F1 25 (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, £69.99)

Verdict: Still in pole position

Rating:

It's not EA FC, the game formally known as Fifa. It’s not the NBA series either. It’s not even my beloved Rocket League.

No, the best sports-simulation game is always Codemasters’ latest F1 release, and that’s been the case for some years now.

Why? It’s mostly in that word simulation. Here are perfect recreations of Formula 1 cars gliding around perfect recreations of Formula 1 tracks.

If you’re a disaster on four wheels, like me, you can make everything - every detail of the vehicle’s handling and performance - as forgiving as you want.

If you’re rather more talented, you can ramp up the difficulty until the experience is practically real.

There’s a reason why actual F1 drivers, such as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, play these games in their downtime. 

Now they - and we - have another one to play: F1 25. It is an improvement on F1 24, which basically makes it great by default. 

I mean, you even get to play as Brad Pitt! There’s an enjoyable challenge based on the upcoming F1 movie, with more to come after that movie’s release.

And, of course, after a year’s gap, there’s the very welcome return of Braking Point, the narrative mode that builds a soap opera around the racing. 

The continuing story of Aidan Jackson, Callie Mayer and all our other favourite fictional drivers is surprisingly affecting.

The only disappointment? As tends to happen with this sort of annual release, it can all feel more repetitive than revolutionary. It doesn’t help that many of this year’s improvements are micro-adjustments to car physics and track geography that only the pros will notice.

Still, iterating on the best sports-simulation game there is still leaves you with the best sports-simulation game there is.

Add in Brad Pitt too, and F1 25 takes the checkered flag.

The Siege And The Sandfox (PC, £11.99)

Verdict: Shines brightly, then goes out

Rating:

Let's take some familiar ingredients from the cupboard. First, the explorative, bouncy platforming from series such as Castlevania and Prince Of Persia. Then the stealthy mechanics of, say, the Thief and Commandos games. Add a dash of retro pixellated graphics. Now stir it all together, and...Poof! 

The result isn’t something entirely novel, but it is quite different and kind of tasty. It’s The Siege And The Sandfox, a platformer that has you sneaking through the shadows and avoiding any baddies you come across.

But who are you? The Sandfox himself, a hooded assassin who has been framed for the murder of his patron, the king, in an Arabian Nights-esque realm and cast down into the depths of the capital.

And who are the baddies? The city’s unforgiving guards and the wicked agents of an invading power, most of whom you have to bypass on your way back up to surface — where you plan to dispense some justice.

The setup and the setting of The Siege And The Sandfox are just two of the many things to admire about it.

Its graphics are simple but gorgeous; a tremendous mix of light and dark. And speaking of light and dark, you can extinguish any lamps you come across, so the Sandfox is less visible to his would-be captors - though they can still hear his footsteps if you’re not careful.

So it’s a shame that the game shows off almost everything it has to offer - from all the possibilities of its mechanics to its best little quests - in its opening couple of hours, leaving half a dozen hours that feel rather empty.

In fact, it’s much like its protagonist in that regard: now you see it... now you don’t.