In a day and age where the value of map packs and expansions are closely scrutinised, BC2: Vietnam is the epitome of value for money, offering the same exhilarating gameplay as its boxed counterpart, but with a fresh twist in an entirely new era and stunning environment.

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.

While it's a shame that classic cars have been nixed this year, F1 2021 is nonetheless an exhilarating racing game brimming with compelling modes and customisation features, as well as the new Braking Point story mode, for countless hours of wheel-to-wheel action. Another sterling effort from Codemasters, racing games don't really come much better than this.

NBA 2K13 scores big once again, although it fails to offer little in the way of sweeping changes or innovations. It's still the undisputed daddy of basketball games, but we'd have liked to have seen more ideas being brought to the hardwood.

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!

A fast and frenetic slice of heaven, Neon White is a sublime combination of tasty gunplay, twitch platforming, and speed-running that's unlike little else.

There's a good reason that all seven of the games included here still hold up. They were great when they originally came out, and they're great now. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is the perfect tour through Capcom's 1990s fighting heyday, and, quite possibly, the best fighting collection yet. Utterly essential.

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.

A masterclass in how to resurrect a dormant and beloved series. Like Streets of Rage 4 before it, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is another beautiful, fluid, and endlessly gratifying game that stays true to its classic forebears, while providing something that feels fresh and vital. Superlative stuff.

A triumphant return for Capcom's coolest series, Devil May Cry 5 is a stupidly slick game that does almost everything right. It'll totally pull your Devil Trigger.

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

Halo 4 represents a bold step forward for the franchise that feels both fresh and familiar. Boasting Halo's trademark multiplayer, a gripping campaign, an experimental co-op mode and the usual gubbins, Halo 4 like all the other Halos that have come and gone, represents incredible value for money.

Often, belated sequels carry a weight of expectation that's hard to live up to. Return to Monkey Island has no such difficulties, Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman going back to a series they quite clearly still love, and, you’ll love too.

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.

DICE should be praised for taking the risky move and turning back the clock with Battlefield 1, both in terms of the era and the direction for the franchise. Very often these moves can cripple a series, but thankfully for us – and DICE – it’s a move that has revitalised the franchise.

The Dark Souls games remain a high-water mark for the action RPG. Uncompromising, occasionally infuriating, yet constantly rewarding for those with the correct level of patience and dedication, Dark Souls III is a fitting end to a fantastic trilogy.

A very pleasant surprise and one that finally appeals to football fans of any ability. This game is simple to pick up and play but offers enough depth for veterans to still find something new. With plenty to do both on and offline it’s a real turnaround for a series that has had its share of criticism down the years.

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.

With a tantalising story with some truly gripping and edge of the seat moments, new gameplay elements and some more of that previously promised deeper character interaction, The Lair of the Shadow Broker is what we call in outer space, a doozy.

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!

Who’d have thought that poncle could make a game as simple but addictive as Vampire Survivors, eh? Never played a first-person dungeon-crawler before? Vampire Crawlers is the perfect place to start - it’s a cracking fusion of turn-based battling and roguelite deckbuilding. Get it played.

A case of refinement rather than dramatic change, Assassin's Creed Odyssey nonetheless injects even more depth and detail into the series, with dialogue choices and the ensuing consequences that follow proving a worthwhile addition. If you enjoyed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey will scratch the same itch, and then some. A sensational sequel that's thankfully not a Greek tragedy.

Fluid platforming and frenetic combat, with some lovely spectacle and a dull story.

Undead Nightmare might not tie-in to Red Dead's overarching story, but as an entertaining journey into an alternate tale set within that rich and compelling universe, it's an add-on that proves utterly indispensable for any self-respecting fan of the game.

Simply a better game than Forza 5 and with a lot more content to boot, Forza Motorsport 6 is an endlessly playable racer that deserves a spot in your Xbox One collection.

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.

We may have been waiting a decade and a half for a sequel, but Double Fine’s efforts haven’t been in vain - Psychonauts 2 is an energetic, imaginative, and excellent 3D platformer, with brains and heart to spare.

The third act is often the hardest, and with Hitman 3, IO Interactive has managed, somehow, to mix things up and make it feel fresh. Some will celebrate the lengthier, curated stories, but those who love Hitman for its replay value will be slightly dismayed at Hitman 3. Nonetheless, it's still a great bloody video game.