Raw and emotional, though let down by some annoying or wonky design issues, Sea of Solitude is a worthwhile and beautiful journey through loneliness and regret.

Serving as both a quirky Zelda spinoff and a sequel to 2015's rhythm-action indie hit Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule is a polished and charmingly inventive game sure to appeal to fans of either franchise. From the Rougelike dungeon and item design to the inspired musical remixes, this crossover has worked out better than anyone could have expected.

The modernisation of the visuals, music and customisation options are top notch, but the actual play has managed to resist being brought to the current decade at all. This means casual kart fans might find the game unfairly cruel, but old fans will appreciate the fact that it stays true to the spirit of the original in that regard.

This is a stunning celebration of all things Super Mario, from the music and the art to the characters and items, and it's also a great social tool that uses the ubiquitous language of running and jumping to share gameplay and narrative ideas between players worldwide. It has lost a bit of its weird edge since last time, but it's also gained a lot more variety and much more substantial systems for sorting stages and playing with friends.

A bare-bones but substantial package, this celebration of the first decade or so of the storied franchise will be extremely welcome for old-school fans, and makes an excellent starting point for new players.

With super-satisfying combat and an ever-growing arsenal of weapons, powers and abilities, Rage 2 is one of the best-feeling singleplayer shooters around. Its inconsistent tone, ho-hum story and uninspired open world missions keep if from achieving true greatness, but it never stops being a whole lot of fun in the moment.

Interesting co-operative strategies and deep customisation sets this mascot racer apart, but it's not without its share of potholes.

With a deep but logical fighting system, heaps of gruesome over-the-top violence and a lovably insane cinematic story mode, Mortal Kombat 11 is an excellent fighting game that should have something for just about every fan of the series, let down only somewhat by a greasy and convoluted customisation system driven by loot boxes and grinding.

Rather than focus on what it does well, Days Gone does everything. Despite some great tech and compelling core ideas, especially when it comes to its battles against massive enemy hordes, a dull and repetitive open world structure makes Days Gone a chore.

A calm but challenging puzzle adventure filled with minimalist charm and surprisingly loveable quadrilateral characters, Boxboy! + Boxgirl! is filled to the brim with laid-back problem-solving goodness whether you're playing alone or with a friend. A brilliant Switch debut for Nintendo's most understated mascot.

My Time at Portia is a slow game, to the point that digging around in the mines or waiting for bronze plates to smelt can be mind-numbing. But in a way its builds are kind of like knitting; repetitive and slow but visibly building towards a satisfying, tangible product. Plus, there's enough surprise in the living world, the creepy mines and dungeons and the wide fields to keep things from getting too stale for too long.

Mechstermination Force has a cutesy look but an unmistakably retro feel, and will speak to those who like to throw themselves at a challenge again and again until they understand it well enough to complete it blindfolded. The difficulty is balanced by some brilliant designs and an overall charming package that's much friendlier than the robots it houses.

Distilling everything that's made the series great to this point and offering a razor sharp modern take on the combo-heavy character action genre that DMC helped instigate, Devil May Cry 5 is a juvenile-yet-very-adult game for those who like their monsters grotesque, their combat stylish and their demon-hunting boys and girls dumb but outrageously sexy.

Combined with the familiar and accessible action, the unexpected and delightful handmade stages in Yoshi's Crafted World not only give a new context for many old favourite Mario enemies and Nintendo ideas, they inspire a spark of childish creativity and wonder as well.

Funny and inventive, free from challenge or punishments and with just enough content and collection to keep you engaged, Epic Yarn is one of the prettiest and finest stress-free platformers around. The 3DS version makes some sacrifices, but it's just as heart-warming.

A brilliant expansion of the Metro saga, Exodus connects sections of familiar claustrophobic, immersive horror with a beautiful semi-open world and a new twist on the fantastic and oppressive retro future vibe.

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.

Back in the Groove might satisfy series fans that just want some new toys to play with, but the sluggish speed and obtuse design of the dated original remains.

Even at its best Crackdown 3 feels like a big chest of explosive, physics-driven toys to play with in a playground that's left wanting.

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.

The new Resident Evil 2 is everything the original was; tense, scary, brilliant and filled with secrets and additional content to find. But it's also a game perfectly suited to 2019, not just because of its cutting edge look and sound; but because we don't get games like this anymore, and that's a shame.

Pikuniku is a game that's light on content but huge on charm and creativity. The locations and characters in the brief adventure mode are brilliant, the goofy physics make for grin-inducing platforming and the dedicated co-op mode has some of the funniest two-player puzzling since Snipperclips. You might be left wanting more, but it's hard to argue that what's here isn't pure joy.

Playing Travis Strikes Again is an experience I'm glad I had, even if I wouldn't recommend it as a fun game. As a biting reflection of the ridiculousness of hardcore video game fans it's less successful than previous games, and its smaller scale makes the still-repetitive fighting even more dull. But the weirdness remains, and the Kafkaesque story of the Death Drive console paired with Suda51's signature takes on Japanese and American culture — plus the frequently enjoyable mish-mash of retro aesthetics — makes for a satisfyingly eccentric game unlike many others.

With a total of 164 secret-filled courses, a bunch of extra modes including the ever-addictive challenges and a small number of smart tweaks and additions, this is an incredible amount of platforming goodness in a single package. It's both the deepest and most accessible 2D Mario action you can get, as well as an endlessly enjoyable party game you can bust out with friends, and Switch is the perfect place for it.

Like a playable painting of ink and pigment, GRIS is a powerful and significant game, even if the visual art often overshadows the actual play.

With a lovely hand-drawn aesthetic and a modern, meticulous take on old-school design, Monster Boy is a smart and delightful game, both a fitting tribute and an exemplary example of the new breed of side-scrolling adventure games.

More than any previous game in the series, Ultimate seems to have taken into account the needs and desires of all players, and made it possible. Ancillary content like Spirits may not quite live up to pure fun of the main Smash mode, but then few things in video games do. And that main mode is the biggest achievement here. It's bigger and better than it ever has been before, and somehow incorporates just about everything that's come previously.

This is an immaculate remake of a set of fun, important, though imperfect games, breathing new life in Spyro's early adventures and serving as a reminder that the franchise really was great; worthy of the same fond remembering afforded to Crash Bandicoot and Banjo Kazooie.