To a T is the latest from the wonderfully out-there Keita Takahashi. It might even be one of the best games to depict a disability and how human nature prevails no matter what. It might be a little short, but we didn't stop smiling throughout.

Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Editions are fantastic games that put a lot of modern equivalents to shame. The graphics are massively dated and the controls are compromised compared to the PC but the content shines through and boy is there a lot of it.

Tropico 6 is an incredibly enjoyable management sim with a lot of charm and a great sense of humour. It's not too different from the rest of the series but you'll still find yourself playing it for hours on end.

We liked Nuclear Blaze's atmospheric mix of platforming and firefighting back in 2023 but it didn't offer a ton of longevity, so having a free PS5 upgrade and a fresh trophy set to conquer was a welcome bonus and a great reason to jump back into the game.

The first FIFA in a long time to introduce something new. FIFA 17’s The Journey mode starts strongly but maybe needs a bit more story to make it truly engaging but overall its a nice addition to what is a very good, and immensely detailed, football game.

As someone who really likes the original, this new take on System Shock doesn't stray too far from the source. Nightdive have updated the visuals and made things just a little more friendly for new players. Visually, it's very atmospheric and polished. The interface can initially be tricky to read but combat feels punchy and can be tactical. The conveniences are welcome but it still has one foot in the clunky possibility space of 90's PC gaming. Rather than entirely sand off the things that appeal to me about System Shock, it refines them in a way I really admire.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One puts the detective into an open world setting whilst giving him plenty of murders and side cases to investigate. There is the odd bit of action here and there but those who like to explore, examine and deduce will get the most out of this adventure.

After twenty-six years in the dark, it is amazing to see Streets of Rage 4 finally come to fruition. Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games have delivered a great entry to the series, incorporating a fresh art style, brilliantly simple gameplay that fans will slip straight into and a soundtrack that authentically harks back to the classic soundtrack that made the series so memorable. It captures everything that made Streets of Rage great in the first place and doesn't mess with that formula, for the better.

Somber Echoes is a very well done Metroidvania set on board a spaceship populated by characters inspired by Greek mythology. It’s really rather good and while it might lack the bells and whistles of big budget titles, it’s definitely worth a look.

While EA continues to leave no stone unturned when it comes to bringing football to gamers, it would be wrong of us to condone the lootbox mechanics that still dominate the Ultimate Team mode. But if you're happy to swerve that and just stick to regular matches, and the game's two enormous career modes, then FIFA still sets the bar incredibly high for football games and indeed sports games everywhere.

This is remaking done right. Take a title from gaming history and give it a gorgeous glow up. It might be too tough for some but it's worth persisting with.

NBA 2K25 is a solid entry for the series. It is a small move forward with a great feel on the court. Shot making felt reliable to me with only a couple of head-scratching defensive plays letting the experience slide. It is a refinement of what's came before it with MyNBAEras offering a wealth of teams throughout time to play with. It's not quite historically accurate but I enjoy seeing those teams battle it out in anger. MyPlayer feels streamlined with only a brief venture into high school with the main focus being on the big league. It's a very accomplished simulation with great polish.

Jackbox Party Pack 5 is likely going to be one of our staple party games from now on and is a great addition to the series.

As the cheaper of the two recent snooker titles released on the PS4, Snooker Nation may lack all of the official licensing and real life venues and players of its main competitor but if you want a really playable snooker game with great controls and none of the fuss, this is the one to go for.

WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship manages to build upon its predecessor in some smart ways. The handling remains sharp and focused whilst options are there to dumb it down or tune it up in a manner you see fit. The stages remain the star of the show with the new rallies adding variety to an already diverse calendar. It’s all rendered in an engine that still handles detail and lighting very well. With the new clubs mode and forthcoming free updates, this should be well supported and keep rally fans challenged.

Candleman's got plenty of big ideas and they're executed well. The simple platforming coupled with some interesting mechanics do result in a tight experience. The inclusion of the DLC does offer you more bang for your buck but it does undercut the pacing of the original story. Still, there's a beautifully crafted game here with a lot of charm.

MXGP 2020 – The Official Motocross Game is a great racing game, just don't be expecting to win races quickly. All the fun of the real life sport and then some. Perhaps a little on the harsh side for those unfamiliar with this particular facet of motorsport, especially in terms of it assuming you're up to speed with key mechanics.

At its best Mortal Kombat 11 is everything we want. It's enjoyable, deep, violent and funny and it has enough content to keep players entertained for way longer than the usual fighting game. When it's doing what it should, this is the best Mortal Kombat yet and up there with Mortal Kombat X as the best fighter of this generation. Unfortunately, the other stuff the game does is an issue. The customisation is locked behind a lot of random grinding and the multiple in-game currencies complicate the experience enough to spoil the party a little.

The remaster may not bring much to the table, but the benefit of the improved frame rate and visuals succeed at making a great game even better. If you are new to the franchise, then now is certainly the time to jump in. However, veterans will possibly feel a bit cold to the lack of effort on display. Dark Souls still remains one of the greatest games of its type however and the remaster gives a suitable reason to explore Lordran once again, if you needed one that is.

Parkitect: Deluxe Edition is a fun park builder, though it’s a little unrefined in terms of ease of use via a controller. Very much a PC game with joypad support bolted on. It’s also prone to glitching out on occasion, including during the all-too-brief tutorial in our case. Despite that we enjoyed ourselves. We reckon you will too.

Shu is my personal sleeper hit for 2016. I had no idea it had even been made but it charmed me with its look and hooked me with its gameplay. As someone who loves a challenge, it certainly provided the odd twist and turn but it was probably the most relaxed and fun ten hours I’ve had with a game in recent memory. It’s just so darned charming that it’s hard to really find fault, which isn’t to say that it is perfect but more to say that it is a fantastic game, that I had plenty of fun with, and I can’t wait to see what developer Coatsink produces next.

Steel Seed's mix of Tomb Raider platforming and Tenchu-esque stealth makes it feel like a relic from the Xbox 360 generation but, hey, that was the best generation of gaming and Steel Seed does it all in a very accomplished way.

The Coin Game is all the fun of the fair and carnival wrapped up in a tidy package. It’s startling quite how many games there are to play here, many of them are great, some are middling and just like real life, some are barely worth a second look. Yes, the hub world isn’t the tidiest, but it’s hardly a deal breaker. The simulated tat on offer here isn’t going to landfill like it would in the real world, plus you’re only spending £15.99 into the bargain. There’s hours of play here if this is your thing and the added bonus is no FNAF style nonsense into the bargain. A perfect rainy day game then.

Ninja Gaiden Master Collection offers three games of varying greatness in one set. It's not quite the all inclusive package one would hope for and the enhancements are limited but seeing each game back to back really shows the strength of each and highlights the fact that the controls and combat were always top notch.

World Tour was always the best Twisted Metal game and while the visuals and controls are like relics from the past, the game's brilliant level design and chaotic combat are still top notch.

This modern installment of the classic Cotton series of shoot 'em ups treats the series with respect and does a great job of bringing it up to date whilst also adding some welcome variation.

Contra Anniversary Collection offers a selection of games from the Contra series all in one package. There could have been more in here and some titles, although interesting, feel like padding but what is here delivers some of the best run and gun gameplay out there.

A fantastic arcade hockey game for all the family. OK, maybe if you turn down the violence sliders. Great fun.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is such a well made game. The controls for combat are top notch and all the systems in place for things like fishing, crafting and exploring make this a very easy game to lose hours to.

Nuclear Blaze is an atmospheric firefighting platform puzzler that's interesting enough to keep your attention for the couple of short-ish playthroughs it takes to see everything. There's plenty of fun to be had with it.

Poison Control is a fun ARPG as you descend through the circles of hell. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Get to it dood.

Danganronpa 1-2 Reload is a mostly successful conversion of two brilliantly unique visual novel games. The constant plot twists and left-field stories makes these games stand out from the crowd and the murder trials are really unique and enjoyable. If you’ve never played a visual novel game before this is an excellent place to start, and if you’re a Danganronpa veteran this is the definitive package.

Trinity Fusion is a good action platformer with a nice dimension hopping angle. It’s not startlingly original, though the issues that exist are minor and unlikely to bother anyone too much. It’s well worth playing.

Toem is a frequent delight with a wonderful photo mechanic and excellent music. Just a shame it's not longer. It's pretty great though. Get to it.

Whilst the cutesy aesthetic might prove too saccharin for some, Rabi-Ribi delivers excellent exploration and combat over a lengthy first run. It will lend itself beautifully to speed runners whilst the plot and interplay between the main duo offer a surprising amount of charm. This is a pleasant, impressive Metroid homage with some nice quirks.

We are very used to seeing old arcade games used as a basis for lazy indie rehashes but Okinawa Rush is one of the few that elevates the source material to new levels.

Earthion feels authentic but evolved. If Mega Drive players would have been blown away by this shoot 'em up if it had been released back in the '90s but it still impresses now.

HoPiKo is a unique spin on the speed running platformer formula and a largely successful one. The need to complete five stages in a row in order to make progress will be an instant turn off for many but for fans of the genre it’s an interesting take that’ll require determination to beat.

Root Letter has great visuals, an intriguing story and well paced chapters. The interactivity may only give the illusion of player control but it’s a welcome distraction.

Killing Floor 2 will be shunned by some for essentially being a horde mode shooter alone but it is far from the afterthought that its peers tend to be. It may not work as well in single player but if you have the friends to get a game going then it makes for one hell of a blast through.

Chorus is a surprisingly traditional space combat game with great combat and an engaging, if dry, story. No multiplayer nonsense, no ship skins, no in-game purchases just a solid single player space shooter and we're here for that all day, every day.

We loved the original Kingdoms of Amalur a lot and so having an extra 20+ hours of unexpected DLC is a real treat but if Amalur wasn't for you, then neither is Fatesworn.

Capcom return, once again, to their vast library of arcade titles and there are plenty of coin-op classics here for retro gamers to choose from. Your enjoyment will be dependent on your own level of love and nostalgia for these titles and if you're not a shoot 'em up or fighting game fan then you aren't well served here. Thankfully though we'll be happily playing Giga Wing and Progear for a long, long time.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a beautiful, occasionally stunning effort from Sony first party studio Insomniac. It's a series of summer blockbusters strung together with all the bombast and spectacle of a Michael Bay film. Yes, the price is probably too high, but we'd still recommend it.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is another great Falcom JRPG and well worth your time. The port could have done with more care, similar to how other formats have been treated, but the game underneath shines through.

SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE is more SUPERHOT with a semi-roguelike twist. The skills and new enemy types keep things interesting even as things can get more furstrating towards the tail end. Those who are invested in the story get more of that too, the rest of us can just shoot and slash in slow motion as the whole world shatters around us.

A game about hunting vampires in the Wild West that has the design fundamentals of an Xbox 360 title? Count us in every single time.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom offers a traditional JRPG experience with great visuals and a variety of gameplay elements. It's not executed perfectly, but the charm will keep you battling monsters and obsessing about your kingdom until you reach the conclusion and beyond.

Demon Gaze II offers a friendlier introduction to the first person dungeon crawler than most. More story and less customisation will upset some but the colourful characters and enjoyable gameplay loop will win over new players.

Geared primarily for the online, esports crowd, Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown is an excellent way to get back into the franchise that started 3D Fighting. AM2 and Ryu-Go-Gotaka has given the fifteen-year-old game a successful visual facelift without sacrificing the sublime gameplay for window dressing. However, more love for offline and single players would have been appreciated.

The Eternal Cylinder is a quirky yet ultimately charming survival game with a puzzle slant. It lapses into daftness occasionally, but the earnest narration gives it a gravitas it might be lacking otherwise. Get to it.

Detention weaves a fantastic story and wraps it in intriguing aesthetics. The historical setting provide a unique and interesting backdrop and the mix of Asian influences bolster a compelling experience. Whilst there's very little dread, the narrative and the pace at which it's delivered give you plenty of reasons to stay absorbed. This is a well-crafted package that remains memorable, despite a short runtime.

Fallen Order is the best Star Wars game for a long time, mixing sophisticated combat with some great presentation. If it was more linear and focused it'd be an undeniable classic but some tedious puzzle-solving and fiddly navigation take some of the shine off of the overall package.

Yaga is a wonderfully evocative action RPG set to a Slavic mythological theme and bafflingly catchy Balkan techno beats.

Cities: Skylines – PlayStation 4 Edition is a great port of a great game. If you just want to sit down and build a city from scratch then this gives you a lot of control over how you want your city to look and operate. If you want a more guided experience then you may struggle to stay motivated but there's no doubt that watching your city grow and prosper is a worthwhile and rewarding experience.

With its emphasis on attacking play and improved shooting, FIFA 18 will appeal to fans looking for fun rather than just obsessive realism. Add to that heaps of addictive singleplayer gameplay and all the usual Ultimate Team and online modes for the series' core fanbase and this FIFA is not just the best one yet, but probably the most fun too.

While it may not be the most original game ever, Immortals: Fenyx Rising is a great experience that offers plenty to do in the lush, vibrant and brutal backdrop of Greek mythology. On each fundamental aspect of the open-world action-RPG genre, this experience delivers to a capable degree, it just may take some players a few hours to find their footing.

Kill It With Fire is a very silly, very fun depiction of an escalating arms race against a bunch of tiny spiders. It’s a bit short, yes, but you’ll have a ton of fun playing it.

Lost Words: Beyond The Page is an excellent exploration of the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother with superb voice acting for the lead character. Very much recommended.

Snake Pass is a fascinating take on the 3D platforming genre. It features conventional progression and collectables with a non-conventional control scheme that seeks to test your mettle and dexterity. The game takes a step away from Indie-brand self-reference and expositional stories to present a unique gaming experience that feels incredibly rewarding to master. We can only hope for more, as this tale of Noodle and Doodle is heaped with oodles of charm.

Minoria is a good Castlevania game with some difficulty spikes that may trouble some. It's generally a great experience. Burn the witch!

Undead Horde 2 is a smart strategic hack and slasher that keeps the core game mechanic that made the original so good but implements a few changes to the meta game to keep things fresh. It's not necessarily better than the original but we appreciate that it's not just more of the same either.

Neversong is a delight that lends itself well to a leisurely stroll. Maybe a little too sinister for kids, so be prepared for “what’s a coma?” questions if you play it with them around.

We loved Tesla vs Lovecraft on the PS4 and we love it now on PS5. It remains one of the most manic and exciting shoot 'em ups ever made and despite not really using the PS5 hardware to improve anything, it's still very easy to recommend.

Freddy Spaghetti isn't ravioliutionary but it is a whole lot of fun. Across fifty levels you'll help your spaghetti strand take the linguini way home, hopefully without too much far falle as you go.

South of the Circle is an exquisitely produced dramatisation of the rampant paranoia present at the height of the Cold War almost sixty years ago. It shows how it affected the world geopolitically as well as on a more personal level for the wonderfully depicted protagonists of the piece. Special mention must go to Ed Critchley's excellent score and the stellar voice cast.

Hotshot Racing (formerly known as Racing Apex) is a great arcade inspired racer that harks back to classic blue sky Sega arcade racing games. What it lacks in depth it more than makes up for in sheer fun. Split screen multiplayer and extra modes serve to make this a more than worthwhile purchase. Get on it.

We're not surprised to see the classic Spy Hunter concept updated for modern audiences but we are very surprised to see it done as well as this. Agent Intercept is a game created with heart and imagination and a strange fearlessness that has allowed them to create something quite special here.

Atomfall is a lot of fun although the central conceit is as daft as any seen in many other videogames. Combat is a little underwhelming as is the stealth, but the worldbuilding and sense of place are second to none. We look forward to playing through all over again given the double dip on PS4 and PS5 for the trophy set.

Far more than may meet the eye, Them’s Fighting Herds is a fantastic fighting game that marries a non-serious aesthetic with solid combat mechanics that most genre examples would dream of. Packed with modes for any player, old or new, the only misgivings come from the game being incomplete in the offline story and arcade modes. There is still plenty to sink your teeth into however and TFH gets a thorough recommendation from us, especially considering that this is an indie effort where all the right boxes are being ticked for a great gaming experience.

Cryptark may be yet another roguelike game, it may also be yet another independently developed twin stick shooter, but it melds both genres together into a compelling package and runs with it. The challenge may be steep, however give Cryptark your time and there is plenty here to enjoy, especially if you love the genre.

Hidden Cats in Tokyo is the latest from Silesia Game and their frequent collaborators NukeArts. Across its fifteen levels you’ll find all manner of hidden felines and additional objects, though the less said about finding up to a hundred people in a couple of levels, the better. There’s a plot but it’s largely rhubarb, though you can at least skip that and get to finding the cats. The art is often cute and on occasion, exquisite. This is worth a play anyway.

A fantastic sequel that improves on its predecessor significantly and the real world crash locations only serve to enhance its appeal.

Sumerian Six is a solid real time adventure with all manner of fun gadgets and a mean difficulty streak. The PS5 port isn’t particularly optimised though with UI scaling being a particular problem as well as a camera that’s clearly more set up for mouse control as opposed to a DualSese. It’s still fun despite that, just be aware that playing on a 4K display is your best bet as it’s virtually impossible to see if you play on 1080p unless it’s a few feet in front of you.

Loot Rascals then is a decent roguelike with a very unique sense of humour. The sci-fi setting and the absurdist characters allow this to stand out from the general swords and sorcery crowd and give it a memorable style. The very random nature of the levels and pickups means that far too much of the game is dictated by luck, but the ability to seed specific levels to replay is a brilliant addition.

A solid vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up with an authentically old school vibe. More 1942 than Dodonpachi, Sky Force focuses on classic arcade skills rather than hyper-aware bullet-hell evasion. While it can be pretty repetitive, it's addictive enough that most gamers won't care. Sky Force is, quite simply, a lot of fun.

The Last Cube an unexpectedly great puzzle game with a fine line in iterative puzzle solving and hard as nails challenges and bonus levels. It's pretty excellent and it's gorgeous to look at into the bargain. Get to it.

To just say ‘this game is fun’ would be the easy way out. It’s a brutal challenge with hellish visuals, doom-laden soundtrack and blood-soaked anarchy. If you like your retro shooter platformers to look, act and feel like they belong in the metal section of your local record store, then Valfaris is one hell of a good time.

Reed Remastered is an excellent port of an already good mobile game with an added layer of polish not normally seen in Ratalaika releases. At this price and with the Vita version thrown in, nothing less than essential.

On the face of it, eFootball remains a skeleton of a game in a genre where we're used to more content than we can handle and this update really adds very little to change that. But for gamers who don't want all the faff of playing through modes we've had for decades and just want to get on with building a side and having fun with them on the pitch, eFootball 2023 is a pretty good option. Especially as it's free and you never really need to spend any money on it to enjoy it.

Trailmakers is a great open world build-em-up with a fantastic campaign mode. The camera in the build screen can be a bit of a pain in the chuff. Just don't call it a Lego game.

It may have feet firmly planted in the past but Gran Turismo 7 delivers some staggering attention to details when it comes to its cars. Tuning having a tangible, audible difference and the great handling make me realise how focused Digital Polyphony can be. The café menus might streamline the campaign a touch too much but I really enjoyed my time powering through them. The weather effects are exemplary and the individuality of each car really shines.

Pinball FX 3 is the best pinball game yet although most of the improvements over Zen Pinball 2 happen away from the table. Funny, inventive and ridiculously addictive, this game will keep players entertained for months but while existing players will enjoy having access to their old tables, new players may find it costly to get into.

Even after four years of early access limbo, Subnautica remains as one of the quintessential examples of its genre. The uniquely beautiful and terrifying world is fantastic to explore, while the goal based narrative keeps things interesting beyond the usual plate spinning mechanics of other survival games.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a great stealth tactics game with a wonderful setting. The high difficulty may put some off but it's an experience worth having.

Desert Child is utterly unique. It blends the moreish action of hoverbike racing with an amazing DOS inspired aesthetic. It’s a short and sweet racing RPG that plays incredibly well in short bursts. Well worth picking up if you fancy a modernised retro title that does something different.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is another open world game from Ubisoft and if you've played one before then you know what that means. There are some changes from the last Assassin's Creed game but nothing major enough to make it any better or worse. I like exploring an open world, ticking off quests and filling the map so if you're like me you'll have fun. Just know that this is, again, a huge time investment.

There are a lot of horror games on PSN but this one deserves to stand out from the rest. It may feel dated, clunky and unfriendly to play at times but it transcends that in a way that is so clever, so skilfully written that we can't help but love it.

My Friend Pedro is every bit as fun to play as it looks. The game exudes finesse, rewarding players for risky manoeuvres, experimentation and styling on the multiple opponents you encounter. While some may bemoan the short five-hour campaign, others will find immense replay-ability thanks to high score mechanics and speedrunning sensibilities. Whichever side of the fence you sit, the game is fun and one that is designed to make you feel like a badass. What's not to like about that?

Alina of the Arena is a great turn-based, deck-building strategy game that cuts out all the faff and just puts you into a series of short but enjoyable battles and while it doesn't provide a great first impression, it's well worth sticking with.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a fun indie quest with a fine line in pop culture gags, great music and fun graphical style. Get to it and enjoy yourself as we did.

LEGO Builder's Journey is a very welcome departure from the typical licenced fare we've come to expect otherwise from a LEGO game. It's tight focus, beautiful graphics and wonderful tactile feel make for a great puzzle game. Don't let the fact that this has its roots in mobile put you off. Get building!

I may have small battles with the controls but the comprehensive package of Train Valley 2: Community Edition is really compelling. I think the presentation is really polished and the ways in which the levels escalate is enjoyable to figure out. There's a leisurely feel to the visuals and sound which are very comforting and I never felt under extreme duress to complete a challenge. Perhaps it's a little too relaxed in its pacing but I have enjoyed tackling the game's many challenges.

Static Dread: The Lighthouse is a fun take on the Papers, Please formula with a distinct Lovecraftian flavour. Across its fifteen days you’ll stare into the maw of madness as it makes everyone around you lose their collective minds. We had a lot of fun and look forward to playing it a load more. To call it a job simulator does it a disservice as it’s anything but tedious. Get to it.

Metal Max Xeno Reborn is a great game. Don't judge it by looks alone and you'll be rewarded with a fun deep JRPG with a quirky translation and great gameplay.

Cuphead finally arrives on the PS4 and it's been worth the wait. It's difficult and can be frustrating but for those with a love for boss fights and a tenacious approach to challenges this will provide a steep one. Everyone else can just watch the lovingly animated visuals.

Crysis Trilogy Remastered is a fantastic value proposition with three full campaigns to play through. Perhaps a little dated mechanically, all three games are solid shooters with loads to do. A good example of how to do remasters, despite only the first supporting RTX.

Caladrius Blaze is a top class shoot ’em up that feels like an authentic arcade title but with console quality visuals. With plenty of options, it caters for the pro players but also us regular folk too.