A significant advancement on Pokémon Sword and Shield and while it's not hard to see how it could be improved further this is the most ambitious and entertaining Pokémon has been in a long while.
After decades of miserable failure, Sonic Team has finally made a good 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game, and it's one of the best open world platformers ever seen.
A more flawed experience than its predecessor, with a sense that the formula is already starting to wear thin, but the character-based storytelling with Kratos and his son is handled masterfully well.
One of the best action games of recent years and an irresistibly entertaining celebration of everything that is joyous and imaginative about video games.
Technically this is the best Splatoon ever, but the complete lack of anything approaching a new idea is profoundly disappointing.
A tragically outdated open world adventure that almost has more in common with Goat Simulator than Grand Theft Auto, despite some moderately entertaining mechanics.
A peculiar mix of cyberpunk dystopia and whimsical platformer that is just about held together by some excellent visuals and a very cute cat.
A work of unbridled ambition and imagination but also a pretentious, contrived, and frequently quite dull gameplay experience – Death Stranding is peak Hideo Kojima.
A wonderful single-player and co-op adventure that’s entirely self-contained and effortlessly charming from beginning to end.
One of the best movie adaptations of all time and an impressively original strategy game that manages to rival even the best action titles in terms of tension and adrenaline rush.
The best post-apocalyptic survival game of the generation, that innovates in terms of both its varied gameplay mechanics and its incisive storytelling.
Another promising game is ruined by the lure of procedural-generation, which is a particular shame given Sundered's gorgeous animation and interesting gameplay ideas.
Every bit as intelligent and daring as its predecessor, and if you’re prepared to be equally creative while playing it then Dishonored 2 offers almost endless rewards.
Some may dismiss it as just another pretentious walking sim, but this innovative Lynchian drama is one of the best story-based games of the year.
A co-op Metroid seemed like a bad idea from the start, but while Federation Force has its moments they’re overshadowed by sloppy implementation and bland design.
A stunning technical achievement and a mesmerisingly addictive one, even after you realise how simplistic and repetitive it really is.
A disappointing start to what should be a potential rich concept, with an overfamiliar storyline and bland presentation.
The best of the Fire Emblem Fates trilogy and one of the best portable strategy games ever made, with a perfect blend of the best elements of the first two chapters.
Full of imagination and great ideas, but Kirby seems destined to repeat the same mistakes forever – with zero challenge and aimless, unfocused game design.
A better game than the original, but it still suffers from many of the same problems – with desperately uninteresting storytelling and combat.