Ridiculous performance problems that I experienced only help compound a package that is enjoyable yet ultimately underwhelming.

Playing with buddies looting collapsed shopping centres and derelict towns is a blast and the robust crafting and character development mechanics are excellent. However, quests’ repetitive nature and a lack of human players filling the vast world can make Fallout 76 feel a little sterile and hamper its long-term appeal, especially if you don’t have friends to accompany you on your journey through the wasteland. This makes Fallout 76 a good, not great, entry into the iconic franchise.

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.

It’s a real treat to finally see Taiko no Tatsujin make a splash in the West, with Drum ‘n’ Fun delivering a faithful and fun package for arcade purists, while being a title I’d happily recommend to casual Nintendo Switch owners.

Miyazaki also describes his latest work as “a quiet game for VR”, and again it’s an appropriate view. There are none of the scares or action you’d find in a Souls game. Instead it’s a game about sedate exploration and creeping chills. Not all of the experiments or ideas pay off, but the ones that do make for an absorbing ghost story with just the right amount of weirdness for fans of the creator. Despite being marred by clunky controls this is one of the best games available for PSVR owners.

Battlefield 5 is a good game, but not a great one. The multiplayer can be great fun when you find the right server, and the single player shines a light on parts of World War 2 that aren’t in the public consciousness. However, the stripped back multiplayer and several of the same old problems mean that I’m wishing that this particularly war had perhaps changed a little more.

Game Freak has pulled a Hannah Montana and found the best of both worlds here, solidifiying an experience that embraces newcomers without forgetting the hardcore that will be itching to dive in. Acting as what is essentially a remake of Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow prevents this from being truly groundbreaking, but the foundations established here spell an exciting future for Pokémon on Switch.

Game Freak has pulled a Hannah Montana and found the best of both worlds here, solidifiying an experience that embraces newcomers without forgetting the hardcore that will be itching to dive in. Acting as what is essentially a remake of Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow prevents this from being truly groundbreaking, but the foundations established here spell an exciting future for Pokémon on Switch.

Beautiful, hypnotic and frequently surprising, Tetris Effect is a bravura reinvention of a classic game that deserves to be recognised as a series peak. The odd difficulty spike aside, there’s little to fault in what is undoubtedly one of 2018’s very best games.

My Hero One’s Justice is a competent brawler that makes effective use of its source material to craft something fans will most likely adore.

It’s unreasonable to expect Marvel’s Spider-Man The Heist to reinvent the wheel here, it’s a DLC for a game that was remarkably popular, and many are clamouring for more. However, I don’t think I’m the only person that will be a little disappointed at Marvel’s Spider-Man playing it safe, and it’s a prime example of how you can have too much of a good thing.

A welcome refresh of the UI, more visually pleasing training and tactics menus, and all the addictive depth you’d expect from an entry in the Football Manager series.

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle might not have the sheen of Slayaway Camp or be an homage to its namesake series like Friday the 13th: The Game, but it’s still a heck of a lot of fun and great value for money when you consider the amount of content that’s available here.

Whether you already own Lethal League or not, you should buy this sequel as fast as you can.

Return of the Obra Dinn is a bleak ditty but offers solid meat for puzzle fans to get their teeth into, with a similar love of paperwork and information cataloging that won fans for Pope’s previous title, Papers Please.

Is this the season’s must-have horror game? Nope, but there’s a lot here that fans of Lovecraft and Call of Cthulhu will appreciate. Sure, there’s still a sense that the truly great Lovecraft adaptation has yet to push back the door of dread R’lyeh and rise to the surface, but until it does – or a sequel brings improvements – this will more than do.

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.

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 game finds a well-suited home on the portable Switch, although it still has all the trappings of a mobile title. There are control issues old and new, and more could definitely have been done to make the ending feel substantial, but for a few sweet hours The Room will hold your attention with its well-crafted, enigmatic boxes.

Reigns is probably the best Game of Thrones game we’ve played to date. Incredible value, no matter what format you’re playing on.

With its gleefully mischievous cast and a few new mechanical tricks, Lego DC Super-Villains is a refreshing twist on the trusted Lego game formula. It’s a shame that long-running glitches that have plagued the series for years still rear their ugly head, but subtle improvements across the board make them tolerable, in large part because there’s so much else to like. A love letter to fans of the comics and the earlier Lego DC games alike, this makes it clear it’s good to be bad.

It feels like a real sequel to SoulCalibur 2, in a way that none of the others managed. It’s an immediately fun fighting game that has clear depth but never seems intimidating. It has one of the better rosters of any current fighting game, some beefy single player content and solid netcode. An essential fighting game.

It’s probably one of the best multiplayer shooters released this year, and the AAA implementation of a battle royale is a fascinating thing to play, too.

Crammed with gorgeous worlds, thrilling combat, and engaging mysteries, plus an arching plot that doesn’t speak down to its audience, Starlink is toys-to-life, all grown up.

Purists will likely still prefer the Nintendo DS original due to its superior controls and increased difficulty, but this provides newcomers a perfect chance to experience a JRPG that, for many, fell well under their radar all those years ago.

Its platforming is clunky, its animations stiff, and you eventually tire of its repeating puzzles—but I’ll remember J.J.’s story, and her inner struggles, for a very long time.

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.

Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics is, honestly, a bit of a disappointment. It’s a perfectly competent tactics game, and there is a solid 10 hours of narrative here for you to explore. However, it’s mostly upsetting because of the flecks of brilliance that don’t quite fit together, and the good ideas that aren’t explored enough.