Tropico 4 is a well-crafted update that is subtly better in almost every respect, including more helpful guidance to total newcomers and a steady stream of in-game mini-missions to keep things interesting. That pesky save bug makes an unwelcome return though and really should have been dealt with by now, but that aside you will be lost in a tropical paradise.

An absorbing open world adventure drenched in colourful New Caledonian culture, Tchia is beautifully unique and more than deserving of your time. It's on Xbox Game Pass – there's no excuse not to give it a go.

An inviting and enjoyable dose of brutal co-op combat and platforming laced with British humour, King of Meat wants you to entertain a baying TV audience for glory, and in turn, it succeeds in entertaining you, too.

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.

A triumphant combination of SimCity and Dungeon Keeper-style gameplay makes SteamWorld Build not only an excellent game, but a comfortable and immediately gratifying experience that should be savoured.

An easy game to play with simple and intuitive controls. You’re drawn into the game within five minutes and you may find yourself playing three hours later without knowing where the time has gone.

F1 Manager 2022 succeeds in being an engaging experience, immersing you in the various intricacies and minutiae of running a constructor, while determining the ideal race strategy – you can't help but feel fully invested.F1 Manager 2022 succeeds in being an engaging experience, immersing you in the various intricacies and minutiae of running a constructor, while determining the ideal race strategy – you can't help but feel fully invested.

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.

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.

Very simple controls, good tutorials and strategies that are easy to pick up. The AI doesn't ramp up the intensity like it used to in the old Blitz games which is nice as you can get a lead and keep it.

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.

Developer Milestone lives up to its name by reaching one with MotoGP 23, providing the most accessible entry in the series to date, with fancy Neural Aids helping to ease in new players. MotoGP 23 also happens to be a polished, authentic motorcycle racing game that will also please even the most hardcore of motorcycle nuts.

If you are looking for a football game to play with friends for the next year, you can’t go wrong with this one. Although the changes and new additions may not be game changing, they do enough to keep Madden 10 fresh and playing with a buddy in co-op is always fun.

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.

A splendid RTS and one that provides plenty of enjoyment, especially if you can find a co-op partner to take along for the ride. This version is not quite as good as the PC equivalent but you won’t find many better on the 360.

On paper, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii sounds like a step too far into unfettered silliness for RGG Studio's crime saga, until you remember the series has always revelled in daftness. Submit to the game's enjoyable pirate fantasy, and you'll find that there's a lot of fun to be had here.

Playing this game was a pleasant surprise, especially due to the fact I’d never followed the series or really enjoyed fighting games as a whole. The missions may start to get repetitive after a while but the story more than makes up for it and the online modes can keep you occupied long after you’ve finished the game. It’s mainly for fans but give it a go and you may be shocked at how much fun you have.

Street Fighter IV is a more than competent fighting game, in fact, it’s great, but in order to have the package these days, you need to deliver on more than the fighting mechanism.

Superbly fun single player with a largely forgettable multiplayer tagged on.

What RUSE offers is a supremely complex mix of strategy, with a control system that is easy to pick up and use. The RUSE mechanic itself offers players a surprisingly deep alternative to conventional strategy, and helps to keep battles fresh and interesting right until the end.

An impressive game that provides one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve had in a while, producing some of the goriest bloodbaths featured in a game to date.

A fast-paced and addictive roguelike first-person shooter boasting a bold cyberpunk style, Deadlink is a cracking little game, and one that rewards your time and effort to boot.

The best LEGO game in quite some time, and one of the best family titles this year. The obvious sequel will hopefully build on the successful foundations here, although the major issues of similarity and simplicity that make it into all of the games is hardly likely to go away – which is probably for the best as that would rob the games of their inherent charm.

Open Season’s only true flaw is its lack of replay value.

A crisp and cracking remaster of a little known Nintendo DS curio, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is Capcom doing what it does best – bringing back its old games in carefully considered, elegantly made revivals. This is no exception.

An unbridled joy to play, RAGE 2 is something that puts an onus on having fun and has no pretenses of being anything else beyond that.

Creaks is a wonderfully atmospheric game that is ingenious in its execution, with a unique art style and excellent sound design. The sheer number of mind-teasing puzzles can be a little relentless at times, but the way that the game's systems evolve and interact with each other over time is incredibly impressive. If you have any love for brain teasers, you should probably consider picking it up.

Nearly twenty years since it first released, Virtua Fighter 5 still has plenty of mileage left in it. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage emerges as the definitive version of a great fighting game, with meaningful new features, and challenging fighting mechanics that will keep you coming back.