Exoprimal is a multiplayer shooter with bags of potential. A good round has all the thrills of Overwatch’s PvP wrapped up with the brain-massaging mayhem of Earth Defense Force or Dynasty Warriors, but it’s so slow about getting you invested that some players might simply never get there.

There's a pleasing mixture of the familiar and the new within Pikmin 4. The fresh camera view and tweaks to the gameplay make it feel more accessible, but for returning players, the focus on the Dandori ethos of planning, efficiency and adaptability provides new arenas to test your skills. Oh, and Oatchi's a real cutie too.

Thumper remains a true VR classic, and its upgrade for PSVR2 makes it the best place to experience its violent audio charms.

A Long Journey to an Uncertain End is a fun game. It's well-made, with an engaging story, relatable characters, and an immersive setting, along with plenty of LGBTQ+ representation. It's perfect if you're looking for a thoughtful and well-made space opera.

Atelier Marie Remake is simultaneously a return to form and a fresh step forward for the Atelier series. It's incredible to experience the roots of this series, and as sad as I am about the barebones storytelling, the shifted focus to time-management and calendar events gives the game an addictive farm-simulator vibe that kept me glued to it for hours. I'm excited to see how ideas from this remake come forward to inspire whatever this series has in store for us next.

There are so many expectations to live up to after delivering the first Oxenfree, but Oxenfree II charts its own course, delivering something unlike Night School Studio's previous games. It has sharper horror, more inventive storytelling, and a variety of systems to keep you engaged through hours of slow and somber small-town exploration.

Despite its simplistic setup, Kingdom Eighties will hoover up hour after hour of your time. There’s a captivating quality to its pure, focused strategy, and combined with its more narrative-driven focus Kingdom Eighties is a must-play game in 2023.

Fall of Porcupine does capture a small part of the experience of working in healthcare, and it does feel relatable in some respects. The game also explores the complexity of the relationship between people and the healthcare system, as well as the issues that are faced. The story and characters are well portrayed, with the music and artwork also being a highlight. However, there are some bugs that need medicating, along with some more concrete conclusions on some plot threads.

It’s hard to be anything but disappointed by AEW: Fight Forever. The AI is game-breaking, the roster is lacking, and online play is in the doldrums. If you are purchasing AEW: Fight Forever to play local with mates then it might be worth a look, as there is a lot of arcade fun and silliness to be had here, but for everyone else, this one is best avoided.

Crash Team Rumble is an accessible and terrifically enjoyable online platforming battler, and as more seasons of content are released, it could become a pretty essential multiplayer game. In the here and now, though, it's a bit too limited and features too little content to be anything more than throwaway fun.

Dordogne is a delight. A picturesque and poignant journey that will touch your memories and your heart in equal measure.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is a crossover epic over a decade in the making - and it sticks the landing so well. Longtime fans of the franchise are in for an almost overwhelming level of callbacks, story conclusions, and narrative fanservice. In-between all of that, the endless Reverie Corridor provides an addictive way to dig just as deep into the combat mechanics as the story digs into the furthest reaches of Trails lore. This is a massive ending to a massive saga, and as long as you've kept up with every entry so far, you're guaranteed to enjoy it.

If you can look past (or appreciate) the brazen clichés and huge levels of fan service, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a phenomenal murder mystery visual novel. The gorgeous world, wonderful characters and genuinely well-constructed mysteries combine into a thoroughly enjoyable if bizarre experience. If other similar games like Danganronpa or Ace Attorney are your bag, this is definitely worth investigating.

Storyteller is a delightfully different indie puzzler, and its accessible tale-telling is well worth settling down with for a few hours.

Synapse is a phenomenal VR game, bringing striking visuals, meaningful progression and true power fantasy together to craft a game that’s begging for one more go. It stands as an immediate must-buy for PSVR2 owners.

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.

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.

Raiden III might be not be the most iconic entry in the original series, but the Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX re-release deserves to be the most iconic entry in their remasters. With a load of unforgettable OST remixes tied to an addictive score-based unlockables system, this is a shmup worth coming back to time and time again.

Park Beyond is a hugely enjoyable park builder that thrives on accessibility, personality and creativity.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fantastic Aliens game. It absolutely nails the feel of the films and brings exactly the kind of tense and thrilling strategy combat you would want. The iconic motion tracker and creature design fit perfectly with the genre and there is even an interesting narrative that introduces some new perspectives to the series. While game over can come far too swiftly at times, there is always something to draw you back in.

In its best moments, Amnesia: The Bunker joins Outlast and Alien: Isolation at the pinnacle of this style of horror, but this is a game with a split identity. Combat feels out of place and mostly ends up being a navigation tool, while I would have liked to see better use of light as a defence against the creature. The story is somewhat predictable, but Amnesia: The Bunker excels with its atmosphere and the kind of tense gameplay that will thrill genre fans.

Layers of Fear is a great example of Bloober Team’s particular brand of psychological horror. Playing through the entire series as one game makes the connections and links between the stories and characters far more evident and the end result is a real treat for horror fans. It is a very different sort of horror to the likes of Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space but is still up there as one of the best horror games of the year for me.

Diablo IV is almost shockingly refined, with an absorbing story and addictive gameplay. The shift to always online and connected play might turn some away, and the level scaling can make combat a little same-y, but on the whole, this is still Diablo at its best. It plays very well, offers tonnes of options for tailoring your character and acquiring that all important hunt for better and better loot will keep you coming back for more.

AWAY: The Survival Series had a shot at providing something a bit different, but it has a multitude of issues that hold it back. Maybe the number of bugs is supposed to be some meta commentary about the actual creatures in the game, but I doubt it.

Street Fighter 6 doesn’t need recommending to hardcore fighting fans – you all already know how incredible it is – but do I recommend it for more casual players? Street Fighter 6 has a real sense of community, welcoming all players old and new, teaching new tricks and providing something for those that just want a bit of fun. This is truly a fighting game for everyone.

Behind the glammed up modernised graphics, this is still System Shock to its core, and there were good reasons why the sequel basically rendered it obsolete. The end result is a game that still ranks as a classic, but you must accept it on its own terms. If you want to explore the history of the horror genre then this is the version to play, but you might want to bookmark a guide to avoid System Shock’s most outdated elements.

A stone cold VR classic and a game every PSVR 2 player should own. Even five years on from its original release, Beat Saber is worth every penny.

With its wonderful hand-drawn aesthetic Death or Treat looks like it should be fantastic. Never judge a video game by its visuals however, as those visual delights disguise a bland and repetitive roguelite. Death or Treat? More like Death or Trick.