Chivalry 2 takes some cues to make the sword and shield combat feel a touch more accessible. I feel it's for the better with a fairly decent tutorial leading you right into the fighting. Whilst it can feel daunting, I've seen myself contributing to battles very quickly. The combat is deep with an importance on positioning and timing. It is slightly undermined by trying to keep the players together but, even if duels are harder to come by, the chaos of a full battlefield is hard to ignore. It's fascinating, fun and fluid.

From the opening notes of the manipulative theme song to the credit roll, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a brilliantly entertaining, nostalgic ride. The game is fast, fluid and above all, fun to play alone or with up to five other players. Created with love and devotion from a development team that clearly gets the franchise and what makes it great, this is not only the best Turtles game ever made, but one of the finest titles in the side-scrolling beat-em-up genre.

It may not offer anything substantially new compared to the 2018 PS4 Spidey game but Miles Morales plays great and looks even better. Miles himself is a likeable hero (albeit it with some annoying co-stars) and the open-world action is just as enjoyable as ever. It's a bit pricey for what you get but the game benefits from the shorter run-time.

What Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 manages to do is make last year’s excellent effort feel out of step. The improved AI gives the matches a more dynamic and tactical edge and offers you a real challenge. The presentation still feels like something stuck in the past and the motion blur feels like an odd aesthetic choice but the gameplay on display is second to none. It’s the best the series has ever been and that’s a seriously high bar to surpass.

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.

The best way I can describe Yakuza 0 is that it is a jack of all trades. None of the particular aspects of the game could be considered special in their own right. In a lot of cases the various aspects of the game shouldn’t even gel together. However, the mastery on show is just how well that Sega have managed to assemble all of these parts to make an excellent video game. It is a well realised drama, incredibly diverse and has plenty of fun things to do. You can’t ask for more than that really.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun has made the leap from PC to PS4 and has not only survived the fall but killed a guard on the way down. The controls take a little getting used to but the characters, level design and strategy-stealth gameplay will reward you plenty for putting in the effort.

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.

A series that was in danger of going stale has managed to take time off and re-evaluate what bedrock the foundations were built upon. Whilst more reserved in presentation, the racing recovers a serious edge that heightens the peril associated with one of motorsport’s more enticing arenas. Whilst I do miss the crutch of quick rewinds and don’t quite fancy the new Landrush mode, the majority of what’s on DiRT 4’s menu is served up exceptionally well.

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.

Statik offers an immersive experience with some very tricky puzzles. It’s not particularly long but its lack of hand holding makes it all the more rewarding when you make progress.

F1 2018 remains a competitive racer. The improvements to career mode might not hit all the marks but they do make for a more involved experience. Presentation has been improved with the visuals and audio doing a great job of creating atmosphere whilst the handling appears to have been tightened up to provide a more enjoyable time behind the wheel.

We're not too sure about the new visual style and cheesy story but we've always loved this series and OlliOlli World has elevated and improved the gameplay a huge amount.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a delight from start to finish. Packed chock full of gags both visual and via the script, you’ll be laughing frequently. A genuinely funny game with a great sense of place and nary a mean spirited gag throughout. Some of the jokes and cultural references might go over the head of non-Brits, but that’s their problem, not Coal Supper’s. The inclusion of two unlikely music tracks also make for unexpected earworms in 2024.

It hasn't moved far visually from last year's effort but the package F1 2021 is offering is substantial. Braking Point provides a daft narrative diversion that might offer new players a gateway into the sport. For the rest of us, career mode remains largely the same with plenty of time to be spent chasing the front of the grid. The handling feels consistent and the racing is compelling, although the AI does seem to lack a little pace. The DualSense offers some welcome additional feedback, although I did find initially the adaptive triggers off-putting.

BlazBlue: Central Fiction is not just the end of the BlazBlue series; it’s a worthy climax to a quadrilogy that has been consistently excellent. It allies top notch fighting with a mass of content both online and offline. Superb netcode makes it easy to score some internet points, or just get some matches in with your pals and, if you’re lucky enough to have someone to sit on the couch next to you, expect there to be plenty of laughter and crowing while you battle for bragging rights.

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.

It may be a little slim on content but time behind the wheel in DiRT Rally 2.0 feels as rewarding as ever. It's gorgeous to look at with a lot of attention paid in the right areas. Some might worry about the always on nature of the servers but hopefully they can remain reliable. There's a solid selection of stages and vehicles and a physics engine which is exquisite. I can only hope they add more to it.

Thumper has some great rhythm action to offer but the start setting and oppressive tone often makes it feel like what Rez might have been like if the Germans had won World War 2.

As the premier 2D skateboarding series, our expectations for any new OlliOlli content are always high and while this DLC doesn't add anything particularly game-changing, the new levels and challenges are just right for fans of the main game.

I’m fully prepared to accept that this may well be another gamer’s classic. Sure, I’m underwhelmed and would much rather Atari stopped being pricks and would just let Minter unleash TxK onto PSVR but Polybius is currently doing very well in the reviews. So, maybe it’s just me and this game might end up being the classic you’re hoping it is. But from where I’m sitting this is a bit of a mess and just too simplistic compared to my favourite Llamasoft games.

Resident Evil Village is another fantastic game in the franchise. It leans towards action, rather than slow paced horror this time but also adds a large helping of exploration for those that want to see everything. Ethan isn't great but his opponents are very colourful and keep you interested in moving forward. Add the replayability of harder difficulties, New Game+ and Mercenaries mode and it's a game PS5 owners should not ignore.

F1 2019 had the potential to finally bolster a career mode showing its age. Unfortunately, they make only a fleeting appearance with the real meat coming in their own standalone season. Driver transfers at least give the grid a sense of fluency and the on-track action remains solid. It looks great and polished but there's some missteps that make the new additions feel somewhat undercut.

An excellent distillation of the Lara Croft experience. With some charming puzzles and great use of the environment, this is a great puzzle game. Whilst the VITA version suffers with long losing times, this isn’t an issue on the PS4.

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.

I'm amazed these iterations haven't gone stale on me. Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 produces a thoughtful distillation of the sport and makes for a slicker, more engrossing contest. Presentation remains held back by the struggle to maintain licenses. I feel online really shows the engine up when you're bombarded with pace and pressure from all sides. An actual game of two contrasting halves, here.

DOOM: The Dark Ages doesn't hit the same heights as its predecessors. It lacks a vibrant colour palette and verticality but it does deliver on compelling combat. The shield is a versatile tool that can really pin enemies down and defend you against an onslaught. That core is exciting and tricky to master but it can also feel familiar. It's a shame the Atlan and Dragon interludes don't provide much substance. They offer the occasional spectacle and scale but most of your battles are on the ground level. I've enjoyed it and it does provide something markedly different but I recognise this as the weakest of the modern trilogy.

Top drawer Metroidvania action from one of the genre’s key innovators. What’s not to love? From great gameplay, a superb soundtrack to one of the most moreish campaigns available for the genre, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is nothing short of a bloody good time.