While Halo Infinite's campaign structure is new territory for the series, and will likely divide opinion, it tells a good story, and creates moments that rank it in the top half when it comes to good Halo campaigns. Throw in a phenomenal multiplayer arena and some stellar shooter mechanics, and it's safe to say that 343 has finally put its stamp on the wonderful world of Halo.

Chorus might ostensibly look like any other space shooter, but, discounting a few annoyances, it has some cool ideas of its own, and frenetic action that will pull you right in like a tractor beam.

Fun and accessible, yet deep and detailed, Evil Genius 2: World Domination is pure fantasy fulfilment for anyone who has ever quite fancied being Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Hank Scorpio, and holding the globe to ransom.

If you've ever dreamt of owning your own farm, or simply ploughing, fertilising, spraying, and cultivating someone else's land, then Farming Simulator 22 will cater to your every whim and want. Newcomers beware, though – the barrier to entry is quite high.

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.

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.

Battlefield 2042 is DICE’s most average Battlefield yet, one that despite boasting two new modes to discover in Hazard Zone and Battlefield Portal, clearly forgot about the core of the experience. With some weird design decisions, plenty of bugs, and more crashes than a destruction derby; the future of Battlefield, this is not. It’s still fun, but we hoped for so much more.

A messy remaster of three genre-defining open worlds, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition fails in giving GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas the treatment they deserve, but beneath the slightly shabby veneer, those same great games remain.

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.

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.

That’s the thing about Forza Horizon 5 - it’s like a Forza Horizon greatest hits album. The handling and fundamental mechanics remain unrivalled; the cars are still absolutely stunning; and as for Mexico as an environment… well, it’s honestly a bit mind-blowing – especially on new-gen consoles (although it works perfectly on the lower-end Xbox One S console, too). Ultimately, it’s hard to fault Forza Horizon 5 at all. Sure, it may not be brimming with exciting innovations, but it’s packed to the rafters with the entire franchise's most memorable, compelling content, informed by everything that Playground Games has learned over the last nine years. Forza Horizon is most definitely a jewel in Xbox's crown, and Forza Horizon 5 is quite possibly the shiniest of them all.

Featuring characters it's difficult to give a shit about, as well as an entirely throwaway narrative that you'll immediately forget as soon as the credits roll, Bloodshore is mildly entertaining, but only in a “look at how bad this is” way. Don't waste your time.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a fun enough way to pass a few hours, and is a lot more enjoyable when you get a few friends involved. But as a cinematic story, it's far too forgettable, with writing that's never better than 'fine' with performances to match.

A definite improvement over Steep, thanks to the Mass Races and the new bike discipline, but Ubisoft Annecy has still got a lot of work to do if it wants to break into upper echelons of gaming. It should look to Playground Games and how they craft an elite open-world sports game if they want to reach that next-level, then maybe they too could be mentioned in the same breath as SSX Tricky. Fingers crossed, the potential is definitely there!

While it has one or two irksome flaws, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is, nonetheless, a fine solo experience, with characters that you'll enjoy spending time with, fast-paced combat, and an engaging original story.

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.

Starting to feel like a case of diminishing returns, Far Cry 6 retreads the same formula that's stood the series in good stead for a while, but it's a formula that's starting to wear a bit thin. Still, there's some fun to be had here, despite there being little that's new or innovative.

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!

FIFA 22 offers a slower, more deliberate game of football on the pitch, and that's a good thing. But with minimal investment in new modes or updates to existing ones, this is a good upgrade, rather than an essential one.

Expertly aping past glories, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a definitive compendium of remastered classics, stuffed to the gills with bonus modes, extra characters, and party games. It is, without question, the most fun you can have rolling a monkey in a ball around a maze - that is an empirical fact. You’d be bananas not to buy it.

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?

A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing voyage of soul-searching self-discovery, Sable is also a rewarding jaunt across an otherworldly desert that involves climbing, hoverbiking, and gliding. And rather good it is, too.

As solid as it’s ever been on the court, NBA 2K22 is still an astonishingly good sports game, but its continued reliance on cynical microtransactions in MyCareer and MyTeam leave a sour taste.

If you need additional proof that developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a master of its craft, then look no further. Though slightly flawed in places, Lost Judgment is, nonetheless, yet another deeply compelling detective story, brimming with murder, mystery, intrigue, and more twists than a bag of pretzels.

Life Is Strange: True Colors is a return to form for the franchise, which delivers a captivating story from start to finish, one that will see you go through all the emotions. Just like Alex Chen herself.

Buried beneath Lake's innumerable mundane tasks are some really cool characters and stories. It’s just a shame you have to dig deep to really reach them.

A fine remaster of a good 3D Sonic game, Sonic Colours: Ultimate delivers speedy thrills aplenty, with its rainbow of Wisps injecting a smart twist to platforming. With more than enough replay value to keep you coming back, Sonic Colours: Ultimate will last far beyond its initial 4-5 hour runtime and slake your thirst for speed.

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.