Unusual Findings is a good point and click adventure that will appeal to fans of the genre and nostalgia addicts alike. It doesn’t do anything to reinvent the wheel, though, and does suffer from the occasional moment of obscurity or needing to talk to every character again to discover a new line of dialogue. If the style and setting appeal, though, then there is a lot to love here, not least the pixel art and liberal use of pop classic ‘You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)’.

Lone Ruin is a solid roguelike twin-stick shooter, though this style and form has been done better elsewhere. There's a decent challenge and some replayability to be found as you repeatedly venture into the ruined city, but its brevity and lack of narrative drive fall short of the genre's greats.

One Piece Odyssey is the ultimate adventure for a diehard One Piece fan. It's touching to be able to revisit the people and places making up some of the series most iconic story arcs in a way that feels rich and immersive rather than skimmed-through and streamlined. Some quirks in the overworld exploration and a few combat design flaws might make this a but of an unpolished RPG on paper, but if you've spent the last two decades with Luffy and his crew, then the shine and charm of One Piece Odyssey is undeniable.

Path of the Midnight Sun is well worth a look if you’re a fan of turn-based JRPGs. If you enjoyed the old Final Fantasy and Fire Emblem games, then there's a high chance that you'll love this.

Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is essential gaming for Final Fantasy fans — not only because it brings a much beloved game into the modern day, but also because Zack was heavily teased ahead of the next instalment of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

Blacktail is a beautiful adventure steeped in Slavic dark fantasy, though this setting sometimes sits at odds with its pan-Atlantic voice acting and script.

A pleasant and undemanding game clearly aimed at younger players, Emerald Ranch may still interest adults who want to chill out with some lovely horses. Defying all expectations, Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch is actually rather good.

High on Life is a conflicted game. On the one hand it's a solid shooter that often feels like more than the sum of its parts, and comes with an engaging art style and ideas, but the sense of humour is just so subjective that it's hard to recommend to anyone that isn't a die hard Rick and Morty fan.

Heidelberg 1693 is a neat action platformer with some memorable enemy design and boss battles, but it often feels as if the level design is at odds with the limitations of the weapon that sets the game apart. Still, I feel suitably proud that I managed to finish it and it still comes recommended for fans of titles like Ghosts n Goblins.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition is as essential now as it was seven years ago. Whether you're looking to play the game for the first time or have been waiting for this free upgrade (and bonus quest) before revisiting, then this is the perfect time to start. It's a masterpiece and still stands at the top of its genre.

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.