A very barebones remaster that is great for newcomers, but unnecessary for owners of the previous game.

The way you can tell a critic liked a game is whether or not they’ll go back to it on their own accord when their review is finished. That is exactly what I’m doing with Yakuza Kiwami 2. It fixes some of the most glaring problems the first Kiwami had and that gives us one of the best Yakuza games on PC. There’s plenty of games to play, dudes to fight and people to help, and it almost never feels wasteful. If you crave an honest-to-god open world without the obnoxious filler of similar games, Kiwami 2 is wonderful for any sandbox aficionado.

A very Paradox game, in both a good and bad way. It has all the hallmarks of a good game, and I look forward to seeing continued development as time goes by.

A capable coop shooter with a lot of potential and amazing swarm mechanics.

Increasingly complex yet approachable, Anno 1800 is an excellent entry in the long-running city building series that both challenges but also leaves space to admire one’s handiwork.

Even though playing the Phoenix Wright Trilogy in 2019 reminds you how times have changed for the better, it is still a worthwhile compilation. Fifteen years after Phoenix Wright was brought to the West, its charm and strong narrative are still as resonant as it was in 2004. If you still have the original trilogy somewhere, you don’t need to rebuy this unless you’re a fanatic. But if you’re someone who never played a game in the series and want to know what the fuss is about? This is well worth your time. It’s silly and some design choices can force the game to a crawl, but it’s very easy to persevere to see what happens next.

It certainly feels like the best Tropico game - but anyone who’s played a previous Tropico game might get bored at doing it all again (although the excellent missions help) and anyone who hasn’t might struggle to progress. In the end though, it’s still a worthy follow-up.

Two Point Hospital was one of the best games of 2018, and the Pebberley Island DLC doesn’t let it down. While the first level relies on crazy weather and useless janitors it’s merely a way to get you up to speed before the true, imaginative, creative weirdness of levels 2 and 3. The game forces you to change up your tactics, and throws you real challenges you’ve never faced before. It’s clever, and tough, and it’s never less than incredibly fun. It may be only three new levels, but if you need some more Two Point Hospital in your life, you won’t do better than visiting Pebberley Island.

A great game with fantastic world building and gameplay, The Division 2’s most egregious issues can easily be fixed during its lifetime.

The LEGO Movie 2 is a great movie! But the Videogame has no dialogue between characters, and very little of the meta zaniness that makes the movie pop. It’s got some shining moments, such as huge boss encounters, but this brave new world of LEGO games needs some more refinement. It’s Telltale’s Jurassic Park rather than Walking Dead, then.

Devil May Cry 5 is a stellar return to form for the series, capitalizing on all the elements that make it great. Charismatic characters and stylish, over-the-top fighting mix together into an experience that keeps you hooked to your seat for the initial 15+ hours, and possibly more as you delve into higher difficulties. With very little beating around the bush, and a combat system that’s easy enough to grasp but takes a while to master, the title successfully pushes you to learn its combos, while providing an awesome power trip. Gorgeous and intense, Devil May Cry 5 is an unbridled serving of the purest form of action that few other titles pull off quite as well.

In the end, Gathering Storm brings a few new toys to the sixth entry of the classical turn-based franchise, but does hedge a few bets on the natural disaster part of the deal. While those are an interesting addition, they are not meaningful enough to spearhead a whole expansion – and certainly not at the full prices charged by 2K.

At the moment though: the missions are severely lacking, the weapons are too basic, there’s a big disconnect between story and game, and having so many loading screens (especially with the Forge) is annoying. In general there’s just a severe lack of content, and forcing players to grind what should be optional achievements instead was a terrible stopgap solution. If you get Anthem now, you’ll have fun for a little while… but then you’ll be waiting for the real game to start.

There’s a lot to love with The Occupation. It’s got humanity, tension, and plenty of little touches that make finding that extra bit of information exciting without the usual violence you’ve come to expect from stealth games. However, its focus on no manual saving and real-time gameplay will be a dealbreaker. It’s not for everyone, but anyone craving consequence and narrative in their stealth game will find a challenge worth facing.

A lovely experiment in its own right, Tech Support: Error Unknown is not for the faint of heart. Even at the lowest difficulty, it only comes into its own with an attentive player capable of reading between the lines. Though technical problems exist, they don’t get in the way too much. Recommended for those who’d like to try out something new and different, and don’t have a problem with sticking with the game until it really clicks.

Bannermen’s appreciation of genre greats can be easily seen through the cracks in its shoddy construction. However, in between a single faction with a small, uninspired roster, bland story and writing, and very few options in terms of tactics and strategy, it’s tough to recommend. As rooted as it is in the genre’s past, it’s nowhere close to mastering what made RTS titles of yore great, ultimately being just a flimsy, soulless imitator.

Far Cry New Dawn may be a shorter Far Cry experience, but it’s one of the most fun games in the series since Blood Dragon. The bizarrely colourful post-apocalyptic world is far more enjoyable to explore than the drab pre-bombing Hope County of Far Cry 5, and the Mad Max-style enemies are a lot more fun to take on than the Peggies. While the story’s mostly nonsense, with a few infuriating moments, and it’s undoubtedly all a cut-down experience - it never feels like a sub-par one, or even “just” an expansion. Far Cry New Dawn is the most enjoyment I’ve had with the series for a long time. Now, if only we had a full game like this…

M2H and Blackmill Games have executed their concept so well that the most glaring criticism is that there is not more. With such good a foundation as Verdun, it would have been nice to see a greater variety of maps, or perhaps even some different objective based modes. While it should be noted that fans of run and gun in faster-paced shooters may be frustrated with the game’s more methodical pacing, Tanneberg is a satisfying tactical shooter.

The best way to treat Kiwami is like the 2nd season of a show. It might reuse animations or games, but the budget saved from that allows for a greater focus on the new stuff. It’s both different and comfortable. It’s not the perfect introduction to the franchise, nor the most unique. Nevertheless, if you loved the world of Yakuza 0 and crave more serious crime dramas that let you bowl with your eyepatched rival, Kiwami is a wonderful port for an interesting game. So long as you can forgive minor design hiccups, you’ll be sure to have a blast in Kamurocho.

The truth is, Genesis Alpha One feels like an Early Access game, far from the polished status one would expect from a full release – even an indie one. While the concept is intriguing and very promising, the lack of immersion and design decisions make everything exhausting. If you’re interested in a roguelike sci-fi game, you could give Genesis a shot, but don’t expect much from what is clearly an unfinished title.

While Armada isn’t big on scale, it is big on fun. It is one of the rare good entries of Games Workshop’s liberally licensed universe, and as such, it is a must-try for any fan of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is a triumph of clever, polished game design, and is quite possibly our favourite game in the series. It leans into terrifying close encounters more than epic action setpieces, but that’s really what the series is about, and RE2 does the terrifying perfectly. Enemies are superb, and the game boasts the best zombies in any game ever - unrelenting and mostly unstoppable, they’re just creepy. Then there’s Mr X, the game’s own Jason Voorhees, continuously stalking you throughout. We loved every moment of Resident Evil 2, and even if you know the first game inside out, you won’t know the Remake at all. If you’ve ever loved a Resident Evil game, or wished that RE7 was third-person, want to go back to RE2 and its great horror design, or just want a horror-action game… get Resident Evil 2 Remake. You won’t be disappointed.

For a first faction pack, Tyranids is a very interesting addition to anyone interested in the interstellar creatures. It displays the same overall missed opportunities and underdeveloped aspects as the base game – and it is still is somewhat of a boring long-term experience compared to the likes of Civilization – but for fans of Gladius and Tyranids, it should definitely warrant a shot.

A very good game that needs some amount of balancing and polishing to really shine.

Gris is art in motion and arguably the most gorgeous game I’ve played this year. It dons the cloth of a puzzle platformer, although focusing on just that part means missing the point. That’s because all its pieces, from the absolutely gorgeous visuals and music to the poignant way in which the world gives you the pieces to build the girl’s story, create a delicate whole and an experience that’s well worth jumping into.

A must-have expansion to those players who dream of creating their own interstellar corporate empire.

If you honestly loved Just Cause 3 and want to carry on the war that game started, along with balloons to send cows into the stratosphere, you’ll mostly be happy with the sequel. For the rest of us, it’s never as good or insane as it needs to be, and every part of the excitement is tinged with frustration.

With better skill progression, a better take on combat hit percentages (like, removing them and relying on other methods to determine hits), a bit more originality, and a bit less linearity, Mutant Year Zero would have been an easy recommendation to just about anyone. Still, it’s a game that I really enjoyed and hope to see future content for. If you like tactical battles, RPG mechanics, and weird universes, you should definitely check this one out.