Outside of some cheap boss battle tactics that arbitrarily crank the difficulty up, Huntdown is an excellent retro styled action game. The combat is fun, brutal and often funny, the visuals and audio are top notch and each stage is just short enough to keep us feeling like we’re moving along nicely.

Tales of Arise is a JRPG that ticks a lot of boxes of what I expect and what I want such a game to be. It has a great story, great characters, wonderful designed areas that are vibrant and a combat system you can tailor to your preference. It proves not every RPG needs to be open world and if you do all the other elements very well then it makes for a great experience.

Insane Robots is an excellent card battler that doesn’t demand too much from the player. Perhaps its greatest achievement, however, is how it manages to blend together so many simple and fun ideas to produce a compelling and diverse experience. With its abundant loading screens to the side, Insane Robots provides a vibrant and energetic journey that never loses its focus or charm.

Overall though I had a fantastic time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The action is fast and fun, and highly replayable thanks to several character options and upgrades. It might be a little repetitive solo but get some mates together and this is sure to provide a lot of laughs.

Dispatch is a refreshing piece of gaming. Bringing back the Telltale-style choose your own adventure is great, but doing so with such brilliant style, technical proficiency and excellent script and performances has won me over entirely. Engaging from start to finish, Dispatch is easily one of my favourite games of the year, and a new standard in the genre.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is everything I thought this game was going to be and I enjoyed the ride immensely. It’s possible purists may not like the tone of the game too much but as a fan I can always get behind Majima being the main protagonist. His attitude and antics from previous games suit the farfetched nature here and you don’t even need to have played any of the previous game to dive in and enjoy this title.

343i are trading heavily on Halo nostalgia with Infinite, and for the first time since taking over the series they have delivered a game that can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the Bungie originals. The combat is excellent, it looks stunning, the hits of nostalgia at points are perfectly placed, and outside of the lack of co-op for now, this is exactly what I’d expect from a new Halo game.

The distinct art style and visual palette is as dominant today as it was eleven years ago, and it’s aged incredibly well as a result.

Despite some slow combat and a few confusing plot points, Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark offers a wonderful, intriguing, and wholly immersive turn-based RPG. The game’s depth in regards to its class management and its party building is second to none, but its ability to remain almost grind-free in the face of this vastness is what truly shines through. Here, it’s all about choice and strategy, qualities that many of its peers seem painfully unfamiliar with.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s nice to be surprised by a game. Narrative heavy games aren’t typically my style, but this one is humorous enough and the core gameplay mechanic of accepting and denying people entry to the kingdom kept me coming back for more. The concept was simple but the extra mechanic twists were welcomed. If it just had some shorter load times (I don’t know why they were so long!) I wouldn’t have much of anything negative to say. I think fans of the old school Lucasarts point and clicks would really dig Lil’ Guardsman.

Civilisation VI is very much a marmite kind of game – you’ll either love it or hate it. While I am indeed a fan (of marmite and Civ), I did feel slightly let down by the laggy performance and seemingly slower pace than I remember. The wonderful aesthetics manage to make up for this to a degree though, and if you’re after something to sink some real time into the Civ VI will absolutely be your cup of tea.

Much in the same way as the previous two Two Point entries, Two Point Museum is a delightful and cheeky, yet deliciously approachable management sim that’s top of the class when it comes to comedy, irreverence and accessibility. While Two Point Museum continues the series momentum rather the delving into something entirely unexpected, it still contains many subtle and not-so-subtle new features that improve the entire Two Point franchise. The variety of exhibits, the discoveries and treasures you can uncover from undertaking expeditions, as well as items, structures, personnel, and children, keep Two Point Museum plodding along as an entry that fascinates as memorably as attending a real museum. Although you’re continuously extinguishing the problems of running a successful gallery of grand exhibitions, you’re rewarded with unlimited progression, and you can move along at a pace that serves you more than ever before. Now that’s the third great Two Point experience in a row to savour. Undoubtedly, Two Point Museum is a Jurassic success.

With improved movement mechanics, new dog Luna’s abilities, and a lot of content to get to, Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is a better overall game than its predecessor. The optional levels are a bit easy, and Luna makes playing as Pablo feel a bit weak, but this is still an easy recommendation for anyone looking for some pure, fun platforming action.

The visuals and design may be on the wayside, but the amount of content that’s been crammed into a game that costs just £7.99 / $9.99 is outstanding.

The Forgotten City features a compelling story taking place in a mystifying city. The writing is more than clever and has you experiencing both horror and mirth. The deduction aspect of the game might not be breaking any new ground but the experience is enjoyable and worthwhile as a whole. If you’re unsure of this one then maybe wait to make sure the patch is fully implemented. I would also avoid any playthrough videos as they could easily spoil the story, and that is the most satisfying part of the game.

Tinykin has utterly caught me off guard in all the best ways. It’s a joy to play from start to finish, with simple yet fun mechanics letting us explore this giant house and find something new and exciting in every nook and cranny. A lack of real challenge lets it down a fraction, but that’s a small gripe in what is otherwise an excellent experience.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is an outstanding game, and for fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. The excellent and highly detailed visuals sit perfectly with the diverse combo-heavy gameplay mechanics, with cleverly implemented nods to the show throughout. There’s more than enough content to keep you going for hours on end, along with a new story that’s every bit as captivating as it is exciting. This game effortlessly relays the iconic personality from the popular anime and dishes up an experience that’s energetic, faithful, and thoroughly entertaining.

If you loved the original Destiny, you need to play Forsaken. If you loved Destiny 2 at launch but fell off (as I did) because of the disappointing endgame and dumbing down of the core mechanics, then you need to play Forsaken. The only thing more surprising than the turnaround Bungie have achieved is that they have done it twice now – lets hope they don’t need to do it a third time.

It’s a vast and fascinating open world asking to be explored, populated by deadly animals who owe their existence to tasty encounters. The fighting is exciting, and the vocations are all excellent options, regardless of how you play. While there will undoubtedly be some learning curves as you gain accustomed to its brutal environment, the heady feeling that Dragon’s Dogma II provides is well worth the effort.

All of this amounts to the exact type of praise we hoped we’d be left with; this is Xbox’s definitive game this year, and a perfect love letter to the original films. It captures what made them great in the witty tone, sense of adventure, and captivating mystery and expands it into a full on 30 hour videogame packed with fun and meaningful things to do in addition to the story. Some smarter enemies and a bit more of an expansion to the freedom to solve certain areas our own way would have been welcome, but other than a few minor quibbles Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is a brilliant adventure from start to finish.

Mortal Kombat 11 delivers on what you would expect from the acclaimed long running series of iconic blood-soaked fisticuffs. The end result, despite a painful grind, offers a solid experience that looks great, feels amazing, and succeeds in keeping the franchise alive and revitalized, yet again. If you’re looking for one of the gen’s next best fighters, get over here!

The Gap is a stunning looking, well written, and engaging puzzle game, one that will have its hooks in within minutes and not let go. It can be a bit obtuse with the goals we’re looking to achieve (especially if your play sessions are spread out or get interrupted) but if you can keep in the zone, The Gap will reward you with a fantastic gaming experience.

Bang-On Balls: Chronicles is a fun, hectic, and chaotic action title that is fun enough solo, but far more so when paired up in co-op. A few technical issues aside, this would be an easy recommend as something for a couple of nights of fun.

Cairn is thoughtful in its mechanical exploration of being a climber and it also delivers a story that pushes back on the mythology of the sport and the people that reach the highest levels. This is an essential game.

Although not quite as refined as one would have hoped, Dark Souls Remastered takes the critically acclaimed 2011 game and brings it back for a sharper, more fluid experience. Bugs and annoyances occur infrequently, but in the face of its stable framerate, its improved lighting and effects and its inclusion of Artorias of the Abyss, this is easy to overlook. Simply put, this is the best version of the game to date.

It’s gross, heartfelt, morbid, mind-fucking, and touching all at once, and how much you get out of it will depend on your penchant for the bizarre. Now I need to go lie down and think happy thoughts.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is exactly what I wanted from a Dragon Age game. I just wish I didn’t have to wait 10 years for it. It ticks all the boxes for me in that it has a great story to tell, there are tough decisions to make, the voice acting is great and the gameplay is enjoyable. My only gripe was that my rogue playthrough involved a lot of evading but that was my choice and it only makes me want to play it through again as a different class.

Stick to the main path though, and The Talos Principle 2 is about as rewarding a puzzle game I’ve ever played. It’s smart and challenging while not being overly obtuse and difficult and the depth to the story and writing is a nice surprise. Trimming some of the bloat down a tad wouldn’t be a bad thing, but as it is, this is yet the latest hit in a stellar year for game releases.