Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit delivers remote-control racing like you've probably never seen before. Its augmented-reality features are brilliant and genuinely surprise with just how well they work, 'in hand'. Home Circuit is full of classic Nintendo charm from its out-the-box elements to its cheery software; it's extremely intuitive to use and offers troubleshooting advice if needed; and it does work in a small space, even if you'll absolutely get more from it, the bigger your home is. It's all the vroom your living room has ever needed - just be sure to keep the kart where you can see it.

At a time where a 'Britain divided', in the near-future and distant past respectively, is the setting of at least two new AAA games - namely Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin's Creed Valhalla - it's refreshing and comforting to play through a game where this place I call home isn't, well, a load of sh*t. The bucolic, pastoral Britishness of I Am Dead is weaved throughout its gentle humour and its heart-squeezing moments of emotional lurch, likewise its old-time seaside quaintness and whimsical soundtrack. It's a nice game to spend time with, in the same way that Detectorists (for example) was a nice TV show to spend time with; and for a title that's ostensibly about preventing a cataclysmic eruption, it's incredibly relaxed. It's definitely not for everyone, but to return to that Annapurna catalogue of paragraph one: if those games do it for you, I Am Dead will scratch the same itches with all the agreeable satisfaction of a Morris Lupton bellyrub. Woof.

So we'll leave a thousand or so things about it left unsaid - the music, yes, it's wonderful, sorry we didn't spend more time celebrating its City Pop-riffing breeziness and loose funk swagger; and those character poses really are straight out of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I mean, we didn't even touch on the influence of Suda51 and the Danganronpa series - but seriously, I think this is one where the less you know, the even more amazing it is. Oh, and that it makes you pay for things in blood? Really. What a game.

Those that found Crash to be one of the clunkier and more irritating platforming mascots from the old days probably won't have their minds changed by this latest outing. But on the other hand, if you grew up loving Crash Bandicoot, you're going to adore Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. I promise you that. Toys For Bob set out to create an authentic sequel, and in that regard this game is a stunning success.

I really like that the difficulty of Warsaw seems intrinsically tied to the plight of the Polish people during the Uprising, even if it does at times make the game more punishing than fun. Having never played it on PC (or for that matter the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One) it's difficult to say whether the Nintendo Switch is the way to experience the game, but I am happy to concede playing it there felt like a completely natural experience. If you're in need of a new roguelike and have an affinity for World War Two history, Warsaw is well-worth a look.

If you're a fan of the original Mafia then you should give this remake a try. It captures the spirit of the game while also making it a thoroughly modern shooter. If you never played Mafia, then this doesn't feel like a nostalgia project but a new game. The split structure of the story mode and open world may be unusual when lined up against its current competitors, but if you find yourself lost in large open worlds like Assassin's Creed and are looking for something that has more respect for your time, Mafia may be for you.

Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy are not only two of the greatest Mario games ever, they're two of the greatest video games ever. Each brims with ideas, with intelligent and intuitive design, and with an irresistible pull on the player to get through just one more level before calling it a night - which then becomes one more, and another, until your Switch battery dies. Even without anything extra added, and the non-native-platform awkwardness of Galaxy appreciated, they're essentials. Super Mario Sunshine is also included.

Multiplayer options will naturally add longevity if you want to explore them with pals - but as an arcade racer in 2020, this is absolutely best in class.

The Last Campfire might not be big, but it's clever in all the ways that matter, using its puzzles to represent relatable concerns and obstacles that, sometimes, need a little helping hand to overcome. It's a succinct, complete, so-called 'small' game that's actually got more substance to it than many narrative titles billed as brief experiences, and greater emotional depth than its artwork might suggest. It's a memorable adventure that will appeal to anyone who prefers a mental challenge to a physical one, and who cherishes the small things that make us all who we are, for better and worse.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is about as good a remaster as we've ever had, staying as close to the originals as possible, and only veering off slightly where it spots a chance to improve on the source material. There's really no reason not to get this if you have even a passing interest in the original games, or skateboarding, or hanging out with your buddies on a Saturday night to see who can nail the craziest combos.

Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions may be a game about students playing football, but it feels more like a tactical battle experience. You wear teams down by crushing their players. You smash through defenders and score ludicrous goals. It's not realistic but that's a good thing. It's about something more fanciful, more spectacular, more theatrical.

Windbound might not be a perfect game that delivers on all of its promises, but it comes close. Those of you looking to scratch that open-world survival itch could do a heck of a lot worse. While it could definitely have used a little more time in the oven to really smooth over its rougher aspects, 5 Lives has still managed to create a seafaring adventure that, for the most part, feels truly grand.

A lot of families hide pasts that, well, those living in the present day would rather not talk about. The Ronan twins' past is one touched by darkness, by actions and individuals who they have, understandably, pushed to one side. Going through this journey of rediscovery with them is a sometimes shocking but often joyous experience, and if you're someone who loves a tender yet twisted narrative adventure, Tell Me Why absolutely deserves your attention.

I'm convinced Fall Guys is going on to be absolutely massive. The game has been out for a matter of days, and already seems to have cultivated a massive community of players who, even as I write this, are rushing to social media to share their own hilarious blunders and last-minute victories. Mediatonic have created a party game that's equal parts unpredictable, accessible, maddening, and laugh-out-loud funny. The most thrilling thing about it all? I suspect things are only going to get bigger, better, and infinitely more bananas from here on out.

What Black Forest Games and THQ Nordic have achieved with the Destroy All Humans! remake is impressive. It certainly doesn't feel worlds away from the original, which is always a concern when there's a classic of this calibre being remade. Although some of the enhancements are a bit hit and miss, most do work really well, and can make you wonder how you coped without them in the original. It's clear that a great deal of effort has been put into enhancing what already was a stellar title, whilst also introducing it to a new audience. Players who have been dying to play as Crypto-137 once again will feel right at home when they're tasked, once more, to Destroy All Humans!

Had Intelligent Systems found some way to make fights more interesting or worthwhile, this might have been the best Paper Mario game to date. As it stands, The Origami King is easily the best adventure with the paper plumber I've had in years, even if it doesn't quite reach the delirious highs of the first two series entries.

Ghost of Tsushima is a fine open-world game. It ticks all the boxes of what you would expect it to do - but it doesn't do anything more than that. This is one of the last exclusive games for the PlayStation 4, and it's disappointing that it has nothing new to say.

The truth is Deadly Premonition 2 is like watching Nicolas Cage act: an incredibly divisive experience. There are things it does well and there are things it apparently doesn't. There are even elements of it where you just can't tell whether it's genius or nonsense. No video game has ever been so good and so bad at the same time.

If you're curious and you have a PSVR headset otherwise collecting dust right now, there's a demo of the game available on the PlayStation Store. It gives you the whole crashing-plane sequence, which will be enough to determine whether this is worth more of your time and, more importantly, any of your money.

The Almost Gone has that same feeling of exploring fabrications made up to represent familiar surroundings, of having to look beyond the usual ways out to get out; and it has a comparable atmosphere of dread, manifesting an uncomfortable of pressure on the player. The more you play it, the closer you feel to some ominous truth you don't really want to discover - but you have to. So you do. And then all that's left are the empty sets. Tl;dr: this pretty little puzzler sure isn't Monument Valley.

The Isle of Armor DLC feels like a glimpse into the future of what Pokémon is going to be. It's just a shame that elements from the base release hold it back. Let's hope the next half of the DLC, The Tundra Crown pushes the gameplay to even greater heights.

Valorant is a lot of fun to try and master though a little tricky to pick up at first. The gunplay feels as precise as any shooter on the market and the cast of agents add to the erratic nature of unique gameplay situations. The game has only just come out of beta, so improvements and additions are likely to be made in the future. Valorant is very good right now, but it has the potential to be truly great.

I was already a big fan of the series when I started playing Desperados 3, but I've been so taken with how well this old series lives up. The real-time tactics genre was big in the '90s and '00s, with games like Commandos and Syndicate being well-known names on PC, but they largely disappeared in the last 15 years. It's a real joy to dive into a wholly new game that shows how engaging a style of play it can be. Hopefully this won't be the last of its kind.

As a video game sequel, it ticks all the boxes of being bigger and better with more to say. But as a story, as an experience following one of the most critically acclaimed tales ever told in this medium, it sits uncomfortably on a knife's edge, waiting for the passage of time to pull it one way or the other.

Despite all the game's flaws,they've created something new, and it works. There's a world and a concept here that has the potential to deliver something truly epic - and the gameplay itself, when it's at its best, is pretty damn great. There are lessons the team will have learned in making Disintegration, and I hope they get the opportunity to grow as a studio and create a truly special sequel. The potential is there.

I cherish the memory of playing Command & Conquer 25 years ago, and yet was surprised to find myself getting frustrated at the slog of completing some of the missions in the first game's campaign. But, given the choice, I still wouldn't change a thing about this remaster.

For what it is, and as a successor to the DS's Clubhouse Games of 2005 (bloomin' heck, how time flies), 51 Worldwide Games is perfect, really. Does that make it a perfect video game? Clearly, no. It's a very recommended collection for super-convenient family-time play, with a handful of attractions that will become regular favourites - like I said, its bowling is dangerously close to becoming an obsession. But it's not something that can be scored alongside a Breath of the Wild, a Persona 5 or a Witcher 3. So while the number below might not immediately scream buy this, if you're hankering for a fine-indeed mini-game collection for your Switch, they don't come much finer than this one.

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is the best game released for Switch so far in 2020. Its roots might be a decade long, but its excellence in the context of the here and now, in comparison to other role-players on the platform, cannot be undersold.