Atelier Firis: Alchemist of the Mysterious Journey represents the biggest step forward for the series in quite a long time, striking a very good balance between the typical time management of the series and an open world experience. Some design choices may not be the best, but there's quite a lot to like in this mysterious journey.

Hitman - The Complete First Season revitalizes the franchise in new smart ways thanks to an impressive package with a ton of content.

Although it might not be a perfect game, the sum of NieR: Automata’s unique storytelling meshed with Platinum Games’ style of action, meld together into a title well deserving of being one of my personal Games of the Year.

The value proposition isn't amazing, and would be a tough pill to swallow even if it were £1 per game. Solo, this is absolutely one to be missed, while players with siblings, flatmates, partners or regular gatherings might actually find this to be essential.

Breaking all the conventions of the series, and even a few general gaming conventions, Breath of the Wild is essential for any self-respecting gamer. A new bar has been set in open world gaming.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing game like very few others, giving players total freedom in how to approach any given situation, even allowing them to complete the game by avoiding most fights through this deep choices system. With excellent writing, lively and creative world, engaging story and characters, and solid mechanics, the role-playing game developed by inXile is a game that those who love immersing themselves completely in fictional worlds have to play at all costs.

Stars in Shadow, developed by a two man team, offers a compelling but simple approach to the 4X Strategy game genre. While lacking some depth in the grand scale, it more than makes up for it with compelling ship battles, using custom designed ships that offer a great amount of customization.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk doesn’t strive to expand upon Koei Tecmo’s signature style in any meaningful way, but for longtime fans of the genre, perhaps there isn’t much need to innovate. Being able to relive Guts' early adventures during the Golden Age and beyond is sure to excite fans of Kentaro Miura's epic.

While Ys Origin feels like a relic of the mid-2000's, its fast paced combat still stands the test of time and should satisfy fans waiting for Ys VIII's global release.

Halo Wars 2 is an ideal strategy game for beginners. There's little doubting that the action is solid and it looks fantastic, but other strange choices mar what would be a great title. From downright bad writing, to the inclusion of pay to win microtransactions in a premium game, there are some absolutely perplexing decisions.

Nioh is among the finest exclusives to grace the PS4, melding samurai action with the framework of the well-renowned Dark Souls series, although its devilish difficulty may send William to an early grave.

With gameplay that can shock, amuse and satisfy in the same slowed heartbeat, Sniper Elite 4 is the best game in the series. While it graphics, story and characters can feel a little flat, the gameplay has always been the focus, and is so perfectly tuned to make the rest seem inconsequential.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is an adequate collection of what's left over from the series, with what also acts as an exquisite demo for the upcoming Kindom Hearts 3. This isn't to say that hard work hasn't gone into the remaster, but for a premium price point the game just isn't worth what it's asking, and the core component shows its age and origins a little more than could be hoped for.

Nights of Azure is a game of wasted potential. The game's dark tone and setting is ultimately ruined by the excessive presence of comic relief, which takes a lot of the tension out of the terrible choice Arnice has to take to save the world. With an experience that gets stale way too quickly, Nights of Azure true saving grace are the game's two main characters and the development of their relationship, which takes some interesting turns. A shame, as the game could have been so much more.

Gravity Rush 2 is an excellent sequel to the first game. It's easier to control, has an incredible depth of quantity and while it doesn't all hit, the vast majority does. It has a few strange choices in story design, particularly a false ending in one of the worst places I've ever encountered. All things considered, it's an excellent game with some of the most entertaining gameplay around, set in a fantastically designed world with a great visual design.

Dynasty Warriors Godseekers manages to capture the spirit of the series with its tactical experience, but sadly fails to stand out from the competition and the classic games of the past due to the lack of any real innovation. Despite this, there's still plenty of fun to be had for fans of the Dynasty Warriors series and tactical RPG, as the experience is quite solid. Just don't expect to remember Zhao Yun's journey six months from now.

Even though this is a remake of a six-year-old game, it still holds up pretty well as far as gameplay is concerned. Darksiders: Warmastered Edition looks at its best at 4K resolution and as a game, it's better than its sequel.

Urban Empire aims to offer an interesting mix of political intrigue with city-building creativity and management. However, it doesn't give anywhere near enough information or allow enough freedom to make it as compelling as the idea could have been.

With a fantastic combat system and a good story, Tales of Berseria feels like a return to form in a lot of ways, despite being more adventurous with the combat than ever before. A great series making a triumphant return.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a true return to form, and one of the scariest games in years. It’s only let down by the fact it loses its fear factor by slightly outstaying its welcome.

Whether you’re visiting Kamurocho for business or pleasure, be prepared to sink another eighty hours into a crime epic that only Sega can deliver.

If you’re willing to forego the story and just enjoy the action, Fate Extella is undoubtedly one of the smoothest playing Warriors-style games to date with kill counts ranging in the thousands for each battle. Repetition may set in early on, but by then you should be all ready to unleash your Noble Phantasm.

Influenced by adventure-platform games of the past, Rise & Shine manages to enrich a classic gameplay formula with a tight mix of different genres, interesting combat depth, and varied puzzles. Shooting controls can be a bit uncomfortable on a gamepad, but this is the only gripe in a game that's objectively very well put together. Highly recommended to fans of Another World and Flashback as well as to those looking for a quirky and fun experience that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Dragon Quest VIII is hailed as a classic, and rightly so. Dragon Quest VIII on 3DS is a great place for new fans to jump on, as well as a perfect way for those who played it to relive a classic – and on the go, too. One of the PS2’s very best JRPGs is back, and it hasn’t aged a day.

Project DIVA Future Tone is a celebration of ten years with the Vocaloid crew, bringing nearly every song and outfit handcrafted for the digital singers into one complete collection on PlayStation 4.

Project DIVA Future Tone is a celebration of ten years with the Vocaloid crew, bringing nearly every song and outfit handcrafted for the digital singers into one complete collection on PlayStation 4.

A true blast to play, thanks to a beautiful presentation, great writing and an excellent, varied gameplay experience that never feels stale, with plenty of optional content that makes everything even better.

Xanadu Next is a literal blast from the past, a 2005 action role-playing that manages to be incredibly engaging still today thanks to several spot-on features, such as the excellent mix between RPG and puzzle games elements, action combat system and the evocative soundtrack.