CRYMACHINA has a promising story and a fresh aesthetic, but the presentation leaves so much to be desired. Convoluted and rushed world-building makes it hard to get invested, and the basic and repetitive combat encounters make it hard not to feel like the loop between gameplay and story is more of a chore than it's worth.

Hexarchy takes a bold step by blending 4X strategy with deckbuilding, but it works well to create a fun tactical game to enjoy in short bursts. Do not expect tons of depth when it comes to diplomacy or a slow burn, but if you want to enjoy a quick tactical game then Hexarchy is for you.

Jackbox Party Pack 10 is one of the stronger entries in the Jackbox pantheon, and I'm a big fan of it as a whole. Each game has its own pacing, and while I do think everyone will find their favourites as always, the mix feels very good this time around, and even the trivia game is fun. This is a great party pack that'll be a good addition to any game night. Apart from Dodo Re Mi – I hope those digital birds stay eaten.

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.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged is like Hot Wheels Unleashed, but better in every single conceivable way. Frenetically fluid and stonkingly fast, this is a quality arcade racer that will slap smiles on the faces of both young and old alike. Just don’t mention the single-player campaign.

Detective Pikachu Returns falls flat, feeling like a hollow experience with under-baked and sparse bolts of brilliance. Wide and mostly empty areas, a difficulty level smaller than a Cutiefly, slightly more gameplay than your standard visual novel, short run time and limited usage of its one truly unique and fun mechanic. Forgive the cliche, but most of Detective Pikachu Returns’ moves just weren’t very effective.

Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic sequel, building on the excellent foundations of its forebear while delivering a story that drives these beloved characters forward.

Cocoon is a beautiful experience that marries a gorgeous aesthetic with increasingly complex puzzles that really push you to experiment with the game’s mechanics. Whilst it isn’t a long or excessively challenging game, I would urge you to absorb yourselves in its dimension-hopping delights.

Star Trek: Infinite gives us a damn solid 4X experience doused in the rich history of the Star Trek universe, and with plenty of space to include more Deep Space Nine, Voyager and other quadrants of the galaxy through expansions. Even if you’re not a fan of the source material, it can still stand alone as a good experience which will only improve over time.

I desperately want to like Lords of the Fallen, but it's the first game all year that's actively annoyed me. I love the Soulslike genre more than any other, but this game took all of the lessons it could have learned since the original Lords of the Fallen and either forgot them entirely, or just misunderstood them so greviously that you'd assume it skipped a class.

Gazzlers is a fun-filled arcade blast that gives VR fans the perfect opportunity to switch their brain off. It’s not the kind of thing you’ll want to play in one long sitting – few VR games are during a rather summer-like October – but returning to it day in, day out, is the perfect way to get your daily endorphin hit. [Tested on Meta Quest 3]

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an absolute gem, and one of Nihon Falcom's best games period. It's a simple, bite-sized, and endlessly rewarding action RPG that brings all the charm of a hand-held adventure to the big screen without missing a beat.

The Baten Kaitos Collection is a duology remaster that's full of contrasts, demonstrating perfectly the highs and lows that come with bringing decades old games to new consoles. The two games are great little JRPGs from yesteryear, however given the weird nature of the first and the generic nature of the second, it’s difficult to recommend to any but those wanting the nostalgia trip or die-hard fans of the genre.

Assassin's Creed Mirage will appeal to anyone who's been pining for a return to the old school open world stealth of the earlier games. It's pretty much exactly that with a few extra refinements and additions. Some of those additions are a bit distracting and immersion breaking, but nothing gets in the way of some good old fashioned assassinations.

Sometimes it's worth trying to reinvent the wheel, and Turn 10's renewed Forza Motorsport takes the series in some new and worthwhile directions. The 'CarPG' levelling and pre-race practice sessions really help to foster familiarity and confidence with cars and tracks over time, and Forza is now on a par with Gran Turismo and others for the online race structure. It all sets the foundations for years of new cars, tracks, races and further improvements that I'm looking forward to seeing.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a masterpiece and a true next generation RPG. Sure it has a handful of small issues, but they pale in comparison to the quality of the writing, the depth in character creation, the sheer wealth of options available to players, the voice acting, the gorgeous world, which are all just exemplary. There's no wonder it has sent ripples through the industry and gathered more attention than even Larian expected, it's got quality and creativity leaking out of every frame.

The Lamplighters League doesn't quite live up to its promise and expectations. There's a fun mix of real time exploration and turn-based combat, but it's a step short of the best strategy games of the year – others like Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew have done it better. Given more time and more engaging narrative The Lamplighters League could have been great. It will have to settle for decent at best.

Monster Hunter Now could grow into a true successor and companion to Pokémon Go, but only if Niantic listen to their audience make rapid improvements to the game. Smoothing out the difficulty curve and server issues could elevate the game, but the gameplay loop of buying Gems for Potions just to get through a day's play is quickly becoming obnoxious.

Mineko’s Night Market goes down as one of my biggest disappointments of the year. The early promise is entirely squandered through inane conversations, repetitive minigames and a feeling more akin to a mobile game loop than a cosy game. The art style and plethora of cats are cute, but I’m afraid this is one to avoid.

The Crew Motorfest provides plenty of fun arcade racing, though it does very little to break new ground for the genre. There's plenty to get your teeth into, but there are some annoying design decisions and a few technical issues that take the shine off it. Still, I can see it finding plenty of fans, particularly on PS5 where the only competition from a 'Horizon' game involves robotic dinosaurs.

Fate/Samurai Remnant is the best game in the franchise. It's a perfect blend of Fate worldbuilding and faithfulness to the Edo-period Japanese setting. It's also an incredible next step for Omega Force, and delivers one of the most addictive and engaging action-adventure experiences I've had in ages.

Separate Ways is a fantastic addition to Resident Evil 4 Remake and really cements its place as one of the series’ best. Add in some unexpected nods to wider aspects of Resident Evil lore and you have a DLC that works both as extra content to the main game and wider fan service too. If you enjoyed the RE4 Remake then this DLC is pretty much an essential purchase.

Sports FC 24 is not the complete departure from FIFA that its name would suggest. Most of the fundamentals remain in place and the career modes have barely been updated. Then again, Ultimate Team is the series' real money-spinner, coming with the addition of evolutions and mixed gender teams. Overall, the on-pitch gameplay is good, and you can see the extra animations enhancing the football sim, but it isn’t a massive evolution of EA’s flagship series.

Chants of Sennaar and the way it explores the relations between different groups of people is really engaging as a game. With language at its core, it highlights both the differences and the similarities between people and cultures. Chants of Sennaar is a puzzle game that deserves attention.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless sets a new standard for fun and flashy strategy RPGs. It's such a perfect blend of classic Disgaea feel and quirky new mechanics, and it's got some of the most memorable and entertaining characters the series has seen. This is the sequel that fans have been waiting for.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a fantastic homage to the original film and really shines in its general presentation, but the gaming experience itself proves to be a frustrating one. Combine an increasingly toxic community and the prevalence of cheaters with a distinct lack of maps and variety and you have a game that may well struggle to succeed in competition with the many other titles in the asymmetrical horror genre. To paraphrase the tagline to the movie – will this game survive and what will be left of it?

There’s not many wholly new ideas within the mix of Payday 3, but it’s a sensible refinement of what those games tick, bringing in some interesting tweaks and gameplay changes to smooth the experience a little. All in all, Payday 3 is a welcome return for the heist ’em up series, and a reminder of why the first two games were so popular. [Review in Progress]

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is a decent second title in the series which makes some improvements but still struggles to come together as an complete experience. The basic combat and movement controls lack the refinement of the titles from which it takes inspiration. Taken alongside a story that goes from interesting to incoherent in the 6 or 7 hours it takes to complete and you have an interesting title that is worth a look by survival horror fans but not at full price.