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.