The details may have changed but this is still fundamentally the same game as the 1996 original. But that's kind of the point. Diablo isn't interested in innovation or subtlety; it's interested in empowerment and cheap thrills. It knows that clicking on monsters to bash their brains in with an axe is fun and its only concern is ensuring it stays that way no matter how, and with whom, you play it.

A superbly crafted 2D adventure that is a near perfect blend of new and old influences, in terms of both gameplay and the stunning visuals and music.

One of the best arcade games of recent years is now available on Switch and it’s just as ugly and joyfully addictive as ever – especially with the new co-op mode.

A very welcome slice of DLC that is just as enjoyable as the main game and helps flesh out a fan favourite character with their own unique abilities and agenda.

One of the best Switch ports so far, both technically and in terms of how handheld mode enhances and compliments the original gameplay.

The SteamWorld franchise digs deeper than ever and comes up with another charming mix of Metroidvania and Boulder Dash.

It’s not ugly by any means but it does all feel a bit generic, especially considering how iconic Fortnite’s map has become. It’s well designed though, which is the important thing, and ultimately has more in common with Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout. [Early Verdict]

The best LittleBigPlanet has ever been, and although there are still problems with the platforming mechanics at least it's easy now to build around them.

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

Another unapologetically old school role-player that gives its audience exactly what it wants and adds some fun pirate-themed exploration for everyone.

An arrestingly surreal triumph that blends point ‘n’ click and text adventures with a unique style of storytelling and gameplay that was well worth the extremely long wait.

A cheerier, more versatile alternative to Trials HD, whose Special Edition manages to make trial-and-error and constant repetition even more fun.

The biggest addition is to the price tag, but Cave Story itself is still a masterclass in minimalist video game design.

A superbly focused first person shooter that instantly gets to the heart of the genre, while providing plenty of unique twists – especially in terms of its psychedelic visuals.

A superbly crafted 2D adventure that is a near perfect blend of new and old influences, in terms of both gameplay and the stunning visuals and music.

A useful expansion that puts an appreciably different spin on the original gameplay, to the point where many are likely to prefer this tour of duty.

A brilliantly realised and atmospheric first person action game, that turns the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark into a fully-fledged adventure with role-playing trimmings.

The spiritual sequel to Robotron becomes the definitive dual-stick shooter, and one of the best arcade games of the modern era.

A perfect accompaniment to the SoulsBorne series, with plenty of unique ideas of its own and some of the best combat of the generation.

It still feels more like a remix than a wholly new game, but New Leaf combines stress free entertainment and inescapable addiction in a more beguiling way than ever.

A complex and wildly ambitious medieval life simulator that basks in historical detail and will happily take over months of your life, even if its radical sense of freedom can create unintended impasses.

An ambitious and morally complex role-player, but one still limited by a poor script and half-broken game mechanics.

The light touch of the writing offsets the slightly melancholy content, and its Emerald Isle setting makes for a welcome break from the usual Americana, fantasy violence, and crime fighting.

PopCap Games' best yet and the best ever Tower Defence - whether you think that's faint praise or not.

To a casual observer it looks almost identical to the PlayStation 5 version and while careful comparison shows it has less effects and the resolution is clearly being upscaled, the important thing is that multiplayer matches are all 60fps. That’s a big achievement for a launch game, especially as it supports rollback netcode and cross-play. The latter is vitally important in terms of ensuring a steady supply of opponents and while Nintendo’s online infrastructure won’t be put to the test until there are more Switch 2 owners in the world, it seems to work fine right now.

A survival game that isn’t out just to punish its players, but to entertain; with an impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror.

Becoming one of the best city builders on consoles is the least of Frostpunk’s achievements in this thought-provoking parable about the true cost of being in charge.

The best farming sim ever finds its ideal home on the Switch, with gameplay and hardware that complement each other perfectly.

Indie gaming at its retro-loving best, with some of the most cunningly-designed and purposefully infuriating 2D gameplay of the year.

As familiar as the system may seem there's no denying its addictive qualities, or the increased freedom it gives you to customise the play styles. But there is an unavoidable price to be paid in terms of Halo 4's sense of individuality.

The combination of its mechanical perfection and gradual upgrade path is magical, in a game that’s cute, colourful, and savagely addictive.

For a series where graphics are irrelevant concentrating on surface details makes for a below par update.

An excellent expansion to what is not only the best game of the year, but one of the best action games of all-time.

A solid, if strangely incomplete, remake which matches Persona 5 for presentation and has some of the most interesting and varied social link options of the whole series.

One of the best iOS games for several months is a wonderfully disturbing horror story that innovates in terms of everything from visuals and interface to its macabre narrative.

A superb sequel that improves on every aspect of the already excellent originals, and offers one of the most absorbing and unpredictable strategy experiences ever seen.

Probably the best single-player experience ever in a fighting game, on top of being an extremely accessible and highly technical multiplayer brawler.

The underlying game is still too reliant on the Ubisoft formula but the new content and Legends mode make Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut a notably better experience than the original at launch.

A colossal achievement in puzzle gaming, with a very cleverly conceived setting and story, but the lack of variety and reward becomes stifling.

The new 2D fighter from the creators of Guilty Gear trails a blaze of innovative and accessible glory.

The First Word War setting feels a little less daring than you might’ve hoped, but as a complete first person shooter package this is one of the best of the generation so far.

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.

Barely changed from the original PS4 versions but that doesn’t change the fact that these are two of the best Dark Souls inspired action role-players of the previous generation.

Another excellent PC to console port, with surprisingly intuitive controls and a wealth of content and options that make this one of the best strategy games ever.

Fans will be arguing about it for decades to come but for now this is a surprisingly daring reinvention of the legendary original, although it’s a shame its biggest flaws were largely avoidable.

It's not a real overhaul for the series, but it is the best version so far - and so by extension one of the best portable video games ever made.

Masterful shake-up of not just Dragon Quest but the whole of the Japanese role-playing genre.

The best new Pokémon for a decade and a game of exquisite depth and longevity, with visuals and online options that finally do the series justice.

A stunning work of imagination, with a collection of high quality boss battles to rival any other in gaming – and a difficultly level that’s equally hard to beat.

This generation's best arcade racer in an extra value compendium that really is a slice of driving heaven.

Despite all the controversy Street Fighter V was always a great fighting game, but as unearned as some of the criticism might have been the Arcade Edition silences it once and for all. It’s still not quite the milestone Street Fighter IV was, but it is certainly one of the best one-on-one fighting games of this generation in terms of gameplay, online features, and now – at last – content.

Another classic action game from Platinum that’s so full of ideas it seems fit to burst and yet everything not only works perfectly but is filled with an infectious sense of goofy fun.

The result is a self-propelled investigation that gives you the feeling of making connections and discoveries entirely on your own. It’s hypnotic, and while it has little replay value, other than to marvel at the fact that videos watched early in the game can mean something completely different once you’ve uncovered protagonists’ back stories and true motivations, it’s utterly gripping while it lasts.

A near perfect combination of rallying old and new, that gives precedence to neither and remains accessible to all.

One of the best looking video games ever made and the most accessible Guilty Gear has ever been, with impressively deep combat and memorable characters.

An absurd concept but an inspired turn-based tactics game that, quite unexpectedly, has one of the best scripts of the last 12 months.

A reincarnation of the 2021 Japanese role-player, that addresses every flaw of the original – and even if some issues remain it’s still a very enjoyable alternative to the Persona series.

The best Pokémon game yet, that expertly combines the best elements of the old games with a mountain of new features and wonderfully odd creatures.

The best sequel to Chrono Trigger there’s never been, with a pseudo-Japanese role-player that maintains a delicate balance between retro homage and modern indie game.

An interactive movie where the gameplay is as basic and two-dimensional as the story and acting.

One of the best marriages of gameplay, graphics and music ever seen on a portable and a triumphant return to the roots of rhythm action.

A successful relaunch of the Shinobi franchise that doesn’t attempt to do anything startlingly new but instead makes do with being a very well-constructed action adventure.

The overwrought storytelling is not the sort of taste many will want to acquire, but that doesn't stop this being one of the best tactical role-players ever.

Nintendo successfully reinvents Pikmin as a Stardew Valley style cosy game, that’s both much bigger and more approachable than ever before.

An excellent battle system shackled to a dispiritingly dull and long-winded fantasy adventure, that takes an inordinate amount of time to say nothing of value.

Uncharted 4 is one of the best action adventure games ever made but this remaster does so little to improve the experience it doesn’t feel like anything other than a cynical cash grab.

Easily the best downloadable extra so far and the only one to realise that Mass Effect 2's true strength is in character and melodrama, not action.

Making full use of PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller to convey an incredibly deep and satisfying driving model, everything from weather to reflected sound effects have been modelled to perfection – making Gran Turismo 7 easily the world’s most complete driving game.

A surprisingly conservative follow-up to Returnal but the transcendent third person action is so well orchestrated that qualms about the storytelling and lack of innovation seem like only minor concerns in comparison.

It's not clear what the four year wait was in aid of but despite only a few, small, new ideas this is still one of the best Tower Defense games on any format.

You wouldn’t know to look at it though, its graphics looking hilariously ropey by today’s standards, but playing it reveals a game that is still in a class of its own. Without a central story or campaign to anchor you, once you’ve completed the grossly insufficient tutorial you’re left to do practically anything you like in a world that contains well over a decade’s worth of gameplay for newcomers.

An excellent sequel that marries Metroidvania style exploration with a dizzying array of new combat mechanics, to make one of the best roguelike experiences of this or any year.

A welcome homage to JRPG classic Chrono Trigger and one of the best-looking 2D games of recent years, even if it’s not really doing anything new.

Perhaps the closest there’ll ever be to a portable version of Dark Souls, but the unreliable controls make the punishing difficulty harder to bare.

Both games are not only Nintendo at their peak (as good as Odyssey is, we consider both Galaxy games to be superior) but the whole art of video games. The creativity, the craft, and the bond between your simple control inputs and the magic happening on-screen has never been bettered. A decade and a half ago, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 stood as two of the best video games ever made and that is absolutely still the case now.

The best portable real-time strategy game ever made - even if most of the credit belongs to Blizzard not Gameloft.

Pokemon needs evolution not remakes, but it's still hard to resist the most feature rich version yet.

Not just a tech demo, but a cleverly designed time waster that creates an absorbing challenge out of its apparently limited mechanics.

A dream come true for Dragon Ball fans, but also a highly competent fighting game that is a front runner for the best fighter of the generation.

The lack of any meaningful additions is a surprise, but it only underlines what a fantastic game the Game Boy original was, in what is still a classic Zelda title that thoroughly deserves the star treatment.

An excellent conversion of the original iOS hit, and a wonderfully disturbing horror story that innovates in terms of everything from visuals and interface to its macabre narrative.

Less consistent than the previous games, and the Batmobile is a surprisingly unwelcome addition, but even as the worst of the Arkham titles this is still a superior superhero adventure.

One of the best ever examples of how to do DLC right, being both good value for money and introducing several new features to the parent game.

The whole package absolutely shames most other downloadable expansions (including the earlier Red Dead ones) and as silly and shallow as it all is it's just as unmissable as the main game itself.

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.

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

By Nintendo standards this is no classic, but by anyone else's it's a fun and accessible 2D platformer.

The best Pokémon game yet, that expertly combines the best elements of the old games with a mountain of new features and wonderfully odd creatures.

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

Still the same innovative-but-flawed puzzler as on the DS, but now far cheaper and with even more attractive visuals.

Some of the best map design DICE has ever come out with and a combat experience no other game can match. Useful range of new vehicles and Tank Superiority is great.

With a warm but whacky sense of humour, this is a Tycoon-style game that has you managing a blacksmithing business staffed by spuds. Set them to work forging weapons with stats that appeal to the selection of heroes that inhabit each of the game’s towns; the better the correlation, the more they’ll pay and the better their XP, adding to your shop’s fame and letting you expand your operation. It’s a polished product, even if it does eventually feel a bit repetitive, and the fact that it’s a PC port makes some of the text so tiny that those playing on phones will be reaching for a magnifying glass.

The best Forza Motorsport so far and arguably the best driving simulator on consoles, with stunning visuals and a mountain of highly compelling content.

Donkey Kong Country is still no classic platformer, but this reboot comes surprisingly close to rivaling modern Super Marios.

The best Call Of Duty Treayarch has ever made, with several set pieces that are amongst gaming's very best. The multiplayer is usefully enhanced too.

It often lacks the accessibility and sense of fun of Birthright, but for Fire Emblem and strategy veterans this is still an excellent entry in the series.

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.

A charming vindication of the PS Vita, that uses the console’s many abilities to the fullest – even if that does mean you’re left wanting more.