With splotchy, shimmering visuals and stunning reactive jazz albums that play along to your every charge, swipe and limb-separating bash, this gorilla escape simulator looks, feels and sounds amazing in equal measure, and it all combines for an uncomplicated but addictive good time.

Though the game only takes a few hours to play through, the multiple layers of story — which each unlock additional meaning in the others once uncovered — make for a groundbreaking narrative system unlike anything else. But more impressive is the emotional impact of the stories themselves, not just the tale of a crisis aboard a space station and the perils of corporate-controlled AI, but the intertwining stories of six people's lives, loves and losses.

With an amazingly addictive battle system, interesting stories and a beautiful world that I wanted to (and was encouraged to) explore inch of, this is a special adventure that feels like playing a classic Final Fantasy for the first time, but with the gameplay and presentation benefits of an extra 20 years or so of progress.

The PSP's lack of dual analog sticks has handicapped other action games, but Dark Mirror copes admirably. Players can control the camera, quickly access weapons and gadgets, kick open doors and change stance with ease.

A triumphant survival horror blockbuster with strong replay appeal, but some players will lack the patience to cope with its considerable demands.

Frequent gags, sharp dialogue and attention to detail richly reward those willing to explore and experiment.

Many have tried and failed to craft an accessible and satisfying turn-based strategy game in the years since Nintendo abandoned Advance Wars, but Wargroove is near perfection. From the slick animation and funny writing to the deep tactics and diversity of play options, this is more than just a throwback or homage.

From the depth of its world-building and its gratifying combat to the unexpected twists of its story and a handful of truly unforgettable kaleidoscopic fighting sequences, this is an inspired game that manages to match its crazy, beautiful, otherworldly storytelling with action that's every bit as good.

Echoes of Wisdom marks a welcome change in protagonist and introduces a brilliant new approach to items and combat, but it’s otherwise business as usual for the series; this is a beautiful, joyful and surprising fantasy world to explore, with just the right mix of nostalgia and innovation. It's a stellar debut for a new heroine (despite her name being in all the series titles), and an instant classic.

Car handling is demanding, but beginners can instantly have fun, thanks to helpful driving assists and generous early prizes.

Few games are this fresh or entertaining.

While it's not quite as epic as "GTA:SA," the combat within Mercenaries is more focused and polished, thanks to tight controls, amazing graphics and clever physics.

Beautifully strange and gleefully morose, What Remains of Edith Finch is a singularly amazing work of video game magical realism. Though brief and lacking any gameplay challenge, this is an incredibly special game by virtue of its narrative and creativity alone.

With a bottomless well of rules to learn and secrets to uncover, the endless satisfaction of making it further and further as your knowledge grows, and the looming spectre of death always just a second of lapsed judgement or a quirk of cosmic fate away, Spelunky 2 strikes a perfect balance of incredible complexity and endearing charm to create a replayable package anyone can enjoy.

And whether you are tooling around with a giant bowling ball or bringing a mob boss to justice in record time, Xbox Live support lets two friends run riot side by side.

While it has some notable but minor flaws, it's hard to argue that Red Dead Redemption 2 is not a masterpiece. The end result of the meticulous detail, wonderful writing and stunning looks is an open world that sets a new bar for believability, and a time and place I can't stop thinking about or wanting to be a part of.

There's not a dud song in Legends, so this is easily the most consistent SingStar game so far, even if it might be geared a little more to thirtysomethings.

So tense that it doesn't fit the typical definition of fun: it's actually a very stressful experience. But the gameplay is so compelling you will be forced to keep scaring yourself senseless until you make it to the final scene.

Considering the complexities of building this type of game, it's nothing short of a miracle that World of Warcraft and its land of orcs and goblins has been launched so successfully.

While the deeply relatable narrative, sketchy art and evocative music could all conceivably be delivered in a short film, it's the brilliant metaphors of the touchscreen play that make Florence truly special. It's breathtaking and emotionally affirming little game.

This is by far the nicest iteration of the game to date, with both more guided objectives and more options for self-led tomfoolery, wrapped in a much higher definition version of the familiar rustic-meets-plushies visual and audio motifs.

Squadrons' gameplay core is finely tuned, and its spectacle layer nails the Star Wars illusion. Perhaps in a few months I'll long for a meatier suite of modes and maps, but, in the heat of battle, Rebel and Imperial pilots haven't had an experience this engaging since the Nintendo GameCube era.

Momentum might not be important to the AC series anymore thanks to its shift towards RPG-lite but its other original key pillar, history, is utilised better than ever here. Not the specifics of what once happened, but the depiction of life elsewhere, elsewhen, and how well that is incorporated into core gameplay loops. With a clearer, more deliberate focus on the past in Valhalla, the series' future is bright.

The Outer Worlds is a well-written, novel, gorgeous roleplaying game, made for today using some of yesterday's best tricks. If you fall into the trap of using fast travel it can feel like ticking off to-do list items instead of adventuring. But if you force yourself to slow down and let the sharp dialogue, otherworldly vistas, and intriguing characters work their magic, it's one of the best roleplaying experiences of the last few years.

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.

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.

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.

Dark and dirty but also full of fun and discovery, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is rife with jungle mysteries, embellished history, gratifying puzzles and Lara Croft's personal struggles. With more open world exploration, more climbing, more tombs and more options for combat, it's a familiar but improved adventure and a gripping conclusion to the trilogy.