An enjoyable action-adventure for the most part, yet frequently falls victim to a haphazard narrative and structural pacing that stops the trilogy’s finale from truly standing out.

The addition of PSVR is gimmicky, but fun, with VR shining in cabin-based games like this one, was re-jigged to be. The rest of the game despite showing its age heavily in places manages to feel a fresh experience, as surprisingly nothing has really come out in all this time that comes close to how slickly agile aerial mech combat feels here.

Right now Forsaken seems to be taking Destiny in the right direction, giving us that killer combination of Halo and Diablo that we’ve always wanted.

It’s fun for a bit but quickly runs out of steam. The more casual fan, looking for something to have a laugh with their mates with and little else is almost certainly going to be better served by hanging on for Nintendo’s new Smash Bros game because there’s simply not enough interesting content outside of unlocking clothing accessories.

Slime Rancher is an enjoyable foray into virtual ranching, yet fails to provide enough meaningful depth beyond its adorable visual identity.

Pro Evolution Soccer remains the best, most accurate representation of football you can play without suddenly realising you can play out from the back like Harry Maguire.

This game shares a lot of DNA with the Dragonball Xenoverse titles but manages to falter at almost every aspect, with flaws in the mission structure, the combat, the way you attain loot and in the way that you develop your character.

It’s uncomplicated fun, and it should deliver fun evenings defeating Spidey’s Rogue’s Gallery, exploring the city or even just pelting around at high speed hoovering up collectibles.

Bizarre and interesting; perhaps the quintessential Adult Swim-published game in that respect, but ultimately this one is merely just a decent game that may be guilty of thinking being strange is the same as being funny. Pool Panic shows promise but is more surface than feeling. It’s great it exists, however, if only to prove that, yes, sometimes games are just plain weird, and it’s okay to embrace that.

Firewall can be an incredible experience – and easily the most exciting and immersive VR shooter that I’ve played. It’s just a shame that there’s not more co-op and single-player action, more competitive modes or shorter waits between the game’s bite-sized matches.

You might complain about the save games or the fact that it sticks very closely to the old, established path, but few sims of recent years have been this accessible to get into or this interesting long-term. Miss the good old days of Theme Park, Theme Hospital, and The Movies? This enormously lovable sim will more than fill the hole.

Subset games has achieved a mastery of the microdrama, and as such, Into The Breach is about as essential as indie games get.

Unavowed is a triumph of genre fusion enhanced by years of hard work in an unsung genre. If there’s any justice, it will spark an adventure game renaissance.

Despite the writing, which is definitely an acquired taste, The Messenger is a truly excellent classic platformer and a bloody good Metroidvania.

Overlook these little niggles and Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the best RPG to make it to consoles since The Witcher 3. It’s vast, engaging and surprising. The willingness to accommodate many different types of play may have its drawbacks, but once you’ve understood the systems and given thought to what kind of hero you want to be, you can sink literally hundreds of hours into your life on Rivellon.

There’s enough charm here to paper over some of the game’s fairly substantial cracks, and it’s easily one of the more unique and better cooperative shooters that owe Valve a fruit basket for Left 4 Dead.

Just be aware that it isn’t the easiest game to get into, and its obtuseness can hamper your enjoyment, especially early on.

It doesn’t advance the formula in many meaningful ways, but refines things we’ve come to love while enhancing them with fun and unexpected additions. The localisation is bound to be a polarising aspect for many, but after a small teething period, I found it to be a charming alternative to the original vision.

Another spectacular entry in the long-running series. It brings the 2006 classic into the modern generation with gorgeous visuals, engaging combat and a melodramatic story that hits all the right notes. The sheer amount of content on offer across multiple modes and cities is an achievement in itself, made even better by the way in which Kiwami 2 unashamedly bathes players in the culture that inspired it.

There’s a world of promise here, and scratching the surface will quickly draw you in. I can’t imagine an active Warcraft player not buying in – but if you’ve lapsed? Well, there’s a whole new world to check out. And it’s truly gorgeous. It’s a good time to head back.

Guacamelee 2 is an excellent sequel, bringing new mechanics but retaining enough of what made the first game so charming. There are times when repetition kicks in or the concepts become too numerous, but the dialogue, design and core movement will keep things fun.

With eclectic writing and characters in addition to things to do and places to explore, Shenmue 1 & 2 are brilliant. Very few older titles of that generation still hold up so immensely well today. A stone-cold classic.

Not Tonight proves that the Papers Please formula can work in a less soviet setting, but the experience is slightly diminished by the transplant. Yet it’s eccentricities remain endearing, with characters, landscapes and a haunting sound of muffled music that will be rambling around my skull for a little while yet.

So far, The Final Season is pretty much as we’d expected, although there’s a couple of good twists to keep the story fresh and engaging. Woven throughout the tale is a palpable sense of rebirth, of change and starting over; a new beginning not just for the series, but for Clementine herself.

F1 2018 is still a game that shines on the track, then. Forget speaking to journalists in the confines of a press paddock – this is a sport about being at the cutting edge of technology, inches from a solid metal barrier, in the sunny streets of a tax haven. And god bless it.

It’s a shame that it feels unfinished and that mechanics like being unable to decide where your character initially drops at the beginning of matches does detract from the experience here, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had for fans of the genre.

Phantom Doctrine is a disappointment. However, it has bundles of ambition, a lot of smart ideas and a clear and real love for the spy genre it hamfistedly mimics. I’ve no doubt it will find a cult following, but for people expecting a turn-based tactics game along the lines of titans like XCOM 2 and Jagged Alliance 2, this isn’t it...But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop playing it. It’s deeply flawed – but like a proud and misguided parent, I keep wanting the best for the game and can’t leave it alone.

There are first attempts from studios with more years behind them, more people involved, far more hype and even greater promises – and even then they’ve fallen flat. Alter Army is imperfect yet assured, unfair yet legitimately challenging, and absolutely worth a few pounds from your wallet and a few hours of your time.

It’s no disaster, but State of Mind delivers only disappointingly forgettable returns on some significant pre-release promise.

We Happy Few is a game filled with fantastic moments and wonderful stories, but they’re weighed down by token survival mechanics and tedious scavenging, an unfortunate hangover from the game’s survival origins. Despite this, there is so much to love about We Happy Few, and if you can forgive its missteps, you’ll find some powerful storytelling.

Code of Princess EX is a bit of a mixed bag for. It looks great, never missing a beat no matter how action-packed things get, and it’s certainly very accessible. And it’s fun – for a time. It simply isn’t a game that will stay with you for any length of time. It’s more a palate cleanser between meatier fare, or for those times you want to relive your youth with some Streets of Rage-style bashing.

Another re-release for Ōkami may seem unnecessary, but the variety of options the Switch provides makes it a great fit. The motion controls may be a bit fiddly, but luckily, they’re not the only way to play. They offer a nice alternative for those interested.

For those with a penchant for punishment, a soft spot for stats, and a crush on brilliant combat – you simply have to buy this game.

Overcooked 2 provides just enough new ideas and content to serve up a delightful second helping. The charming visuals and low-key humour serve to counterbalance the devilish co-operative challenges on offer.

Madden NFL 19 is much more than a roster update, but if you were hoping for sweeping changes off the field you will be very disappointed.

Dead Cells could be the most surprising success of the year. Coming into the crowded Metroidvania genre was a bold move, but one that seems to have paid off as Dead Cells has delivered the best example of the genre in years. The game is deep and rewards exploration, with exceptional combat and so much content it’s honestly a little intimidating.

No amount of additional content could sweeten the deal here, though, as it’s simply the purposefully crude WarioWare format that’s to blame for it feeling out of its price depth. WarioWare Gold is the gold standard of WarioWare games, but it commands too high a price for what’s on offer.

Stardew Valley is the best of its kind, surpassing the classic titles it shamelessly imitates to create one of the most delightful games of the past decade.

As far as smartphone ‘uplifts’ to consoles go, Aces of the Luftwaffe: Squadron is one of the better I’ve seen. It isn’t going to challenge shmup fans, but it does gain some points for at least trying to do something original with the formula.

Ultimately, this is a 12-year-old game, and no amount of spit and polish can overcome the dated mechanics and repetitive combat that lies at its core.

Varied character unlock methods will serve up some 16-bit nostalgia to parents, while teaching kids to think outside the pillow fort. Sleep Tight is an inoffensive strategy shooter who’s shortcomings might just elude a more inexperienced audience.

No Man’s Sky is a vastly different game compared to its 2016 release. A range of updates, big and small, have culminated in transforming a disappointing space affair into an intergalactic journey that, frustrations aside, is well worth taking.

If the sports were improved and more fleshed out then I’d have been recommending this title for sure, because of its setting in Kawawii Island. In its current state, however, I’d wait for a price cut.

From the belly laughs to audible gasps, The Banner Saga 3 never fails to impress with how the seeds planted in the first game have branched to their conclusion. While it’s not a genre for everybody, it’s a game for everybody.

The Persistence isn’t easy – and it can be frustrating – but then persistence tends to bring its own rewards. This is a thoughtful, well-balanced blend of action and survival horror, designed by a team that plays to the strengths of the new VR medium while minimising so many of its weaknesses.

Put simply, the Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 is one for the hardcore fan or completionist, while the first collection is a damn fine set of games regardless of how much of a Mega Fan you are.

The least revolutionary variant of Tempest, and arguably the first to feel less than essential. It’s a high-class psychedelic retro shooter, but no Resogun or Nex Machina.

This focus on co-op does leave the experience feeling frustrating if you’re forced to go it alone, or if your teammates aren’t pulling their weight. However, if you can get a decent squad together then you might just be able to stave off the end times a little longer.

While it feels like Adventure Time, the adventure isn’t one that many will want to go on.

There’s space out there for more games in the Left 4 Dead mould, and Earthfall tries its best with limited assets and a limited budget. Sadly, it lacks the things that could have made up for both: imagination, invention, thrilling pacing, suspense and brilliant level design. Even without the current – and frankly unforgivable – matchmaking problems, it’s a game that struggles to match the ten-year-old classic it’s cloning, let alone surpass it.

Mothergunship is one of the more creative first-person shooters to come along in a while, mixing the genre effortlessly with a shoot ‘em up and having a ball with it.

Danger Zone 2 is a great love letter to the Burnout we all know and love, even if it does fall short in many areas that stops it from truly getting to the same level.

Sonic Mania Plus isn’t a vast improvement on Sonic Mania, but given the quality of Sonic Mania, we’ll let that slide. Encore mode extends and expands the appeal – and the challenge – of one of the hedgehog’s finest outings, while the new characters and enhanced Competition mode are fun.

Octopath Traveler is a delightful JRPG that takes plentiful inspiration from the classics that inspired it while carving a new path with fun, inventive ideas I’ve never seen before. Its satisfying and methodical combat system is complimented by a world that’s brimming with life. Whether its through its sprawling cities of richly written characters, there’s plenty here for hardcore and casual fans of the genre to appreciate.

There is a charmingly competent puzzler here, yet it’s hard to recommend without an abundance of caveats. If you’ve yet to play the Captain Toad and solving cute and charming puzzles, it could be worth a shot if it drops in price, even though the asking price is lower than most to begin with. If possible, and if you own a Wii U, you would be better off dusting that system down and playing it on there.

Despite The Spectrum Retreat’s minor issues and its inability to merge its two halves together, it’s impossible not to recommend given the quality of each of those halves. A unique and innovative puzzle mechanic is introduced and taken seemingly to its limits, while a crushingly human tale of loss plays out alongside it.

Shining Resonance Refrain plays it safe to an extreme. Little about it pushes the genre forward and nearly every part of the game is a bit too familiar, or done far better elsewhere. This is one for when you’re desperate for a new JRPG fix and that’s it.

These don’t stop Rifter being a standout game, not only in aesthetics but in the feel of motion. When the flips, jumps and grapples all come together, there’s a rush of adrenaline. And it’s all raised by that bouncing soundtrack and disco visual style. Precision platforming is currently hot and Rifter will easily step into the shoes left behind by Meat Boy and Celeste.

NieR: Automata remains a fantastic action RPG, bringing an alluring world, compelling characters and a real sense of agency together to craft something I really can’t recommend enough. If you’ve yet to play this gem, the Xbox One is currently one of the best places to do so.

The fundamentals are satisfying and the expressive charm of Crash and Coco is infectious. Difficulty spikes aside, the strong sense of satisfaction that comes from conquering a truly challenging stage is hard to beat, and the N.Sane Trilogy offers these moments in spades.

It’s a painful reminder that we have it and had it so much better, even if the remaster seems to be far more prone to crashing than the original. Games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Mad Max, and even Bad Company 2 do almost everything better than Red Faction ever could.

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is a fantastic Switch port courtesy of Bethesda and Panic Button which takes last year’s awesome FPS and ensures it continues that legacy even when you’re playing it on the move. Another great addition to the ever-growing Nintendo library.

You could grumble that more items could have been included or other events were added besides festive holidays, but EA has effectively overhauled the personality of your creations in tiny ways while introducing new actions, ways to interact and design ideas for the home.

A solid HD/4K update of a solid-gold classic puzzle game. Lumines Remastered doesn’t transform the Lumines experience and not all the new additions work out for the best, but who cares when the core game is still so fantastic and the overall audio-visual-sensory impact is so powerful?

The Crew 2’s evident ambition to encompass cars, planes and boats into a seamless sporting experience is admirable, but constantly undermined by the bland, unattractive shell in which it’s contained.

Far Cry 3 still offers damn good time, and the Classic Edition is a great way to revisit Ubisoft’s influential classic or dive into it with fresh eyes. The tried-and-tested formula has advanced in recent years, leaving some aspects of Far Cry 3 to feel aged and inconsiderate, which could be too high a hurdle for newcomers to overcome.

Whether you continue the story in Life is Strange 2 or not, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit can, and will, give you an emotional trip down memory lane. It works perfectly as a stand-alone product, but there’s no doubt that it’s leading into something even better. We don’t know exactly where its sequel is headed, but the clues paint a picture I can’t wait to see.

Mario Tennis Aces is awesome and a must-have if multiplayer experiences are your thing. It blends silliness with seriousness really quite brilliantly, and is a testament to Nintendo’s efforts within this space. No one else would ever even comes close.

An enjoyable puzzle adventure with an excess of charm behind its silly characters and lovable premise. However, its lacklustre presentation and 3DS origins mean the overall package suffers on Nintendo Switch. It simply doesn’t look very good, which is detrimental for a puzzler so reliant on its outlandish world.

Unravel Two is a fantastic successor to the original and the ultimate proof that you don’t always need to reinvent the wheel in a sequel. The addition of a second playable character and slight speed boost are all Unravel needed to elevate itself from a good game to a great one.

Who’d have thought this under-hyped mouse tale would be one of the best VR games around? Moss is brilliant and inventive in the way it applies VR to the 3D platform adventure, crafting something strange and magical out of familiar ingredients. It’s short, but beautifully-paced and utterly charming. Whatever VR platform you’re packing, you ought to play it.

Jurassic World: Evolution is the best kind of management sim, one that wraps challenging decisions inside a slick, fun experience with humour and a little family-friendly gore.

Pretty average all things considered but given what we received over two decades ago, that has to be considered somewhat of a success...Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn takes the beat ‘em up format and runs with it in the same way any game has over the last 30 or so years. It has moments where it’s relatively fun, but you’ll need to be a hardened fan to get the most out of it.

A very welcome arrival to a sphere of gaming that has been dominated by the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo recently, Onrush has a lot of potential to develop into something special if it can find its audience. It may threaten to lose its way here and there, but the possibilities are obvious. Even in its current state it’s more than likely to show you a very good time indeed.

Vampyr might not be what many wanted after Life Is Strange, but it’s still an enjoyable – well, as enjoyable as its grim nature allows – game nonetheless.

A shame, then, as Agony is a bold and deliberately non-conventional release from a studio that clearly has a vision. However, no matter the content, when the game is both boring and broken, it immediately overshadows any positives.

Survival games were in need of a shakeup and Smoke and Sacrifice appears to be the game to do it. More than just a title of crafting and cooking, you’ll find yourself rooting for Sachi while still appreciating the satisfaction that can come from a battle for survival. This is a game that’s brimming with heart and emotion.

If PixelJunk Monsters is one of the all-time-great tower defence games – if not the greatest – then Monsters 2 is the tower defence evolved. It’s a seriously beautiful-looking game, and Q-Games has found ingenious ways to make the translation to 3D work for, and not against, the gameplay. And it achieves all this without losing the heart and soul of the original.

This is a real love letter to the Street Fighter series. Eleven genuine classics (and one stinker) all ported with great care and with a museum of developmental and concept art, soundtracks and an interactive timeline of the series that’ll take a good hour or so to look through, it’s a great way to celebrate Street Fighter’s 30th birthday even before you factor in the online and training modes for the four marquee titles.

A very well put together retro collection that takes a group of games that are well remembered and drags them into the 21st century. It’s not going to overly surprise, but nor is it meant to.

Detroit: Become Human is complicated. It’s a technological marvel with great performances and an entertaining narrative at its core. Kara, Connor and Markus are all given enough room to breathe as characters that you feel connected to all of them. I cared about where their stories would end...Unfortunately, Quantic Dream oversteps its boundaries and muddles the water with thematic elements that feel awkwardly handled.

If you’ve played Dark Souls before then there isn’t really anything in this version of the game that makes for a compelling reason to part with your cash. The term ‘Remastered’ implies that a great amount of work has gone into this release, and although it’s a definite improvement – especially with regards to the frame rate – it isn’t extraordinary.

Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition is an improvement on the original version, but still nothing more than a semi-decent co-op shooter chained to a ditchwater dull campaign.

It’s as fast-paced as it is addictive as it is difficult, and the game is only enhanced by the stunning level designs and visuals throughout. The puns, alliteration and jokes scattered throughout really add to the narrative and style of the game.

Deadfire is a truly superb RPG from the masters of the genre. Unlike, say, a Bethesda game or even The Witcher 3, this isn’t an accessible entry point for curious newcomers; it’s a game that demands the kind of attention and commitment that is rare in 2018. However, if you have that mindset – and the time – then you’ll discover one of the deepest, densest and most rewarding Role Playing Games in years.

Although the game has some quirks and bugs that I feel should get patches – and may well do – it’s still fun to play. The AI is frustratingly good at being better than you, and it’s that challenge that has kept me coming back for more. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have robots to punch with other robots.

An improvement on the original, and with far more variety on offer, but State of Decay 2 suffers from repetitive combat and poor player communication throughout. Fans of survival sims will likely appreciate the greater attention to detail and increased demands when it comes to sustaining your communities, but for more casual players the constant need to find dozens of items or resources just to keep everything ticking over will just annoy, the longer you go on.

Whether you’re an avid Zelda fan or casual Warriors player, there’s something for you to love here. The Switch is the perfect console for a Musou experience since this game is best enjoyed in short bursts; prolonged spells almost reveal the secret of its magic, leading to a more laborious experience.

Warmind represents Bungie finally getting its PvP house in order after a rocky start, but this success comes at the cost of an underwhelming PvE offering. The campaign is a one-note run through a handful of missions that boil down to run here, kill dudes then throw a magic space javelin at more dudes for the big finale. The Escalation mode and Raid-Lair are nice little additions, but Warmind really does offer staggeringly little for its price tag.

More slot machine than it is video game. If you have oodles of cash you want to throw away then give it a look; otherwise, steer well clear.

It’s a game of magnificent vistas and embarrassing glitches, epic ambitions and humdrum work. The world is vast and beautiful, yet filled with dumb animals and even dumber enemies. While never less than absorbing, it can be hideously annoying too.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 is a game you’ve played before, but it’s a blast nonetheless. The anime’s outlandish storyline ties together neatly with the hectic fun of a Musou game, ensuring this is an appealing and meaty package. It’s just a shame it doesn’t take more risks with the tried-and-tested formula.

Battle Chasers: Nightwars is a damn good update to JRPGS of old, carrying the genre into 2018 without sacrificing what made it so appealing to begin with. The fact it’s now portable on the Switch just makes it better still.

Despite its junior stylings and mountain of cosmetic items, Fortnite’s combat and construction fundamentals are strong enough to sustain weeks and months of play, and as it nears final release, it’s only going to get stronger.

As far as local multiplayer games go on the current consoles, Super Mega Baseball 2 is a great option. If you’ve got Xbox Live Gold, then you can grab the game for free as part of the May lineup. Even if you’re not a huge fan of the sport, it’s well worth checking out.

Raging Justice is ridiculous fun which is, at its heart, just an updated version of Streets Of Rage. It’s dumb, entertaining and well made, even if it can be horrifically hard.

The Swords of Ditto is an enjoyable RPG held back by its procedural world that hinders the potential creativity of dungeons and exploration.

I wouldn’t make it my first Total War – go for Atilla or Warhammer instead – but if you’re looking for a more serious, less knockabout saga, Thrones of Britannia is a winner.