Isles of Sea and Sky is a box pushing game brought kicking and screaming into the modern era, and it's so damn compelling.

People expecting true greatness will be slightly disappointed. A worthy offering and an improvement over Dragon Age II, Inquisition nevertheless plays it too safe, and relies too heavily on Origins’ better elements to succeed. Still, if you’re looking for a vast, complex, multi-branching, old school RPG epic, there’s currently nothing else on next-gen consoles to top it.

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ is my favourite version of the game having played it across literally everything it has released on.

Tunic is gorgeous, managing to build a world full of mystery and opportunities for exploration, with a wonderful sense of exploration.

Each level takes plenty of skill, and you’re given some great abilities and weapons to execute your attack, even if the levels take a long time to complete.

It would be easy to sit and reel off a list of things Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS doesn’t have, but it’s better to focus on what it is. And what it is, is a functionally excellent, portable version of Super Smash Bros.

By no means as bad as people make out, X-2 is a strange but worthy inclusion, but it is likely to be the story of young Tidus that leaves a lasting impression.

Shovel Knight is a genuine success.

This isn’t just the best Hearthstone expansion to date, it's one of the best expansions I’ve had the pleasure to play for any game.

PES has refined year on year in this generation, continuing to improve, but PES 2017 is the crowning moment. With different tactics and styles that are effective, and unique players, great goal feel and lovely control, PES 2017 just feels so good to play. It may well be the greatest football game ever made.

DJMax Respect is getting very close to being my favourite rhythm game on PS4 with its eclectic song selection and fantastic design.

Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! Is a fantastic conversion on the Switch. The touchscreen controls are super and HD Rumble is excellent. This release is everything I wanted in a Switch port of the game. I can only hope for a physical release in the future. This is the only version of the game you can comfortably play while actually cooking as well (don’t do that).

Wilmot's Warehouse is a game about categorising and sorting items that will test your spatial reasoning as well as your ability to recognise patterns, and it will make you feel smart while doing so.

A spiritual successor to Fallout: New Vegas in every way, The Outer Worlds is better written and more polished than we've since come to expect from the franchise it emulates.

It’s an extraordinarily well-made game that shows no signs of slowing down, and which performs very, very well on PS5.

Once upon a Jester is absolutely delightful from start to finish, packed with utterly charming characters and fabulous musical numbers.

Roboquest is just an uncomplicated, fun time that clears the palate after all the Soulslikes and open world adventures we've had this year.

Ys VIII is a fantastic new action RPG from Falcom that is great for getting into the excellent Ys franchise and one that has a ton of quality content and sublime combat.

For anyone craving a test of their mettle in bite-sized chunks and lacquered over with Team Ninja's trademark combat genius, Nioh 2 is utterly essential.

If you’ve never played The Witcher 3, you should try to play on Xbox or PC, but if you want to get up close and personal, this is a fantastic version of a truly brilliant game.

If you've never played Vanquish and Bayonetta before, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They provide very different experiences, but both take combat to the next level and neither one feels dated, even though they released 10 years ago.

Octopath Traveler II is a spectacular sequel, and the easiest recommendation I could ever give to RPG fans.

Football Manager 2022 is about as close to the real thing as you can get, with some nice improvements that make it the ultimate experience.

Two Point Hospital on console was well worth the wait, and you can buy the Switch version with confidence, and that's the doctor's orders.

If you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to want to play this--Yakuza 0 encapsulates the zaniness of Japanese culture with spectacular side missions, and is aided by it’s own satisfying combat and recreational activities.

This is a superb port of one of the finest arcade sports experiences of them all, and instantly becomes an essential purchase for Switch owners.

Big, bright, bold, and bursting with content and heart.

In terms of pure content, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is simply massive. In terms of the content itself, this package is astounding. Four of the best shooter campaigns ever made, in one box, all running at 1080p at 60fps, Halo has never looked so good. Throw in over 100 multiplayer maps and a bevy of Halo themed extras and you have a recipe for a true system seller.