For a franchise that was knocking on death’s door a mere decade ago, fighting games have certainly come a long way in the last couple of years. 2018 may go down in history as one of the finest year’s for the genre, as the pickings may have been slim but the games on offer were benchmarks in two-fisted action. Here’s a look at the best that the genre had to offer, as well as 2018’s overall king of the ring.

For Far Cry: New Dawn, Ubisoft wants to change that formula up and give players deadlier opponents to deal with. Thanks to enhanced enemy AI, the post apocalypse might just more ruthless as creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant detailed how the game world and its inhabitants would react to your incursions into enemy territory.

On the edge of a Norwegian fjord, in the present day, The Doctor, Ryan, Graham and Yaz discover a boarded-up cottage and a girl named Hanne in need of their help. What has happened here?What monster lurks in the woods around the cottage – and beyond?

There’s gold in them there hills! Red Dead Online has begun, and if you’re anything like me, then your pockets are probably emptier than a six-shooter revolver after a game of high stakes poker goes terribly terribly wrong. Much like Grand Theft Auto Online, Red Dead Online wants you to earn your fistful of dollars, by engaging in various pursuits that’ll have you flush with cash and resources that can be spent on some trendy threads.

The Critical Hit gang could wax lyrical about their favourite games of 2018 for years to come, and we certainly will do so with our annual awards that are clearly more important that Geoff Keighley’s upcoming big budget show. Y’know, if you don’t mind an awards show that has the budget of used chewing gum, guest cancellations a’plenty and is being held in the stately location of my kitchen. Top that, Keighley. Today isn’t about our opinions however. We want to hear what you consider to be the best of the best.

Hitman 2 goes a step further with its design. Mission stories make for more intriguing opportunities, peppering any of its magnificent stages with mystery, narrative and deliciously ironic assassination. Here are ten such instances, where Hitman 2 absolutely shines as a MacGuyver box of murder.

For over twenty years, Pokemon has been a source of joy and adoration. If Pokemon Let’s Go is an indication of where the franchise is headed in the future, it’s easily going to enjoy another two decades of love from a whole new generation of fans.

Hitman 2 is out, it’s superb and your first Elusive Target currently available to kill is none other than Mr Bean. No, not Rowan Atkinson (Idea to self: Pitch a Johnny English murder to IO Interactive), but actor Sean Bean, who lends his voice and likeness to Mark Faba. In Many ways, Faba feels like a subtle dig at the entire Hitman franchise.