Hogwarts Legacy is an absolutely magical video game, one that is packed with awe-inspiring moments full of mystery and wonderment. Come for Hogwarts itself, a magic school oozing with secrets to behold, and stay for the combat, the engaging story and the frankly astonishing Room of Requirement.

For newcomers Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is a superb package, with the wonderful DLC thrown in and the visuals at the best they have ever been. However, it's also tough going thanks to the remixed enemy placements and new random encounters. For veterans this is a welcome return to Drangleic but not one that is mandatory, as the changes feel all too insubstantial at times.

United Front Games has crafted a stunning open-world action romp that draws on a variety of cinematic influences to startling effect. Sleeping Dogs is by no means perfect, but at times, it comes painfully close.

If you already hold the original CTR in high regard, then you'll see Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled for what it is – a gorgeous and lovingly made update that serves as a welcome reminder of when Crash was the kart racing king.

It Takes Two set the bar for co-op excellence, and while Split Fiction doesn't necessarily raise it, Hazelight has succeeded in delivering another stellar two-player experience, packed with a variety of superlative set pieces and clever gameplay mechanics.

A cracking dose of fast-paced action, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a triumphant return for FromSoftware's mecha series after a decade, which proves both sternly challenging and deliciously rewarding in equal measure.

For a game with the suffix 'Revelations', there are surprisingly few to be found here. Still a solid and immensely enjoyable game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations nonetheless fails to instil the same level of excitement that previous games in the series managed to muster, reheating many of Brotherhood's mechanics and throwing in a few half-hearted features for good measure.

Devil May Cry is simple to jump in to and hack for hours or simple to jump on to for quick slash. All in all, its simple setup and pick up and play action is great, but making a game by reusing the levels for the second half of the game is almost unforgivable!

In pruning the campaign from its suite of modes, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has discovered a renewed focus on the nuts and bolts of what most players demand from Activision's undying shooter series. Blackout is a superb addition, in which Treyarch improves upon the battle royale formula, ensuring the gamble in losing single-player ultimately pays off.

Continuing to go from strength to strength, PES 2017 is the zenith for Konami's stellar footie series, representing all of the pieces falling into place to create on-the-pitch nirvana. There are some extremely minor flaws, but all in all, PES 2017 is wonderful.

Fable III is pretty much everything you'd want from a Fable sequel: more of the same and then some. There are certainly a few gambles from Lionhead this year, with some paying off and others not so much, but at the crux of it, it's pretty sublime.

Instead of being a case of diminishing returns, NBA 2K11 sees the franchise in peak condition. The inclusion of the sport's greatest player is much more than just a stunt for the cover and resurrects a time in basketball that we remember fondly. Nostalgia aside, NBA 2K11 is much like Air Jordan himself – the all-time greatest.

There’s no doubting that EA have delivered a knockout punch with Fight Night Round 4 and it truly is the closest we’ve come to boxing without strapping the gloves on ourselves. The physics are spot on, as is the visual appearance of the game, but the inability to map the punches to the face buttons leaves it just short of truly epic.

If you’ve spent hundreds of hours with Kazuma Kiryu over the years, then the conclusion to his sprawling arc in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life won’t disappoint. And if you haven’t played a Yakuza game before, you’ll still get a whole lot out of this. Yakuza 6 is a sensational game.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an impressive sequel to the brilliant Human Revolution. In the grand scheme of things, there are very few monumental changes, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? And everything that was broken in Human Revolution? It’s all fixed. Held back from true greatness by the odd grumble here and there, Mankind Divided is worthy of anyone’s time and money.

The weak and twitchy single-player - with many of the same old flaws - almost undermines all of the superb extra features and pretty much flawless multiplayer offering. Veterans and regular players still have the advantage over newcomers, but with Combat Training and the Zombie mode, there is plenty of fun to be had for even the most inexperienced players. Black Ops isn't perfect, but it's certainly getting there.

The Dead Space remake successfully revives a beloved survival horror franchise with gloriously gory aplomb. Nothing that made the original so good has been compromised, even with all the new additions. Bring on Dead Space 2!

Obsidian with Matt and Trey have created a little bit of magic here. Shame about the censorship issues in Europe and Australia, so if it’s possible, you’d be advised to import it. Otherwise, it’s an excellent South Park extravaganza.

Dance Central is as close to a killer-app that Kinect has to date and Harmonix has gone and proven that they're not a one trick pony. If you're looking for an excuse to get Kinect, ladies and gents, may I present to you, Dance Central.

This War of Mine: The Littles ones is a powerful, affecting game that covers an aspect of warfare not typically touched by the medium. Telling the stories of normal civilians caught in the middle of a war, it asks: what you would do to survive? The disturbing answer is: anything you have to.

A perfect evolution of the previous two OlliOlli games, OlliOlli World goes big with a uniquely appealing art style, fun character customisation, and a slew of options, without compromising what makes the series so addictive and inviting. It's good to be rad.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a stellar follow-up to MachineGames’ 2014 reboot of the franchise, one with super-satisfying combat and a wacky, engaging story. Sure, it might go a little too far at times, but you’ll have a blast with The New Colossus from start to finish, that’s a promise.

NetherRealm continues to evolve its fighting games with each one it makes, and as such, Mortal Kombat 11 marks the pinnacle of what the studio has achieved to date. A flawless victory, then? So very nearly.

Perhaps not as glorious as Lost Odyssey or Eternal Sonata, but it definitely keeps up with Tales of Vesperia and Blue Dragon. A unique, twisting story with likable, engaging characters and a deep, entertaining battle system. Highly recommended.

When you buy a Call of Duty, you have some idea of what to expect. Rest assured that Black Ops 6 lies at the better end of the series' spectrum, boasting a varied campaign that's well worth playing, a pair of robust and endlessly replayable Zombies maps, and multiplayer that remains immediate and immensely entertaining.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a harrowing journey into the fragility of the mind. It’s a masterpiece in storytelling, and while the game mechanics itself might not complement that throughout, they do a decent job of allowing Ninja Theory to deliver a mature story revolving around a sensitive subject matter. We hope that this opens up the door for more budget priced triple-A experiences, because this one was one hell of a ride!

There are so many clips and questions packed into this game that you’ll likely still be having fun long after your first game. The game also saves which questions each player has seen, making it much more difficult for a repeat question until well after seeing the majority.

After a bit of a difficult start, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth soon manages to hit the gas, its story proving an engaging affair amid an ocean of mini-games and other distractions. This is a massive game, but one you'll want to dive headfirst into.

NHL 11 is every bit as solid and playable as its predecessor. Broken sticks add very little to the game, despite being peddled as a key new feature, but the numerous refinements show in the physicality on the ice and the returning up-close and personal fighting system.

Let down by a few bugs and some questionable design choices, it's still one of the year’s best RPGs.

LEGO Batman 2 is the best LEGO title to date and one that uses all of the source material on offer to wonderful effect. Tightly constructed levels interplay brilliantly with the freedom of roaming the Gotham streets and that usual attitude of snagging all the studs, bricks and characters has never been so alluring.

More modes, more scary zombie madness, a totally different feel to how you romp through the campaign and so much more. Yes, it’s all very familiar, but you won’t regret paying the cash for what is the best co-operative multiplayer experience around.

Unique fighting styles, weapons and characters coupled with very fluid and technical gameplay is really the formula for success in an ideal fighting game. Soulcalibur IV hits all those right on the head.

The dedication to translating the finest qualities of the Ghostbusters franchise into a great video game shows through in every facet of the game, making it easily one of the best licensed games to arrive in years.

Someone, please send help. I can't stop playing Vampire Survivors, and I'm worried it might end up ruining my life. This is pure and unadulterated gameplay that will suck away hours of your life, but you'll be loving every bit of it.

Lords of Shadow is a superlative start for Castlevania on current-gen consoles and we only hope that developer MercurySteam has more in the pipeline. It might borrow from other hack-and slash-adventure titles of the same ilk, but Castlevania is entirely its own game. With an unforgettable Middle Ages fantasy setting and an epic narrative, Lords of Shadow is the complete package and Gabriel Belmont is the coolest vampire slayer since Buffy. He's not as hot though.

After countless sacrilegious efforts in the Need For Speed franchise, Criterion has finally done the label some justice by bringing the heart back to the franchise. It looks like that Criterion did lose their way ever so slightly at times, losing what makes Hot Pursuit so much fun, but as a Need For Speed package, this is the best title in nearly a decade.

DiRT 3 is Codemasters' finest attempt to totally obliterate the competition in the off-road racing genre, but it seems once again that the title suffers from a lack of direction and concentration at... Ooohhhhh, look! A rainbow!

Supreme fan service, an epic sense of scale and plenty of gameplay variety ensure that Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is not only an unreservedly brilliant sequel, but is inarguably the best Transformers game we've played.

We'll be damned if this isn't another fine Call of Duty game. The solo campaign is excellent, multiplayer delivers on practically all fronts, and Zombies provides a neat co-op diversion. Call of Duty: Vanguard represents great value, and enough new stuff to warrant taking a look.

Another great Forza Motorsport title that doesn't push the boat out too much, Forza Motorsport 7 remains insanely enjoyable and stupidly addictive. Also, if you're getting an Xbox One X, you'll be wanting to get this in to show off what it can do. It's gorgeous.

Although Marvel vs. Capcom 3 isn't quite the perfect fighter that they'd tried so hard to create, it's not far off, and thanks to 8-player winner-stays-on lobbies and a plethora of bonus content to unlock – that doesn't include the majority of the game's characters! – Capcom's latest fighting game is set to burrow its way into your hearts for many months to come. If only they could have got the online connectivity up to scratch, it would have been a 90+. Shame.

This title is going to be tough to pick up for newcomers but if you persevere with the controls you will soon be pulling off tricks like a pro. I may never understand the lingo but I know fun when I see it.

WWE '12 takes the plunge and ditches the Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 moniker, mixing things up and slamming down the franchise for the three count. The overhauled system is a positive first step towards advancing the series, and the customisation is still second to none. So, pop on some tight pants. It's time for some wrassling.

Trimming away the fat to reveal a lean and mean sequel, EA Sports UFC 4 puts Career Mode in the spotlight, turns Knockout Mode into an arcade-style one-on one, and throws in backyard bouts for good measure. And while it's a gross oversight that Jean-Claude Van Damme and the soundtrack to Bloodsport are missing from KO Mode's Kumite, EA Sports UFC 4 is nonetheless a worthwhile new entry. We're just surprised there's no Fight Island.

The entire presentation is much more professional looking this time around. It's still one of the premier gaming series for chills and thrills.

The lack of ability to expand bases beyond preset boundaries and a poor path finding and unit movement system however does not taint the overall experience which is enriched with a powerful story, action packed gameplay, great visuals and a fitting soundtrack that will grip Halo fans worldwide.

A more than competent sequel, Dying Light 2 Stay Human conjures some memorable narrative beats in an open world that's never anything but a joy to traverse. Granted, it has one or two niggling issues, but they pale into insignificance when you're knocking off a zombie's head with a massive axe.

The graphics are a little under what I'd hoped and the story isn't as fresh as I'd have liked, but the battle system and the overall execution are excellent.

This is still the best NHL game on the market, but one that seems to be running out of ideas. It is still a hell of a lot of fun, especially if you can get a full club of people up and running online. For those that have yet to sample an NHL title or skipped last year's, then this should be an essential purchase. For the rest of us it may well be a rental at best.

A definite step up from the original in more ways than one. Immersive racing, jaw-dropping visuals, an extensive career and a vastly improved online mode make up for the game's few minor annoyances... like riding in vehicles that just aren’t that fun.

Another flowing, fun, feast of football which most fans will lap up. FIFA 12 is not a great leap over the titles from recent years, but is still one of the very best sports games on the market.

Only the rather bland nature of some missions, ever present loading screens and the sometimes murky plot - at least for newcomers - stop Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 from being up there with the greats. As it is, the game is wonderful to look at, brilliant fun to play and is easily the best anime related title out there.

A supreme effort, but one that can get a tad repetitive over longer periods of play. It tends to be a bit too close to last year's effort to provide much in the way of new fangled entertainment for veterans. That being said, this is ideal fodder for fight fans and quite simply one of the best fighters around right now.

You owe it to yourself to give this game a test drive at some point, just for the laughs if nothing else. It may be rough around the edges and have an RTS system that would confuse some people, but overall it’s a solid game that will entertain you time and time again.

The similarities to Gears hurt its originality, but the glaive is simply awesome.

A series that has reached the height of its powers and shows exactly why dance games reign supreme on Kinect. The ridiculous, quirky story is a wonderful diversion and, as ever, partying and shaming your friends is the way to play. Subtle tweaks and changes have helped to mould Dance Central 3 into the definitive dance experience so pull on your flares (or equivalent gear) and hit the floor.

Soul Calibur V is an assured return for the franchise that boasts a robust roster of fighters, a good selection of modes and the best visuals yet seen in the series. There's more in the gameplay system itself to tempt Street Fighter IV fans with Critical Edge, Brave Edge moves and whatnot, and the array of options presented by the character creation suite are superb. 17 years on and the story's still a bit daft, but Soul Calibur's overall enduring appeal hasn't dulled in the slightest.

A seemingly generic third person shooter that is suddenly lifted up to greatness by the superb destructibility and explosive nature of the gameplay.

WWE 2K24 builds upon the robust foundations of WWE 2K22 and 2K23 with another massively entertaining and accomplished wrestling game, and a wonderful 2K Showcase celebrating forty years of WrestleMania.

A triumphant return for PES this year, after spending many years rotting away in the lower leagues. While PES 2015 might not match EA and FIFA’s spending power in terms of licenses and what not, where it matters, on the pitch, this ageing superstar is getting a recall to the first eleven.

Codemasters has delivered once again with DiRT Showdown. It's another superlative racer, even if it is a little one note. Unapologetically brash, bold and loud, DiRT Showdown is Codemasters' racing id unleashed. And it's freakin' great.

While DIRT 5 and F1 2021 remain Codemasters' best racing games to date, GRID Legends runs a very close second, with an enjoyably daft Story mode, absorbing Career, and a wealth of options to fiddle with. Driven to Glory, indeed.

Making its console debut, Nightdive's excellent System Shock remake retains all of the meaningful changes from last year's PC version alongside a smattering of refinements for controller-wielding players, and succeeds as a brilliantly accomplished redux of a truly revolutionary FPS.

If you missed it on PS5 and PC two years ago, then you owe it to yourself to seek out Viewfinder on Xbox. It's a cracking, utterly unique first-person puzzler, more than deserving of your time.

Two of the best Ace Attorney games are given their due with another beautifully remastered collection that's every bit as essential as the rest of the series. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is simply fantastic. There's no arguing with that.

A remarkably accomplished 2.5D metroidvania platformer, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU melds fluid traversal and combat with an emotional, heartfelt narrative. Its difficulty spikes can be a little off-putting, but it's worth persevering and pushing through to the end.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is silly fun; an enjoyable, exciting and vibrant compendium of collect-a-thon platforming classics given a new lease of life. Flaming wonderful.

Forza Horizon 2 is another impressive racer from Playground Games. That said, while the original Horizon nailed the single-player and lacked on the multiplayer front, Horizon 2 is the polar opposite to that.

TerraTech Legion is a pleasant surprise, emerging as a slickly presented, enormously playable, and endlessly addictive vehicle-based survivors-like auto-shooter experience that's well worth seeking out.

Despite a few puzzling design decisions and an almost glacial start to the campaign, Watch Dogs is worthy of your time. There’s no doubt about that.

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham sweeps away any doubts we might have had about TT Games' well-established template growing tiresome. It might start a little slow, yet the game is nothing but an absolute pleasure to play throughout.

It may lack a certain level of polish, but for sheer fun you will be hard pressed to do much better, as the combat and puzzles are spot on and hark back to the classic Zelda games. The story does let things down a bit and the graphics are ragged in places, but as a slice of entertainment, this does a damn fine job.

A cracking first effort from The Coalition, Gears of War 4 might be the studio playing it safe for its first proper go around with Gears, but it successfully manages to retain everything that's special about the series while re-igniting mankind's struggle for survival on Sera. That means there will be sequels. Lots of sequels. Fortunately, Gears of War 4 is a superb game, so if they're anything like this, bring 'em on.

An improvement over WWE 2K22, which was itself a superb wrestling game, WWE 2K23 has one of the best 2K Showcases to date, and fluid gameplay that's easy to pick up and play, but tricky to master. The champ is here.

A California scream, Dead Island 2 finally crosses the finish line after nine years as an accomplished and deliriously fun first-person zombie mash 'em up. The stomach-churning gore might not be for everyone, but fans of body horror and viscera will be well-served here.

Dying Light is a cavalcade of zombie ultra-violence that's hard to put down.

The single player story is absolutely engaging in Saints Row 2, with a great cast to boot. It’s great to know that a good story with a soul can make the same old city a lot more entertaining. The online co-op will attract a lot of attention and rightly so, but the multiplayer mode doesn’t really have much substance.

Okami HD is essential, especially if you've never been lucky enough to play Clover's 2006 classic before. And even if you have, you owe it to yourself to play it and love it all over again. It's utterly sublime.

The perfect homage to a series of true fighting game greats, the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is essential.

While the new F1 Life hub and the addition of supercars are no substitute for last year's story mode or 2020's classic cars, F1 22 is nonetheless another superlative Formula One game, and a damn fine racing experience in its own right.

Yet another sensational compendium of classic arcade fighters, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 brings together eight seminal classics, and although there are a couple of omissions, what's here is great. For anyone who whiled away hours in the arcades back in the 1990s and 2000s, you need to get on this.

Overall a well put together homage to Starwars told through the medium of Lego. Ranging from funny to frustrating it will keep you coming back for more.

If I were rating it purely on its artistic merits, I'd give it 100. As a game, its unique qualities mark it out as something that deserves to be played and experienced, but if you're hoping for something action-packed, you're barking up the wrong tree. Dear Esther: Landmark Edition is a great game that transcends what a video game can be as a medium; a perfect marriage of artistry and ideas that you absolutely need to delve into.

Shift 2 is a better game than its forebear, although it's still perhaps a bit of an acquired taste. Visually, it's an improvement and the handling and gameplay can be as realistic or as forgiving as you like. Hats off to Slightly Mad for taking on-board the criticisms levelled at the first Shift, addressing them and then some. Shift 2 kicks things up a gear, that's for sure.

An excellent return for an arcade classic, Samurai Shodown is a reboot that looks sensational, has a wealth of options, plays remarkably well, and possesses deep, hugely rewarding fighting mechanics. The Dojo mode is also superb, ensuring that Samurai Shodown doesn't just push the envelope, but slices it wide open.

Pure delivers on the promise of fast thrills and fun, so the very few minor issues seem non-existent. A definite recommendation for fans of both racing and arcade-style games.

A solid title from a company with years of experience making karaoke games, with a very real possibility of a steady revenue stream for Konami if they handle the DLC well.

Another deep and compelling chunk of dinosaur wrangling, Jurassic World Evolution 3 also happens to be remarkably welcoming, though not at the expense of its detail and complexity. It also looks pretty slick, and it's got loads of Jeff Goldblum in it. That’s a win in my book.

My Time At Portia is one of the most wholesome, relaxing and chilled experiences of this generation. It’s the perfect post-Sekiro experience, with a cast of wonderful characters, and a beautifully picturesque world with tons of activities to occupy your time. Sure, it’s very much like Stardew Valley, but the emphasis on engineering over farming makes it its own beast. The loops might not be as alluring as Stardew’s, but it’s game that you won’t regret playing, and will satisfy your inner soul.

Where the first EA Sports UFC failed to go big on content, EA Sports UFC 2 delivers big time. That it also successfully improves upon the strong foundations laid by UFC 1 in the gameplay stakes, makes UFC 2 nothing short of superlative. It's a winner.

A bigger and better game than its forebear, Sniper Elite 4 is ludicrously good fun, proving beyond doubt that there's infinite appeal in blasting Nazis' bits off. Scope it out.

After the confined spaces of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, Metro Exodus feels far more expansive, but never strays too far from what makes the series unique.

MachineGames has done the series the due service it deserves, delivering a thrilling and immensely entertaining Nazi smashing shooter that demands to be played and savoured.

Watch Dogs 2 is a game that wants to take you on a whistlestop tour of San Francisco’s not-so-hidden underbelly. For a game with a central cast of disenfranchised youths, I found it oddly relatable and compelling. Every bone in my body ached for me to hate DedSec, but instead I totally fell in with them and everything they were about. Marcus Holloway is to Watch Dogs what Ezio Auditore was to Assassin’s Creed: the symbol of a new era, the mascot of a franchise that has proved it shouldn’t be judged on first impressions, that has proved it can move with the times. It’s a strong, smart game that never takes itself too seriously, and the result is pretty special.

There's no doubting that Splinter Cell: Conviction is a great game, but it's a game that ultimately loses its way towards the end. It's almost like a 200m hurdle champion falling at the last hurdle, but still bumbling to his feet to make the finish line in a more than respectable time.

Star Wars Outlaws is a wonderful, albeit slightly rough around the edges, galactic space adventure that will appeal to both Star Wars and non-Star Wars fans alike. With a great story, a handful of really iconic locations and a whole host of variety running through its veins, Outlaws is a fantastic new world of adventure for Ubisoft Massive. Plus, it’s incredibly fun.