One of the best Shin Megami Tensei games returns, mixing standard Japanese role-playing with the series’ typically provocative story elements and Persona style gameplay.

The State Of Decay concept still holds plenty of promise but this sequel is so broken that laughing at its bugs and glitches becomes its primary source of entertainment.

Zelda may have inspired one of the best Dynasty Warriors games to date but the end result is still well below average by any other standard.

Half-broken and needlessly obscure, but if you have the patience this challenging survival game can be extremely satisfying – and it’ll be even better when it’s finished.

Another unapologetically old school role-player that gives its audience exactly what it wants and adds some fun pirate-themed exploration for everyone.

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

A predictably inessential expansion that adds nothing anybody ever asked for and completely fails to address the points fans have been complaining about for months.

No fun at all on your own, but together on the same couch this is one of the most entertaining co-op puzzlers of recent years.

A charming homage to Streets Of Rage and other scrolling beat ‘em-ups, but it doesn’t overcome the genre’s limitations and manages to add a few of its own.

An amiable but underwhelming homage to the forgotten majesty of Uridium, that adds some welcome new ideas but removes too many of the old ones.

Not so much a video game as a shameful attempt to convince children to spend their parents’ money on expensive microtransactions.

A novel setting and concept can’t hide the game’s technical limitations, but this is still an entertaining first person roguelike that does try to do things differently.

A fun, if slightly limited, retro reboot, that works very well as an arcade shooter even without the novelty of VR.

Another failed attempt to get a traditional first person shooter working in VR, although the online co-op option keeps the novelty going for longer than it should.

An understandable attempt to create a more accessible Total War experience, but it’s been streamlined so much it offers only a small taste of the series’ full potential.

A highly competent 2D platformer, but one so utterly devoid of any new ideas it’s really only for the nostalgic and those desperate to play something new(-ish) on the Switch.

A mixture of roguelike and Zelda: A Link To The Past that looks and plays extremely well, but has its potential cut short by an unwelcome time limit.

Original Journey is a twin-stick shooter-meets-platform game, with Tower Defense-style fixed guns and an upgrade system more reminiscent of a role-playing game. adly though its gameplay loop of shoot, loot, and retreat is just a tad too tight, rapidly feeling repetitive and restrictive.

It’s not perfect and although you could argue that the typos reflect a slightly lower standard of proof reading in mid-21st Century news publishing it’s still a satisfying read, even if some sort of player agency would have made it even better.

Like the ineffably dull Battleships, OIL has difficulty providing interest when so much of your success depends on luck.

Featuring a high degree of polish and a scattering of secrets and collectibles in each level, it may not be particularly original, and its cut scenes outstay their welcome, but this relatively short and highly entertaining game certainly does not.

At the end of each 10-level world your view pans back to reveal the monochromatic artwork you were exploring in a beautiful final flourish, leaving you to admire the developer’s handiwork and your own dexterity. It’s a masterpiece of minimalist puzzle design.

It’s a slow burn and has zero sense of humour, but believable characters, decent voice-acting, and accurate historical detail make for a sturdy if linear game. This is only the first half of book one, so don’t expect any neat resolutions.

It may have the framework of an ordinary city builder but there’s an insightful, and frequently disturbing, philosophical message at the heart of this cross-genre classic.

An excellent turn-based strategy that mixes tense battlefield tactics with an engrossing meta game of money-grabbing mercs and expensive-to-maintain mechs.

It’s unclear how much Nintendo is going to market Labo as an educational toy but it certainly has great value as such. It not only stimulates artistic urges but making full use of each of the Toy-Con garages feels like the most entertaining science lesson ever. The potential seems limitless and while Labo may not be a video game – and in that sense will provide little relief to Switch owners looking for something new to play – it could well be the next big thing. For big kids as well as little ones.

It’s unclear how much Nintendo is going to market Labo as an educational toy but it certainly has great value as such. It not only stimulates artistic urges but making full use of each of the Toy-Con garages feels like the most entertaining science lesson ever. The potential seems limitless and while Labo may not be a video game – and in that sense will provide little relief to Switch owners looking for something new to play – it could well be the next big thing. For big kids as well as little ones.

One of the most enjoyable roguelikes of recent years, with the heavy emphasis on RNG saved by some fun co-op options.