There are definitely better roguelikes and FPS’, but this combines them both well enough to provide an entertaining experience to dip in and out of.

Definitely a good game experiment which could have been on the level of a fantasy Papers Please, but in its own right it is great fun apart from the small amount of activities to do and the lack of replayability

The more lacklustre Yoshi’s Island games there are, the more Nintendo continue to suggest that the original was a glorious one-off, released when the company was approaching the very peak of its creativity.

Sucker Punch have managed to boil down the essence of the series whilst retaining the most enjoyable elements, all topped off with a level of polish and detail that, for now at least, helps justify this new generation of hardware.

Not without merit, Lords of Shadow 2 is one to pick up at a lower price in the upcoming summer draught.

Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD is an agreeable adventure that die-hard fans of the series are certain to enjoy.

All told, its peculiarities make for a fun and well-paced trip into cartoon weirdness with just enough of a Tim Schafer tint to pass the grade.

With the step to next generation consoles it will be interesting to see what Travellers Tales can do to keep the Lego games feeling fresh going forwards. As a near-perfect mix of brands, Lego Marvel Super Heroes works as well as you would imagine, it’s just a shame that the framework the game is built on is starting to show its age.

There remains nothing truly revolutionary about Killzone, its story and characters are still unfortunately bland, its fiction hints at greatness that has never quite emerged. Yet Shadow Fall emerges as the best in the series, approaching that ideal single player balance between the weighty, war-torn shooter of old and the more nimble and varied globe-trotting adventures found in Call of Duty, paired with the most refined, and in-depth multiplayer the series has featured yet.

While not devoid of charm and a solid visual showcase for the PlayStation 4, Knack is best described as a PSOne title in shiny modern clothing.

This decision further cements the idea – given that the 1980s series has been localised in English in the past – that this is a very niche game, for an audience expected to have some attachment with the series, and that it is a very barebones package with all extraneous content cut for more characters and levels. As a result, it is difficult to recommend to audiences outside of fans of the series; nostalgia, or familiarity, will likely forgive many of the shortcomings.

Pirate fans will merrily pick this up and discover a solid purchase, but the rest might want to hold out in hopes of something different from next year’s iteration.

But for all that it still stands head and shoulders above a lot of the equivalent open world action games out there, and for those happy to go back to the well one more time in this generation, there will be lots to enjoy here. For everyone else Arkham Origins is exactly the game you thought it would be, for better and for worse.

You’ll march through a campaign with an imagination as wide as its corridors, but be enthralled by a lavish if largely familiar multiplayer suite.

It is, however, hard to open-handedly recommend it to everyone: One Piece fans will find far more to like in it than non-fans, and the stylisation can be a divisive visual look.

The game is short, as I said before the page break; you’re able to race through events in a matter of minutes, which is why this is better played with multiple players to make awful choices together. Ten dollars feels like a lot for a short, independent game, but the amount of different options and the varied repercussions for single actions make it feel like better value than the great but ultimately linear Dear Esther or 30 Flights of Loving.

Full of potential and desperate to push away from its own mediocrity, Lost Planet 3 could have burst onto home consoles in a fountain of glowing orange. As it stands and regardless of what might have been, there’s not enough reason for a jaunt in the frozen wastes.

Were its opening acts more strongly defined, and the characters presented initially as less one-note, then it would be a far better game.

It is bound to have its critics then, but when you get to see Darkstalkers’ Morrigan fighting alongside Ghost and Goblin’s Arthur and a grandfather-clock, salt and pepper-shaker tossing Dynamite Cop, it’s almost impossible to stop yourself falling just a little bit in love with the whole affair.

It may not be especially creative or unique, but Urban Trial Freestyle makes for a welcome distraction while RedLynx plans its next move. It may be a wannabe, but it’s a decent one all the same.

As a primer for Walking Dead’s upcoming sophomore season, 400 Days is absolutely a worthwhile stop-gap. More importantly, it is a great reminder that Telltale can continue to deliver on a quality of writing and characterisation far beyond many of its contemporaries, even when placed into a single chapter so fleeting compared to a full season’s worth of escalated drama.

It encompasses the audiovisual elements, the neon graphics and low-rez music, and the joyous bloodiness of early shooters. But at the same time it also encompasses how dehumanising and routine the old games were – how the violence was immature and gratuitous and just a way of dressing up limited gameplay mechanics with visceral feedback to actions.

If you are fine with crazy difficulty in your platformers then it’s a really rewarding game to play and so beautiful it puts the NSMB series to shame.

In Diggs Nightcrawler Sony have definitely hit on something, even if whatever it is doesn’t fit comfortably within any particular art-form and it will be interesting to see whether or not the high production values on show here can be sustained for future Wonderbook releases.

Groove Heaven is a relatively good looking game, there are some good ideas here and if you approach it expecting ‘My first rhythm action game’ you won’t be too disappointed, and maybe in this it has done its job. However, it is disappointing that it fails to reach the euphoric heights hinted at by that title.

Really, the only thing that makes Resident Evil: Revelations notable is the apparent lack of knowledge of what makes a game scary. That’s a charge that couldn’t even be fairly levelled at the current-generation entries into the series but, sadly, it’s one that’s fair to level at Resident Evil: Revelations.

The length won’t win over the more casual players, but for those who still can’t get enough of Metal Gear Rising, Blade Wolf serves as a welcome slice of cyber-dog action.

Unless you’re actively looking for a new generic arcade racer to play, there’s no outstanding reason to give Motorcross Madness a spin.

Fast and frenetic, Nano Assault Ex is a game that will test your reflexes in a series of short bursts perfect for that bus ride home.

There’s no escaping that it feels like something of a throwback to the PS2, but there’s also an undeniable charm in the story and characters that might just have you playing to the end. Sly and the gang haven’t quite brought their A-game, but for fans of the series and lovers of the long-forgotten platformer, Thieves in Time is a steal.

Castlevania: Mirror of Fate is stupid in a good way and robust enough to be an enjoyable challenge. While the boss battles go on a bit too long and the plot is bonkers, it’s a good use of a platforming style often forgotten.

In refusing to slap a number 4 in the title, Epic Games itself is admitting that Judgement categorically isn’t the next great leap for the series, and we’re assuming that will come with the next generation. But as a reminder of why Gears of War became one of the most influential shooters of its generation, Judgement is a welcome curtain call, even if it isn’t the grand finale that some would have wanted.

Misfires and all, it’s at least commendable that Dead Space 3 makes an effort to exhibit some fresh experimentation into what has become a truly bloated media franchise; plus the combat still shines for the most part. Sadly though, better elements like the crafting system are lamentably set against a mundane and lifeless backdrop that rarely excites, let alone spooks, on the grand level of previous games in the series.

Sadly, there are weaknesses here that are exclusively down to the new additions to the game, and this makes it tough to call Ascension a particularly great game in its own right.

It is a game heavily invested in gaming’s history and nature in its debts to retro graphics styles and the platform genre but also one which combines them with the medium’s new direction in its use of the auto-scrolling form.

For better and for worse Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a game as crazy and nonsensical as its title, but because of that strong core, it’s one that just about makes the cut.

QForce is a disappointment because it feels like a Ratchet and Clank game, and to see the series go from some of the most high-profile Sony releases to an obscure multiplayer focused budget releas such as this is kind of disheartening.

When playing to its strengths, Hitman: Absolution is a genuinely great game. Overall, though, it feels slightly disappointing, simply because it doesn't spend enough time playing to those strengths.

LittleBigPlanet Karting makes no bones about the fact that it's a kart racer with familiar series hooks thrown into the mix. The racing itself is fine, but as ever, you come to LittleBigPlanet to revel in the madness of its community creations – and this is a lure that still works a treat here.

Don't buy unless you have Pokémon Black 2 or White 2, but if you do, it's a great addition to your arsenal.

Despite all of the criticisms, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation isn't a complete disaster and if a portable slice of Assassin's Creed is what you a looking for then there is some enjoyment to be had. Even so, it remains a huge missed opportunity with its attempts to expand the horizons of the series nearly all fizzling out, not through any conceptual problems but through lacklustre and often glitchy delivery.

Get beyond the cynical positioning of Forza Horizon and you'll find a racer that is, ironically, as efficient and refined as it's older, more mature, siblings. Whether it can build a community as effectively as the Motorsport games is unlikely, but Horizon, for all its familiarity and reluctance to experiment, is still a fine addition to the Xbox 360's roster.

When the Kinect is sober enough to reveal the better parts of The Journey, magic can definitely happen. But even if Fable The Journey worked flawlessly, it wouldn't be the most exciting or daring game to ever come about. Sadly, even though the identifiable Fable charm found all over The Journey lends much-needed character to the proceedings, the Kinect's technical blemishes can too often account for more motion-related headaches than you might be willing to put up with.

The five sports are well executed and there's plenty to keep you playing – from the core events, challenges, online scoreboards and multiplayer. In many ways it feels indicative of motion-controls reaching a maturity of sorts; sure, the carefree magic of its youth may be fading, but it still delivers a polished and satisfying, if slightly uninspiring selection of sporting goodness.

Resident Evil 6 is crying out to be watched rather than played and it will gleefully punish you for daring to do so, in which case you might want to kick back and let someone else do all the hard work instead.

Like all the Lego games, the build/collect/smash em up nature is still just as addictive and the design is both brilliant and awful in equal measures. It's heart-warming and fun, two things which most comic games (and indeed comics) lose out on when they ham-fistedly attempt to be 'mature'. It's a grind though, so I think I'll sit the next few Lego games out while I regain the stamina to go through it all again. And I will go through it again.

Though it may dip a little in the middle Papo & Yo finishes strongly, making good use of the game's evocative musical score and themes to create a resonant conclusion that may be a little on the nose, but still feels risky and experimental compared to the narrative tropes typically used by most games.

In all, Hybrid may shy away from the full potential of its selling-point via lacklustre map design and unimaginative weapons, but as a complete game its mechanical innovations make it stand apart from the crowd. At the very least, this desire to innovate and bring to the foreground the action of the shooter while removing the movement makes it a unique experience within a crowded and tired genre.

Full of unrealised potential, Deadlight is a passable game that's as bland as the cookie-cutter zombies it presents.

There's a lot of depth for a downloadable title game, and Mutant Mudds contrasts strikingly with the first wave of DSiWare games, showing how the service is evolving.

If you like Marvel, it's one of the less egregious Marvel Comics tie-ins and the 3D does make a pretty game prettier. There are certainly better experiences in the current selection of 3DSware, but for the budget price, you get a lot of mileage. Now if only I could keep Iron Man in that suit and blasting his enemies for more than five seconds. That's what happens when you trust a drunk superhero.

The game's smooth-as-butter movement is a great hook which deserves to be paired with a more engaging game, as the end result feels far too sparse and underused in the greater context of everything it has going for it.

Dawnguard is a mixture of old and a little something new, but it's also a case of success and failure. In trying to present an epic pilgrimage, the game becomes exasperating and a chore, but in attempting to do new things it occasionally sets itself apart from the side-quests discovered in the main game. There's nothing earth-shattering or fresh from an artistic standpoint, but Dawnguard has its high points, a very welcome companion and as well as new powers for you to play around with. Whether or not you consider this worth the 1600 MS points will depend on just how desperate you are to return to the world of Tamriel.

Its ambitions may be modest, but there's no doubt that Dead Hungry Diner succeeds in delivering an intelligent and entertaining experience that's worth of your attention.

As it stands, it ably showcases the potential of motion controls and takes you on an enjoyable ride, but it's a ride that ends all too soon and that doesn't give you much reason to go around a second time.

While Ghost Recon Future Soldier is enjoyable enough, in a genre as heavily populated as modern tactical shooters 'enjoyable enough' no longer cuts it.

Despite all its shortcomings, Dragon's Dogma if an often enjoyable and interesting experience.

It's a good world with a few flaws, and as long as you're okay with having to repeat certain bits and learn from your mistakes, then it's definitely worth your time.

As a well-presented game that looks the part and sells itself on speed and accessibility, Sonic 4: Episode 2 is slightly better than the previous effort in a number of ways and yet, there's still room for improvement.

Like Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, this is short, and is going for 400 points, which is barely anything. It's not so long that you get bored, and it's not so short that you feel robbed with the cost, unlike a full retail game which can outstay its welcome. The Walking Dead Episode One is a great experience which makes an overused genre interesting once more and tells a nice tale along the way. Hopefully the next episodes can keep the momentum going.

This very much makes Datura a game of two halves; on the one hand it's imaginative, beautifully rendered, and strives for a rare degree of uniqueness. On the other, it's an experience marred by mechanical shortcomings and over-ambition, with Move implementation that frustrates as much as it inspires awe.

When the credits roll, Escape Plan leaves you satisfied of time well spent; getting know its cast of charming characters is a pleasure and its gameplay is largely on the right side refreshing. Though it arguably rarely feels essential, it is a quietly charming game that feels perfectly at ease with its glacial pace, and it is this – along with Lil and Laarg's PVC-clad charisma – that ultimately enables Escape Plan to meander its way into your heart.

To conclude, were there even the slightest concessions to moderation in Skullgirls' aesthetics, and a few small but fundamental UI changes, it would be a superb entry-level fighting game which allows a player new to the genre to leap in and through practice become a master. But as it stands, the relentless sexuality on display is ineffective as parody and serves only to reinforce the belief that games are designed for young men who read FHM.

There's no denying the core concept remains fun, frantic and often enjoyable, but it feels slight and the game's long ingrained mean streak and occasionally sneering tone only serves to highlight how far the industry has come in the last decade. Peek closely enough under that shiny new coat of paint and you'll soon find evidence of rust.

It's distinctly lo-fi in terms of visuals and environmental detail, and far from being either groundbreaking or epic, but the bold manner with which the aesthetic and set of mechanics support an overall theme of survival and hopelessness ensures I Am Alive is an experience worth undertaking.

Hardcore 3DS owners are advised to save their money for the meatier and more absorbing releases on the system, but children may well find a few events to love given the novel way in which the hardware is used. Regardless, Mario and Sonic won't be winning a medal with this one.

Bean's Quest isn't perfect, but it provides a spirited and slickly presented slice of platforming action for iOS gamers, with six challenging worlds that offer good value for the £1.99 asking price.

This isn't a criminal case of shovelware, but we can't give it a full stamp of approval either… and so whether it's worth investigating depends greatly on how much you enjoy playing portable detective.

Despite its issues, Crush 3D offers a slickly presented, quirky and idiosyncratic experience that delivers spatial puzzles that will definitely stretch your grey matter. Unfortunately, it can also test your patience as much as your lateral thinking, a factor that isn't helped by an annoyingly up-beat soundtrack. So, while Crush 3D's mechanics are wonderfully illusionary, its biggest trick may be in hiding such an exacting and demanding puzzler underneath the breezy, happy-go-lucky presentation.

Overall the latest entry in the Professor Layton series in unlikely to convert those who haven't enjoyed the other games in the series, but if you are a fan then this is a great entry with a good variety of puzzles and an intriguing and involving story that gets better as the game goes on.

Those who absolutely must have a slice of Tekken action this year will no doubt find something to enjoy in Tekken Hybrid. The game is a rather thin package that won't appeal to anyone unaccustomed to the series, and indeed, this would be a terrible place for them to start.

Bubble Jets is an understated game inspired by a gentle toy that provides an equally gentle, yet strangely addictive experience. It is also well pitched for the App Store and its audience, being strangely heart-warming for older gamers (giving them a twinge of nostalgia,) while younger games will be instantly at home with the easy to understand controls and immediacy of the on-screen action. The biggest frustrations it provides will likely for other iOS developers across the world who may well be left slapping their foreheads and exclaiming – 'Why didn't I think of that!'?

Although Kirby's Adventure Wii lacks the dazzling visual inventiveness of Epic Yarn, its chunky, vibrant look is never less than charming, and is complimented by a style of play that eschews challenge for a subtly enveloping comfort blanket of Nintendo delight.

Overall, Zen Pinball 3D is a successful entry-level debut for the series on the 3DS. It contains few surprises and the re-use of old assets is disappointing, but such is the quality of the experience that these are easier to overlook.

This is a simple, welcoming escapade that can (and probably should) be ignored by the vast majority of adult gamers this holiday season. Those with children or younger siblings however, would do rather well by giving this a look.

So there you have it – Move Mind Benders; three games, one disk and a small financial saving. The justification for the creation of the Move Mind Benders package may be a little flimsy- and it might not be the most exciting compilation of all time – but all three games included have plenty to offer and are all good reasons to dust off your Move motion controllers if you've not used them for a while.

All this adds up to a game that feels somehow stuck between being a full blown new Ratchet and Clank title, and a smaller co-operatively focused side story, and as such it doesn't quite satisfy as either.

Overall, Danger Alliance offers a good looking, well produced and accessible turn-based strategy experience that can be recommended if you're looking for a light-hearted strategy-based distraction.

Both Spider-Men deserved better than this, but avid fans might want to consider a weekend rental if only to hear the performances. Everyone else should flush this particular spider away.

On the surface, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record has more than enough content to satiate, but the question really comes down to this: are you sick of Dead Rising? If the answer is 'yes', then it would be wise to avoid this re-imagining of the previous game in the series. For those who say 'nay' however, it's still good advice to remember that this game, in spite of its better parts, is still something you've mostly experienced already.

Best played in short bursts, Battle Group is a fine example of how to make a game designed to slot into short lulls during your day, with each level supplying a snappy and quickly finished slice of naval carnage.

Aliens: Infestation is slickly produced and generally fairly engaging, but it's not quite an essential experience.

Overall Resistance 3 is a notable step up in the series and has a lot of offer; it is highly polished and c some enjoyable set-pieces and encounters.

Playing Dead Island is similar to going on holiday – it's nice to try something a bit exotic and different, but after a while you begin to yearn for home.

Through its boldly chosen subject matter, ravishing good looks and slick mechanics El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is without question a title that deserves to be played – the big question mark that hangs over it is whether you'll engage with it enough to care or to want to come back for second helpings.

Through its boldly chosen subject matter, ravishing good looks and slick mechanics El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is without question a title that deserves to be played – the big question mark that hangs over it is whether you'll engage with it enough to care or to want to come back for second helpings.

Should you find yourself with an abundance of MS points this summer and not much to play, you could still do worse than give this a whirl.

It may be time to close the saloon doors for good on this one – we've just witnessed the fall of Juarez.

Overall then Cars 2 is a loveable excursion into the world of Pixar. Built with all the efficiency and character that you'd expect from the movie studio's cinema work, it demonstrates that what may not work so well as a film (unless of course you are six, in which case Cars is the best thing ever) does just fine in the style of a knockabout children's action racer. Grown ups can play as well.

But ultimately Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D, for all its combo streaks and rank awards and nods towards arcade addiction, can't quite shake off the feeling that it's a game that, like its predecessors, would have been more satisfying as a bonus mode, perhaps to the forthcoming Revelations (a brief demo for which is included here). Isolated and presented in the way it has been here, the limitations of Mercenaries are exposed.

The challenge/reward loop will simply not click for many, with the touch-screen controls being little more than a clunky irritant attached to a slow-paced and slightly directionless game.

It is frequently nail-biting but falls short of being consistently engrossing, but Codemasters have stayed true to their ethos of simulation – at the cost of spectacle – which is worth examining if you tire of being an one man army.

It is frequently nail-biting but falls short of being consistently engrossing, but Codemasters have stayed true to their ethos of simulation – at the cost of spectacle – which is worth examining if you tire of being an one man army.

It's a game whose RPG-stylings will lend themselves well to super-powered speed runs many months from now, whose light touch and hidden depths could well create something of a cult following.

As a full-priced title, we simply can't recommend WWE All Stars at this point in time, though anyone that wants to throw caution to the wind and revel in the undeniable appeal of WWE's past and present colliding will still find plenty to justify their decision.

Even when it's at its most curiously punishing, Swarm is dexterous enough to reward those who put the time into learning its methods and also satisfies with the type of cartoon violence that makes for a very endearing and well-made game on the whole.

Even when it's at its most curiously punishing, Swarm is dexterous enough to reward those who put the time into learning its methods and also satisfies with the type of cartoon violence that makes for a very endearing and well-made game on the whole.

Yoostar 2's developer Blitz Games got it right by calling their game a 'movie karaoke' experience – and in all senses of the word, it truly is best defined this way. Having your bodily image projected into film and TV scenes is as charming as it tedious in practice. But more so than many other party games, the on-disc limitations of choice on offer as well as the brevity of each film's clips might spoil the experience for some.