For all of the improvements that are most welcome (and will doubtless help court a new generation of fans) Mass Effect’s brilliance isn’t about technicality. Not really. It is about that total investment in its galaxy and its characters --be it your most trusted squadmate or the elephantine Elcor shopkeeper you bumped into-- that has fully enveloped me again. That hasn’t aged a jot.

Virginia hit me right in the chest, the kind of game I’ve wanted to exist for years, and the first game to actually nail it in a way that I think fully takes advantage of the potential. It is the game that titles like Dear Esther, Gone Home and Firewatch have hinted at, but in a way that evolves the interactive narrative form way beyond anything we’ve seen before. It’s a game to savour and talk about for years to come, one that left me, just like the inhabitants of Kingdom, Virginia, speechless.

The pleasure of Super Mario Odyssey comes in the constant promise of something new. It is, in many ways, the greatest digital holiday you will ever take. An idea that Nintendo is very much aware of with the ever expanding wardrobe of travelling outfits, detailed maps for each Kingdom laid out like travel brochures and souvenirs that you can buy up with stage-specific coins. The variety, invention and sheer generosity on each trip is bewildering, an affirmation that Nintendo in this kind of exuberant form are absolutely peerless. A trip to savour. And not a second wasted.

As DmC progresses, it becomes clear that it is a phenomenal action game in its own right, with an interesting alternate take on the fiction and a sublime handle on action gaming. A title that taps into the kind of action the likes of Platinum Games are known for. Ninja Theory has shown they know how to weave superb action, biting dialogue and a brilliant visual style into a wonderful, cohesive whole. A blistering start to 2013.

If there is a complaint to be had it is that, currently, there is perhaps not enough to it. The four game types are a variation on two themes, the 12 maps quickly repeat, while competitive ranked play is yet to be included. But Blizzard has made all the right noises about being committed to building on Overwatch, providing new heroes, maps and gametypes for free across the game’s lifespan.

That rare kind of game that treats you with respect, once you’ve earnt it. It’s a strange feeling to be left floundering without any attempt to help you up, but it’s stranger still to then discover that you’re perfectly capable of helping yourself up, and discovering how capable you really are. Starseed Pilgrim is quietly affirming, and eminently rewarding. It’s genuinely beautiful, from the inside and out.

For a game that runs so wild with imagination, it's remarkable to witness everything executed with such elegance... Nintendo has drawn a giant, gleeful gallery of magnificent pictures and painted within the lines, all intoxicating detail and colour. It's a toy box full of childlike wonder, but with a grown-up sensibility, where the pieces all fit.

It’s taken the long-ignored strengths of Interactive Fiction and Twine and applied them in the right way on the right platform to give the player an experience that feels wholly unique, and more importantly, wholly their own. Yes, you might share the odd story with another player, but not your whole trip. There are just too many variables, too many individual stories, for any one trip to be the same, and when you’re talking about a narrative-led experience, that’s a mighty fine accomplishment.

These breaks in linear action are wonderfully judged, allowing you to take a breath, find hidden treasure and help tribespeople by hunting down some wild boar or disrupting Trinity communication towers. There’s perhaps nothing here that you won’t have seen in open-world games, but these alluring pockets of freedom breaking out from a cinematic thrill-ride is a clever change of pace.

Here, exploration is everything. Elden Ring is an RPG but one which elevates role playing to the point of vérité. You are as much the stranger in a strange land as your avatar; basic controls and some mechanics are explained in what passes for the game's tutorial, but that’s about it. There’s no quest log, no icon-studded mini-map, no on-screen overlays or bread crumb trail telling you what to do next, or even where to go. Everything else must be learned, either decoded from oblique item descriptions in-game or gleaned from invaluable internet communities. Death is not so much a setback to be avoided as a necessary staging post on the path to enlightenment. It may sound daunting in theory but in practice it’s exhilarating. Every inch of progress in Elden Ring feels earned, and is thus infinitely more rewarding for it.

Not only is Ratchet & Clank the best family-friendly game that I’ve played in a long time, it’s one of PS4’s standout titles and a blistering return to the glory days of the 3D platformer.

Its mix of refined mechanics, updated graphics and all new cars results in a game that’s up there with the studio’s old-time greats. It’s proof that, very occasionally, they still make them like they used to.

Even in offline mode, the game's a stunning example of world-building, adventure-finding and boss slaying.

The game plays at just the right speed so that you’re desperate to try again to get the perfect snap, but without it feeling overwhelming and absurdly complex. I will admit that for those who aren’t so big on replaying levels, it may get tiring. Still, it helps that the personalities of the Pokémon really shine through, the cheeky Scorbunny, the cheerful Grookey, the bouncy Pichu; why wouldn’t you want to go and spend more time with them?

It really is a fantastic game. That thrill of hitting the top of the flagpole is still there after all these years, Mario and co leap about at the top of their game, it's colourful, friendly, joyful, and the most fun I've had with a platform game since Super Mario Galaxy 2.

There is so much more I want to say about What Remains of Edith Finch. So many thoughts I have about every single character, every single lovingly crafted room in the dusty, abandoned halls of the Finch house. Every single feeling it evoked in me that I didn’t expect to feel, and every thought I have about being made to feel these things so strongly after such a long time.

Modern sensibilities may be shocked by the lack of checkpointing, but it is also crucial in creating the sense of tension and danger that ripples throughout Tallon IV...Few games can do that too. Maybe the closest touchstone in that regard --though they are very different games-- is From Software’s oeuvre. The success of which can only be a boon for Prime’s ethereal brilliance and a good sign for the upcoming and long-awaited Metroid Prime 4.

Intelligent Systems has produced some fine games for Nintendo over the years; Awakening can proudly sit next to fellow strategy gem Advance Wars as the studio’s best work to date.

Denser, deeper and more intricate than its predecessors, it’s a sequel that understands refinement isn’t simply a case of adding more, even if it’s arguably as generous and complete a package as we’ve seen from Nintendo in a while. Yes, it’s a game about multitasking, forward planning and time management, but it’s also a game where you command sentient carrots to headbutt a crawfish to death. Ah, the joy of simple pleasures.

D-Pad Studio has crafted a sublime, pitch-perfect adventure. Smart, gripping, joyful and expansive, Owlboy sets the bar sky-high for future 2D platformers.

Sekiro is a game that, for better and worse, lays down an almost belligerent challenge. Keep playing, by all means, if you can handle it. Such fierce difficulty will not come as a surprise to veterans of From’s previous games Dark Souls and Bloodborne, of course, and will likely relish Sekiro’s propensity to kill you often and without mercy. Few games task you so harshly or dare to drive you to such frustration, but few games are as rewarding or exhilarating when you succeed.

A wonderful, startlingly complete package tailored for the single player. In these days of multiplayer crowbarred into any old game, it's a relief, a bold statement of intent that Rocksteady have created such a supremely focused but hugely expansive video game. It's a brave, committed, confident piece of work.

Despite the grim set-up, The Ballad Of Gay Tony is an altogether more upbeat affair than The Lost And Damned. The location is far more glamorous as most of the DLC's action forsakes Liberty City's dour ghettos and docile suburbs for the glitzy island of Algonquin (or Manhattan to you).

Half-life 3 this ain’t, then. But Alyx might actually be something better: an awe-inspiring amalgamation of atmospherics and immersion which does for VR gaming what its forebears did for the first person shooter genre all those years ago. And while it’s a shame the steep price of entry will prevent a significant number of fans from experiencing its majesty, those who do will likely emerge from this most sensational form of self-isolation with their view of the world altered forever.

The underwater controls are sublime, the soundtrack by Austin Wintory is perfect; choral swells and orchestral build-ups, a real sense of place and spirituality. If exploring an underwater paradise and uncovering a fantastic story appeals to you, then give this stunning little gem a go.

The Witness is a game that will genuinely have you punching the air or laughing out loud, just from correctly drawing a line on a grid. If that isn’t the mark of a truly special game, I don’t know what is.

What a pleasure it is to find a video game with such warmth and fascination with companionship. And what a joy it is for it to be found in a game with such an elegant sense of exploration. Some of its technical quirks cannot be ignored -errant frame-rates and inept camerawork especially- and some may find Trico’s capriciousness anathema to seamless adventure. But that is also what makes him and The Last Guardian so remarkable. Things that any animal lover can relate to - it is beautiful, heartfelt, unique and infuriating. And I adore it.

Beyond the initial threat of difficulty there waits a remarkable combination of accessibility and challenge, of risk and reward, punishment and empowerment.

For anyone else interested in or already on board with RTS games, Starcraft II isn't just an amazing, it's required reading.

If you’ve been waiting for Fallout 4, it will simultaneously meet your expectations and exceed them in others. Who would have thought a Fallout game would convince us of Bethesda’s storytelling and shooter credentials? In a year full of brilliant open-world games like The Witcher 3, it manages to stand apart from the crowd and deliver something that feels fresh, despite its familiar foundations.

The smart trade-off between rollicking action and exploration makes for a cohesive, confident and satisfying adventure. Where Lara Croft goes from here will be fascinating, but rarely has a game's title been so apt.

Every single aspect of Hyrule Warriors is great fun and utterly compelling. I've easily been losing hours at a time to it. Everything it tries to do, it pulls off with aplomb; there's not a single aspect I've disliked, or found to be a misstep.

Modern Warfare 2 crosses into the must-have category of video games effortlessly. It offers an unmatched shooter experience, a compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth.

That a Resident Evil 4 remake is expectedly brilliant is a tough stick to beat it with. But while it might not have that extraordinary sense of upgrade that Resident Evil 2 did, it is important to realise what it represents. Resi 4 was the main driver of the third-person action revolution - the moderniser-in-chief. That its influence has come full circle into its own remake should be no surprise. What does shock, perhaps, is that even after all these years and all its myriad versions is that Resident Evil 4 still hasn’t been bettered. A smartly-executed upgrade has only thrown that into sharper focus. And, particularly for those that haven’t played it before, this is as essential as video games get.

Super Mario Maker’s chaotic smorgasbord is part of its appeal. Wild, unbridled and even inspiring, Super Mario Maker achieves the envious feat of making both Play and Creation a joy. And all it had to do was remove the barrier between the two.

God of War: Ragnarok manages to wrangle the best of blockbuster gaming under its muscular control. Spectacle. Excitement. Empowerment. And, well, we all know how that feels, don’t we?

It is one of the most fascinating games you’ll play this year, or any other, a high-profile game that still dares to go against the grain despite its ever growing popularity.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fallout 3 is how effortlessly it combines so many gameplay mechanics, storylines, characters, expansive environments and complex in-game intricacies into one fluid package.

With a game this broad and lengthy, there’s more to discuss than I could fit in one review, but suffice it to say, this a game that Nintendo have clearly worked incredibly hard to get right. It shines at every moment, from the wind rustling through the trees, to the sunset glinting off the water to the jaunty tunes at the start of the day fading into more relaxing melodies in the evening. Add dozens of much needed quality of life features (hello player customisation, autosave, couch co-op, and eight-player online play) and it all adds up to the perfect DIY recipe for the most chilled out, relaxing, and engaging life simulator ever.

Destiny 2 is more accomplished, more rewarding and more fun than its predecessor ever was and that’s a hugely impressive achievement. Years ago, when Bungie first announced the series, they promised a 10 year journey. The first game failed to deliver that dream, but with Destiny 2 we have moved a hell of a lot closer.

There were no doubts that Doom would play fast, look stunning, or be gory; the surprise is that Doom is as relevant, smart and self-aware as it is; merging old ideas with new ones; injecting its near-flawless shooter mechanics into a campaign that’s impeccably refined, hilariously dumb and fiendishly moreish.

It would be disingenuous to suggest that The Last of Us is immune from blockbuster video game excess --the total number of kills at the final stats page will still run into the many hundreds-- but it’s one of the few games to try and make some kind of sense of it without compromising its quality of action...In that, and so many other things, The Last of Us is a triumph.

A brilliant touch is the option to turn on a feature that allows Live/PSN players to challenge you even when you’re playing the singleplayer modes. In this era of home entertainment, it’s the closest you can get to someone coming up to challenging you in an arcade. The competition is likely to be ferocious and the fight for online supremacy is likely to continue for many, many years.

Every choice, every death and every shot feels like it counts in XCOM 2 and it is this feeling of real consequence that makes for a truly remarkable strategy game - one that goes beyond its clever design decisions and the odd technical hiccup to create a tangible sense purpose and real emotion to your squad’s story. As an experience that puts you in control, lets you relish victories, forces you to truly mourn mistakes, and allows you to grow as a tactician against insurmountable odds, XCOM 2 is near faultless.

On the surface, Horizon seems like a jumble of influences but, just like the murderous machina wandering its lands, the game is far more than its component parts, delivering a gripping story, satisfying combat, and the most gorgeous video game environments I’ve ever seen. Horizon confidently carves out an identity of its own in an overpopulated genre.

As ever, the depth of the game is truly breathtaking.

A brilliantly solid, popcorn, sci-fi shooter with you behind the visor. This is, for our future space credits, the best Call of Duty package in years.

It's probably the most brilliantly conceived and well-executed expansion pack of its type and it sets the bar amazingly high for all future DLC. The sheer volume of content is staggering, and while cynics may argue about whether it was worth $50 million, we are delighted to report that it's a steal at the paltry 1600 (£13.60) points required to download it from Xbox Live.

However you choose to approach Dishonored, it's a game that asks you to think, plan, be smart. It's a wonderfully empowering game because of this, as you lurk in the shadows knowing the powers you possess and the options you have. It's elegantly designed to make the most of those tools, but isn't afraid of changing the rules in order to keep its (admittedly quite predictable) story bubbling along.

The charm, inventiveness and knowing nods to Mario heritage bring constant smiles, and it's not only a superb Mario game but a fantastic advert for the hardware it appears on. A perfect starting point for newcomers to the series, or a nostalgic throwback for Mario die-hards that still manages to be incredibly contemporary. Whichever category you fall into, one thing's for sure; handheld platforming simply does not get better than this.

Imaginators captures a magic that I’ve rarely felt since my late childhood, playing the aforementioned N64 platformers on a Winter’s afternoon. This is how you do games for younger people, this is how you do Toys to Life, this is how you do action platformers in general.

This is a game unlike any other. Incomparable, yet instantly accessible. The best Nintendo games have a marvelous knack of building the perfect worlds for the perfect heroes and this is the foundation on which Luigi's Mansion is built. Cracking.

It's [a] tough and punishing game, but in the best way possible. Every loss compels you onward in the war and the story. Where most games are frustratingly punishing, XCOM delivers a masterclass in challenge and escalation.

Year Walk is a small but perfectly formed piece of digital entertainment that shows there’s much more to iOS than endless runners and free-to-play timewasters. A game this distinctive, this different, this thrillingly new is the best possible demonstration of the format’s versatility; indeed, of the narrative power of the interactive medium.

Generations refines and perfects the Monster Hunter formula, and presents us with comfortably the best title in the series' history.

No video game released this Christmas runs contrary to prevailing fashion as hard or fast as Dark Souls. And no video game is quite so exciting or exhilarating.

Every time you open your 3DS to play New Leaf, you know you’re almost certain to experience something new or surprising. And how many games can you say that about?

Whether you're new to this unique pairing or you've played one or both before, this splendid collection is pretty much a compulsory purchase.

It makes for a relentlessly entertaining and often heart-thumpingly thrilling campaign that would be easy enough to recommend on its own.

Will I ever understand such faith? No. But now I understand how much it can help people through something so unspeakably tragic. While nothing can ever bring back their little boy, I am glad the Greens had that faith. And I am glad they were brave enough to share it with us.

For our money, it's the best portable eight-track available and one of the best reasons to put your PSP in your bag before the commute to work.

True, it’s flawed, occasionally messy, and could do with being a little more accommodating to beginners. It also happens to be one of the boldest and most original visions on any system this year, and surely cements Hideki Kamiya’s place among the great game creators of his generation.

The achievement of Monster Hunter: World, however, is that by the time these more archaic foibles become an issue you will already be in too deep. Any issues melt away as you leap whooping from your seat, punching the air after you slay a giant beast while on your last sliver of health. In Monster Hunter: World, those heart-pounding epiphanies happen with thrilling regularity.

BJ’s latest adventure is a wondrous exercise in how to tell a story, how to write a script, and how to shape characters that feel both human and superhuman simultaneously. It really is amazing that a big budget game like this got made at all. Thank goodness MachineGames got the chance – it’s one of this decade’s best.

A feast of driving that sets out to sate whatever vehicular desire you may have from minute-to-minute. It can’t be perfect, perhaps, but it is a real pleasure.

Bloodborne is one of those experiences that totally consumes you when you're involved in it and working to see all that it has to offer. In that sense it's the digital edition of a round-the-world trip to foreign continents, each turning of a corner providing equal helpings of excitement and trepidation. That recipe brings it own rewards by simply being a part of it, the seemingly effortless delivery indicative of a design team and philosophy that is only getting sharper.

There is a saunter and character to its roster, to its stages that fizz and crumble under the weight of battle, it is kinetic and fun and easy to get into. And it might just be your new favourite fighting game... even if you have never played one before.

Grand Theft Auto V is the pinnacle of open-world video game design and a colossal feat of technical engineering. It takes a template laid down by its predecessors and expands upon it, improving on and streamlining some of its rougher aspects. It doesn’t break out of that template and can be brash, nasty and nihilistic. But for all its more unsavoury aspects, this is a game built with skilled mechanical expertise and creative artistry.

By tearing up the rule book and breaking new ground, Game Freak has created the best Pokémon title in decades.

You will rarely find a game that offers such phenomenal value for money, even at full price I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It's an exciting reinvention for a heroine whose light has unfortunately faded in recent years; an exciting parade of action, puzzling and exploration elegantly crafted with fresh direction, all while retaining that familiar Tomb Raider ethos.

Playdead's Inside is fiercely intelligent, exquisitely grotesque - and one of the best video games of the year.

Modern Warfare 3 is a shining example of refinement and improvement. It's familiar, sure, but here familiarity doesn't breed contempt, just respect and reward for those who've dedicated so much time to the series. And for new players, it's the perfect starting point, more accommodating and encompassing than ever...A game which is undoubtedly going to be played for a long, long time to come, and deservedly so.

If you’re a veteran player, after a jolting transition this is the best the game has ever been. If you’re new - this is the best thing available to play on console. Let’s pretend it’s always been this good.

The best change is an interesting contradiction that gives you more control, while taking some away.

In 2005 Shadow of the Colossus was a masterpiece and that remains so in 2018. This is one of the greatest games ever made and is an accolade that shows no sign of being detached from its monumental presence.

For all of its complexities under the hood, Deathloop is Arkane’s most accessible game yet and elicits constant satisfaction. The action is a pleasure, while its main drive has you constantly picking up pieces of an unknown puzzle that are pieced together in separate chunks, before the frisson of excitement when the full picture starts to form. What’s extraordinary is how Arkane make it seem so easy. Blockbuster game-making at its smartest and most essential.

Last of Us Part II might even surpass the achievements of its predecessor. For while it inevitably lacks that first game’s shock of the new, it instead trades on the player’s familiarity with its characters and their backstories to take them somewhere equally unexpected. And while it may lose its focus a little in the penultimate reels, Last of Us II eventually lands an emotional punch that will be felt long after the credits roll.

Despite the non-numerical title suggesting a complete do-over, God of War is thrillingly different. This is more redemption than reinvention, though there is plenty of that too, as Sony Santa Monica levy the weight of Kratos’ past in one of the most gorgeous, spectacular and impactful blockbusters of the generation.

It's a work of masterful craft, mechanically constructed with military precision, artistically wrapped in a tremendous story and environment. Most impressively, its achievements feel effortless.

Modern Warfare 2 crosses into the must-have category of video games effortlessly. It offers an unmatched shooter experience, a compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth.

Its unruly attitude is its calling card, the manic beating heart that its exquisite combat is built around. And if this sounds like a good time, then Bayonetta 3 could well be the most fun you have with a video game all year.

Learning, improving, mastering. Three tenets Super Street Fighter IV is built on, its greatest strengths and the reason for its existence. Without them, it’s a game that would have never been made. Without them the games industry would stand still. Super Street Fighter IV embodies that ethos. Another defining moment for Capcom’s world warriors.

The action is superb, the story is one of gaming’s best, the atmosphere and tone are easy to get lost in, and the soundtrack is a marvel, with the end game credits song being one of the best in existence. It’s been a ridiculously packed year for quality games, and with certain bigger open world games out there right now it might be easy to skip NieR: Automata, but you owe it to yourself to play this. An incredible sequel to one of gaming’s strangest, most flawed masterpieces.

An extraordinary piece of work, with things to say about pacing, writing, world-building and the communication of emotion that feel profoundly valuable to the industry...Its sense of purpose is overwhelming.

With Battle Mode restored, the bumper pack of tracks and the neat nips and tucks, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the fullest and most finely-tuned entry the series has seen. As well it should be. While there can be legitimate eyebrow-raising at full price for a three year old port, there is enough work here to offer value to even the most seasoned MK8 player. And crucially for Nintendo and the Switch, it is a splendid celebration of its host console’s charms.

In its exhilarating mix of chaos and control, Rocket League is as good a multiplayer game as any this year.

That the action in The Last of Us stays contextual to its narrative and characters is no mean feat either, no cognitive dissonance here, and the lines between the game and its story are usually non-existent. And it is a fabulous story, riffing on Cormac McCarthy and other bleak post-apocalyptic fiction but keeping its own identity through its characters.

For a game made by a team of any size, Mind: Path to Thalamus would be incredibly impressive. For a game made by such a small independent team, it's a masterstroke. Stunning, intelligent, fun, with wonderful puzzle mechanics and a thought provoking denouement, Mind: Path to Thalamus is a game that deserves to be remembered for a long time to come.

Any gripes with the action are washed away when the narrative flexes it considerable muscle. It’s a fabulous piece of storytelling, thick with foreshadowing to a gut-punch of a finale. Most importantly, like BioShock before it, Infinite could only work as a video game, finessing the art of player agency and interaction. Proof positive that with the right talent and drive, games can plough their own narrative furrow. And excel at it.

Bayonetta’s unashamedly a video game, but it’s also unashamedly Japanese, a celebration of the unique exuberance that characterises the country’s long-standing approach to video game craft. What’s the phrase? “Only in Japan?” Sometimes that’s true, and the rest of the world can only look on in envy.

It is a fantastic example of how to combine the numbers-driven loot game with a top class FPS, and Lo Wang should be chainsawing his way into the annals of FPS history. Plus it also has music by Stan Bush. What more could you want from a blood-soaked, irreverent, funny and frantic shooter?

Perhaps MGSV’s best quality is how in pulling gameplay to the foreground and letting much of the exposition remain optional, it opens it up to be enjoyed by people who have in the past been put off by its weirdness, serving as both the perfect entry point and a satisfying conclusion. MGSV takes the best of a great series and creates a series’ best in the process.

One of the most exciting titles available. It is, in short, a game any sort of player – casual or hard-core – will take a shine to.

It’s not the most difficult of games, as Kirby titles generally aren’t, but it is enormous fun, and up there as one of my all-time favourite 3DS titles.

One of the most exciting titles available. It is, in short, a game any sort of player – casual or hard-core – will take a shine to.

Chime Sharp is maybe a tiny bit bare bones compared to its competitors, with no multiplayer and fairly short round times, but the focused precision really suits the game here, and it’s nonetheless a fantastic chillout puzzle game, one I highly recommend.

It is mechanics that glue Black Ops 4 together, then, rather than any particular theme, which helps each component drill down into what its good at. The competitive multiplayer can afford to be break-neck at all times, because you can happily nick off and play the more languid, tense and tactical Blackout.

Extraordinarily good.