Mini Ninjas has a unique approach to microtransactions, but finicky collision detection brings down what is otherwise a fairly average 2D infinite runner game.

With endless runners typically pushing to be the fastest and most challenging games in the genre, Buddy & Me takes the exact opposite approach, and should appeal to a new audience looking for a more serene experience.

To the game's credit, the new visual style is the best that the original Contra has ever looked. Had Contra: Evolution been released as a downloadable game on a console or handheld with proper buttons, it might actually be a decent game. But Contra: Evolution is not a decent game. It isn't even close.

The upside is that the rebalanced difficulty makes Trials Frontier the perfect entry point for new players, but series veterans will have to keep waiting to get their full Trials fix on a smartphone.

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.

Perhaps it shouldn't come as such a surprise, though, that a once-praised game inspired by minimalism would falter so completely after being heavily built upon and expanded.

The enhanced visuals and local and online co-operative multiplayer are welcome additions, but everything else feels a little bit outdated, with a distinct lack of variety in enemies and objectives in particular making the levels bland and monotonous by today's standards.

Unfortunately, the randomly changing target sums really bring the whole experience down, making Koozac a mediocre number puzzle good for a few rounds before being completely forgotten.

Enjoyable multiplayer modes are only worth so much when backed by a paltry single player campaign, but taking the budget price tag into account, we can think of worse Christmas stocking-fillers for fans of the series of the tower defense genre.

Ubisoft Montreal has paid close attention to both the Tintin licence and its target market, meaning the game actually just about works. The action is hugely linear and the level design basic, yet the campaign is also engaging to play through, mixing platforming, combat and vehicle sections in a reasonably decent narrative.

It's a stylish game with fun platforming, smooth combat and mostly good stealthy bits - and a definite improvement on its underwhelming predecessor.

There is absolutely no way to obtain more health potions without paying up or waiting until the next day, making the game either impossible to progress in or very expensive very quickly. Either way, it's a broken design and should not be played by anyone with respect for their own time.

It feels like a missed opportunity, arriving a couple of years too late to take full advantage of Beth Harmon's popularity and the mass numbers of new players that came from that. But even if the release were more timely, as a learning tool it falls significantly short, lacking a clear enough vision in its puzzles and features to steer players in the right direction.

Out of the three, we'd recommend 'The Redemption' over the previous episodes - and you don't need to purchase the other two to play it - but ultimately, the series fails to live up to its promising premise.

'The Dark Below' has its moments, but it's ultimately an underwhelming and frustrating update. The Crucible maps are a pleasant surprise, and the Raid is excellent, but the story missions and Strike are short lived and more of the same.

Lemmings Touch stays true to its roots and is a great fit for the PlayStation Vita, lending it enough charm and appeal to strike a chord with long-time fans and newcomers alike.

While utterly unlike the original game in any discernible way, Zaxxon Escape makes for a fun ride in its own right as the speed increases every second you survive.

Jelly Splash is quite the fun puzzler thanks to level variety and its strategic turn limits, making it well worth a download even for fans who have grown tired of match-3 puzzle games.

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.

It's by no means a bad game, but it's hard to say it ever drags itself out of mediocrity. Yet at the same time it's an experience that's hard not to recommend.

It's still not an easy game overall. The levels are filled with flying blades and spikes that pop out of every angle, but the retooled combat makes for a notably more accessible experience. New players won't quite get to experience the classic sequel as it was intended, but they will get to do something the average player in 1993 couldn't do: finish the game.

Without the guardian units, Blade Guardian would be a fairly generic entry in the tower defense genre. With their inclusion, the game becomes more interesting, but they are arguably more trouble than they are worth, making Blade Guardian difficult to recommend except to the most stalwart strategy fan.

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.

With controller in hand and one bird left in your arsenal, eliminating that final elusive pig as satisfying as ever. Combined with rich, colourful visuals and bucketload of content, Angry Birds Trilogy is an attractive prospect. Unfortunately, however, poorly implemented Kinect controls and a hefty price tag means that while Angry Birds Trilogy offers the same addictive gameplay experience, players are better suited sticking to the touchscreen originals.

Unfortunately, Demons' Score is marred by some unforgivable issues. Most notable is the repetition, which has you playing through the exact same song and tap sequence dozens of times to reach each of the more entertaining boss encounters.

Flashout 2's multiplayer offerings carry the experience, while the solo campaign races feel just a little too artificial to satisfy speed jockeys.

So who is F1 2014 aimed at exactly? Well, with a 'very easy' difficulty setting, more forgiving handling (unless you turn assists off) and shorter, customised race weekends, F1 2014 is probably the most accessible iteration yet.

Mafia 3 has one of the best soundtracks in any game ever and is good in brief stabs, but it's difficult to recommend when its rays of mafioso sunshine are buried beneath poor mission design, repetitive action and forgettable bloat.