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.