Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is a unique RPG brought to life by its fantastic pawn system and enthralling fantasy world. Forming a ragtag clan of allies before taking on gargantuan monsters is always a blast, helping you feel like a true soldier among a land of unimaginable terrors.

Gundam Versus is, without doubt, a unique fighting experience, one that actually proves to be a lot of fun. Naturally, fans of the series will get the most out of it, but anyone with a soft spot for the genre could find themselves pleasantly surprised.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Sage is genuinely one of my favourite remasters in years – I can’t remember a time that I’ve smiled as much while playing a game. Good humour combined with smart mechanics and that Nintendo absurdity make for an exceptionally good mix. The game is as good today as it was back in 2003, and new addition Bowser’s Minions is a very entertaining extra. This is truly one of the finest RPGs there ever was.

Turn 10 once again sets the bar for visual performance on the Xbox platform. Forza Motorsport 7 is a drop-dead-gorgeous game that brings sim racing to players of all skill levels. It may lack the absurd depth of the likes of Project Cars 2, but it makes up for it with accessibility and a beautiful presentation across the board.

Batman’s second episode in season two — known as The Pact — takes The Dark Knight and continues to refine him in a very unique way. If the whole series can pay off this story, it’ll be very good indeed.

The Lego Ninjago Movie Videogame is a fun platformer that expands on the established formula with an enjoyable combat system. Unfortunately, performance issues and lacklustre level design hold it back from greatness.

It’s almost needless to say that the visuals are incredible, creating a stunning run-and-gun boss battler that looks straight out of 1930s ‘toons. In fact, the presentation, the audio, the music and the general vibe are unbelievable. Cuphead will be too tough for some players, and you’d have to look to the likes of Nioh or Dark Souls to find something as brutal and unforgiving. It’s going to take some serious skill and experience to beat those bosses, but Cuphead keeps on bringing you back for more until you do.

Think of it less as a sequel to Total War: Warhammer, more a second chapter with a different pace and style. This one makes even more of the hybrid gameplay that made the original so exciting, with new races and additional mechanics that freshen up the campaign even for those who played through the first campaign with several different factions. Despite more work on accessibility, this is a dauntingly vast and complex strategy game, but it’s one with an equally huge sense of fun.

What you lack in performance, you make up for in portability however. Being able to take the game out and about with you suits the way you consistently chip away at battles and roll through the Story mode. It’s hard to recommend the Switch game to anyone that’s already bought it, but for anime fans looking for something on their Switch to play out their shouty, Ki-fuelled fantasies on, this is the perfect offering.

FIFA 18 is simply magnificent. Streets ahead of what came before, and continuing its dominance over its rivals, EA has done a superb job. With huge improvements across the board, this is the game FIFA fans have waited five years for. While the offline offering may continue to lack the depth of NBA 2K18, but the continued improvements each year have culminated in a brilliant game this year.

This is a great game for RPG fans to get their teeth into: over 20 hours in, you’ll notice the story only just starts gaining traction, and you may only just start getting familiar with the game’s myriad systems. The game is unforgiving, often mercilessly so, but if you have the patience to penetrate the density and crack open the core gameplay, there’s such a wealth of well-written RPG content, it’s impossible not to recommend.

Danganronpa is lunacy personified where games are concerned but does do a very good job in keeping the series going and make it accessible to newcomers, too. A crazy RPG experience.

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.

Pokkén Tournament DX is an enjoyable fighter that provides plenty of fan-service for hardcore and casual fans of the beloved franchise. It’s also a surprisingly deep experience, now equipped with more fighters and stages than ever before on Nintendo Switch. While the solo campaign isn’t what it could have been, Pokkén Tournament DX makes up for this shortcoming with excellent local multiplayer and an impressive suite of online offerings.

NBA 2K18 is very likely the best basketball game ever made and a template in how to approach a sports sim on nearly every level.

It’s a shame that it doesn’t have the visual fidelity or single-player content of some of its competitors, because it knocks the shine off what is otherwise a really fun, deep and varied fighting game. At its core, Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is a game that offers a fresh spin on the series’ tag-based combat and, provided the online works upon release, is another top-tier fighting game.

Death of the Outsider is a fantastic addition to the Dishonored universe that once again brings the broken city of Karnaca to life. Exploring Arkane Studios’ beautifully realised world feels fresh once again thanks to Billie Lurk, a morally ambiguous heroine with a flexible repertoire of skills that are a joy to experiment with. Death of the Outsider achieves more in terms of content and narrative than many games strive for, which is a fascinating achievement considering its meagre price tag.

Like most US-centric sports games NHL has a reputation as an acquired taste, but really it shouldn’t be. It’s a thrilling, accessible sim of a thrilling, accessible sport, with the varied online and offline modes you’d expect from an EA Sports game, plus a real slap shot to the back of the net in the form of Threes. Bring on the Frostbite engine and an equivalent to FIFA’s Journey mode, and EA might have a classic sports game on its hands. As it is, it’s still absorbing and a lot of fun.

Destiny 2 is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year, and it does well to tackle one of the biggest issues I had with the original. Featuring a stellar, albeit easy, single-player campaign, excellent combat and class mechanics, and the most enjoyable cooperative multiplayer I’ve seen in a shooter since Gears of War 4, Destiny 2 is a must-have game...My only concern is that, once again, it seems hell-bent on sucking every moment of free time you have to unlock its most interesting and entertaining features – which might prove a turn-off for more casual players.

Metroid: Samus Returns is a commendable re-imagining that has clearly been crafted with plenty of love and care by MercurySteam. Irritating control niggles aside, this is a great experience with fun combat, intuitive puzzles and absolutely stellar music.

Too weird and repellent for a mainstream audience, too brilliant for any serious gamer to ignore, The Binding of Isaac has found a surprisingly natural home on Switch. It’s ideal for short bursts and longer sessions of handheld play, and the sort of title that only gets richer and more interesting the more hours and effort you put in. Edward McMillen’s cult classic isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you there’s no better way to play it.

Rayman Legends is a masterful platformer that excels in almost every way. It’s stunningly crafted levels, adorable visuals and excellent music all leave a deep, lasting impression.

Monster Hunter Stories is a delightful little JRPG that makes a big splash with its adorable visuals and addictive battle system. Performance problems aside, this is a great introduction to Capcom’s beloved franchise.

Knack 2 is a pleasant surprise that improves upon the majority of its predecessor’s faults. It still lacks in genuine creativity and new ideas, but Japan Studio has crafted a confident platformer that acts as a whimsical spark in the PS4’s exclusive catalogue.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is an underwhelming start to a miniseries that still has plenty of promise. Deck Nine has shown it can create lovable characters and believable drama, yet fails to cohesively implement them into the experience. That being said, things could easily improve from here.

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.

As a remastered collection, there isn’t really a lot to say about the older games. They’ve been visually improved a little bit to fall in line with what you’d expect from a PS4 or Xbox One offering, but overall there are still some performance issues and, to be fair, the gameplay hasn’t particularly aged well. When you get to the more recent games, this collection is a good excuse for fans that missed out on Ultimate Ninja 4 or Road to Boruto to get way more bang for their buck. If you’re new to Naruto, it’s also a fantastic way of exploring the series’ rich history because – like a lot of classic anime – by the time you get into it, there’s certainly a lot to catch up on.

Everybody’s Golf looks good and has the same fun, breezy feel as previous versions, combined with intriguing online modes and a surprising amount of depth. The new open-world, online focus creates a new energy in what has always been a conservative series. On the downside, it’s very grindy in its early hours, locking off a lot of the fun stuff until you’ve put a good ten hours into the game. Hardcore fans may not worry – it gets better the more time you put in – but it’s weird that this most accessible of golf games is less of a crowd-pleaser than it deserves to be. [Initial Score = 70]