Astro's Playroom is the perfect way to start your PlayStation 5 experience. It's a fun little platformer with lashings of PlayStation nostalgia which introduces you to all the fantastic new features of the DualSense controller.

Guacamelee! 2 has a great sense of humour and offers a Metroidvania with precision combat and platforming that'll leave you wanting more.

Yoku’s Island Express is a unique take on the pinball, platforming and adventure genre’s. Not only does it blend these gameplay styles beautifully, it matches these with stunning visuals and a vast world that just deserves to be explored. Truly innovative and delightful in every way.

Similar to Minecraft it may be but Dragon Quest Builders is a great game in its own right. The quest structure works as both a tutorial and a reason for building, whilst those who prefer to just get on with it have the Terra Incognita mode to turn to. A very well made game all round that should appeal to both sets of fans.

It's smaller and more focused than usual but Yakuza 6: The Song of Life retains the heart, charm and drama the series loves to dish out. Combat can still feel clumsy but it's rarely troubling or tough. There's a seamless quality to the new engine which helps keep pacing up whilst the story beats and tone remain well executed. It's a welcome installment, if a little lacking in some respects.

Battle Chef Brigade is a beautiful game with an interesting premise which requires skill, planning and time management to succeed. The cookery can get a little repetitive but there is plenty to get your teeth into.

Let's Build A Zoo might look like some 16-bit indie nonsense but it's easily the best management game we've played in years. It's playable, fun and outrageously addictive and it could honestly keep you happy for the rest of the year easily.

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.

Under The Island is a lovely pixel art adventure in the grand style of SNES and GBA era Zelda adventures. Yes, there’s some issues with pathfinding on occasion and some of the collectibles appear to be bugged, but you’ll no doubt enjoy this as we did. Get to it and start exploring under the island. Sorry not sorry.

Very few titles can boast about being as honest or literal as A Short Hike, a game where you do just that. This charming title from Canadian designer Adam Robinson-Yu may not last long, However the pleasure of exploration and discovery is strong in this one. This is one of the best palate cleansers going and a great example of a game where the journey is more fulfilling than racing to the credits.

When it comes to modes and features, FIFA 19 merely tweaks the formula rather than going full on Tinkerman with it but if you want an almost perfect simulation of football, EA deliver once again.

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.

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.

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Remastered is a retouched version of a smart and comedic classic that holds up very well. It can be a little light on options but the new lighting gives the characters and scenes more life. The writing remains funny and I really enjoyed talking to the characters and figuring out the puzzles, despite some troubles with the logic. The episodic framing really helps make the package feel focused and it really helped keep the pacing snappy.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey offers a lot of content for your money. You will be doing the same climbing, killing and looting throughout the game but when it's so much fun to do you can't complain too hard.

By taking addictive puzzling and giving it a chilled out city-building vibe, GrizzlyGames have created one of the most relaxed and enjoyable titles of the summer. We didn't expect anything from Islanders but now it hurts us to stop playing it.

Roguebook's two character combat adds enough to the gameplay and replayability to help it stand out. The lower initial difficulty will please those that were scared off by the amazing Slay the Spire but with enough modifiers to please veterans. Well worth a look.

Kombinera is a lovely looking game but it doesn't hesitate to put the boot in. Some puzzles are so oblique you'll simply not see a way out, not to mention the collectibles that'll lead to your inevitable demise. It's good but the difficulty may prove to be too much for many.

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.

Llamasoft: the Jeff Minter Story is a fairly comprehensive collection of his 80's catalogue which includes curios like Soundscape and Psychedelia. We get a lot of written correspondence from the man himself but very little in the way of video footage. It can feel a little lacking when compared to the other compilations Digital Eclipse has produced. I still found it fascinating to see how his ideas evolved over time and how the Llamasoft aesthetic coalesced. It's just a real shame the game list halts before the company's modern resurgence. Those games easy to find but it would've been nice to hear Minter and Zorzin cover their more recent projects in-depth.

As this generation of gaming crawls to a slow death, Freedom Finger gives it a big shot of adrenaline and a kick in the nuts. Freedom Finger is the hero we don't deserve.

From the hyperkinetic pop soundtrack to the breakneck gameplay speed, Sayonara Wild Hearts is one hell of a rollercoaster ride. The undeniable visual flare, immense style and uncompromising frame rate hides a clear message underneath it all that many can relate to. Wild Hearts never die and Sayonara Wild Hearts should stand for years to come as a shining example of how to bring music alive into the gaming medium. It’s nothing short of fantastic.

Exo One is a beautiful exploratory journey of a game. It isn’t massively deep but it is contemplative. The sci-fi influences are fairly clear to see, particularly 2001, but it’s none the worse for it. The speed run trophies are a little unrealistic to all but the most dedicated. We could’ve done with a level select too.

Wreckfest does a good job of mixing racing and damage dealing but doesn't quite live up to the FlatOut heritage and that's mainly because of it favouring realism over fun at times. However, the racing action is very good and the demolition derby events are as good as any of the Demolition Derby games of the past.

Polished and mechanically interesting, Two Point Campus does a really good job of making further education seem exciting. The charming presentation and relaxed tone makes the grind of management easier to swallow, even with pressures like money and student satisfaction. It's not perfect with AI pathing being a slight concern, but there's enough here to keep me engrossed. It's a very likeable effort with plenty of depth to discover.

Outer Wilds is an exquisitely crafted planet hopping mystery adventure you’ll delight in playing. The seemingly sparse solar system isn’t at all as your journey will take you from one end to another. Even if your current exploration comes to nothing, you can have another go once the loop begins anew. As we mentioned, it is possible to get a bit stuck, but the in-game hints are sufficient you’ll find yourself on track again soon enough.

Playtonic Games attempt to catch a second flash of retro magic in a bottle with Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair. The 2.5D action may seem like a step back considering the origins of the Chamelon-Bat duo, but at the heart of the Impossible Lair is a distinct thread of innovation, a rare feat for the often-attempted platforming genre.

Desperados III is very similar to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun but that game was so good I don't mind. The new character's abilities are very unique and there is plenty of content and replayability. Fans of stealth and strategy need these games in their lives.