It might not feel all that different to NBA 2K25, but there are enough refinements and new things in NBA 2K26 to make this year's game more than worthwhile. If you're a fan of hoops, then the lure of a new MyCareer, more MyTeam, and the always great NBA Eras, will no doubt prove irresistible.

Platinum Games knows this hack 'n' slash schtick inside out, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is no exception, drawing upon the developer's experience within the genre. While it's no Bayonetta, Raiden's bloodsoaked outing is a superb action title.

A brilliant sequel that compares favourably to Mario Kart in the mascot racer stakes, Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed might be hard as nails, but it's a kart racer that's all kinds of fun in multiplayer and proves a rewarding romp played alone. Sharper than a cyber razor cut, to be this good takes AGES.

As comprehensive as MotoGP 24 was, MotoGP25 outstrips last year's game with the addition of the Arcade Experience and three Race Off disciplines to master. New and returning features make this feel like a worthwhile update, and a must for all bike fans.

Final Fantasy XIII at times doesn’t feel like a Final Fantasy game; what with its traditional mechanics streamlined down to next to nothing and not much outside the main scope of the game to get on with. If you can put that aside though and sit through a painfully slow beginning, then Final Fantasy XIII is as rewarding as any JRPG on the console.

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.

Far Cry 4 is Far Cry 3 dialled up to eleven, with more animals, activities, missions and abilities. And while throwing more stuff at the player isn’t the perfect recipe for success, I was happy to play a richer, larger version of one of my favourite games in recent years.

Resident Evil still holds up after 13 years as a masterclass in survival horror, this HD remaster making it utterly essential once more.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a fantastic adventure title that's both beautiful to look at, compelling to play and enjoyable for the most part.

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.

Ubisoft has outdone itself with this one, producing a game that serves up quality and quantity in spades. Splinter Cell: Blacklist can be a demanding and sometimes harsh game, but it only serves in strengthening your resolve to do better, and explore different approaches and avenues to achieve perfect stealth. Whether you're a Ghost, Panther or Assault player, Splinter Cell: Blacklist has something to offer, regardless.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is not just a beautifully gory return for Team Ninja's twenty-one-year tenure with the series, but it's also vintage PlatinumGames, serving up a relentlessly paced flurry of swords, lopped limbs, and buckets of blood. What more could a ninja fan possibly want?

Not played Bulletstorm before? Then the Full Clip Edition is pretty much essential. Played it and finished it? In that case, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is worth revisiting for a second time, although the smattering of added extras might not necessarily be reason enough. Still, Bulletstorm is still good, dirty fun that will punch you square in the crotch.

Saints Row IV's world might be a virtual simulation, but there's nothing fake about the level of fun on offer here. The only downside is a nagging sense of diminishing returns, and a very real sense that the next Saints Row game should probably look at going back to its roots.

Picking up perfectly where Mortal Kombat left off, Injustice: Gods Among Us cements NetherRealm's reputation as a purveyor of fighting games with real heft and substance. A heroic effort that'll put a smile upon the face of all but the most demanding DC fighting fan.

Like any collection of retro titles, however, much of the appeal lies in the innate nostalgia factor to players of a certain age, and on that front I'm not even sure I need to make a case for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection – it's immediately apparent that every one of the games included in Konami's comprehensive TMNT bundle is imbibed with 8- and 16-bit loveliness: the perfect way for NES, SNES, Game Boy, and Mega Drive/Genesis owners to time travel, and, furthermore, the perfect way for twelve-year-olds to play the Turtles' arcade highlights, without getting an angry letter sent home to their parents.

A bold and smart Xbox One indie platformer, Kalimba takes a simple and clever idea, transforming it into something that's equal parts tough and rewarding.

EA Canada has smashed the puck right into the back of the net once again with NHL 14, providing masses of content, unparalleled gameplay and the usual superb presentation you expect from an EA Sports game. It's perhaps not as big a leap forward over NHL 13 as you'd hope, but regardless, NHL 14 is a winner once again.

It's good to have Tekken back again. Tekken 7 successfully makes the jump from the arcades in Japan, with a cool customisation suite, a decent selection of modes and superb fight mechanics. You should probably go buy it now.

Another year, another Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 is nonetheless a generous package that hits all of the right marks. Campaign is decent enough and Zombies is good fun, but it's the multiplayer that will keep you hooked.

There are just enough flourishes, mechanical and artistic, to turn your head, but whether Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will keep your gaze is another matter.

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.

Its camera might remain somewhat skittish and the upgrades here aren't exactly seismic, but Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, rebuilt using Unreal Engine 5, certainly looks the part and delivers immediate, lightning-fast ninja action, replete with buckets of blood and viscera. It was, and still is, excellent.

A fun distraction from the mainline Final Fantasy games, this is a game you’re going to want to digest in small pieces. World of Final Fantasy Maxima is so sickeningly cute and twee that it sometimes comes off as unbearable (thanks to the main characters) but when you get past that, there is a compelling and intelligent battle system waiting for you. And obviously, the new Xbox One additions are welcome, even if they're not particularly huge. If you’re a die-hard Final Fantasy fan and can put the time into this game, you’re going to get a lot out of it.

One of the best Call of Duty games in a while, Advanced Warfare is a triumphant effort from Sledgehammer Games, whose storytelling nous and risk-taking in introducing the Exo pays off in spades. It's not the jaw-dropping reinvention that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was back in 2007, but Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the shot in the arm the series needed.

While Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is strong with the Force, it's held back slightly by some irritating bugs. Fortunately, none of them can detract from the overall experience, its superlative combat and absorbing, enjoyable take on the Star Wars universe.

Every bit the tactile, heart-rending experience that the first game was, but with added layers of complexity thanks to co-op - as well as enhanced replay value - Unravel Two is a fuzzy, warm hug of a sequel that'll make you smile.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage marks developer Don't Nod returning to its Life is Strange pinnacle, delivering a coherent and compelling yarn that expertly flits between an evocative 1995 and a friend's reunion in 2022. Bring on the sequel.

Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf emerges as a worthy follow-up to the first game, boasting a smattering of neat improvements over the original, a touching story, and, despite a few moments of frustration, an otherwise enjoyable procession of platforming and puzzles.

Guitar Hero Live is maybe a change too far for the Guitar Hero revival. It’s two facets, Guitar Hero Live and Guitar Hero TV, are wonderfully crafted and superbly engaging, but the fun factor seems to have been zapped from it somewhat. Maybe it’s a little too serious, maybe it’s hard to accept change, but that spark that we felt when we played Guitar Hero II for the first time… it’s just not there.

Yakuza 0 might be the better game, but Yakuza Kiwami is the best way to experience where the series began. Additions like 'Majima Everywhere' inject a sense of knockabout fun to proceedings, while cracking heads is a persistent, unending delight. There's no excuse not to dive right into Yakuza Kiwami this very second.

Tough to get into at first, MotoGP 22 soon starts to pay dividends once you get the hang of its tricky handling and various nuances. The superb 'NINE Season 2009' mode, meanwhile, is worth the price of admission alone.

Sunset Overdrive is one of this year’s finest games, chock full with refreshing humour, a vibrant sandbox and some of the most fun gameplay mechanics we’ve experienced in some time. It’s a hit, so do yourself a favour and go out and pick up this son of a bitch.

Just Cause 2 isn’t going to win any prizes for its trite story and constricting mission structure, but it’s a game that provide moments that no other game can create. The grappling hook revamp has created a gadget that is nothing short of stunning, but the game’s many annoyances hold it back from dominating the sandbox/open-world genre.

As a fun and frenetic FPS, Rage delivers in spades. That the same can't be said for the game's story is a real shame. It's especially disappointing as Rage feels like it's building to a strong crescendo, before fizzling out like a damp firework. Rage veers incredibly close to greatness then, but ultimately fails to win itself a cigar.

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.

A spicy blend of story and delicious South Indian cooking, Venba is a unique indie tale that deserves to be savoured. As developer Visai's debut game, this is stellar stuff.

While it’s not the most polished game from a graphical standpoint, Tides of Tomorrow is nonetheless a compelling post-apocalyptic adventure with a smart asynchronous multiplayer twist.

One of Codemasters' best racing games, DIRT 5 is an unbridled shot of adrenaline-fuelled fun that's impossible not to love. Superlative stuff.

SnowRunner is a slow game, requiring a lot of patience to get through. If you're willing to give it the time investment it asks, then you will find a satisfying experience here, with each contract you take, and each road you traverse, unfolding into one big puzzle to tackle. A hoard of customisation options also allows you to tinker with your trucks to your heart's content. If that sounds up your street, then SnowRunner might be for you, but don't expect to get anything done fast.

A textbook example of how to make a great sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War takes the first game's template and expands upon it in a meaningful and interesting way. The result is a follow-up that's not only a lot bigger, but it's also a lot better. It talks the talk, and yes, it also Orcs the Orc.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an absolutely stunning game on the eyes and ears, but is perhaps a little too much style over substance. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the mechanics, they can at times feel fairly shallow and archaic, but thankfully things don’t really get too repetitive or boring, and what you get in the overall experience more than makes up for that.

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.

An inspired combination of colourful dungeon-crawling, social sim, and action-RPG, Dungeons of Hinterberg proves to be a remarkably pleasant surprise. Ignore this at your peril.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is a strangely complex game to explain. It’s equal parts isometric turn-based RPG, social simulator, and deck-building card game. But you know what? It actually works! Sure, it’s not as tense and as gripping as Firaxis’ XCOM series, but this is a nice action-oriented offshoot.

A must for casual and hardcore racing fans alike, Project CARS does practically everything right, providing plenty of options for players of all skill levels and persuasions. I'm not much of a racing sim fan, but I found myself completely immersed in Project CARS.

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.

Brilliant. Ubisoft Montpellier has created one of this year’s most memorable games. A story of adventure and tragedy played out against the backdrop of World War I, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a game everyone should play.

Cities: Skylines is a pretty damn good city building sim game for consoles. It’s got its problems and it’s incredibly limited in its scope, but if you’re looking to kill more than a few hours with one of the most therapeutic game in some time, this is it.

It was a frustrating ride with difficulty levels, luck and that damned camera not helping matters, but I would encourage everyone to experience the game, if only for a while. It does have its “just one more stage” periods and that is always the sign of something great.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is a strange beast, then. Much of it feels very familiar, and you won’t find many things here that haven’t been done before. Yet, it manages to pull together so many different aspects with such proficiency and love for the source material that it’s impossible not to simply enjoy soaking it all up, in an adventure worthy of the Greek heroes of old.

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.

If stylish art can raise a game, as though it were a toast, then MIO is proof that no idea – no genre – is ever quite done with us, so long as we have good cause to look again. As we read, on finding the rusty shell of an old contraption: “It’s not dead yet, except if you decide it to be.

A fine AA open world action RPG with a compelling story and decent combat, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden might be one of the bests games you've never heard of. It deserves more than a ghost of a chance.

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.

With a fantastic soundtrack and a unique and superb look, Prince of Persia is a platformer that you shouldn't miss. Granted, it's not the hardcore platformer that fans of the series yearned for, but if you're looking for a rich story in an even richer setting, then Prince of Persia is for you.

While Hellblade 2 might not set any new standards with its gameplay, from an audio-visual experience standpoint, it's frankly stunning. Hellblade 2 is as close to playing the leading role in a big budget movie as you’re likely to get, and Ninja Theory’s continued coverage on the complexities of severe mental health issues deserves to be commended.

Stranded: Alien Dawn is an enormously varied survival sim and base builder, that has been remarkably well-adapted for consoles and stuffed to the gills with content, features, and options. This is as welcoming or as hardcore a survival experience as you want it to be.

Turns out a reboot is just what the doctor ordered. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best the series has been in quite some time.

Despite sometimes descending into colourful, eye-hurting confusion at times, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a relentlessly entertaining and stupidly fun game that you can't help but play with a big, dumb grin on your face. Great fun alone, online with strangers or in co-op with friends, Garden Warfare 2 is never anything less than a joy.

The visuals, audio even the character scripts are carefully chosen to add life and a new experience to AC veterans and newbies alike.

Giving a whole new audience the chance to discover the exploits of fledgling defence lawyer Phoenix Wright and his bizarre world, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is fantastic. There's no reason to object to this, Your Honour. I rest my case.

Limited only by story levels that grow tired towards the end, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is nevertheless a wonderfully witty, fun romp with a huge cast of characters and an impressively large and varied open-world hub. TT Games has done it again.

Alan Wake is a fantastic game, while Alan Wake Remastered remains just a great port. Yes, it loses something with the new shiny visuals and a few things have not withstood the test of time, but everything else is still fantastic. Especially that story!

Great single player campaign that’ll last you quite a while if you’re going for 100% completion, although multiplayer is a bit of a let down.

A game in which Batman rubs shoulders with the Stay Puft marshmallow man, where Gandalf solves puzzles at Aperture Sciences and Wyldstyle punches orcs, LEGO Dimensions is a smile-inducing mash-up that revels in everything that makes LEGO such a joy.

For those that relish this style of survival horror, there is fun to be had in Cronos: The New Dawn, but only for a time.

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.

Another strong entry in the series, but one that does not bring enough fresh ideas to the table to truly make it stand out. Sure you can make your own story, but the controls and plots are fiddly to manage. For wrestling fans this is a sure fire purchase, but for the rest of us, it is a fun fighting game at best.

Tiger '10's new Live Tournaments feature, and the addition of varying weather conditions, make this a great place for newcomers to get in on the golfing action, and provides enough features and online support to make it worth looking into for series veterans.

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

If you can forget trying to find method behind the Shift madness, you'll have a blast in both single and multiplayer, coming back for more when you want to burn rubber in style.

LEGO Lord of the Rings is another triumphant addition to the series and uses a great open world structure, plus cleverly designed levels and abilities, to ensure you will have a plethora of tasks to see and do.

A fun but frustrating cooking experience, Overcooked is a fantastic couch co-op party game that will put your friendships to the test. Expect to be shouting and swearing at one another a lot; it gets pretty damn hot in Overcooked's kitchen.

Digital Extremes has delivered the goods with The Darkness II, marrying story, action and great gameplay. It might be a little on the short side, but the story warrants multiple replays and co-op adds a little bit of much-needed longevity. So go on, embrace The Darkness. You know you want to.

A cracking sequel to a cult arcade classic, Windjammers 2 ups the ante with sharp hand-drawn visuals and more than a modicum of pure arcade panache. The idea of Pong (with frisbees, mind you) turned up to 11 has never been so appealing.

As relentlessly bastard-hard as ever, Trials Fusion coaxes you in with its easy and medium events, before kicking you square in the balls with its later hard and extreme tracks. It's still utterly brilliant, but takes no prisoners. In conclusion: Trials Fusion – good but hard. Just like the other games. Buy it.

When you buy NBA 2K, you know what you're getting. Except this year, NBA 2K23 sees Visual Concepts bringing its 'A' game, with an excellent MyCareer mode, the return of Jordan Challenges, and an addictive MyTeam offering. This is a straight-up slam dunk.

Art of Rally is an unbridled joy, its Career Mode and free roam options, in particular, providing hours of rally driving nirvana in an appealing package that celebrates a glorious, golden era of off-road motorsport.

With two mahoosive games and a ton of additional content stuffed into the box, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is well worth the asking price, what with its sharp, pimped-out visuals and what not. If you've already taken this ride before on Xbox 360, you might want to think twice before parting with more cash for the Xbox One version.

Stunning to behold and hugely enjoyable to play, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 can sometimes prove frustrating, but once you get to grips with it and master its combat, enjoying the blistering battles that ensue is a joy.

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.

A retro-style shooter that's both funny and fun, Super Time Force's temporal twists and turns are what make it well worth playing. It's unlikely you'll have played anything with the same kind of unfettered energy either. It's time you gave it a go.

More quantity over quality, Skate 3 nonetheless impresses with its sunny city built to accommodate your team of skaters, but ultimately doesn't deliver much in terms of innovation to the franchise.

Avowed is the perfect example of Obsidian doing what it does best. Choice and consequence runs deep through its veins, while the sheer variety of playstyles on offer is pretty damn impressive. While the lore and story won’t win any awards, Avowed is a great way to while away a good 30-hours or so.

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.

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.

A loyal and heartfelt remaster, but no matter how much Square Enix polishes Final Fantasy XII, the company is never going to wear down those occasional bumps that affected the overall package the first time. New RPG systems, rebalanced enemies, UI updates and speed options all boil down to a much smoother, nicer (prettier!) version of the game than the original European release. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a wonderfully nostalgic, but undeniably flawed, return to Ivalice.

Both an engaging mystery and a fine send off for Max and Chloe, Life is Strange: Reunion puts a nice cap on a saga that started life over a decade ago. The only question is, what comes next?

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.

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

This is truly for hardcore Dragon Age fans only and even they may well feel that the whole game has been dumbed down way too much to be recognizable any more.

Metro: Last Light should have been fantastic. Instead, 4A Games has delivered a broader, less interesting, less cohesive title that borrows from elsewhere when it should have built upon its own unique qualities. There’s still plenty to love, but it’s a wasted opportunity.

The Turing Test is delivered well, resplendent in Unreal 4, and carries a few genuinely interesting moments that make some of the more languid ’downtime’ easier to swallow. We've had moments on our commute just mulling over some of the (ridiculously!) dry jokes in the game, but we love that - they feel like the bytes of humour you’d hear a museum curator crack as they show you their favourite exhibit. A puzzler for anyone who wants an aperitif after The Witness and The Talos Principle.

The final chapter of Sora’s story is full of surprises, but it absolutely delivers something that fans have been waiting years for and Square Enix certainly know how to bring a person to tears in a very beautiful way. But the studio has gone above and beyond by giving players so much more to do then just the core story, with a variety of extras to jump back in to. Kingdom Hearts 3 is a thoroughly enjoyable experience that you’ll find yourself wanting to come back to for more.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning offers fantastic combat, a decent story, intuitive menus and the occasional visual flourish. Yet it's almost entirely lacking in creativity.

There is enough pleasant fun here to divert you, and there are flutters of real invention. You just wish that it ran a little further.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a lovely remaster of one of yesteryear’s surprise cult hits, and the best thing is, the gameplay actually holds up pretty well, thanks to a few new quality-of-life additions that go a long way towards making this a better game.