The minimalist visuals and soothing sounds of Eliss Infinity hide a deviously challenging and rewarding puzzle game, but those who already played the original Eliss can safely pass on the semi-sequel unless they are desperate to play on an iPad.

Dustforce demands a lot from its players, but the rewards can be just as great for players who get swept up in its challenges.

In the ten years that have followed since its launch on the original Xbox, Fable continues to charm, even though the mission structure, morality system and combat have started to show their age. As such, Fable Anniversary is a fun game to revisit for those with fond memories of breaking wind and booting chickens, but isn't likely to appease modern gamers with more sophisticated tastes.

Whether you can or will survive for long is another matter entirely, but the constant possibility for success keeps players coming back after every failed attempt and sharing their failures with friends for an ever-expanding pool of players.

Bloodstroke is a stylized collection of half-realized ideas that don't quite live up to their potential.

Dungeon Keeper is structured in such a way that you can go several days without making significant progress, and at that point the enjoyable invasions just aren't enough to make the game worthwhile.

Bravely Default's more interesting ideas, particularly the mechanics behind the battle system, breathe some life into a very traditional RPG. However, the game is also let down by its fair share of derivative and less ambitious features. Bravely Default disappointingly wastes a lot of its potential, but Square Enix will get another shot with the already-announced sequel.

A lack of decent bonuses makes the Definitive Edition a hard sell for existing fans, but for newcomers it's a slice of platforming perfection that will make the wait for next-gen blockbusters easier to bear.

The brilliant design used throughout Octodad: Dadliest Catch brings out the absolute best from a bizarre concept that simply needs to be played to be believed.

The iOS port just isn't the remake that the game deserves.

Without combat or much in the way of jump scares, In Fear I Trust is a mobile horror game that works well with the platform to focus on exploration and atmosphere to send a chill down a player's spine.

Suits and Swords has a charming world but its reliance purely on Blackjack holds it back, amounting to a repetitive and often frustrating game.

The developers clearly wanted to pack a lot of variety into the game, and to that end they have succeeded. But all of the variety in the world is meaningless if the controls to play through it are excruciatingly imprecise.

Farm Heroes Saga offers a new scoring system to differentiate itself from Candy Crush Saga, but that new mechanic is ultimately undermined by level goals and pacing that is meant to challenge your wallet more than your mind.

Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition is still an excellent RPG to this day though, so regardless of what platform you play it on, it is an adventure you won't soon forget.

OlliOlli achieves exactly what it set out to by providing a stern test of player's reflexes, with a level of playability that will keep them coming back for more punishment. You'll feel the desire to smash your Vita on some of the more taxing courses, but the urge to get back up on that skateboard for yet another attempt will prevent you from going through with it.

Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD offers a number of improvements over the Vita original, some of which enhance the experience by facilitating smoother gameplay, yet many of the title's weaknesses are amplified on the larger screen.

Of course, that is assuming the second act can satisfactorily tie everything together. Act 1, if played at a relaxed pace while exploring every dialog possibility, is about a three-hour adventure.

Nidhogg is definitely a blast if you have a few friends around, and it's easy to see why it has been hyped up over the last few years.

Ultimately, however, it feels like going on an island tour in a hot and cramped bus that's traveling at 10mph. There are things to see and fun to be had, but only if you're prepared to wait for it.

Joe Danger Infinity doesn't take the series to new heights, but the old daredevil still has plenty of life left in him.

Sadly it is a short-lived experiment, making it a difficult game to whole-heartedly recommend, but those who find relaxation in flashes of psychedelic colors will fall for Simian.Interface's charms.

Archangel is slow to get started, but after gaining some abilities and spells the pace of combat picks up for a satisfying and long-lasting dungeon crawler.

On the surface, Halo: Spartan Assault is a solid twin-stick shooter, much better suited to consoles than mobiles and PC. Ultimately, however, it feels like a mobile game, containing breezy missions that aren't much to look at and provide little in the way of a challenge. Oh, and it costs twice the price to access.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on iOS may suffer compared to versions of the game on other systems, but for kart racers on a smartphone it's one of the best games in town.

Feed Me Oil 2 is a fun and charming puzzle game that won't leave you stuck scratching your head over a solution for hours.

Loot Hero is a short experience, with it possible to reach the dragon in under 10 minutes, but the difficulty increases each playthrough to encourage you to charge through it all again.

While the Ridge Racer series has been rather hit and miss in its last few iterations, Ridge Racer Slipstream feels like a return to form for fans of Namco's careening cars.

No Brakes Valet is fun novelty, but probably not a game that can be played for long stretches of time. In the world of mobile games it's priced a bit on the high end for that though, making it a game best recommended to only the most passionately irreverent players.

Fightback is one of the few brawlers that really takes advantage of touch controls for a unique and satisfying combat system.

Much like the sibling rivalry at its core, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a game of extremes. The game can get so frustrating you'll wish it would just go away, but then on the next puzzle everything works as it should and it becomes difficult not to fall for its charms.

Cut the Rope 2 brings creative new puzzles to the table without losing track of what made the original game so addictive in the first place. With the promise of more worlds on the way, Om Nom fans can happily look to Cut the Rope 2 to help satisfy their appetite for puzzle games.

Republique's first episode is a strong, if somewhat short, introduction to the stealth series that holds a lot of promise, but could still use some refinement before the second episode arrives.

Wii Fit U really does take advantage of the software and hardware available, even if there are a lot of individual devices to keep track of.

Combat and exploration is still enormously satisfying, and the narrative is powerful, but without enough fresh ideas that it can call its own, 'Freedom Cry' feels like too much, too soon.

Ultimately, the only real sin committed by All That Remains is that it's a first episode to the second season rather than a sixth episode to the first season.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on iOS is easily the worst way to experience a game that many people regard as one of the best games ever made.

There is a decent if repetitive kart racer here, but no game could be decent enough to excuse Rovio's tactics of extortion.

Even without the platform versatility of its other versions Skulls of the Shogun is still among the best strategy games to grace iOS, and one that armchair generals shouldn't pass up.

With the game's focus so squarely on collecting character figurines, Heroes of Dragon Age will only really appeal to fans of the series. And once you get going, collecting and leveling up your figurines can become quite addicting. But Dragon Age fans should set their expectations accordingly before playing, because there is still a long wait until the next proper game in the series.

Technically it is possible to complete all of the levels without using any of the power-ups, but with so much of the game based on chance the game is designed to try and make players reliant on power-ups to squeeze a few more dollars from players.The insidious design sours the fun of Papa Pear Saga's vibrant and cheery stages, making it a far wiser investment to just play through Peggle again instead.

Sailing around the ocean and discovering treasure is fun, but the ship battles that make up a majority of the experience wear thin quickly. And with a mostly uninteresting story and thin connections to the Assassin's Creed series proper, Assassin's Creed Pirates is just floating dead in the water.

Though not as experimental or revolutionary as we would have liked, Peggle 2 is as bright, bouncy and brilliant as ever, delivering the same addictive action as its predecessor.

It's not a huge leap forward, and is slightly overshadowed by the launch of next-gen systems, but there's enough content to keep petrolheads busy until the inevitable PS4 sequel.

Perhaps as a tech demo and nothing more, Fighter Within would have raised a smile, but as a full-priced, next-generation it really isn't worth the time or money.

Despite its flaws, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse has a lot to offer avid fans of the series, who will relish the opportunity to play a new installment built on traditional 2D values.

Demon Tribe is actually a fairly deep game for those willing to really explore its maze-like menus, but you'll be fighting against the game to figure out how to play more than fighting against opponents online.

Icycle: On Thin Ice is a game that is at once both silly and poignant, backed up by solid level design that makes it the perfect game to play during the cold winter months.

Games of Tic Tactics end in a draw far less often than your average round of Tic-tac-toe, making matches more exciting as players plan out moves and counter-moves.

Ultimately, however, costing nothing to download, we recommend giving the game a try, because even with a lack of content, Killer Instinct is a fun fighting game that's able to appeal to newcomers and hardcore fighting fans alike.

Killzone: Shadow Fall's multiplayer just about makes it a PS4 launch title worth investigating, as its campaign is either entirely competent, and at the worst very frustrating.

Still, as an alternative to the likes of Forza Motorsport 5, Need for Speed Rivals offers a deep, extensive and enjoyable racing experience that seamlessly flits between single and multiplayer.

Doctor Who: Legacy could have easily just been a quick and easy cash-in on a loyal fanbase, offering a game that's sub-par at best. It has happened before, after all. Instead, fans are treated to engaging and fun puzzle battles featuring most of the characters from the series' more recent history.

FIFA 14's next-gen tweaks and improvements are largely aesthetic, but then this is a title that, barring some balancing issues, was always as close to the beautiful game as virtually possible.

The Shivah: Kosher Edition was overlooked by most players upon its initial release in 2006, but adventure game fans would be making a huge mistake to let that happen a second time to this wonderfully written murder mystery.

Touchgrind Skate 2 is a hard game to get into, with unconventional controls that lend themselves to an unforgiving learning curve. But the reward for overcoming those initial trials is high, and worth all the hardships along the way.

If you can wrestle through the controls though, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is host to imaginative levels, clever camera work and an abundance of Disney charm to keep you happily playing for hours.

Ultimately, however, while there's fun to be had, Ryse: Son of Rome is a little too shallow to conquer the Xbox One's launch lineup.

Knack has its moments, and PlayStation 4 owners starved for something to play on their shiny new console will appreciate that the game actually becomes more fun to play the second time around, allowing it to keep players busy during the several month drought that seems to follow every system launch.

The paper world of Tearaway is a thoroughly original one, loaded with quirk and aesthetic charm. Character animation has a stop-motion look to it, and the result is mesmerising at times.

The number of cars has also been greatly reduced, clocking in around the 200 mark. As only a casual petrolhead, this isn't something that bothered me personally, but it's unlikely to be well received by hardcore fans.

It's platforming perfection, brimming with clever ideas and flawless execution.

Oceanhorn may not be as clever as Nintendo's series in its dungeon designs, and few games are, but the sense of exploration and discovery makes it easy to recommend on its own merits.

At least GT Racing 2 doesn't make you wait for repairs like in other mobile racing sims, but the constant downtime that accompanies upgrades gets in the way of an otherwise smooth ride.

While the core of Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous remains unchanged from the original, the sequel refines the formula to rekindle the addiction all over again.

While Buried at Sea - Episode 1 is well-written, intriguing and presents new questions by the end to tantalisingly set up the last installment, it also doesn't feel like an essential piece of content that enhances BioShock Infinite from a narrative point of view.

Like a shuffling zombie with its eye on a hunk of meat, Capcom has stayed the path, offering a juiced-up Dead Rising experience that benefits from the next-gen hardware's added horsepower.

The series is in need of some lick and polish, but there's more than enough to put a smile of the faces of comic book fans.

Painting over any cracks that were starting to appear in the Zelda series, A Link Between Worlds is a refreshing experience and another Nintendo 3DS masterpiece.

The linear campaign structure is a bit limited compared to the first game's branching missions, but with both American and Japanese campaigns to play through and over 180 missions Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies will keep strategy players coming back again and again.

Rayman Fiesta Run, like its predecessor, sets a new standard for mobile platformers.

Star Wars: Tiny Death Star may be a retread of NimbleBit's past success, but the Star Wars theme is actually done justice here, making it a hard game to pass up.

With the option to learn bass, lead and rhythm guitar out of the box, non-stop custom playlists, and lessons that are broken down into skippable parts,Rocksmith 2014 really does offer something to guitarists of all skill levels.

Azran Legacy adds the right amount of variety to make this final entry feel as fresh as when the series was first introduced, cementing Professor Layton as one of the finest adventure franchises to grace a Nintendo handheld.

As such, Battlefield 4 becomes a game about its online and little else. For most, this isn't a bad thing, but when other games are offering the best both on the web and off, we feel the next Battlefield could do better.

While transforming vehicles don't completely change the game from Anomaly 2's predecessors, it does offer a few new strategic twists on the series' already strong gameplay.

Stack Rabbit offers inventive and fun puzzle matching with a wonderful art style, but can prove too frustrating in its later levels due to a reliance on luck.

Despite an overriding feeling of familiarity, Ghosts is another excellent entry in the Call of Duty series.

When the action is go and events are in full swing, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi Winter Games is a flashy and fun mini-game compilation for all of the family. Like an Olympic athlete with an injury problem, however, it's more likely to be remembered as a game that never quite lived up to its potential.

There is a lot more to The Stanley Parable, but to reveal the many wonderful surprises and twists crammed into the three hours it takes to see just about everything would be foolhardy. So instead, you'll have to trust us. But you'll be hard-pressed to find a funnier and more delightful game than The Stanley Parable this year.

It's not necessarily Batman's finest hour and doesn't move the series forward in any significant way, but it's likely to attract fans the same way that crime attracts Batman.

Dead Trigger 2 already had amazing visuals, and with the refinements to the controls it now plays almost as good as it looks. There is still some tedious grinding and repeated missions, but overall this is a mobile first-person shooter done right.

Infinity Danger is an excellent concept, but the adaptation to a touch screen has not been as smooth a transition as players would hope.

On the smaller iPhone screen the tap-heavy controls can often lead to confusion though, with mis-taps moving when you mean to attack and generally getting you into bad situations during combat. Echo Prime is definitely a game that benefits from the larger iPad screen.

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag isn't perfect, but an intriguing story, great cast of characters and improved stealth gameplay helps steer the series over choppy waters.

Football Manager 2014 is as much about removing the restrictions of past installments as it is about introducing new content.

Top-notch writing, great characters and the ever-present thrills of the courtroom - this is unmistakably an Ace Attorney game.

Like most party games, Wii Party U is a hit-and-miss affair. It features a wide selection of fun, albeit overly familiar mini-games, which are complemented by a decent number of unique and innovative multiplayer experiences. It's hampered by a few frustrating design choices, and the thrills are largely short-lived, but it's still a worthy addition to any party over the festive period.

Suffice it to say though, for puzzle fans Device 6 is hands-down the game that best takes advantage of the iPhone as a gaming platform.

Ultimately, Batman: Arkham Origins is a decent brawler, but is severely lacking in variety as you beat up the same handful of thugs over and over again. If you're looking for a comic book fix, Injustice: Gods Among Us uses the same style of play with a much more robust game to back it up.

Fist of Awesome is an arcade-style brawler in the vein of classics like Double Dragon.

If Vicarious Visions has proven one thing with Skylanders Swap Force, it's that the toy-to-life genre is showing no signs of becoming another ephemeral fad. The game takes the series to a new creative peak without compromising the level of fun and charm that has helped Skylanders attain the status of global phenomenon.

Sonic: Lost World is a fresh and unique take on Sega's mascot that recaptures everything that was great about his 2D adventures, rights the wrongs of his 3D outings, and takes him into uncharted territory.

That said, with heists, race editors and much more still to come, GTA Online has enormous potential, and we wouldn't bet against Rockstar from tapping into every last drop.

Ring Run Circus has a steep learning curve and awkward controls that work against each other for a game that is far more complicated than it probably intended to be.

Each course is admittedly rather short so most players will be able to quickly blast through the game in an afternoon or weekend, but it's hard to fault the bizarre bowling of Rollabear for leaving players wanting more.

Generous checkpoints alleviate some of the control issues, and the unique visual style is almost worth the price of admission on its own, but Type: Rider falls just short of its lofty vision.

As only the first of five episodes, it is difficult to tell how the series will play out and evolve from here. However, The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 - Faith makes a fantastic first impression and has us eagerly awaiting the next chapter of Bigby's story.