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.

It is dense yet lean; its maps bursting with distraction but without an inch of it wasted. It is classical yet modern; drawing on the heritage of its own illustrious series while openly embracing more recent gaming trends. It is challenging yet welcoming; giving you the choice to ease yourself in or take on some of the game’s most fearsome creatures...These are just some of the reasons why, after several dozen hours of play and despite not yet seeing its quest to completion, I am convinced that it is one of the very finest video games ever made.

This is a powerhouse of a video game, one of the finest, built by people at the top of their game and under intense pressure, lest we forget. As it is, they remind us of what games can be, creating a majestic sense of place and time and allowing you to play your role in the way only this medium allows. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have another train to, er, ‘catch’.

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.

Among Thieves is not a reinvention of the genre, more a definition. A sumptuous adventure that enthrals from start to finish, a cast that you'll fall in love with and a tale that's better scripted, directed and paced than most Hollywood blockbusters. It is a testament to the extraordinary talent at Naughty Dog and a glorious celebration of what video games can be when they play to their enviable strengths.

The only thing that shocked us more was the fact that we instantly wanted to play it again from the beginning. With Mass Effect 2, BioWare have created an astonishing video game which is likely to entrance casual and hard-core players alike. The only requirement one needs to enjoy Mass Effect 2 is an inclination to become lost in its dark and wondrous universe. Oh, and perhaps a week off work.

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.

I felt like a hero at every moment, whether I was saving the princess or exploring hidden passageways or helping rediscover the lost recipe for that aforementioned cheese. But I felt like a hero not because the game told me I was but because it showed me. It showed me that my wacky ideas for building silly motorcars were clever and fun. It showed me that with a bit of bravery I could beat a swarm of enemies with nothing but sticks and stones. It showed me that I could dive off a flying island into the unknown and find my way.

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.

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.

An awe-inspiring game. The gameplay and structure may be beginning to show their age a little, but the storytelling, characters and world-building is on a par with the best the medium has to offer. It's a sprawling and engrossing experience, epic in scope and size and offering a gigantic amount of playing time. With their latest open-world game, Rockstar have produced nothing less than the finest recreation of the Wild West on a console, and one of the best video games of this year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Chinatown Wars isn’t a case of squeezing GTA onto the DS but crafting it around a console that, while not having the power of its home console brethren, has its own uniquely interesting strengths.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Minecraft is by far one of the most fascinating and progressive games ever made, both in terms of its leanings towards procedural generation and emergent gameplay, and the way it has been so openly developed. In an era where the development of most games is a closely-guarded, PR-managed secret, millions were invited to buy and play Minecraft years before it was even finished.

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.

Sure it's uncouth at times, but it stands tall as an example of just how heart-poundingly exciting games can be.

While the individual parts of Mass Effect 3 aren't perfect, the whole is a remarkable achievement. It's an adage that's true of the entire series. Each game has its flaws and do not escape criticism as standalone titles. But the commitment to the long-game reaps its own rewards for BioWare, with five years of dedication from creators and players alike coming together for a suitably heart-wrenching end to arguably the finest video game series of this generation.

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.

Every moment is a joy. As Skyward Sword progresses, each new area or item feels like The Legend of Zelda shedding some of the trappings of its past. It never veers too wildly from its time-honoured formula, but in every sense this is the freshest, most contemporary Zelda game in over a decade. An ingenious collaboration of design and motion control, the only shame is that it's taken the Wii so long to come to such fruition.

The fact that Rock Band 3 is both easy to pick up and play while offering an intricate learning tool is a remarkable thing.

There’s around eight different forms of in-game currency alone, and enough upgrades and modifiers to give even Euclid a headache trying to track all the variables. However once you fall under Hades’ spell after a couple of runs the near limitless combinations of character builds becomes bewitching.

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.

It is rip-roaring stuff. There is no great illusion here; any risk that may have been associated with Nathan Drake’s introduction a decade ago has long gone, swept away in a tide of crowd-pleasing spectacle. But Uncharted 4’s swagger makes it easy to succumb to the ride, its craftmanship, sense of adventure and willingness to open up to its players providing a potent sugar-rush of popcorn gaming pleasure.

For dedicated fans, though, such a challenge will doubtless prove appealing. Super Smash Bros Ultimate, for all its accessibility and riotous multiplayer fun, may be one of the few mainstream Nintendo games that isn’t necessarily for everyone. But that’s okay. Because in pursuing its more technical elements and providing its most substantial solo adventure yet, it's hard to see Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as anything other than a series’ best.

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

Despite being slightly on the easy side, PvZ is an absolutely stellar package, overflowing with so much charm and charisma that It's almost impossible not to be swept up in this wonderfully zany world.

But even if Forza Horizon 4 has the hallmarks of a victory lap; its flair, fun and sense of driving pleasure make it one that is richly deserved.

But despite God of War III being afraid of flying too close to the sun -lest those carefully crafted wings should melt- the journey is relentlessly exciting; a blistering spectacle told in blood and thunder. Truly epic, then. And I defy anyone to argue with the definition this time around.

Naughty Dog have rediscovered an art that seemed lost with those Hollywood adventures. Conjuring a Spielberg-esque bounce and flow, sweeping you along for the ride and, in Nathan Drake, offering a hero that's neither emo, arrogant or Shia LeBeouf. Just cocky, vulnerable and a bit handy at climbing around and kicking people in the head.

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.

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.

Forza takes its racing and cars very seriously --with painstaking attention to torque, road conditions and more tuning options than you can shake a gearstick at-- but its raison d’etre is unbridled, uncomplicated driving joy. There is a bewildering amount of stuff that populates the map: traditional races, cross-country sprints, off-road adventures, speed traps, jumps, multiplayer challenges, weekly events. You can barely drive a few yards without something to take part in or smash through. It is bewildering at first and can feel unstructured and scattergun, particularly when the game is throwing XP and rewards at you with so much abandon it's hard to keep track of it all.

There is no saving the world, here, no great evil force pervading the landscape, or a doomsday clock ticking down to inevitable destruction, with only you to stand in its way. The story of Wild Hunt is a personal one, set in a huge and unrelentingly beautiful world.

With Forza Motorsport 3 Turn 10 have made great strides towards accessibility, but have managed to do so without compromising what remains the most open, detailed and enjoyable racing simulation on the market.

With a series of combat and stealth challenge rooms with online leader boards rounding off the package, Arkham Asylum is a brilliantly polished and wholly engrossing prospect. Few licensed titles have captured so authentically and completely the ethos of its inspiration as Arkham Asylum.

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.

The art, too, is wonderfully realised, both making the world a dangerous but curious place, and giving a great deal of life to the characters. Just look at Clementine's expressiveness even without words. It plays right into the hands of its comic book counterpart, and leaves the game anything but lifeless.

It is perhaps not the most comprehensive set of online options, with Nintendo still looking like they are feeling their way with online multiplayer. But there are flashes of inspiration, such as the involving spectator mode. But most importantly, Smash’s online mode works beautifully well.

Some will find Journey too slight and too sparse an experience to justify the asking price. And that's fine, it deliberately speaks to an audience that will fall head-over-heels for its painterly style and worthy metaphors. But whatever camp you fall into, never say Journey isn't a video game. While it is one of the most expressive and unique titles of the medium, it is a video game. A magnificent one. Embrace it.

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.

Device 6 is a short game, polished off in a couple of hours, but its effects will linger. Its narrative is sharp and engrossing and its style, while drawing on influences as disparate as Lost and Kafka, is quite unlike anything else.

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.

Blood and Wine is an expansion that’s more generous with its content than some full priced games, and the fact that CD Projekt Red has maintained such a consistent level of quality across both of its expansions is really remarkable.

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.

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.

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

And when you can create your own movies (including voice acting), upload a top-down shooter in the style of Zombies Ate My Neighbours, or take down a giant robot by throwing jam in its face, what's the occasional floaty jump between friends?

The fact that Rock Band 3 is both easy to pick up and play while offering an intricate learning tool is a remarkable thing.

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.

It is a suitably bonkers introduction and wastes no time getting to the nub of the game: that glorious combat. It hasn’t lost any of its shine. A system of extraordinary layers, the combat begins as a thing of simplicity with buttons for punch, kick, shoot and dodge. It then unfurls itself as you play, teaching through action.

The fact that Rock Band 3 is both easy to pick up and play while offering an intricate learning tool is a remarkable thing.

If you haven't played Broken Sword before, its delightful -if occasionally idiosyncratic- puzzling and terrific script should send it hurtling to the top of your 'must download' list.

While it contains some excellent ideas, the manager mode needs a lot of work, and it's not clear at this stage whether its list of problems can or will be fixed with a downloadable patch. It's really this that holds the game back from earning a higher score at this stage, and this is a real pity, because there isn't any football title that can compete with FIFA 10's superb core gameplay engine.

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.

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.

Killzone 2 is not a revolution. It was never intended to be. However, it would be folly to disregard its importance, both to the PS3 and the console FPS. It’s a refinement of the genre, distilled to its purest and polished to a glittering shine.

Halo is their story, and with Reach you feel they have just closed the book. It may not have the lasting impact of Combat Evolved, but as a refinement of the idea --the essence-- of Halo, it is their finest work yet.

Welcoming, slick and meticulously built in order to give its audience what it most desires. Because whether it's the feel of the road, the fury of competition or good old fashioned wish fulfilment, Forza 4 really does have you covered.

This is a game of refinement, not reinvention...Gears of War 3 has nothing new to say to its audience, only more lavish and breathless adjectives to throw our way. It is, at times, nothing short of spectacular, and there is a robustness and polish to every aspect of the game that makes it consistently enjoyable. But for the series and the studio that crafted it, it's time to pursue novelty once again.

Another terrific, if overly familiar, entry into the Zelda canon. It may not always match the epic sweep of its home console brethren —this is the leanest Zelda that I can remember— but its compact dungeons and fat-free exploration are perfect for a handheld. This is the best portable Zelda yet.

This is a remarkable, progressive, absorbing game, one sure to prompt fervent discussion among its players, no two of whom will have shared the same experience. Your actions and deductions may not lead to a virtual arrest or conviction, but the curiosity of your inner Columbo will surely have been sated.

The silliness helps tie together Resident Evil 2’s combination of genuine terror with baroque puzzles and excessive action, making sure that it is frightening but always fun. It has always been the ethos that has made Resident Evil such an enduring survival-horror success for over twenty years. This remake captures it perfectly, but makes sure it has plenty of fresh tricks up its sleeve to ensure it has as much of an impact on the here and now.

While Vaas is one of the best video game baddies in some time, with fabulous dialogue performed with unsettling verve, he is not the star. The island that lies behind him is...Rook Island is a magnificent creation.

Assassin’s Creed II rarely gets the blood-pumping as much as some of the more visceral games of this year manage, instead opting for an air of odd serenity. Rather than bludgeoning you with a frontal assault on the senses, the beauty and elegance of the setting and gameplay washes over you, holding your attention completely.

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.

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.

Trials Evolution is a must-have for Trials die-hards, and a perfect, comprehensive starting point for the uninitiated.

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.

There may be teething problems in adjusting to its nuances, and there's certainly room for refinement, but FIFA 12 is unquestionably a change for the better. There's still potential for an even more improved game of football then, but this is a huge stride to fulfilling it.

This is an accomplished remake of a great game, but it doesn’t necessarily shake the cobwebs off in the same way that Resident Evil 2 did. But perhaps that’s because it didn’t need to; retaining the ghoulish sense of place and suffocation that makes the Ishimura such a horrible place to visit.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a terrific and affecting bout of escapism. Its ‘Metroidvania’ roots reach deep - those that remain unmoved by this style of 2D action aren’t likely to find anything revelatory. But its aura and execution is a thing of beauty.

Limbo is a game that cheerfully deals in oxymoron, its awful beauty framing macabre humour. But for all its disparate elements, for all the varied puzzles and shifts in tone, there lies a game of a single, unwavering vision.

Both more terrifying and more fun to play than its incredibly impressive predecessor. Dead Space 2 is not – and never could be – a game to suit everyone's taste, but if you're a player willing to risk a few nightmares for the chance to immerse yourself in pure terror, it's one of the best horror games available for this generation of consoles.

A fantastic port of an already exceptional game. With Independence FM making it unique and a price tag that is less than a third of its hand-held rivals, there is no reason not to get downloading this app which is sure to keep you entertained far beyond your journeys to and from work.

One of the best strategy games released all year, and once it's installed be prepared to lose many hours of your life to the quest of global domination.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 fascinating game. Through the seemingly endless collisions and alliances between the game's factions, you constantly find yourself placed into unplanned yet unique situations, and forced to make unpleasant choices.

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.

Hearts of Stone succeeds in stringing together several intriguing stories, excellent characters and standout moments in quick succession, and very little of it feels like a retread of quests that main protagonist Geralt has already undertaken.

If you've never played PVZ before on any platform, then purchasing it is a no-brainer because it's hands down one of the best video games ever made for any platform.

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