The Xbox 360 version Icon tested features 12 beautifully recreated courses, astonishingly realistic player animation and convincing crowds that even react when you hit a wayward drive in their direction.

With new monsters, a vibrant and more immersive world, seamless connectivity with other players near or far and a heap of quality of life tweaks, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are a clear generational leap.

The best new addition is a magnetic grappling device that allows Lara to move faraway items and swing across chasms. Puzzles are beautifully integrated into the environment and frustration rare.

Obsidian has created something exceptionally special with Avowed. A smaller-scale Skyrim-like set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, it's an entirely accessible first-person RPG that ditches a lot of obnoxious fluff and doubles down on what makes big role-playing games great. The writing and storytelling is phenomenal, the crunchy combat lets you make a sick build whether you're into swords, axes, guns or spells, and the problems your character faces feel unexpectedly touching and relevant. It's a perfect entry into this genre for new players and the RPG-curious, but top-tier comfort food for us old-heads.

While so many retro revivals either just give the original game a coat of paint or completely remake it from the ground up, this is a return that feels like a perfect middle ground. On the one hand it does allow for some of the less good parts of the classic design to shine through (especially in the original game), but on the other hand the commitment to accuracy works to preserve a series that remains incredibly influential and often overlooked. Combined with smart touch-ups and a beautiful modern presentation, this is a blast for old Crash pros and newcomers alike.

Battling 15 online riders is absolutely thrilling, but beginners will need plenty of practice, as most will find it difficult just staying on the track.

While Mega Man 11 absolutely sticks with the same familiar fundamentals and plays just like the games of old, it also represents the biggest modernisation attempt the series has seen in decades, with a fresh style and new mechanics. There's room for improvement, but bringing this icon of the '80s back in such a convincing fashion is quite an achievement.

While this is an arcade racer, skill still plays a big role. Shifting the rider's weight, proper use of the clutch and preloading the suspension are necessary for clearing jumps and effective cornering.

Just when you become well-entrenched in the world of Eberron, the single-player campaign comes to an abrupt end. The only way to continue the fun is to get online and master the multiplayer side to the game, which is something that might not appeal to every adventurer out there.

This sequel repeats just about every mistake the original made, but in spite of that I fell in love with its sprawling world, goofy characters and thrilling aerial acrobatics all over again.

With new monsters, a vibrant and more immersive world, seamless connectivity with other players near or far and a heap of quality of life tweaks, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are a clear generational leap.

A couple of minor complaints mar this otherwise exceptional role player. Control issues, with the mouse stuttering and movement sticking, can be a little frustrating, while the game world doesn't feel quite as epic as we'd like.

The various combatants are well-balanced and there is a huge variety of vehicles and aircraft to pilot, including X-wings, TIE fighters, speeder bikes and hulking AT-STs.

Without a doubt, the best tennis game you can get your hands on at the moment. If only it came with a set of sweat bands.

A fast-paced and accessible combat game, far superior when enjoyed online with players working together during epic, frenetic battles.

EA Sports' latest offering doesn't really bring a whole lot of new elements to the table, certainly nothing as ground-breaking as the new catching mechanics that Madden 16 brought. The game is smoother, and with a few minor positive tweaks, and overall is still a fun, solid football sim. But the continuation of the story mode Longshot, which was a big deal in 18, is a huge let down here.

Excited though I am for next year's fully-fledged Gen 7 Pokemon games, which will surely return wild battles and bring a slew of new monsters, Let's Go is a worthwhile adventure in its own right, and in fact I hope the main games benefit from some of innovations in this simpler but more modern experience. The original genius at the core of Pokemon — replacing the spreadsheets and stat charts of the standard RPG with cute creatures you nurture and grow — still shines through here, it's just in a form that anyone will be comfortable playing in 2018.

But despite a wide assortment of challenges and overly generous rewards, the brief campaign is a shallow appetiser to the magnificent multiplayer action.

The addition of smart and relentless police pursuers has reinvigorated this popular driving series.

The sprawling and surprising world is absolutely the star of the show in Origami King. Whether you're sailing the high seas or working your way through a Shogun-themed amusement park, the sight gags and quips don't let up, the story has genuine heart and the crafted world is just so endlessly darling. That it's so frequently slowed or interrupted by the half-hearted battles is a real shame, but it can't stop the irrepressible charm and humour of the game at large.

This is another fun, fleeting, exceptionally good-looking Call of Duty game, but its World War II theme doesn't add much besides bringing some of its mechanics back down to Earth.

The learning curve is steep but mulling over the rules becomes part of the addictive charm.

At its core Shadow of War is a tremendous amount of fun, but its good mechanical parts are under constant threat of suffocation from its gormless framework. The player's own story of an endless struggle against (and alongside) powerful orcs is enthralling, but the game's actual narrative is a boring trudge. The loop of killing powerful enemies for new loot is a great motivator, and building your army piece by piece to take strongholds seems like a perfect fit for this game, until you hit a wall and are faced with its app-style payed-for incentives.

This ambitious game spans half a million years of human history and is so vast it could take months to explore all it has to offer.

This is the most family-friendly 360 launch title, offering an entertaining fantasy adventure with plenty of secrets and varied powers.

Empire at War hits all the right notes if you're a Star Wars fan, but be prepared to grind out your victories.

The action can be hard to follow, but fans will appreciate the realism.

Eye-opening entertainment that's like stepping inside an explosive sci-fi film.