There’s a lot of fun to be had within Identity, from a delightful narrative, engaging characters and brain-teasing puzzles. It’s a small, yet refined package that’s sure to delight those into mysteries. Quite obviously, a bit of knowledge about the Tron universe will help players — and certainly add to understanding of lore — but isn’t necessarily required.

I had a great time with Kay Vess and crew. The story has all the heel-turns, reveals and double-crosses you could hope for from a heist story, and even a few surprise twists you won’t see coming. Seeing the Star Wars world from a more boots-on-the-ground perspective also casts it in a very different light – an AT-ST is a much more intimidating thing to see when you don’t have access to midichlorians....It’s exciting to see how much is possible in this universe without leaning on the Jedi or Skywalkers. That said, fans are sure to enjoy some of the nods and name-drops scattered throughout that link this game to the greater canon.

Darksiders Genesis truly surprised me, a game I was hardly interested in after the mess that was Darksiders 3. While I highly recommend it to franchise fans and those who enjoy a good ol’ dungeon crawler, I’m confused by two huge release decisions: to first put this on PC and Stadia far ahead of a Switch, Xbox One and PS4 release, and to optimise the game for a controller even then. With a console release just days away – and expect an update on this review with our thoughts, by the way – I’m still left thinking this new format would have been perfect for the PC’s keyboard and mouse.

Darkwood is a very unique experience that relies on darkness and silence frequently, causing your own imagination to run wild and fill in the horrific gaps. There’s a bit of a learning curve to get comfortable with how the in-game world operates, but once things click, you’ll be enamoured. Survival horror fans definitely need to give this one a go.

The gameplay is great and all, but the writers and voice actors should all get flowers for how excellently they did their jobs. Both my wife and I laughed all the way through the game. There were the obligatory ‘number 2’ and Big Butte (pronounced Big Beaut) jokes, but also some pretty funny henchmen banter, the commentators having slow breakdowns, and the frat bro vampire. The best LEGO games are always the ones where LEGO has full creative control over the characters and are able to make them say or do anything, like that LEGO City Undercover game from a few years back. You could tell how much fun the writers had thinking of the most ridiculous things they could get these characters to say.

It’s clear that Activision is trying to borrow from Destiny to expand Call of Duty, without changing the core gameplay. That’s not the right way to go, but fortunately Sledgehammer nails the return to World War II where it counts. It has a measured but well crafted campaign, compelling zombies and rebooted, yet familiar multiplayer. There’s no denying it’s safe across the board, but that safe mix of new meets old is what makes WWII a great Call of Duty game.

Mario Party Superstars returns to basics to deliver the best iteration in years. By returning to the golden era of boards and leaning upon an accomplished roster of proven minigames, it can focus on what has already made Mario Party great.

Hogwarts Legacy delivers a world of choice on-top of the best spin-off story in the Harry Potter universe. The core narrative is the reason to play, and that will be the same for everyone. But it’s how you approach it that lets you truly become your own witch or wizard of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin. The optional content is skippable filler, but the main questline will hit all the right notes for Harry Potter fans. While combat may become repetitive, it’s more than serviceable, and fits in against the backdrop of an action-RPG that’s about so much more than killing goons — even if there is a lot of that. It’s a game that finally lets you live your dreams of 20 years ago, with a chance to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and have your own magical adventure.

Stray somehow manages to endear at the same time it feels like it's overstaying its welcome. At the end of the day, though, this cat-lover was won over by its sheer charm.

If you never got the chance to play this underappreciated gem, it’s well worth checking it out on new-gen consoles. Prior knowledge of the Yakuza series is not needed, as the game stands on its own narratively. The game’s core mystery is enthralling to unravel, and there’s almost too much else going on around the city to enjoy while you derail the plot. Crack out your case book, crack your knuckles and get going.

Despite missing the mark on a difficulty that feels consistently challenging yet fun at the same time, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is an utter delight.

I really struggled early on with Monster Hunter Generations, but I’m glad I kept with it. I got an immense amount if satisfaction from its gameplay loop, but it’s worth noting that the pay off is proportional to what you put in.

Despite its slow rollout, Battlefield 5 is a fantastic multiplayer experience, especially across the fan favourite Conquest and large-scale Grand Operations.

Requiem has refined and improved the formula that made the first game so intriguing. Amicia and Hugo are not the timid children they were at the start of their journey, and while the goal used to be just survival, things have changed: it’s now about making sure that the people they want to be will survive this new hardship.

Pokémon Let’s Go mightn’t be for hardcore, competitive fans, but it will certainly win over everyone else. A vast majority of the changes are certainly for the better.

The only real negative I can find for Rehydrated is in its multiplayer offering, a tacked on mode that feels soulless and unnecessary. A horde-style affair, players will mindlessly jump from one island to another, dispatching waves of robots. Combat’s the least appealing bit of single-player, so a whole multiplayer segment dedicated to it falls flat. Thankfully, the campaign will quickly wash the bad taste of MP out of your mouth.

If you’re an NHL fan who’s skipped an entry or two in the last couple years, this is a definite yes. For the rest, it really depends on how you’re planning to play it — grab it if you’re planning on a lot of online play (read: and you’re based in North America). If you’re sticking to offline, bide your time and wait for a sale. Kudos to EA Vancouver for doing what they could all the same.

Despite changes to the formula, New Dawn is still very much Far Cry at its core.

If you haven’t experienced the open world, stealth extravaganza that is Sniper Elite, this is the time to jump in. For those returning to the franchise, buckle up — and play about two difficulties higher than you were planning. You’ll thank me later.

I think I'm in the camp of gamers sick of remasters and instead wanting proper remakes. It's worked for Crash Bandicoot, for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, and it looks to have worked for the upcoming Mafia Definitive Edition. I'd imagine that 64 and Sunshine with some modern sensibility would be spectacular as well.

It’s good if you’re Skyrim obsessed or if you’re a Switch owner who’s (somehow) never played the game before.

While The Journey fizzles out, the addition of UEFA competitions including the Champions League makes FIFA 19 an obvious upgrade for a passionate group of football fans.

It’s Quiz Time is a great trivia title, losing out to games like Buzz! or You Don’t Know Jack! when it comes to its host, but easily making up for that with a variety of questions and game modes.

A clever puzzle game that’s finally found a more suitable home on Switch, as it always felt like a handheld game that played best on the Wii U Gamepad. It’s a collection of bite-sized levels that compel you to tick all of the boxes, and an ideal game to play in short bursts. While the Switch port doesn’t improve much aside from the change in platform, and is too expensive to warrant a repeat purchase, it’s certainly worthy of a re-release for those who missed it last-generation.

Cuphead proves to be everything I wanted it to be — challenging, stylised and fun. It’s a tough, tough game — but unlike Dark Souls, my failures in Cuphead made me want to keep playing. Bring it on.

Beyond being a fun game to play, Sand Land is a great and timely example of the work of Akira Toriyama, and a reminder just how much more he was than just the Dragonball Z guy. Sand Land is its own thing – it was actually exciting to have a demon called a slime appear, and have it NOT be the dollop-shaped slime of the Dragon Quest series. While the vehicle combat system isn’t breaking any new ground, it still goes about things in its own, slightly odd way. It’s a breath of fresh, desert air – and I think there’s a few miles left in the tank yet.

Pokémon Let’s Go mightn’t be for hardcore, competitive fans, but it will certainly win over everyone else. A vast majority of the changes are certainly for the better.

Despite its annoyances, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a hauntingly good time, packed with charm everywhere you look.