Halo Infinite's move to a more open-world structure feels like a new beginning for the series, with nostalgic nods and fresh introductions combining to great effect. Both the campaign and multiplayer have room for improvement, but the core experience is strong.

If you're new to programming and want to see what it takes to make a game, this is a wonderful and humorous introduction. It does have limitations, though, and mastering its intricacies can take a long time.

Sonic X Shadows Generations delivers a sturdy one-two punch of fan service, providing a solid remaster of a 2011 favourite and coupling it with a new game starring a fan favourite. The usual 3D Sonic platforming issues remain and the Shadow Generations open-world hub may annoy those who disliked Sonic Frontiers but overall it's a brilliant package.

Charming yet challenging, Paper Trail is a beautifully designed game that will have you perplexed by its page-folding puzzles. A generous hint system ensures players won't get so stuck that they get frustrated, while collecting all the origami is a task that will likely turn even the most ardent puzzle fan's brain to pulp.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a pulpy spy thriller that we enjoyed massively. Excellent main missions are complemented by a revolutionary 2.0 update that makes this expansion worthy of giving the game a second chance.

Sonic Superstars absolutely nails the classic 16-bit Sonic gameplay. Its power-ups are hit-or-miss and its extra modes and co-op will divide opinion, but fans of the Mega Drive / Genesis days will adore the way this mixes that old feel with a new look.

Final Fantasy has never played better, and 16’s cast is destined to be fan favourites. We just wish that when they are outside of the Hollywood blockbuster-tier adventures of the main quest, they were given some more interesting adventures to pursue.

Another great Resi remake that delivers action by the bucketload, but is somewhat lacking in replay value.

Yakuza’s new direction maintains the series signature drama and deckings, while finding rich new comedy in its weirdest beatdowns yet. Hugely entertaining stuff.

Dispatch is more of a TV show than a video game, and while some of its parts feel disjointed and forced, an endearing cast of characters and an uncommon comedy tone manage to glue everything together.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a fun-filled exploration that shows what can happen when Nintendo decides to share its toys. While it's not the biggest leap a sequel has ever made, an incredible soundtrack, great visuals and witty writing make it one of Switch's best games of the year.

Berserk Boy is a great modern take on Mega Man style gameplay and one of the better recent attempts to bring the 16-bit era into the 2020s. Its story is lacking somewhat but it's got it where it matters, with solid platforming and satisfying combat.

An impressive remaster of an already entertaining Sonic game, this should keep Sonic fans busy until we get something new (as long as you're happy replaying levels for S-Ranks, because otherwise it's pretty short).

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a serviceable open world game elevated by a stunning presentation. While the visuals will utterly wow you, it's a shame it doesn't introduce more original ideas.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a balls-to-the-wall action game with a relentless pace and an almost comedic level of gory combat. It's very much a one-trick pony, however, and as thoroughly entertaining as fighting waves of enemies is, its tendency to recycle assets near the end of the game means it can start to overstay its welcome if you don't take it upon yourself to use the wide variety of optional moves available to you.

The Ascent is a superb action game that looks as fantastic as it plays. Its plot and dialogue can be pretty hard-going but its gunplay is deeply satisfying. On Game Pass it's a no-brainer, but it would be worthwhile at full price too.

So much more than a simple remaster, Another Code: Recollection completely rebuilds both games from scratch, making it a brand new experience not only for newcomers, but long-time fans of the series too. With beautiful environments, endearing characters and a hint system that means players of all skill levels can reach the end, only a lack of replay value stops this from being a complete must-have.

Intelligent Systems has gone big with its latest Fire Emblem and it’s a real achievement, layering up the base game with an absorbing system of customisation options and character development. But at times it feels too big, and will demand plenty of time and patience to see it through.

It’s always a risk creating a sequel to a cult classic so long after the original, but in Psychonauts 2, Double Fine haven’t only made a game that respects the original and takes it’s characters to new heights, they’ve set themselves, and new owners Microsoft, up with a platforming franchise that can thrive for years to come.

Somerville is a wonderful sci-fi adventure whose occasionally frustrating puzzles don't ruin what's otherwise a strikingly atmospheric adventure. Its four-hour runtime makes it perfect for a single, memorable evening.

Learn to move at Tassing’s sedate pace and patience will be rewarded as a seemingly simple murder mystery makes way for a rich portrait of village life and the difficult choices that come to define it.

Top Spin 2K25 is the best 'serious' tennis game we've played since, frankly, the last one was released 13 years ago. Its characters look a bit off, its career mode is dry and the typical 2K microtransaction nonsense is in there (to a less intrusive extent than usual), but when it comes to the gameplay on the court it's far superior to anything else out there.

FIFA 22 is the best in the series to date, even if its revamped animation isn't as revolutionary as billed. As a standalone title it's fantastic, even though avid players will likely feel that changes are negligible compared to last year.

No Straight Roads is a beautifully made adventure with a fantastic soundtrack and some phenomenal art design.

Tin Hearts is packed with charm and its puzzles will keep your brain busy without ever being too cheap or frustrating. A few control and voice acting wobbles mean it's not quite as immersive as we'd like but it's a beautiful game nevertheless.

While are no groundbreaking changes to upend the WWE series this year, the additions and improvements which have been made are positive ones, making the game another solid entry in a series that is now clearly out of its rut.

Prince of Persia was long in need of a resurrection, and in The Lost Crown, it's found it. Excellent platforming, clever puzzles and a huge map make one of the best Metroidvania's in years, and kicks off 2024 in style.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land was already a fantastic game, and this new upgrade is worth the $20 asking price. The increase in resolution and switch to 60fps make it look and feel far more polished than before, and while the 12 new stages are essentially little more than an expansion pack, in this case more of the same thing isn't a negative.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is yet another tremendous compilation from Digital Eclipse, as it continues to uppercut any challengers to its reign as the king of retro re-releases. The only sticking point in a flawlessly presented collection of games is the games themselves, some of which (especially the non-arcade releases) don't quite manage to break the Test Your Might blocks these days.

A cheery and densely-packed co-op metroidvania that’s here for a good time, not a long time.

Grid offers exhilarating racing and unmatched atmosphere but the modest track list means things get old faster than they should.

For those who wished that God of War Ragnarok offered a bit more challenge or that Bayonetta had a bit more weight to its combat, this slick sci-fi slasher is the perfect tonic, offering both the perfect entry point into the Souls-like genre and a refreshing refinement of the well-worn character action formula. It may lack the naval gazing intelligence of the excellent Nier Automata, but when you’re having this much fun, it’s hard to care.

This remains a thoroughly entertaining place to spend a few days, in fact, it is the most enjoyable PlayStation launch game Sony’s ever released. And for fans of Marvel movies who have been robbed of their cinematic superhero fix in 2020, Insomniac’s built a game in barely two years that plugs the gap nicely.

Pikmin 4 is a smart and content-packed refinement of one of Nintendo’s most underrated series, but long-time fans may be put off by how long its generous campaign takes to get going.

C-Smash VR is engaging, exhausting and exhilarating. A VR staple that we'll be showing friends for years, it nails the aesthetics, gameplay, and most importantly, the vibe of everything that's great about VR.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a visually stunning anti-hero romp that's fun to play, even if the things you're actually doing are somewhat repetitive. Rocksteady's Arkhamverse comes to a close in style, without fully succumbing to the live-service demons.

Chocobo GP is second only to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when it comes to modern karting games. On the track it delivers brilliantly satisfying karting gameplay, and all at a beautifully smooth frame rate.

Nioh 3 feels like the summation of Team Ninja's efforts from the last decade. Its combat is varied and tight, much like its level design, and it's a fantastic adventure. Storytelling could use some work, but the action is flawless.

Like its predecessors, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is an entertaining collection of ridiculously random set-pieces, tied together in an easy-to-play life sim. It does start getting repetitive after a few weeks, but the exceptionally localised dialogue and the scope for heavy customisation makes it a game the entire family can enjoy regardless.

Link’s Awakening 2019 is not the definitive 2D Zelda: that title still belongs to 2013’s excellent A Link Between Worlds. But while it may not surprise, it certainly does delight in a way that even the Nintendo 3DS game doesn’t always manage.

Split Fiction is visually streets ahead of its predecessor It Takes Two, but mechanically the two games are very similar. The game is occasionally in danger of verging into repetitive territory with its constant shifting between two main environments, but its healthy selection of varied side-stories and its constantly changing mechanics ensure its gameplay remains engaging and entertaining throughout, even if the same can't always be said for its story.

Returnal's constant action and clever semi-procedural structure make it an engaging adventure, not to mention a visually stunning one. The lack of any difficulty levels may unfortunately exclude less experienced gamers, but anyone who doesn't mind dying a bunch of times will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Ghost Trick is a brilliant adventure that will appeal to fans of narrative-driven games like Ace Attorney. Its replay value is low, and fans who enjoyed the game on DS or mobile will find very little new here, but those coming to the game fresh will love what's here.

The best games ask important questions. In the case of Dead Island 2, that question is: "Do you think it's funny to chop zombies into bits?" If the answer is yes, then Dead Island 2 is a joy.

Avowed is a solid action RPG with an entertaining script, satisfying combat and impressively detailed environments. The inability to clean up side quests after the main story is beaten can be frustrating, but take your time with it and enjoy everything it has to offer, and you'll find plenty of memorable moments.

Rita's Rewind is a wonderful love letter to Power Rangers and old-school beat 'em ups, meaning it should easily appeal to fans of either or both. Results vary when it strays into different genres, but at no point does it ever stop being fun to play. It's short, and the voice samples are repetitive, but as long as you can cope with that it's thoroughly enjoyable.

Switch’s Mario RPG feel like a love letter to the original game. Fans of the 1996 version will be delighted by the care that’s gone into recreating the SNES title scene-for-scene. For everyone else, this remains a charming RPG adventure well worth discovering.

Its new content may be underwhelming, but this demanding strategy adventure is still well worth a revisit.

Gotham Knights steps out of Arkham’s shadow to provide a great super hero game full of excellent characters. While some of this shine is dampened by inconsistent console performance, it’s gaming’s best take on Gotham that we couldn’t stop exploring.

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection combines seven superb arcade classics, even though Marvel vs Capcom 2's superiority does make five of them feel a tad redundant. The addition of The Punisher is a welcome extra, but the Museum mode is on the basic side.

Horizon Call of the Mountain sets the bar high for PlayStation's biggest franchises adapted to VR with stellar visuals, engaging gameplay, and jaw-dropping moments.

Steamworld Heist 2 is a charming, generous and surprisingly challenging seafaring romp. From its fun filled real time sailing to its refreshingly tactile twist on turn-based gunplay, Image and Form’s pirate romp breathes a welcome breeze into an often stuffy genre.

Hogwarts Legacy brilliantly captures the magic of the world of Harry Potter with its beautiful open world, engaging characters and exciting combat. While the open-world elements of the game make it feel more dated than we'd have liked, it's otherwise the best the Wizarding World has been in a video game.

The platforming won’t give Mario any restless nights, but the exuberant creativity around it makes for a bold, buoyant adventure.

Redfall is a compelling adventure with killer combat and an atmospheric setting in which you can easily lose a weekend. Even though it feels watered down by Arkane’s systemic standards, it’s an ambitious, primarily successful experiment full of narrative nuance and unique ideas. Hopefully, Redfall’s shakeup of the genre will pave the way for more inspired looter shooters in the future and, selfishly… another immersive simulator?

Wayforward's generous remake package keeps much of what made the original Game Boys titles great, with some significant improvements to presentation and multiplayer.

Banana Blitz is a joyous celebration of what are still arguably the three best games in the series. There are a few slight performance issues and we have no doubt die-hards will argue about the overall feel, but there's a wealth of entertaining banana-hunting here regardless.

Triangle Strategy is an enormous tactical RPG with a solid turn-based battle system. Its epic plot and lengthy dialogue may be a bit overbearing, but anyone willing to take on an extremely detailed story will have a wealth to do here.

Arise is a beautiful, devastating and uplifting game that suffers from some technical issues on Switch, but not enough to spoil the experience.

Digital Eclipse delivers another beautifully curated interactive museum showcasing the work of gaming's most unqiue creative minds. It may not span Minter's entire career, and some of his less popular works aren't covered in much detail, but the overall package is bursting with information and inspiration.

While its battle system is going to divide some players, the monster hatching and raising is some of the best in the business. Monster Hunter Stories 3 might be the best turn-based Monster Hunter yet, and shouldn’t be ignored by fans of Capcom’s larger-than-life series.

We can’t recommend Rainbow Six Extraction if you’re planning on playing alone, especially on PlayStation platforms where you’re expected to pay £40 for the privilege, but if your regular gaming group is bored of the game you play every night, and they all have Game Pass, Extraction will provide laughs.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins will offer enough for fans, but won't blow the minds of new players or series regulars. The scale of the game's battle and rock solid performance are impressive, but there's little to write home about outside of that.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU feels like a studio stretching its legs for the first time. Visually inventive, and full of great platforming, average combat and exploration lets it down.

Man of Medan seems like a good start for the Dark Pictures Anthology, but as a standalone title it somewhat stutters out of the starting blocks.

Grid Legends doesn't do anything particularly wrong, but doesn't do anything particularly interesting either. Its racing gameplay is typically solid, as is the Codemasters way, but this studio has pushed the limits of the genre far higher in the past than it does with this relatively safe offering.

A bloated, showy post-apocalyptic melodrama that makes a meal of some engrossing mechanics and themes.

An oddly brief experience that feels unfinished to an extent. The fact that there are already two paid DLC packs on the way and Mojang is promising a number of free updates suggest that it expects players to stick with it and keep playing as new content is added.

A year from now we’re unlikely to be able to recount an incredible puzzle or ingenious solution, but Silt’s lasting impression of incredible art and perfectly pitched atmosphere will be giving us nightmares for some time.

As long as you don’t mind a bit of mindless and aimless wandering, Lil Gator Game is a laid back and relaxing platformer (if a short one) that’s ably carried by its brilliantly funny dialogue.

This game should go down as one of the best sports games ever, instead it's a chilling reminder of the chokehold microtransactions have over the genre.

From Space doesn't bring a lot of new ideas to the table but succeeds where it needs to, delivering an entertaining twin-stick shooter. It won't change the world, but for the price it'll give you a few fun evenings.

Welcome Tour breaks down the Switch 2 console and controllers to an impressive degree, sharing a wealth of behind-the-scenes insights into Nintendo's hardware development research. Its level of depth won't appeal to everyone, however, and while its tech demos and mini-games are fun enough they lack longevity, meaning once you've seen everything on offer here your $10 has pretty much run its course.

The Switch games attraction is the same as it’s always been for the WarioWare series – personality, replayability and humour – with the added bonus of a strong multiplayer suite. Its latest gimmick isn’t as strong as in previous entries, but it’s not enough to spoil the throwaway fun.

Wild Hearts is a solid enough first attempt at taking on the Monster Hunter crown, but its occasionally frustrating battles, its rather small number of monsters and the fidgety nature of its admittedly inventive gadget system mean you have to put up with a fair degree of irritation if you want to see it through.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is an amusing, if underwhelming way to kill time before Yakuza 9, but considering the speed at which RGG is releasing new games in the series, you probably don't have to wait that long for the next traditional entry.

Sucker Punch’s Kurosawa homage has atmosphere and sharp combat, but it's weighed down by the genre’s more perfunctory tropes.

While not the same level of technical mess as the Switch edition, the PlayStation 5 version still suffers from some hiccups that it really shouldn’t, and the changes to how the characters look won’t be for everyone, but it’s still a good way to play three of the best games ever made.

Those with an interest in Nintendo's history should undoubtedly pick up Famicom Detective Club, and those simply looking for a couple of good mystery yarns will have a fun time with it too. Just be aware that it’s a very linear adventure, and once you’re done there’s very little replay value.

The Origami King contains some of the series’ standout moments – almost all of them related to its enjoyable script and wonderful, varied environments – but it also frustrates with some disappointing new features and all-too-familiar missteps.

Those with an interest in Nintendo's history should undoubtedly pick up Famicom Detective Club, and those simply looking for a couple of good mystery yarns will have a fun time with it too. Just be aware that it’s a very linear adventure, and once you’re done there’s very little replay value.

Despite some ambitious ideas, beneath the surface Echoes of Wisdom is surprisingly uneven Zelda adventure. Few of its headline mechanics are utilised to their potential which means that, while enjoyable and charming, it ultimately feels less essential than other modern 2D entries.

For all the deafening noise and fury of its street battles and set-pieces, The Division 2 is, at heart, a game of co-operative tidying up with incrementally better guns.

Crisis Core Reunion has plenty to offer as a remaster, with improved visuals and tighter combat than the PSP original. The fragmented structure of the game, however, remains more suited to a handheld machine, and a poor English script is sadly unchanged. If you’re hankering for more Final Fantasy VII, though, it’s well worth diving in.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard feels like BioWare playing it too safe. While it nails what it does best, like the excellent cast and interpersonal relationships, from a gameplay perspective it feels out of date.

Omega 6's strengths lie in the characters and world created by former Nintendo artist Takaya Imamura, while its weaknesses are mainly due to the game built around them. Had it been shaped into a more linear visual novel those strengths could have come more to the fore, but the adventure gameplay and awkward Rock-Paper-Scissors battle mechanic get in the way at times. Its low price still makes it worth a look, however.

The Medium won't give you any sleepless nights, but treat it as a paranormal thriller rather than an all-out horror game and you'll find an interesting story (albeit a disturbing one at times) that will encourage you to push through its slightly repetitive split-screen gimmick to find out how it all ends. A short but intriguing tale.

As a whole, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is a stronger start to the next ten years of the game than we expected. But that doesn't make it immune to key criticisms. The game has come a long way, and there's only so much you can expect to change again without a full-blown sequel. Even still, the highs and lows felt too much like a literal rollercoaster over the 2+ weeks of evenings it took to power through its story content.

Iron Man VR feels far more at home on the Quest 2 because the nature of its action is best suited to untethered play. There are still some issues with the game itself, however, that mean that even though we recommend it, we don't do so wholeheartedly.

Endless Ocean's procedural generation keeps its exploration engaging enough for a while, but its Story mode is extremely poor. As long as you're willing to forgo plot (and any meaningful interaction with the species you encounter) in favour of exploring random underwater environments, there's still a good deal of fun to be had here.

Funko Fusion is fun to play and its TT Games / Lego series ancestry is clear to see, but its frequent backtracking, its slightly off comedy and the way some franchises get less love than others mean that fun is often experienced with an asterisk. It's worth a play, as long as you don't mind collectathons and replaying levels.

Disney Illusion Island looks and sounds incredible and doesn't do much wrong in terms of gameplay. It doesn't really do much to advance the Metroidvania genre, though, and while it's clearly designed to appeal to younger players the convoluted ending and hit-and-miss jokes mean we ended simply enjoying it, rather than loving it.

No More Heroes 3 is exactly what fans of the series have been waiting for – an authentic sequel that continues the story of Travis Touchdown. If you loved the previous games, you’ll love this. However, it doesn’t offer anything new to improve on the series’ flaws,, meaning anyone who isn’t a devotee may want to try the original first to see if its quirky, sharp-tongued style is for them.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a completely inoffensive, if somewhat bland adventure that will mildly entertain for the duration of its runtime, but won’t live long in the memory.

Portal and Hazard Zone save 2042 from being a real low point in the series, which has swapped iconic, high octane moments for needless scale, without filling in any of that space.

Despite its enjoyable campaign, Black Ops Cold War feels like an anachronistic package. The era of one game containing three completely disparate modes feels so long ago in the age of Warzone.

In the last few years, there has been a lot of pent up demand for a single-player centric game like this and hopefully, Respawn will be allowed to explore some of its better ideas in a future release.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a game stuck between two worlds. When it’s emulating previous entries, Beyond is a blast, with excellent boss battles, and some truly gorgeous environments to explore. But this is eventually bogged down by out-of-place additions, awkward storytelling, and overly aggressive hand-holding that spoils the discovery.