WWE 2K23 sits at the head of the table as the best sports simulation game on the market. Fine tuning last year's entry to an impressive level of detail, and adding a layer of realism that is needed in a simulation game. With an array of modes, including the highly addictive MyGM, the introspective MyRise, the improved Showcase, and an extensive creation suite, wrestling fans will find themselves spoilt with WWE 2K23's offerings.

A word of warning though: unless you really understand pinball and the strategy behind it and what all the individual lights, holes, ramps and bumpers mean on each table you won’t get the best out of Zen Pinball 2.

Look, it's really simple, Burnout Paradise Remastered is essential for fans of racing games everywhere. They just don't make them like this anymore (but they really, really should).

Saints Row 2 isn’t Grand Theft Auto, but that's a good thing. With strong replayability and wacky mini-games, the game will remain relevant for months down the road.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does a lot of things right that make it the best LEGO Star Wars game, and LEGO game to date. But it's level structure and pacing leave something to be desired more often than not, and co-op play has seemingly gotten far less care and attention than it deserved, putting a damper on what is otherwise a hilarious and fun experience.

Severed is quite simply a handheld tour de force without equal.

Marathon is further proof of Bungie's pedigree and ability to create enthralling, engaging, and addictive shooters. While Marathon is brutally challenging and unforgiving, especially for the solo or casual player, it begs to be experienced.

Pixel Ripped 1995 pulls off a remarkable magic trick, slamming players back in time to the gaming days of the mid-90s. With brain-twisting challenges and a solid dose of nostalgic delight, Pixel Ripped 1995 is an amazing romp through the games of yesteryear, combined with amazing modern mechanics. Highly recommended.

Herobeat Studios set out to create a game that raises environmental awareness, and in doing so they have created a heartfelt message in the form of a very charming video game. Endling: Extinction is Forever lacks some variety, but tugs on the heartstrings, with an emotional story and genuinely asks the player to reflect on current environmental issues.

Tales of Graces f Remastered maximizes its own potential by utilizing many options that already existed in the game. By adding boosts to practically everything, players can customize their experience to cater to their wanted playthrough. Throw in nearly all the DLC seen in the PS3 original, and this remaster is essentially the perfect version of Tales of Graces f to experience.

Nikoderiko: The Magical World provides a raucous and exciting platformer that you'll want to keep exploring, and for those who've already played it, there's even more to unearth now, and a new world.

With its well-designed stealth mechanics, unique setting, captivating story and stifling, often terrifying atmospherics, in Innocence: A Plague Tale, Asobo Studio might well have crafted the best and most pure horror title of the year.

For better or worse, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is simply more Horizon Forbidden West and for fans of the game and also its detractors, that will be to their joy and chagrin respectively. As it is, Burning Shores is an impressively spectacle stuffed, though routinely unambitious expansion that does little to address the weaknesses of the core franchise but still manages to provide an effective bridge to the third game in the Horizon trilogy.

On a handheld that hasn’t had many must-own titles lately, Resistance: Retribution is an enthralling experience that portable gamers shouldn't pass up.

Boasting stellar gameplay and looking better than ever, the games in this second Kingdom Hearts collection are essential and great fun, even if the remaster itself is less polished than HD 1.5 ReMIX.

Skyrim is still a wonderful game, with much to see and do. While it may be prettier here and function better than its PS3 predecessor, it continues to suffer from the same garden-variety bugs and glitches of five years back. Age hasn’t been especially kind to the mechanics or the writing, but the old magic is still shining bright as ever.

Little gets in the way of Yuffie's debut to the Final Fantasy VII Remake project. Despite her one-dimensional companion, she takes the foreground and never lets it go. Thrilling enhancements to combat and interesting narrative twists and connections make INTERmission worth playing.

Madden 15 gives veteran and rookie players something to take with them, as the overall package reaches a balance point worthy of the annual cost.

Overlowing with challenge, value and charm, Slime-san: Superslime Edition effortlessly cements its place as one of the premier 2D platformers on PS4.

Hellblade is one of my favorite titles this year. Its incredible use of sound and visual manipulation to completely immerse you in its experience is a credit to Ninja Theory. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a prime example that you don’t need a massive budget to create something extraordinary.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 has the potential to be a sleeper hit. The multiplayer is a major focal point and the classes have a lot of variety and complexity ready for every level of player. The repetitiveness aside, there’s enough here for everyone to have a good time, especially when friends are involved.

Fantasian Neo Dimension may suffer from a hefty grind, a control oddity, and a rather tropey story, but it also shines in ways that made the now-retro RPGs so special. Combine the dioramic backdrops with engaging combat and just enough modernization without going too far away from its retro inspirations, and Fantasian practically demands that all RPG fans give it a chance.

Songbird Symphony is one of the best games I have played this year. It came from no-where and melted my heart. It's a fantastic blend of several genres that is truly unique. It's a fun, easy-going musical adventure with a touching story. The art style and music is to die for and I cannot find any faults with it whatsoever. I want to play it for the first time all over again.

Rare charted its course, and created a true treasure in Sea of Thieves. Its only lows found in solo gameplay, and its one dimensional melee combat. It is the king of emergent gameplay, and boasts a timeless aesthetic. With other issues such as the tedious downtime fixed, and a great many quality of life and accessibility changes, through years of dedication and continued support, Sea of Thieves is the best game as a service on the market.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is almost the best game across the long-running franchise, as a beautiful game to look at the whole way through, with strong central characters, solid improvements to exploration and perhaps the best combat and stealth gameplay we've seen from the series yet. Its strengths, however, make it all the more upsetting that the poor progression system and elements of bloat still drag the experience down. Still, it's very close to being the best game we've seen in the series yet, and a true sign that Ubisoft is on the right path to elevating the franchise beyond its original peaks.

Hitman bows out with a strong finale in game terms, if not in story. A fine balance of claustrophobic level design and Hitman’s signature murder opportunities make for a fitting personification of all Hitman is and was.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure is easily one of the best entries in the franchise. A compelling heart-wrenching story is made better with excellent character writing and world-building, while the fun combat system keeps the best elements from its predecessor and improves it to make it stand out as much as possible. If you have to only play one of the Trails of titles, make sure you play Azure.

With a huge variety of music, an amazing UI interface, and enough content to keep you happily bobbing your head for days, Fuser is one of the best music games ever made. Even those with no musical skill will enjoy learning how to create great sounding mixes in Fuser, and the game gives them plenty of leeway to practice. Fuser is a burst of happiness, light, and live music, all of which are sorely needed in the world right now. The highest recommendation.