A technical masterpiece with some of the best swordfighting combat in years, but the storytelling and puzzle elements come across as muddled and awkwardly mismatched.

The least funny Disgaea, but arguably the best in terms of the actual gameplay – and it’s a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch.

An expertly crafted clone that finally shows consoles owners what Diablo is all about. As long as you don't mind playing alone anyway.

The Danganronpa formula feels like it’s starting to get a little stale, but it still manages to pose interesting moral quandaries with a large dose of black humour and anime style weirdness.

Full of imagination and great ideas, but Kirby seems destined to repeat the same mistakes forever – with zero challenge and aimless, unfocused game design.

The 1994 original has some unfortunate flaws, that this remake doesn’t try to fix, but in terms of graphics, soundtrack, and sheer invention this is one of the best Japanese role-players of any era.

Great value co-op-orientated dual stick shooter that revels in its shallowness and makes a virtue of its one note, but superbly tuned, gameplay.

A surprisingly effort-filled remake of the first Mario & Luigi, which retains the same amusing script as before but revamps the graphics and presentation.

One of the best live service games comes to PlayStation 5 and while the combat is still frustratingly flaccid the sense of camaraderie and exploration is second to none.

If you’ve never liked Assassin’s Creed this won’t win you over but Shadows is a well-made and exciting iteration that’s impressively well-polished, even if it lacks any significant new ideas.

A much better map than the last two and amongst the best of the season, while still leaving you wanting even more from Hitman’s episodic exploits.

The most original and enjoyable online shooter of the generation, but the lack of content at launch means it may be months before it reaches its true potential.

The action may not be up to quite the same standards as the writing, but the bizarre world of the Underzee is more interesting to explore than almost any other recent game world.

A so-so episode, which relies too much on cliché and Clementine’s increasingly rapid transformation into a child superhero. But there’s still some effective drama despite it all.

A microscopic improvement on Football Manager 2015, that is as addictive and engrossing as ever but seems to have run out of steam in terms of new ideas.

A noble effort to recreate one of the PS Vita’s best games on a home console, but the end result never feels quite as elegant or organic as the original.

One of the most unique racers of the last decade finally appears on the PlayStation and Xbox, and becomes arguably the best arcade racer on either system.

Punishingly and infuriatingly hard, but also the best retro-inspired platform puzzler for years.

It may be big in Japan but there's little here that is new, in this still deeply flawed mini-MMO.

Business as usual with a mediocre single-player campaign and one of the best multiplayer experiences in all gaming – and at last one that works just as well on consoles as on PC.

It doesn’t have the depth of standalone Persona and Fire Emblem games, but this is a fun crossover that will please followers of both, and Japanese role-playing fans in general.

The best Ace Attorney so far, with a wonderfully entertaining series of mysteries that showcase the series’ oddball characters to their very best – and make some subtle but welcome improvements to the gameplay.

An exacting remake of Diablo 2 that will not only please those that played it the first time round on PC but works impressively well on consoles too.

The 60fps option improves the gameplay to a small degree but, almost a decade later, it’s not the graphics or the story that impresses the most in GTA 5, but the open world design. It’s the one element that is beyond criticism and while it is beginning to seem a little old-fashioned compared to newer titles like Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Elden Ring it’s still lightyears ahead of any of its would-be rivals.

A delicious mix of old school multiplayer gaming and modern convenience, with a sequel that improves the original recipe in all the right ways.

The sheer age of the games are beginning to count against them but Ace Attorney still remains exhibit A in how to make story-based games fun and engaging.

A fascinating experiment in alternative storytelling, filled with bold new ideas and some stunning visuals and music.

The story mode has some technical issues but overall this is an impressive effort for a launch game, with the GamePad adding some genuine value to the experience.