Tetris and battle royale turn out to be a perfect match with probably the best multiplayer version of the game ever made.

The best turn-based tactics game since XCOM 2 and a fantastic spy adventure that has an appeal that goes well beyond just strategy fans.

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.

A well designed, entertaining, and black humoured roguelite that does a great job of balancing long-term progress with the need to extend individual runs.

A very welcome compilation of two of the best story-based games of recent years, that manage to transcend their anime presentation and apparent absurdity.

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

After a string of disappointing downloadable expansions, for well respected games such as Fable II and Fallout 3, this provides almost everything a Grand Theft Auto IV fan would have been hoping for.

Completely charming and wonderfully presented stealth puzzle game, that turns a horrible goose into one of the year’s most endearing video game stars.

More accessible and more immediate than ever before, whether it’s a hit or not Monster Hunter 4 is definitely the best of the series so far.

One of the most interesting things to happen to both massively multiplayer online games and shooters in years, and already a hugely enjoyable game in its own right.

A better Gran Turismo game than the real thing, with stunning graphics and mountains of content – although the use of loot crates and limited-use mods is worrying.

An inspired homage to old school Ninja Gaiden games, with a clever blending of genres and near perfect retro graphics and music.

A typically awful boxed set for such an influential series, but the games themselves work well in HD and this is still a useful primer for the series.

It may be a relatively small improvement but this is definitely the best of the series yet, and as a result one of the DS's best puzzle games.

The best Advance Wars clone so far on the Switch, with tons of content, accessible controls, and deceptively deep gameplay.

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.

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

One of the best retro homages of recent years, that cleverly combines the best elements of older 2D games with plenty of new ideas of its own.

Although the quality of the puzzles remains the same this unexpected expansion certainly isn’t just more of the same, with an unexpected new survival horror element.

At times inconsistent and unrefined but the echoes concept is excellent and allows for one of the most innovative and open-ended 2D Zeldas of the modern era.

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.

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.

R-Type journeys into the third dimensions but a lack of control and high entry fee spoils the trip.

Its ecological message is delivered with finesse and charm, and the hour or so its nine chapters will take you to complete is rarely less than enchanting.

A welcome comeback for Nintendo’s most minimalist mascot, that justifies itself with an extremely entertaining co-op mode.

Don’t let the name or presentation put you off: this is an impressive piece of interactive storytelling that gets more right than most other games with 10 times its budget.

A great sequel that is just as surreal and imaginative as the original and manages to be both a silly comedy platformer and a surprisingly affecting character study of regret and lost love.

One of the best Tower Defense action hybrids so far, with considerably more depth than the original - even if it still looks like the same game.