Just when you think Nintendo has drained the well of creativity, it once more releases a sequel that refines an already quality experience to another level. Pikmin remains one of its best franchises that deserves more time in the spotlight, and Pikmin 4 is no exception.

While Final Fantasy XVI didn’t meet this fan’s expectations for a new series entry, newcomers to epic fantasy and action games will be swept away by the eye-melting combat and enormous-yet-approachable scale.

While it's not overly surprising to see PlayStation migrate two of its biggest last gen titles to the PS5 and slap a new entry fee on the front, it's also not an overly exciting end product. There's merit in playing these beloved and bombastic blockbuster hits in an eye-searing new fidelity but the weight of this package isn't quite worth the gold.

Gran Turismo 7 is the culmination of Polyphony’s 25 years of dedication to the racing genre and the automotive industry, and the final result is nothing short of outstanding, with only minor nuisances stopping it short of a perfect lap.

Advancements in progression, narrative delivery, and player engagement, as well as refinements made to a near-perfect set of gameplay fundamentals, see Saros eclipse its predecessor and ascend to a throne above all others in the genre.

Sea of Stars is a breathtaking ride through familiarity and originality, engaging in its mechanics and colourful in its story, culminating in some of the best twists and turns of any RPG I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

I miss the Virtual Console days, when your new Nintendo console came with a potentially vast library of classic games at very approachable prices. Now, we’re caught between paying a subscription fee for drip-fed retro catalogues, and paying top dollar at retail for games considered too new for Nintendo Switch Online but old enough that they need retouching. Thing is, I’ve been ecstatic at being able to jump back into these games – Super Mario Galaxy 2, especially – and what’s here is a perfectly fine way to play or replay them. I think we should just be glad that Nintendo is (rightly) averse to the whole Unreal Engine 5 remake path.

Despite first appearances, Mini Motorways is a rewarding check-in with oneself rather than a simulation of traffic management and logistical network development. It’s a meditative simplification of city builders, like if Sim City was a bonsai that only needed the gentlest of tending, and maybe the occasional congestion-busting bypass.

A true achievement in game design and interactive fiction, Immortality is a gorgeous and haunting magic trick that sets a new standard for the medium.

It’s hard not to be impressed, despite the lack of multiplayer features, with OlliOlli World's wonderful take on skateboarding and its creative storytelling.

Psychonauts 2 is exactly what I was hoping for in a follow-up. Double Fine has smartly refined its unique brand of platforming adventure while greatly expanding its narrative qualities. Plus, it's an absolute treat for the eyes and ears. This is how you do a sequel.

Return to Monkey Island is a nostalgic and fun swashbuckling experience that delivers an adventure that fans of the series and genre have been waiting years for.

With its gorgeous visuals and punchy character arcs, Twisted Reflection supercharges the Monster Hunter Stories formula into a whole different beast. This isn't just a sequel – it’s a total glow-up for the series, packed with dazzling world-building and more iconic monsters than you can shake your Kinship Stone at.

AdHoc Studio have knocked it out of the park with its comedic take on the superhero life. Thanks to its high-quality graphics, voice acting, story, characters, music, and gameplay, you’ll be immersed the entire time you uncover the incredible story of Mecha Man and the Z-Team.

Combining the best ideas of the past three generations of 3D action JRPGs, stripped of excess and micromanagement, Tales of Arise is one of the most tactile and frenetic action-narrative experiences to come out of Japan in recent memory.

This is a game that hands you a hammer in the first thirty seconds, then introduces new and exciting nails for the next ten hours. A simple analogy, sure, but it works as beautifully as the game itself. Bionic Bay is one of those rare experiences that has such confidence in itself that it doesn’t need to muddy the water with bloat and uncertainty – it is precisely what it is, and what it is is excellent. Take a mystifying workplace accident, a rock solid visual identity and a hefty industrial soundscape, throw them together and serve on a bed of platforming mechanics that just refuses to quit.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered swings onto the PC platform with grace. Its pricing is a little high, and its optimisation needs a little work but the customisation options encroach on setting a new standard for the PC gaming industry.

Halo Infinite's campaign closes a few doors and opens some others, and even if the open-world stylings could be better integrated into the overarching gameplay design, it's a title that pays homage to the past while looking to the future. The refined and addictive multiplayer is a certifiable breath of fresh air, even if the menacing wind of microtransactions blows simultaneously.

The underdog in Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles series has never looked or played better, giving new life to a game that could have been destined to rot in the ill-fated WiiU’s library. By boldly refitting its systems and gently touching up the already-beautiful art, along with adding some welcome chunks of all-new content, this Definitive Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X is essential playing for fans new and old.

Diablo IV is a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike. It invites you to lose yourself in a world of darkness and embark on a thrilling journey filled with relentless battles, captivating storytelling, and a hauntingly beautiful audio-visual symphony. Just ignore the extraneous limb reaching for your wallet.

While it’s not as immediately vocal about its changes and improvements, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak still offers a great deal for fans of the Monster Hunter series.

Monster Hunter Rise is a big step forward for the Monster Hunter series, both in terms of its design and the quality of its PC port. The port is nothing groundbreaking, but the MH team has done themselves proud with this, and I’m just glad to be able to play this game at a high framerate.

Just as The Taken King was the Destiny ‘version two’ relaunch the game so sorely needed, The Witch Queen boldly elevates Destiny 2 into a richer space fantasy. Without taking any risks beyond giving players more options in how they build their Guardians and wreak havoc, Bungie has iterated what may safely be Destiny 2’s best year yet. Until Bungie gives players significant new additions of enemies and characters, Destiny 2 may have peaked for now.

Mario Kart World stands in stark contrast to the original Switch’s franchise re-evaluation, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Where Link’s first foray into true open world design made for a generation-defining experience, Mario Kart World’s shift is uneven and chaotic, often producing frustrations alongside innovation and fun. A massive leap in fidelity and a lengthy development cycle have shaped a gorgeously realised world and roster of racers to barrel down impressive tracks with a small bag of new tricks. But the time spent between these breathless bouts is unrefined and clumsy, a world built for a console’s lifetime worth of updates that, for now, offers you little more than a freshly paved highway to nowhere. Mind the toll.

Nioh 3 makes minor updates to the formula that was so successful in Nioh 2 but transplants it into a time-travelling open-world adventure. Asset recycling is a little egregious, but it's a tough new Nioh outing that fans of the series will eat up.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an expertly executed series revival that displays the best of Ubisoft Montpellier’s pedigree while pushing the action-platformer to new highs.

A gorgeous, towering watermark for choice-driven narratives, enlivening a heartfelt medieval saga to surpass the greats in prose and play.

By pure chance alone, Bayonetta 3 feels fit for the moment. At a time when loving Bayonetta feels *complicated*, Bayonetta 3 is a relentless, unashamed celebration of Bayonetta; of this character, of her companions, of the demons she fights alongside and of the outrageous spectacle that is the hallmark of this series.