An inspired new take on the 2D Metroidvania concept, whose challenging combat and rewarding exploration is accompanied by some stunning audio and visual design.

A depressingly awful sequel whose main faults are probably due to a lack of budget and development time, but that doesn’t excuse it being considerably less entertaining than the 31-year-old original.

It walks a precarious tightrope, where it risks disappointing both Persona and strategy fans, but most of the time this fun but shallow tactical role-player threads the needle to enjoyable effect.

An excellent remake of a historically important game, that often gets forgotten. The price is off-putting but beyond that this is a breezy and charming adventure that’s perfect for RPG neophytes.

A charming, whimsical and very soothing life simulator that makes good use all of all its many influences and still feels refreshingly unique in itself.

A joyous, challenging and chaotic first person sandbox of destruction, that also requires tactical thought and planning, with a huge amount of extra content and fan-made add-ons.

Part DLC and part Warzone knock-off, this is not only the worst Call Of Duty ever made but one of the most cynical video game releases of all time.

A highly inventive mix of genres that you’d normally think completely incompatible, but the end result is creepy, charming, and wonderfully unpredictable.

Wave 6 is an excellent set of courses in what has been an excellent season pass, for an excellent parent game. Some might talk of Mario Kart 64 or Mario Kart Wii but for us Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is clearly the best entry in the franchise and by virtue of being so it’s also one of the best video games ever made. Almost a decade later and it’s not only as much fun as ever but it’s almost impossible to imagine how Nintendo might improve it.

From the developer of rymdkapsel and holedown, both of which are classics that are well worth playing, subpar pool is another capital letter-shunning production of great polish and originality.

Astonishingly, you can play up to four-player co-op if you have enough controllers, which adds an entirely new dimension, but even solo its glorious art style, chiptunes, and well-balanced battles help make up for the usual roguelike bugbear: a whole heap of repetition.

Tricky, mentally taxing, and immensely satisfying, Finity is one of those games that keeps getting better as your understanding of its systems deepens.

It’s hard to tell how games with such a complex economy and shifting balance will evolve, and while this doesn’t land with the same wow factor as Marvel Snap, it’s a promising start, albeit one that comes with a lot of grind. For a game with Warcraft in its name that’s most certainly in line with expectations.

A much smaller Like A Dragon game, that offers everything fans love about the series, but one that doesn’t quite justify its own existence.

A well designed, technical tour de force that lives up to the enticing prospect of an officially licensed Codemasters rally game.

A host of new features and gameplay improvements blend well and make the game more realistic and fun – and they save you time faffing around doing tasks that used to feel more like chores.

A funny and supremely inventive story-driven puzzle game, with a plot based on Greek philosophy that’s delivered with the lightest of touches and a goofy sense of humour.

An uneven blend of turn-based RPG battles, cooking, and skateboarding elevated by its excellent narrative and memorable cast of characters.

One of the best WarioWare games ever, as long as you’re playing with other people, with some of the most interesting use of motion controls since the Wii era.

A perfectly paced vertical exploration of a lost civilisation, that offers the most authentic climbing simulation ever seen in a game and retains its air of mystery and discovery right up to the closing credits.

A surprisingly competent attempt at making a lost sequel to the movies, with some excellent action and ambitious but flawed storytelling.

A fascinatingly bizarre indie thriller that mixes multiple gameplay elements and narrative influences to create a disquieting but consistently compelling descent into cosmic horror.

A peculiar sequel that at times seems to be purposefully undermining the best elements of the original, but it still gets just enough right to please both existing fans and potential newcomers.

It might not honour the series’ creator, but Metal Gear itself is paid due homage, in one of the best, and most complete, retro compilations there’s ever been.

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 visual novel set in the world of Roadwarden that offers some degree of choice, but whose real charm comes from its straightforward prose and troubled, authentic-seeming characters.

The best visual representation of Hellboy outside of the comic books, but an absolutely terrible video game, whose shallowness and lack of variety is matched only by its constant repetition.

A successful re-imagining of the classic 90s interactive movie, that retains the characters and setting but adds some fun new puzzles and VR wonderment.

A fantastic 2D platformer that immediately takes its place amongst the pantheon of Nintendo’s very best titles, with such a constant stream of new and surreal ideas you want to stand up and applaud it by the end of it.

The best Spider-Man game ever and probably the best use of Venom in any medium outside of comics, with the stunning visuals and slick gameplay overcoming a certain overfamiliarity.

It’s no Sonic Mania, but this is still one of the better attempts to create a modern day 2D Sonic The Hedgehog, with impressive visuals but boring boss battles.

A Total War game proves not to be the best way to explore one of the most fascinating periods in ancient history, with boring real-time battles dragging down positive changes to the grand strategy elements.

There’s a lot to do, with quests and hunts coming thick and fast, as it once again strongly incentivises you to get fresh air – since it doesn’t work either indoors or in a moving car. While early days, indicators are that this could have the longevity recent Niantic games have lacked.

From its glorious art style to the amusingly European callouts of Zok! and Shunt! as damage gets inflicted on enemies, it’s a lovingly crafted modern take on the genre.

A charming, if basic, detective game is transformed into a patronisingly simplistic visual novel for only the youngest of Pokémon fans.

It’s not the world’s most radical sequel but Train Sim World 4 is a sizeable update for the virtual train set, with plenty to please new fans and old.

The debt to Advance Wars still overshadows it, but despite a relative lack of new features this is a solid sequel to one of the best indie strategy games of the last few years.

Assassin’s Creed gets back-to-basics with a shorter, more focused – if slightly less polished -campaign, and a return to an impossibly beautiful looking early-era Middle East.

A fabulously detailed racing game with a huge car roster and engrossing single-player modes, slightly marred by forcefully encouraging you to perform practise laps before races.

A wordless and atmospheric puzzle game that’s just as ingenious and inventive as Limbo and Inside, but with more substantial gameplay and perfect pacing.

The slickest, smoothest and most technologically advanced not-FIFA game ever made, that makes an encouragingly positive start to a new era of football video games.

Despite having had a decade to come up with new ideas and heists this is a disappointingly hollow sequel that offers too few reasons for not just sticking with the last game.

An affectionately crafted prequel to The Expanse which, while worthwhile for fans, fails to evolve Telltale’s tired gameplay design in any meaningful manner.

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.

Technical problems and a lack of difficulty balancing spoil what would’ve been a neat slice of DLC, with some surprisingly good storytelling.

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 taut, characterful headrush of an expansion that completes Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption and re-establishes it as one of the great open world adventures of the generation.

The story campaign and, arguably, the fighting are the best they’ve ever been for Mortal Kombat, although there’s currently a lack of other modes and Invasion is a disappointment.

Impressively well produced and extremely playable, but there are few changes from last year and the microtransactions are still obnoxious.

A pub band cover version of Forza Horizon 5, that despite a few unique ideas doesn’t come close to the fun and variety of its inspiration.

A disappointingly low-tech space exploration game that relies too much on the legacy of Skyrim and Fallout and lacks the innovation and imagination to do its concept justice.

A story about loneliness and grief, set in a retro-futuristic 1970s and told from the perspective of a deepsea diver, which is less interested in action than creating the right atmosphere.

Monetisation is a touch more forceful than you’ll be used to from Vampire Survivor, but it’s still a well-balanced and involving game.

The iPad’s screen size makes the interface a bit awkward, but it works well on iPhone, even if it doesn’t come close to recapturing the joyous silliness of the 1990s original.

It’s fascinatingly complex, and even though its music is a bit hectic and its interface a little unrefined, it’s a dream for enthusiasts of cautious trial and error, which can deliver staggering and unexpected breakthroughs.

One of the best role-playing games ever created, with an incredible level of freedom and interactivity, and a superb console port that may even be the best way to play.

A perfectly solid rhythm action experience that manages to cater to casual and experienced players alike, although it lacks ambition.

A highly competent platform puzzler that’s starting to play things a little too safe, especially as it refuses to address long-standing issues like the bland combat.

A wonderful way to draw a line under Sparks Of Hope, with a mountain of new content and an extended cameo for Rayman, that makes him just as interesting as the existing team.

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.

A significant improvement on the original and undoubtedly the best 2D Soulslike game so far, with a macabre and imaginative style all of its own.

Probably the best giant robot game ever made and an excellent companion piece to the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, that matches both games in terms of spectacle and customisation.

An ambitious magic-themed shooter which, despite its impressive, flashy combat, buckles under the weight of its influences and slapdash execution.

It captures the soul of Jet Set Radio perfectly but with only a limited attempt to evolve the formula for modern times this feels uncomfortably trapped in the early 2000s.

An incredible achievement in role-playing game design, in terms of the level of freedom and interactivity – although even ignoring the bugs it’s not quite as consistent as you might hope.

A full-on space opera looter shooter RPG, that is brimming with content and exciting combat set pieces, but which doesn’t quite know when to stop before it starts to feel repetitive.

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.

One of the best remasters ever made, that actively improves the original game, in terms of graphics, AI, and the enormous volume of content.

A superior multiplayer co-op sequel, which maximises its novel premise with improved level design and a flood of clever new ideas.

A combat-heavy action RPG with fun fights and spectacular landscapes, that’s brought down by glitches, fiddly navigation, and an over-reliance on fetch quests.

Pounding beats, smart but breathless action, and a learning experience that extends throughout your first play through. Roto Force is a classic in the making.

Experienced players will find it patronising, but it’s a non-intimidating start for beginners.

It’s unique while it lasts, though, its idle gameplay proving as engaging as ever, and its wilful misunderstanding of Stephen Hawking’s ideas, along with a peculiar obsession with potatoes, making it one to savour.

Accompanied by ambient trance music, it’s one of those games where you can slip into the zone and not realise an hour’s passed, making this a somewhat dangerous distraction on public transport.

The remake adds improved visuals, new sea creatures, and a few more fishing power-ups at the shop. Plus, there’s the Pro Tour, a sizeable chunk of progression to work on once you’ve fished all the species from the other regions.

For devout fans, the writing in collectable log entries might be more appealing than the main branching narrative. Some connect back to familiar characters like Anderson Dawes, while one particular voice note suggests cameo appearances from the TV series might be weaved in throughout future episodes. It’s fan service but it makes sense in the context of Drummer’s journey at this stage, heightening the atmosphere rather than pandering to replicate it.

An occasionally interesting attempt to update the Double Dragon formula, which understands the appeal of the original but fails to offer any longevity or variety.

A Disney-infused Metroidvania Jr., with a gradually increasing challenge that’s ideal for children and, in its latter stages, offers enough inventiveness for grown-up players as well.

A significant improvement on the last game and one of the best Soulslikes of recent years, with excellent use of procedural generation and so much variety it’s almost impossible to see everything.

Far more than just a match-three puzzler, Clash Of Heroes is a unique strategy role-playing hybrid that has a massive amount to offer in terms of both its solo campaign and multiplayer.

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

A very peculiar online shooter that manages to be both quietly original and shamelessly derivative all at the same time. It does have dinosaurs in it though and that counts for a lot.

A highly imaginative puzzle game whose clever concepts are frequently used in the least appealing way possible – although they’re imaginative enough that the game remains engaging despite itself.

Chaotic, brightly coloured, and with an immense profusion of power-ups, heroes and abilities, which are gradually unlocked through a series of different levels and one-off events, it’s a long term challenge that’s extremely moreish right from the start. The upgrade path means you’ll slowly start to take on higher difficulties as you gather more monkey towers to your cause, making for a compelling difficulty curve in this near-perfect genre exemplar.

Graphically beautiful and abounding with references and Easter eggs, it’s a not-quite-driving adventure that’s overflowing with charm and wit.

Each level has a strictly limited number of squares in which to undertake your merging antics, deploying a small supply of tactical powers – swap two squares, delete a tile – to correct mistakes or reverse bad luck. You get a small number of moves per day for free, but you can watch an ad to earn more or pay to unlock the full game and all its maps, in this neat little puzzler.

There’s a lot of text to read, from newspaper articles to the majority of dialogue being unvoiced, but its great looking setting and unusual detection gameplay loop make this every bit as engaging as it was on PC and consoles, and just as prone to getting you stuck if you don’t spot the small detail you’re supposed to.

This slightly spooky sequel continues its tale of real people in strange situations, picking up the story and characters of Oxenfree and retaining its style and puzzle-adjacent gameplay.

Classic co-op party-gaming fare that’s unpretentious and very quick to pick up. It may be just a little too similar to Overcooked. but given how rare local co-op games are this is a welcome riff on a familiar theme.

Three great 2D shooters, lovingly recreated and, in the case of RayStorm and RayCrisis, updated for the modern era – even if some corners have been cut.

A beautiful and exquisitely violent ballet of gunfire and telekinesis, that feels incredible to play but lacks the challenge or variety for long term play.

A wonderfully strange and imaginative indie adventure that delights in terms of its visuals, storytelling, and enjoyably unpredictable gameplay.

A midcarder to the WWE 2K23 main event, AEW Fight Forever lays down some solid foundations and is fun to play, but without much depth it falls short.

A game whose very existence is absolutely baffling, with a tiny collection of completely uninteresting mini-games, that remain dull and unimaginative no matter how many people are playing.

The overall package doesn’t quite match up to any of the Danganronpa titles, but Rain Code’s storytelling and characters make up for its minor shortcomings.

Time has been surprisingly kind to Ghost Trick, with its bizarre plot and gorgeous graphics, and while some old problems remain, they’re very easy to excuse.

A crisply drawn futuristic racquet sport with consistent and nuanced physics that’s let down by a user base too small to support online matchmaking.

Turning Crash Bandicoot into a MOBA is certainly a choice but not one that’s paid off, in this paper thin platformer that has little to offer either franchise fans or newcomers.