Little Hope is a fun way to burn a couple of hours by yourself and a fantastic way to spend a night with friends but is let down by a disappointing conclusion, some uninspired performances, and general pacing issues.

Bite the Bullet is a game of great ideas that are hamstrung by terrible controls, performance issues, and a flow of combat that’s at odds with the very gimmick that makes it stand out from the pack. All of that makes for an experience that bits off far more than it’s capable of chewing.

There’s no other game like Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, even if it does lose the plot when it celebrates the art of stories and the power that they possess.

Catalyst isn’t as good as it should be. It’s maddening, because there’s so much potential here for it to be a good game, but so many odd design decisions result in an experience that’s actually less than the sum of its parts.

Deadpool could have been a lighter take on superheroes in an age of gaming dominated by dark and gritty vigilantes, but it completely wastes that opportunity.

Saviours of Uldum offers up some interesting new mechanics and cards but rather than cleaning up the dirty patches prefers to make what was already clean shine even more.

Just Cause 4 may be a maniacal sandbox full of explosions and action, but it’s a world that feels dull, repetitive and hollow inside as it missed the mark on being the perfect vehicle for some much-needed Christmas Catharsis.

InnerSpace wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and manages to replicate the tranquil atmosphere it’s clearly aiming for. Its flight is enjoyable, with breath-taking views and colourful planets to poke around in. But it’s progression and overall narrative really buckle under the weight, making the crumbling Inverse a wasted space for this otherwise relaxing exploration title.

Vambrace is a successful evolution of the mechanics that made Darkest Dungeon such a hit, but despite its beautiful art style and interesting setting, the repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful achievements make the experience for more tiresome than challenging.

Alan Wake makes his official debut in Control in full force, delivering a very large helping of lore and storytelling that goes down great with the overall game experience. If only he had a brought a small side of new gameplay mechanics as well, because the formula remains pretty much the same.

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.

Star Wars Battlefront II is a gorgeous, incredibly fun shooter that builds on its roots with a host of new content, welcome gameplay tweaks and a fun single-player campaign. But all of its improvements are overshadowed by the Star Destroyer of crooked business decisions and terrible progression, making it a hard sell right now.

If you love choose-your-own-adventure games, Hidden Agenda is compelling enough to make for an evening’s entertainment, especially given its price – but it feels more a glimpse of what could be enabled by mobile-connected games in the future, than a showcase of them at the moment.

The historical strategy game’s enjoyable combat is let down by some frustrating bugs, and a tutorial that rushes through itself. In the end, Numantia really does feel like it needs one or two more rounds of good polish. Still, if you’re a fan of hex-based combat and you’re willing to push through all those issues, there’s a good game lying beneath.

The second episode of Minecraft Story mode isn't near as charming as the first. Thought it features some genuine character development, its poorer writing and direction leave it feeling flat.

It's a decent enough collection of minigames, though most of its value comes in the fact that it's bundled with a Wii Remote Plus. Still, casual as it is, it's a great way for groups of friends or family to play together.

There is a lot wrong in this last installment for FFXIII. Fans of the franchise will need to play it to enjoy all the nods to past characters, yet it is not worth playing for those who aren't already huge FF or JRPG fans.

Greedfall is an ambitious RPG with several unique mechanical hooks, character builds and combat encounters that unfortunately buckles under the weight of a bloated and tedious narrative that often turns everything into a repetitive chore.

Doki Doki Universe is enjoyable for the first hour. After that, it becomes unbearably repetitive.

There’s a terrific experience to be had in The Outer Worlds, but blurry visuals, subpar resolutions and haphazard functionality make it an adventure that’s done justice on any platform but the Nintendo Switch.

Agents of Mayhem is a fun game, but it’s also lacking in what we’ve come to expect from the makers of one of the funniest franchises since Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 3 stole our hearts nearly two decades ago.

A competent remaster that gives a decade-old game a suitable level of spit-and-polish, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign reveals a significant graphical overhaul but its corridor-shooter structure and worn animation give its age away. Nostalgic fans of the series might get a kick, but the barebones remaster isn’t a fantastic value proposition for anybody else.

Detective Pikachu, as a character, is really quite special - but the game itself is unfortunately just not very much fun to play.

It's the exact same game that you've been playing for years on end now, dressed up in the mighty Marvel manner of fan service that made the films such a big success.

Though there are some annoyances, Tetris Ultimate preserves the core gameplay that has kept people hooked for three decades. Unfortunately, it does very little to differentiate itself from the norm.

Mr Shifty makes an incredibly strong first impression with its unique teleporting twist on top-down brawling action. But it’s a game that overstays its welcome, with a dry well of ideas that struggle to evolve past their basic premise.

Lord of Magna has all the ingredients for a fun and different strategy RPG but its inconsistent pacing, predictable battles and lacklustre customization options hold it back from being anything more than a pretty average game.

Farpoint makes the act of shooting feel exhilarating and accurate with the new Aim Controller, but just about everything else in this first-person shooter fails to live up to the billing PlayStation VR desperately need. A trite, boring shooter wrapped up with some poor decision designs and frequent bugs that’s just incredibly disappointing.