Super Mario Maker 2 is not without its small gripes, but if you put away the magnifying glass and look at the game on a whole, this game is a perfectly executed idea from Nintendo. This is the Mario Maker game creative fans have been dreaming of.

If you fancy samurai mythology with a Japanese ink brush aesthetic and/or you’ve just been looking for a 2.5D style, weapon-based fighting game, I think Samurai Shodown is a very solid choice.

Even though it’s just 10 months since F1 2018’s launch, F1 2019 feels like a step forward. It adds improved visuals, a beefed up online multiplayer component, and an enjoyable light story to a great base that already boasted phenomenal racing mechanics. It’s not perfect or a mind-blowing departure from the decade of games before it but it shows that Codemasters’ series is still improving each and every year.

Similar to how Citizens of Earth is a fun, yet imperfect, ode to Earthbound, so too is its sequel an interesting but flawed take on the RPG genre.

Aside from some indie crunch, The Sinking City is a moody yet faithful dive into the world of Lovecraft that would make a great starting ground for anyone new to the genre. It would be nice to see the world and combat tightened up a bit, but its incredibly rewarding mystery-solving makes it a stellar investigation game that succeeds at such a naturally mystifying genre where many others fail.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is as close to perfect as fans of metroidvania games could hope for. Exploration is absolutely a blast; the enemies are as enjoyable to kill as they are creative, and aspects such as backtracking and grinding are actually fun. Plus, plenty of other game modes await after the final boss is slain, such as Boss Rush. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has enough to keep gamers hooked for nights on end, and it’s only going to get bigger as time goes on.

Those who enjoyed the original back on the original PlayStation, or newcomers to the series looking for a new karting title shouldn’t pass on Nitro-Fueled. It might not be perfect, but it’s certainly got enough going for it to make a solid challenge for Mario’s crown as the king of kart racers.

My Friend Pedro is an excellent pickup that justifies the price. If you’re looking for an action game similar to the absurd action of games like John Woo’s Stranglehold, this is an easy recommendation.

With an entirely original story and streamlined side content, Judgment is easily the best place to get introduced to the Yakuza formula, and for longtime fans it's the best Dragon Engine game yet. Either way, it's one you shouldn't miss out on.

Cadence of Hyrule might not be the challenging follow-up that Necrodancer fans were looking forward to, but it serves as a charming homage to the music of The Legend of Zelda series, and as a celebration of its classic 2D formula.

It comes with all the depth veterans of the genre expect without necessarily feeling unwelcoming to newcomers, and with so much content that novices will become veterans before they’re done with a fraction of it. Add to that an absolutely fascinating setting and an enjoyable story, and we have a winner that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who isn’t allergic to turns.

Trails of Cold Steel II is a stellar entry in one of the best JRPG series in years. Its rich narrative and deep combat system mean that there is a lot for players to sink their teeth into. The PS4 version comes with the bells and whistles that were present in the PC version, with Turbo Mode, in particular, being a godsend.

The weapon variety and a mix of cool Behemoths to fight makes it one of the best free-to-play games that I’ve ever jumped into and I just love how the game doesn’t attack you with microtransactions. There’s a lot of value and fun to be had in Dauntless, especially considering the non-existent cost of entry.

Of course, fans of the Persona franchise will also love this game. It’s essentially an abridged version of the standard Persona experience. Get that 3DS charger ready, because you have one more wonderful game to finish.

It may not have the same scale as titles like No Man’s Sky, but Outer Wilds packs in more interesting lore, narrative, and puzzle-y mechanics in its handful of planets than most other titles out there. If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air and fancy venturing out into space for a laid back exploration and a damned good time, Outer Wilds should be your first port of call.

I expected a game with terrifying scares and a confusing plot, but what I got was a game with okay scares and a fantastic plot. Layers of Fear 2 didn’t live up to any of my expectations, but given what I expected, that’s a good thing.

Total War: Three Kingdoms sets a high watermark for the series and a new bar for the genre. Its attention to detail, high level of polish and differing faction mechanics means you can blissfully spend hundreds, even thousands of hours playing and still find something new and beautiful to engage with. It blends larger than life characters with historical authenticity, and technical polish with tactical finesse...I can see myself playing for years to come, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

Blood & Truth is an excellent example of an action movie in VR. Some of the set-piece moments are up there with the best on the platform and it’s the perfect game to show off the power of virtual reality. The only real disappointment comes from how easy it is to see that the experience could be even better if we had better controllers to play it with.

Despite the control and movement issues in Observation, I would definitely recommend playing it, as it is an experience few other games are likely to offer you. Just be careful, as you may have an existential crisis after the game’s crazy story wraps up.

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland has plenty going for it. It’s got an interesting story that longtime fans will love, and its gameplay will keep JRPG fans satisfied well into the late hours of its run. Like so many other titles from the genre though, it’s held back by long-held conventions that work against it, and keep it from being something better than just another entry in the Atelier series.

Everybody’s Golf nails the most important thing: hitting the ball feels great. It’s just disappointing that there isn’t anything in the way of multiplayer to test your technique against your friends.

The team mechanics provide a bit of a unique twist on the genre, even if they make rubber-banding even more of an issue. Despite a few shortcomings, Team Sonic Racing is an enjoyable kart racer that makes great use of its franchise. If you’ve got a serious itch for some good old racing, Sonic and friends can help scratch it.

Darkwood is a fantastic exploration of the horror genre and had me checking my cupboards for monsters whenever I’d finish a late-night play session. It’s grim, unrelenting, and you can easily find your self lost among its shadowy boughs. It’s oppressive, dark, and one hell of a ride. Just don’t let the lights go out.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a late-generation gem that shouldn’t be missed by anyone with even a passing interest.

What Imperator: Rome does, it does impeccably well. Like Paradox games have been doing for years now, it will devour hours and whole days of your life, and you will give them willingly. But you will have to work for it, learn it like a foreign language. But it is worth it, and the more time you put into learning it, the more you will come to appreciate it. Even Rome wasn’t built in a day.

I was blown away by how much I enjoyed playing SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. A beautifully crafted world, engrossing combat system, and deeply layered boss fights are just a few things RPG fans will certainly love about Image & Form Games’ distinct card game.

Days Gone is an alright first step for Bend Studio. It's a competent open world game with massive, diverse environments for you to explore, even if there aren't actually a lot of interesting things to do. It's also very vanilla, and there just isn't much substance beneath its glossy surface.

Jupiter & Mars may only be a few hours long but it feels like a drag. Its message is admirable but swimming through its empty world is tedious. The basic stealth sections, block smashing mechanics, and environmental puzzles simply aren’t a lot of fun and the visuals are too lifeless to make it a world still worth visiting.