When it comes to pure fan service, there won’t be many better this year than Return to Monkey Island. It feels like the true sequel to LeChuck’s Revenge and it feels as though its clever, self-referential wit is a product of Gilbert’s return. As sad and nostalgic as parts of Guybrush’s newest tale can be, I had a wonderful time revisiting familiar people and places in yet another golden-age adventure.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the crown jewel of this spin-off series. It builds on the best elements of Stories that make all of its core systems even more appealing, creating more depth and complexity that'll keep you coming back till the credits roll, and perhaps even beyond.

Botany Manor is a delight. It's sweet, succinct and serene, packed with clever puzzles that reward thoughtful exploration and engagement with its narrative. At a little under three hours it's the perfect lazy weekend getaway for those that like to stop and smell the flowers as much as they like to enrich the soil of their mind.

Lumines Arise, despite not being the full package, is a once-in-a-generation puzzler where Enhance has, as they did with Tetris, extracted the spirit of an iconic puzzler, they have taken all of its fundamentals, and form-perfected it alongside irresistible, cosmic audiovisual splendour that really does need to be seen, heard, and played to be believed.

I came away from Tales of Arise with a new appreciation for the Tales series. I loved my time with the endearing cast of characters and the exciting, fast-paced story alongside the energetic and action-packed battles. Tales of Arise is an excellent action RPG, and a fantastic entry point into the series.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is easily the best and most robust collection of classic Capcom fighters so far. While the lack of crossplay is still a disappointment carrying over from Capcom Fighting Collection, everything else about this collection shines bright. It is a truly exhaustive compilation that celebrates so much no matter how much you're into Capcom, Marvel or both.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PC is still the fantastic experience that it was on PS4, but now with a little bit of extra polish and shine from a graphical standpoint. If you haven't played this game, jump in, and if you played it on the PS4/PS5 it might just be time to get swinging once more.

With an adventurous campaign, complete with a sandbox that’ll still be there when your friends can join the fight, and a multiplayer suite that feels like a note-perfect revival of the Halo of old, Halo Infinite feels like the complete blockbuster sci-fi shooter we’ve been waiting for from 343 Industries. It hasn’t happened overnight for the team, but the mantle passed to them, at last, feels earned.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a reminder that X is one of the best entries in Xenoblade despite its differences. It's a weird and wonderful game that stands out in a franchise filled with bangers. This version doubles down on its strengths and supplements some of its weaknesses to make for the best version of X, and is a must buy for any JRPG fanatic.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon manages to successfully bring back and cultivate an experience reminiscent of the old games for newer audiences without losing sight of what made the previous games so good. While it's still relentlessly challenging and the story can be a bit drab, Fires of Rubicon is yet another success for FromSoftware with its satisfying and fast paced combat.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles brings together two volumes of one magnificent story that no Ace Attorney fan should miss. The characters are fantastically kooky, the plot is as compelling as ever, and the writing is the series at its funniest. While there are some minor pacing issues with some of the cases, it’s a fantastic package for fans both new and old.

The PS5 provides crisp 4K visuals and insanely fast load times. It's worth a play for Crash fans and those that haven't had the joy of taking control of everyone's favourite Bandicoot.

Diablo IV is an unquestionable win for Blizzard and one of their foundational franchises when it needed it most. An unrelenting commitment to vision, redefined Sanctuary, never-ending player progression, and excellent boss fights are just a few of the reasons Diablo IV isn't held back by uneven pacing and recycled content.

Hideo Kojima has long been a visionary auteur; his feted career stands as proof. With no walls to contain him, he has given birth to Death Stranding. It's an experience that will be remembered for a long time, from its early hype to the untethered lunacy of its narrative. It's an art installation of a game that filled me with rage as often as it did joy. It is sweeping in both lustre and purpose, though it wears a few warts on the pleasant, bare bones of a game about deliveries that has no right to be as memorable as it somehow is.

Where Beyond Light and Shadowkeep felt like foundational expansions, The Witch Queen is the fully realized, feature-rich pay off that players have been waiting for. While it's easy to see that PvP is still comparably neglected to PvE, a superbly focused campaign, an excellent raid, and reinvigorated Void subclasses are just a few of the inclusions that build The Witch Queen up as the best Destiny expansion thus far.

Silent Hill 2 is a great remake that captures the essence of the original game, expanding it in all the right ways without ruining the spirit of the original. While this is easily the best game Bloober has ever made, and perhaps even their scariest, simplistic combat is the only thing that keeps this horror epic from reaching its true potential. Regardless, this Silent Hill 2 remake is everything you could hope for and more, and hopefully, a sign of great things to come for the series. It’s a clever and inventive expansion of the original that you wouldn’t know you needed……until now.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is an exceptional platformer that feels right on the Nintendo Switch. It's one that both experienced gamers and newcomers alike will both enjoy (thanks to the new Funky Kong mode), but probably not worth it at full price for those who picked it up on Wii U.

Mario Kart World is truly a supremely competent kart racer, and it delivers on the trademark chaotic fun that the franchise has delivered for generations. Even with the open world, which feels like a smokescreen for players to tinker and learn the new mechanics, the online will be where it's at and, fortunately, that's as great as it's ever been.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Crown. It took me a little under 18 hours to finish the game with quite a bit of exploring off the beaten track along the way – and the next day all I wanted to do was pick the game back up to get to more exploring. It’s got compelling exploration, great feeling movement, engaging combat and satisfying puzzles. Genuine innovation in the genre and smartly integrated accessibility features make The Lost Crown a game I heartily recommend.

Bayonetta 3 successfully reinvents itself in many ways to offer an experience that feels worthy of the title of sequel. It successfully shakes up the combat from the previous games by implementing new abilities that help keep things familiar but fresh. Some of the gimmicky battles bring the pacing down and dreaded, but ubiquitous Switch-related performance issues remain. As a whole, Bayonetta 3 eclipses its predecessor and is truly one of the most bombastic and enjoyable action games you can play.

While I don't think Ghost of Yotei quite reaches the heights of its predecessor, it is another worthwhile trip to a lawless Japan. It sports a tonally distinct and cinematic story, a visually diverse open world chock full of activities, and is another fantastic showcase for the power of the PlayStation 5.

Silent Hill f resoundingly demonstrates a clear grasp of what makes Silent Hill work. Its storytelling is equal parts sinister and restrained, bolstered by a combat system that’s simple but satisfying. Throw in some challenging boss battles, and you’ve got a Silent Hill experience that meaningfully expands on the original games. It’s a subtly scary adventure that dares to be different, while at the same time retaining the core that makes Silent Hill so special. While some elements and the difficulty might be grating for people and the skill system is bizarrely undercooked, Silent Hill f is an enjoyable and chilling experience from beginning to end, and unlike anything you've ever played.

Dragon's Dogma II embodies the essence of what the original should have been. With its expansive open world teeming with dangerous but delightful encounters, enjoyable combat, and versatile vocations, it's an enchanting experience from beginning to end.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers both high calibre adventure, story and performance in spades, to the point it feels as though it’s wading into “uncharted territory” for its publisher. The decision to bop a Nazi should be a foregone conclusion, however the lack of balance in stealth and combat systems kept me in limbo, and left Indiana Jones and the Great Circle just a stone stele’s throw from true greatness.

It's Civilzation on Nintendo Switch in all its glory. It's full featured, plays great with the Switch control schemes and is addictive as ever.

Luigi's Mansion 3 is an extremely solid entry and another must-have for Switch owners. The game has a tonne of improvements that feel natural and make for great puzzles. It's also an absolute treat visually.

With some doubt at the front of people’s minds, Returnal is a shushing finger across the lips of detractors as well as a tremendous example that PlayStation’s middle line titles can still offer as much value and entertainment as its tentpole exclusives. Housemarque achieves an atmosphere like few can and set up a universe ripe for expansion while marrying it to a grind — which is more forgiving than most of its kind but will still alienate some —that’s both brutal and gratifying all at once.

Cyberpunk 2077 is staggering, overwhelming, and even surprising at times in its spectacle. Although my first dozen hours with the game has been marred by easy-to-fix problems, Nighty City, along with all it offers and all that call it home, makes for an intoxicating escape. Here’s hoping the next one hundred hours are as utterly compelling.