A seemingly impossible port is carried off surprisingly gracefully, with the old school shooter action working very well as a handheld game.

Bland, boring, and badly made – returning to the bad old days of low rent mascot platformers is not a good way to demonstrate the power of the Xbox One X.

Whoever this shoddily made platformer is meant to please it won’t be those that like Sonic Mania, or any of the better 3D Sonic games.

A generous expansion that through its stunning visuals and inspired creature design showcases the best features of the original, even if it doesn’t fix many of its flaws.

The best Call Of Duty for several years, but it still owes too much to the past – and the campaign’s attempts at a more serious tone are only half successful.

One of the oddest sequels of all time, which removes one of the series’ most interesting features and adds almost nothing in return.

An even better game than the original, whose innocuous visuals hide a tense and unpredictable survival horror of surprising potency.

PC gamers needn’t worry they missed the first game, as the superior sequel’s endless loops of addiction feel far more honest and rewarding than the flawed original.

A missed opportunity to reinvent the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which offers only incremental improvement and too many old problems.

Some of the most fearless and idiosyncratic storytelling ever seen in a video game, married to one of the most viciously entertaining shooters of the generation.

A joyful celebration - and evolution - of the Super Mario series, that encapsulates all the fun and creativity of video gaming at its very best.

It’s more an unofficial Castlevania game than a movie tie-in, but if you can handle the high difficultly level this is an effective substitute for the real thing.

More frustrating because of the things it gets right than the blindingly obviously problems with bugs, a dull career mode, and a strange new loot box system.

A director’s cut that for once makes a significant difference, with new levels and the return of co-op – although the underlying game is still slightly flawed.

One of the best Life Is Strange episodes so far, with more earnest and relatable character work and some impressive branching storytelling.

Arguably the best Gran Turismo ever in terms of the driving, and definitely in terms of the graphics, but a lack of content keeps it from getting up to top speed.

Fire Emblem has the potential to make a great partner, but this badly made and painfully simplistic crossover is as disappointingly dumb as all the other Dynasty Warriors games.

The real question here is why Rebellion has bothered to remaster the game at all. If it’s a first step towards releasing more 2000 AD adaptations then we’re all for it, but viewed on its own merits this is the same mediocre shooter it was more than a decade ago. For fans of the character it is at least a faithful adaptation, but viewed as anything else but fan service its thrill-power is far from zarjaz.

A worse game than the already flawed original, whose poorly crafted action is as ineffective as its clichéd attempts at horror.

A complicated game to score. It’s a mechanically-superior sequel in every way, with more robust combat mechanics, mini-games, and puzzles populating the reference-stuffed open world. But there’s a nagging feeling the extended length and focus on combat has come at the expense of a memorable story. It’s still an essential play for fans of the show, and role-playing nuts will greatly appreciate the surprising amount of depth, but a South Park game propped up by its game mechanics is perhaps the most unlikely twist you’ll find here.

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

Definitely one of the lesser Lego titles, and yet still a fun co-op game with plenty of charm – and more new ideas than many of is stablemates.

Although it would’ve seemed madness a decade or so ago the complaint that a video game is just too long, or overstuffed with features, is becoming increasingly common. Some developers just don’t seem to know when to say no, and Shadow Of War is a prime example of a game that would’ve been a lot more entertaining as a shorter, leaner experience. Less features, rather than more, would’ve been better, and we’re not just talking about the loot boxes.

A deeply flawed attempt to revive Road Rash, that gets the fighting right but crashes out when it comes to the racing and graphics.

A hugely entertaining 3D platformer that channels the imagination and unpredictability of older games without becoming a prisoner to the past.

The best farming sim ever finds its ideal home on the Switch, with gameplay and hardware that complement each other perfectly.

The Layton legacy continues with an endearing new lead and lots of new puzzles, but relatively few new ideas.

A fantastically charming mix of golf sim and role-playing game, that smooths over its rough edges with its irreverent humour and wild imagination.