Saints Row 2 is a huge improvement over its prequel in every manner, and has successfully carved its own niche in the sandbox crime genre. The co-operative play is almost certainly one of the best such experiences available on consoles, and the sheer variety of things to do in Stilwater is so deliciously satisfying that the technical hitches can be overlooked. It’s so fun, it’s almost criminal.

Each individual piece of the game does not do anything innovative or new, but together it creates an experience that is unmatched even outside of the platform.

Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is an easy recommendation for anyone who loves playing Japanese tactical role-playing games. It has no shame in displaying its inspiration on its sleeve, mainly because it takes that inspiration and wears it proud, refining the gameplay with its own spin on it. With many difficulty options featured here that opens up the genre to many people, there really is no reason to not check out Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark, and with a lovely 32-bit throwback presentation, there is a tasty meal here that is full of heart and love for the genre.

A truly excellent racer that we’ll no doubt still be playing this time next year, this is one Blur that even the Gallaghers would admit to liking.

I really can’t stress enough just how much fun Everybody’s Golf is. From the moment you pick up the controller and start hitting your first ball, you come to understand the charm that the game is filled up with. It’s golf at its purist fun.

Starbound is a game that, after a few hours of play, starts to seem like an instant classic you’ll be revisiting from time to time over the next unknown period of years.

It’s been some time since I’ve enjoyed an NHL game as much as this one – regardless of your interest in hockey, you’ll find that NHL 14 is the best hockey simulator available and a blast to play.

Disgaea 5 Complete certainly appeals more to people who have never played the game over the fans that jumped into it first on PS4. What is great is that nothing is sacrificed on it’s move to Nintendo’s new hybrid system, so those fans who like the idea of playing the game again with a portable aspect will be happy with the transition. For newcomers, what should be known is that Disgaea 5 Complete is a great strategy RPG with some unique features going for it that no other strategy RPG does (e.g. Item World). It also brings deep gameplay, fanatical characters and a silly story that makes Disgaea 5 Complete a fantastic additional to the Switch’s library, filling in a genre that the system doesn’t have at the moment, while being the best version of Disgaea 5.

I think fans of the genre will really appreciate what Live A Live is trying to accomplish with its storytelling variety, even if the battles can become grindy towards the end of the game.

As a first timer to the Mario & Luigi RPGs, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions makes a great impression for the series. I couldn’t tell it was an old game, holding up well with today’s current handheld games, thanks to the enhancements stemming from its sequels. I found being constantly active in battles a change from a lot of mainstream RPGs I’ve played, and the ageless dialogue stands the test of time, due to how well written the adventure is – it truly delights with its humorous, friendly comedy that can generate some real laughter. Unlike Metroid: Samus Returns, I feel Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is more for newcomers to the series rather than existing fans. I’m sure some fans will enjoy the new side content or replaying a better looking Superstar Saga that they haven’t touched for a few years, but for people who have never experienced Superstar Saga, then I whole heartily recommend grabbing your 3DS and picking up this delightfully charming, creative role-playing game.

Splatoon isn’t perfect, but despite the faults it’s a wonderful game, both online and offline.

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?

Packed with content and hilarious multiplayer modes, Trackmania Turbo will entertain for many hours to come, and is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a clever solo or multiplayer arcade racer on consoles.

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

Saints Row 2 is a huge improvement over its prequel in every manner, and has successfully carved its own niche in the sandbox crime genre. The co-operative play is almost certainly one of the best such experiences available on consoles, and the sheer variety of things to do in Stilwater is so deliciously satisfying that the technical hitches can be overlooked. It’s so fun, it’s almost criminal.

Fans will be happy that Phoenix Wright was able to localize it – it really would have been a massive injustice if this game never saw the light of day outside of Japan, as Dual Destinies is up there with the best entries in the franchise.

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.

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.

Ghostrunner has focused itself on bringing a precisely sculpted, fast, action puzzler that wonderfully blends all its design and action with the beautiful visuals and a banging soundtrack. It is challenging, and yes, death will be a plenty, but the developers have done good job in making sure the live, die, repeat nature of the game is as frustratingly free as possible, leaving its well designed mechanics to shine. Ghostrunner is an absolute blast to play, and when everything flows, it flows in such a electrifying manner that there is a euphoric delight in overcoming its challenge. Ghostrunner is not the longest game, but the experience it leaves the player at the end of it is one of great satisfaction.

It may not be the Castlevania as fans know it, but MercurySteam has taken successful mechanics from combat-focused, character action games and blended it with Castlevania’s lore.

Darksiders II is in no way a groundbreaking game. It's not the kind of game that people see has potential and makes a million shameless copies of. It's a game that's realized an old formula and has recreated it well. By doing so, it has made a game legitimately worth playing.

It will be interesting to see what will happen to the Atelier series going forward, now that Ryza’s chapter comes to an end after this entry. The increased presentation and improvements following the first two titles really demonstrated how the trilogy resonated with its audience. Hopefully more care can be put into better streamlining the mechanics and UI elements, as this series just needs a few more polished ingredients to produce a truly high grade experience. In the meantime, this flawed trilogy of games is still worth the appraisal for both old and new school fans of RPGs, or any enthusiast of watching the numbers go up.

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

Treasure Tracker may not bring the near endless innovation seen from a brand new core Mario release, but I do not hold that as a criticism against it. Instead, it manages to be engaging enough to be both compelling and charming in its own unique way – that very much suits it’s titular character.

Even though Episode Five may be a continuous torrent of truly dire situations, it is an experience that demands attention. Intense monologues – both venomous and heartbreaking – are its standout moments. Its clever narrative offers a sense of finality that can fill you with terror, happiness, and heartbreak in equal parts. Thank you for the year that was Life is Strange – it’s been emotional.

There are not many intense and skill-based euphoria moments in video games that feature such great platforming and instant death moments with enemies as the dance that is performed between the player, enemy and the environment of Ghostrunner 2. This is why this game is a great follow-up to Ghostrunner, upholding what made the first a superb game with its wonderful controls and movement while keeping its artistic cyberpunk visuals, but it is a shame that it hiccups with one level that spoils the overall great package.

The end result is okay, but nothing more. Dream Team is not a terrible game.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a fantastic achievement for Telltale Games, the Lego games having been yearly (even bi-yearly) released since 2005 have never really moved forward the franchise, until this iteration and it is a fantastical leap.