A wonderful crime thriller that embraces everything that made the series great, refining it further with new technology – it blew me away. I’m not ashamed to say that the closing minutes of Kazuma Kiryu’s final chapter brought me to tears, acting as the culmination of a story in which I’ve lost myself for more than a decade.

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.

Starfield is an excellent RPG in the same mould as Skyrim and Fallout, but with a sci-fi spin. It features a deep skill tree and rewarding side quests to eat up your free time, as well as fantastic gunplay. But it hasn’t quite reached the high expectations for space exploration, with technical limitations and countless bland planets making the journey into the stars a rather mundane one.

FIFA 19 is a great game, packed with plenty of detail. It isn’t a huge step forward in terms of raw gameplay, but the sheer amount of stuff to do will mean you keep coming back for more.

While it won't win any awards for how it repackages the material, Danganronpa 1.2 Reload deserves attention for making two of the most captivating and mind-bending murder mysteries in any medium more accessible.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an excellent JRPG with a truly extravagant open world begging to be explored. Its in-depth battle system and impressively paced narrative help to deliver a smooth experience, despite its massive run-time. The Nintendo Switch has yet another jewel in its exclusive library, cementing itself as a system never to be underestimated. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Alrest is calling.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a faithful adaptation of the Game Boy Advance classic, with charming 3D visuals giving it a welcome facelift. With the gameplay mechanics largely untouched 22 years after the release of the original however, Advance Wars feels rusty and basic compared to more modern strategy games on the Nintendo Switch.

Yes, there are still performance issues occasionally – but it’s nothing compared to how bad the original release was. For Dark Souls first outing on Switch, this Remaster should appeal to fans and newcomers alike – just don’t expect perfection.

The Frozen Wilds is more of Horizon Zero Dawn, and that is in no way a bad thing. The expansion offers some closure on certain story threads whilst telling a self-contained tale that’s perfect for this ruined world you find yourself in. There’s little in terms of mechanical upgrades to the game, but Horizon never needed that in the first place...If you’re craving 15-20 hours adventuring in a world crafted by artisan game designers, you can’t go wrong with The Frozen Wilds, which is easily one of the best DLC packages on offer this year.

It’s a bit buggy and prone to repetition, but Path of Exile is a free-to-play Diablo clone that’s seriously worth playing. It’s dark and stylish-looking, with a rich and interesting progression system – and the cycle of slaying, looting and upgrading is as compelling as it is in Diablo 3. Given the price, it’s hard not to recommend. Grab some friends if you can, then join the trail.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the most innovative titles the series has seen in a long time, with the new game mechanics and features making me wonder how I’ve ever played another Pokémon game. Game Freak created a great story that puts you in a position you’ve never been in before, with more quirky characters and hours of fun, with over one hundred side quests to boot. The main thing that lets down Arceus are the graphics, which are overly simple and bland for a Pokémon game, and downright depressing when compared to any other Switch title.

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.

Resident Evil Village is a great horror game that is sure to delight newcomers and old fans of the series. The horror setting has moments that are genuinely terrifying and the game’s narrative feels suitably satisfying, and grotesque, to entice fans of the genre. The only downside is that its increased focus on combat can make it feel a little too easy, even when played on the normal difficulty setting. If you’re looking to experience the true horrors on offer here, I suggest you crank up the difficulty.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is another accomplished entry in long-running open world series. By expanding upon the blueprint established by Origins, Ubisoft has crafted an experience that feels brave, huge and utterly gargantuan.

Watch Dogs 2 is no great leap forward, but it sees the series headed in the right direction with more colour, more flair and a real sense of fun. The action’s solid and the mission design much less generic, while Ubisoft Montreal has given you a great set of tools and the freedom to use them as you will. If the original Watch Dogs was a mean-looking hound, all bark, no bite, the sequel’s a more playful pooch that’s all about having a good time – and it’s all the better for it.

Project Cars 2 is one of the most hardcore racing sims in years and pulls off what it sets out to do wonderfully. Unforgiving and awesome.

Football Manager 2018 is a great game, but that’s mostly down to the sheer depth of the series on offer from previous years. A few new features here are fun as ideas, but I’d like them to have a more meaningful impact in-game...Still, after putting nearly 50 hours into FM 2018, I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. The sheer number of things that you can do make it ridiculously addictive – and one of the best value games around. Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into first.

The Division 2 is an excellent shared-world shooter and a how-to guide for big franchises looking to make a sequel.

Madden ‘18 is a solid annual update that continues the franchise’s good form as of late. It doesn’t hurt that Longshot mode is absolutely fantastic, too.

Much of what’s been altered are small steps to further enjoyment, because EA has the fundamentals down. Is it unrecognisable from Madden 16? No. Is it more playable? Yes. Ultimately, that’s all that matters, and all that’s needed to make this title a success.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Borderlands 3 is as safe as sequels come. Its gunplay has hardly changed at all and the humour remains as polarizing as ever, but the package in its entirety works. It’s fast, satisfying and constantly addictive as you hoover up new guns and grow your selection of badass vault hunters.

The Ringed City is a must for Dark Souls fanatics, and not just because it’s almost certainly the final chapter in what has become a cult classic series. It’s a great piece of DLC in its own right, with thrilling boss fights, gorgeous locations and an appropriately sad, mournful ending...If you count yourself among the hordes of gamers who adore these games for what they are, then you’ll find this last jaunt through a perilous, dying world where everything wants to kill you over and over again a joy.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars marks the long awaited arrival of some stone cold classics on Nintendo Switch, even if it doesn't always give them the esteemed treatment they deserve to truly shine in the modern era.

Death Stranding is unlike anything else out there right now. It's huge, innovative and utterly unashamed in what it wants to be. Kojima Productions is heavy-handed in its implementation of modern political themes, but they tie into the narrative and involve the player in ways that feel compelling.

Mortal Kombat 11 is yet another great entry in NetherRealm’s fighting series. The story mode is all too brief, but delivers a frantic action blockbuster that unashamedly hurls fan service all over the place, and is all the better for it. An increased focus on cosmetic loot and player customisation hasn’t come at the expense of excellent combat design, which feels tighter and more rewarding thanks to some subtle yet clever changes to what we know and love.

Toys for Bob has done an excellent job translating the lovable dragon’s adventures to modern platforms, building upon the original outings with brave new additions.

As a huge fan of the Borderlands series, the Legendary Collection gives me almost everything I could've wanted – a solid port that runs well and finally does the series justice in handheld form. The steep asking price and lack of new content is unlikely to sway all existing fans, but the bundle is must-have for newcomers.

Control is one of Remedy Entertainment’s greatest achievements. As a shooter, it’s lovingly satisfying to play, as all of its mechanics mesh to create a slick, supernatural explosion of paranormal powers and eclectic gunplay. Combine that with open-ended exploration and the package is nearing excellence. So it’s a shame the narrative can be needlessly muddled, stewing at a slow pace before rocketing towards a conclusion that sadly doesn’t feel earned in the slightest.