A content stuffed version of 2013's Payday 2, what Payday Crimewave Edition lacks in single-player allure and aesthetic sheen, it more than makes up for with its irresistibly compelling multiplayer heists.

While imperfect, The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation combines much of what made older horror games memorable with some welcome modern ideas.

Payday 3 is a good game right now, with great heists that are fun to play no matter the direction you take, though the overhaul to stealth gameplay steals the spotlight more than anything. How it launched was however unacceptable, and further highlighted the issues prevalent with games that require you to always be online. It also doesn't help itself by not providing a well-thought out experience for an online game. Due to that online nature though give it a year and it'll likely be fixed, and a great game, but its a shame it didn't launch like that.

A breezy and affordable South Park curiosity, South Park: Snowday! Is a delicious slice of immature humour pie that sits comfortably in the stomach. Turning to an action-RPG experience away from a turn-based one isn’t an entirely successful one, as the lack of the unexpected will become noticeable throughout, but the pleasure of slashing your way through a short, affordable and gratifying South Park adventure will win out. Snowday! Is ultimately a nice and welcome treat as long as you keep your expectations in check.

With great art direction and fun, though infuriating, puzzles. The Last Case Of Benedict Fox is a fun Metroidvania with great brain teasers and entertaining combat. It just takes a while to experience the best parts of the game. Exploration is fun but suffers in places like the combat and puzzles. But it doesn't keep the game from being fun all the same.

A niche on top of a niche, Star Wars Squadrons makes up for it's almost empty feeling with core gameplay that just does not stop being fun. While the story falls flat, the multiplayer shines bright enough that you can still have an incredible Star Wars experience each time you jump into the cockpit.

A bigger, more varied sequel that still doesn’t feel like it takes the leap it could have. The gravity-shifting gimmick is still a big draw, as is the delightful art style, protagonist Kat, and the clever world design, but the there’s a nagging feeling it could have been even better. It’s still a very good game though, and it certainly offers up something a little different in terms of a console exclusive.

Slant Six has done a great job in bringing SOCOM to the next generation. Fans of the series will feel satisfied with the end result once the game has been patched up.

Tacoma has a heart all its own, exploring a myriad of themes and advocating for the human condition, but the branches that sprout from the tree rarely bear fruit. Still, the growth is wonderful, even without that sweet taste you so long for.

A trope-demolishing RPG that tries to be bold and creative by paying homage to 80s classic Japanese animation.

After the initial UI and control issues are negotiated, you are left with an addictive and very deep management sim. Its graphics and sound could certainly be better but the important parts of Mad Games Tycoon function well enough. It becomes enjoyable and rewarding when you have learned how all the systems fit together and how to make successful games. If you are into these management-style games, Mad Games Tycoon does have something to offer. Just be prepared to put in the legwork early on.

It’s flawed in some fundamental, if fixable, ways, but No Man’s Sky has a dreamlike allure for those who can sink their teeth into its space-faring expanses. A memorable game, if not quite what it could be.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead throws several unique variables at you, making you balance progression through built-in limitations and staying alive. The gameplay loop can get repetitive, and enemy routes prove quite predictable. At the same time, the concept of staying alive resonates through both gameplay and narrative, making this very human story a worthwhile purchase through and through.

Anno 117: Pax Roma delivers the same satisfying city-building loop as Anno 1800 but offers little innovation beyond a Roman skin. While still fun and deep for newcomers, veterans may find it more like a reskin. The PS5 version suffers from mediocre graphics, hard to navigate UI, and awkward controller support - but keyboard and mouse are supported. Good game, flawed console port.

A deft remastering of what was arguably the PS3’s technical swansong, Beyond: Two Souls finds new life and an attractive home on PS4, with some extra features thrown in to sweeten the deal.

I never wanted Trepang2 to end and that was the problem - it ended much, much too quickly for my tastes. While it lasted through, it was a glossy, flying-kicking, baseball-sliding, slow-motion neck snapping first-person shooter extravaganza that provided me with some of the most satisfying shooting I've seen all year. More of this, please.

Technical issues aside, Broforce is a delightfully chaotic love letter to the brightly-colored excesses of 80’s action movie carnage and coin op shooters.

The bar of expectation was not set particularly high for Cars 3: Driven to Win, yet by focusing on the right things and not patronising its intended audience, the game is a surprisingly enjoyable racer that's a pleasure to handle.

If you're looking for an arcade-sim with buckets of content which combines all the best bits from Gran Turismo, Forza and DriveClub, look no further. If you're a Project Cars 2 fan hoping for an update to their favourite sim, forget it. Key sim elements are now missing and although it's a fine arcade-sim racer, it should have been rebranded rather than gutted for a mainstream audience.

The definitive version of After The Fall thanks in no small part to the impressive capabilities leveraged by the PSVR2 hardware, After The Fall: Complete Edition still makes its mark as a roundly enjoyable VR shooter, albeit one that comes slightly unstuck thanks to some dodgy AI and not quite enough maps or unique modes for players to get their teeth into over the long-term.

Although it has some regrettable issues, the execution of Metal Gear gameplay in an online setting makes for an enjoyable experience that is, at the very least, worth sinking a few hours into.

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.

There's tense, creative stealth action to be had in Thief's fun-but-flawed triumph over technical flubs, wasted narrative potential, and cringeworthy dialogue.

What first appears to be a bullet hell shoot-’em-up that’s stuck too far in the past, becomes a game that embraces its retro influences intimately and successfully by being an enjoyably intense and challenging throwback. The only major downside to Score Rush Extended comes in the form of some very basic visuals that prevent this being an even bigger surprise.

With atmosphere that is second to none, a superb setting and eminently entertaining stealth/assassination gameplay that underscores a non-linear story, there's so much to like about Vampire: The Masquerade - Justice, particularly if you're fan of the World of Darkness setting into which it embeds itself. However, a wealth of bugs that often cause discomfort take some of the sheen away from what is one of the more immersive PlayStation VR2 offerings of the year.

Ebenezer and the Invisible World is refreshing on one hand in that it manages to break the curse of awful festive games by delivering a tightly focused Metroidvania offering that boasts an attractive visual veneer. On the other however, it's also clear that Ebenezer and the Invisible World certainly doesn't break any new ground in the genre and arguably fades somewhat when compared to its more illustrious peers. Nonetheless, though far from exceptional, Ebenezer and the Invisible World still presents a perfectly entertaining genre entry all the same and a great way to celebrate the holidays.

While not without its flaws, Sniper Elite 3 remains a compelling, tactically-rewarding shooter that fans of the genre would do well to snap up asap.

Code: Veronica X offers a compelling dose of classic survival horror zombie-blasting, though the game's archaic controls will undoubtedly be a major turn-off for some.