I’m all for taking the spirit of a beloved classic and bringing it up to date, but you have to be prepared to be judged utterly against that original game. Under the right circumstances Earthfall is capable of capturing the frantic teamwork of Left 4 Dead, but there’s too much wrong here to maintain it for long.

For fans of Ward, Sperry and Ross’ previous work, Danger Zone 2 is the closest we’ve come to a new Burnout experience in years. Crashing into things hasn’t lost any of its base appeal, and while we’re waiting for Dangerous Driving to bring things full circle, this is more than worthy of your time.

Despite its issues, All-Star racing is an original take on the kid-friendly kart racer which offers a wonderful selection of fruit themed content to keep both children and adults entertained. It might not get everything right, but it’s a beautifully juicy start.

Nintendo’s continued run of Wii U ports has to have a finite end, but while Switch players are getting games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker then its best just to bask in it. Gloriously cheerful, charming and enthralling, it’s only diminishing features are its slightly short length and lack of difficulty for seasoned players.

Antigraviator has tons of potential, and there’s every chance that it could attain it a few updates down its spiralling road. However, as it stands there are too many problems with the game’s underpinnings that the fantastic visuals can’t quite cover up.

Despite how hard this game is, that isn’t a mark against it – very much the opposite in fact. Megaman games have always been incredibly challenging and anything that tries to give the same feel as those needs to be just as difficult. 20XX does an incredible job of balancing this given its roguelike nature. It’s a worthy successor to any of the old games, it is the game that Megaman fans have been waiting for, and quite simply it does what it does spectacularly.

As far as hybrid genres go, this is an interesting one. The combination of walking simulator and the integration of the puzzles is very well done, while the drip feed of the story is steady enough to keep your focus, driving you through the small niggles that arise throughout a play through. The whole thing is tied together with some great voice acting and great music. Overall, The Spectrum Retreat grabs hold and refuses to let go, while its clever combination of pure puzzling and story telling makes for an enjoyable and unique experience throughout.

If you’re a fan of Just Cause or Saint’s Row, then Red Faction Guerrilla might well tickle your fancy. In the days of sprawling open world titles with hundreds of missions tied together with awful stories, the simplicity of this game makes a welcome change. Violence is not big, hard, or clever, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun. Red Faction Guerrilla Me-Mars-tered is the remaster no one was asking for, but has turned out to be a welcome surprise.

The Crew 2 is a fun game in a lot of ways, but lacklustre in others. For every enjoyable event there may be another that is frustrating or simply a little boring. The open world can be great to explore, but thanks to being able to fast travel to every event you don’t ever actually need to physically cross the USA. Ubisoft should be commended for really taking a risk with The Crew 2 by adding so much and taking proceedings less seriously, but while The Crew 2 is a good arcade racer it still doesn’t quite rank among the best.

Whether you’re a Sudoku enthusiast or a new player, Hexologic is a puzzle game that’s easy to pick up and learn. If you’re looking to pick your brains at clever numerical puzzles, this game will keep you busy with its wide selection. It may not be one to try and beat in one go, but it’s definitely worth picking up if you like your Sudoku with a twist.

This is by far and away the best MXGP game to date, and the result of developer Milestone finally getting to grips with the Unreal Engine — despite the recently disappointing MotoGP 18. MXGP Pro still lacks technical polish and misses the magical ‘wow’ moments that the best racing games feature, but this is now a great platform that they can build upon for the future. The difficulty curve will not be for everyone, but MXGP Pro is all the better for it.

If you enjoyed Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, then picking up Donkey Kong Adventure is a no-brainer. In some ways it’s even better, with Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky two great new characters that work so well together and even more flexibility in battle. If the main game’s main meal was a lovely mushroom risotto, then Donkey Kong Adventure is a large serving of banoffee pie for dessert.

Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a unique take on zero gravity that feels fairly true to what it would be like. The trouble is this makes for a dull experience when not in VR. [Non-VR Review]

Having the original Lumines soundtrack on modern consoles is a nostalgia trip for fans of the 14-year-old PSP puzzler, but the core block-dropping gameplay hasn’t aged a day. It’s still just as addictive now as it was back then, but it’s a shame that as a remaster it ignores some of the game modes introduced in later games. As remasters go, Lumines is impeccable, but then it was always going to be.

I’m truly sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I am. I had wished and wished for years that Bandai Namco would give Gundam fans outside Japan a proper way to experience some of the amazing games they’ve developed in the series. Today, this wish has come true, but like a cursed monkey’s paw, it has come with a terrible price. New Gundam Breaker is available in Europe and America, yes, but it is also terrible. It is not fun to play, look at, or think about.

It’s clear how much of a labour of love Rainbow Skies was. The game is packed to the brim with mechanics and ideas that call back to a dozen different classic RPGs and strategy games. For all the love that went into the game though, there’s a frustratingly low amount of polish and quality design, especially when it comes to the visuals and writing. Rainbow Skies is a love letter to classic RPGs hastily written in crayon on notebook paper.

Light on actual awesome adventuring, but it certainly has the spirit of Life Is Strange throughout and shows a notable maturity and nuance in its depiction of a troubled household.

The Lost Child is a dull, uninspired dungeon crawler. On paper, a Lovecraft dungeon crawler with a Japanese flair could be something truly iconic and memorable. Instead of realizing that ideal, The Lost Child apes existing dungeon crawlers and throws a dozen ideas at the wall, with none of them managing to stick. Combat can be fun and the El Shaddai nods are cute, but it isn’t enough to make this cosmic terror worth losing your sanity over.

While it’s wonderfully experimental, Octo Expansion isn’t an essential purchase, but will give diehard Splatoon fans hours of often rock hard challenges to overcome.

Lego The Incredibles is a great kids game, but it doesn’t really reach the heights of many of its predecessors. Not quite incredible, then, but still pretty good.

Sometimes opposites attract, and Pode’s contrasting characters are a great example of that, combining to overcome the game’s environmental puzzles. While it’s a little rough around the edges, Pode is a charming puzzle game whether you play it alone or grab a friend to play alongside you.

Mario Tennis Aces looks and performs as well as anything you'd expect from the House of 'Tache, but its family friendly appearance disguises a brutally difficult single player experience that will surely alienate younger players. With a high skill threshold, it also loses out on the simple delights of pick up and play local multiplayer, but for those willing to put in the time and effort there's still enjoyment to be found in its surprisingly challenging, albeit embellished, take on the sport.

There is an incredible core set of mechanics and gameplay at the heart of Cross Tag Battle. It is fun as hell to play, and addictive and rewarding to try and master. Unfortunately, the package that this gameplay ships in is embarrassingly sparse, especially by Arcsys standards.

Of the many roguelites I’ve played over the last few years, Monster Slayers is perhaps the most successful in offering enough variety and options to prevent the annoyance and frustration that so often accompanies repeated playthroughs. The different classes and range of cards mean that there is a fantastic sense of improvement and development whilst the random layout stops runs from being too simple.

The MotoGP series has long suffered from a lack of obvious progression from one release to the next. This time, Milestone has at least tried to do things differently and switch game engines, but right now that hasn’t paid off. Last year’s game was already supposed to be a transitional one, yet here we are with a game that is a regression for a series that was becoming a bit stale.

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is everything the first game should have been; it doesn’t have to be “so bad it’s good,” and it features some good honest fun at its core. A Legend Reborn is definitely one to pick up if you’ve missed the beat ‘em up genre and are fancying something with a modern twist.

The fact that Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection gives players a thorough insight into Street Fighter II, III and the Alpha series is recommendation enough, but when they’re so well presented it makes this more or less essential for fight game fans. Add in the Switch’s portability, and on-the-go multiplayer opportunities (if you’re both willing to forgive the limitations of the Joy-Con) and this is everything a Street Fighter fan could hope for.

Unravel Two is everything a sequel should be. It stays true to the original but adds co-op which allows you to play and experiment together as you find your path through the beautiful environments. Unravel was already a very enjoyable game, but with co-op feeling as natural in this game as it does, Unravel Two is a delightful playground for fans of puzzle platformers.