We’ve enjoyed Odyssey more than any entry since Assassin’s Creed II but it’s still frustrating that the franchise has done so little to improve the gameplay fundamentals upon which everything else depends. Although at least the one thing you can always say about Assassin’s Creed is that it definitely offers value for money.

Trexels II is a vacuous entertainment void, which does at least accurately simulate the icy desolation of deep space.

Thankfully Alphabear 2 removes the ability to purchase unlimited honey, preventing you from immersing yourself to the exclusion of everyday activities, but its mechanics and gameplay remain just as riveting, alternating puzzle levels with ones played against the clock.

Even if it lacks some of Evergarden’s complexity, it’s an interesting process of discovery that does its best not to rush you, letting you soak up the ambience while working out how its pieces fit together.

In spite of the difficulty level and minimalist beauty of the graphics, Optica’s problem is that it’s just not that compelling, and once levels start to get more devious, summoning the will to trial and error your way to the end becomes your biggest hurdle.

There are many clever, elegantly-designed puzzles, which escalate in complexity to include multiple light sources. But there are also some nasty bugs in later levels, several of which require you to quit and restart the game.

Although relatively short and easy, Donut Country is an immensely satisfying and warm-hearted game that’s quite unlike anything else available on the App Store, or indeed anywhere.

Its insanity is highly addictive, and Bacon is the best of this avant-garde trilogy of comestible foolishness.

The best Mario Party in a very long time, and while it’s shallow and silly it’s also one of the few times casual and core gamers can compete in perfect (dis)harmony.

A Mega Man sequel that, despite its flash new looks and newb-friendly approach, conservatively touts the same formula Capcom has been using these past 30 years.

The most visually impressive and entertaining game on PlayStation VR, with an incredible sense of scale and boundless imagination.

A walking simulator set in a colourful, rather than spooky, mansion with rewarding puzzles, a cheerful atmosphere, and a locomotion system from the seventh circle of Hell.

The question of how important originality is to any new game is largely a question of personal taste, but Hollow Knight offers some compelling mitigation for its lack of innovation: the gorgeous presentation and the insanely low asking price. There’s no question that Hollow Knight is hugely enjoyable and great value for money. But if its gameplay had been as imaginative as its visuals it could have been a genuine classic.

Life Is Strange’s sequel is off to an impressively daring start, both in terms of the subject matter and creating a brand-new cast of characters.

One of the best arcade racers ever made, with mountains of interesting content and a seasonal gimmick that makes perfect use of the new setting.

More a remake than a sequel but still a welcome return for one of the most original and distinctive genre mash-ups of recent years.

A mildly spooky walking simulator whose plot, acting, and puzzles fails to benefit from its Hollywood connections and is even more disappointing without VR.

It’s obviously intended primarily for parents and children to work through together but while the video game part may only amuse young minds the cardboard construction is fascinating for everyone.

Irredeemably shallow but effortlessly entertaining, this unexpected tribute to a lost genre will make a beat ‘em-up fan of anyone.

EA hasn’t reinvented the wheel but they’ve reimagined what a fun football sim can be, with innovative game modes and gameplay tweaks that will make even seasoned FIFA vets rethink their approach.

A ruthlessly realistic simulation which not only has no interest in being a video game but also seems intent on making fishing seem as drab and mechanical as possible.

Destiny 2 is redeemed at last, with a weighty expansion that brings back the best elements of the past and adds some welcome new ideas to the franchise.

A predictably flawed Switch port which works fine in terms of gameplay but loses a lot of the spectacle and stress-free enjoyment to frustrating frame rate issues.

2K had little choice but to listen to its community following the damage done last year but they’ve rebounded with possibly their best-ever title.

An unlikely sequel that ultimately struggles to find its place among today’s line-up of more polished and more established alternatives.

It’s only a small step forward from the last game but this is the most successful attempt so far to modernise Tomb Raider, even if the storytelling still has problems.

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

Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.

Staggeringly beautiful at times, with some wonderfully imaginative art design, but this sci-fi oddity is a lot more entertaining to watch than it is to play.

The best Spider-Man game ever made… but only just, since it fails to move the superhero video game genre forward in any important way.

The perfect football sim for playing your mates or tackling online but major AI flaw renders the offline experience boring and uninspiring.

Still one of the best entries in the series, but the comparisons to Monster Hunter: World are not kind – especially as this is essentially just a 3DS port.

A welcome return to health for the Theme Hospital concept, with a fine mix of engrossing strategy and sardonic humour.

An almost perfectly formed strategy game, that hides near infinite variety and depth beneath its deceptively simple presentation.

One of the best computer role-playing games ever made works just as well on consoles, with a staggering level of complexity and flexibility but still a very accessible sense of fun.

A pleasingly straightforward co-op shooter, whose lack of complications will be seen as either a blessing or a curse depending on your requirements as a gamer.

Might & Magic: Clash Of Heroes is remade as a highly engaging free-to-play touchscreen gem.

Only a small improvement on the first game but this is still one of the most original Metroidvanias around, in terms of both its setting and its gameplay.

Yu Suzuki’s classics remain as unique and fascinating today as they ever were, if you can tolerate the painfully slow pacing and wooden dialogue.

We’re always wary of neo-retro games that just try to copy what already exists but Tanglewood is fascinating for the fact that a game like this could’ve existed back in the Mega Drive era but nobody thought to make it. But whether you take this as a lesson in changing trends in game design or simply a homage to a beloved console Tanglewood is a real triumph. We’re glad the Mega Drive isn’t dead and we take this as proof that it really can live forever – not only in our hearts but also on Steam.

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

An inspired XCOM clone, whose spy movie atmosphere inspires an emphasis on stealth rather than action – which is a good job given the somewhat flawed combat.

An uninspiring beginning to Clementine’s final story but there’s enough potential in the plot, and the more cinematic visuals, to leave hope that it’ll end better than it started.

A joyless and confused mix of BioShock, Fallout, and Rust that wastes its intriguing setting on repetitive action and tedious survival mechanics.

A slight disappointment after the surprise hit of Stick It To The Man, but still one of the best modern day equivalents to LucasArts style comedy and puzzling.

Still one of the most beautiful video games ever created, not to mention the best Zelda game that never was.

One of the best made Metroidvanias of recent years, but despite all the clever inspiration taken from other games it’s a shame it doesn’t have more unique ideas of its own.

A delicious mix of old school multiplayer gaming and modern convenience, with a sequel that improves the original recipe in all the right ways.

If you want a 2D Dark Souls it’s hard to imagine FromSoftware doing much better than this, even if it has too few original ideas of its own.

There’s not much to it, but what’s there is made so perfectly that it can prove hard to put down.

There are ads to watch in return for gems and a fair few inducements to spend cash, but it’s a hugely involving and well-made game that does an amazing job of refining the classic MegaTen template into gameplay compact enough to be playable between train stops.

It’s a battery annihilator, especially with the graphics settings turned up, and it needs some balance tweaks – casual mode offers no challenge, while hard and expert are possibly a little too slow burn – but this is the nearest we’ve ever been to a proper touchscreen city builder.

In Asphalt 9, skill is a distant second to car upgrades, a situation that generates weary acceptance rather than excitement.

it does eventually start to feel a bit samey, however elegantly drawn it is.

Puzzles involve picking your way through the darkened maze using walls of light to separate your spindly stick woman from aggressors and guiding her to pads in the floor which trigger the next door to open. It’s not a terribly good summer game, the perma-darkness making the action almost impossible to make out on a sunny day, but it’s a well made and atmospheric game with interesting puzzles and a distinct personality.

The most entertaining Yakuza game so far and a fine debut on PC, with a game that’s part gangster epic and part surreal Japanese nightlife simulator.

It’s a shame this is a greatest hits compilation and not a sequel but seeing the full madness of the series in one game is a wonderful journey of imagination and surreal humour.

An overall improvement on the original but the lack of focus encourages too many unwanted features, that dilute an otherwise interesting portrayal of law enforcement.

The updates have brought definite improvement, but even after two years the huge scope and ambition only serves to hide how simplistic and repetitive the gameplay is.

Not a good standalone game but a fine ending to the trilogy, that manages to make three games feel like one.

An effective homage to Clock Tower that manages to create a similar sense of helplessness even if it doesn’t improve on the formula in any notable way.

One of the best horror games on PlayStation VR, as well as an impressively inventive first person roguelike that Dead Space fans in particular will appreciate.

Experience life as a train driver or passenger with inexplicably mundane real-time railway journeys.

An inspired new take on Doom style shooters, as seen through the prism of bullet hell shoot ‘em-ups and roguelikes.

The price is no doubt Atari’s doing but it makes recommending the game a lot harder than it used to be. And yet when the bad guys are falling like skittles, as you skid past one and quickly jump back to explode him and his cohorts, any qualifications about the game being too retro, too familiar, or too expensive fall away. But it is frustrating that the game’s most important talking point has become how much it costs and not how it plays.

An excellent first person co-op game, with some spectacularly gory melee combat and a loot box system that’s not nearly as controversial as it might have been.

A horribly generic Japanese role-player that has no glaring flaws but fails to offer a single interesting new idea or character of its own.

The ‘Plus’ additions are minor but this is still a touching, and highly playable, labour of love by fans that understand Sonic The Hedgehog better than Sega themselves.

A fantastic balancing act between old and new, creating a Japanese role-player that’s full of charm, innovative ideas, and clever nods to the past.

The storytelling is lacking but otherwise this is one of the most interesting Japanese role-players of recent years, and one that isn’t afraid to take inspiration from other genres.

Utterly charming on (literally) every level, it may not offer much in terms of fast action but this is just as imaginative and engrossing as any Super Mario game.

More competent than incredible, this middle-of-the-road tie-in replicates the films well enough but doesn’t mesh with the Lego formula as well as some other properties.

Gorgeously presented and cleverly designed, this impressively realised Metroidvania excels in every area except originality.

There’s the core of an interesting game here, but it feels like an idea that’s been only partially fleshed out.

At its best it’s like being in control of a pixellated Final Destination, the deaths coming thick and fast with amusingly inventive variety. At its worst it’s a fiddly load of trial and error, where you can still be tripped up by pesky police angels even once you’ve figured out what to do.

Although the central conceit of continual binary choices sits well on mobile, it eventually proves a shade too simplistic, making your ongoing adventures feel repetitive and as though you’re too much at the mercy of RNG-esus.

The action is a bit basic, but it’s the way it’s framed that destroys the atmosphere. The messy, cluttered interface proving to be a constant assault on the senses. It’s not helped by the banality of the characters and stories, with the patchy translation making that problem even worse – the turgid dialogue adding to a sense of not trying very hard. Although not a dead loss it would be hard to recommend this even to die-hard role-playing fans.

There are no bugs and the art department has clearly been working overtime creating a huge library of colourful creatures to unlock and upgrade, but this is not so much a game as digital pan-handling, whose sole aim is separating you from your cash. As the movie WarGames taught us, the only winning move is not to play.

Beautiful and elegiac are not normally adjectives you’d use to describe a golf simulation, but that’s what this is, and a highly unusual and peaceful experience.

Some strange design decisions create a racing sequel that’s arguably worse than the original, and only time will tell whether it recovers from its poor start.

Some of the most fearless and idiosyncratic storytelling ever seen in a video game, married to one of the most viciously entertaining shooters of the generation.

A fantastic mix of explosive action and thoughtful storytelling, that results in one of the most unpredictable and ambitious action role-players of the modern era.

No matter what you think of the original games these are an excellent trio of remasters, that will please existing fans and help to create new ones.

An admirably excellent slice of DLC that shares the same high production values as the original and adds plenty of unique features of its own.

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.

Life Is Strange gets a major upgrade in terms of visuals and dialogue, but even with all-new characters the same charm and emotional heart shines through.

Probably the best ever use of the Jurassic Park licence in a video game, marred by repetition and exploitable systems.

A single-player expansion for Splatoon 2 may not seem a particularly appealing idea but this inspired slice of DLC expands the whole franchise in a number of surprising ways.

Probably the best Mario Tennis game since the N64 era, but the trick shots can still frustrate and the story campaign is a disappointment.

A relatively original and enjoyably bizarre puzzler, that seems more at home on 3DS than Switch but still offers plenty of seafood-themed fun for everyone.

A fantastically original racer that goes out of its way to offer unique play modes without alienating anyone that just wants a fun arcade experience.

An inspired use of the usual vampire clichés with some fascinating moral decisions to make, that always impact the game world and its combat in unexpected ways.

Hell itself comes to video games, in the form of disturbingly explicit imagery and unbearably dull gameplay.

There’s a disappointing lack of museum features, but you can’t really argue with 50 classic Mega Drive games, online play, and a surprisingly generous price tag.

A worthy celebration of one of the most important franchises in gaming, although by leaving out Street Fighter’s console heritage there are a few gaps in the content.

Treasure’s cult 2D shooter remains as uniquely entertaining as always and works extremely well on the Nintendo Switch.

A strangely successful mix of genres that plays both a mean pinball and a highly competent game of Metroidvania, and all wrapped up in some utterly charming presentation.

It’s tense and interesting and while it lacks the polish of some board game conversions – Ticket To Ride or Antihero for example – and is a bit too easy in solo mode, it plays a fine card game.