All in all, Battlefield 2042 has been a real labour of love for me. The initial launch was remarkably underbaked, but I can’t deny the enjoyment that comes from firing a rocket launcher into a tornado. This may not be the best FPS multiplayer game available, and there are still plenty of issues that need ironing out, but there are occasionally some thrilling moments that you won’t be able to experience in the likes of Call of Duty or Fortinte. It remains frustrating having to pay full price for a multiplayer game, but if you’re already a fan of the franchise and don’t mind missing out on the campaign, you’ll likely enjoy yourself here. The nostalgic aspect of Portal mode will also draw fans in, and of course, the 4K graphics make it very pretty game, even if it has its cracks.

Super Mario Maker 3DS takes everything that worked on the Wii U and replicates it for a handheld experience. It's a shame that sharing levels via the Internet isn’t yet possible – but this game’s a joy all the same.

Biomutant is a charming open-world RPG that is blatantly aimed at children, with a low difficulty level and overly cutesy tone that will likely put off older gamers. Combat is fun with a large range of craftable weapons and mutant powers at your disposal, but boring puzzles and a barebones story means there isn’t much else here to keep you captivated.

Children Of Arkham does build on the foundations laid by Realm Of Shadows, going for more of a slow burn than firing off surprise after surprise. If there’s a satisfying outcome in a few months then it’ll be a worthwhile wait, especially as Telltale does have a great understanding of not only Batman himself, but of the version of Batman it wants to represent.

When you’re racing, drifting, off-roading or being chased, Payback feels like a fine arcade racer in the classic Need for Speed mould. It doesn’t have the glamour or the handling of Forza: Horizon, but it’s scores big on variety, speed and thrills. Unfortunately, those simple pleasures keep getting spoilt by the amount of grinding and driving around that goes on in-between. Need for Speed was never the most-respected racing series, but it used to be one of the most fun. Payback has too much getting in the way.

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.

Anthem is a strange flawed adventure with glimpses of greatness buried behind an abundance of obtuse design decisions. What so many players love about Bioware is here, but fragmented in such a way that it becomes unrecognisable...The core of Anthem – being its fearsome gunplay and angelic flight mechanics – are stellar, yet they’re held back by the mission structure that dictates them. Things could certainly improve with the introduction of deeper dungeons and endgame content, but right now Anthem is sadly underwhelming; a victim to the template it’s trying so hard to emulate.

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.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is a budget reimagining of a fan-favourite series that fails to live up to the heights of that franchise. It plays and looks like a last-gen game, and it was a struggle to plow through the game, even for review purposes.

Dakar 18 is a curious creature. It absolutely delivers something truly distinct in the wider racing genre, and though the core gameplay isn’t immediately accessible, it can be greatly rewarding to those that take a chance on tackling it properly.

Warriors Orochi 4 is not a particularly bad game, but it does feel like it’s trying its best to innovate on a tired formula, but those new additions might not be enough. Compounded with finicky menus and performance issues, it leaves the game leaving a little bit more to be desired than what it offers currently. And no, that doesn’t mean they should add more characters.

Grow Up takes everything that made Grow Home so entertaining and adds to it accordingly, but the predictability of any sequel means it falls a little flatter than before.

Call of Duty: Vanguard does have its moments, even if they are quite few and far between. The campaign goes back and forth between innovative and entertaining, to repetitive and bland, while the Multiplayer and Zombie modes don’t bring anything new to the table other than how impressive they look.

Gravel is fun enough as an arcade off-road racer, but it feels like it was designed to compete with the hits of five or six years ago, not the racers of today. While there’s something likeable about its no-nonsense, rough-and-tumble action, it lacks the poise, power and polish of a mud-flinging, tyre-spinning champ.

The Medium is an enjoyable survival horror that's held back by a lacklustre narrative and a signature mechanic that never reaches its full potential…Even with Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka's score ringing across its twisted soviet world, Bloober Team's latest project pales in comparison to the legends that came before it.

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.

There’s certainly a few hours of cheesy fun on offer here, and the inclusion of online co-op and a horde mode certainly help. But despite the decent amount of content for £30, it’s hard not to feel like your hard-earned cash would just be better spent on a traditional PS4 game.

This is the Police 2 is a great strategy game where things are always trying to get out of hand. Dealing with the minutia of an officer calling in sick, while also chasing down bad guys feels as chaotic and hard to balance as it should do, but never unimportant. The story feels too separate to the game’s mechanics, which is a shame because it is compelling and well presented.

Although the seven games on offer are good examples of the fun, but shallow genre, it’s hard to shake the feeling that with a bit more attention – the kind Mega Man and Street Fighter received – this could have been another must have retro collection.

1-2-Switch packs in an impressive amount of content, and is legitimately one of the best party games you'll come across. If it'd been included with the console, it would doubtlessly win over a lot of people. I'm just not sure anything here is compelling enough to entice people to pay an extra £40 for it – especially when Zelda is going to be sat right next to it on shelves.

Got a household of bored kids on a rainy weekend? World of Warriors has just enough charm and interest to keep them busy for a day or two. Yet while it has depth and a few good ideas, it’s not compelling enough or varied enough to hold their interest for any longer. It has a whole bunch of warriors, but not the heart or soul of a great fighting game.

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.

Layers of Fear 2 is an enjoyable horror adventure, but rarely does anything new with the genre. I’ve seen it all before, and given the excellence of Bloober Team’s last project, this feels like a step backward in terms of both ambition and quality.

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.

With a charming campaign, dynamic score and pleasing graphics, this 2020 instalment is a worthwhile purchase for fans of the series looking for more Olympic fun. Yet, given the fluidity of the focused sports games already available on the Switch, and the brilliance of those on previous Nintendo systems, it pales in comparison and becomes a hard sell unless you particularly enjoy the mini-game structure – or want a game that will keep a sports-mad family busy this holiday season.

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

With it’s high-octane pace, RGX Showdown is an incredibly promising blueprint for a low-priced arcade racer, but with the untimely demise of its publisher, Telltale, it’s hard to tell if the developers, Shortround Games will be able to make a sequel or expand on the premise of the game.

Isle of Armor is an enjoyable expansion to Pokemon Sword and Shield and brings the franchise one step closer to embracing a cohesive open-world, but it isn’t enough to detract from an experience that is far too brief for its own good.