Taking after fairy tales, Witch Strandings manages to tell a predictable story in unpredictable ways. It can often be painful to play but the experience is one I won't forget soon. Witch Strandings is a game I'm glad exists, even if I'm not sure I enjoyed it all that much.

As a multiplayer game, Battle Calculator can get in the bin. As a scientific calculator? Functionally flawless but visually unappealing. Much like before, buying this app is an incredibly questionable decision at £10.49, considering most phones contain a free calculator app. As such, Blacksmith DoubleCircle’s app is an even tougher sell than Sabec’s offering, so I can only recommend this to die-hard fans.

Smart combat makes you think about every move on the game’s impressively varied maps, but until Sumo adds more to do, it’s a tough one to recommend. For now, Hood is best enjoyed with friends or in small doses.

The core gameplay and design of Itadaki Smash make for a zippy beat 'em up, but the lack of extra servings may leave you wanting a bit more.

MotoGP 22 is a faithful and challenging entry in the two-wheeler series, though it may not convert those put off by its gruelling difficulty spike.

SAND LAND looks phenomenal, recreating the late Akira Toriyama’s style with ease, but it’s charming looks can’t balance repetitive gameplay that stretches even minor quests into heavily grating tasks.

While Atomfall presents a weird and wonderful world to explore, it ultimately fails to live up to expectations. Epitomizing a good idea not being executed to its full potential, Rebellion's mysterious spin on the action-survival genre just falls short.

ESO Blackwood feels and plays more like an interim update than a significant new expansion. That could change with new additions over the next year, but I think it’s time for ZeniMax to step back and take longer than a year to create these new expansions. Fan service is fine, but it should be anchored to something more solid and substantial as well to make it worthwhile. Until that happens, just wait for a sale.

While it ticks all of the boxes for a decent MMA fighting simulator, UFC 5 fails to improve by any significant margin from its predecessor. It will enable you to play as your favourite fighters in the organisation, but will not likely be a memorable title from 2023.

Madden 24’s year-on-year revisions are a mixed bag. It still feels like a somewhat directionless team just kind of going through the motions in the mushy middle of the NFL pecking order.

Monark is a nice debut effort from Lancarse but I wish they’d spent more time balancing it. It’s got interesting ideas and a great combat system but is bogged down by repetitive level design, narrative cliches, and grindy gameplay. If you’re seeking a JRPG with a more horrifying aesthetic, you’ll have fun if you can look past those flaws. Shin Megami Tensei fans will probably enjoy what’s offered but otherwise, I can only truly recommend this to the JRPG faithful.

Darkest Dungeon 2 takes a great many things from the original whilst adapting it creatively into a new world. Whilst not all of its choices feel as weighty as the first, that thematic core is just as oppressive.

Soul Hackers 2 is a light journey into the vast Shin Megami world with vibrant characters and a new story, though it is a little transparent for long-time fans wanting a deep JRPG.

While the future is still exciting for EA Sports’ FC series, this year’s game is new in little more than name. The merging of male and female players in Ultimate Team is a fantastic addition, but with various returning issues dampening the enjoyment of the fast-paced gameplay and the spending of real-world being pushed harder than ever before, EA Sports FC 24 is frustratingly familiar.

The Dead By Daylight Tools of Torment DLC is great conceptually but a strict meta and many mediocre perks leave it a couple of tools away from a full toolbox.

Forspoken is both ambitious, yet incredibly flawed. It pairs hammy dialogue and some poor pacing with a world I want to explore. Forspoken is a game tied between two worlds - losing out by never quite understanding either.

Performance issues severely hamper the experience on Nintendo Switch 2, but there's still some enjoyment to be had with its customization systems and somewhat fun combat

Hell is Us is a fascinating yet strange game, weighed down by its own risks. While it has the atmosphere and mythology for a great sci-fi experience, its ambitious “no objective markers” system turns exploration into tedium. Coupled with a story that ultimately goes nowhere, it stands out as one of the year’s most bizarre cases of wasted potential.

On PC, Madden 23 makes a couple of decent changes to the established formula, but not enough to truly move the chains for the series.

I do applaud Norse Lands for trying to create a playstyle that's so distinctive from the original. I don't think it's entirely successful, but it's fun to try out. As always, the soundtrack and visuals are both excellent, and it'll definitely offer an enjoyable reskin for those who've played the earlier games. However, if you've never delved into the madness of Two Crowns, I'd definitely recommend grabbing the base game before going full-on Norse.

Lego 2K Drive is an interesting experiment that takes just enough from the likes of Burnout Paradise and Forza Horizon to be interesting, but is held back by poor rubberbanding, a downright predatory in-game economy, and a grindy world.

There’s plenty to like about Sable but ultimately, this isn’t for everyone. Due to performance issues, weak endings, lack of direction and a failure to explain key elements, several flaws hold it back. However, by offering strong narrative freedom, enjoyable exploration without combat, and a unique visual approach, Sable still felt quite refreshing in some regards. Ultimately, it’s an entertaining debut by Shedwork and if you can look past those flaws, it comes recommended.

Saints Row 2022 is a time capsule of a game and era many have moved past. Instead of building on the legacy of Saints Row, it feels like a tired retread of a game we already have.

Biomutant’s positives ever so slightly outweigh its faults and with more time (and patches), it could grow into a much more entertaining game. Its unique world, extensive customisation and pool of interesting moves and tricks in battle make this game fun to play but for now, a colourful but empty world, a wealth of glitches, and dull objectives make it a tough sell.

Though it has plenty of great ideas, High on Life is too overbearing and never quite commits to its best moments.

Though certainly one of the stronger hunting games to come from a rival, Wild Hearts might only truly shine with a sequel that will live or die by how players respond to its convoluted, but impressive, main gimmick.

The hefty price tag and two-dimensional gameplay may keep some away, but the pack goes a long way for Sims 4 players that want every kind of world, career, and experience - and the extra aesthetics in High School Years.

If you’ve yet to step foot into the open world of Hyrule, Tears of the Kingdom is the best way to experience it, with just enough new ground to keep things interesting. But if you didn’t gel with the 2017 release, the story alone might not be worth the second attempt.