The best non-Tomb Raider game ever, as well as being one of the best value Xbox Live Arcade games of the year and a superbly designed co-op game.

Downloadable content done right, with excellent value for money and a high standard of new tracks that seem even more consistent than the main game.

A surprisingly good port of a purposefully old school computer role-player, that proves even the most PC of games can work on consoles.

A brave game indeed as it attempts to marry the best of old school Japanese role-players with new and modern ideas… and generally succeeds.

A small but welcome improvement on Fallen Order, that offers little in the way of originality but does have some of the best lightsaber fights and Soulslite action this side of the Outer Rim.

As graceful a marriage of old school action and modern sensibilities as you could probably hope for, despite the so-so multiplayer and repetitive setting.

The most innovative real-time strategy for years, even if the story mode isn't as good as multiplayer.

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.

It may be a one trick pony but Saints Row 2 in space will give anyone an appetite for destruction.

The best Paper Mario game since The Thousand-Year Door, but also a charming adventure in its own right, with some surprisingly good storytelling and fun combat.

A hugely impressive achievement in interactive storytelling, that tackles difficult subjects head-on but still manages to be life-affirming and relatable.

Another incremental improvement that adds some welcome new features but fails to fix old ones.

The Wii U adds nothing to the experience, but neither does it take away from what is one of the year's most feature-packed and enthralling epics.

Despite its obvious flaws the reactive story and compelling characters make this one of the best storytelling experiences of the current generation.

Wonderfully strange, outrageously violent, and unexpectedly intelligent. Hotline Miami is indie video game design at its very best.

A lovingly crafted retro homage, made with skill and obvious affection for the source material – but there’s very little attempt at innovation and little to interest non-fans playing on their own.

A superb multiplayer game that takes a very simple premise and crafts from it one of the best competitive arcade games in years.

The best version of Control so far, that makes good use of the PlayStation 5’s features and leaves plenty of hope and anticipation for a future sequel.

Remaking Metal Gear without its creator seems foolhardy but this is as good an effort as could be imagined, without completely redesigning the original game.

A fantastic sequel that refuses to be just the previous game but with more options, although in terms of scale and ambition it is most certainly bigger and better.

A far better advert for the PS5 than its short length and last gen assets might have suggested, with superior storytelling and more compelling characters than the original.

The best horror game of this generation and one of the few courageous enough to try new ideas and make the player a victim, not a saviour.

Probably the closest you'll ever get to another Project Gotham Racing, with a fantastic-looking open world filled with top class racing opportunities.

After many uninspired titles, Assassin’s Creed Origins is bigger, prettier and, quite frankly, more fun than any other game in the series so far. It helps, of course, that Cleopatra’s Egypt is a fascinating place that begs to be discovered. Who wouldn’t want to climb the pyramids?

Not only one of the best VR experiences ever made but one of the best Batman games too, with a fantastically immersive simulation of the Dark Knight Detective, that’s just as good as the other Arkham games.

Not one of the standout entries for the series, with just a few useful additions that never go quite far enough. Not that it tempers the game's addictive powers.

Still a fantastically well-designed action adventure, but this is easily the worst version of the best superhero game ever made.

An excellent return to form for the Dragon Age series, and the biggest and most ambitious Western role-player since the new generation began.

The new content is exactly as good as you'd hope, but the PC version of From Software's classic is also exactly the sort of technical mess you probably feared.

The joy of playing something that isn’t a sequel or licensed tie-in is considerable in its own right but this tightly designed third person actioner is a pleasure from beginning to end.

Old school adventure sensibilities and an expertly-designed puzzle box world combine in this charming and engaging indie gem.

There are some inherent limitations with playing a four-player fighting game on a 3DS but this overcomes almost all of them, to become one of the portable’s definitive multiplayer games.

An excellent expansion to what remains the PlayStation 4’s best exclusive, and one of the most enjoyable retro shooters of the decade.

More a refinement than a revolution, but this builds on the achievements of last year’s game to ensure one of the finest sports games ever created.

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.

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 deep, demanding turn-based strategy game-cum-deck builder whose Soulslike sensibilities leave you to uncover the complexities of its combat, story, and world on your own.

It may not be the deepest of fighters but it is one of the most entertaining and imaginative, not to mention bug-eyed crazy.

Old school graphic adventure that doesn't pull its punches with either the puzzles or the gorgeous art.

It’s not changed much but what improvements there are, are all positive in what remains the best Dark Souls clone not made by From Software.

Turn-based tactical combat has never seemed so accessible and exciting, in this ground-breaking new indie classic.

As bizarre a mix of genres, art style, and subject matter as you could ever hope to see, especially on the PC. But it all works and absolutely deserves this second shake of the die.

The Switch is clearly not the game’s natural home and yet even with the graphical downgrade The Witcher 3’s innate quality shines through.

Not the most ambitious Monster Hunter expansion there’s ever been but it’s still able to introduce a host of new creatures and features to the always engaging formula.

The music game bubble stays intact for another year, with no big new ideas - just lots of little ones.

Two of the best action games of the last generation make the jump to current gen consoles and prove just as entertaining as they ever were.

As a junior UFO recently arrived on Earth, you need to find a job helping people using your giant mechanical claw. So begins this charming grabbing and balancing game, with graphics and soundtrack that will take you straight back to the best of the SNES. Mechanically perfect, but also fastidious in its attention to detail, each level’s three medals, awarded for completing specific details within each puzzle, elevate it to an entirely new plane, forcing you to think and practise enough to get everything right in a game with surprising and joyous hidden depths. The game is also notable for being the work of Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creators HAL Laboratory, who many assume are owned by Nintendo but are in fact an independent company.

Another of Quest’s most important launch titles, this has long been championed as one of the best first person shooters for VR headsets. At heart it’s a fairly simple wave-based shooter, in some ways a modern day interpretation of dual-stick shooters such as Robotron: 2084 and Smash T.V. You’ve got two pistols and a heavy weapon and have to mow down hordes of malfunctioning robots, but somehow it’s a lot stranger than you’d imagine.

Sports Interactive have done it again. The match engine roars into the modern era with significant and overdue AI tweaks, and whilst there are still some stale features the game feels deeper and easier to navigate than ever.

Another excellent PC-to-Switch port that revives the Theme Hospital with a heavy dose of humour and impressively involved business management.

Funny, clever, and extremely complex mix of management simulator and survival game that manages to make abject failure almost as entertaining as success.

The most entertaining Yakuza game so far, that’s part gangster epic and part surreal Japanese nightlife simulator.

Despite a disappointing story campaign this is a notably improved sequel, whose endless loops of addiction feel far more honest and rewarding than the first game.

Compared to other extraction shooters, Arc Raiders is very accessible and welcoming, but compared to Fortnite or Call Of Duty, this asks a lot more of players than many will be willing to give. Some will become frustrated at the complex maps and aggressive enemies (there’s a lot more PvE than there is PvP, in the average match), while others will appreciate that this is genuinely something different from the norm, which is what most people claim to want...There’s no way of knowing whether Arc Raiders will be popular on consoles or whether its popularity will last, even if it is, but the initial signs are very positive. This isn’t something you just throw on of the evening, while playing on autopilot, but if you’re looking for something more than that, then Arc Raiders delivers. [Review in Progress]

Probably the best Mario Kart ever seen, with a careful balance of the new and familiar and the most complete online service ever from Nintendo.

A no expense spared celebration of the most enduring shooter series of all time, with everything a Halo fan could wish for and more than enough to entertain everyone else.

After years out of the limelight Pikmin 3 has resprouted, with its mellow take on real-time strategy more enjoyable than ever, especially thanks to the expanded co-op options.

A great finale to the World of Assassination trilogy and the perfect time to end the reboot era, as the once revolutionary formula begins to show its age.

An inspired mix of roguelike and platformer that dares to be fair with its rewards and its penalties for death – although not necessary its random medical conditions.

The Behemoth’s best game yet and a hilarious mix of co-op platforming and absurdly entertaining multiplayer madness.

The charming mix of Minecraft and Dragon Quest works even better the second time round, with a smart sequel that address the flaws of the original while adding plenty of new features of its own.

It’s a slow burn and has zero sense of humour, but believable characters, decent voice-acting, and accurate historical detail make for a sturdy if linear game. This is only the first half of book one, so don’t expect any neat resolutions.

A beautifully made first person puzzle roguelite that demands tenacity and patience (and writing things down) to unravel its fascinating mysteries.

The premier MMA title that will appeal to all fight fans, whether you like the sport or not.

A surprisingly satisfying end to a highly uneven season of adventures, which manages to show off both the best and worst of Telltale’s storytelling craft.

An inspired mix of roguelike and platformer that dares to be fair with its rewards and its penalties for death – although not necessary its random medical conditions.

A hugely successful reboot for the beloved point ‘n’ click adventure, that achieves its comeback without sacrificing either its sense of humour or some enjoyably tricky puzzles.

The changes to the tactics system are likely to prove controversial but this is undeniably the most accessible and realistic Football Manager ever made.

A very welcome return for Sony’s classic future racer, and while it doesn’t represent anything new it does show the WipEout series at its very best.

A fighting gaming bursting with content, as well as severed body parts, and more of both makes this XL edition particularly good value for money.

An impressively ambitious expansion that greatly improves on some of the original’s failings, offering new ways to play while still remaining accessible and fun.

It’s the very opposite of pick up and play but the level of detail and complexity in Europa Universalis 5 is truly staggering and matched only by the difficultly of learning how to play it.

An excellent remake, with exceptionally good graphics, that borrows just enough from the later games to keep things interesting for new fans and old.

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.

Despite a lack of big ticket new features Football Manager 2021 delivers its best ever matchday experience and the series’ most realistic on-pitch simulation of football.

One of the best Kirby games ever made and while the formula hasn’t changed as much as it first seems it’s also one of the most enjoyable co-op titles of recent years.

A fantastically well-designed and presented roguelike, that makes your heroes’ mental health just as important as their physical well-being.

As a PS Vita game this is no more than a competent port, but as a restatement of one of gaming's most enduring fighters it's still good, dumb fun.

A hugely enjoyable mix of historical realism and exaggerated action that is both surprisingly accessible and filled with an impressive depth of tactical options.

It may not bring many new ideas to the table but this is a hugely enjoyable open world shooter, with the best co-op options in the genre.

Ported from a PC game, Antihero has you building and running a thieves’ guild in Olde England. Taking turns with a computer or human foe, your job is to earn gold and lanterns, the two currencies you need to upgrade your thievery HQ and recruit new ne’er-do-wells to do your bidding. Splitting your time between scouting new premises, occupying useful buildings, burglary and assassination, you grow your criminal empire whilst craftily side-lining the opposition. The game’s multiple interlocking systems supplying a complex set of tactical options to exploit in your quest for infamy.

An excellent set of remasters that bring the remaining three mainline Ace Attorney games to modern formats, along with a suite of extras and some effective visual updates.

The best portable Castlevania yet, with a long needed change of structure and a new focus on combat.

Some of the best 2D sprite work ever seen in a video game, and all used to support an impressively varied and imaginative Metroidvania.

PUBG is one of the best multiplayer experiences of the generation, and as technically flawed as this Xbox One version currently is that fact still shines through. [Early Access Score = 70]

One of the most impressive PlayStation VR games so far, in terms of both its technical achievements and the sheer joy of playing it.

It’s hard to believe this is Hideo Kojima’s preferred version of the game, considering it side lines so much of the core gameplay and adds little else of any substance.

A charmingly inventive temporal puzzle and exploration game, that makes full use of one of the most enjoyably interactive game worlds of recent years.

A great cinematic action adventure, with one of gaming’s great lead performances, although its Tomb Raider DNA seems fragmented and even degenerative in parts.

It may have been over a decade since the last official Commandos game, but this smart new mix of stealth and strategy continues the legacy with great aplomb.

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

The bizarre mix of influences and gameplay doesn’t always gel, but the visuals and writing help paper over the cracks in this admirably unique adventure.

The Journey is an almost unqualified success, but in terms of on-pitch action FIFA 17 is comfortably outclassed by PES 2017.

Disappointing superhero sim, whose meagre set of powers prove to be far less exotic than you'd hope.

The concept may sound absurd but the experience of playing Papers, Please shines a light not on the game’s hapless victims but on the player’s own sense of decency.

Inevitably, a huge part of the enjoyment of free games is their economies, and well made ones go out of their way to make the opening hours welcoming and friendly. Marvel Snap is no exception and while more time will need to pass before a final judgement can be rendered the early signs are exceptionally promising.

A solid rally racer, but also a worryingly indecisive one whose attempts to please everyone leads to an unfocused game that’s lacking in character.

Royale’s latest update has now had a month to bed-in, and it’s a welcome change. The two-tier battle pass has been slimmed down to one – the free version now considerably more generous – and the shards needed to buy evolutions are easier to come by. A fix for the game’s creaking clan wars system is presumably in the works, but this already feels like a big step in the right direction.