Short, undemanding and nicely constructed, Inked: A Tale of Love is a couple of hours well worth exploring.

Much like the painter's quest for creating a masterpiece, Bloober Team and Anshar Studios have almost done so with Layers of Fear.

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is DON'T NOD's best work to date, showcasing an gripping story with an interesting approach to player choice.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be. It sets out its stall early and rarely deviates from the plan.

No More Heroes III is a hugely mixed bag with loads of fantastic boss fights, but an atrocious open world that lets it down.

Drenched in atmosphere and relying on running over gunning, The Consequence wreaks havoc on the nerves and keeps you on your toes at all times.

Mr. Run and Jump gives a feeling of pure unadulterated gaming joy like no other when your co-ordination and the sharp controls combine.

Hakuoki 3D: Memories of the Shinsugami suits a very particular niche, and it does so with admirable confidence.

A Total War Saga: Troy is a slightly different Total War game. It's commitment to the period, and all that entails is a lot of fun and well worth a look.

South of the Circle is a great narrative experience, with a lovely visual style that delivers a heartfelt story in an impactful way.

Regarded by many as the pioneers for the modern open world, the re-release of Shenmue I and II is important, allowing many newcomers the chance to play games that still hold up today.

Pocket Rumble is a lovely bite sized fighter with great accessible gameplay, 2 player versus with single Joy-Con support on the same Switch, and a nice retro aesthetic.

The Room on Switch is the definitive experience when it comes to controls and visuals and the only real flaw is the fact that holding the Switch for a touch only game is not as comfortable as holding your iPhone or iPad with weight and the battery life is obviously not great on the Switch.

Observation is a fantastic game, bringing gripping science fiction and unique gameplay together for a truly remarkable experience.

Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling is a wonderful take on the Otome genre, but it's hard to get into for people who skipped the original.

The Outlast Trials is in better shape now it's out of Early Access, and while AI and fixes have been made, it's still light on content.

Even with no shortage of challenging side-scrollers to get into these days, Black Future '88 is more than worthy of your time and does more than enough to stand out in an increasingly populated crowd.

I’m glad this has such a great portable conversion because it is absolutely worth playing if you enjoy those pickup and play experiences like Super Meat Boy. It even has video capture to share those epic moments.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a love letter to the animated series and a throwback to classic platform action games of the PS2 era, in the best possible way.

Pac Man Museum + is certainly packed full of arcade entertainment, but not all of its games were created equal.

Despite the fairly straightforward and overly serious tone, Phantom: Covert Ops is a cracking little stealth game with a unique core concept.

A good fit for the Switch. In terms of the game play, it doesn’t add anything that previous versions didn’t have, however the addition of the bonus content showing the development process is a nice extra for long terms fans of the series. Games like this are more suited to portable play in general so it is great to have Broken Sword on the Switch.

There's a charming aesthetic to The Stretchers, bright and colourful and aimed squarely at kids, but the slapstick, ragdoll humour will appeal to grown-ups too.

A tense and atmospheric, albeit brief battle of wits with an AI system will provide you with a solid evening of interactive story entertainment.

A beautiful, relaxing puzzler that demands little more than your attention.

Overland is a simple but effective survival game that evokes elements of the genre's best and puts them to good use.

Carrion reverses the roles of the horror genre beautifully, and playing as a monster has never been so disgustingly enjoyable.

Shoulders of Giants is a fantastic action game, with a great variety of weapons, abilities and progressions hooks to keep you keen.

Flock lets you bask in its beauty, exploring a gorgeous world filled with weird and wonderful creatures whether alone or with friends.

Breath of Death VII The Beginning is a superb remaster of a well-regarded Xbox Live classic that harks back to a simpler time.

A solid, extremely accessible fighting game, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is certainly worth adding to your collection if you’re a fan of the genre.

Like Left 4 Dead before it, Evolve is a game that feels slightly under-nourished at times, but which takes the crummy old co-op FPS wheel and totally re-invents it.

Tokyo Xanadu is basically Falcom trying to create a Persona like game with their own signature flavour and a pretty damn good experience overall.

A lovely game. There’s a ton of charm and I still can’t get over how well the developers used this monochrome aesthetic. The comic book style and the kickass soundtrack are icing on the cake.

Ghosts 'N Goblins Resurrection's uncompromising approach will appeal to many, and the new visuals and additional features go a long way.

Ara: History Untold is a vast strategy game that gives you plenty to do, but success consistently rewards you with new ways to play.

The story is the best in the series but, when it comes to gameplay, Warner Bros. Montreal seem to have taken the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra and done the exact opposite.

It has been ace playing Furi on the Switch and while the port isn’t perfect, Furi on Switch is a great way to experience the game.

Aegis Defenders takes two genres I like on their own and blends them together to create a memorable and fun experience that absolutely shines in co-op.

It is fantastic that titles like Raiden IV x MIKADO Remix are still being released, and even missing TATE mode it's a recommendation.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a staggering piece of history that further cements the impact of Snake's legacy in gaming.

It’s not quite ready yet to replace the style and brilliance of the Arkham series as your go-to Batman game, but this could be the beginning of a very special new relationship with Batman, and I sincerely hope we get more like this.

The utter antithesis of The Last of Us, a top-down Left 4 Dead-alike that ignores pansy ideas like human emotion or common sense in favour of stuff that explodes and makes other stuff explode. It’s colourful and loud and a ton of fun either alone or with friends, and is probably one of the best zombie blasters released in recent years.

It may not have the same levels of engagement as previous episodes, but the character development is on point, and some of the busier moments are delivered with aplomb.

The combination of 2D gameplay with 3D objects and some voxel based items and power ups seems like a blend of distinct styles waiting to go wrong but it works well and runs great. Some of the in game spoken commentary as you’re taking down loads of enemies and the rescuing people aspect reminds me of Resogun. Sky Force Reloaded isn’t the best shmup on the Switch but it is a very nice port of a good game.

The LEGO formula may be growing tired at this point, but LEGO DC Super-Villains is still one of the best games TT Games has produced and is an excellent use of the DC licence.

Eclipse is another meaty map pack with four varied new multiplayer zones, and another well detailed Zombies map to keep fans occupied.

The biggest issue that the first few hours of the story areincredibly boring and predictable, and it takes too long for anything to happen. Admittedly, it does get better, to a respectable level, but if a game like this takes 5 whole hours to become any good, is it really worth playing?

Everybody's Golf VR offers the same gentle style of golf that the previous entry had, and the golf feels pretty realistic. Unfortunately, there's a lack of modes and limited variety of courses that bring the overall experience down.

A fast-paced twin-stick shooter that doesn't do a lot to stand out but offers a blast of fun in short doses.

The Switch release is great but there are a few technical issues. The draw distance is almost too small. It reminds me of No Man’s Sky on a base PS4 at launch which is really bad. Given how dense the grass gets just in the opening tutorial, it is pretty sad seeing an area close by look flat from a distance but suddenly have grass appear when you get closer. I like the touch implementation though.

Despite all the flaws, I still ploughed through Actraiser Renaissance, because, well, I love Actraiser, which is about the best that can be said for it.

Although Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers is still a great story, with some really gripping sequences and a great cast of characters, the Anniversary Edition doesn’t really add much to the experience.

Despite losing a little of the polish the other console versions enjoy, Darksiders: Genesis on the Switch feels just as satisfying to play.

A brilliantly simple, fiendishly addictive puzzler and another of the standout games so far on PSVR.

The bright visuals pop and sing thanks to the increased power and the game runs as smooth as butter at all times. Addictive and entertaining, CastleStorm’s mix of fairytale whimsy and challenging strategy – as well as its mishmash of play styles – makes it a solid and enticing prospect whatever the platform.

ICEY on Switch is a great port. While I may sound like a broken record for wanting touch screen support for the UI, the real big missing feature here is video recording. Games like this that have you feeling like a badass in combat should have video recording so those special moments can be shared easily.

Although You Suck at Parking gets harder and harder, it plays superbly, and the inventive nature of the tracks will keep you hooked.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a superbly told story, and is engaging from start to finish.

A fantastic concept that stays true to its vision, but just falls short where it matters - though will be popular with speed-runners.

Rad is a great roguelike that constantly evolves to give you plenty of options the more you play, with unique mutations and a different world to explore on each playthrough.

If you’re looking for a new Metroidvania, and you like your bosses big and your violence sweary, Loopmancer is an absolute treat.

By letting you morph the environment, Semblance is a new twist on the puzzler, asking you to creatively solve its challenges. New mechanics keep things fresh throughout, but also highlight what could have been if the game were longer and its ideas developed further.

The Thaumaturge is an atmospheric adventure that oozes character and matches sleuthing and combat in an engaging, enjoyable way.

Frustrating platform elements and rote missions prevent Starlink from being as good as its promise deserves.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a relaxing and charming experience full of heart that improves upon its predecessors in a lot of ways while still remaining accessible.

Whilst the design of Morphopolis may have won it many fans already, this does seem to be very much a case of style over substance.

Freedom Finger is an enjoyable little indie that gets away Scott-free with things that might crucify a AAA title, and provides a few hours of tongue-in-cheek, utterly knowing humour at the same time.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is perfect for fans of D'Avekki Studios. However, the short episodes can undermine the great story ideas and actor chemistry on display.

Death End re;Quest 2 tells an impressively dark story with aplomb, and if you can handle the subject matter and difficulty spikes is a must play.

Mindseize has great combat and weapon variety, but the uninspired movement abilities and a plethora of bugs make it hard to recommend among its peers.

Unknown Number: A First Person Talker is a smart and innovative title, but there're a few hiccups that could be fixed to make it better.

Trepang2 is a thrilling stealth-action supernatural shooter that allows you to focus solely on the gameplay, and it is all the better for it.

An open-world fill of exquisite explosions that, while often falling afoul of flaws, might well contain some of the most fun moments this year.

There was potential here, but Masters of Anima is ultimately a bit of a letdown.

Total War: Pharaoh lets you play your way, and throws a lot at you to deal with. Fans will lap it up once they get to grips with its new mechanics.

An excellent puzzle game with a fun sense of humour, and an important and surprising message behind it.

Song of Horror has some great ideas and is genuinely scary at times, but random deaths and awkward controls sometimes threaten to spoil the experience.

While it does show glimpses of its potential, the mixture of unnecessarily difficult gameplay and overwhelming management systems make Alder’s Blood a game solely for masochists.

Despite a few odd design choices, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is an enjoyable Metroidvania with an intriguing world, and exhilarating combat.

Disgaea D2 is a silly game, but it’s a surprisingly smart one, too. A little grind-y it may be, but it’s still impossible to deny that it remains entertaining in its story scenes and engaging in its combat.

State of Decay: Lifeline takes the original’s sense of urgency and heroism and dials it up to eleven.

There are many better indie games on the WiiU, don’t waste your paper on this one.

Need for Speed Heat puts the franchise back on the right track, but the various bugs and dull story means the series is still behind the pack.

I particularly enjoyed the nods to What the Golf? Within What the Bat? Which genuinely made me laugh. While you’ll need a bit of room to move in order to fully appreciate this one, it’s worth it for the laughs alone.

While often fun, GRIP: Combat Racing’s opening hours will put some folk off, due to some iffy balancing issues and awkward track design. Stick with it and you’ll find an entertaining, old school combat racer.

Neither original nor groundbreaking, but if you’re one of those people who want a 90s style JRPG on home systems, then I Am Setsuna is the game for you.

Despite some frustration with the camera and some platforming issues, A Hat in Time is a decent game that captures some of the magic of classic 3D platformers.

Monster Energy Supercross 5 feels like more of the same, but the racing elements are strong despite not being welcoming to new players.

Twitch-based gameplay at its finest, with some of the best music ever featured in a game. Wrong Number ramps everything up to varying degrees of success.

With an amazing story full of murder and mystery, Famicom Detective Club is a remake worth investigating.

Eventually, you’ll have access to a ton of content and many hours of gameplay. A New Beginning is a good entry point for those new to the series, and certainly worth a look for fans – just be aware that the typically slow pace of the franchise is even slower here.

Not a Hero is a funny and frenzied game that will have you laughing out loud as you attempt to conquer its varied range of challenges, even if there are a few issues with its cover system and level structure.

Penny's Big Breakaway is a fun 3D platformer with great locomotion, but a whole host of bugs and checkpoint issues spoil the good time.

The SNES-era visuals and bouncy soundtrack hide a universe of complexity, decision making and intrigue. It has a charm that will ring true with gamers of a certain age, and for anyone who is up for the challenge. Yes, The Escapists is challenging, but it is also very rewarding, and something about those little sprites kept dragging me back for more.

Sunless Sea is a unique title. A rogue-like set in a Lovecraftian nightmare with table-top RPG elements backed up by some truly excellent writing. The slow pace, and narrative delivery may well put some players off though.

Hell is Other Demons is an addictive title that rewards the time you put into it. A decent amount of content and difficulty make it well worth considering.

The game excels in nearly all aspects of the genre and adds a few fresh ideas but, in the end, it may struggle to succeed due to the aversion some people have to a game of this type. But with its simple UI, logical puzzles, fantastic plot and beautiful setting, it’s an excellent place to start for those who have never dabbled in an adventure game.