The adventure Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan took us on never ceased to put a smile on our faces. With a whole cast of memorable and loveable characters, a gorgeous world to explore with a fantastic art style, and a seafaring adventure that just begs you to explore one more island, it's hard not to love what's on offer. It stumbles along the way and may not be for everyone, but ManaVoid Entertainment has crafted a special experience for those it does resonate with.

This means that your time with PES this year will be spent playing for an hour or two and then putting the controller down in frustration. It's to Konami's great credit that it somehow always calls you back to it.

Neither of these nit-picks detract much at all from what a Plague Tale: Requiem achieves though, and that's providing an incredibly evocative adventure through 14th century Europe during The Black Death. Asobo's sophomore effort is seriously impressive, delivering a balanced adventure that knows exactly when to mix things up, whether that be a introducing new story beat, a fresh location to explore, or a different combat option to make use of. Requiem is exactly the kind of new AAA narrative adventure we've been craving for a while on Xbox Game Pass, and we can't wait to see what this developer does next. Asobo Studio is really hitting its stride.

Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure that kicks off in familiar Zelda-esque fashion before branching out to become its own thing entirely. There's an exquisitely designed world to explore here, a great big puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in. Combat can be a little clumsy at points early on but it improves as new powers are introduced and the game develops and grows into a surprisingly big, surprisingly challenging experience that's absolutely one of our favourite games of 2022 so far.

Gears of War: Reloaded is an excellent game. Sure, it's quite basic compared to modern Gears games and sure, the core of the experience is very similar to Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - but I still think this release was a worthwhile endeavour, and then some. PS5 players joining the party means that Gears 1 multiplayer will remain alive and thriving, and those quality-of-life improvements to online play are also a massive win in my eyes. Campaign perhaps doesn't benefit quite as much, but boosts to resolution, performance and that lighting upgrade are definitely noticeable - and welcome for those of us who will probably play this campaign another handful of times over the years. Gears of War: Reloaded is a great reintroduction to one of Xbox's most famous franchises, and I'm going to soak it all in as I wait with baited breath for the next Gears installment in 2026.

Even though it costs actual money, Rare Replay feels like a heartfelt gift from Rare to its fans, and it deserves your time, money, and appreciation.

Gears 5 is an odd thing; it's neither a grand leap forwards, nor a complete rehash of what came before, and therefore sits somewhere in the middle of the two. On the whole, the improvements do outweigh the negatives (the non-linear approach to campaign levels and the small changes to horde mode being some of the most notable), and while The Coalition still has some work to do to really make the series its own, this is a far bolder and more varied approach the relatively safe Gears 4. If you love shooters and you want a good place to jump back into the series, this is perfect place to work the rust out of your lancer.

Battlefield 6 is a fantastic first-person shooter, and the team at Battlefield Studios — now led by FPS veteran Vince Zampella — has done an amazing job at building this new foundation, especially after the dip in form with Battlefield 2042. The gunplay feels ace, the game looks and runs beautifully, and all of the core ingredients that make a proper Battlefield game are here. Some of those ingredients do need some extra seasoning though; the campaign is fun but bland and I want to see more large scale, Conquest-focused maps in future - but all-in-all, this is a great effort. In this day and age, the day one multiplayer experience is simply a base to be built upon, and that base is rock solid. I can't wait to see where Battlefield 6 ends up in a few years' time.

Forza Motorsport feels like a game that's set up for the future. The technical underpinnings on show in Turn 10's Xbox Series X|S debut are remarkable, and this sort of solid foundation is always a good start. While there's still hours and hours of fun to be had with what is here, genre fans will quickly be reminded of what's missing - making the new FM feel like a launch pad for what's to come rather than a complete experience at launch. When Turn 10 gets around to adding more unique career events, tracks and bonus features, this could become one of the very best sim racers ever to grace Xbox. For now, it's a brilliant effort.

Mortal Kombat 1 might not necessarily be the evolution some were hoping for, but it's still an incredibly polished production. The 'Kombat' is perhaps the most refined it’s ever been in the series' history, Kameo Fighters add a new level of strategy, and reuniting with classic characters in Liu Kang’s reborn universe is an absolute blast. It’s a promising refresh for this legendary series that’s arrived at the perfect time. Here’s to another 30 years of blood, guts and Fatalities.

While the multiplayer components are the best since Halo 3, the campaign disappoints in a few key areas. It's still enjoyable and exciting on the whole, but it lacks the narrative concentration and the memorable gameplay scenarios to stand neck and neck with the best entries in the series. Halo 5: Guardians still gets a massive recommendation from us for many reasons, though there's certainly room for 343 Industries to improve and evolve the campaign formula next time around.

Whether you're into building giant masterpieces, defeating boss monsters for awesome loot, or exploring the depths of the map, Terraria offers up a variety of experiences and lets you pick and choose how to play based on your mood.

MLB The Show 23 plays it safe with regards to its Road to the Show and Franchise modes, with both of these aspects in need of a good old-fashioned revamp at this stage in the game. However, Diamond Dynasty is a total blast that very wisely chooses to be generous with its rewards, whilst the all-new Storylines mode introduces a thoroughly entertaining and educational journey through The Negro Leagues that's been our absolute highlight of the package so far this year. With the series' top-notch core gameplay and wealth of control and accessibility options helping to smooth over the rough of a few lacklustre modes, this is another super solid entry in the franchise.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla sees the long-running franchise at an absolute high point. A much tighter, more refined and narrative-focused experience, it learns lessons from other recent open world efforts, removing much of the series' tedious open-world busywork and channelling its players through a genuinely excellent and intriguing adventure. There's still plenty of exploring, looting and collecting to be done here but it's so much more engaging, full of fun puzzles and atmospheric treasure hunts that make the downtime between story arcs all the more rewarding. This is Assassin's Creed looking and feeling better than ever.

If you enjoyed Two Point Hospital on Xbox Game Pass, you're going to love Two Point Campus as well. It's a great sequel in a superb simulation series, and the college/university setting feels like the perfect next step for Two Point Studios' brand of silly, strategic fun. It's also one of the most enjoyable Xbox simulation games out there thanks to its well-designed control scheme, complete with a single-player campaign you'll almost certainly get invested in.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a unique strategy experience that draws from traditional Japanese culture to give us an incredibly detailed world to work through, one bite-sized level at a time. The strategy here is tight, the animations and combat look and feel great, and the dancing, music and base-building ensure that there's always something to do in the downtime between Seethe-destroying sorties. Capcom are still on that hot streak, and we are here for it.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a super-slick boomer shooter that serves up one of the best Warhammer-themed games we've played thus far. The oppressive vibes and stompy violent silliness of space marines has been recreated faithfully here in a FPS that's every bit as perfectly pitched and polished as the very best recent examples of this rejuvenated genre. We'd have loved to see some multiplayer or different modes to muck around with, yes, but there's no knocking how fast and fun this retro shooter's campaign is. For old-school FPS fans, this is the good stuff.

There’s no doubt that Metro Redux represents real value for money. Neither game is perfect and Metro 2033 does show signs of aging, despite the improvements, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an entirely playable game which serves as a sort of hors d'oeuvre to Last Light’s main course.

The high point of Jusant is definitely its well-designed climbing mechanics, which are endlessly enjoyable aside from some occasional (but minor) issues. Sadly we weren't quite as taken by the game's story, but we still wanted to reach its summit regardless. It's the kind of Game Pass title we think some fans will absolutely fall in love with, while others will bounce off it pretty quickly. In any case, it's a worthy addition to Xbox's fantastic subscription service.

The things EA hasn't shouted about are the things that they've clearly worked the hardest on and while there are still flaws, this is the best on-pitch representation of the beautiful game since Konami's PlayStation 2 efforts.

Resident Evil 3 is a short, heavily scripted and somewhat scrappy follow up to last year's sublime Resi 2 remake. The series' trademark slow-burn tension and gentle puzzling are replaced here by all-out action that feels far too safe and linear – for the most part, a series of tightly confined corridors bookended by sloppy boss battles and chase sequences which tend to wrestle control away from the player in an effort to add unnecessary cinematic flair. There are a handful of highlights; graphically, it's the best the series has ever looked and both Jill and Carlos are decent re-imaginings of the original characters but, overall, this one struggles to reach anywhere near the heights of its predecessor. Combat feels disappointing for the most part, the Nemesis is underutilised and the whole thing is over far too quickly, with very little in the way of replay value.

Rogue Legacy is one of the best indies available on Xbox One, and you should do what you can to become a part of its family tree – its zany, amusing, dysfunctional family tree.

It’s been an incredibly long wait, but this series is arguably more super than ever on the current generation of hardware. Goku’s 3D battles with his friends (and enemies) look stunning, the roster is stacked with an updated cast, there are seemingly limitless match-ups, and the combat feels great, even if it might be a bit simple for some players. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero may just be the ‘ultra instinct’ entry fans have always wished for.

Still Wakes the Deep is a tight, narrative adventure dripping in atmosphere and oozing in that sweet Scottish personality we've all come to love (shouting and swearing lots, as it turns out). If you're happy with a total lack of combat and more of a focus on story and exploration, then this one is definitely worth playing through on Xbox Game Pass. We found ourselves rather engrossed with Still Wakes the Deep and its personal tale of loss and family, even if more player agency around the game's spooky oil rig wouldn't have gone amiss. If you've played anything from The Chinese Room before you'll know what you're getting into - Still Wakes the Deep is another successful effort for the British developer to add to its growing repertoire.

Resident Evil Village may not quite live up to the highs of its terrifying predecessor but it's a still a solid entry in the long-running series that's well worth checking out. Eastern Europe makes for a fantastically atmospheric and surprisingly open setting here, it's chock full of delightfully oddball characters and features a handful of properly entertaining set-pieces to blast through. There may well be a few rough edges, with a rather painful protagonist and some duff boss battles to contend with but, overall, this is one truly messed up village that's well worth a visit.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is an excellent modernization of a decades-old franchise that was beginning to really show its age. This is a thoroughly entertaining, slick and addictive addition to the series that funnels players through a meaty campaign packed to bursting point with inventive set-pieces and devilishly devious level design. There's a ton of content to keep fans busy here with time trials, collectible skins, N-Verted mode and side missions galore in a generous package that sees Crash blast and bound his way through what is easily his greatest adventure to date.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a unique Xbox shooter, and an absolute blast to play when you really get to grips with its core mechanics. While the shooting on offer here perhaps most resembles something like Rainbow Six: Siege or PUBG on console, Sandstorm carves out its own niche by offering authentic gunplay across a wide array of game modes, including plenty of co-op action for those who prefer some PvE gameplay. Its unforgiving shooting mechanics won't be for everyone, but Insurgency: Sandstorm rewards those who really learn how to play it, resulting in one of the most satisfying first-person shooters on Xbox today.

Overall, then, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a massive success for Xbox. This year's COD is packed with content across its three main modes, and Game Pass players will be able to enjoy this one for months - especially when additional seasonal content starts to release. Raven Software's campaign mode is a blast, multiplayer is the best it's been in years, and while Zombies isn't what it once was in our book, it's still a fun third mode to mess around with. If Call of Duty can continue to remain this high-quality each year, Microsoft has a winner on its hands, but for now let's just enjoy Black Ops 6 for what it is - a cracking COD game and a fine example of a console FPS.