An appealing riff on the Pokémon role-playing formula which, while a little too safe, has enough small deviations and improvements to justify its existence.

Despite some of the same minds behind Dishonored being involved, this top-down immersive doesn’t live up to its soaring ambitions and often struggles to entertain.

Unleashing the full, terrifying complexity of a PC-based grand strategy game on console is a Herculean task, which Crusader Kings 3 manages with deftness and aplomb.

One of the best Kirby games ever made and while the formula hasn’t changed as much as it first seems it’s also one of the most enjoyable co-op titles of recent years.

Rarely has such a big budget game been based on such a thin gameplay premise, with this bafflingly dull first person action adventure that begins to run out of steam by the end of the tutorial level.

If it wasn’t for the change in graphics this would get an unequivocal recommendation and even with that issue, we can’t imagine anyone that already enjoys Mario Kart 8 not thinking this isn’t worth getting as well.

Enjoyable Souls-lite combat can’t make up for the tedious loot system and laughably bad storytelling, in this misconceived Final Fantasy spin-off.

Old school adventure sensibilities and an expertly-designed puzzle box world combine in this charming and engaging indie gem.

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.

The first post-season pass DLC is a substantial slab of new plot, gear, and abilities but never anything more than that. If you loved the base game, this is a lot more of exactly the same.

A remarkable comeback for the franchise, with a redesigned game engine and control overhaul making for a very entertaining experience.

It’s mildly engaging, and you can call in friends to help if boss encounters get sticky, but other than the usual compulsion of role-playing style levelling up, it’s pretty forgettable.

Games can go on for quite a while, but it’s a rewardingly tactical process and later victories especially can feel like genuine achievements against the odds.

Its ecological message is delivered with finesse and charm, and the hour or so its nine chapters will take you to complete is rarely less than enchanting.

Favouring smaller, more scripted levels than its forebear, you’ll once again need to bump off targets while preventing your handiwork from being noticed by security. That means engineering ‘accidents’ by shooting pieces of scenery or gunning down targets where their bodies will fall conveniently out of sight. While still entertaining, PvP contests often seem as though you’re playing a bot rather than a human and the whole package feels a shade less compelling than the original, which is currently available for 49p.

Between the mountains of paid content and limited range of things to do, you can’t shrug the sense of stultifying pointlessness in a game that’s not really a game at all.

With myriad graphical touches, from the creepy crawlies that infest many levels to your character’s tiny, bloody footprints as she wanders away from the scene of a battle, it’s clearly a labour of love.

Not only the worst game Platinum has ever made but one of the worst live service titles of any kind, with an especially disgusting attitude towards microtransactions.

A visual novel that offers the occasional diversion into some engaging turn-based strategy but would’ve been infinitely better if it had curtailed it’s long-winded storytelling aspirations.

A highly original, dark gothic thriller whose lack of compromises will restrict its audience but are hard not to admire.

A perfunctory kart racing spin-off that has a few unique charms but falls well short of its far superior competition.

Making full use of PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller to convey an incredibly deep and satisfying driving model, everything from weather to reflected sound effects have been modelled to perfection – making Gran Turismo 7 easily the world’s most complete driving game.

Although its addition of plot and characters doesn’t quite work the racing action is as thrilling as ever, with a huge diversity of vehicles and the compelling handling fans have come to expect from the series.

An impossibly ugly attempt at a faux retro 2D shooter that thankfully plays better than it looks, but still feels like a mostly wasted opportunity.

A masterful blend of Dark Souls and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild that makes high demands of its players and yet still remains surprisingly accessible and adaptable.

Less a reboot of a forgotten NES game and more a sub-par clone of Dead Cells, where the gorgeous visuals cannot hide the mediocre gameplay.

There’s still room for improvement but this is the best King Of Fighters has been for many years, with enough new features to please both veterans and newcomers.

An inspired ending to the Warhammer trilogy that rather than just adding new factions makes a host of clever additions and changes to the gameplay and structure, in what is one of the great achievements in modern strategy gaming.