A confused and confusing mess of terrible storytelling, simple action, and endless fan service that will delight existing players but baffle new ones.

It’s a not a very good advert for the Wii U but this is still a hugely entertaining open world game, with one of the funniest video game scripts ever.

Probably the best Space Invaders update yet, with a dazzling mix of new and old gameplay, graphics and sound.

An adult video game that is neither exploitative nor pretentious, but instead weaves a fun yet incisive tale about all too human characters.

One of the best Kirby games so far, although it still suffers from all the series’ usual faults – including the nagging concern that the whole concept could be so much more.

It's not going to change the world but this is a simple, accessible pseudo flight sim that's plenty of fun.

Remakes of old N64 Mario Party boards may not sound the most desirable release of the season but in terms of easily accessible party games there are few better options.

The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generation.

A spirited attempt to reinvent Guitar Hero and the music game genre, but the freemium approach to additional content has its obvious drawbacks.

Probably the best portable tennis game ever, with an impressive range of options and deep gameplay.

Video games rarely get to be autobiographical, but this indie gem is a funny, touching, and endearingly honest portrayal of one person’s difficult student years.

An occasionally spectacular follow-up to one of the best action platformers of the last few years, which unfortunately dilutes some of its appeal by shooting for a wider audience.

A proper, meaty JRPG from a newly ambitious developer, whose top notch combat and art design is let down only by insipid storytelling and voice-acting.

If you must play a video game version of Monopoly then this is definitely the best way to do it and far from the lazy cash-in that it could have been.

A competent facsimile of Bloodborne, but one so completely lacking in new ideas that it can only ever come across as a pale imitation.

A far less ambitious sequel than the last two years and most of the headline changes are negative, especially changing your manager into a role-playing character.

An unexpectedly brave attempt to once again rewrite the rules on Pac-Man, resulting in another near-classic arcade experience.

A wonderfully unique historical adventure whose seemingly simple gameplay is made wonderfully tense by artful presentation and a sharp script.

Repetitive by design, and at heart a fairly pedestrian third person shooter, but the online co-op and promise of never-ending rewards is hard to resist.

A good quality port that maintains almost all the original features, and even adds a few of its own, but the game itself is still a disappointing and unadventurous sequel.

It’s no wonder that Lumines Remastered still feels as excitingly addictive as it ever did. A light polishing of features and presentation is very welcome, but it’s the original marriage of gameplay and music that shines the brightest.

The best F-Zero clone since Fast RMX, with some extremely impressive visuals for a Switch 2 launch game, although the structure and track design lack Nintendo’s finesse.

A clever mix of puzzle, stealth, and action that manages to avoid most frustrations thanks to a constant stream of new ideas and a knowing sense of humour.

A great first chapter and despite a few minor issues easily the most authentic interpretation of the graphic adventure in the modern era.

The modern and 8-bit worlds collide again as old school arcade gameplay is given a new twist.

A disappointing attempt to ape the magic of Inside and Limbo, which despite some of the best visuals of the year suffers from unimaginative puzzle design and storytelling.

A technical masterpiece with some of the best swordfighting combat in years, but the storytelling and puzzle elements come across as muddled and awkwardly mismatched.

One of the best 3D Metroidvanias ever made, with the same endearing sense of humour as the original but several welcome improvements and a more substantial adventure.

An excellent remaster of an imperfect but hugely endearing action adventure, that completely justifies the ongoing plans for a sequel.

It's not much of a sequel but this remains a superior mix of role-player, shooter and survival horror.

One of the most relentlessly charming video games ever made and the best Paper Mario since The Thousand-Year Door.

Funnier, more imaginative and with 100% more Murray the talking skull, Monkey Island is back on course.

Only a minor evolution of Rome II, and with many of the same bugbears, but the stunning visuals and deep strategy bring a fascinating period of history fully to life.

The problem is that the strategy elements are shallow and underplayed and while the game is fun and interestingly weird, it really doesn’t add up to much. We were interested to see how the mouse controls work, but while they’re fine on a technical level they’re really not necessary, given how little of the map you can see at any one time.

An impressively original horror game whose doom-laden atmosphere and relentless day/night cycle is more terrifying than any jump scare.

Another visually spectacular Arc System Works fighter that is both surprisingly accessible and full of hidden depth and clever ideas.

One of the best offline multiplayer games for years and yet more proof that the bow and arrow is gaming’s most entertaining weapon of choice.

One of the best MOBAs on any console and a good introduction to the genre in general, thanks to its more console-friendly controls and fun premise.

It may add up to less than the sum of its parts but in terms of storytelling and presentation this indie favourite has much to teach mega budget retail games.

Less a prequel and more a rerun, but this remains one of the most fully-featured and best presented Japanese role-players on the App Store.

As pre-order bonuses go this is definitely a cut above, but it's also an addictive and rewarding mini-game in its own right.

A great high-concept adventure that borrows liberally from old school Zeldas but has plenty of unique ideas of its own.

A fun spin-off that takes some of the best parts of Yakuza and weaves a story that’s at least as compelling – even if a lot of gameplay elements are becoming overfamiliar at this point.

A supremely playable action JRPG, which marries gorgeous anime visuals with satisfyingly original real-time combat.

A laudable achievement in terms of visual design and general ambience but the complete lack of challenge, and short length, reduces its overall impact.

An excellent driving game but one sullied by cheapskate microtransactions. a lack of tracks, and the dubious worth of the Drivatar technology.

Spring cleaning has never been so entertaining in this well presented and cunningly addictive physics-based platformer.

The increased role-playing elements add another interesting angle to an already accomplished franchise, but the cynical attempts to fleece parents’ wallets are hard to defend.

The best Wolfenstein game ever made and one of the best single-player shooters for years, with a brave attempt to tackle serious issues and still have fun at the same time.

As rough and ready as the previous games but a fascinating tour of Japan's seedy criminal underbelly.

It's clearly been quickly thrown together for the launch, with many features missing or out-of-date, but this is still an encouraging start for FIFA on the Vita.

Even for those that would never normally dream of playing a basketball sim this is a great game, although it's best played in small doses.

At last, the realistic, Aim-controlled multiplayer military sim PlayStation VR owners have been dreaming of.

Still a minor royal in the fighting game pantheon, but a hardworking one that beats Marvel Vs. Capcom in terms of depth - if not accessibility and brand recognition.

An earnest attempt to create the ultimate Jedi simulator but the mishmash of game influences and an unengaging story leaves it only impacting on the surface.

Ham-fisted controls and storytelling turn Samus into a clumsy blabbermouth, with a game that squanders all the series' best tricks and adds none of its own.

Another excellent portable Shin Megami Tensei title and one of the best strategy role-players on any format.

A daringly complex ode to the works of Philip K. Dick, and although the mix of survival horror and existential storytelling doesn’t always work it’s never less than gripping.

A great start to a promising new sports series. It does feel a little lightweight in some of the options but the central combat is handled very well.

One of the best story-based games of the year, that manages to capture the joys and pains of childhood (and riding bikes) in a very relatable and compelling way.

It's a dazzling technical feat, the only problem is the actual game bits aren't all that much fun.

A hugely entertaining 3D platformer that channels the imagination and unpredictability of older games without becoming a prisoner to the past.

The roguelike elements drag it down a touch, but this is a memorable action platformer whose surreal visuals work in tandem with some fun 2D combat.

One of the best Life Is Strange episodes so far, with more earnest and relatable character work and some impressive branching storytelling.

Whether it justifies all 170 million of its downloads is open to question but there's no denying this sequel is prettier and even more addictive than the original.

A great version of an okay fighting game might not seem the best of recommendations, but this a surprisingly worthwhile alternative to Street Fighter.

On consoles it's merely good, but with a full complement of 64 players this is the best, and biggest, that Battlefield has ever been.

There are too few surprises when it comes to the story and Daud is a disappointingly blunt instrument, but a return to Dunwall is welcome no matter who’s conducting the tour.

Clever puzzles and excellent visual storytelling combine in what is arguably the best Lego game ever made, and certainly the most thoughtful.

Don't let the charity aspect fool you - this is an excellent, if shallow, puzzle game in its own right.

The worldless storytelling is as compelling as ever and the purposefully frustrating control system still seems an excitingly daring experiment – now softened by an optional co-op mode.

The epitome of short but sweet, that is both a clever tribute to Drill Dozer and Ecco The Dolphin and a welcome alternative to bloated and overlong modern epics.

A fantastic blast from the past that remasters a long-forgotten classic that should now be recognised as one of the best scrolling beat ‘em-ups ever.

A clever remake of one of Japan’s favourite video games, with charming new visuals and just the right amount of modern upgrades.

One of the most enjoyable roguelikes of recent years, with the heavy emphasis on RNG saved by some fun co-op options.

Playing an 8-bit style text adventure on the Nintendo Switch is novelty enough but this inspired mix of weird horror and puzzle-solving is more than just a blast of ‘80s nostalgia.

It’s at least as much about exploration, across several huge and detailed mountains, as it is about time trials and pulling off tricks, and its touch controls are wonderfully intuitive. All that’s missing is the glühwein.

It's better value than the Virtual Console, but it's still a lazy effort.

It doesn't even try to reinvent the Counter-Strike formula, but this is easily the best version for consoles and a refreshing retro alternative to the modern military shooter.

As blatant a clone as you’ve ever seen, but this is almost as good as the real Left 4 Dead and does have a few extra ideas of its own.

A complicated game to score. It’s a mechanically-superior sequel in every way, with more robust combat mechanics, mini-games, and puzzles populating the reference-stuffed open world. But there’s a nagging feeling the extended length and focus on combat has come at the expense of a memorable story. It’s still an essential play for fans of the show, and role-playing nuts will greatly appreciate the surprising amount of depth, but a South Park game propped up by its game mechanics is perhaps the most unlikely twist you’ll find here.

It's still not a full reinvention of the Lego template but it is one of the most enjoyable uses of it so far, with an open world Gotham and a cast of characters to rival Arkham City.

A clever mix of Team Fortress 2 and Tower Defence that is a lot more nuanced and inventive than it appears.

One of the few successful attempts to mix politics and gaming is far more entertaining than you'd think.

One of the best Kirby games becomes frayed around the edges on the 3DS, with no co-op mode and some poorly thought out extras that would be better off left out.

A sleek skating hybrid with plenty of compelling ideas and some stylish presentation, but the longer it goes on the more frustrating it becomes.

An underserved remaster to an unremarkable 2D platformer, that was the primary reason why the soft reboot of Kirby And The Forgotten was necessary in the first place.

Decades of sub-par copycats haven’t dulled the appeal of Puzzle Bobble and while there’s too few new ideas this is an effective reboot for what remains a classic match-three puzzler.

Following up last year’s well-received game is an unenviable task, but WWE 2K26 manages to build on what’s come before with some game-changing mechanics and welcome refinements.

One of the best smartphone games of last year gets the multiplayer mode it's always needed, in this superb mix of Risk and Scrabble.

A welcome return to MonkeyIsland and a promising first episode to a new season of graphic adventuring.

Another highly competent Yoshi platformer that looks great and plays well, especially in co-op, but there’s a disappointing lack of innovation beyond the charming visuals.

Its challenge and ingenuity never falter in a game that channels the essence of Shovel Knight into a fresh format.

A remaster too far for a game that, through no fault of its own, is showing its age and is further encouraging the franchise’s reliance on nostalgia instead of innovation.

Easily the best Transformers game ever, but also a tantalising glimpse of how to transform current action games into something more inventive and imaginative.

A Pokémon fighting game may not seem like the most obvious spin-off idea, but the end result is a surprisingly fun and inventive multiplayer game.

A great showcase for the PS Vita and at times as good as WipEout has ever been, despite a few questionable options and graphical issues.

A perfect example of the sort of game only the PSP can provide and a surprisingly progressive Japanese role-player to boot.