LOUD is a fun guitar arcade experience. The songs are fun to play through and are very reminiscent of a specific time for music. An initial run can be quite short but there is replay value in trying to get S ranks on songs, and unlocking higher levels.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a great continuation of Cal Kestis’ journey. The story is a little predictable and platforming could be sharper, but this is a sequel that builds on the ideas of the original and there’s real enjoyment to be had in exploring the expansive new worlds, digging into the lore and running into secret boss fights.

F1 23 is a good evolutionary step forward for the series. The returning Braking Point story mode offers an enjoyable narrative with mixed up racing challenges, while F1 World brings together solo challenges, multiplayer events and car evolution in an interesting, if not yet essential way. The most significant step forward comes with the revised car physics and handling, which can still punish your mistakes, but makes racing without assists far more accessible.

Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice is the kind of stealth game that makes me reconsider my opinions on stealth games. Finely crafted and gloriously conceived, if you’ve missed out on Shadow Tactics before, don’t let Aiko’s Choice sneak on by... but you should play or replay the original first.

A great update on the 90's beat 'em concept with bone-crunching, motion captured moves that feel weighty and solid. Midnight Fight Express makes you feel like a bad ass, something very few beat 'em ups manage.

Mini-Mech Mayhem is a great addition to the PSVR library. It's an accessible and fun strategy title that can provide hours of fun. There are some issues that do need ironing out, but if you have a PSVR headset then Futurlab's latest creation is well worth getting.

Foregone, being a 2D action platformer with a Metroidvania structure, looting mechanics and a smattering of soulslike tendencies, is certainly part of a crowded genre. The fact that it manages to stand out from the pack is a high recommendation indeed. This is a fast, fluid and beautiful action title that will keep you playing until the very end. I may never be able to retrieve that planet orbiting pair of socks, but it was totally worth it.

A solid port of what is easily Paradox Interactive's most accessible grand strategy game. While Stellaris has evolved and grown over the past three years on PC, the base game is still a good solid grand strategy title with some intriguing ideas for storytelling and managing an endgame, though without some of the depth of their other titles. More importantly, wrapped a controller and TV friendly interface around the game that puts control over even the grandest of empires well within your grasp.

PaRappa can be as punishing as it is unconventional but, with an open mind, it may also be one of the best games you’ve experience on PlayStation 4.

Although hardly original in its premise, Dauntless offers an extremely fun and accessible take on the monster-hunting roleplaying game. It wastes no time in throwing you straight into the action and while easy to pick up there’s plenty of depth there for fans of the genre. What’s more Dauntless is completely free to play, gracefully sidestepping those annoying monetisation pitfalls we’re so used to seeing.

Mages of Mystralia is a cracking game. It successfully captures the feel of 16 bit adventures and combines them with a fantastic spellcrafting system and the sidequests and character development of modern action RPGs. It isn’t the longest game and some may find the price a little steep given how cheap so many PC games are, but it definitely deserves to do well and I would highly recommend picking it up, even if you wait until a sale discount.

I had a great time playing The Last Stop. While I don’t think the end of the story comes together as well as I would have wanted it to, I would still recommend playing it. If you’ve liked Telltale’s brand of narrative adventure games in the past then I am sure you would really like this. I was instantly hooked, and I can’t wait to see what Variable State make next.

Your adoration for Bonkies will really depend on what you're looking for. If you're after an easy to pick up party game for all the family, then Bonkies is not the chimp 'em up for you. However, if you're after a demanding co-op experience that requires both solid teamwork and communication to achieve your goals then Bonkies is absolutely top banana.

Every area of the game feels polished and complete.

Final Fantasy XV is a unique offering, both for the franchise and RPGs in general. Placing the onus on the relationships of your party, rather than the narrative, has meant that this is a game that strikes not just an emotional chord, but a personal one. While Final Fantasy stalwarts will likely balk at the action-heavy combat, the spirit of the franchise remains, and is better served here than it has been in many years.

While I wasn’t completely sold on the limited inventory space available, the penalties for death, and the initial ease of the game, Steamworld Heist made for a great time. Tactical combat on a 2D plane is hard to make engaging and the occasional urgency of the short levels made for some badass moments where a sharp shot sealed the deal. A competent, if completely different second outing in the SteamWorld universe.

A beautiful love letter to Japanese games and culture with a simple but heartfelt narrative from start to finish that’s both comforting and life-affirming.

Burnout Paradise for the Nintendo Switch is a great port of a fantastic game, it’s just a shame how expensive it is. I can only hope that the popularity of these recent ports encourages Criterion and EA to finally commit to a full new entry in the series, or at the very least, a Burnout 3: Takedown remake.

Fresh Tracks gives a fresh take on the rhythm genre and I really the story set up and some of the songs, which are legit great pieces of music that could be released as singles. It is a game that will attract those who want to perfect runs, and the challenge it provides is tough but worth the entertainment.

DJ Hero could easily have been perfect – there’s a huge amount of potential in the idea but I can’t help feeling that a little more time would have evened out the poor mixes and given more in the way of a creation mode.

Great presentation and plenty to unlock makes Vempire highly recommended.

Red Matter is the most immersive puzzle game I’ve played in a long time, thanks in no small part to how well it makes use of VR is utilised. The lighting and textures are staggering, the plot is intriguing and the game is well worth looking into. The caveats to this are that you can’t be the kind of person who gets motion sickness in VR and you have to be reasonably good at puzzles or you will not finish the game. It’s a bit short considering the £25 price point, but still worth a look for VR aficionados and Cold War sci-fi fans.

An interesting divergence from the usual gory terror of the Corpse Party franchise. It's also a gargantuan crossover event that might leave players feeling lost or confused if they aren't caught up on every piece of Corpse Party media so far. Still, despite the somewhat daunting amount of catching up you'd have to do if you wanted to be totally in the loop, the latest Corpse Party is a wacky and absurd treat that any visual novel fan is sure to get a kick out of.

Vanquish does have its problems, but very few of them are tied to the PC port, which incidentally makes this version the best one by default. It’s B-movie nonsense at its best, with a science fiction setting, and very cool action sequences. It could definitely do with a bit more variety in enemies at times and it’s a little on the short side, but it’s still a great romp seven years later.

For fans of Ward, Sperry and Ross’ previous work, Danger Zone 2 is the closest we’ve come to a new Burnout experience in years. Crashing into things hasn’t lost any of its base appeal, and while we’re waiting for Dangerous Driving to bring things full circle, this is more than worthy of your time.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with Band Hero – it is a good game – however ultimately it is a tweaked version of more of the same. If you’ve never liked the series, there is no reason to buy Band Hero. If you are a fan of earlier games and have a preference for pop, you’ll probably love it.

Having flirted with the dark side in the run up to launch, Star Wars Battlefront II has had its reputation sullied by its underlying business model and how that is tied to character progression. That distracts from how much it improves on the first game though, with much better variety in Galactic and Starfighter Assault, character classes and team play being gently encouraged, and a broader and deeper player progression. Perhaps the greatest irony is that fear, anger and hate were Star Wars Battlefront II’s path back towards the light.

The Warlock is a welcome addition to Diablo 2 that manages to fit in quite well, outside of the fast that it's just a bit too powerful compared to the other classes. Outside of that, the new items, new revamped boss and endgame content, and some crucial quality of life features are great as well, but they're only going to be great enough for the price if you're really into Diablo 2. But who isn't, really?