Tears of the Kingdom is a ridiculous triumph, offering a suite of tools that will continually surprise and baffle you with how much control it cedes. Hyrule is busier than ever, even before you consider a sky full of intrigue and the dark and yawning chasms below. The definition of a must-play on Switch, it also pushes Nintendo's hardware to astonishing new heights technically.

I’m a firm believer in there being too much of a good thing. So in my first few hours of Astro Bot, I kept thinking, “Can this really be sustained through to the credits without losing its charm?” The answer is a bonafide yes. The reason is nothing ever felt half-baked. Team Asobi brought so much creativity and thoughtfulness to their game, that you can’t help but want to spend more time playing. From the intricate ways, Astro Bot pays its respect to the nearly 30-year-old brand to the music. There wasn’t a minute across my 12-hour playthrough to gain the Platinum Trophy that I wasn’t smiling, humming, or laughing.

This is an excellent remaster that preserves a classic game and makes it highly playable by modern standards. It also confirms that Metroid Prime remains as special a title as ever.

The Witcher 3 was already regarded as an RPG all-timer, but this update means that the PS5 and Xbox Series X become incredible places to enjoy it, while PC players get an even more gorgeous game than before. If you've never played it, you're missing out on one of the best games ever.

This remake is super accomplished, with smart modernisations and a visual overhaul that make it scarier and punchier.

Wonder is a beautiful thing, a game that totally and confidently carries off its new ideas, while remaining immediately and clearly faithful to its heritage. It's a must-play for Mario fans and Switch owners.

Street Fighter 6 feels like a big step for the franchise, opening its doors to a wider pool of new players and making it easier to pick up than ever. That skill ceiling remains high, though, for the die-hards, and we're loving it.

Animal Well is a must-play if there has ever been one. The game should offer a great experience for fans of the Metroidvania genre and total newcomers to the genre alike. While it has many of the familiar trappings that have made the genre stick around for so long, it also adds something interesting and new with its setting and game mechanics.

Spider-Man 2 is a joy to play, even if it doesn't break that much new ground in gameplay terms. It's just so polished, and tells its heartfelt tale nicely, punctuated by incredibly impressive set pieces that ooze with detail.

This stunning remake renews a brilliant horror adventure and manages to feel like one of the freshest games we've played in ages.

Alan Wake 2 presents a thrilling narrative journey, experienced through two different characters' perspectives and with some wild moments to get through. It looks simply jaw-dropping, even if its combat isn't necessarily the best.

Pikmin 4 is a lovely slice of zen management, giving you a frantic gang of little guys to corral and a host of moreish hubs to explore while you do so. Its extra modes are welcome, even if none of it feels radically new.

Final Fantasy is a gorgeous epic that oozes polish and has some of the most spectacular sequences the series has ever seen. Not everyone will love its full action-RPG combat, but we think it's an absolutely terrific ride.

Diablo 4 is a time portal - you start playing it and lose an evening in a heartbeat, with a gorgeous gothic world to explore and a range of classes to experiment with, making for a compelling package.

If you dive into Dragon's Dogma 2 and accept its quirks, you'll discover an experience unlike anything else on the market.

A superb mech game that has loads to offer, centred around fast-paced and explosive combat. You'll figure out builds and refine your style through a sprightly set of missions, with simply oodles of customisation options.

Echoes of Wisdom feels like a top-down take on Tears of the Kingdom's core building concept. It's one of the most inventive titles I've played all year and I've had a blast with it so far, despite its rampant technical issues. Creating Echoes and watching them do your bidding as Zelda is just as compelling as slashing away at foes directly as Link. But I can't help but wish the game ran smoother and was locked to 30fps; hopefully Nintendo releases an update at some point.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a much bigger game than before, with plenty of new moves, collectibles and characters to discover. The size of its open-world maps means it also lacks some of the variety of its predecessor, but there is so much to see and do that you'll likely not care one jot. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is how well fleshed-out the adventure is - better even than many of the TV series and films on which it is based. This is a blockbuster in the truest sense.

Octopath Traveler 2 offers up another impressive, if safe adventure, with loads of twists to uncover. It looks and sounds absolutely ravishing, and the battle system is as impressive as ever.

Forza Motorsport is terrific, an enviable sim racer that looks and sounds incredibly impressive and has loads of cars to master. It has some foibles but there's real depth to be explored here, and its time-of-day wizardry is a superb asset.

This is a must-play for fans of games like Hollow Knight and the Castlevanias of yore, with challenging bosses and a superb sense of personality. It one-ups the first game in most meaningful ways.

It's been a decade since we've had a full Potterverse game, but the wait has been well worth it. Hogwarts Legacy gets just about everything right, with its involving storyline and myriad of main and side quests. Perhaps its finest feature though is Hogwarts itself, providing as much joy in just exploring the halls as performing set tasks. We doubt a single Harry Potter fan will be disappointed. We certainly weren't.

Super Mario RPG is a really direct and loving update of an old classic - with lovely battles and some really funny little twists. It's not exactly a deep story, of course, but there's a reason it still has so many fans. This is now the best way to play it.

EA brought back Ben Haumiller who worked on the original NCAA series for a decade. To help build the game, they hired a team of guys who helped create NCAA Revamped, a modded-out version of NCAA Football 2014 that helped to keep the aging game alive. They worked with 134 teams to get every important facet of college football programs into the new game, including rebuilding every stadium for the new game. And they nailed every single detail.

A simply huge game, Starfield is wonderful at times but also confoundingly awkward and janky. Its storylines are brilliant, and its characters memorable, but there are gameplay frustrations that linger.If you want a massive set of worlds to explore and sink into, though, it's still a cracking choice.

The new art style doesn't spark that much joy in us, but the strategic genius at Advance Wars' heart is completely intact here, making for an excellent paired package of gaming greats on the Switch.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a brilliant time, albeit one that might not quite have the staying power it could have, thanks to thinner modes than you'd expect. Its story is a barrel of fun, though, and it looks about as good as any fighting game I've played, so fans of the series should absolutely pick it up.

I'm blown away by the feel of the game and just how much fun it is to play online by myself and with my brothers. The leveling up system, replayability, variety of the missions, and the story have made it worth dusting off my DualSense controller.