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.

Super Lucky’s Tale is by no means bad — it’s simply good; fun, but easily forgettable. If it was released at a different time than Odyssey, it may have made more of an impression, but alas, here we are.

Trying to drive from solitary waypoint to waypoint proved a massive challenge; I must say, I prefer a straight-up racing line on the roadway, showing me what I should be doing. For those who don’t need that, there’s not much difference between each console’s powerhouse.

With Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo proves the 3D sandbox platformer is not only alive and well, but that it can continue to be evolved and surprise us, consume us and astonish us in clever and elegant ways.

Improving on The New Order while raising the stakes at the same time may seem like a daunting task, but Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus manages to do exactly that.

Origins is an Assassin’s game that’s been gutted to the bones and refurbished for a completely new Animus experience. The game is much better for it, all across the board.

While I called Just Dance 2017 a step in the right direction, Just Dance 2018 feels like a side step. There’s a decent selection of 40 modern, contemporary and even K-Pop songs to jive to, but a major portion of your library will disappear after three months (unless you want to pay to keep it all going). New modes are decent but come the cost of the removal of others. That all said, Just Dance 2018 is relatively inoffensive; it’s a great purchase for those who didn’t grab last year’s iteration.

Right now, there are just too many bugs, too many exploits, and just too little simulation of the best parts of the sport it tries to replicate for me to recommend Rugby 18. This is a solid base to build upon, but with so many great playgrounds out there playing on a solid concrete foundation with a few stray woodchips for safety just doesn’t have much appeal.

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.

The themes of The Evil Within 2 are redemption and forgiveness, though there’s nothing this iteration of the franchise needed to do to redeem itself and certainly has nothing to be forgiven for. It’s a solid, emotional romp filled with challenge and scares alike. It’s certainly recommended.

Shadow of War is Shadow of Mordor 2.0. If you liked the first, you’ll like the second – though hopefully you’ll be provided with a day one patch to smooth off rough edges. Though that’s highly unlikely.

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.

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.

I enjoyed the game so much, I immediately tracked down its predecessor, Sparkle Unleashed, also available on Xbox One.

While falling into a genre saturated with thousands of titles, Ruiner is a shoot ‘em up like few others. Sure, it’s not as fast paced as most, and it features far fewer enemies than the norm, but it’s a game that requires precision, calculation and a hell of a lot of patience. The number of upgrades and abilities to play around with make it worth playing through to the end but it’s ruined (get it?) by a short campaign, and repetitive levels. If it were to feature a well-executed endless/survival mode the play re-play factor might have increased slightly but in its current form you’re unlikely to play this more than once. Only drop coin on this if you’re a huge fan of the genre.

FIFA 18 improves across the board and continues to offer an astonishing amount of options, without comprising on quality.

Fans of Total War series are sure to love this Warhammer 2. As an added bonus to the people who already own Total War: Warhammer, you’ll have access to a new, global campaign that involves the new lands and races from this title it alongside those from this new iteration. What’s not to love?

Neither F1 2017 nor Forza Motorsport 6 offer the level of customisation and detail that this game does, but if I’m honest, it’s those other two games that I’d rather jump back into.

Despite a feeling of being watered-down, Dishonoured: Death of the Outsider is a DLC-length standalone title that provides a satisfying resolution to the franchise. Fans of the original iterations will appreciate the added content, and those who’ve been meaning to play past games can get a reasonably good idea of what the entire package can deliver.

Samus Returns has been designed for hardcore Metroid fans and rightly so, as I don’t see many newcomers playing a monochrome Game Boy remake on 3DS as their first Metroid game.

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.

The series’ monster and equipment design has always been high-quality, but the cartoonish presentation of Stories simplifies the art style without losing any of its flair.

Those who’ve been spurned by Destiny only to be won over by rich DLC will feel right at home in Destiny 2. Those who passed on the original title because of its weak launch will find this is a completely different experience, one with Halo‘s DNA interwoven through Destiny‘s addictive core gameplay. It’s definitely worth a try.

It’s hard to deny that Knack 2 looks beautiful and demonstrates that lessons have been learned since the debut of the PS4, but you’ll walk away from a game session feeling that nothing was memorable. Despite its shine, Knack 2 is bland — a well-polished bit of blandness, mind you — but one you could easily skip over.

Resident Evil: Revelations is perfect for fans of the franchise who don’t own a 3DS or didn’t take advantage of the last-gen release. Equally suited are die-hard fans who want the chance to experience the game again (or even again), this time with Trophy and Achievement support. It was a great return to the elements that made Resident Evil great, and helped Capcom to realise how we wanted Resident Evil 7. Get back on that ship.

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.

While this new iteration mightn’t influence other titles or franchises like Drake has, it’s nonetheless amazing to play an Uncharted game with a strong heroine with a nose for relics, a pistol in hand, hair tied back in a ponytail and no need for help from the likes of Drake or Sully. The Lost Legacy is a great little addition to the franchise, ideal for newcomers or fans alike.

Agents of Mayhem is Volition’s latest, a third-person, single-player shooter that’s been spun off from Saints Row and wants to channel the likes of Overwatch and Borderlands. It does not succeed.