Is Borderlands 3 the best one yet? Not quite, but it's incredibly close. While it may not eclipse Borderlands 2, Gearbox has crammed Borderlands 3 with more chaotic gunplay, more ridiculous guns with which to wreak havoc, and more silly humour. More of everything, then? Yep. Borderlands 3 is one big bundle of fun.

Black Ops II might not be perfect, but the entertainment value far outweighs some questionable design choices.

For an F1 fan, F1 2010 is a dream come true. The physics and weather effects are phenomenal, the courses are for the most part accurately represented and the racing is second-to-none, but for everything the game does right, it fails to liven things up between races.

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.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is a great way to play two underserved cult classics, with reams of extra material for the devoted.

Nobody does presentation like EA and the menus, rosters and feel of ice hockey are superb. The various leagues and teams are all well catered for and offer anything that a fan could desire.

It took a while to come to consoles (over a year), but Cuisineer was worth the wait. As RPG roguelite social sim genre mashups go, this is about as good as it gets. It's lovely and colourful, too. Cuisineer is a tasty little morsel.

All in all, Liars and Cheats represents sound value for money, offering plenty of new and interesting stuff for the price, but some of the new game types might test your patience a bit.

You might initially turn your nose up at Mass Effect: Andromeda, but stick with it and you'll be richly rewarded with a vast space opera that gets better and better. It has problems, but they pale into insignificance once you're swept up in the exploits of Mass Effect: Andromeda's Pathfinder.

Crytek has crafted a great game with Crysis 3, one that has a satisfying end for the trilogy, but its lack of breathtaking set-pieces means that it’s an even more soulless version of Crysis 2.

Deserving of its remaster treatment, Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is well worth revisiting (or, indeed, playing for the first time), especially, if, like me, you're excited for the arrival of Onimusha: Way of the Sword next year.

Normally, with a choice-driven adventure, I'm once and done, ready for a post-game water-cooler discussion. As Dusk Falls' warrants more than one playthrough, if only to see how differently things can pan out. If that open ending is any indication, there's more to come.

Games like No More Heroes III are remarkably rare. Brimming with ideas and genuinely humorous moments, this is something uniquely Grasshopper, uniquely Suda. Get on it as soon as humanly possible.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a strong sequel to 2013's reboot, building upon the potential of its predecessor while adding to the sense of wonder and exploration-based aspects more in keeping with Ms. Croft's roots. Of course, more tombs and puzzles to solve would always be welcome, but Rise is nonetheless a fantastic blend of entertaining combat encounters, traversal and open-world exploration, and arguably a cut above the previous game in gameplay terms, if not necessarily in story terms.

Filled with plenty of sly nods and knowing winks, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not only one of the funniest LEGO games we've played, it's also one of the best. If you love Star Wars and you love LEGO, you owe it to yourself to snaffle this up like a hungry rathtar.

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.

A relentlessly fun game, Prototype 2 is marred only by a barely decipherable story and a dull, unsympathetic character in Sgt. James Heller. Everything is geared towards showing you a good time though, and if you can switch off your brain, you'll enjoy everything Radical Entertainment's sequel has to offer.

A departure from its open world roots doesn't mean Mafia: The Old Country is any less grand in narrative scope than its predecessors. Not only does Hangar 13 tell a good story, it also delivers solid action and stealth, in an impressively detailed and evocative 1900s Sicily setting.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 isn't a full blown return to the classic Final Fantasy games many people know and love, but it is certainly a step in the right direction and offers a great deal more invention, exploration and good, old fashioned fun than its predecessor. The story and characters are a little weak in places but it is hard not to get swept along by the charm of it all.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is simply the finest Tolkien game we've played in quite some time.

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.

Fostering an all-pervading tension from beginning to end, Routine succeeds as an efficient jolt of sci-fi horror, delivering rich environmental storytelling and complex puzzles. The lack of help might turn some players off, but for those willing to stick with it, you'll find a rewarding and immersive experience.

A cracking little arcade racer from a studio better acquainted with motorcycle sims, Hot Wheels Unleashed is like sticking both hands into a big toy box of die-cast cars, pulling them all out, then thrashing them around a racetrack. And what is there not to like about that?

While having to hunt monsters driven from their habitat by human intervention and a lack of food engenders a sense of Shadow of the Colossus-level guilt, there's no avoiding the sheer depth and consistent enjoyment that Wild Hearts has to offer.

After all this while, Team Cherry has come back and done it again. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a fiendish metroidvania that repays your close attention and your stress with rich sights and sounds.

British horror games are having a moment just now, and Rebellion has served up a witty, fun slice of apocalypse.

A fantastical magic shooter epic with a smattering of light RPG elements, Immortals of Aveum combines enjoyable FPS combat, traversal, and exploration to great effect, making for a memorable, often spellbinding experience.

One of Rebellion's best games, Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a thrilling and utterly relentless jaunt that will see you blasting Nazi zombies for months on end.

As an opening gambit and statement of intent from Blumhouse Games, Fear the Spotlight gets things off to a strong start, delivering a 3D retro horror experience that, while in thrall to its '90s influences, also manages to carve out an identity of its own.

Star Wars Battlefront is undoubtedly the Star Wars experience that we all wanted, it’s just a shame that there’s a distinct lack of content. That said, playing Battlefront is as close to being in a Star Wars movie as you're ever likely to get.

Sustaining its paper-folding hook across reams of compelling 2D levels, Paper Trail is a pretty unique puzzling adventure, with endearing characters, an engaging fairy tale look, and a procession of smartly executed paper conundrums. This is some good sheet.

Nightdive has done its level best to make System Shock 2 sleek and fast, in the hope that a little of the revolutionary might leak out.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is probably one of the most impressive $40/£40 games I’ve ever played and puts a lot of full price games to shame. Thanks to some really unique battle systems and combat variety, Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG to remember. It’s bloody gorgeous too! Oof!

Free from Kinect, Frontier has been able to deliver a game that revels in split-second timing and precise controls. The result is the studio’s best Xbox game in years that's a brilliantly fun coaster-racing, track-building, building destroying experience in its own right.

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!

A cult Saturn game comes alive, in a well presented blast of mech action.

While Battlefield 4’s next-gen outing offers something new and exciting in terms of multiplayer – 64-players – and in visuals – it looks fantastic and runs at 60 frames per second – the current gen version is more of the same, with no real evolution aside from a few instances of "levolution." A great game if you’re sticking around on current-gen for the foreseeable future, but worth waiting for if the next-gen of consoles is on your horizon.

A Short Hike is a wonderfully chill little game that can easily be finished in the space of an afternoon, combining clever traversal mechanics with a lo-fi visual style and a very relatable protagonist. If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill over a weekend, or after a stressful day of work, A Short Hike is an easy recommendation.

There's a reason EA singled out Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit for the remaster treatment – it's still great. Throw in all the DLC, all of the features the original had, and a litany of impressive visual enhancements, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is most definitely a racer worth returning to. And if it's your first time, well, lucky you.

A mighty fine bite-size Battlefield experience that takes a franchise synonymous with being a military shooter and establishes it in new territory. Battlefield Hardline is not as grand or epic as you’d perhaps expect a core Battlefield title to be, but it’s certainly a damn fine alternative.

Two Point Hospital is a most excellent return from the abyss for the ‘hospital simulator’, one that is wholesome, colourful, incredibly creative and a joy to behold. It does tend to get a little repetitive after a while, but up until that point you’re in for a real treat.

A relatively short side-story it may be, but Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a blistering chapter in Kiryu's journey, a Yakuza 6 epilogue that brilliantly tees up what's next, while delivering on the unadulterated fun and weirdness the series is celebrated for.

A remarkably lovely and unapologetically cosy story of life in vinyl retail, Wax Heads has heart to spare, a diverse soundtrack, an inviting art style, and a unique record-recommending gameplay hook. Groovy.

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.

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.

Move over KOF. Fatal Fury is back with a vengeance, and it's great. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is an attractive, immediate, and enjoyable fighting game with a lot going on. And, yet, it's easy to pick up and play, but tough to master, rewarding practice and perseverance. It's well worth putting in the time to get good.

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.

XCOM 2 is a great strategy game for the same reasons that Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within were, for the unique minute-to-minute gameplay, but as a sequel, this needed more innovation and less iteration.

Providing a complex and multi-layered experience, Section 8 is one of the better multiplayer titles currently available on the 360. With clan support, stat tracking, and more, hopefully this game will sell well and build up the sizable community needed to keep the battles large and epic. Despite some need for the weapon balance to be re-tuned, an undersized HUD, and poor tank controls, Section 8 is a blast, and worth checking out if you're into large-scale multiplayer battles.

The mechanics aren’t dumbed down - rather, they’re streamlined into something understandable and accessible without losing the depth that makes RTS games so damn satisfying to play.

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.

Hypnotic, rewarding, and oddly relaxing despite its various demands, Little Rocket Lab is a fantastic cosy life sim that will unapologetically hoover up your time. And it looks utterly lovely.

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?

You can't go wrong picking up Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. While you might feel a little shorted on the single-player story for Dark Athena, your mood will soon improve when you realize that you can just boot up Butcher Bay and relive that experience.

There is a tone of playful improvisation to Ball x Pit – of pros in an experimental groove.

Beyond Words is never less than a pleasure, despite its plain visuals, and it keeps your attention with its delicious layering of mechanics.

Darwin’s Paradox is a stealthy Pixar cartoon, imbued with slapstick platforming.

A Satanic shooter that's as gratifying as Hell, DOOM pays due respect to its legacy with a game that delivers on everything that makes the series so great. You need DOOM in your life.

After a slow start this game blossoms into a superb action-strategy title. It is not going to be for everyone though so you might want to check out the demo before committing yourself to a full purchase. The balance between combat and strategy is perfectly managed. Give it a chance (and take a few hours to get used to the controls) and this becomes a great way to spend some time.

An absurdly fun and unique multiplayer throw down, Kiln might be somewhat light on content, but it more than makes up for it with bags of character, immediacy, and infectious gameplay.

The on-court action has been refined and MyCareer is arguably better than ever, making NBA 2K15 another fine basketball game. It's just a shame that the online facet of the game is so poor. Despite this, NBA 2K15 is still well worth checking out.

Metro Redux offers two flawed but enjoyable games with a substantial visual upgrade and a number of thoughtful additions.

What could have so easily been a retread of previous LEGO Star Wars games, has more than its fair share of new ideas. The Skywalker Saga offers a greatest hits compilation of all nine films, wrapped up in signature knockabout comedy, with enjoyable and uncomplicated, though sometimes slightly dull, gameplay. Bottom line is, I'm a sucker for a LEGO Star Wars game. Sign me up. Again.

EndWar is all about its voice command system. Fantastically implemented with very few flaws, but you kind of get the feeling that underneath it all, the game is very shallow and relies on that to set it free. Nevertheless, the voice command system is present and it's one of the best innovations and implementations in a game for some time and surely this could become a staple in future titles; both Clancy and otherwise.

Once again, WWE 2K26 delivers yet another fine bout of grappling, with a huge selection of modes and a colossal roster of Superstars, alongside a handful of meaningful refinements. The new reversal system might not be to everyone's taste, but there's no denying this remains an eminently playable wrestling experience.

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.

But I'm not going to gripe about Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök being too short – it's nice to enjoy something as generously proportioned as this without growing weary of the grind, being able to finish the story without feeling like it's being stretched far too thin. Dawn of Ragnarök is exactly as long as it should be, resolving its narrative without dragging it out, albeit with a more than adequate smattering of side stuff and secrets to unearth. As retellings of sagas from Norse mythology go, Dawn of Ragnarök accomplishes a lot within the confines of a relatively compact and highly entertaining DLC.

A gratifying new spin on SEGA's iconic blue blur, Sonic Superstars introduces co-op and a smattering of other neat ideas for the best 2D Sonic game since Sonic Mania.

Star Wars: Squadrons is the spiritual successor to X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter you've been waiting for, with a compelling story and tight, exciting gameplay that makes every multiplayer match a fast-paced, seat-of-the-pants experience. Rest assured, this has got it where it counts, kid.

Clocking in at roughly 90 minutes, The Signal provides varied set piece battles across diverse settings that are well designed to maximize the tension Alan Wake is known for. Despite the retreading players must endure in the beginning and an abrupt conclusion, The Signal provides well-polished action worth picking up for anyone who's already completed the core game.

Keep your fingers crossed that SEGA and Platinum Games continue to work together, because if they keep putting out quality products like Vanquish, then everyone's a winner. It doesn't quite reach the dizzy heights of Bayonetta and it's nowhere near as brilliantly esoteric, but Vanquish does put a new spin on the third-person cover shooter. And for that reason alone – despite some slight niggles and flaws – Vanquish deserves recognition for daring to break the mould a bit.

An ornate and clever sequel that enlivens the formula, with a niggling hint of deja vu.

The Sexy Brutale is the perfect example of an interesting concept and excellent execution. Sure, it might have its issues, but underneath the unique puzzle mechanics is one hell of an enthralling story. Worthy of your time, indeed!

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.

Kunitsu-Gami is exactly the sort of thing we need more of, the kind of game that you kid yourself used to crop up regularly in generations gone by.

Building upon what makes the series unique, Borderlands 4 is a triumphant dose of looter-shooter mayhem, with ample depth to match its fast and frantic gunplay.

The Outer Worlds 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable sequel, boasting an injection of adrenaline-fuelled gameplay compared to the original. We can't help but feel like it's lost a little bit of its soul when it comes to choice and consequence, but that doesn't take away from the overall experience. Just temper your expectations.

FIFA 18 has come out fighting this year, with an improved game of football, another chapter in its excellent story mode, and more besides. It's still not quite there yet, failing to deliver something as fluid and immediate as it could be. There's ample room for improvement, sure, but FIFA 18 is still a genuinely marvellous footie game.

Once again this is the best ice hockey game around, with flawless presentation and a sublime playing experience.

Mortal Shell pays homage to FromSoftware's greats, offering its own unique gameplay wrinkles and an excellent combat system. With only three major dungeons and four weapons, this is a streamlined experience, and if you can push past the slightly frustrating opening hours then you'll find a wonderfully rewarding Souls-like that will keep you coming back for more.

While Jurassic World Evolution marked a rock-solid dry run for Frontier's prehistoric theme park management sim, Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a meaningful, erm, evolution, with the new Chaos Theory mode providing engaging scenarios in which you can attempt to set things right. A diverse suite of modes and slick interfaces ensures Jurassic World Evolution 2's status as an excellent sequel.

Something of a return to form for the series, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is the perfect marriage of time, place and characters with an entertaining story and fun gameplay to match. London has never seemed so appealing.

It's not often we play a puzzle game with such a unique hook, but Chants of Sennaar's glyph deciphering conundrums and other gameplay twists make for something that's pretty much unlike anything else.

Hue is an attractive and appealing indie puzzle platformer with a smart gameplay hook. Yes, it looks and plays a little bit like Limbo, but Hue is very much its own thing. And it's great.

A blistering return to zombie-slaying nirvana, Back 4 Blood is an excellent spiritual follow-up to Left 4 Dead that ticks almost all of the right boxes, except for the one labelled 'solo progression' – if you're planning on playing offline on your own, you might want to steer clear for now. Otherwise, jump right in.

An accessible Roguelike that might initially seem a bit on the short side, Ravenswatch has more than ample replay value in the number of characters, modifiers, abilities, and items to experiment with. If you enjoyed Hades and crave roguelike action of a similar ilk, then the fairy tale charms of Ravenswatch will scratch that itch.

What I like about Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is not just its burnished look, but the way it relights the dimmer half of Lara's legacy and offers a different story.

Successfully making the leap from the Wii U four years since its original release, LEGO City Undercover is still a fantastically fun and exciting open-world adventure.

Animal Well is one of those works that seem to have been scooped out of a single skull: a chilly clump of sweet dreams and obsessions, pleasures and manias.

After the disastrous launch of WWE 2K20, 2K and Visual Concepts really faced something of a turning point, an uphill struggle, and after a lengthy hiatus, WWE 2K22 emerges as the best entry in the series for years. As per the game's tagline, it really does 'hit different'.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue is the sort of thing we like to see in an AC game. A well-paced story with plenty of intrigue, twists and a vaguely charismatic lead with a shonky accent.

Quite possibly developer Frogwares’ most accomplished crack at the iconic detective yet, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One combines a compelling story, detailed world, and involving investigation mechanics to great effect.

The story might be convoluted, but it's engaging and the characters are (mostly) likeable. Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD is good fun, and well worth delving into for a few dozen hours.

a pleasant surprise and one that I’ll happily rope family and friends into playing. There are a few niggles, but the gameplay is immensely satisfying and the tracking spot on.

A cracking return for Konami's iconic run 'n' gun series, Contra: Operation Galuga is both nostalgic and new – an unfettered shot of adrenaline-fuelled arcade action, and an unbridled joy.

A '90s-style movie tie-in you might have seen in an arcade back then, had it actually existed, Terminator 2D: No Fate is a love letter to retro games and a sci-fi classic that might be short, but it's oh-so sweet. Hasta la vista, baby.

This is moody, broody, and tranquil, like a good book.

CoD's return to World War II seems like its been a long time coming, but nine years on from World at War, Call of Duty: WWII proves that there are still stories to be told based on history's most deadly conflict. It's also proof positive that Call of Duty can still deliver an edge-of-the-seat FPS experience.