Shockingly exploitative downloadable content overshadows an excellent new career mode and effective use of The Masters tournament.

A confused and confusing mess of terrible storytelling, simple action, and endless fan service that will delight existing players but baffle new ones.

It’s a not a very good advert for the Wii U but this is still a hugely entertaining open world game, with one of the funniest video game scripts ever.

Probably the best Space Invaders update yet, with a dazzling mix of new and old gameplay, graphics and sound.

An adult video game that is neither exploitative nor pretentious, but instead weaves a fun yet incisive tale about all too human characters.

One of the best Kirby games so far, although it still suffers from all the series’ usual faults – including the nagging concern that the whole concept could be so much more.

It's not going to change the world but this is a simple, accessible pseudo flight sim that's plenty of fun.

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.

The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generation.

A spirited attempt to reinvent Guitar Hero and the music game genre, but the freemium approach to additional content has its obvious drawbacks.

Probably the best portable tennis game ever, with an impressive range of options and deep gameplay.

Video games rarely get to be autobiographical, but this indie gem is a funny, touching, and endearingly honest portrayal of one person’s difficult student years.

An occasionally spectacular follow-up to one of the best action platformers of the last few years, which unfortunately dilutes some of its appeal by shooting for a wider audience.

A proper, meaty JRPG from a newly ambitious developer, whose top notch combat and art design is let down only by insipid storytelling and voice-acting.

If you must play a video game version of Monopoly then this is definitely the best way to do it and far from the lazy cash-in that it could have been.

A competent facsimile of Bloodborne, but one so completely lacking in new ideas that it can only ever come across as a pale imitation.

A far less ambitious sequel than the last two years and most of the headline changes are negative, especially changing your manager into a role-playing character.

An unexpectedly brave attempt to once again rewrite the rules on Pac-Man, resulting in another near-classic arcade experience.

A wonderfully unique historical adventure whose seemingly simple gameplay is made wonderfully tense by artful presentation and a sharp script.

Repetitive by design, and at heart a fairly pedestrian third person shooter, but the online co-op and promise of never-ending rewards is hard to resist.

A good quality port that maintains almost all the original features, and even adds a few of its own, but the game itself is still a disappointing and unadventurous sequel.

It’s no wonder that Lumines Remastered still feels as excitingly addictive as it ever did. A light polishing of features and presentation is very welcome, but it’s the original marriage of gameplay and music that shines the brightest.

The best F-Zero clone since Fast RMX, with some extremely impressive visuals for a Switch 2 launch game, although the structure and track design lack Nintendo’s finesse.

A clever mix of puzzle, stealth, and action that manages to avoid most frustrations thanks to a constant stream of new ideas and a knowing sense of humour.

A great first chapter and despite a few minor issues easily the most authentic interpretation of the graphic adventure in the modern era.

The modern and 8-bit worlds collide again as old school arcade gameplay is given a new twist.

A disappointing attempt to ape the magic of Inside and Limbo, which despite some of the best visuals of the year suffers from unimaginative puzzle design and storytelling.

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.