All in all I loved Tiny and Big. Even though it is a fairly short game story wise, the secrets and sub-objectives add up to what I believe is a suitable asking price of £9.99.

I have no qualms in recommending this game to fans of the Tower Defence genre and new-comers alike.

WWE '12 is a step in the right direction. Yuke's implementation of a limb-targeting system adds a satisfyingly-strategic twist to the usual brawl and is accompanied by passable visuals and great sound. Loads and loads of content make this title worth every dollar spent on it.

Saints Row: The Third is the best sandbox game I've played in a long while. There's no realism, no seriousness whatsoever, just completely mental and over-the-top fun. If that's not your thing then this game is definitely not for you. If you like outlandish fun however, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

It’s the best multiplayer game to be released this year and is certainly up there with Call of Duty 4.

As a first episode, it succeeds at pulling players into a different thematic experience than The Walking Dead, and should make people excited for what is to come from the rest of the season.

If you’re looking for great gunplay, an amazing visualised alternative Nazi ruled 1960s with a surprisingly good and appealing plot, and of course, want to shoot Nazis in the way of the old school, then Wolfenstein: The New Order is just what the doctor ordered.

Crackshell has managed to drip every ounce of Serious Sam and rework it into the twin-stick shooter formula with immaculate imitation of the first-person shooter its based upon. Serious Sam’s Bogus Detour looks great, plays fantastic and has enough challenge to offer something for even the serious fans of Serious Sam – it is literally those games portrayed into a different genre. Even if you have never touched a Serious Sam game before, this pixel 2D shoot-em-up is an amusing blast of arcade entertainment on your own, but an absolute bucket brimming with joyous madness when you bring friends along, making it an easy recommendation for people looking for their next 90s action fix.

I have no doubt that Toodee and Topdee will become one of those indie classics that is constantly referred back to or recommended, if only for its novel hook. For those that play it, however, it will be remembered for its charm, surprises, and lovingly-crafted yet demanding gameplay.

Well, there’s no question Paradise takes Burnout to a whole new level. Is it better though? Personally I’m inclined to think not.

Futuristic racing fans finally have something exciting to play with this surprisingly well crafted racer.

This is a quality cooperative experience that I wholly recommend for people who enjoy solving ingenious puzzles with a like-minded friend.

Fans and non-fans of The Lord of the Rings, especially the people who enjoy open world games – such as the two games that inspired Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – would be hobbit mad to miss this great action game.

This game is easily one of the best games on the app store to date, and definitely well worth the asking price.

Despite a few misjudged attempts at creating a realistic atmosphere, and not to mention some ropey A.I., Operation Flashpoint: Red River is a very good videogame, as long as you're willing to accept it on its own terms.

The franchise needed this. It's not remotely original and it occasionally threatens to drown under the weight of its own bluster, but it's also clever, challenging, bewilderingly pretty in places and a ripping good yarn.

It will eat up your life; maybe even take it away with the insane amount of quests you have to take upon.

For anyone who wants to sit down on a couch after a hard days work and play a JRPG that will craft a smile on your face, then Atelier Escha & Logy comes recommended.

The franchise needed this. It's not remotely original and it occasionally threatens to drown under the weight of its own bluster, but it's also clever, challenging, bewilderingly pretty in places and a ripping good yarn.

Battlefield 1943 sets a high standard for the quality of downloadable games, and at only a tenner is an almost essential purchase for any online FPS fan.

So, if you loved the first game and/or intend on buying the next then this is a must have really, and for the measly price of only 400 Microsoft points how can you say no?

Overall Road 96 really surprised me, as I’m getting older, purely story driven games don’t grab my interest as easily. However, putting my headphones on and getting taken on this wonderful journey, that is made all the more better by the heart-warming soundtrack that coincides perfectly with Road 96, took my breath away. The only gripe I have is that later on the game can get too easy, however, I learned to just sit back and enjoy my time with these wonderful characters. I was laughing, upset, and sometimes even scared while I was playing. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Road 96.

It’s challenging, interesting, funny and most importantly true to the brand.

Stranger of Sword City takes the fundamentals of the dungeon crawler and coats it with a twist of Japanese.

Tomodachi Life is the new life simulator game from Nintendo. But that doesn’t mean a boring 9-5 office simulator, it means more mad and crazy Japanese things to do with your Mii kinda game. Which, as far as anyone is concerned, equals awesome.

Once you get past the idea of being a ship collector with its limited storage space and World of Warships’ free-to-play expensive shenanigans, which shouldn’t be that much of a negative against the game’s great gameplay, World of Warships ends up a refreshing title.

It asks a lot of the player, but if you can hack it, you’re in for a truly unique experience.

Fire Emblem Engage is a great Fire Emblem title that focuses on its core roots, the tactical RPG elements; more so its combat. The story is fun, if straightforward, but by aiming for the battle mechanics of the game, Intelligent Systems has been able to make the series’ best combat to date. The addition of the Emblem Rings and what they bring to the characters and their customisation opens a better progression system for each hero while adding more elements to change how one should approach battle scenarios. Throw in some little quality-of-life improvements and new weapon behaviour and this is a Fire Emblem that enjoys celebrating its past heroes and games, but keeps the battles rejuvenated with these new mechanics to push it forward rather than leaving the gameplay stuck in the past where its heroes have come from.

Legend of Grimrock offered the vaguest of hints and clues to tackling inevitable obstacles, thus requiring your attention and investment by default. Legend of Grimrock 2 uses the same coy smiles to entice you to explore its world, and while the core game remains as good as ever, the success of its evolution depends greatly on whether that is compelling enough reason for you to do so.

Grey Goo is perfect for fans of 90s real-time strategy games and is one of the best RTS games in recent memories not to be called StarCraft II.

Taken as a singular entity, Chaos Theory is not Dontnod’s best work, but there are still some interesting moments to be had should you choose to play.

Card Hunter not only prides itself in capturing the spirit of tabletop gaming, but has also built a refreshing game on top of CCG concepts to bring tactical depth under its charming visuals, and best of all, it won’t cost you a penny to experience its joy.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend is jam packed with content in both single and multiplayer. It's a great fighting game backed with stunning 2D sprites that, once again, the Vita screen does proud. I can safely say it's the first handheld port of the series that feels 1:1 with the console version; plus, if you've never played the game, this is the best place to jump in and be taken away by the world of BlazBlue.

Jupiter Hell is made for people who might not normally enjoy roguelikes or for people who have played the modern take on the genre and want a game that goes back to the old school rulebook, but brings with it some looter shooter, straight to the point, action.

Overall, Chronicles of a Dark Lord is an exceptional game that is certainly worthy of much more attention.

Few shooters exist nowadays to simply play on a gamer's need for visceral entertainment, and Double D proves that there's still a market for mid-school (which would be where I would place gaming in the 90's) shooters, regardless of dimension.

Once again, Nippon Ichi Software USA has released a great game for people interested in the visual novel genre or for anyone who wants a good read with some gameplay thrown in for extra fun, so if you do fall into that category, then you should seriously check out Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

As confusing as the story may be, as well as some frustrating gameplay mechanics that could have been more finely-tuned, Sine Mora is still a solid shoot 'em up that is perfectly captured on the Vita.

This game is addictive, all thanks to the challenge it offers and the extremely satisfying combat that blends hack-and-slash elements with a weighty feel, so no matter if I was with friends or random people online, I was ecstatic by the overwhelming moments it kept sending my way. I can say that Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is THE cooperative game to play in 2018 on Xbox One or PC (no cross platform play available).

Like a top-notch episode of a great TV show Oxenfree presents a well told singular story in parallel with interesting mythology. Bar a few pacing issues I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game – and was enthralled with the narrative for huge swaths of the runtime. Oxenfree is a superb addition to Switch’s growing catalog of indie games. It may not be a title well suited to gaming on the move, but I found that playing curled up on a couch, in a dimly lit room, was an excellent setting to experience the story. Maybe you will too?

The Beginner’s Guide is a poignant and thought-provoking journey into the minds of game developers who are at their core, people with struggles and insecurities of their own. $10 might seem a steep price tag for an hour and a half of playtime without traditional mechanics, goals, or objectives, but if you take a chance you might find yourself moved (and even changed) by the time the credits roll.

Overall Etherlords has been quite an experience for a somewhat simple game.

The Disney Afternoon Collection still represents some of the most treasured third party titles of yesteryear, and solid proof that not every licensed game should turn out to be disappointing garbage. That’s a lesson today’s developers should learn, just as this collection should be checked out by nostalgic adults and curious kids alike.

If you have never played the games, then this is outstanding value for money for two great first-person shooters with an amazing setting, brilliant atmosphere, fantastic graphics and solid gun combat.

An overall amazingly crafted game made.

The war on videogames is ever changing, however, and Fallout will need to bring more toys to the battle next time or risk rotting in the wasteland.

It's an awesome game, the only caveat being that it has more hidden fees than most airlines.

As great as it is, there are too many irritations with the combat (and too many unnecessarily drawn-out combat sections) to hail it as a true classic.

Despite its shortcomings, though, Infinite Space is a thoughtful and addictive space-based romp, with an incredible amount of depth waiting for those who are prepared to put the hours in.

If you played and enjoyed the first episode, then Ep.2 won’t let you down.

And while there are plenty of popular titles that could have been added to the collection, including Earthworm Jim, Gunstar Heroes, Splatterhouse 2 and 3, and perhaps a few games from the SEGA CD and Saturn consoles, there is still more than enough bang for your buck here. It may not be the ultimate collection fans wanted, but it’s still a jam packed look into a time when the Genesis does what Nintendon’t.

Sure there are a few minor problems here, but there's no doubt in my mind that Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is the best video game representation of the card game to date, and it's available for such a bargain price that anyone with an interest in trying the game should take my recommendation and jump straight into this digital version. It's a whole ton of fun.

While you might not come out this game’s 40+ hour adventure with memories of the plot, you will remember the heroes, their fights and the lovely music that wraps it up to signal this as the best Tales of game since Tales of Vesperia hit the Xbox 360 back in 2009.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd is a great follow up that brings a better and more varied selection of 40 charming songs packed to challenge your fingertips.

Because no matter how many ways in which our beloved hobby may change over the next couple of years, smashing up hundreds of massive robots will always be fun.

Anybody unfamiliar with fighting games should be warned that, MvC3 will seem enticing – and it'll create no end of smiles when the shell's finally cracked open – but it'll also take a lot of patience, a lot of time and a lot of effort. Spend some time practising in mission mode and get over that hump, and Marvel vs Capcom 3 will provide months, if not years of entertainment.

If you’ve never played a Fatal Frame game before, this remake is the perfect place to start. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is a well-done rebuild of a classic that I feel does well walking the line between preserving its identity and modernising its gameplay. While some of the original’s raw tension is softened by updated controls and systems, the core feel remains mostly there. What matters is getting that horror feel right, and Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is an atmospheric, slow-burning horror that still manages to unsettle. It may not fully replace the original for purists, but for newcomers and some fans, it stands as a strong revival of one of the genre’s scariest games.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam manages to carve itself a place in an already flourishing genre, all thanks to the semi-simulation war combat. The Vietnam War makes for a distinct battleground that has been smartly incorporated into the game’s mechanics, which bring slower paced matches with more emphasis on team work and survival combat than rushing out to be a solo war hero. Rising Storm 2: Vietnam is aimed at a specific group of first-person shooter fans who are lured by the prospect of an experience more closer to the realism spectrum, and by looking at the server browser, there seems to be enough players to give this game legs. If that sounds like something enjoyable, then I can see Rising Storm 2: Vietnam becoming the multiplayer shooter of 2017 for those people.

It is absolutely the best game for wasting away those hot summer days. If you’re a fan of superhero games or just love gratuitous violence, you can’t go wrong with Prototype.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a delightful slow-life RPG that is best when you embrace its structure and varied Lives system. It’s less about telling a gripping story and more about letting players take part in the cosy life sim. With dozens of activities, systems that feed into each other, fun crafting and gathering loops, and a sprawling post-game full of secrets and scaling challenges, it offers tremendous value. While the combat and multiplayer are more surface-level, and some design quirks (like time-limited co-op) may leave certain players wanting more, its cheerful tone, flexibility, and performance make it a rewarding escape into a cosy, fantastical world. If you’re after a relaxing but deep time sink, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time more than earns your attention and is a strong recommendation for fans of relaxing RPGs or life sims, as it may just steal your free time.

The potential to grow into something superb is there, but even in its current state, Spellbreak is a great breath of fresh air for the genre. The game should find an audience with fans of battle royale or new people who are fed up with the gun-toting nature of them, or for those who are simply looking for something a little magical to dip their wands into.

Strategy RPG fans need to have a taste of the Disgaea series. It’s simply one of the best and most engrossing series the genre has to offer and Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days continues this trend.

The normal match modes and multiplayer are a step up from Fifa 08, with player movement and ball control even more realistic than what has come before.

If you already own Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on a console, the Vita version is going to be hard to recommend unless you are a super fan of the game and want to take that same experience on the go. For people who haven't touched the game and have just picked up a brand spanking new Vita, ask yourself this – are you looking for a console experience and/or a great fighting game to play? If so, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is highly recommended. Its move from home consoles to the handheld device is a near perfect one, and Capcom throws in extras for good measures. Let's get ready to fight!

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth might not be the best RPG on the Nintendo 3DS, but it is a fitting sayonara for what could be debatable as one of Nintendo’s best handheld systems.

The game will please fans of the genre who have been waiting for a game like this to come to PS4, but I honestly can’t see it winning over many new fans to the genre due to how overwhelming its initial few hours can be.

After the brilliant Dirt Rally, I was a little wary with Dirt 4 and the return to the broader spectrum of off-road motorsports that I thought it might bring back the issues fans originally had with the series. Thankfully, the team hasn’t lost the focus on rally, keeping it the main attraction in this package. While I’m not happy with the limited locations available, I can’t deny that with the constant refreshment of new tracks on command, thanks to Your Stage, Dirt 4 offers many hours of surprises in a thrilling racing game packaged with features that allow the hardcore, intermediate and casual racing fans all able to play the game without feeling left out. The mainline Dirt series might no longer be as flamboyant as it once was, but its lack of flare has translated into a more meaningful rally experience that cannot be match this generation by anything other than its hardcore off-shoot, Dirt Rally.

Looking at Assassin's Creed III as a whole, this is a game worthy of your time, engaging on so many levels and a joy to experience.

Guerrilla has generally lived up to the crazy amount of hype surrounding the development of the game, and in the end, has offered us a very competent First-Person Shooter, with confident execution on all fronts.

Like Jurassic Park, Rare have revived a long extinct franchise, taking the DNA of the originals but mixing in new elements. Unlike Jurassic Park, however, N&B doesn’t end with everyone getting eaten by the revived bear and his bird sidekick.

Anyone who has an itch for some 'girl-on-girl' action, fan or not of the genre, should give Skullgirls a shot, it's a bucket load of fun.

DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a welcome addition to the ever-growing library of great visual novel games for us Westerners.

Undead Horde may not be the most beautiful or impressive game in the market, but it surely is as fun as hell, difficult at times, but silly in others.

Mercury HG is not exactly a full blown successor in the series, but there's enough here to keep fans happy. And at the ridiculously low price of 400MS points it's definitely worth a try, even if you aren't a fan.

There is no other way to sum up The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone than saying this is more of what made The Witcher 3 spectacular.

Nex Machina is an great twin-stick shooter that stays close to the roots it has inherited from designer Eugene Jarvis to bring a modernise, hyper speed take on this classic genre. It does not try to reinvent the wheel, and its lack of online cooperative action is a disappointment, but it offers simple, exceptional controls and has enough going on within its mechanics that it never feels shallow. With beautiful voxel visuals, challenging gameplay and piercing colours, Nex Machina is a combination of striking graphics and addictive gameplay that never stops for a break. While it might not be the best twin-stick shooter in the past few years, there is no doubt that this is still another great arcade shooter from Housemarque’s ever growing library of quality shooters.

Anyone who enjoyed Mortal Kombat 9 is going to enjoy this game, and fans of DC Comics will also like the great representation of heroes and villains. It is a shame that the fatalities that made Mortal Kombat so popular aren’t here, but I think that was one of the problems with Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe. You can’t really show Superman ripping off Batman’s head, so leaving half-arsed fatality attempts out of the game is probably a good thing.

This year's game might not be as accessible as it once was, but that is a sacrifice Konami was willing to make, and it paid off well in the end, improving where it matters most – the gameplay.

The game is cell-shaded to the absolute maximum, allowing for a perfect touch of detail that never distracts but still remains visually interesting, whether boosting through the worlds at top speed or stopping to take a look around every once in awhile. Otherwise you could miss it. The music though – wow. I can’t even describe it and that’s not just because it’s jaw-dropping but mainly because it seems to defy all known genres and has a mish-mash of techno, chiptune, drum and bass, classical, and god knows what else. I could go on and on praising it but the final word is the game is great, with a lot of content for those that can’t get enough, and should be played by any platformer lover, whilst the soundtrack needs to be listened to by absolutely everybody with ears.

It may sound like I’m dishing out a lot of praise but I think just ‘fun’ describes Aegis Defenders quite perfectly. It’s hardly the best game anyone has ever played but it is charming and great to pick up and play for a stage or two at a time – also making it another game suited incredibly well for the Switch, especially considering the multiplayer aspect. Whilst it’s a short experience story-wise, it’s certainly a pleasant one (providing the frenzied gameplay doesn’t drive anyone mad) and, as mentioned, there is replayability in the harder modes.

There's nothing out there on the videogame market today featuring snowboards that comes close to the compelling and joyous fun that SSX provides.

Subtle visuals and audio improvements are welcomed, the handling model makes for better car control, and the Club feature is going to be great for people who want to put on events for their friends and fans, but the lack of new stages for returning rallies and no big advancements in its career mode is a bit of a bummer. WRC 9 might not be able to shake off its déjà vu, but there is no doubting that once again the series brings a great rally experience.

In the end, 428: Shibuya Scramble is yet another top notch Visual Novel, a genre that has exploded onto the console scene seemingly overnight and shows no signs of slowing down. The frustration to find the necessary keyword or decision in order to advance the story is a minor inconvenience given the entertaining source material, and the unpredictable story and quirky cast will undoubtedly inspire players to stay dedicated in shaping their individual stories to reach their destinations.

It’s a great reboot/re-release. Maybe one of the best, but with a new story that doesn’t focus on our heroes and the solidifying of their bond as partners I’m sure that newcomers to the series will only be staying for the fantastic gameplay, but quickly forgetting about the franchise once they put it down.

The series has previously brought meaningful and well thought out advancements to improve the game, but this year the impact on the game comes across less aspiring and more awkward, as the company strives to make the most complete management experience a player can have, even if this means bringing along some of the boring parts of the job as well.

If you're looking for an arcade game and fancy blasting stuff in gorgeous spectacular fashion, Sine Mora is something you should check out. It doesn't matter how proficient you are with the genre, as the game will teach you the ways of a shoot-em-up. If you are already knowledgeable about the genre, then ramp up the difficulty and see if you can get yourself through its meaty challenge.

All that matters in the end is that this game works flawlessly on the hardware and is an exceptional port of a great game that Vita owners get to play. While this won’t break the shackles of the Vita being a port machine, it does mean it just got that bit better at being a portable home console.

In summation, although it makes no artistic statement and conveys little in terms of story, Destiny is still one of the most fun and addictive games I’ve played this year, and I would recommending it to anyone sitting on the fence about it.

Even though it was a little shorter than I had hoped for, Ratchet & Clank: Nexus is still much longer than Quest for Booty and ties up the story of our heroes (and Quark) nicely. For now at least.

In the end, while there is a flat story with a protagonist that lacks any real personality, they aren’t big enough issues to spoil where it matters most. Sniper Elite 4 releases with such confidence in what it wants to be that it is easy to see why all the improvements make it the best entry in the series. The advancements are in places where it matters most, making use of the current generation to bring larger maps to make way for more gameplay options in its sandbox environment, an implementation that advances the franchise in a better direction, one that could lead way for an impressive sequel that truly knocks it out of the park with the great foundations set in stone with Sniper Elite 4‘s refreshing design for a series that could have remained stale.

It may be somewhat lacking in old-school racing challenges, and can prove daunting for newbie racers, but the sheer volume of content far overshadows the game’s faults. Until Gran Turismo 5 arrives to challenge the crown, Dirt 2 stands as king of the racing mountain on the PS3.

If you’ve been after a skill-based smartphone game with a phoned-in vaporwave aesthetic and a healthy serving of new age mumbo-jumbo, Namaste Space Buffalo is the game you’ve been waiting for. And, to my surprise, that’s exactly what I was waiting for.

Minor gripes aside, Sayonara Umihara Kawase + is a refreshingly retro platformer at a budget price that even includes the SNES original as a bonus, no doubt further acknowledging the newfound recognition for the series from its Game Center CX appearance.

Because no matter how many ways in which our beloved hobby may change over the next couple of years, smashing up hundreds of massive robots will always be fun.

This is for all of you gamers and journalists who have found the series “dull”, “repetitive” or even “boring” in the past.

Point Lookout is the most interesting of the Fallout 3 DLC so far. While there’s obvious little change in the general game mechanic, and combat is as it has been throughout, it’s the immersion within the newly created setting that sets Point Lookout aside from the rest of the available expansions.

Battlefield 1943 sets a high standard for the quality of downloadable games, and at only a tenner is an almost essential purchase for any online FPS fan.

As a complete package, Danganronpa Decadence is a brilliant collection of three very well-produced adventure visual novels. It is a shame about V3‘s performance in the last case, but overall, these are some highly recommended stories. Expect to fall in love with the characters, be shocked at the many great surprises, and be gripped by suspense over what is around 100+ hours of gaming. If you are fans of visual novel adventures and have not checked this series out yet, then you seriously need to pick up Danganronpa Decadence.