For long-time fans, it’s about the complete package, which is epic. It’s inspired me to rewatch the entire franchise — which only further endears the Great Circle — and kept me on the edge of my seat, glued to the expertly weaved story-into-gameplay structure. It’s a great adaptation by building gameplay into an elongated narrative that stays true to the character. The Great Circle is strictly for the fans, in all the right ways.

Campaign was sold as an open-world vehicle for Kait and that takes a bit of time to actually be upheld; trust me though: it's worth the wait.

Legion has one of the best stories in the series to date.

Return to Monkey Island is a good old adventure game, made modern. It is vintage gameplay in a modern package, with a focus on accessibility, without sacrificing the outlandish puzzles and quirky oddities. The visuals don’t quite feel right, and yet with excellent voice acting, and scenarios and dialogue that feel straight out of the early 90s, the world is almost perfectly recreated 30 years later. Return to Monkey Island is a delightful adventure, and while it might not quite reach the unobtainable prestige of its predecessors, with a much more accessible design it’s destined to become Guybrush Threepwood’s most popular tale yet.

If this is the finale of Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc, it’s a damn impressive one. I’m excited to see what a sequel built from the ground up with these lessons learned will be like, but until then I’ll keep poking around Night City to see what’s new.

Just when you think you’ve done everything, Pikmin 4 is waiting to hand over another fun task for you to spend the next few hours enjoying, on the universe’s most crashed-on planet.

Just like The Stick of Truth, The Fractured But Whole is 100% South Park. This is a must for fans of the show, while those who enjoy a challenging RPG will delight in cranking up the difficulty and working through its many systems.

If you’re aiming for a steeply difficult strategy game that really makes you think ahead, Conquest is the way to go. I’d still recommend playing the Birthright path first, to be honest – the difficulty curve between the two works well, and Nohr’s story works well as an extension of your experience in Hoshido.

The bottom line is that Overwatch is easy to pick up and understand, and amazingly fun to play.

Persona 3 Reload is the best kind of remake: it honours the core of what makes the game great, but isn’t afraid to modernise the experience at the same time. It’s nostalgia done well, because it plays onscreen the way the original felt in my memory (without having to squint at a 4-inch PSP screen). It’s honestly a joy to see a game I loved brought to a whole new audience, while still giving me a deluxe version of something I already know I’ll enjoy. While it may not include every ingredient that every version of Persona 3 has ever had, it’s a confident and complete version all its own – and I can’t wait to keep climbing that tower.

There’s no denying Kingdom Battle is an amazing experience, but it’s also a tough one to describe to friends and family. Heavy on Mario characters and locales, it’s not your usual Mario game. It features Ubisoft’s highly annoying Rabbids, but in a format that finally works, subdued and entertaining. It uses humour that kids will appreciate, but parents and adult gamers will get more from. Best yet, it doesn’t hold your hand, demanding a carefully-planned strategy to accomplish your goals. I can’t recommend it enough, but to the right audience – players over the age of 15 will find the title an utter delight.

All up, Mario Kart World is ridiculous fun, alone or in a group… but as my husband said to me at 8pm on the launch day of the Switch 2, “there’s only so much Mario Kart you can play”. Nevertheless, we’re both keen to host friends to not only show off the new racer, but what the Switch 2 can do accordingly. Let’s just hope that Nintendo can broaden what’s available in-game quickly, akin to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While we’re waiting for more Switch 2 games, we need more World.

Paired with a well-written story and varied soundtrack, Owlboy does something that a lot of pixel-art games don’t – it elevates the medium from the bare requirements.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is a delightful double act. Super Mario 3D World holds up well and offers a unique multiplayer experience that works particularly well on Switch.

Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice continues FromSoftware’s dominance, showcasing that it’s on another level when it comes creating action games in fantastical worlds. You’re going to die, and you’re go die a lot. But these brilliant gameplay systems that come together to form experiences that we don’t see in other triple-A games is why people get excited for what Hidetaka Miyazaki is doing at FromSoftware. Between Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls, the three Dark Souls games and now with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Miyazkai has all but solidified himself as one of the greatest game directors of this decade.

Moonlighter is a wonderful combination of Zelda and Animal Crossing that easily commands your constant attention. It looks beautiful with a lovely, pixelated style; music from the shop and the dungeons will be stuck in your head for days. The only fault I could find with Moonlighter it’s relatively short — I wanted more dungeons, more enemies to topple, more items to sell.

Afterparty should be commended for its diabolical sense of humour and elegantly crafted conversations.

This iteration of Forza is about attention to detail, and Turn 10 has certainly nailed it. Forza 7 relies upon the solid base that’s been established in current-gen offerings Forza 5 and Forza 6, turning up attention to the minutiae to 11. A beautiful racer that’s meant for both the hardcore and casual player.

Individually, these are three fantastic franchises, taken as a whole this is a fantastic pack of tables that should appeal to both pinball players as well as gamers who have never picked up a virtual pinball game.

Those looking to rekindle a family gaming session akin to ones enjoyed in the past with Wii Sports will find this a sure winner.

If you’re old enough to know who Desmond Miles is, and have a desire to return to the series’ origins, Assassin’s Creed Mirage hits the spot. It reins in the endless expansion and has very clear direction.

Levels take around two to three minutes to clear, so Bye-Bye is well-suited for portable play.

We played the sequel on Nintendo Switch, and it has equal amounts of positives as negatives. We found the smaller screen presented in handheld mode made it easier to focus on tasks in single-player mode, though it did require pixel-perfect moves that meant the different between grabbing, placing and chopping or nothing at all. While players can huddle around the Switch’s screen in a pinch, couch (or online) co-op works best on a TV.

Whether you’re a fan of Formula 1, a die-hard sim enthusiast or even just a casual racing game fan then it’s hard to go past F1 2021. There’s something for everyone in this years offering, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to the new tracks later this year.

For me, the true tell of a successful game is one that excites that passion for racing and vehicles. Racing is more than just laps on a circuit, but vehicle management, lap times and the thrill of the chase and victory. F1 2017 easily achieves this, and continues upon the brilliance that was F1 2016 last year. Fans of the motorsport and racing in general would certainly do well to check out this title, with Codemasters once again proving themselves as one of the leaders of the genre.

NHL 21 is a tight little package -- years in the making -- but that's because EA Vancouver is doing everything it can to refine a polished hockey game year-on-year.

For an RRP of $20 USD, John Wick Hex is a no brainer. It’s a layered strategy game perfect for long sessions or short stints. As a bonus, it runs on my potato of a work PC too (albeit a bit choppily), so it’s perfect for a little lunchtime leisure.

While it’s very true I have a soft spot in my heart for PGA Tour accordingly, there’s no denying 2K23 is solid. Small improvements to an existing formula mightn’t be looked highly upon in a yearly cycle, but PGA Tour 2K23 gets away with it because of its cadence. Welcome back, old friend. 3 click for life.