A brilliant, hugely enjoyable racer - certainly the best on the PS3 so far - and one that we reckon no fan of the genre can afford to miss. It's deep, involving, fun to drive and an absolute blast with mates.

At just under five quid it's extraordinarily good value, there's lots of game here and the trophies hint at at least two new festival bundles, potentially expanding what's already a considerably beefy game into one that might threaten to make the rest of the line-up obsolete for some time...I love this game.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a generous and inspiring remaster, finally bringing the game’s visuals in line with its outstanding narrative. It truly feels like this is now the game Monolith Soft always intended it to be, cementing its position as one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

Supergiant Games continue to burn brightly as an independent studio, with Pyre being their latest imaginative and fantastical adventure. It casts aside many of the trappings of an action RPG from Bastion and Transistor in favour of something more akin to a real time tactical game, wrapping its fast paced and often fraught battles up in a world and cast of characters that gradually draw you into its cyclical tale.

It's a really, really good shooter - although it's a shame there's only one multiplayer mode - and we have no hesitation in recommending it for anyone remotely interested in the genre. Great stuff.

SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters' Clash was a brilliant game two decades ago, and the passage of time has done nothing to diminish that. If you’re a fan of DCCG’s, or the rosters of these two fighting game powerhouses, then Card Fighters' Clash is more or less essential.

Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent game with an engrossing story, a great lead, deep combat and a land that has so much to discover with a lot of details. This is a truly worthy successor to Ghost of Tsushima.

Daemon X Machina sets the bar for robot action games. The addictive mecha fighting is almost flawless, but it's complemented by so many other incredible parts to the game. There's a rich, unique world filled with incredible and memorable characters, endless and addictive customisation, gorgeous visuals and a jaw-dropping soundtrack. Daemon X Machina rarely stumbles, and even when it did, I still couldn't help but be impressed by this amazing new experience.

Playing Kill Knight feels like what happens if you gave a medieval peasant a bottle of soda. It's violent, and unexpected, and adrenaline-charged and fun as hell.

It's a compelling experience that takes what you'd expect from Assassin's Creed, refines it and then adds some stellar new features. And when it all ends, you'll experience the closure of old plot threads and the paving of new ones. Until that story is explored in the next game, you've still got the rest of Revelations to get on with – side quests, multiplayer, renovations, recruiting Assassins and much more.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dramatically updates this venerable and beloved series, bringing new ideas into the fold which, while seemingly taking inspiration from others, seamlessly adapts them to fit and never loses its own identity. It's refreshingly new and familiar at the same time, making for both one of the greatest launch titles and the sweetest swan songs any console could wish for.

Despite how hard this game is, that isn’t a mark against it – very much the opposite in fact. Megaman games have always been incredibly challenging and anything that tries to give the same feel as those needs to be just as difficult. 20XX does an incredible job of balancing this given its roguelike nature. It’s a worthy successor to any of the old games, it is the game that Megaman fans have been waiting for, and quite simply it does what it does spectacularly.

WET has taken the third person shooter genre and turned it completely on its head – not for everyone, but I loved every last second of it. Tarantino would be proud.

Even as a person whose grasp of fighting games is nowhere near top-tier standard, Street Fighter V is the most fun I’ve had in a fighting game in years.

Paper Beast is a beautiful experience that's only really possible in VR.

Supremely satisfying side-scrolling strategy resurfaces in SteamWorld Heist 2 for a sea-faring sequel that refines and expands on the original.

To me it seems that EA have learned their lesson from past games and have went all out to provide a game that anyone watching the World Cup will be proud of and you know what? They have succeeded.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King truly stands the test of time. Having this PS2 classic on the 3DS, despite its slightly inferior presentation, is a mind boggling feat. Each new gameplay addition or tweak is smart, not taking anything away from the original vision.

Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack brings the best of the franchise to a brand new console. Atelier Sophie is an iconic piece of the series with a brand new lease on life, Atelier Firis has unique exploration gameplay that hasn't been attempted in any other entry, and the new story content in Atelier Lyde & Suelle is a delight for longtime fans. These games have never looked better, and are a must-play for anyone interested in the Atelier series.

Amidst the glut of blockbusters at the start of 2017, The Sexy Brutale stands out as one of the most enjoyable and well-realised titles out there. Successfully evoking the feel of a classic adventure and combining it with a distinctive art style and beautiful music, it deserves to reach a wide audience. Its 8 hour playtime is consistently entertaining and full of intrigue and the final narrative payoff is satisfying. All in all, The Sexy Brutale is a perfect indie game to fill the gaps between the many sprawling epics that are demanding our gaming attention this year.

Infinite Inside is an enchanting mixed reality puzzle game, and one which merges the real world and the virtual in stunning, evocative fashion.

Cadence of Hyrule is much more than Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring a The Legend of Zelda skin. From the classic Zelda art style and staple items to the addictive, pulsating NecroDancer gameplay and soundtrack of delightful remixes, this mash-up takes the best of both worlds and combines them brilliantly.

Sega has managed to craft an incredible entry in the long-suffering franchise that is fun, fully-featured, and gorgeous. In a time for the industry where a game like Valkyria Chronicles should struggle to find footing, Sega has proved that this dark horse has many bright years ahead of it.

Halo Infinite marks a clear moment in 343 Studios’ handling of the series. They finally have a grasp on what makes Master Chief tick, and they bring all of that knowledge to bear in often-spectacular fashion. While some issues nag, it’s clear that Halo Infinite is a brilliant new entry in the series, and one that makes this particular sci-fi FPS relevant once again.

Quell Memento is just one of those puzzle titles that is pretty much perfect.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is another impressive and entertaining RPG experience from Monolith Soft. Its ever-deepening mystery plays out across one of the most beautiful fantasy landscapes of recent years, while its approach to party building and classes means that the experience continually evolves. For a game that asks questions about how you spend your time, you won’t want Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to finish.

Into The Breach is a fantastic example of how you can play around with an established genre. Taking turn-based strategy and letting you see what is about to happen changes everything about what would normally play out. The feeling of intellectual superiority you feel when you outsmart the aliens is incredible and will keep you playing through every loss you will experience. Best of all the bite-size maps fit onto the Switch so perfectly that the idea of playing it on a PC is absurd. This is a game made for a handheld, and damn is it good.

Berserk Boy is a love letter to classic platformers, but in combining its inspirations together it carves out it's own path as an incredibly promising new game and, hopefully, the first entry in an unforgettable new series.

On the one hand, you have a short, but fun single player that’s more free and open than most FPS campaign, and on the other, a multiplayer that’s an iterative improvement on an already fantastic game. In other words, Titanfall 2 is as exhilarating and refreshing now as the original was back in 2014.

FIFA is now the complete package; it combines all the licensing you could want along with graphics slicker than a Gerrard through ball and adds a match engine with more play-styles than Rafa Benitez has rotation options.

The Sly Cooper Trilogy on Vita is one of the best collections available, and it remains so much fun. Sure, the first game does seem a bit dated and repetitive, but the other two titles really open up the gameplay options.

Marvel's Spider-Man does a spectacular job of making you feel like the ultimate Spider-Man. From swinging through the city at high speed to fighting off legions of enemies by zipping between them and pulling them into the air, its gameplay looks like a scene from the films. It's remarkably well realised in terms of its world, design, and even technically, with short loading times and a rock solid framerate even on the base PlayStation 4. If Spider-Man is your thing, then this is an essential purchase.

Trails to Azure is The Legend of Heroes at its best. With some of the most enjoyable characters, jaw-dropping events and immersive world-building of the entire franchise, it's clear why this Crossbell duology has been held in such high acclaim by fans for so long. If you've struggled for ages to find the right time to get into Legend of Heroes, your wait is over — start here with Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure.

With an expanded roster that only improves on an already great lineup, fantastic gameplay, and an increased range of challenges and modes, Pokkén Tournament DX is true fighting game gold.

Vendetta Forever is a new contender for my favourite VR game. Its high speed, intense, but relatively short levels are always somewhere between very cool, very over the top, and quite funny. It's a game that's in love with old school action movies and did it darnedest to let you shoot your way through countless classic set pieces.

The user-generated content adds plenty of longevity, even beyond the promise of those six DLC packs over the next year and the new trick system – frustrating and difficult to master as it is – is a perfect fit for the game.

The Beast is the Dying Light sequel I always wanted. It's dark, literally and tonally, focuses on zombies instead of warring human factions, and expands on some of the more outlandish and interesting ideas hinted at in the original. If this is indicative of what to expect in the franchise going forward, and it certainly looks that way, then I am excited.

You can't go wrong with the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack. It's the best way to experience an already incredible trilogy of heartwarming JRPGs.

One thing that really hasn’t changed since 2010 is how Duels presents itself. The UI and playing field have been spruced up with a few fancy animations here and there but it’s still mostly the same. In truth, this isn’t such a bad thing, though if Stainless wants its series to become something more than an adaptation they need to look into adding 3D models and new effects.

Sea of Stars has clearly been made by people with a deep and abiding love of JRPGs. That level of passion is hard to mimic, and the result is a heavily playable game with morish visuals, a cracking story and deeply considered level design. However, while it is very good, it isn’t quite perfect. Combat needed to be deeper (or at least escapable) and while the dynamism was a great touch, it wasn’t enough to carry it all the way through to the end.

Aaero2 is a sci-fi slice of synaesthesia, mixing music, pattern recognition and blasting into an enveloping high-score-chasing experience.

Paradise is a wonderful game: it's inventive, confident and brilliantly produced and just shows what's possible when developers make the PS3 the lead console. If you're even remotely into racing games, this is one you can't afford to miss out on.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns exceeded my expectations to be one of my favourite games of the year. With a good Marvel story and the ability to make friends on top of excellent turn-based tactical combat systems, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a super experience.

If Total War Warhammer 3 is the beginning of the end for Creative Assembly's fantasy series, then it's going out on a high note. The game takes several steps forward in how the campaign works, how it builds toward climactic battles and then how those battles take place, and there's plenty of quality of life improvements for the Total War series as a whole.

A triumph of a game. It has depth and scale which will keep you interested for many, many hours.

In a series that is synonymous with incremental improvements, FIFA 15 manages to feel like more of an evolutionary leap.

The Switch 2’s fighting game line-up is all the better for having Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage in it. In my humble opinion, this remains one of the best fighting games of all time, and the Switch 2 version looks and feels exactly as you’d hope, letting you take your one-on-one brawling on the go.

There’s a brilliant approach to the narrative, while Ellie and Riley’s charm shines throughout, their wonder and imagination matching exactly how you’ll feel as you return to this world.

Every Atelier Ryza entry has been the best Atelier game yet, and Atelier Ryza 3 is no exception. It's the perfect final chapter for fans of Ryza and her story, but it's also the most polished and expansive exploration of the core ideals of the franchise we've seen yet – alchemy feels natural, exploration feels natural, and combat is a delightful adrenaline rush. It's sad to see my favourite tomboy alchemist go away, but if this game is any indication, the Atelier series will only get even better from here.

If you’re a fan of strong narrative experiences, Final Fantasy lore, breath-taking graphics and a particularly sassy Moogle, and you don’t mind a sprinkling of The Witcher, The Handmaid's Tale and the many accents of Old Blighty, then Final Fantasy XVI is the game for you. Heck, it might just be the best Final Fantasy yet.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a perfect entry in the series that makes for a great entry point and a standout experience in its own right. Smooth controls, fantastic level design and some perfectly judged boss battles make for one of the best 2D action-platformers you’ll find. With the extra layer of replaying levels for better ranks and the unlockable hard mode for the bravest ninjas, Ragebound provides plenty of enjoyment and challenge for those who want it, while also being approachable for newcomers.

AI: The Somnium Files has to be easily one of the best visual novels I’ve ever had the joy of playing, maybe even ranks as one of the best games I’ve played this year. With superb visuals, engaging gameplay, likeable characters, and a twist-filled story to rival that of M. Night Shyamalan, this is definitely not a visual novel to be slept on (sorry).

Tragic, powerful and thought-provoking, but also intelligent, witty and beautiful - Giant Sparrow's debut is begging to be played.

Hyper Light Drifter is a jaw-dropping experience no matter the platform you play it on. What started as an engaging masterpiece in 2016 continues to be just as rewarding and worthwhile of a video game in 2018. With the Nintendo Switch you get the valuable bonus of being able to take this journey with you anywhere you want and believe me when I say this is a journey you will not want to step away from once you start it.

More PSP exclusive content would have sealed the deal, but as it stands this is wonderful stuff.

The creation is as deep or as automatic as you want it, the online as time sapping or as casual as your heart desires – MNR is a game for everyone without ever making anyone feel left out, and in the days of hardcore first person shooters and single player epics, surely that's exactly what we all need just now?

TerraTech Legion is an excellent entry into the world of Survivors-likes, and I'm so happy that it's actually adding something new to the genre, instead of just rehashing what we've already seen. Combat and driving feel good, building feels fantastic, and there's plenty of reasons to just keep mucking around with it, even if you do manage to complete all of the missions. It's just a joy, and one you shouldn't miss out on.

A tale of high stakes con artistry in the early 1700s, Card Shark never lets up as it teaches you card trick after card trick, has you run con after con while immersing you in a conspiracy that'd make a royal blush.

Smooth combat, seamless exploration and a set of well-executed mechanics makes Lies of P an excellent Soulslike. When you add in the gorgeous visuals, desolate world design, stark sound design and engrossing story, it raises the experience above a lot of its contemporaries. All in all, although Lies of P is essentially Bloodborne featuring Timothée Chalamet, it does more than enough to mark itself out as a unique title worth your time – and I’m not lying.

If interactive narrative adventures are your thing, then you won’t find a better experience than Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! This is a glorious achievement, epic in scope, crammed full of meaningful choices, and tremendous fun to play. Highly recommended.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder puts a fresh new spin on the classic Mario side-scroller with wild and trippy level transformations. It's still Mario at its core, but it's fun not knowing what to expect from each level. This could be the start of a bright new era for 2D Mario games.

The arrival of Marvel’s Spider-Man on PC brings one of PlayStation’s signature stars to a new platform. It looks fantastic, plays well across a variety of setups, and is one of the best games of the last five years. It is, in other words, essential, though you might want to wait for it to go on sale.

It might not be an extremely lengthy affair, but when it comes to art direction, well paced gameplay, and a brilliant sense of exploration, SteamWorld remains king.

The fact that Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection gives players a thorough insight into Street Fighter II, III and the Alpha series is recommendation enough, but when they’re so well presented it makes this more or less essential for fight game fans. Add in the Switch’s portability, and on-the-go multiplayer opportunities (if you’re both willing to forgive the limitations of the Joy-Con) and this is everything a Street Fighter fan could hope for.

Since the release of Yakuza Kiwami, I’ve been dreaming of a remaster of Yakuza 2 to give what is easily my favourite game in the franchise the same level of modern day polish. Sega has delivered on that dream with Yakuza Kiwami 2, creating an incredible package that takes the best game in an incredible series, and makes it even better. You were already doing a disservice to yourself before by not playing Yakuza 2, but now there are no excuses. This is a must play.

Bugsnax is a unique and wonderful experience, and a must-play for anyone who can get their hands on it. If you’re lucky enough to have secured a PS5, make sure you make the most of PlayStation Plus and pick up your free copy while it lasts. If not, this game is still well worth your hard-earned cash.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is a sports drama, a JRPG, a town builder, an Ultimate Team-like, and even (occasionally) a football game. It’s also brilliant, charming, and thoroughly good-natured, and a fantastic game to head into 2026 with.

Mind Scanners is perfectly paced, creative and engaging, striking a skilful balance between satisfying play and storytelling. I finished in a couple of evenings, but they were some of the most consistent and enjoyable evenings I’ve spent gaming this year.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has all the hallmarks of the Ace Attorney series, with excellent characters and brilliant writing through the remastered duology's ten cases, but there's some clever flourishes that make the story and gameplay far more interesting and enjoyable. The only objection we have is that it took far too long for these excellent Victorian adventures to reach the West!

The new features make the game playable by a much wider audience but all the tools are there for those of you who want to tune your experience and take minute control over your team.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend is a brilliant fighting game that will take an absolute age to master.

It features an emotive story, strong characterisation and an engaging battle system, which combine with an approach to the genre that still feels fresh and innovative.

Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition is a fantastic way to discover or reminisce over the titles that formed the basis for many of the franchises that still dominate gaming today. The compulsion to get better and better is perhaps the purest distillation of video gaming available and the more competitive modes offer a challenge for a long time to come. Any Nintendo fan (or gaming fan in general) should pick this up and take on the clock. I look forward to seeing you all on the World Championship leaderboards!

Windjammers serves as a reminder you don’t have to make games with super flashy graphics or complex gameplay in order to stand out and be fun. At its core, Windjammers is a very basic game, but that’s likely part of why it has captured a cult following over the past 20 years. Now it finds a home on the Nintendo Switch, and I couldn’t think of a better place for it. Time to dust off those discs and prepare for glory.

The tasks may seem menial at first, but when you get in your first proper big battle with all the chaos of swords clashing, archers firing arrows, and cavalry charging the game just comes together. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the hardest games I’ve played and that just makes it so very satisfying when you succeed.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker is a fantastic handheld RPG with a deep combat system, characters that you care about, and a well-delivered story. Returning fans will also find plenty to enjoy here too, whether it’s the new difficulty settings, voice-acting, or the fresh story arc. As such, Devil Survivor 2 takes its place amongst the best the Nintendo 3DS has to offer.

I really like where my successive adventures into Curious Expedition 2 took me. There’s a few minor bugs to iron out, but I found that the game was mostly a smooth ride from beginning to end (by which I mean when an expedition failed and I quit the game). There’s enough depth here that you feel invested in the fate of your character, and even once I finished playing, I kept thinking back to my latest run and what I could do differently.

Exactly what a mash-up should be – not single game environments, not stories that only include the character of one specific game, but a fusion – a celebration even – of the brilliant PlayStation games that we all know and love.

Forza Horizon 6 is another excellent entry in an excellent series, from an excellent developer. Part of me wants more than that, but I've no idea how that would work.

Monster Hunter Rise is an incredible game. While it may not feel quite as ground-breaking for the series as World did, it boasts a stronger and distinctly Japanese identity, and the changes and streamlined gameplay simply focus on the franchise’s true stars – the monsters. Rise is easily one of the best games for the Nintendo Switch, and one of the finest Monster Hunters ever.

This War Of Mine: The Little Ones is more than a game, and can be considered one of the most effective anti-war tools ever created. This is not a game you play for fun or to unwind, and the addition of children for the console release makes it even more poignant, as the realisation dawns that all over the world people are living through these hellish conditions. This War of Mine: The Little Ones doesn’t just drive home how desperate people get in times of war, but also makes you take note of how lucky so many of us are to live in a more stable place.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom may be vastly different, but it’s ruddy marvellous! Its many systems sure are intimidating at first, but things click into place very quickly, and there’s a lot to do in this gorgeous and well-crafted game. They say that it’s difficult to recapture the magic, but this is one more Level-5 game that has become essential. They may have moved on from Studio Ghibli’s tutelage, but the lessons learned have resulted in a phenomenally good JRPG.

Beautiful, British and bold, Forza Horizon 4 sets a new benchmark for open-world arcade racing.

Arco is an artistic achievement, blending the struggles of gameplay and narrative into each other seamlessly as it draws you into the depressing but important stories of Mesoamerican natives struggling to carve out a space for themselves, in a world that grows more and more hostile by the day.

Exe:Late[st] takes the delicious Under Night cake and adds an entire extra layer of your favorite flavor, plus the garnishes and decorative frosting to make it stand out again, 3 years later.

Reigns’ devilishly simplistic game of Tinder-like kingdom management feels just as inventive now as it did in 2015, but Reigns: Her Majesty fixes some of its more poorly considered design choices while also putting a refreshing spin on the challenge you face by casting you as a (very powerful) woman in a man’s world. The king is dead. Long live the queen!

Knights in Tight Spaces is an incredibly follow up to an already amazing game. It fuses a wonderful amount of style with plenty of tactically strategy, and the party mechanics at play and side quests all help to make it almost feel like a solo tabletop role-playing game, which I mean as an incredible compliment. If you like the sound of this game at all, or hanker for more Fights in Tight Spaces, then you'll probably love it.

Pispistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a fantastic top down adventure game that deserves to be considered in the same echelon as classic Nintendo titles. It takes the traditional Zelda framework and reimagines it to create a world that is incredibly fun to explore. The thrill of nailing the yoyo traversal mechanics remains throughout and while the combat can be a little repetitive at times, this is equally the case with Link's various adventures. All in all, this is peak indie gaming and comes very highly recommended.

Headliner: NoviNews is a fun game that really can emphasis just how powerful a headline and news story can be, not to mention the wider impact it can have on a society. This is an experience that pushes the adage that actions have consequences so well.

Grindstone is a puzzle classic, and Capybara Games have ensured that its transition to PS5 is flawless.

The first few months of PlayStation VR have delivered a vast range of experiences, but I have to say that Werewolves Within is my personal favourite. It’s such a basic concept, but how it’s realised brings players together in a way that’s rarely done in videogames. The community is fantastic and helpful, the rules are easy to pick up, and soon enough you’re mixing it up with people from all over.

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is the gold standard for mystery dungeon games. Every system, item, and mechanic come together in endlessly dynamic ways, reaching levels of emergent and exciting gameplay that I've never experienced in the world of roguelikes.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a lovingly rebuilt remake, and one that all tactical RPG fans should experience.

Although a big target, Sephiroth is a lighter character than expected and when facing him that can be exploited. This, along with the delay following a lot of his moves are the main ways to defeat the One-Winged Angel himself. When playing as him, he's a fun and powerful character who can dole out dangerous attacks from a distance and has a lot of combo potential. The other elements of the DLC have drastically improved the last time we saw Final Fantasy VII represented in the game and even though the stage is a bit dull, this Challenger Pack was a pleasant surprise that will bring us all as much happiness as Sephiroth will likely bring despair to the Super Smash Bros roster.

It’s Nintendo’s love letter to the fans, not just giving them the tools to create and share Mario courses, but wrapping it up in a wonderfully presented package and teaching them everything they could possibly want to know. The beauty is that some fans will inevitably be able to go beyond that and pull off some tricks that Nintendo haven’t even thought of yet.

At the heart of Advanced Warfare is the exoskeleton and all of the possibilities it opens up, transforming the way that you get around amidst the futuristic setting. Yet it delivers on many more levels too, from a compelling story and cast of characters to the graphics and the vast array of options for multiplayer character and loadout customisation.

Below is a unique experience that blends some of the most popular gameplay mechanics seen this generation into a hauntingly beautiful and ferocious journey of death, redemption and survival. Even with the new Explore Mode making the game more accessible, Below’s obtuse nature won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but the process of discovering and mastering the game’s numerous systems is a vastly enjoyable one.

With the Switch’s delightful dual abilities, Three Houses fittingly bookends the series’ triumphant run on the 3DS and becomes the first big-screen outing in over a decade. It also surpasses them all. A masterpiece of strategy, story-telling and intertwining relationships, Three Houses deserves to make Intelligent Systems a household name.