Mindlessly enjoyable in its way, but also hugely repetitive and despite four versions of the character it never seems to make the most of any one of them.

A real Super Mario game on smartphone might have seemed impossible at one time, but this has all the polish and charm you’d expect of a top flight Nintendo game.

An enjoyable counterpart to Ghost Of Tsushima, with some truly excellent combat, but the bloated open world elements can often suffocate your enjoyment.

No fun at all on your own, but together on the same couch this is one of the most entertaining co-op puzzles for many months.

Not a game that particularly needed a remaster but that in itself speaks to the quality of the original and the potential of the new sequel.

The least brown shooter ever made, with the colourful graphics and accessible controls supported by an imaginative and surprisingly well-crafted online experience.

The least interesting WarioWare entry so far, with overcomplicated multiplayer characters and microgames that seem to have lost their sense of manic invention.

Graphically beautiful and abounding with references and Easter eggs, it’s a not-quite-driving adventure that’s overflowing with charm and wit.

A reskinned Borderlands 3 that would’ve been much better off as an expansion, given it’s too short to justify the outrageously high price tag and too long to hide the lack of variety and new ideas.

Such an old school role-player that most of its influences predate video games, and although an acquired taste it's clearly a refined one as well.

The Heist is by no means essential but it marks a decent start to what could be another intriguing Spider-Man story. However, it’s already clear that these post-launch adventures will only extend, not enhance, your overall experience with the original game.

As hardcore as first person shooters get but fascinatingly distinctive as a result - if you have the resolve to endure its rougher edges.

Not the deepest wilderness survival game in terms of gameplay, but certainly one of the most atmospheric and thought-provoking.

An innovative and cleverly nuanced mix of race game and puzzler - albeit a rather pretentious one.

A charming indie platformer with a fun central gimmick and excellent movement options, let down by garish visuals and some deliberate retro foibles.

The original game remains the best entry in the series but Jamboree TV on its own adds little of value and isn’t worth the upgrade.

For better and worse this is Harvest Moon in all but name, with a few useful new ideas but still the same old crop of problems.

A great Metroid game and a great Aliens tie-in, and only a few rough edges stop this from being a minor classic all of its own.

The basics of gameplay work tremendously well, but the game is bogged down by too many niggling faults and the sense that it’ll take until at least next year to fulfil its potential.

A mixture of roguelike and Zelda: A Link To The Past that looks and plays extremely well, but even with some notable improvements still doesn’t get the balance quite right.

Not a standout year for Call Of Duty, as while the campaign offers some fun action and minor innovation Zombies and multiplayer are beginning to feel very tired.

The one LucasArts game that didn’t need a remaster gets one anyway, but it can’t do anything for the game’s brevity or lack of challenge.

The best Dark Souls clone so far features a number of interesting new ideas and also offers an experience that is easier to acclimatise to for new players.

One of the best roguelikes for a long time, whose randomised abilities work perfectly to add variety and unpredictability to its tale of an 80s style post-apocalypse.

This new episodic graphic adventure is mild cheddar compared to the original TV shorts and movie.

It always sounded like a bad idea, but although Zelda has inspired one of the best Dynasty Warriors games to date the end result is still well below average by any other standard.

A pub band cover version of Forza Horizon 5, that despite a few unique ideas doesn’t come close to the fun and variety of its inspiration.

A largely successful attempt to create a more cerebral style of horror game, even if it frequently comes across as just Alien Isolation with ghosts.