I started Everspace 2 deeply unsure about a space looter shooter. Tens of hours later I don’t want to play anything else. Everspace 2 is a towering achievement of space-based thrills and spills. It absolutely deserves your attention.

Vertigo 2 is a decent and lengthy VR shooter, but it comes up short when compared to other PSVR 2 games. It's a big game by a solo developer, filled with varied environments, weapons and enemies, but it's just not as refined as the best VR games. Still, it's well worth a look if you fancy a bit of a VR shooter romp.

Powerwash Simulator VR is the ultimate evolution of Futurlab’s astoundingly satisfying smash hit, effortlessly translating the calming clean 'em up to virtual reality.

Disgaea 7 Complete clearly is the ultimate version of Vows of the Virtueless. The story is as quirky and fun as ever, and the bonus content is an absolute must for die-hard fans. Being able to play it on the Switch 2 on the go is also great, with the game looking and feeling fantastic in both handheld and docked mode. The only knock is the uphill struggle for newcomers with reams of tiresome tutorials – hopefully NIS will have figured out by the time Disgaea 8 rolls around.

A really good experience. There’s enough here for fans of action, stealth and survival to enjoy. Though the series seems to have moved on from being scary the majority of the time, it does this progression in a way that feels natural.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin has a lot going for it, from a fun and quirky protagonist to snappy combat and gorgeous visuals. Above all else, though, it's one of the most immersive and rewarding farming experiences in gaming. To slowly toil through each step of the process and eventually reap your rewards is a delight, and even if the combat encounters can sometimes become a frustrating chore, the slow process of cultivating the rice harvest is always a treat.

Lunar Silver Star Story Complete pulls together two classic RPGs that are as endearing and enjoyable as they were two decades ago.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a great portrayal of the space-faring heroes and a good game. We encountered some annoying bugs that are hopefully alleviated with patches, and it's pretty linear, but this is an interstellar romp that you can enjoy across a few evenings.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a good JRPG that sadly falls short of greatness due to missteps that you wouldn’t expect to see in a modern game.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black offers a comprehensive remake of Team Ninja’s finest game, rendered in beautiful modern visuals. Combat is as bombastically brilliant as it ever was, though the awful camera will put off many of those new to the game, it really hasn’t aged well. Still, as a reminder of how good Ninja Gaiden can be, this remake offers a tantalising taste of what we can all look forward to when Ninja Gaiden 4 is released later this year.

The best rendition of the Warhammer 40,000 universe we've ever seen. Bombastic, brutal and brilliant fun from start to finish, though those who are already invested in Games Workshop's sci-fi world will get the most out of it.

It's still an incredibly fun new adventure, and the Pokémon selection and variety is the best it's ever been. That said, it would be incredible to see the Wild Area become the new norm for the series, but as it stands, many of the new features feel more like spraying your sofa with Febreeze when really you need to buy a new sofa. Sure, it smells and feels new, but it's not, and you should really just commit to moving on from what was normal, and forge a new path into a new sofa. Look, just go with it.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a huge amount of great 2D Mario (and Luigi) platforming and it’s at its easiest to pick up and play on Switch, but even with the sheer volume of content this doesn’t really feel like a ‘Deluxe’ game. Toadette’s easier gameplay comes at the cost of a regular difficulty fourth character, and makes for a token appearance of Peach as a playable character, while the best all round multiplayer fun has been left behind with the Wii U’s GamePad.

Amongst the most generous expansions of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country is one of the year’s best RPGs.

Super Mega Baseball 3 is a good upgrade over its predecessor. The new franchise mode and player traits add depth, but it's still built around accessible baseball fun. If you want a sports game to enjoy with friends, something a bit less hardcore than MLB The Show, then Super Mega Baseball 3 is a great shout.

Infinity Ward was never going to recapture the magic of the original Modern Warfare, but this is still their most memorable Call of Duty game of the past decade. This is a bold new spin that’s uneven in places, but proves there is still room for innovation within that core template.

Where the original console release of Assetto Corsa Competizione had some huge caveats hanging over it, the game's release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S brings it up to spec, effectively matching the PC version. It still has some weaknesses in presentation and structure for new players in particular, but once you get into the groove, it's one of the best sim racers you can buy right now.

It’s still definitely worth playing, but there’s a nagging feeling that it could have been better...Yes, it’s visually stunning – definitely a showcase for what Sony’s first party studios can do – but it simply doesn’t quite draw you in like it should and without that investment from the player it’s one set piece after another.

While it’s not perfect, that extra time has given Telltale room to breathe life into a new and interesting cast of admittedly flawed characters, build new relationships and present them with new and immediate dangers, always with the threat of zombies in the background.

A great game and the user-created DLC is better than watching someone fail to win a penny on Millionaire.

It doesn’t always get that blend quite right, and the price of entry is very high, but it’s an excellent first attempt that’s full of nostalgia and more than a few moments of brilliance.

The astute Civ player can shape the history of their nation and craft a story for the ages with with pinpoint accuracy. The Gathering Storm enriches this experience by giving you more ways to add subtle realism to how the world evolves around you and how you can directly affect it. With so many new and returning features, it’s hard not to recommend this expansion to Civ fans, turning an already great game into one for the literal ages.

It's a remarkable title and yet another shining example of the excellent quality we’ve come to expect from the PSN Store when developers put their mind to it.

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.

Dropsy manages to subvert your expectations, and has managed to create a main character you can feel for, even though he doesn’t speak. Dropsy just wants to make people happy in a world that is filled with problems, and by helping them he can achieve his goal.

NBA 2K21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S is a big step forward for the franchise and easily the best version of this year’s basketball franchise. There might be the feeling that features were shorn from the current gen release to give it more impact, but from the inclusivity of featuring the WNBA in MyPlayer, to the sprawling The City online hub and the stunning graphics and gameplay improvements, this will keep you and your new console happy well into 2022.

Ready Or Not is an incredible co-op experiencing, blending tough-as-nails encounters with hilarious co-op shenanigans and dynamic objectives. It isn't nearly as much fun singleplayer, but it's definitely just as tense.

Honkai: Star Rail isn't a groundbreaking experience or a massive new open-world action game, but it's still full of promise and potential as a polished, pretty, and easy-to-master RPG experience.