and XBox Series X, but legacy flaws hold it back from true greatness.

By hooking up with other players via Wi-Fi, you’re also able to play levels that other players create, giving you a virtually endless array of levels to puzzle over even after you’ve completed the main game.

Some sort of multiplayer effort would've been appreciated, but even without it, Droplitz strikes us as one of the better original puzzlers of this generation, and is well worth the effort for genre aficionados seeking a definite challenge.

Combining childish humor with bloody demon murder, Shadows of the Damned pays off on the promise of the creative team of developers involved. It may momentarily waver, but SotD has some of the finest grindhouse fun of the summer.

The usual bells and whistles are all here as well, with the caveat that this is a PS2, so the tech is dated.

By adding yet another layer of realism with the presence of animals - dogs barking in the distant night, cats napping on the couch, rodents running in their squeaky wheel - your Sims' world becomes richer and, thus, your gaming experience more enjoyable.

There's more than enough in the game's Adventure mode to recommend Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 to the dedicated and the curious. While this falls firmly on the side of evolution, Skill Battles are a strong new addition to the game's lineup of modes, while the rat-a-tat joke delivery of the story adds a flavour that you just don't get in other puzzle games. This inexplicable cocktail remains potent for any puzzle lover.

Not only has the game been retooled with the Live audience in mind, but it's still a challenging, rewarding way to pound out your frustrations after a brutal day in the real world.

The bottom line is Band Hero is going to be an awesome game to those who happen to fall neatly within its target demographic. However, the developers missed the opportunity to make Band Hero stand out as a unique offshoot of the main franchise with special features and additional content.