SnowRunner is an excellent game with wonderful visuals and great controls. It also has a massive amount of content for players to sink their teeth into. The game is slow and can be frustrating, but it's very much worth getting down and dirty with this one.

Chivalry 2 delivers plenty of intense, blood-soaked action, without taking itself too seriously. But you might eventually want to do more than blindly swing a sword around.

Familiar strengths and themes combine with FromSoftware’s apparently endless capacity for creative fantasy design in a finale of suitable grandeur and pathos.

Hitman 2 successfully builds upon the foundation IO Interactive laid in 2016. The sandbox structure of each map will surely facilitate several playthroughs before it gets stale. Meanwhile, new additions like Ghost Mode add multiplayer to the Hitman package. It's not perfect, but it's damn close.

The Banner Saga 2 reaps all the benefits and foibles of strict continuity. It maintains the outstanding presentation and decision-based narrative highs of the first entry, but minor changes to mechanics are unlikely to sway opinion on the unique, but slightly peculiar, combat system.

While on the short side and not particularly original, Kaze and the Wild Masks is an exceptional 2D platformer filled with well designed, engaging levels and tight, responsive controls.

It may just be an arcade-inspired rhythm game, but it's a damn good one at that. Mega Mix+ never tries to be more than it promises. The lack of any real sense of progression isn't ideal, but that can mostly be overlooked thanks to the immense tracklist and consistently fun gameplay.

Football Manager is an annual series that really only has to worry about competing with itself. Aside from a few pipe dream projects on Steam, there are really no other football management titles around. Despite not all the feature changes being an unqualified success, Football Manager 2018 is still to be recommended as an absurdly detailed simulation title. To this day, it has a propensity for generating narratives rivaled only by the Paradox grand strategy games. But if you do already own Football Manager 2017 I’d regard the yearly upgrade as gently desirable rather than an urgent necessity.

A concise central mechanic, framed by a clever, form-twisting premise and outstanding design in art and sound. Other games wish they could be this cool.

Mortal Kombat 11 pushes the brutal fighting action up to new levels, but fighting can quickly turn into a chore once the initial dust settles.

One Step From Eden provides a unique, fast-paced experience. The combat and deck-building are fun, but it does a poor job explaining game mechanics, and given the depth of the game's card system that makes it a little bit too difficult.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 doesn't hit all the notes of its predecessor, but it's still a gorgeous re-imagining of one of Sega's finest action games.

Stray is a fairly short game with a few notable flaws. Still, it's a joy to experience the wonders of playing as a cat in a marvelously designed world.

With gorgeous visuals, well-written characters, stunning atmosphere, and an amazing Photo Mode function, A Plague Tale: Requiem surpasses its predecessor. However, the gameplay and puzzles tend to remain fairly easy and straightforward.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is a fantastic remake with a gorgeous visual style. The specialty and item creation systems create a beautiful harmony with the gameplay to make this one of the most satisfying gaming experiences of the year.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's mission structure can be a little tedious at times. However, it still manages to exhilarate and excite thanks to its wonderful visuals, vivid landscapes, side activities, and brilliant combat mechanics.

Although far from perfect, Metro Exodus provides a breathtaking game experience across a post-nuclear apocalyptic world.

An enjoyable adventure, but one that hews a little too close to its FPS Fallout roots.

In tandem, the (free) Banks 1.5 update and Utopia contribute a splendid set of features and mechanical changes to Stellaris. Taken alone, Utopia is more the luxury trimmings to Banks’ essentials, but it’s a fine package of unique species specialisation and mega-engineering all the same.

Cult of the Lamb relies on its demented humor and zany ideas that add charm. Sadly, some mechanics are either too streamlined or troublesome. You're bound to enjoy it for several hours until it becomes repetitive to a fault.

Children of Morta is a solidly built action roguelite, but it's the family struggles and heart within that elevate it above the crowd.

Subnautica: Below Zero presents an exciting adventure as you explore the unknown. Whether you're trekking through the snow or diving down unfathomable depths, there's a feeling of dread as you try to survive, and a sense of wonderment as you discover something new.

Space Marine 2 is a masterful game with a captivating, gorgeous, and action-packed campaign. The multiplayer systems are impressive, expansive, yet slightly disappointing given the disparity between the modes. Regardless, it's a must-play.

A wonderfully crafted Metroidvania that should have genre fans plenty excited. It's blending of combat, platforming, and puzzling keeps the gameplay fresh and varied throughout its entire 20-hour story. It may not be the most revolutionary game ever made, but it does what it set out to do very well.

Archvale is a fun, charming bullet hell with some incredibly enjoyable combat. It's also a satisfying role-playing game on its own, with tons of satisfying progression.

With some major balancing issues that made a majority of its classes unenjoyable, Tainted Grail: Conquest redeemed itself by showing that when the game was balanced, it could be a fantastic experience.

With the responsibility of becoming the next great Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1 is a masterclass in gaming achievement. While not perfect, it surely brings the ultimate Mortal Kombat experience to the table.

A deadly combination of challenging puzzles and curiosity-driven exploration, though it’s the puzzle fanatic that’ll walk away most satisfied.