With several wonderfully constructed set-pieces and backdrops thrown in at regular intervals, picking up Streets of Rage 4 is something that we will do at some point again in the future. Thanks to its excellent feel, wide range of characters, and excellent soundtrack. With the return of the original composers in addition to new artists, the music here shifts between modern renditions of classic tunes to experimental techno and even some bass music. Not everything feels as timeless as the original soundtrack and the modern flourishes can feel out of step with the decidedly simple design. Not in the sense that modern electronic music is not as inventive or energetic or suitable for a beat-em up – but in the sense that perhaps Streets of Rage 4 doesn’t quite do enough to warrant the fresh coat of paint. And fresh set of beats.

It’s not that it plays like a game from a different time, the overall design and flow is both time-worn and engaging -- it’s just that in certain areas it begins to feel a little disconnected. Secrets and treasure mostly come in the form of cute little hats for your Rot and the blue-crystal currency to buy more hats. So, the incentive to explore isn’t really there from a thematic or discovery context. We wish there was more finding spirits and restoring the village stuff as opposed to chests bursting open with a currency you never feel like you actually need.

A train of thought born from the fact that Asemblance isn’t an experience built on scares or thrilling moments. It’s more interested in posing mostly subtle and open-ended questions about the nature of memory, mood, and what is real.

In the end it’s interesting because even though there’s thematic weight and meaning behind all of the open-world elements, they never really come together in a way that feels in-line with the smooth hand movements of Akito and KK performing a charged up elemental attack. Disappointing combat, lacklustre progression, and way too many collectibles-to-find aside, the Tokyo you get to explore serves as an impressive and memorable backdrop for a supernatural tale. With some great cinematic storytelling across the main narrative and the many side-missions you discover, Ghostwire: Tokyo becomes more than the sum of its parts.

At some point you get the feeling Playdead maybe didn’t know how to solve their own mystery and the game wraps up in a messy, unusual and unsatisfying way.

It's easy to praise American Nightmare for what it is, but it's also hard to ignore what it's not: the proper Alan Wake sequel we're clamouring for. It's a game constrained by form, obviously meant as a stopgap in which Remedy can test out a few new ideas without having to craft an entire new game around them.

But story is what you pay for, and ‘Realm of Shadows’ will certainly leave you in a position of wanting to see more. The episode ends in a position far more confident than where it begins, and with equal focus placed on both Bruce Wayne and Batman, we’re probably in for quite a ride.

Combing two previously uncombined genres results in a challenging, strategic and addictive experience, which makes up for any storytelling shortcomings.

Rage 2 is a good time if you can look past its issues. On one side of the neon-pink fence, the game’s story is frustratingly generic amidst a world of potential. On the other side, the action, gunplay, and variety of things to do is great. Chaining special abilities together to take down mutants inhabiting the wasteland is immensely satisfying, especially when it involves hurling them into spinning blades on ‘Live TV’. In the end Rage 2 is fun for what it is, and certainly hits the right high-octane note when the action gets going. It’s just a shame it can’t carry that momentum through to the other cogs in the machine.

Even though Rise of the Triad is a buggy experience that’s slowly getting fixed with each subsequent patch, it still stands as one of the best examples of a classic title being given a facelift for the modern age.

In the end, with more varied activities that went beyond the usual by-the-numbers story missions, say, a more emergent city full of events to match the unpredictability of who you control - then Watch Dogs: Legion could have been an experience on par with its impressive technology. As it stands it’s a fight and a cause worth joining, but like its cast your reasons might only extend to the escape from the monotony of a normal everyday existence.

No doubt it would have been interesting to see some alternate take or variations in this remaster, perhaps in a secondary ‘modern mode’ with streamlined controls, updated AI, and less tech-tree clutter. But as a reasonably priced remaster that doesn’t mess with the original apart from implementing some minor improvements and all the bug fixes and content that came with later expansions it’s hard to fault Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. A fun, engaging trip down RTS memory-lane.

The Red Strings Club offers up a great cyberpunk narrative. One where the mechanics-driven activities like mixing drinks and building genetic augmentations only serve to add doubt and flesh out a memorable cast of characters. Coupled with a great soundtrack that doesn’t lean on any one style, wonderful locations, and a few surprising twists, it offers an impressive future-tale. One that isn’t afraid to delve into the idea of friendship, humanity, and what technological breakthroughs can bring us as a species.

It was easy to be drawn into A Total War Saga: TROY. Through its blend of myth, legend, and history. And in striking that balance between the Warhammer entries and Three Kingdoms, Creative Assembly has presented its own Trojan Horse -- another visually impressive addition filled with Total War goodness.

A game that plays and looks great, it ticks all the boxes that a MotorStorm game should, but unfortunately the storyline featured in the Festival mode is really weak. However, the most important area of the game – racing - is wild, chaotic and most importantly fun to play.

This lovely little spin-off is going to alienate very few people. A cheap as chips production that pares 25-years of a bloated XCOM back to a purer and leaner form. Like Rocky Balboa in, well, all of them. Granted the production values and polish is wanting, but the more intimate squad feel and new Breach mechanics became hopelessly addictive the more I played. And when it comes to XCOM, that’s enough for it to feel like a direct hit.

In the end The Eternal Castle is a fascinating experience and one that you won’t soon forget. If like us, taking one look at a screenshot makes you immediately wanted to play it – be sure to check it out.

Amid The Ruins is another quality Telltale episode, but it’s not the most memorable that they’ve ever done. It ends on a huge cliffhanger, as they all seem to now, but it’s not necessarily one that sets up an exciting final conflict.

Evolve deserves its time in consumer hands and is a game that should not be so easily forgotten, but it does need some work to regain momentum.

So, even though the first Mission Pack for Nova Covert Ops can be boiled down to two great missions and one average introduction, the future is bright for StarCraft II story-based content.

As with the main game, Brigmore Witches is designed to be replayed, and is most impressive for its ability to generate exciting little moments and stories that stick in the player’s head. This isn’t Dishonored at its best though, and ultimately feels a little constrained by its nature as a downloadable extra chapter. It’s certainly very enjoyable, but bring on Dishonored 2, I say.

Having hundreds of different weapon mods and customisation options are great if you’re a gun nut, but when everyone dies after a few hits it starts to lose its appeal. Instead it’s the stuff where strapping a vehicle or chopper with C4 and letting it glide into enemy territory before setting it off should have been encouraged more in the overall design. In the end, Ghost Recon Wildlands suffers because it plays things a little too safe and fails to make proper use of the gorgeous fictional world of Bolivia in a way that offers more than solid stealth shooting, fun co-op, and small bursts of player-created fun.

Given an empty block and the freedom to do what you please, Project Highrise doesn’t quite reach the heights of SimTower.

The swift and graphically violent gameplay makes you feel incredibly powerful, but maintains a consistent challenge. Despite taking itself a little too seriously than it needs to, this is a fun adventure worth experiencing. For the Emperor!

The episode sets up for a genuinely interesting looking finale, one with the potential to make up for some of the missteps the season has taken on the way there. The fourth episode is the most compelling, from a plot and character perspective, since the first, and there’s one fight scene midway through that manages to be genuinely exciting. It’s also rather short though, ending just before things really ramp up.

It's got a few clever ideas, unique mechanics, and the execution is mostly on point. Throw in some weapons grade VHS-era nostalgia with a decent array of spot-the-classic clones, and you've got a cartridge worth slotting into your Control Deck. With a few more dust dislodging blows though, we could have had a must-buy.

Garden Warfare may not be the most ambitious game ever made, but its one with a clear sense of personality and identity, which is more than you can say for a lot of other online shooters.

In the end the fact that most of the different disciplines are fun to play, outweigh the shortcomings. Which makes The Crew 2 a fun, scrappy, but not all that essential arcade racer. If it could somehow reign in the insanity and shortcomings, while providing a real reason to drive around and explore the impressive open-world U.S.A. - especially in co-op – then it could become something special.