I didn’t expect Cardpocalypse to resonate with me as much as it did. It's a cute, clever and charming little homage to what CCG life used to be like. Sure, we didn’t have supernatural big bads running around the playground, but the excitement of opening a booster pack or getting a new rare to put in your deck really shines through. If you’re a CCG fan, or even if you just think back to your Pokémon cards with a sense of nostalgia, definitely give Cardpocalypse a look.

Oceanhorn 2's debt of inspiration to the Legend of Zelda series is hard to avoid, but it would be a shame to dismiss this as a simply copy or clone when it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience in and of itself. Given the more expansive, survival-based turn that Zelda took with Breath of the Wild, there is actually a real niche for the oldschool dungeon approach and Oceanhorn 2 fills this with aplomb. It may be I Can’t Believe It’s Not Zelda, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Observer: System Redux is well worth playing if you enjoy psychological thrillers, a dash of cyberpunk, and noir detective fiction, and it all looks fantastic on the new consoles. The story has many layers to it, exploring the nature of parent child relationships, corporate domination, human augmentation, and mental health.

Age of Calamity is, for all intents and purposes, a prequel to Breath of the Wild. It might be a spin-off in a separate genre, but it’s clearly a labour of love, and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through one of the most interesting periods of Hyrule. If the first game was a love letter to the Zelda series, this not only improves on this concept in every way, but stands as one of the best Zelda games, period.

Another incredibly impressive port, Sniper Elite 4 hides the cutbacks that have been needed to squeeze the game onto Nintendo Switch very well. I'd love to see more finesse to the motion controls, and the DLC pricing does feel a bit dear at this point, but Rebellion have outdone themselves with this effort.

It takes a while for Godfall’s combat to truly open up and when it does, you’ll revel in its beefy ballet of well-timed blows and counters. That said, it’s hard to ignore the flimsy scaffolding that keeps this PS5 launch title standing, the lack of matchmaking, and a loot system you’ll quickly lose interest in. Although still great fun in short bursts, this isn’t the rousing next-gen RPG experience you’ve been searching for.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a decent entry in the series, but it feels like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. The campaign is full of underused ideas, while the multiplayer misses some of the magical charm of Modern Warfare, opting for faster paced aggressive battles which just don’t feel as satisfying. While still enjoyable, Black Ops Cold War fails to recapture the magic of Black Ops 1 and 2.

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.

Perhaps not quite as transcendental as it is in VR, Tetris Effect: Connected remains an incredible, visionary piece of work, that you can now experience with others. With its arrival on Xbox Series X, it can be a game for a new generation.

Some games demand a remaster, to be brought bang up to date for an entirely new audience to find and enjoy. Asterix & Obelix XXL is not one of those games. In 2003 it was a solid, if unremarkable, effort. Now, seventeen years later, it just feels entirely unnecessary, with drab combat, pointless collectables and frustrating challenges. If you really need an Asterix and Obelix fix, best just go back and reread the comics I'd say.

Rune II: Decapitation Edition is an entirely new game rather than just an update of last year’s release. It may look like it’s competing with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla for your Viking gaming time but it is a very different experience. At its best in co-operative multiplayer, Rune II is a throwback to the chaotic and brutal combat of early third person ARPGs and offers a blood-soaked alternative to the clinical and focus-grouped approach of many games. So gather a band of your most loyal friends and prepare to set sail – this Ragnarok isn’t going to end itself.

A confident, creative approach to the RTS genre that falters in its structure and progression systems.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I sat down to play Monster Prom XXL, what is a high school multiplayer monster dating sim anyway? The answer is: a whole lot of fun with some big laughs to be had. How long that fun will last with such a repetitive structure is up for debate however. One thing's for certain though: Monster Prom XXL is the best high school multiplayer monster dating sim I've every played.

You owe it to yourself to play No More Heroes, and if you do, it needs to be on the Nintendo Switch.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure starts off slow, feeling like a hollow reflection of the franchise, but eventually grows into its new 3D platforming elements. It's at its best when it blends the new with the old, when there's power-ups, side-scrolling and a meaningful challenge, but it takes a bit too long to get it together.

I realise that my complaints could easily be dismissed as an old man complaining about the whole rave experience but, if anything, I wanted Strobophagia to be more of a sensory overload than it turned out to be. Everything just feels like it’s been dialled down a few notches, and consequently it doesn’t engage you as much as it should. With some fine-tuning and, more crucially, some better music, this still has a lot of potential to offer up an original and effective horror experience. It just isn’t quite there yet.

Gears Tactics gets a no-nonsense port to Xbox One and Series X|S, feeling at home on console and looking great on Series X in particular. Jack's wide-ranging buffs and abilities give a helping hand through the Jacked campaign, but in either mode, this is a slick turn-based tactical game that should appeal to XCOM and Gears fans alike.

Joy, wonder and engrossing park management come together to spectacular effect in Planet Coaster: Console Edition. Frontier are masters of the park building art, and as we enter a new console generation that's never been clearer.

A larger more ambitious game from Giant Squid that shares influences with Breath of the Wild only to subvert it in clever ways: retooling a bow as an ingenious mode of traversal and puzzle solving, an open world with no map, and a shooter where you don’t have to aim. It’s an accessible and streamlined approach making for an unmissable adventure to lose yourself in.

Bright Memory is a rare good-bad game that's enjoyable partly because of its oddities and flaws, but there's signs that its sequel Bright Memory Infinite could actually just be good.

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.

DMC5 Special Edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S builds on the excellence of the original release. It's not the most essential purchase, since you will soon be able to buy Vergil as DLC for the original release, but with some new game modes like Legendary Dark Knight difficulty and the new graphical options making the game smoother/prettier than ever before, it's sure to be tempting for fans of the series. Our original review score follows.

Bugsnax is a unique and wonderful experience, and a must-play for anyone who can get their hands on it. If you’re lucky enough to have secured a PS5, make sure you make the most of PlayStation Plus and pick up your free copy while it lasts. If not, this game is still well worth your hard-earned cash.

We’ve been primarily reviewing the game on PlayStation 4, twiddling and tapping with our thumbs while patiently waiting for the ability to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version of the game, but have also had access on Xbox Series X. While it looks as good as you’d expect from the recent series on PS4 Pro and performs nicely, there’s a healthy step forward for resolution and frame rate with the next-gen console. Load times are shorter, shrinking down to around 10 seconds of Eivor standing in a watery void, while the world is crisp and sharp at 4K and runs with a 60fps target. The only real blemishes are some light, but noticeable environmental pop-in, and ripples of screentearing down the screen that seem to occur more commonly during cutscenes, but can also happen during regular gameplay at times.

DIRT 5 strips away the more serious elements of the franchise and puts all its eggs in one, arcade cabinet shaped, basket. At times a riot, in other areas a little repetitive and lacking in finesse, it nevertheless delivers on the concept of an adrenaline-fueled off-road racer. It’s a game that makes you sit forward in your seat and savour the joys of jumping a Dakar Rally Peugeot 3008 over a ravine.

If you are looking for a charming little puzzler and hidden object game then you cannot go wrong with I Am Dead. The story experience can be swept through in a few hours, and they will pass quite quickly, but it's an unforgettable journey.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered is the perfect reminder of what Criterion brought to the franchise, with a blisteringly fast arcade racer that’s made all the better if you’ve got the ability to play it at 60fps. The main downside is that your Autolog wall is more likely to splashed with your solitary achievements, rather than the consistent flow of competition you experienced a decade ago.

Astro cements himself as the PlayStation 5's mascot with a celebration of all things PlayStation that also showcases the full potential of the immersive new DualSense controller. Astro's Playroom is the first thing you should play on PlayStation 5.