It is, however, a considerable improvement on the existing template, to the point where it's hard to see how the series can avoid a fairly notable change in approach. This could – and perhaps should – be the swansong to the Pokémon formula we're accustomed to, but if it is then it'll go out at the very peak of its existence: teetering on the edge of feeling too familiar, sustaining an incredible feat of balance, but nonetheless still standing tall at the very top of its game.

It is a game that will make you happy whenever you think back to it, one where frustration is almost immediately replaced by a smile, and most importantly, it's a game that thrives on having fun.

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.

Still, there is something to be said for focusing on what you are good at. And in both Halo Infinite’s campaign and its superb multiplayer...343 are proving masters of the art of battle.

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 delivery may need a little work, but Gone Home’s story is one that’s well worth being a part of. It’s dense, rich, striking and moving; few games this year will leave quite such a mark, and despite a few missteps, it could well prove a watershed moment for interactive storytelling.

Players who simply wish to drink in the dreamy visuals and enjoy the cute characters will find Kirby's Epic Yarn a breezy and attractive way to while away six or so hours of their time.

This is a generous, technically excellent and genuinely fascinating omnibus.

You’ll feel every punch, grimace at every brutal knock-down and celebrate every win as if it were your last. It’s a heart-thumping, nerve-jangling gaming experience and, as a sports game, is agonisingly close to perfection. A little more finesse in its Legacy Mode could have made it an all-time classic.

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.

If you have any interest at all in platformers, 2D shooters or both, Cuphead is an absolute must-play. It is the pinnacle of the genre, and deserves to go down in history as an all-time classic.

The sheer scope of possibility is a little daunting, so it’s really to the game’s benefit that it is just so instantly addictive.

Titanfall provides a thunderously good time; an accessible yet skilful, hulking yet ferociously nimble shot in the arm for a well-populated genre.

Tribes: Ascend is a worthy successor to its forebears, bringing the same inimitable, hectic play style married to graphics that will stretch even the most capable machine.

It only remains to be said that when it comes to adventure games of this type, the God Of War series towers above other offerings in its genre.

It’s an ardently old-school video game, big on simple, challenging fun and wonderfully overblown, colourful caricatures. A gorgeous, gleeful tribute to how video games used to be.

Heart of the Swarm sits halfway between an expansion and a sequel, yes, but also halfway between casual and competitive, singleplayer and multi, offering a huge amount and not really all that much at all. It’s bombastic and reserved, overwrought and beautifully finessed.

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.

Players waiting for their shot at the throne can watch fights in the theatre, with the lovely touch of having your Xbox avatar cheer along and even mark the winner out of ten at the end of a bout. Unfortunately King of the Hill can suffer from appalling lag at times, reducing its quirky appeal in comparison to the smoother one-on-one fights.

It’s a terrific journey, culminating in a moment that weds narrative and mechanics to captivating effect. It is something of a shame that Brothers doesn’t entirely capitalise on its central gameplay idea, but it never truly fumbles it either.

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.

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.

An absolute delight.

Black Flag is a good game not because of its meandering plot or lumbering main missions, but because of its invigorating interpretation of swashbuckling on the high seas. A thrilling pirate’s life for us.

As a happy note of homage to the 90s classics, Joe Danger will especially appeal to everyone who grew up during the same period – though its delights are universal. Its frustrations never compromise the sense of fun.

A terrific compromise that brings action and story together in a fabulous work of craftmanship and sky-high production values. So it may not have the scope of Rockstar's most famous oeuvre, but it more than makes up for that in focus, detail and raw thrills.

My word, this is very, very good horror. It is perhaps understandable that Capcom have held back as it ensures that, as Takeuchi ordered, Resident Evil is returned to its core. In that, 7 is a success, providing a rich, atmospheric and reverent chiller that is just silly enough to make sure we are all having fun.

It's an incremental jump over NHL11, then, and NHL12's newest periphery additions perhaps don't fire as they should. However, it's an incremental jump over a game that was ruddy marvellous in its own right.