We do sometimes, even if it is briefly, get the feeling we're playing a classic PES game from the series. Still rough around the edges though.

A milestone in fast action VR games, which solves most of the problems with motion sickness while also being an excellent first person racer.

A superior Mario Kart clone and certainly the best Sega has ever produced, especially in terms of the teary-eyed nostalgia inspired by its endless retro cameos.

A single-player expansion for Splatoon 2 may not seem a particularly appealing idea but this inspired slice of DLC expands the whole franchise in a number of surprising ways.

One of Steam's best kept secrets and a cracking indie title that both pokes fun at and celebrates the charming absurdity of role-playing games.

A well executed VR port of Hitman World of Assassination, that brings motion control and higher resolution visuals to Agent 47’s lightly comedic sandbox of global contract killing.

One of the best story driven games of the year, and one of the prettiest, although you do sometimes wonder if it’s focusing on the most interesting aspect of its plot.

The storytelling is lacking but otherwise this is one of the most interesting Japanese role-players of recent years, and one that isn’t afraid to take inspiration from other genres.

A bizarre mix of weighty subject matter and cartoon presentation that somehow works perfectly in portraying a morally complex world and its characters.

A few unfortunate backsteps make the first native PlayStation 4 entry something of a disappointment, but Trails Of Cold Steel is still one of the best old school JRPGs around.

It's a lot more wordy than you might expect from a survival horror, and there's fewer puzzles than a true graphic adventure, but this is the best zombie game for years.

It’s a harder sell than The Walking Dead but this first episode is a promising start, that avoids fretting over details and instead creating characters you will genuinely care about.

Sony's Mario Kart clone has some impressive customisation tools but as a racer it lacks any real drive.

It’s not quite the same calibre as Mario Kart World, but those disappointed by Nintendo’s racer will find Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds an ideal alternative, thanks to its heart-pumping action and unique ideas that make it more than just a carbon copy.

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

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

An excellent twin-stick shooter that borrows liberally from the likes of Doom and Devil May Cry, to create a punishingly difficult but extremely rewarding arcade game.

Another immaculately researched and presented interactive museum by Digital Eclipse, but one that is missing too many important versions of the game to function in quite the way it’s intended.

It's the gameplay which is slave to the visuals and storytelling here, in this intriguing but shallow post-apocalyptic fable.

It’s certainly a better alternative to the mobile game that inspired it, but what few new ideas Octopath Traveler 0 has do little to give it its own identity and paint a worrying picture for the series’ future.

Even without microtransactions, loot boxes manage to spoil another potentially classic game, although the core combat and co-op atmosphere still shine through.

An engrossing look at pre-digital gaming entertainment that offers an attractive way to play familiar classics and introduce yourself to new ones.

Halo's attempt to re-imagine real-time strategy for consoles is simplistic and surprisingly drab.

A competent but unsurprising slice of downloadable content that features a solid challenge and plenty of content, but too little in the way of new ideas.

2K had little choice but to listen to its community following the damage done last year but they’ve rebounded with possibly their best-ever title.

Still the funniest and best-looking entry in the series, even if it’s the least innovative. And despite a few graphical flaws the PS Version is the definitive edition.

A triumphant return for BioWare, with a massive, action-intensive fantasy role-player, that combines a complex and intuitive fighting system with a great script and a glorious looking world to explore.

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.