Mario Tennis Aces is without doubt the best tennis game to come out in the last five years.

Conscript is a horrifying account of the cost of Verdun, and all of its battles and its loss, framed entirely as a classical survival horror game, for all of the good and bad that implies. It’s a punishing, dire take on the war and a unique approach to a genre that I’d mistaken for being creatively wrung dry.

There's so much about Tchia that feels at odds with what I'm accustomed to considering "good" game design, but it's also taught me to throw a lot of those ideas out the window. Tchia is a game that's exactly what it wants to be, and that makes it something that everyone needs to play. It's refreshing, charming, earnest, honest and – most importantly – a heap of fun.

Attack on Titan 2 is a great dive into the brutal world of Shingeki no Kyojin, and is a blast to play on the Switch. While held back by some annoying technical bugs, what’s on offer here should be enough to appease both series veterans and newcomers alike.

Sonic Origins keeps the focus on the hedgehog's early core entries, polishing them up to a fine sheen and creating an addictive ecosystem around them that breathes new life into each title. The new and improved Plus version is a bit of a mixed bag of additions, but more is still better, especially for anyone picking it up for the first time as a complete package.

Skate Story is a spectacular collision of glass and the most grounded skateboarding I’ve felt in-game. It’s an interesting observation of perseverance in the face of brittle fragility that’s undercut by a need to make its journey palatable, and its stubborn hesitance to push the player closer to their breaking point. As an experiential trip, Skate Story remains a must-play.

Man of Medan is a stellar example of how to push boundaries and innovate within genres that seem restrictive at first glance. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like Supermassive has done much to give the game its own identity, but enough is going on under the hood to make it unique and have it stand out among the plethora of choose your own adventure games. There’s a few pacing and gameplay variation issues that hold it back from being excellent, but a plethora of game-modes that all offer unique experiences and loads of replay value get the first game of The Dark Pictures Anthology off to a great start.

Capcom Fighters Collection is yet another example of the utmost respect Capcom has for its back catalogue. Even worse, it’ll make you sad that Darkstalkers is dead.

Astral Chain is a unique experience from beginning to end, but some strange choices in the way it tells its story and major pacing issues in the third act bring it down. Regardless, Astral Chain fits right in amongst the Platinum greats, offering a fun and unique battle system that does a fantastic job at differentiating itself from its contemporaries.

Venba is a sweet, short-lived episode that presents the place held by food and cooking within our lives and cultures as near-on divine. It explores familiar relationships, as well as the ones we keep, for better or worse, with food itself, and left me with plenty to ponder as the credits rolled.

Despite the few flaws that exist for the game, it is truly great to see Burnout back on consoles, even if it is in the form of a remaster. Die-hard fans of the game can probably give it a miss if they already own it on other consoles, but if you’ve never played a game from the Burnout series and want to know what it’s all about, this is definitely worth your time.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is almost a tale of two games; the original holds up extremely well gameplay-wise, while is obviously let down by its dated graphics, while the remaster feels almost like a new game with its quality of life improvements. This definitely isn’t a half-baked package and is well worth it for original fans and newcomers alike - with the depth of the tactical RPG system that Square built many years ago, you’ll be obsessing over the best way to win a battle even when you’re not playing.

While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Emio - The Smiling Man succesfully uses drama and horror to great effect, crafting a story that's equal parts gripping and shocking.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a fun and unexpectedly fleshed-out experience that seeks to only better illustrate the potential of what Bayonetta can be beyond action games. Its combination of engaging puzzles, simple but enjoyable combat and inviting exploration more than outdoes its slow start and simple combat. While it's a story that didn't need to be told, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a bewitching experience overall.

As it ran its course, I realised I quite adored As Dusk Falls. As a decades-spanning crime thriller throughout America’s western plains, it’s well acted and admirably realised. Although the cliffhanger beckons another chapter, my journey through As Dusk Falls felt whole, though I can’t wait to explore all of the possibilities on offer.

Watch Dogs Legion builds upon the solid foundation established by Watch Dogs 2 while adding its own ambitious twist with mixed results. Having literally every character playable is a gargantuan task, and from a gameplay perspective it works to cement Legion as the best Watch Dogs game thus far. Narratively speaking, however, it collapses under its own aspiration to offer an intriguing concept with spotty execution. Regardless, Legion is a triumph for making good on most of its lofty promise and a triumph for the series.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a confident sequel that expands on the original game in all the right ways. Its five densely packed planets are a joy to uncover, more importantly, invite exploration in all the right ways. While the humour is a bit hit or miss and I will personally always miss the first-person, Metroid Prime-like gameplay, some strong level design and a satisfying loop of exploration makes Revenge of the Savage Planet a strong but quirky debut for Raccoon Logic.

Lost Judgment rectifies a lot of the shortcomings of its predecessor while repeating a few of them. A compelling murder mystery coupled with intoxicating side content and sumptuous visuals make this another solid Ryu ga Gotoku title even if franchise fatigue threatens to take off some of that shine. It succeeds by expanding on what made Judgment great while offering the best real-time combat experience yet. Plus, you can skateboard and solve crimes with a Shiba Inu – I don't think I need to say much more than that.

While it’s clear that some things need work on MultiVersus, it’s encouraging to see that the things that truly matter – the unlocking of characters and the core gameplay systems – are the things that have received the most attention. These are easily the two strongest tenets of MultiVersus’ offerings thus far. With time, I can only hope that the lack of variety in levels, lacklustre music, and slower cosmetic offerings can be remedied.

Yoshi's Crafted World is a fantastic reminder of what makes Nintendo games great. At a time when other publishers are adding more and more into their games, Nintendo has shown that creative levels and an incredibly cute art style is all you need for a good time.

We haven't had a Borderlands game this packed with changes and new ideas since Borderlands 2. In many ways, Borderlands 4 feels like a natural continuation of the franchise's trajectory. It isn't without faults, but what it does deliver on makes for an evolution unlike any other game in the series.

Endearing characters, a deep battle system, and a buck-wild storyline had me hooked right to the end. With it’s new epilogue chapter, graphical enhancements, new challenges and difficulty options for newcomers and veterans alike, Xenoblade Chronicles is a fantastic way to discover a classic of a past era.

Yakuza 0 Director's Cut may not be worth the double-dip for those who've experienced it before, but it's a no-brainer for first timers. It's a great upgrade to arguably the best entry in the Like A Dragon series, despite some questionable new additions.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered is a modest remaster but a good one. While some other options would’ve been appreciated to prioritise framerate over resolution, the game itself still stands up four years on. It’s missing some of the bells and whistles that games like Origins have since introduced, but it’s unique premise and concept means it’s an experience most Assassin’s Creed fans shouldn’t miss.

There is no denying that Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is a more refined game than its predecessor. That much is certain. With Nightdives efforts, Seeds of Evil plays better than it did twenty years ago. There are some things players will have to overlook – particularly the dated visuals and some samey looking level designs – but Turok 2: Seeds of Evil is still a blast to play.

A Plague Tale, at times, feels like a missing early chapter of the Assassin's Creed catalogue. Its ability to bend a truly fascinating point in documented history into a fantastical, mythical story that keeps you invested from start to finish is remarkable. It's a cinematic journey that is uncomplicated in its delivery, managing to occupy gamers without distracting from the game's narrative and the bond that develops between the de Rune siblings which, in the end, is A Plague Tale's undoubted strength.

With a map that pleads to be unlocked and explored wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, as well as tremendous combat inspired by the best platform fighters, Possessor(s) is a heartfelt, and most unexpectedly great, Metroidvania that treats story and action, two distinct and unique facets of game design, as equals in this lovely story of coexisting.

It's far from a best-case port, but Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition serves up a cult classic JRPG that deserves to be appreciated by everyone that hasn't had the legal means before now. The Radical Dreamers part is a very welcome bit of history given some genuine love from Square Enix, too. If you've already smashed out a Chrono Cross replay in the recent past though, you might be okay to skip this package for now.