Immortals Fenyx Rising may not do much to push the open-world action adventure genre forward, but it does still ultimately succeed at being yet another competent release cut from the all too familiar Ubisoft cloth.

Lords of the Fallen filled me with excitement and hope. However, the end product was frustrating and loaded with errors. As such, though it scratches that Souls-like itch, it doesn't quite live up to the hype. Yet, I liked the two realms and the customisation options. Sadly, though, this wasn't enough to paper over the cracks.

The story and characters in Life is Strange: Before the Storm help to make it a valued addition to the universe. An alluring friendship between the two main characters is the key to its success. It’s just a pity that ineffectual player choice, weak adventure mechanics, and a lacklustre ending prevent it from creating a lifelong bond with the audience.

Souldiers certainly won't be to everyone's taste, due to its lackluster plot and technical hiccups, but it's definitely one to check out if you are into Metroidvania or Souls-like games.

With a strong atmosphere, interesting story, and engaging but fairly simple mix of puzzle and platforming gameplay, American Arcadia makes for a memorable place to visit - and escape from.

Season: A Letter to the Future is an experience committed to the art of environmental storytelling. Although how much you connect with the world will be determined by your enjoyment of slow-paced adventures with minimal gameplay and the way you interpret the narrative.

Bravely Default 2 is a decent JRPG cut from the same cloth as its inspirators. The combat is undeniably addictive, but its old-school sensibilities see it occasionally suffer from poor pacing and frustrating periods of grind.

Like the original, Q.U.B.E. 2 keeps the emphasis on smart puzzle design and maintains a core group of mechanics that fit together like a glove.

Despite some superficial similarities to other recent multiplayer focused games, LawBreakers is ultimately its own beast with challenging, deep gameplay that succeeds thanks to the unique movement system, low-gravity combat and fun, varied classes.

The lean gameplay and mechanics don’t gel with the unfocused narrative, and it’s a singular flaw that Tacoma can’t overcome. There’s plenty to like in the game, but it struggles to find a cohesive theme that brings the experience together.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a technically flawed game on PS4, but I loved my time with it in spite of those issues, and would still highly recommend it. As a cRPG it’s not for everyone, especially on a console where the genre is extremely rare, but those who decide to take the plunge are bound to have a phenomenal experience.

EA Sports FC 25 delivers on the usual incremental improvement model of this sports franchise. It's a solid football game with plenty of variety that fans won't be too conflicted about getting stuck into.

Although short on content, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a dependable entry in the franchise with fast action and a variety of solid modes. The great zombies level and the nostalgic campaign are definitely the highlight, and the competitive multiplayer should become strong once it gets more maps and tweaks.

Inbento is a neatly packaged puzzler with enough challenge to keep you engaged and just enough charm to keep you sane.

Roki starts off as a straightforward narrative-focused adventure, and while it looks the part, the game is more of a traditional puzzle title, with a few of the typical downfalls of the genre.

PGA Tour 2K21 is a fun, enjoyable golf game that has made me into a begrudging fan. It still could use some work on the presentation front, but with underlying mechanics this good already, I'm excited for the future of the franchise.

Though Frozen Synapse 2 struggles to effectively convey its new ideas, especially in the ambitious but ultimately disappointing offline campaign, the multiplayer remains a unique and engaging challenge for aspiring tacticians.

INMOST is by no means the most original game, but players who appreciate simply being absorbed into a beautiful, frightening setting should enjoy it. The world is small but densely packed with details that truly conjure the feeling of exploring a shadowy realm by the light of the moon.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a decent return to the series’ roots that puts stealth and free-running parkour back into focus. While it has several issues, and Basim’s story is uninspired, many will still appreciate silently exploring a smaller sand castle.

Airborne Kingdom has a couple of interesting ideas and occasionally draws you in with engaging resource and city building mechanics, but it lacks depth and replay value. With dull quests and a lack of challenge, it might just drift by most players unnoticed, like a balloon in the sky.

Imperator: Rome has some rough edges and it's not quite up to par with the excellent games Paradox usually churns out, but at the same time, it is still a challenging and rewarding experience that's bound to keep you engaged for long stretches.

The occasional design issue aside, restoring Hob’s ramshackle world is satisfying, with its cel-shaded art style and tech-infused nature concealing a complex network of pulleys, valves and hidden paths.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong brings the classic GBA title back with new crisp graphics, but there has not been enough changes to the mechanics or controls to make this feel contemporary on the Switch.

Even though For Honor's core combat is essentially an elaborate quick-time event sequence in disguise, the production values and novelty factor are high enough that there is still a good deal of fun to be had here.

Aegis Defenders is an indie that has a chance to be a standout of 2018. Most of the key ingredients to a winning formula are here; engaging and addictive gameplay on both the solo and multiplayer fronts, a nice presentation, and just the right amount of innovation.

For what it’s worth, I rather liked Clustertruck. It takes a patently absurd premise—one so strangely specific that one wonders if they came up with the name first and worked backwards from there—and expands it out into an exhilarating, goofy little experience, served in bite-sized courses. It’s not the start of something special, but nobody could possibly say it’s not special enough in its own right.

FIFA 23 is the final entry of this footballing franchise under its current iconic name, and it's not really one to remember. While the gameplay continues to strive forward, most of the other new features are rather undercooked and the overall package lacks a bit of polish.

Weird West is a brilliant Action-RPG sandbox with an alluring supernatural undertone. The story finds a regular beat as it jumps through five intriguing characters. Both stealth and combat work decently from the isometric perspective, with good interactions, and only some camera issues and AI navigation quirks prevent it from striking a deep vein of gold.