At its core, Ultimate Sackboy is a fun mobile platformer with charm and responsive controls. Its progression system, however, has that tell-tale restrained feel of a free-to-play game, where progress is slow if you keep your wallet in your pocket.

Like any swordsman learning their craft, Ishin! starts unsteady and builds in confidence. Some ideas struggle to earn their place in the overstuffed mix, but with a propulsive tale, told by some of our favourite gaming characters, it’s easy to get swept up in Like A Dragon: Ishin!’s samurai cool.

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.

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.

Gameplay is more action-orientated than the slower-paced Lara Croft Go, with the game taking place from an overhead view. [Review in Progress]

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.

Hi-Fi Rush is oozing with style and confidence, but like a messy first album, there are some deep cut tracks that don’t hit as hard as the opening few hits. What can’t be denied, however, is how excited we are for the sophomore effort, and the seemingly limitless versatility that Tango Gameworks have shown off in this bold, out-of-nowhere joy.

Its impact may be lessened these days – something that’s unavoidable given that the source material is a decade and a half old – but from its engaging intro crash sequence to its controversial (and slightly tweaked) ending, it’s still a thrilling journey through madness.

Like its 3DS predecessor, Pocket Card Jockey takes a delightfully silly premise and uses it to create an oddly engaging and highly engrossing puzzle game. Its repetitive nature makes it a one-trick pony, but if it's a trick you click with it's difficult to put down.

Fire Emblem Engage is a great strategy game, but we don’t think it’s a great modern Fire Emblem game. Whether the reverence for the social elements of Three Houses came as a surprise to the team or not, the dearth of those moments in Engage makes it feel like it’s missing half of its core at times.

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.

While some cracks are beginning to form around the edges, the people who’ve played the game 10 times already won’t care, and will be thrilled to hear that the next-gen version of the game provides a definitive console experience and a great reason to head back out into the wilds.

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.

The Callisto Protocol delivers the violence, intensity and horror that lives up to its Dead Space predecessor, but with deeper strategic combat. However, a cliché story and lack of original ideas means that it has one tentacle stuck in the past.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns combines addictive, deep strategy gameplay with a cast of characters that make the moments outside of the action just as rich and enjoyable as those in it. A lengthy campaign packed with missions to go on and relationships to form with Earth's Mightiest Heroes make Marvel's Midnights Suns a modern strategy classic and one of 2022's biggest surprises.

The huge expansion and changes to the single player campaign are great, the size of the world and the joy of exploration are the best in the series, and the new Pokemon and battle mechanics introduced all sing. However, it’s just impossible to shake the thought of how much better the game would feel if it was on more powerful hardware, or simply ran acceptably on Switch.

The huge expansion and changes to the single player campaign are great, the size of the world and the joy of exploration are the best in the series, and the new Pokemon and battle mechanics introduced all sing. However, it’s just impossible to shake the thought of how much better the game would feel if it was on more powerful hardware, or simply ran acceptably on Switch.

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.

It may have had a mixed reception earlier this year, but Sonic Frontiers' final form is a brilliantly refreshing adventure that gives the series a much-needed shake-up. The occasional control and camera 'quirks' still pop their head up, but they appear far less frequently than Sonic fans will be used to, making for a much less frustrating experience overall. We would absolutely welcome more of this.

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.

God of War Ragnarok is an incredibly special game. It's vital in a way few releases are. With captivating performances that carry an amazing story to a jaw-dropping final act, it’s a game that achieves everything it sets out to do to the absolute highest standard.

While some ideas get lost in Bayonetta 3’s endless sprint to keep you entertained, there’s no other action game with this imagination, wit or style. Prepare to explore its mad depths for weeks.

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.

Two of the best PS4 games heading to PC in one package is a great entry point for anyone new to the series, and while we'd have loved 1-3 to also make the jump, what's here is a visual masterpiece and two of gaming's very best action titles.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a sometimes compelling adventure weighed down by poor technical performance, and simple, frustrating and repetitive gameplay.

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.

Scorn has one of the most beautiful worlds you'll see in a game (if you can see beauty in the grotesque). It's just a shame that world is also home to a frustrating puzzle-heavy adventure filled with aimless wandering.