Such frustrations aside, Metro 2033 is still a pleasant addition to an otherwise played-out genre and setting.

SkyDrift is 1200 Microsoft Points (£10), and because of that you can somewhat forgive the shortcomings, since the title is full of quality instead of quantity. It's worth the admission fee as it is a blast to play, and a bit of a surprise hit that sprang out of nowhere. If you've been waiting for the next decent arcade racer on Xbox Live Arcade then you should check out this title.

Virtua Tennis 4 World Tour Edition may be a port, and it's only additions may be a few fun, time wasting mini-games, but it shows that the Vita can handle console games without downgrading any feature to fit on a portable device.

In a time where rival games are doing it better, it was always going to be difficult to rival Streets of Rage 4 without doing something exceptional. Mayhem Brawler is not that, but I am not sure it was ever trying to be. Instead, I think the developers wanted to give fans more decent beat ’em up action, which the developers have successfully done.

Revelations 2 continues to steadily climb upwards in both quality and content, with episode 3 possibly being the longest experience yet. The decision to distribute the episodes weekly also prove that the Resident Evil series makes for a surprisingly good episodic series.

Dragon’s Dogma itself is a fantastic title with some innovative ideas for the genre. If you never played it, then I strongly suggest buying the Dark Arisen release, especially if you love western-esque RPGs; and for the budget price, you are getting one quality video game.

Overall, Little Big Workshop is a relaxing play for people who enjoy the genre, outside of that it might be a little too off-putting for some people unfamiliar with this type of simulation game, especially with all the number crunching. Aesthetically, it’s very pleasing – I gained enjoyment watching my the little workers do their business around the workshop. For anyone who has a head for numbers or just want to try out a different simulation game, I can recommend giving Little Big Workshop the green light to go ahead with it.

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.

Aviary Attorney could’ve quite easily been a birdbrained game built solely to ruffled some of Capcom’s feathers. However it quickly becomes clear that JayJay and friends have more than enough smarts to even outwit Capcom’s much loved attorney at some turns.

For what it presents, the game works on so many levels. It is a landmark experience and one that deserves repeated playthroughs, if only to try and make it to the end unscathed. Not perfect by any means, but then is anything ever really perfect? I'd argue not. We are all perfect in our imperfections; by this outlook, so is ZombiU.

Toukiden 2 is a packed title that sacrifices complex depth, but in exchange continues to offer people a faster, more easy to understand hunting game for anyone who does not gel with the methodical style of Monster Hunter, while also bringing a fun single player story. Omega Force switched up the formula with the inclusion of an open world, an idea that works well within its framework, but isn’t perfect – it could do to express the “open” aspect further, and also branch it out to the multiplayer component of the game. Fans should be happy to know that the sequel is a good follow up to the original, adding a little creative divergence, but upholding what was fun about the first title, while also allowing single or multiplayer gamers to jump in and enjoy without frustration.

EA continues to make the look and feel of the Tiger Woods series distinct from any other franchise, and the marked improvements to the game allow me to confidently state that you’ll enjoy it more than other title in the series.

Dawn of War III brings with it a campaign that starts off on the slow end, but eventually warms up to be an enjoyable, if fairly standard, single player mode. It’s the inventive multiplayer that is the biggest change, and one that will upset traditionalists who wanted a return to the original game. The blend of both predecessors’ ideas to bring the mix of base building and hero powered Elite units goes well with the new focus on exhilarating, faster-paced multiplayer. But if you hate the idea of a game that promotes aggression, pushing hard and relying on having such powerful units that can turn the tide of battle, then your experience with the game is no doubt going to wane. While it won’t be a genre defining twist nor shape the future of RTS multiplayer, it’s still remains a unique take on the typical RTS conventions and one I’ve grown to relish more as I keep playing.

I honestly did not really mind that the game closed without fully explaining itself; the problem was that as the credits rolled my mind harked back to earlier points in the game, trying to give those supposedly standout moments a second thought, and realising none of them really stood out firmly in my mind.

Tera sure makes promise on the "true action combat" that it so advertises, but that change alone to the MMORPG formula isn't enough to flip the genre on its head, especially when you've forgotten about other aspects of it.

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.

Either way, JRPG fans should pick up Tales of Graces F and relish in its throwback to great times when the genre was alive and kicking.

In conclusion, Just Dance 4 is a good game which utilises the Kinect in an impressive manner.

Perhaps the worst thing you can say about Lego Indy is that it is not as instantly likeable as the Lego Star Wars games, and that it’s more of a relationship you’ll have to work at instead of being the love at first sight Travellers Tales' previous efforts were.

Like Peggle Nights, Peggle 2 feels like just an extension of the original game and not a whole lot more.

Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate allows newcomers to see the start of the improvements to the Warriors series, which at one point was suffering from its own lack of ambition, and turn itself into a worthwhile hack and slash addict’s wet dream.

The story moves slowly, and can take a while to get through, and while not much about it feels new, it does a good job of taking already established elements and making them into something fun.

Ultimately, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a game that doesn't attempt to be anything that it isn't.

Too me, all platformer releases from Nintendo should be a direct feed to the best innovation the company can offer. This gets someway up the flagpole but falls short of hitting the top.

With stealth based gameplay, a slight air of an escort mission, and touch controls all looking to trip them up, they come out almost unscathed. If nothing else, that alone should be seen as a victory.

Though the gameplay additions for this year merit a purchase (yes, even if you own last year's version), I truly hope the DLC model for this game doesn't become standard in sports titles.

When it comes to the core game, Souldiers brings all its terrific mechanics and clever level design together for a lengthy experience that gets you engaged in its gameplay and platforming rather than its story.

Toki Tori 2+ is what it is: a bright puzzle game with lots of pushing and pulling, manipulating and exploring. If you enjoy a good puzzle-platformer that looks beautiful, feels natural and consistently creates a challenge without the frustrations of getting stuck, then this one is a no-brainer.

Worms W.M.D. is a triumph. Sure, we could tie ourselves in knots asking why they didn’t come out with something like this sooner, but what would be the point? For now, let’s just bask in its wormly glory.

The game is still jolly good fun.

My Army is a nicely designed endless runner game, with some fun social elements, but it doesn't offer up anything particularly new for gamers to sink their teeth into. This might not normally be an issue, but in a marketplace full of similar games, you really need a hook to keep players playing, and unfortunately, My Army just doesn't have that.

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.

Overall, Disgaea 1 Complete is a sufficient reminder of what made the series such a cult hit that continues even today, but the recent release of the more feature-filled and modernized Disgaea 5 puts it at stiff competition. For anyone looking for a fix after 5, or is hankering to go through the series’ roots either for the first time or the fourth time, there’s still plenty to love in this classic re-release.

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

Overall, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is another solid fighter from the newly crowned king of fighters, but it is also a disappointingly smaller package than what fans expect from the publisher. By comparison, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Guilty Gear Xrd are longer-lasting alternatives, but for players have grown tired of both, this would be the next logical game to move to next.

Overall, Dragon Quest Heroes II is easily the most lovingly-recreated celebration of fanservice since Hyrule Warriors. There is an undeniable charm in its presentation, dialog and audio cues, and the shift towards more gameplay variety than the average Musou title is greatly appreciated, even if it isn’t the biggest step forward. There is also an RPG worth’s amount of extra content, including periodic updates featuring additional characters to fight alongside and powerful new foes to fight against. Musou titles may more commonplace than sports games these days, but this is definitely one of the few worth seeking out, and an absolute must-have purchase for longtime Dragon Quest fans.

For what it is worth for fans, RoboCop: Rogue City is a brilliant RoboCop game, but only a decent first-person shooter.

Like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, this is a game that is simplistic in concept but catered heavily toward fans of the series. Yet unlike Theatrhythm’s serviceable-yet-sterile insert of characters and compositions, Dancing All Night goes the extra mile to ensure that Persona 4’s beloved cast bring their A-game to this endearing love letter in addition to its plethora of toe-tapping remixes.

Well, call me utterly surprised. Spec Ops: The Line showed me that it's more than just a generic shooter. Backing up the solid, if somewhat familiar, gameplay is a fantastic and smart story experience that no other shooter has done for some time.

The issue is not with the game's creators, who haven't made a bad game at all. It's with the community that they have catered for with it. Words like 'PWNING' popping up when you're on a killing spree, however tongue and cheek, still add to the vibe that these overly-aggressive, humiliating or just downright internetty behaviours are encouraged.

To summarize, Apotheon is a fairly good game, but I feel more could have been added, and certain aspects certainly could have been handled better than they were upon the game’s port to a console.

R-Type Dimensions is a worthy attempt in catering to series fans, shooter fans, and retro fans at the same time. It’s easy to get into, but quite hard to master.

Shadows of the Damned is one of the best games of the year, and I never expected to say that. The only fault I can think of is that it's probably a bit too easy.

Purely from a gameplay standpoint this is one of the most consistently well designed adventure games I've played, and tackling its scenarios was a delight, but while nearly any other video game genre gets away with its particular narrative vices, story and characters are such crucial aspects of this one. Poor characterisation and a too familiar storyline is ultimately enough to render Resonance a mechanically impressive adventure game that sorely lacks personality.

Ghostrunner: Project_Hel offers a nice addition to the base game, upholding the original game’s amazing soundtrack and visuals. The expansion brings an extra couple of hours of that addictive live, die, repeat puzzle and action format that somehow the developers have managed to make work without frustration. The impact this time around is not as awe-inspiring as the surprise hit of the main game, but Project_Hel takes those foundations and adds a little twist with more combat-based scenarios to find solutions to, but does nothing to push the initial design forward that was formed in Ghostrunner. More of the same, then, although, not a negative on this DLC, since the original was not a lengthy game either. This is one for the fans, giving those more of what they were asking for until the sequel arrives.

Still, none of this detracts from what Plain Sight really is; a brilliantly-designed and engaging multiplayer game with one of the finest risk/reward systems we've ever seen.

It's not quite the ultimate Green Day experience that you might have hoped for, but there is nothing else out there in the videogame world that supports the American Trio as much as this.

Total War: Rome 2 is a hugely in-depth and highly engrossing experience; it has it’s pro’s and con’s (as does every game), but this is a game that will age like a fine wine and as such get better with time (and developer support and updates).

Shooting Nazis until they explode is a fun diversion, but there’s a better game that does that, and it’s called Wolfenstein: The New Order.

Mortal Shell is not a perfect game and still requires a bit of polishing but for a game this enjoyable to be developed by such a small team I’m excited to see what they have planned for the future. The potential to make Mortal Shell into a great franchise is definitely there and I hope to see another game in the series or DLC adding diverse bosses and more items to utilise the amazing elements they have introduced with this game.

A nice evolution of its predecessor rather than been a true revolution of the developers efforts from last gen.

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.

Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk is a solid port from Gust, which adds another Atelier game to the PlayStation Vita.

In the end, Trover Saves The Universe is an adequate-playing videogame that is defined by its style of humor. If anyone reading is on the fence, the best thing to do would be to check out Rick and Morty, as it is the easiest (and cheapest) way to determine if that type of comedy is appealing to the individual or not, the same way the recent South Park games also rely on the writing and wit of its source material. For fans of the series, this game is an absolute no-brainer and is just about the funniest videogame released in a long while.

Ratchet and Clank: A Quest for Booty feels like a long side quest away from the events of Tools Of Destruction it therefore avoids any real spoilers to the main series story.

Persona 5 Strikers might not be the full fat Persona experience nor a true Warriors game – it is certainly targeting the Persona fans more than Warriors fans – but it is a quality extension to the Persona 5 story, a worthy summer road trip that might be advertised as a spin-off, but truly feels more like a sequel with a new flavour sprinkled on top.

There’s a lot to like, and equally as much to dislike.

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.

A nice evolution of its predecessor rather than been a true revolution of the developers efforts from last gen.

It's rare that a handheld game surpasses it's console cousin, but this is definitely the case here. The inclusion of the adventure mode is really quite different to anything you'll find in any sports game anywhere.

Syder Arcade is visually incredible and the music and sound effects only add to the atmosphere that it generates.

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.

If you’re not bothered about kicking a thirty-plus minute run to the curb because you didn’t quite manage to piece together anything strong enough, or about dawdling around a bit in an attempt to grind for whatever may be needed to build a dream weapon, you might really enjoy Noita. It’s not exactly my cup of tea but I think I may have been taking it a little too seriously – sometimes it’s just fun to embrace the madness and see how far you can take it.

There is enough content here to keep the game entertaining for a while, and as long as the annoyance of the purposedly sluggish controls can be forgiven, then Party Animals will be having players laughing and cursing for many months to come all thanks to its wacky physics and fun game modes.

In conclusion Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is an amazing standalone game packed with fun things to do from beginning to end. However a weak, badly paced story, and two uninspired protagonists hold it back from being a great Assassin’s Creed.

If you are looking for a charming and damn right silly plot, and you don’t mind paying a little more for your puzzle action to have it on the Switch, then I feel you will certainly find a lot to like with Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido and its captivating bizarre world of sushi eating puzzle combat.

Overall, Denpa Men 2 is a vast improvement over the first with the addition of a rather large over-world to explore, a classic RPG soundtrack, a seemingly shallow story that evolves into a deeper (but still comical) tale as you progress, and great 3D visuals with the dungeons actually looking deep due to the semi top-down view.

Overall my suggestion would be, stick the game’s suggestions (hints) on high, enjoy it as a constant stream of brain-dead semi funny entertainment, in a universe you are probably familiar with, and get as much stress-free enjoyment from what admittedly, feels like a pretty polished episodic game.

Evil Dead: The Game needs some polish to take it to the next level, as there are some areas that could do with some quality-of-life improvements, and to fix some of the weird physics. Currently, there is an issue with the game having limited content, which could factor in towards its longevity, but as it stands, Evil Dead: The Game is incredibly fun and is a well-crafted multiplayer idea that could jump from being good to great if they support this game in the future with patches and content updates. With the developers already proving to have a track record with supporting titles in the past and saying they plan to support this game for a long time, Evil Dead: The Game can only improve and get better with more content and mechanics that the developers will hopefully add to the game to take it to the next level and become THE asymmetrical 4 vs 1 horror game.

Between the two Ys games released on Steam this year, I feel that Ys Origin is just that bit better than Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Both are great titles, but Origin builds on the formula with a solid, constructed experience from start to finish that never gets stale, great pacing, multiple and distinctive characters and a fast, in your face combat system. For £12.99 on Steam, you seriously cannot go wrong with checking out this top action RPG.

So despite its short-comings, Toy Story 3 is a remarkably solid licensed game. It's not going to blow any brains or break boundaries, instead it's going to give kids and even grown ups, certainly Pixar fans, a solid and cheerful experience.

At a time when multiplayer games are a great way to catch up with friends, Bonkies delivers a chaotic experience you can play with family and friends both old and new to games. Restricting the game to local co-op only was a big loss but if you have 2-4 players to play with or have a good enough connection for Remote Play then I can guarantee a fun time.

There are incredible things going on in Kingdom Come: Deliverance that it’s a shame I have to score it lower than I would like, due to the issues with bugs and glitches that soil the experience. If those problems eventually get fixed, then look at this score with an additional point, but for the meantime, those problems can cause a loss of progression, which isn’t a good thing.

Apart from some shiny new graphics, and a some multiplayer game modes it is exactly the same game as all those years ago.

If it wasn’t clear from my introduction, then it should be now. Samurai Warriors 4 is Omega Force taking the series forward by recalculating its understanding of the franchise and adapting it to be better at what it does best – supplying none stop badassery, frantic, fast action with improved mechanics to the core gameplay and plenty of content to explore, which in turn shifts the title for best entry in any Warriors game to date into this warlord’s castle.

With an online multiplayer mode as well as replay features, not to mention several difficulty options that'll make players thankful for a quicksave button, Sam's second outing is for serious gamers everywhere.

In short words, if you like indie games and the puzzle genre, Q.U.B.E. is something that you should get, especially if you liked Portal.

Although the mechanics may get same-y in the long run, due to the lack of much variation, The Flame in the Flood is pure art. It’s full of emotion and is abundantly clear that it was made as a labour of love, making the lack of a true challenge or any real replayability an even bigger shame as it falls short of being great.

The only real “achievement” of EndWar is its voice command system.

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.

JYDGE isn’t a perfect game. The gameplay could be improved in some sections. Stealth is one example, where some missions require not being spotted, but I never felt that stealth fitted right with this game, what with all the shooting and movement. Little issues with the game can be ignored when all the action is happening and you are in the zone, the great soundtrack adds to the feeling that you are the perfect cyber cop and must accomplish cleaning the streets of Edenbyrg. I had a great experience with the game, and being a fan of such movies like Robocop and Judge Dredd certainly adds to my enjoyment I had with all the action going on in JYDGE.

Confounding puzzles aside, “Fright of the Bumblebees” functions nicely as an adventure game for just about any audience or age group. The humor is varied, the gameplay is accessible, and the challenge is substantial without being frustrating.

Overall, Hyrule Warriors, despite its flaws, is a very addictive game and is most certainly worth playing extensively.

If you want to shoot people in a different way and have a tolerance to learn, then ShootMania is the place to go and do that, and the future can only look brighter once the community floods the game with their creativity.

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.

It makes a lot of sense that a game made under such conditions would feel unpolished. I would love to see this game built on and improved upon. There’s so much potential in the creepiness that hovers over every step you take.

Post Void is a barrage of garish visual information parading through the interface of a first-person shooter. As either an act of mercy or a concession to humanity, modest roguelite trappings force all of Post Void’s noise and fury into manageable dosages. This leaves Post Void as a wonderful party drug, provided you can sustain the party and handle the drugs.

Anthem#9 is a stylish, compact roguelite that somehow works by doing less, but doing it well. No doubt it comes with a bold visual identity and an imaginative gem-chaining combat system. The lack of permanent updates might not be one for people who have become accustomed to the modern roguelite design, but this does mean the game is solely focused on offering a game that is purely about the player’s skill. Although the game’s tutorials and explanations can feel underdeveloped, the satisfaction of mastering its mechanics outweighs the early learning curve. In the end, what I found is that Anthem#9 delivers a surprising amount of depth wrapped in a striking, but simplistic presentation.

Ultimately, Space Marine is an action-adventure game that features good action, but underwhelming adventure.

Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical offers an enjoyable murder mystery visual novel musical. This is down to the themes and the twist on Greek mythology. The addition of being a musical and the options for the player to change the outcomes of the songs through personality options helps make Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical bring a unique experience to video games. It leans more towards being an interactive story than a video game, and maybe any follow-ups can balance this to make it more of a video game. Still, that is not to put a damper on Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical, because what is here is a compelling piece of entertainment that I was fully engaged with the 5+ hours it lasted. A new sub-genre has been created with Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical, and with anything new, this can mean future iterations can only get better and that excites me seeing how the blend of music and story-driven adventure games could become, because Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical is a one-off experience I would like to become involved with again.

I still don’t understand how Lara can use her guns underwater or why she insists on kicking priceless vase’s, but niggles aside Tomb Raider Underworld is actually pretty fun in places. It’s just a shame that this so called update was is so horrendously out of date in comparison to something like Uncharted which trounces Underworld at every turn.

Scored as a trilogy and compared to the first two titles, the game scores lower than the previous two. But this isn’t the same style of gameplay and we weren’t lied to about it being changed. It’s a different type of game and should be played like one.

Bonsai Barber stands out as one of the better WiiWare titles available to buy, but it isn’t an absolute must-have. Cute visuals and a quirky style accompany this entertaining if somewhat shallow game.

There is certainly a place for more interactive titles such as Dear Esther when cleverly executed; one great example was the Super 8 interactive teaser included with Portal 2, offering a short but intriguing teaser that promoted the movie in a way that had previously never been attempted. As a standalone title that sells for the same price as other games that provide ambiance without skimping on gameplay, it's a much tougher sell. Still, it's a sell that anyone looking for a potentially soul-lifting experience should consider making.

In a lot of ways, Twisty Planets is a fantastic puzzle game.

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.

Edna and Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes is an odd game with an even odder sense of humour. There's a definite Python-esque feel to its jokes, with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments that you won't see coming. Unfortunately, it's held back by some poor puzzle design that dragged out the story longer than it needs to. It's still worth playing, but these flaws really hold it back from being anything more than a one-time playthrough.

Overall the story never really grabbed me and seems underdeveloped but it’s a not a story driven game, it’s a game driven by gold and exploration. This game is a great port and one I would recommend any switch owner pick up as it’s fun to play. The great things is Steamworld Dig 2 is already on Switch so you can go pick that one up straight after you finished the first one.