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.

For some reason, I always have a preconceived notion that I won't enjoy this year's Call of Duty. How can a series that releases every single year without fail possibly maintain a consistent quality bar? There are detractors who'd say it doesn't, but let's be honest – it does. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is very good.

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

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is yet another impressive entry in Ubi's unstoppable franchise. The hidden blade is back and as lethal as it should be, combat remains a joy, and Eivor proves an immensely likeable lead in a glorious world of dizzying scope.

The Falconeer offers up an incredibly crafted world with a deep mythology that is begging to be explored further and gliding over the open sea on the back of a falcon is pure fantasy, but while the game’s dogfights can occasionally be thrilling, they can soon become a bit repetitive. Samey missions and a lack of options in combat ultimately mean that The Falconeer doesn’t quite nail the landing.

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.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is about the importance of friendship and striving to become a better person, which is a message we could all do with right now. It also happens to be a sensational new dawn for a series that's brave enough to shake up the formula and accomplished enough to pull it off with aplomb. To quote Ichi, “let's do some hero shit!”

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope provides an entertaining horror romp that is high on tension, but perhaps a little too low on actual scares. Regardless, its mix of good performances, excellent visuals and an intriguing mystery will keep you engrossed throughout, even if it falls a bit flat in the finale.

Ubisoft Toronto has done a fine job in bringing a broken, near-future London to grim life in Watch Dogs: Legion, and playing as anyone you like has a certain appeal, but ultimately, it doesn't quite work as well as one might have hoped.

From a design perspective, Cloudpunk is fabulous. Stunning soundtrack, a lovely little voxel-art world, but the game itself (and the bugs! So many bugs!) don’t really inspire like the world itself. In truth, it gets incredibly repetitive and rather boring the longer the games goes on, and the narrative isn’t strong enough to get its hooks into you.

Torchlight 3 is, by the very definition of the word, okay. It’s a perfectly serviceable ARPG that is just fine. It’s kind of fun, but gets repetitive rather quickly. And while Echtra's ARPG effort looks really pretty, it’s completely middle of the road stuff.

It looks inviting enough, and an accomplished platformer it may be, but Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is also bastard hard. For the most part, however, Toys For Bob's Crash outing is good, wholesome fun while it lasts.

FIFA 21 isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind, but it improves upon last year’s game in almost every area, with an enhanced Career Mode proving to be the highlight. Even if it doesn’t offer much that’s new, it’s the best football game we’ve had in years, and a fitting send off to a generation of FIFA games on Xbox One.

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.

A more than welcome return for a seminal crime classic, Mafia: Definitive Edition has all of the attributes you could possibly want from a great remake – fresh visuals, overhauled gameplay, and a reverence for its source material.

Unless you've missed a few iterations of NBA 2K, there are few – if any – reasons to delve into this year's offering. NBA 2K21 features the same old insidious microtransactions that have marred MyCareer for years, but provides very little that's genuinely new or fresh. Capping off the generation with a whimper, we remain hopeful that NBA 2K21 is a lot better on next-gen platforms, because this current-gen version is a lukewarm rehash.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is certainly starting to show its age, but the game still offers some great combat and a deep, high-fantasy world. If you’re looking for an expansive RPG to get stuck into, you could certainly do worse than Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, as long as you keep your expectations in check.

As far as immediate arcade thrills go, few games can compete with the level of gratification you're guaranteed to get from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. If you enjoyed the originals or fancy seeing what all the fuss is about, you're in for an absolute treat either way.

If Marvel's Avengers were an MCU movie, it'd be Age of Ultron. It's perfectly entertaining and well put together, with some great set-pieces, but it isn't necessarily one you're going to return to again and again.

We need more games like this, please. Funny, irreverent, varied, and utterly superb, Lair of the Clockwork God is definitely worth snapping up.

KT Racing has excelled itself with this one. WRC 9 is the French studio's best rallying effort to date, with a superb Career Mode, licensed cars and tracks out the wazoo, slick, responsive handling, and a surfeit of options.

While there are numerous better and more comprehensive racing games out there, Project CARS 3 is nonetheless a remarkably solid racer in its own right, with a slew of cool options, customisation features, cars, tracks, and more. If you're in the market for a spiffy new racing title, Project CARS 3 is certainly a solid choice.

After a rocky start, No Straight Roads settles into a rhythm, but its action is off-key, in spite of its edible looks and funky soundtrack. Regrettably, No Straight Roads is an action game that doesn't quite hit the high notes, with execution that falls some way short.

Wasteland 3 is as deep a CRPG as you’re ever likely to play, with meaningful choice and consequence in abundance, if you can get past the frequent crashes and array of irritating bugs.

Manifold Garden is a stunning puzzle game, one that will leave a lasting impact on you, not just for its thought-provoking puzzles, but by virtue of the fact that you're essentially playing an actual piece of art. It's bloody delightful!

While it's undeniably wonderful to have Battletoads back after such a lengthy hiatus, not everything in here hits the mark. When it does work, however, Battletoads will tickle your funny bone and maybe even conjure warm, fuzzy memories of the '90s originals. You should toadally play it.

Trimming away the fat to reveal a lean and mean sequel, EA Sports UFC 4 puts Career Mode in the spotlight, turns Knockout Mode into an arcade-style one-on one, and throws in backyard bouts for good measure. And while it's a gross oversight that Jean-Claude Van Damme and the soundtrack to Bloodsport are missing from KO Mode's Kumite, EA Sports UFC 4 is nonetheless a worthwhile new entry. We're just surprised there's no Fight Island.

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.