If you’re looking for a certain thrill to accompany random acts of mass slaughter, you’ll find it in plenty of other games on the market today. Controversy can only carry a game so far, before it trips itself up.

There's no competition in the genre on the Xbox One right now, so if you absolutely must shoot marbles then you probably can't go wrong with Sparkle Unleashed. However it feels, looks and plays like a mobile port - which is okay, because that's exactly what it is.

Fossil Fighters Frontier is a game that is aimed more towards children but it doesn’t justify the forgettable story, monotonous fossil excavation and uninvolved battle system. While the exploration is fun and it has some neat multiplayer ideas, Fossil Fighters Frontier doesn’t have much else going for it and there are far better games for your kids.

Splatoon is a vibrant, colourful and innovative competitive multiplayer shooter that's beautiful, addictive and undoubtedly fun - but a lack of maps and modes could hurts its lasting appeal.

An impeccable role-playing game, and one of the finest games ever created. Whether it's as large as tracking the Wild Hunt or as small as delivering a love letter, The Witcher 3 makes Geralt's actions count in the most incredible ways - creating a world begging to be explored for countless hours on end.

Not A Hero is an unforgiving and relentless dive into the world of politics, bullets and ballots. Silly, violent and nostalgic in all the right ways, it’s strangely weird and gleeful attempt at winning votes with swift deaths and top notch level design.

Episode 3 falters in some areas but it was never enough to hurt the overall experience. With heartfelt moments and an incredible climax, this game proves that it can stand tall amongst the giants in the genre. I felt a bit disheartened by the incredibly slow and slightly boring second episode, but this one proves that this game is still hella awesome, and yes, I just said hella.

Ride has some genuinely good moments going into the corner, but it fails to remember that it needs to hit the throttle in order to power on through ahead of the pack. Competent, but hardly excellent.

On the surface of it , Puzzle & Dragons Z and the Super Mario Bros. edition of the game are mindless match 3 puzzle games -but that casual, family-friendly aesthetic belies a pair of deep and complex strategy RPGs.

Difficulty spikes, lingering wait times and a weak story filled with flat characters prevents Code Name S.T.E.A.M. from realizing its potential. While still fun and rewarding at times, it just doesn't capture the imagination or hold my attention for long.

It's a small mobile game but the complexity of the gameplay and graphics definitely surprised me. A solid title that you just have to try.

It’s bland, isn’t as functional as it should be, and has been superseded by far better apps that you can use on your phone. Where it had some use 5 years ago when it was originally released on the DS, there’s really very little reason for Music On: Electric Guitar to exist anymore.

Grand Theft Auto V is at home on PC, with Rockstar pouring an incredible amount of effort and work into their long overdue PC port. There is simply no better way to experience the branching story in Los Santos - setting a new benchmark on what we can expect from the highest tier of visual fidelity in gaming.

While it’s a hard sale for those that have already played the game to death, even with all the changes, but if you’ve never played it before, it’s an easy recommendation. Pick this game up as it’s chocked full of content that is still well worth your money. It’s no Bloodborne though.

A joy to play for any fan of stealth and secret stabbing, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is nuanced and immersive in a gorgeous setting. If you loved Mark of the Ninja, you really shouldn't miss out on this one.

Gloriously gory, rich in kontent and featuring a robust selection of characters to choose from. Mortal Kombat X is back, and ready to duke it out as one of the finest fighting games of 2015.

With memorable, meaningful levels that cleverly utilise the game’s simple dynamic with aplomb, it’s wonderful, joyous stuff; cute, clever and charming. And unlike other Kirby games, it’s actually challenging.

A game with lots of great ideas that just aren’t implemented as well as you’d hope. Son of Nor is lacking in some areas, but still manages to invoke a few hours of fun nonetheless – if you can look past its rough edges.

If you've been waiting for an MMO on Xbox One, this is an easy recommendation. It's not particularly deep or intricate, but there's enough content to keep you busy for a long while. The frame rates are a significant problem, but probably won't deter anyone from playing the game.

Pillars of Eternity is a wondrous return to form, the latest and greatest from a recent move to revisit RPG classics. It's certainly the best RPG experience I’ve had for many years, and a massive part of that is how it approaches its story telling.

Some interesting new approaches to classes that are now familiar, the DLC brings some cool things to the table. While it can't fix the core issues with the game, it adds some fresh content for those who are still playing and looking for something new.

Some interesting ideas lie within Goodgame Empires. Running a kingdom, forming alliances, and conquering your enemies sounds like a recipe for success on paper. This however, is a recipe to bleed the pockets of anybody who plays – unless they have ridiculous patience.

It’s pure Borderlands, with more than enough content to keep you going for some time. It’s just a pity that the Handsome Collection didn’t receive the technical love that the franchise clearly deserved as it jumped onto newer platforms.

It was great to see just how my choices affected the game till now and I look forward to unearthing more secrets in this fascinating experience.

If you take the time to really get lost in the game, you’ll feel the pride and love that From Software has poured into it - and maybe at the end of it all, you’ll end up loving it too

It’s one of the best JRPGs in a generation, capable of inspiring wonder - and it fits in your hand. It may have been one of the Wii’s swansongs but it’s a great start for the New 3DS.

Devoid of any real personality, Battlefield: Hardline's single-player campaign is cheesier than an 80's pick-up line. It is however saved by a superb multiplayer that is both solid and entertaining.

A disappointing conclusion to an otherwise great game. There are some redeeming factors in episode 4 at least. Good gameplay and epic environments make up for the lacklustre story.

If you appreciated the streamlined vehicle approach introduced in Mario Party 9, and have yet to bored silly by mini-games you’ll probably enjoy the vast amount of content that on offer here. It’s hard, however, to shake the feeling that we’ve seen, and played this all too many times before.

Thanks to being an excellent PSP game, the glossed up version feels like a unique and enjoyable Final Fantasy experience. With deep storytelling and an interesting take on existing lore, fans of the franchise will want to play it. However, if you already gave it a whirl on PSP, it might not necessarily be worth the money to dish out for it again.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue is a great ending to the American saga of the franchise, and a great game in its own right. Ubisoft has also done a fine job with the PC port, making it an easy recommendation to any fan.

There’s nothing wrong with freemium games when they’re done right, but what Pokémon Shuffle does is reward players with very few benefits when cash is handed over, and that’s just a damn shame.

Fun, quick and light strategy game, Starships is a great introduction to strategic gameplay or for those who don't have time for a longer experience. On its own, it feels shallow and lacks extensive replay value. Not suited to PC, I think Starships will do best on mobile.

Ori and the Blind Forest doesn’t add anything new to the genre of gaming that it was inspired by, but few other games can match the polished gameplay and humbling difficulty of this charming little fella.

Beautifully Noir, White Night offers some excellent experiences mixed with punishing frustration. A dark and compelling survival horror, it is certainly worthwhile as long as you can overcome the anxiety and irritations.

The story may not be up to scratch, but the game remains fun and enjoyable.

It’s Far Cry 4 simplified into a four hour experience of looting, exploring, climbing and injecting exotic herbs into your bloodstream all over again, in one short and sweet DLC expansion.

Surprisingly deep enough, flashy and cathartic, Screamride is its own roller-coaster beast, even if it is uneven at times. But thrill-seeking fans will be in for a treat with a game that will have your buttocks firmly clenched with vertigo-inducing action.

Fast-paced and humorous with deep combat, this space romp should be required in every PS4 owner's library.

A minor improvement over the first episode. New enemies, new weapons, and a slightly longer duration – if Capcom can keep this up, Revelations 2 will definitely be a great game overall.

While it's great to have a climactic final battle with Sauron, the rest of the game feels like a watered down version of the original. Add to that some weak storytelling and lack of character development and it ends up feeling like an ill conceived DLC prequel.

A great start to what will hopefully result in a solid and memorable entry in the Resident Evil franchise. If the following episodes are as good as this one, I firmly believe it will be.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the best game in the series by far, sporting some welcomed additions and improvements. Ultimately though, whatever complaints there are are minor, as this is probably one of the deepest games you’ll find on the system and one that will have you playing for hundreds of hours.

Dragon Ball Z is off to a solid start this generation, with XenoVerse. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but fans are going to find plenty to love with the latest chapter in this long-running saga that tells the same story but with a different spin.

Don Bradman 14 on the new generation consoles is a solid upgrade without changing anything that makes the game a great cricketing title.

Majora’s Mask is a testament to the idea that fantastic game design never ages. It’s engrossing while pushy, unique while also familiar and filled with contrasting charm and dread. If you have a 3DS it’s a must-have – and a good reason to pick one up in the first place.

The huge amount of work that went into modernising and reinterpreting the many visuals, from the ships to the wonderfully abstract nebulous backdrops feel like a massive love letter to both the original game, and to the fans who love it.

Total War: Attila is a complex and diverse strategy game that will offer returning Total War fans their fair share of ups and downs.

Great visuals alone do not a great game make - and there's unfortunately very little in The Order: 1886 to elevate it beyond being a pretty, but shallow and insipid shooter. It commits the one sin no interactive entertainment should: it's painfully boring.

An amazingly addictive and satisfying game with tons of replay value and is well worth every penny.

Neither heavenly nor hellish, Saints Row: Gat Out Of Hell is an average standalone that is firmly stuck in Limbo.

Ironfall: Invasion attempts to plug the rather vacant hole in the 3DS' shooter lineup and with its technically impressive, smooth 60fps, Gears of War-inspired gameplay it very nearly does that. Unfortunately, its campaign is hollow, cliched and ultimately boring.

For long time fans of Super Stardust, this is probably a disappointment. There's not much that's new, save for a new mode or two. If you've never played the game before though, this is as complete a package as you'll get.

While it shows moments of brilliance when played with the right group, Evolve simply can't consistently promise that level of experience. Play with good friends or play as the monster - but anything else will leave you feeling irritated and unsatisfied.

Life is Strange’s debut episode starts off strong, showing just enough of what it has to offer while cementing its characters and story firmly in its world. Though the journey only lasted 2-3 hours, it did enough during that time to make me excited for the episodes to come and it left me guessing what the consequences of my actions will be.

Fantastic movement mechanics complement the brutal combat beautifully, and the game on a mechanical level is incredibly engrossing and fun to play. Sadly, there's little else above that to sell.

Whether you’re a long-time fan wanting to revel in the nostalgia, or somebody who missed it the first time round – pick up Grim Fandango and delight in this prime example of adventure games at their peak. Its got a lot of heart – and it deserves yours.

Beneath the frustrating design decisions and pacing issues, there’s a solid game to be played in Citizens Of Earth. It’s a game that wears its Earthbound influence proudly, dipping into a well of nostalgia.

Suffice to say, there’s plenty to do here. It’s a pricy expansion, but it’s well worth it if you’re a fan of not only the game, but the great outdoors as well.

Unless you’re the sort who loves doing the same thing over and over again within artificial confines, there’s very little redeeming about this DLC.

Boring on your own and offering nothing particularly memorable for gameplay, but if you're looking for a fun game for couch co-op that can be completed in an afternoon, this is an easy purchase.

It isn't a game, it isn't really fun but is it art? It's more an interactive commentary on society's fascination with beautiful people. Lindsay get's 5.6/10 because she is at least better than Kim Kardashian... right?

Toys for Bob have knocked this one out of the park and have returned with what is possibly the very best version of Skylanders available.

A title like The Crew has to be more than a glorified "Google Earth" simulator or a VOIP chat client - especially if it's advertised as a "revolutionary action car and driving game".

One of the simplest, and most fun mobile games of the year.

WWE 2K15 is a slick product but on closer examination it hides numerous problems and flaws. It’s the game of tomorrow with the problems of yesteryear, a transitional game between platforms that feels like very little care has gone into crafting the ultimate simulation in sports entertainment. And that’s the bottom line.

Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U is a no-brainer. If you own the console, there really is no reason for not owning the title already. There is enough content, fun, and joy to keep players busy for perpetuity.

Pocket RPG does everything the name implies. It’s addictive and simple role-playing action right in your pocket. The price of admission seems a little steep though, especially for a title that only lasts a couple of hours.

My dissatisfaction and yearning for more is only testament to its potential for greatness. The visuals are stunning and the soundtrack and ambience is completely and utterly mesmerising. This game is really good and I just wanted more: more puzzles, more of the world and more of that amazing music. It’s such a shame really, that this game's biggest drawback is that it’s so good.

Make no mistake about Paper Monsters Recut. This game will not push your platforming skills to the limit, it is a simple platformer that is aimed at a much younger audience, but if you give in to your casual side and give it a go, you might just end up enjoying it.

Far more than a simple remake, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire returns players to the past, with all the new bells and whistles intact in this latest installment.

Far more than a simple remake, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire returns players to the past, with all the new bells and whistles intact in this latest installment.

New modes, new ideas and a sleeker multiplayer side that makes GTA V one of the games out there that is worth replaying. Welcome back to Los Santos, the city of opportunity.

While the game is fun and quirky, it's far better suited to its original home on handhelds. On the PS4, it simply doesn't hold up as a fully fledged game. However, for that price, it certainly is worthwhile if you're looking for something fun to play while waiting for all your other PS4 games' patches and updates.

The reality of war, hammered home through stark visuals and tight resource management, in a game where just surviving another day is winning.

Assuming Ubisoft can fix the numerous bugs, Assassin’s Creed Unity might become a much better, more entertaining game. Unfortunately, some issues are part of the core experience, including a lackluster storyline and an ending that feels like a let down. When it works, Unity shows glimmers of pure brilliance.

In a few ways, Inquisition feels like a soft reboot of the Dragon Age series. Combat is different, Thedas has changed and the story has never been more about you as a character.

A whimsical and charming adventure, LittleBigPlanet 3 makes a few welcome changes to the core game; namely new characters and new powerups four our old knitted chum, Sackboy. With an even more robust set of creation tools, it's a game of limitless possibilities.

Far Cry 4 takes everything that made its predecessor one of 2012's best games and improves upon it. A true sandbox, most of its fun comes from the stories you create as opposed to its lacklustre narrative. If you loved Far Cry 3, you'll love what its sequel has to offer.

It lacks both length and depth, but most importantly, it lack the charm of The Muppets. A younger audience may find extended joy in the title. Others, especially fans, will be sorely disappointed.

Combining fantastic story telling, intriguing characters and tons to do, Rogue takes Assassin's Creed to the pinnacle of old generation capabilities. Niggling issues are still present, but the story and characters make the experience seriously worthwhile.

Pinball FX2’s take on the popular South Park brand is a smorgasbord of fan service. Neither table is an essential buy if you’re a pinball wizard, but they’re competent enough to at least give you a decent chuckle for your buck.

While its plot is intriguing, the characters themselves don’t do much to elevate it beyond being just a good story. I enjoyed my time with the game, and I’ll continue fighting for my Panopticon in the months to come.

With clever puzzles and a dash of modern sensibilities inspired by the BBC show, Crimes and Punishments is an easy recommendation to armchair detectives - and the first to let players really experience being Sherlock Holmes.

A neat racing title with awesome air time and addictive cornering. It just feels like something is lacking though - like a little added polish really would have improved on the mobile game. It remains a really good mobile game, though it's a little less successful on the larger consoles.

Lords of the Fallen provides players with a solid experience and fun combat system, but it never provides enough reason to care about anything else.It's a shame as the game does have a lot of potential. With a little more polish and tweaks done to the story and balance, Lords of the Fallen could be a great title. Right now though, it isn't.

Massive, complete and nostalgic, Halo: The Master Chief Collection isn’t just a greatest hits collection. It’s a legacy that paves the way for what’s still to come.

Fun for belting out a few tunes at a party, Singstar Ultimate Party simply doesn't offer the variety to give it any form of longevity. Add to that some serious mic pickup issues, and the game quickly loses any party charm.

Harkening back to a bygone era, Flying Wild Hog’s nostalgic re-imagining of Shadow Warrior is filled to the brim with bad words, b-grade jokes, buckets of blood, bullets and blades. And sometimes, that’s all a gamer needs.

Online issues and forced connectivity for single player modes keep NBA2K15 from being the year's best sports game. Impressive visuals and rock-solid core mechanics however, make it a necessary addition to any NBA fan's library.

It's fresh enough to the point that it's alien, yet it's still Call of Duty underneath that futuristic surface.

While Sleeping Dogs is still an excellent game, the Definitive Edition simply doesn't bring enough to the table to make it fit in with other games on the new consoles. Without adding more than some aesthetic polish, it simply doesn't feel worthwhile unless you missed out on the game in the last generation.

A Borderlands game that feels revitalised thanks to the new gameplay mechanics, enemies, humour and weapons. It plays out like a massive expansion pack, one filled to the brim with more secrets, ideas and a familiar gear-grind for better loot. And more Borderlands is actually a fun idea after all.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is a decent platformer. It ticks all the relevant boxes when it comes to platforming, it just lacks the imagination and depth which make other titles in the genre really stand out. It’s meant for a much younger audience, and thus, will be received much better by kids than adults.

When the game works, it is fantastic. Unfortunately, the rest of it feels average and frustratingly built to make players fail. While obsessive collectors might see replay value in New Game+, the story and gameplay simply aren't compelling enough to warrant more than the original 20 hours for completion.

Sunset Overdrive’s stylistic gameplay and juvenile attitude doesn’t make it a title for everyone. It is, however, an incredibly fun, visually beautiful open-world title that exhibits the best parts of what a sandbox game should be. Tight, stylish movement, engrossing combat and chaotic online fun makes Sunset Overdrive a no brainer for any Xbox One owner.

A solid title that will make fans of the Civilization franchise extremely happy, and might even attract some new players - if they can survive the initial challenge.

There is nothing wrong with FIFA 15 and it plays great, but so did FIFA 14 and for the first time in a long time I cannot find a reason to upgrade. If you have FIFA 14 then just stick with it, you’re not missing out on anything.