Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is great way to wrap up the trilogy. This is a perfect choice for someone looking to try their hand at a JRPG, but still offers enough meaty battle challenges and huge crafting possibilities for devout fans of the series. This Plus version is one of the best entries in the series to date, and while Atelier as a whole may not quite measure up to the genre's classics, this is still a very enjoyable handheld adventure that will keep you coming back for more.

Despite its UI issues and missing features, Civ VII is still an enjoyable and addictive experience. Its new mechanics provide a fresh foundation which will no doubt be expanded on over the coming years with more content. If they can get over the substantial formula changes, hardcore fans of the series are more likely to be forgiving of the game’s shortcomings and probably won’t regret their purchase, but more casual players may want to sit tight until the title has been patched and padded out with more content for a more complete experience.

NBA 2K20’s absurd production values put it alongside MLB The Show 19 as the most convincing sports game on the market, and its under-the-hood gameplay improvements mean it’s the best-playing basketball simulation ever made. With a dizzying array of modes and options, including a reasonably well-written single player campaign featuring a Hollywood cast, this is a bulky package that will keep you on-court for potentially hundreds of hours. The title’s tone-deaf approach to microtransactions is the only real downside, then, and while they have been dialled back a touch, it’s still difficult to ignore their ugly presence in practically every facet of the package.

SunFlowers is a whimsical timewaster with a striking visual style. The gameplay is slick and simple, but it lacks the urgency and variation required to hold your attention over prolonged periods of time. As a distraction, it's certainly worth the asking price – but don't go in expecting Chelsea Flower Show-esque layers of depth.

This is brilliant mix of harrowing survival interspersed with moments of joy. Having fun really isn't the point here: this is a game that will challenge anyone desensitised to the real sufferings of war – and that's a bold move.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden sees developer DON'T NOD reach a new development peak, as it marries an excellent narrative with engaging and enjoyable gameplay. Poor enemy variety and technical flaws hold it back from true greatness, but its excellent, story-focused side quests on the other side make a few drab combat encounters worth pushing through. The studio's best game to date, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a new IP we hope is here to stay.

Outside of the irritatingly expected technical hiccups, Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 4 – Escape Plan Bravo is brilliant. Creative, heartfelt, and fittingly ludicrous, it's represents Telltale at its best, in what is quickly becoming the most consistent series in its portfolio.

While it's still not quite at the same standard as FIFA, the Heart mechanic is an inspired addition, and if the franchise continues to follow its current trajectory, it could yet topple EA's giant in the years to come.

Despite this occasional lapse, Chernobylite manages to stand out with a brace of compelling mechanics, elements of horror, and some deft storytelling. Don't ignore this one.

EA Sports UFC 4 is not a massive departure from its predecessor, but it’s a significantly better game. EA Vancouver has successfully recognised the way fans want to play, and with its array of arcade-inspired options and emphasis on Career mode, it will appeal to casual fans of the sport as well as MMA obsessives alike. While the ground game still needs work, it’s much more approachable now, and we really like the fast-paced Blitz Battles as an accompaniment to the more traditional online ranked matches. The presentation has stagnated somewhat, but combat still feels appropriately crunchy, and with rotating challenges to hold your attention, we can see ourselves sticking with this brawler for some time.

ABZÛ is a triumph of exploration and atmosphere. Its gorgeous underwater playgrounds are a joy to explore thanks to its perfectly tuned controls, awe-inspiring visuals, and beautiful sound design. A somewhat predictable story does little to hamper what is otherwise an utterly unique and rapturous experience.

Toki Tori 2+ is a cheery tune of delight which thumps to the rhythm of a chick's stomp. It's a beautiful, colourful, and clever environment to play in, and harks back to those feel-good games which used to be so prevalent but have unfortunately fallen from grace in recent years.

There's a kernel of a fantastic tactical role playing game in Miasma Chronicles, but it lacks polish in a few key areas, and while the lore and the characters are endearing in their own right the overarching fiction that binds it all together disappoints.

Deck Nine Games has gracefully hurdled the obstacles in its way, with a rip-roaring episode that pulls back the curtain on Rachel Amber and begins a chain of events that we can’t wait to watch unwind. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm recaptures the spirit of the first season, but by framing the story around fan favourite Chloe Price, it has a much more rebellious vibe. And while that means there’s still plenty of cringe to work through, Episode 1: Awake pitches the moments that matter perfectly – we can’t wait to see what happens next.

If it isn't already clear, Narita Boy is a great indie adventure. It's got satisfyingly slick gameplay, and the visuals are a delight. But perhaps the true star of the show is the stellar electronic soundtrack. Whether it's twinkling ambient tunes or booming synth chords, the music is superb.

The Island makes its return this year, and seeks to persuade sceptical players to hop into its multiplayer world, joining one of three, Superstar-lead factions for wrestling dominance. While it's to be commended that voice acting, the bonkers Scrapyard match, and additional character customisation options have been added, we experienced several crashes throughout, plus it still smacks of money grubbing to us, so your mileage may vary...Equally, the Battle Pass-style changes to DLC and general unlocks could prove divisive, and not all wrestler likenesses are created equally. In spite of these shortcomings, however, WWE 2K26 is another strong effort from 2K and Visual Concepts, and one not to be missed by wrestling fans.

Injustice: Gods Among Us takes the best elements of 2011's excellent Mortal Kombat reboot and fuses them with a faithful superhero setting, resulting in a solid fighting game with a likeable cast. The online multiplayer may not always be consistent, but this is still a heroic effort that's more than fit for the Gods.

After the Fall is a standout co-op apocalypse shooter with a lot of similarities to Left 4 Dead. It has a plethora of content that's entertaining and thrilling to play both solo and as a squad. If you’re an FPS fan or are just looking for some multiplayer entertainment, we’d highly recommend you give this title a shot.

It’s not perfect, but Outlast is still arguably one of the best survival horror games in recent memory.

The visual upgrades for this DLC defy the bar set for most remasters. The majority of these classic Zombies maps offer the same addictive appeal of building strategies and loadouts through cohesive teamwork against the undead hordes, and with new life breathed into them with near-future weapons and features, we can attest that Zombies Chronicles is one killer collection you'll want to sink your teeth into – even if you only buy Black Ops III for it alone.

An open world was the right move for a Borderlands franchise that’s on its back foot. If you can grin and bear through some bad console performance, Borderlands 4 rewards you with a whole lot more looting and shooting. Some small new additions around the edges and a solid slate of bosses and side-quests spice up this fourth numbered entry that’s still as brazen and immodest as ever.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a masterwork – a gorgeous and subtle experience, which treats you as an adult, without ever indulging in pretence. It cares about its characters enough to give them interesting and meaningful things to say, while also playing host to some truly breathtaking art direction and music.

FIFA 22 feels like real football, and it’s all the better for it. Impressive improvements to player positioning, ball physics, and animations make for a supremely satisfying simulation that underpins each of the franchise’s flagship modes. Career Mode doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the ability to create a club is entertaining, and the changes to Player Careers are overdue. Microtransactions still rule supreme in Ultimate Team, and you’ll already have your own personal opinions on that, but there’s so much to do in this year’s release that you could easily invest hundreds of hours into it without seeing a single loot box.

The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 4 – Amid the Ruins serves up yet another emotional rollercoaster, offering just enough time between conflicts in order to allow you to catch your breath.

With stunning presentation, and a clever core mechanic, Teslagrad does a lot to impress. Unfortunately, its occasionally unwieldy controls, inconsistent difficulty, and needlessly challenging boss fights mar the experience. However, if you can look past these infidelities, you’ll find an incredibly unique and often satisfying puzzle platformer.

Ultimately, it's the inclusion of the off-road buggy that turns out to be its smartest addition, which coupled with its challenging new setting more than overcomes any of the all too familiar shortcomings.

Everybody’s Golf reaches the green at eagle pace and then proceeds to ever-so slightly duff the green. Don’t get us wrong, this is still an extremely enjoyable arcade golf game with some brilliantly original ideas, but there are some bizarre design errors which seem to weirdly imbalance the game. Pair that with an unreasonable progression system and you’re left with a title that needlessly undoes a lot of its own hard work. At the end of the day, you’re still going to extract hundreds of hours of top-notch entertainment from this title – but save for a few silly oversights it could have been essential, and that’s a damn shame.

The visuals – which lean on block colours and cartoon characters – can be a bit flat, and the controls can be cumbersome when carrying out more complicated tasks. However, there’s a great business management experience here; the gameplay may seem shallow at first blush, but plunge a little deeper and you’ll find plenty of depth. Considering that this is an underrepresented genre on console, may we recommend you consider it as a complement to Two Point Hospital this Christmas, as you remember Theme Park’s infamous slogan: “Big business is big fun.”