G-Darius remains a true late '90s classic and old school, or just old, shoot 'em up fans will enjoy revisiting it but newer players might not enjoy brute-forcing their way through the game's excessively difficult later levels.

As a package, NBA 2K23 is a phenomenal celebration of basketball. The return of the Jordan Challenge retells a stellar career and features exemplary presentation. NBA Eras takes you through an abundance of classic content and the on-court action feels tight and polished. MyCareer is substantial but still can't shake the intrusiveness of microtransactions. It delivers a decent story but can feel like a grind. Even with these problems, the sheer wealth of modes makes NBA 2K23 worthwhile.

Sonic origins is a solid retro remaster collection stacked with some of the best platformers from gaming’s history. The return of Sonic 3 and Knuckles is amazing and the versions of Sonic 1, 2 and CD are as good as they were on mobile. However, some areas of the games have been altered in ways that are not as welcome, especially when considering audio and level structures which have seen changes that are questionable to say the least. To someone coming fresh off the movies, wanting to see where the series started, this collection will be essential. For the fans that have stuck with the franchise, there are some modes and improvements that are worth experiencing. Overall though, these are not quite the definitive experiences that you may be expecting.

Forma.8 puts its best foot forward with a minimalist, abstract style that works wonders. More direction would be nice and the plot quickly vanishes but the pull of exploration offers enough to propel curious players deeper under the surface. It’s a great addition to a much-loved genre which carves its own place with some striking aesthetic choices.

Mothergunship has lots of action, a good sense of humour and the best gun customisation we've ever seen. The uninspired enemy design lets it down a tad but there's still a lot of fun to be had from this roguish FPS.

Star Renegades is a very tactical, turn based Rogue-lite that offers a decent challenge on Normal but with far more options beyond that. The runs themselves are very long for this type of game and the unlocks, beyond the characters, don't seem very exciting but if the combat flow intrigues you then you'll find plenty to enjoy.

A solid, well executed rhythm action shooter that keeps things simple to provide a fun and replayable experience. Metal Hellsinger fires on most cylinders, with only an issue of variety scuppering the overall package. Come in for the blistering soundtrack from some of Metal’s greats. Stay for the moreish gameplay a heavenly combo, despite the hellish subject matter.

Super Cloudbuilt is a fantastic remaster of the unsung 2014 original. It not only brings the blistering pace and gorgeous visual aesthetic to the consoles for the first time, but ends up being reinvigorated with the addition of more challenges and levels to sink your teeth into. If you missed Cloudbuilt the first time round and love high speed platforming then you can do no wrong.

RIGS: Mechanized Combat League is a game that really shouldn't work but does. It steps aside from overbearingly realistic VR games before it and provides a simple and incredibly enjoyable alternative sports title. This is definitely one to consider if you are picking up a PlayStation VR soon.

Under Defeat returns yet again and while it's starting to get a bit creaky, it still shows more class than a lot of newer shoot 'em ups. The visuals can get a bit messy though and it's not the most exciting shoot 'em up ever.

Under Night In-Birth:Exe Late[st] is a game showing its age but the complexity of its systems continue to shine. A diverse roster should hopefully be complimented by a burgeoning online community. As it is, there's plenty of single-player content, even if the AI is a touch predictable. There's a likeable game at the heart of this with enjoyable combat. I just wish more was put into the presentation.

John Wick Hex is an unexpected take on an action franchise but it mostly works. With a bigger budget you can imagine the possiblities, but what we have got really does put you in the headspace of Baba Yaga.

The definitive collection of the Amnesia games all in one package. They remain as terrifying today as they were when originally released. Mixing some puzzles with a narrative exploration game, this isn't a game full of action. However, the atmosphere is oppressive and unnerving which is exactly what we want from a horror game.

Darknet is a simple and fun puzzler that comes closest out of many to providing a fun hacking game. It may not be the best showcase of the PSVR hardware, however it does make for a good diversion for whenever you are stuck between games and have the visor affixed to your face. One for puzzle fans who are looking for something a bit different on PSVR.

Xenotilt is cool and impressive but it doesn't explain itself very well and the visuals can sometimes overwhelm the gameplay.

Fury Unleashed is a superb rogue-lite where your skills grow alongside your character's. Stringing together a long combo is rewarding in itself but also rewarded by making Fury more powerful, in theory helping you continue the combo. High level play will be something to behold.

Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea changes the formula for the better but still hasn’t got the ingredients quite right. With the time limit gone the other elements have space to breathe but the story and characters are weak meaning the driving force is reliant on the gameplay which thankfully is varied and enjoyable.

Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition forgoes some of the bells and whistles of the Playstation 5 platform for a port that's more straight forward. It's a sharper looking version but not an upgrade that really puts the old consoles to shame. For anyone new, this is a solid opportunity to discover a game with clever dungeon design, solid enough platforming and engaging combat. There is a surprising amount of craft n display for something that derives so much from other games.

Definitely an evolution rather than a revolution for EA, UFC 4 continues to deliver the slick, brutal and intelligent combat that we're used to but we're still not sure about its ground game and would like to have seen a bit more of a celebration of the sport.

Miasma Chronicles is a solid tactical battler in a post-apocalyptic USA. The story is generally well done, if a little cliched at times. The allegorical corporations are bad mmkay thread is a bit hamfisted, but does a good job in terms of humanity treating the planet like shit. Combat is generally excellent although the reliance on consumable items for healing outside combat is a bit eh. Either way, these are minor gripes and you need to be playing this game.

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.

If you liked Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift but thought it had 16 million too many colours then this slick, arcadey drift ’em up is for you. While it has style for days and is easy to get into, the game’s mayfly-like lifespan is a real shame. If you like shaving lap times, and games that look like technical drawings, then Absolute Drift: Zen Edition is one to check out.

Flywrench is an excellent action-obstacle game. The game eases you in gently for a little too long before cranking the difficulty sky high which will put off some players but if you master the controls then you’re sure to relish the, eventual, challenge.

My Brother Rabbit is sure to warm your cockles with nostalgia for classic point and click adventures as the nights draw in. The gameplay is something of a relic but what this game does, it does very well.

Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love is a well produced point and click adventure that wears its influences in plain sight, but somehow comes up short of its lofty predecessors. Perhaps nostalgia simply ain't what it used to be.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall successfully brings a 4X title to consoles. The manual combat can slow things down too much and there's a learning curve to tackle, but the controls generally do the trick and there is so much content here for a solo player that you'll lose dozens of hours to it and still have much more to explore.

Sagebrush is an excellent story-based game with a great climax and payoff at the end. Perhaps a little short though. Recommended.

Door Kickers: Action Squad may look like just another retro-styled 2D shooter but the game's tactical gameplay really elevates it beyond the usual indie efforts.