Not only is The Last of Us technically brilliant, it has little things that just drag you further into the world. They are by no means important to the progression of the story of the game but the make the character seem more human and less one dimensional.

All in all, if you’ve never played Guacamelee then this updated version is the one you should jump into, but fans of the original shouldn’t miss out on the Super Turbo Championship Edition either as it offers enough upgrades and content to stand apart and above what came before.

The improvements to the graphics (did I mention it looks gorgeous on the iPad?), sound and overall presentation of Chapter Two ensures that The Journey Down can still be regarded as a solid example of a good point and click adventure game.

Do yourselves a favour folks; spend three quid on this game and immerse yourself in it, or merely dip into it whenever you have five minutes, and make your merry way around the world. You’ll either thank me the introduction or hate me for getting you addicted.

Finding fault in small aspects of the DLC’s design is churlish considering the renewed appreciation for From Software’s work that this chapter has inspired. Crown of the Ivory King is Dark Souls in microcosm; a bite-sized but meaty slice of the series’ opaque lore, atmospheric locations and ludicrously difficult boss fights.

All in all with the great graphic novel level intros and the nice little story and wit the protagonist displays, Veocity 2X is an engaging experience. I was glued to it till I was at level thirty six, then I realised I should really write something before I get to the end and spoil it for everyone here.

I could go on all day about Cities: Skylines, much like I could go on all night playing it. It has restored my faith in the City Building Simulator genre. It’s everything that fans of the genre were hoping for and more.

It’s a melting pot of nostalgia, and the result is an amazingly well executed and polished title, which builds the mechanics of these other titles into something new.

While there are a limited number of genuinely memorable landmarks in the world of Mordor, the real points of interest is the captains being hunted.

Unless you’re a fan of the South Park universe, you’re probably not going to be able to dive into this game. For me, although it’s a ton of fun and bright and cheery – after a while the potty humour and same quips and jokes became somewhat wearisome.

Playing this for the first time gave me a similar feeling to playing the first Bioshock, where you were scared about what was around the next corner, but still intrigued to find out.

Oddworld New ‘n Tasty is the perfect example of what a remake should be; it keeps a fantastic game and just adds every conceivable thing to improve it. There are too many awesome little touches to mention.

If you’re on the look out for a slightly different JRPG experience, a challenge or an entry point to games like Etrian Odyssey and Shin Megami Tensei, then Persona Q is a great choice.

Minor criticisms aside, I think This War of Mine is the last great game of 2014. Representing a horrid subject in an honest way, its as effective a critique of war as any movie I’ve ever seen or book I’ve ever read.

Given that this game costs about the same as a can of juice and a chocolate bar, but will keep you entertained for way longer than either, I’d say your money was definitely better spent on Helix than on Mars.

So many puzzle platformers suffer from issues like length and boring puzzles but The Swapper delivers on all fronts and then also adds an intriguing story with questions about morality and humanity that are incredibly interesting.

Gaming gold. It may be short, I clocked my first play through in around 6 hours, but it’s a beautiful 6 hours.

If you’re looking for a PES game that vastly improves over the previous games, you’re in for serious disappointment.

FIFA 15 delivers what you would expect from it. Which is a massive plus point for EA Sports this year. In fact it’s the first EA game I’ve played this year that was actually feature complete at launch.

The presentation is also very sharp in Endless Legend, with nice in-game art and music combining with the well laid out menus to create the impression of a quality product. Unusually for a 4X game there’s a story running throughout the campaign, and the theme of a world on the brink of apocalypse is well handled and lends the whole experience a sense of urgency.

Despite what might seem like harsh critique, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a stunning achievement. It’s undoubtedly one of the best games I’ve played this year, and I cannot stop thinking about it.

Disgaea 4 is the best game I’ve ever hated.

The game is simple to get to grips with but complex enough that it can be challenging.

Overall the War Thunder tank battles are great even at this early stage.

I don’t want to sound too down on Sunless Sea. Sadly though, it’s one of those games that I respect and appreciate more than I enjoy and one that I find it easier to recommend than to actually play.

While the multiplayer will still be the main focus for many players of Advanced Warfare, the campaign gameplay is solid. Despite its short length (6ish hours). You may never play the campaign again, but you probably won’t forget it either.

Insomniac Games have just given a masterclass in taking a tried and tested game genre and making it feel fresh and fun.

It’s the strength of the storytelling that makes Danganronpa 2 a veritable tour-de-force, even with its somewhat quirky gameplay mechanics.

The graphics are just as great, the game plays the same way and it’s basically a new adventure with new puzzles to solve, so it is what you would expect from a sequel to a brilliant game.

It has an excellent premise – hacking, revenge and conspiracies – but it then proceeds to not do much with it. The story and gameplay starts to blend into the same generic formula we have seen in other open world action adventure games. This doesn’t mean Watch Dogs is a bad game; it is a decent well-made game that is also just (here comes that word again) generic.

Forget your One Million Years Dungeons, Charlemagne DLC really does add 100 years to the game, adding the total up to almost 700 years of historical gameplay.

Offering up new challenges and features keeps us entertained, and the unlimited supply of tracks via Track Central ensures that the game will never die. Trials Fusions downfall is that of the new FMX trials. It is an unnecessary addition to a game still provides the player with the same fun factor as its predecessors without it.

With a versatile cast of strange of wonderful characters that play well and quite differently, it’s a release that deserves a rightful place in any fighting game fans collection and a title I hope gets the attention it deserves.

Still not enough? OK, I have two words for you: War Elephants. WAR ELEPHANTS! Everything is better with War Elephants.

The revised skills trainer makes it a perfect entry level game for us on the other side of the pond who are interested in the NFL but need help in the concept and rules department of the game.

If you don’t like the Total War series in general, there might not be enough revolution here to change your mind. But if you’ve appreciated the series in the past, even in passing, Atilla deserves to be given a whirl. Learn the ins and outs, and you’ve got days worth of content right here.

The only real criticism I can think of for Dungeon of the Endless is that it’s difficult. But that’s like criticising FIFA for containing so much football. Difficulty, permanent death and a challenging learning curve are the bread and butter of the entire genre. And it’s a fun genre, if you’ve got the patience to try and try again.

This game is fun. It’s a great way to while away the commute to work, kill a few minutes waiting for tardy friends or lose yourself in after a long day at work.

It has all the makings of a solid game, yet is let down by some minor problems but I still feel that Lucid Games should be given a pat on the back for driving Geometry Wars into new territory.

The Creative Assembly have Frankensteined together a game from these elements: the crafting of RPG’s, the item paucity and unstoppable enemy from survival horror, the skulking and hiding from stealth games, the hacking and puzzles from adventure games. They’ve created something new, and while you can still see the joins from where the different systems have been grafted together, they have nonetheless created the best Alien game ever made. By some distance.

The graphical style is reminiscent of 90s cyberpunk game Speedball, the rules of the game are Bloodbowl-esque American football lite, but the turn-based strategy is as deep as a glacier, only with a ball and a clock to watch.

The art, UI and sound all match the minimalist style of the game perfectly, and with a potentially endless selection of user generated levels to play Socioball is a game that will never get old.

If you’ve got the patience to keep at it, Deadcore is an amazing new take on a tried and tested formula. The gameplay elements it combines run seamlessly into each other, with nearly flawless level design. It offers immense replayability for the Speed Runner crowd, and a challenging, rewarding experience for everybody who plays it.

A wonderful game. Very well designed and highly playable. The only thing letting it down (and this is probably merely a matter of taste) was the boss fights.

Overall GRID Autosport has taken a step backwards, but in a good way.

One word sums up this game, fun. It truly is a lovely game to play, with enough adventure and fun to keep kids happy.

République is a game made with clear direction and passion, and is largely competent in matters of gameplay. Remastered is a good upscale that adds clarity and control, but loses something of what made the original sparkle. To me, the iOS version holds a slight edge because the concept works better in that context.

This game has a lot more to it than most point-and-click style adventures and it really does give off an amazing atmosphere while you play it.

Size DOES Matter then takes a solid game idea (puzzles and music) and mixes some traditional rhythm actions elements in for good measure. The result is a rhythm puzzle game that will delight and frustrate in equal measure.

Not a game that you’d play at length every day, but certainly one you’d practice on until you are confident enough to challenge your friends.

A great puzzler with an added extra benefit – which I liked. If a particular level has you stuck then the games option to skip will be your saving grace. Which was a relief as a certain level was beginning to grind my gears.

The styling of the different ships is quite frankly amazing.

In short, Mighty Adventure is a great wee game from a newly formed team and I look forward to their next offering.

Now comes my favourite part of the game. Better than the combat. Better than the graphics style. Better even than the NPCs who fight by your side. It’s the soundtrack. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It takes me back to a time when a much younger version of myself was ineptly running through games like The Legend of Zelda and Mario Brothers.

Tower of Guns offers a fresh and exciting blast of satisfying thrills with each play-through, all delivered in easily digestible, rogue-like chunks. That this is essentially the work of just one guy, and that the price is right (currently £11.99 on Steam), makes Tower of Guns easy to recommend to PC gamers looking for something just a little bit different.

It really needs some rebalancing most of all, but the devs also need to give players more freedom.

Hyrule Warriors looks great, sounds great and plays great. While hack-and-slash games have never been my personal preference, I lost an entire weekend to Hyrule Warriors without even realising it.

The entire game experience is very slick and you can tell a good amount of thought into the pool experience has gone into development to make it as genuine as possible.

It’s certainly not going to be a game for everyone but it undoubtedly resonated with me.

Overall, this is probably the best game in the Tropico series, and one of the best city builders currently available.

PvE for me is the real fun in Star Conflict.

There’s a lot of cool and interesting things there, but it never moves beyond a tech demo. I can appreciate the work that has gone into it, especially on the audio side, but the experience on the whole felt a bit barren and empty.

In short bursts, or for younger gamers, Gravity Ghost is worth a look, but considering the style and polish applied to such a basic central concept, I’m far more excited to play Ivy Games next game rather than this one.

Dying Light is a game that looks good, plays well and feels great. A survival horror game should be able to reliably freak you out, and Dying Light achieves that and so much more.

All in all, it’s a visually good game, easy to pick up and worth a try not only for fans but also those who like adventure games.

Fenix Rage manages to scratch the itch for the super-challenging Super Meat Boy-like but it doesn’t scratch it for quite long enough.

The game took me a solid half a day to play through completely so it should probably take a normal, switched-on person half of that time to complete.

It makes for a great entry-level experience for those looking to break in on the ground floor of tower-defence but if you’ve already dabbled with the genre – or played Castlestorm on last-gen consoles – then there may not be enough here for you.

I have played 8 hours of this game. 8 amazing hours of beating my enemies to a pulp and gorging myself on their souls… 8 hours of pure unadulterated madness.

Overall I enjoyed the core battle system and upgrading of characters in BlackGuards 2, however the story was really mediocre and the characters just seemed pretty lifeless.

Despite its bugs and AI issues, Lifeline is a welcome addition to State of Decay. It builds on the canon already created and adds some very good features which would be amazing in the main game (hint hint). And whilst rather short, there is definite replayability to Lifeline as you never how things are going to turn out.

Taken as a fun Friday night of gaming, it’ll give you an excellent horror fix, leaving you shaken and strangely exhausted from the episodes of sustained suspense.

If you are an Ultimate Team die-hard then maybe 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil won’t be for you, but if you are a FIFA fan and excited about the upcoming World Cup then definitely give this one a try. The only thing there is to dislike about it is the new podcasters that you can have talking during the menus.

Space Run is a confident and well executed first outing from France’s Passtech Games, offering a quality experience occasionally comparable with the best in the genre.

The new routes provide a wide range of challenges and the new trains, particularly the ICE T, will please many train fans. Load times are long, so if you have a SSD install it on there.

There are jokes, puns, quips, slapstick, a cool Resogun section, puzzles, laughs, cheesy character flight tunes (Superman flying to his theme tune is amusing) and a ton of Adam West to keep a smile on your face for hours.

A strange curio that offers something different, and what it gets right should be applauded.

Although The Last Federation has a lot going for it, the fact that it forces you to make choices every three seconds in combat is its Achilles heel.

Despite its shortcomings in regards to controls and camera, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is worth every minute of frustration.

If you have the patience and will to beat a monster of a difficult game then you’re quite probably going to get your money’s worth here. It’s also impressively developed by just one man I believe. Terri Vellmann you can certainly be proud of your game but less worms in future please. I’m still having sleepless nights over them.

Never Alone attempts to portray the message that the connection between individuals and communities and how the ties that bind them together, can overcome the most seemingly impossible tasks. And whether you play by yourself or with a friend, the journey will be just as exciting and thrilling for the players as it is for Nuna.

The Last Tinker: City of Colors provides a great splash of nostalgia for gamers who grew up playing games like Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. There are plenty of puzzles in there to keep you on your toes, but the gameplay can be easy enough to let your kids loose on it.

The music throughout the game is used to great effect.

Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype is all about playing over and over to perfect your runs. A series of unlockable challenges task you with goals like “finish the first four stages without losing a life”. You’ll probably knock these challenges off the list without being aware of them, because replaying Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype is not a problem.

Episode 1 does exactly what it should, grabs you right from the get-go and leaves you desperate for more.

Ionball 2 is a really well polished and generally decent Breakout game, there’s enough interesting ideas and customisation in the active and passive upgrades to give you a few playthroughs and still have you enjoy it every time. If you’re interested in a little bit of brick breaking action you can’t go wrong here.

Switch Galaxy Ultra is a fun game to play in small bursts. When you are whizzing through the tracks at great speed it is exhilarating. However, it loses its focus when it adds gameplay barriers that detract from the quick paced nature of the game.

A really deep and powerfully hitting game. On the surface you have a rogue like puzzler, with simple pick and throw mechanics. But give it a few hours and you soon realise that it’s more than that; it explores the concept of loss, fear and self-preservation.

Were it not quite so repetitive I’d have liked this game a bit more and maybe scored it a bit higher.

So if you can set your cynicism aside and gather your three least inhibited friends (and maybe some of their kids or younger siblings), Just Dance 2015 can be one of the most fun games you’ll play this year.

Worms Battlegrounds is still an entertaining and fun game, to say the least.

For fans of this genre, Starpoint Gemini 2 could be a great game. It’s feature-rich and the gameplay is solid, but small extremely annoying glitches threatened to ruin my experience.

If you are a Sims veteran that hasn’t picked up Sims 4 straight away, do it. There is an improvement in a lot of areas to the game, mainly the build modes and the introduction of the moodlets, and it is only going to get better as they patch and add more content to the game.

EA have got their hands on UFC, and for their first release have promised to deliver a complete revamped engine; from the physics to damage modifiers, the fatigue system to the artificial intelligence. This game packs a serious wallop in terms of its features!

I really like Halfway. As a turn based strategy game with a great atmosphere that offers a steep but engaging challenge, it’s a good game. It’s still a bit limited, but I want to play it. Again. Right now. And that’s surely a good sign.

Glaring flaws aside, Flame Over just isn’t much fun. With just one enemy (poorly modeled fire), effectively one weapon and a whole bucket of poorly explained, poorly chosen gameplay ideas, Flame Over is a real disappointment. Game over.

With over sixty hours of campaign to play, and the variety of the missions, there’s plenty here to satisfy your turn based strategy needs.

A slick combat system and beautiful visuals help blend with an unobtrusive yet uplifting musical score to make this a wonderful little title.