Windjammers serves as a reminder you don’t have to make games with super flashy graphics or complex gameplay in order to stand out and be fun. At its core, Windjammers is a very basic game, but that’s likely part of why it has captured a cult following over the past 20 years. Now it finds a home on the Nintendo Switch, and I couldn’t think of a better place for it. Time to dust off those discs and prepare for glory.

The Midnight Sanctuary is certainly not what I expected. I will always applaud any game – or graphic novel – which teaches the audience something new. Educating the player about the history of Japanese Christianity, even if just in passing, is commendable. However, as an experience, The Midnight Sanctuary is a little too slow and disjointed to be truly gripping.

Velocity 2X is a marvellous, quick paced experience with plenty of re-playability, that definitely finds its home on the Nintendo Switch. If you’ve never experienced Velocity 2X before then you are in for a treat. Get it in your (solar) system, now.

Dakar 18 is sadly a misjudged game that can feel refreshingly different to start with but ends up being incredibly frustrating, behind the pace and poorly implemented. With a focus on navigation and gruelling competition, refinement of crucial gameplay elements is sorely lacking. Some of the environments are truly epic, but the way the game fails to build upon them means they go to waste.

Despite rocky presentation and a ho-hum story, Warriors Orochi 4 has been some of the dumbest fun I’ve had with a video game all year.

Tyler: Model 005 is a real mixed bag. It doesn’t get close to the heights of its spiritual predecessors, but instead goes its own way to produce a surprisingly effective and heartwarming story that surpasses the limitations of its flawed mechanics to leave a lasting impression. Tyler: Model 005 must go down as a fleeting curio rather than a game I can wholly recommend. Maybe in this case an animated movie would have been a more suitable choice for delivering the story being told.

The Switch version of Dark Souls simply lacks the polish that the remaster brought with it, and even added in a few issues that aren’t present anywhere else. The ability to play the game on the go isn’t something that you can get anywhere else, and it is hard to quantify just how much that makes up for the issues. Souls Remastered is still a very worthwhile game, but it is hard to justify this version over any other given the weaknesses that are unique to it.

SoulCalibur VI is a fantastic looking entry in the series, but beyond that feels like something of a missed opportunity. The core combat remains as vibrant, weighty and enjoyable as ever, but the Reversal Edge adds in an element of chance that feels at odds with what most fighting games set out to achieve. The two interminably dull story modes don’t help either, with players left to rely on the the straightforward arcade and online modes for their kicks.

While the premise of using sound to traverse a mansion is great on paper in practice it eventually wears thin. The puzzles themselves aren’t too difficult, which could be a positive or negative depending on your view, and while the art style is great the story is far from interesting despite a set up that could have been used for a unique feeling thriller. If you are looking to play a puzzler for a few hours in VR then Blind could be worth a look at, but it’s far from an essential purchase.

A fantastic sci-fi game that’s well worth playing no matter how old you are. The physical toys are attractive enough to adorn any shelf, and robust enough to actually be played with, while a large collection of ships isn’t essential for completing the game, and there’s even an option not to use them at all. It’s a shame then that the story doesn’t quite live up to rest of the game’s promise, but you might be having too much fun to notice.

The Labo Vehicle Kit is simply wonderful, and really brings Nintendo’s cardboard-filled vision to life. The inclusion of a meaty game to sink your teeth into makes all the difference, and it feels as though the weighting of the different aspects is designed to keep you constantly interested and entertained. While it was easy before to write off Labo as a cardboard demo set, or a craft project with a lacklustre robot game tied to it, the Vehicle Kit is a perfect demonstration of what Nintendo achieve time after again.

The new music is wonderful, the additional stories are engaging, and the updated visuals make it hard to return to the pixelated appearance of the original DS release. Still, despite these obvious improvements and extra pieces of content, there’s a downside to the update. Some people, especially newcomers, won’t find issue with the new control scheme, but for many long-time fans the dual-character combat of the original is a huge part of what made it a game worth remastering.

Metal Max Xeno is just so thoroughly average when it comes to JRPGs. The basic world, familiar storyline, and characters serve an okay experience which embraces the grind a bit too much for a world that is generally void of much interest. The game feels like a throwback to older JRPGs which is great if that is what you’re into, but there has been so much advancement in the genre that overall Metal Max Xeno feels a bit out of place.

Space Hulk: Tactics is certainly true to the ethos of the original board game, with some smart card-based additions, a full Genestealer campaign and a full on level editor. That said, it’s only liable to be long-serving franchise fans that get the most out of it.

Hyper Light Drifter is a jaw-dropping experience no matter the platform you play it on. What started as an engaging masterpiece in 2016 continues to be just as rewarding and worthwhile of a video game in 2018. With the Nintendo Switch you get the valuable bonus of being able to take this journey with you anywhere you want and believe me when I say this is a journey you will not want to step away from once you start it.

Transference’s inventively spins its story of obsession and broken families into a game that’s all about perception and twisted realities. It’s not entirely successful, failing to confront the topics it raises and failing to live up to its Hollywood billing and origins, but it’s still deeply atmospheric as you flick between realities, solve puzzles and figure out the lengths to which Raymond Hayes would truly go.

STAY can’t be faulted for its aspirations and the attempt to make a believable character in Quinn, to create an individual that the player will want to help. However, the result is a near endless stream of lacklustre dialogue that made it incredibly difficult to stay to the end.

Fossil Hunters is a game I’ve been looking forward to playing for the last six months and Reptoid Games have not disappointed me. This team based puzzler is superb and will be sure to unleash your inner palaeontologist.

Overall the controls are intuitive and responsive, with the game working with you to complete its levels, but every once in a while, certain mechanics felt a little off. Thankfully there’s a wide array of accessibility options, and while hardcore gamers may lament this approach as overly casual, the optional nature means that The King’s Bird can be enjoyed by all.

Super Mario Party is just a very safe game. It brings back the classic Mario Party board game form, marrying it with some of the better ideas from Mario Party: Star Rush, but it's light on the number of boards to play, lacks depth in other game modes, and misses opportunities for solo handheld and online multiplayer. It's Mario Party, but it's not particularly super.

It's rare that a modern return of a classic gaming series hits the mark, but Mega Man 11 lets off a charged burster shot that obliterates any worries you might have had. It encapsulates much of what made the old games so great, but the new abilities feel fresh and more modern at the same time. This is a much needed return to form for the Blue Bomber. Can Battle Network come back now too?

Assassin's Creed Odyssey throws so much stuff at you, it's difficult to sift through it all. It's a beautiful game to look at and the story is intriguing, but it feels like a game that could have been a little more ambitious if given more time to develop. There's good ideas, from the branching story and character choice to the return of ship-based combat, but its ambitions also fray around the edges in a way that Origins didn’t.

FIFA 19 feels like the culmination of the last few years of FIFA games, and not just from the conclusion of The Journey’s interwoven story. The Champions League gives EA the opportunity to show their presentation skills and bed in a new commentary partnership, a shakeup for the main online set up of Ultimate Team, and the surprisingly fun new Kick Off mode. Some new ideas don’t quite come together, but there’s a reason why FIFA is the biggest game in town.

Whilst an enjoyable and undoubtedly beautiful game, Planet Alpha never quite makes the leap into classic territory.

Wandersong is by no means perfect, but it is very different. Charm oozes out of every note and motion you make. Despite the technical glitches it is consistently winning and moving, with a lack of aggression and a genuine optimism that beams through like nothing else. It really will bring a smile to your face.

Bungie has done an excellent job in, not just creating enough content for the game’s fourth season and start of the second year, but in reviving a game that stuttered after its initial launch.

Ultimately, there is a difference between being easy and not very good. NASCAR Heat 3 is severely let down by the anodyne on-track action. Lacking any sort of driver enjoyment undoes the hard work put into the officially licenced lineup and career path options. Even for a racing game fan, this game is as dull as dishwater and extraordinarily derivative.

Following on from Max and Chloe’s time-twisting adventure was always going to be a tricky task, but Dontnod have pulled it off with aplomb in Life Is Strange 2’s first episode. Sean and Daniel’s relationship, the tragedy that sends them on the run, the contrasting people that they meet and the supernatural twists on a modern day drama all come together in wonderful fashion.