Need for Speed Unbound is the best arcade racer of 2022, and a real statement from EA and Criterion. Why it’s snuck out with so little fanfare will be one of the mysteries of the year.

The Knight Witch could have been fantastic. It was so dang close to being something very special thanks to its fantastic visuals, great gameplay and compelling story, but it's instead plagued by frame rate issues and awful difficulty spikes rearing their slappable faces to ruined the fun. Fingers crossed Super Mega Team takes the time to thoroughly patch The Knight Witch and make it the game that it deserves to be.

We can confidently say Dead Space fans will delight in its bloody mutant-shredding carnage, Striking Distance Studio using the classic 2008 horror as a template while inventing new and interesting gameplay ideas of its own.

Gungrave G.O.R.E is a decent game. It's not the best shooter, but it is often very entertaining if just for the spectacle. It has a few issues, mostly in level design, and the story isn't particularly memorable, but there's plenty of fun to be had in chainsawing your enemies with a transforming coffin.

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.

My return to Calradia wasn’t entirely jubilant, though Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord is a game I’ll likely stick with, simply due to my love of the original. A wealth of new systems and activities help this sandbox strategy sim feel more alive than ever, though the busywork required to get anywhere can feel like a grind. Overall, existing fans will rejoice while newcomers may look on unimpressed, unsure what all the fuss is about.

Somerville is a fantastically evocative game as it depicts an everyman's journey through a War of the Worlds-like alien invasion, leaning on countless sci-fi tropes and ideas along the way. Disappointingly, it's undercut on a number of levels by controls and a detached feeling and hastiness with some parts of the story it's telling.

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

Evil West is an old-school banger, a reminder of the quick and sharp fun that action games can deliver. It has some flaws here and there, but the meat of the game is fast-paced and endlessly entertaining combat. Smacking vampires into clouds of red mist with a giant lightning gauntlet is something that every video game needs.

Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties distills all the highlights and flaws of the main game. If you want a little more story and a bunch of new timed trials to tackle, it’s only £8, but it won't change your mind about the game. If you originally came to Dying Light 2 for zombies and are disappointed, this won’t change your mind, and if you’re here because you want to fight like a gladiator in an arena, this definitely isn’t the place for you.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel like the awkward second evolution of one of its starters. It's growing into something resplendent, it's showing signs of an exciting second type, but it's got that weird vibe of a 20-something that hasn't quite figured out who they actually are. Add that weirdly stretched feeling to the constant technical oddities and you've got a game that's undoubtedly good fun, but it's still not even its final form. I can't wait to see what Pokemon becomes, but it’s not quite there yet.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feel like the awkward second evolution of one of its starters. It's growing into something resplendent, it's showing signs of an exciting second type, but it's got that weird vibe of a 20-something that hasn't quite figured out who they actually are. Add that weirdly stretched feeling to the constant technical oddities and you've got a game that's undoubtedly good fun, but it's still not even its final form. I can't wait to see what Pokemon becomes, but it’s not quite there yet.

With a revelatory open world to zip around and entertaining boss battles alongside the more traditional Cyber Space levels, Sonic Frontiers is the best that Sega’s hedgehog has been for years.

Football Manager 2023 is the most complete football management simulator yet, offering players tons of depth, but also letting them decide how deep they want to go. Just like real football, Football Manager 2023 captures the highs and lows of match days while engrossing you in this virtual football world.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn't the best JRPG of the year, but it's still full of heart, charm, and an unforgettable adventure. The game might have some lifeless character models and slightly janky AI, but the script brings those characters to life, and the AI is easy to ignore when the rest of the gameplay experience is so refreshing. This is the kind of fresh and fun Star Ocean sequel that long-time fans have deserved.

Pentiment is an excellent dialogue adventure that takes all the best aspects of Obsidian’s previous titles and marries them to a distinguished aesthetic. The whole game feels like a medieval manuscript brought to life and there is very little out there like it. While an interest in the historical setting would obviously add to the experience, the writing alone is good enough to draw any fans of adventure games in and there are so many superb details that really show the depth of the developer’s engagement with their influences. If the past is a foreign country, then grab your passports and get ready to be illuminated.

A Little to the Left is a charming and refreshingly cosy puzzle game to sink into. From the tone of the puzzles to the mischievous intrusions of a fluffy white cat, it's a simple delight, only let down by a few more obscure puzzles and fussy controls for certain object interactions.

If Optimus and pals didn't show up now and then this could be any on-the-rails shooter. There is nothing exciting or original to see here, and the lack of enemy types is unforgivable when there are thousands of Transformers to use. Why aren't the Stunticons racing around the roads in the first couple of levels? A missed opportunity with an occasional hint of what could have been a good game.

WRC Generations is a fitting conclusion to KT Racing's time with the WRC license. It's like a farewell tour, a greatest hits collection, and a new album all at once. There's a lot that regular players will have seen before, from returning rallies to the latest refinements of the accessible but challenging racing, but the new Rally1 cars add a little spice to the top tier rallying, and Leagues and the sheer wealth of stages to race on could ensure this game is still getting plenty of mileage a couple of years from now.

A beautiful, great-sounding narrative adventure that loses its way with annoying and idiotic characters, drawn out exposition, and a distinct lack of challenge.

Signalis is a thought-provoking and atmospheric title that is a genuine standout for fans of the more cerebral elements of survival horror, although one that does require you to look past some of its more dated aspects.

Kratos has come a long way since first flinging himself into the Aegean all those years ago. God of War, as a series, has come a long way too, pushing the boundaries of hack and slash action to their goar-soaked limits, then breaking free of a years-long slumber to become one of the biggest names in modern gaming. As our own winter approaches, God of War Ragnarok makes for the perfect adventure to lose yourself in.

It Takes Two on Nintendo Switch is a welcome and solid port of a modern co-op classic. The usual caveats around the game graphics apply – if you can play on a higher-powered console, then you should – and you’ll have to figure out your own voice chat solution if playing online, but this is the same great game that Hazelight released last year.

I adore so much of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, from being able to play as an undead lich, to how the story adapts to that choice like you're playing through an incredibly detailed dark fantasy book. That's why I'm almost devastated by the game's lack of polish. It's unbalanced, there's bugs that forced regular restarts, and the console UI isn't suited to managing a crusade, which isn't as interesting as kingdom management. If this is your kind of game, you're better off trying to play on PC. Otherwise, you can join me in enjoying the game despite itself, or play Kingmaker until this has had some significant patches.

There’s some rough edges to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II that keep it from hitting the heights of the 2019 Modern Warfare, though most of its flaws can and will be fixed or improved through patches. Still, there’s an action-packed story to play through, plenty of multiplayer and a light co-op mode, and the promise of more in future. With Warzone 2.0 just around the corner, the future is certainly bright for Modern Warfare 2.

Frog Detective 3 is definitely the most important game about a scooter-riding frog you'll play all year. It's a heartwarming and effortlessly charming finale for the adventures of this silly, shy, super-talented turtleneck-wearing frog pal. In a world where triple-A game remakes and hundred-hour RPG mega games rule, it's always such a nice breath of fresh air to dive into a game like Frog Detective 3 that does so much, and so well, with so little.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed has potential, but game balance, a lack of content and some uninspired gameplay makes me want to come back to it after a few updates. Busting ain’t making me so feel good right now.

A crazy, over-the-top spectacle that’s uproariously enjoyable, with its only restraint being Nintendo’s handheld hardware.