Neon Chrome certainly has its charms, and it can be a lot of fun, especially if you bring some friends along. At the same time, I feel like there’s a lot of missed opportunity here.

Those looking for a taste of the old-school shmups of yore will quite simply be in bullet heaven with this little gem.

Anima is not that engaging at all because of that overreach, and it’s stressful because I really did want to enjoy this. But the games it tries to be like; titles like Nier and Dark Souls, are unforgettable, potent, important titles. I should not be forgetting almost everything about a game that aspires to that level of greatness. But in this case I did just that.

While Shadow Blade: Reload may not re-invent the platformer genre, it is both pretty to look at and fun to play. With multiple stages, collectables, difficulties, and challenges there’s more than enough ninja action to keep Kuro busy for a while.

What Somi has achieved in creating Retsnom all by himself is remarkable. It’s just a shame that the frustrating puzzle design and brutal level of difficulty will, I imagine, prevent most people from being able to experience the full weight of what it has to offer.

The Atelier games are smarter than almost anyone gives them credit for, and Atelier Sophie is no different. The gentle coming of age narrative, coupled with the pastoral setting and likable ensemble cast, make for a very fine start to a new trilogy (we assume) in Gust’s marquee franchise.

Crazy Strike Bowling is a fun little game but with a lack of features and online play, it's hard to recommend.

Plague Inc. was one of the better, more interesting and more important strategy games on mobile devices, and it is, likewise, one of the more interesting and important strategy games on console.

By licensed game standards Platinum has been able to use its "Bayonetta framework" to deliver a fine iteration of a classic franchise. What is unfortunate is that all it needed was some more time. Ultimately, all that's wrong with Mutants in Manhattan was that it couldn't meet Platinum's own stratospheric standards.

Gryphon Knight Epic might not be the most mechanically sound shooter to hit the PlayStation 4, but its raw ideas are abundant. It’s a humble game that somehow manages to stand out in the face of competition of all eras and styles, from R-Type to Mamorukun Curse. Players out of the loop with shoot ‘em ups won’t necessarily appreciate the adjustments its deviations from the formula, but there’s enough here for the game to take to the sky like the titular gryphon.

The gameplay loop is truly satisfying. Realistically all I was going into Dungeons 2 with was the hope that I would get something vaguely reminiscent of Dungeon Keeper on my PlayStation 4, and I wasn’t disappointed there by any means. I can’t see myself pulling this one up quite as often as I do the other two Kalypso games I have on my PS4 – Tropico 5 and Grand Ages: Medieval, but by the same token I don’t regret my time spent with this in the slightest.

If you were a fan of the original game, this one does enough to justify giving it another play through. If you missed Odin Sphere the first time around, then this is a great introduction that is also easy to recommend.

The problem is that the game all-but mandates that you buy into the microtransactions, because otherwise progress is so incredibly slow that you’ll get bored well before you get anywhere.

Warhammer convincingly teleports you into a fantasy universe where those miniatures that you used to spend weeks and months painting in anticipating of grand tabletop wargaming are able to come to life.

Unfortunately the game’s a bit of a mess, with baffling AI at times (especially from your partner, who loves getting herself in trouble), and the freeze time mechanic having the habit of failing in the heat of something significant going on. The plot also ends up being a bit of a fizzer, making this a noble, though ultimately futile, effort in the stealth genre.

One of the highest quality board games on the iPad. Pathfinder fans are probably itching for a ‘real’ game, in the vein of Dragon Age, but in the meantime, this is a good start to the digital side of the IP.

What Rayark does so well is emulate the experience of playing a musical instrument. VOEZ isn’t easy, and the icons flow in quick and furious, but as you master each track, your fingers start flowing across the screen, and the experience is pure, visceral elegance. Supported by a stellar soundtrack that has some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a rhythm game, VOEZ is essential stuff.

Definitely take the time to appreciate Project CARS for what it is, as it’s a great game, made even greater with the additional GOTY content.

Overwatch is not typically my kind of game. Not by any measure. But the fact that I’ve been having so much fun with it that I’ve been playing it over some other games that I worship (but can’t quite mention yet) is testament to just how well Blizzard has done with this one. Bravo guys – someone has finally created a shooter I care about enough to actually want to play after finishing the review.

It doesn’t feel like it was made as a game to be enjoyed, it feels like it was a game that was made to be experienced.

Nordic Games recently acquired the rights to Titan Quest, and if this port is the publisher’s way of putting the feelers out to see if there’s commercial potential in the franchise, I hope it’s a success, because a return of Titan Quest would be welcome stuff indeed.

The tactical turn based action lends itself well to the free-to-play strengths, in collecting characters and then grinding them up to become powerful. Set against the quality, albeit generic story background, what we’ve got here is a full-featured and lengthy tactics RPG to make those train trips that much more bearable.

Still, Mandie Manzano Jigsaw Puzzle Art is the best jigsaw game I’ve come across. The art is beautiful, the design and interface of the game is elegant, and the music is nicely laid back and peaceful, which has certainly helped me zone out a couple of times since starting to play it.

In the end, Perfect Universe is a multiplayer party game that lets itself down by throwing mechanics at the player that are far too complex for their own good.

The nature of the game’s narrative development means it has a healthy respect for the surreal, and while it’s a downbeat narrative, it’s a rewarding and valuable one.

Ultimately The Sun and Moon just isn’t unique enough that it justifies sitting through the poor presentation. Puzzle games are dime a dozen on every platform out there.

The level design tends to be quite bland, too – unique mechanic aside you’re played what this kind of game is offering in some way before. But still, it’s good, clean, light-hearted fun.

As a fan of Scrabble, Boggle, and other word games, this is a nice alternative for when I can't get some friends around to play one of the board games.

That Inks is a beautiful, elegant, and classy game is undeniable. That it’s a surprisingly creative outlet and is fun to play around with just to make patterns in the ink is a nice bonus, but as a game, this one is sadly lacking.

That the developers really struggled to explore the concept in any meaningful depth is disappointing, but nonetheless, Shadow of the Beast is ultimately worthwhile.

There are some great ideas at the core of this though, and it would have been nice to see how they shaped up with a bit more direction and some extra time in the oven.

Like I said at the start, The Park is an absolutely terrifying game, but what’s continued to haunt me about it long after I’ve put the controller down isn’t Chad the Chipmunk, or the Bogeyman, or the Witch – it’s how distressing and real the game and its themes are once you peel back those monster story trappings.

People will be talking about the first two Doom games for decades more – those two games may well be remembered as true classics of the gaming medium a century down the track. This Doom won’t. This new Doom is terrible...Like the greedy organisation that unleashes hell on Mars, this is the product of exploitation; the developers at ID Software and Bethesda are playing with fire in treating a property as valuable as Doom this way.

I found it challenging, but rewarding, vibrant and dynamic without being beyond my skillset. I don’t necessarily understand – nor agree – with people criticising the game for trying to be a streamlined dogfight simulation, but at the same time I don’t think this game has nearly done enough to push it forward.

The formula here is excellent and the inescapable hardships of being a leader making the tough choices gave me a real sense of ownership over the duration of the game. If you enjoy a weighty narrative and a challenging turn-based strategy system, there is no reason not to give this Nordic themed title a chance.

If you're into the 80's neon-filled culture and new wave music, then Neon Chrome might just very well be the perfect little game to play over the weekend.

I cannot in recent memory think of a game that has moved me as much as Ori and the Blind Forest has. The art style, soundtrack and design of the game are all breathtakingly beautiful. On their own they stand strong, telling the story of the forest and its destruction in a way that is more powerful than a text prelude could ever be. Together, they combine into something that feeds off each other to create one incredible game experience.

Valkyria Chronicles is, simply, one of the best tactical games you’ll ever play. It’s serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s emotionally compelling while never losing sight of the fact it’s also a game. It’s a popular and well-regarded game that, for whatever reason, people simply don’t talk about it enough. Hopefully with this PlayStation 4 release that will change.

Tamsoft went into this one with a clear brief to do something heavily fanservicey, and even by comparison to its work on Action Unleashed, MegaTagmension certainly achieves that.

Seeing as the game is free to play however, if you have any interest in the genre at all, there is no reason not to give Duelyst a try and see if its distinctive stylings suit you or not.

Blues and Bullets is without a doubt the most true, and also most effective, crime noir game we have to date, with a masterful understanding of the themes and visual motifs that comprise a noir tale, and an understanding on how to work within those without being clichéd or trite.

Even without the multiplayer, however, Battle Worlds Kronos is a unique, deep, and rich tactical strategy game. It’s not something I ever expected to see on my home consoles, but it’s nice to see, because as much as I like my wargames, I really do prefer to kick back in front of the TV when I’m in the mood to play games.

In terms of giving the fans what they want, I’m certain Naughty Dog has nailed every part of the brief that it was given. Uncharted 4 shows a truly masterful eye for detail and is near perfect in mechanical execution. It’s also presented with cinematic brilliance. My issues with the game are less about it in isolation than it as representative to the broader AAA-blockbuster space. I am increasingly uncomfortable with the superficiality of these games, and the way that they work so hard to hide just how passive you are as a participant.

Overall it's hard to recommend this game as it feels unpolished and very repetitive.

Severed is a great game with a lot of depth that will have you thinking about it for a long time to come.

If the RPG mechanics are your main attraction, you’ll probably be disappointed, but as an experiment in choice-driven narratives, Stories is clever, impressive, and well worth a look.

Platforming is tight and varied, and the plot matches the lighthearted tone of the rest of the game. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is a spirited little game, and by far the best 2D platformer on the PlayStation 4 to date.

In other words, it’s a RTS game without any strategy, and a town building simulator with endless timers to deal with.

It’s a good game, with some clever, creative puzzle design that takes the Lemmings-like inspiration for the series about as far as it would be possible to push it, and all those different amiibo special abilities do give a lot of variety to the puzzles, but it’s little nasty for Nintendo to hold back a full experience unless you’ve got over a hundred dollars worth of toys.

Apestorm isn’t a classic game by any means, but it’s a well constructed and visually striking little time waster – something that’s unfortunately a dime a dozen on mobile app stores these days.

Disney Magical Dice isn’t quite the immediately addictive experience that its Crossy Road predecessor is, but it is still a highly entertaining little mobile game, and it’s really difficult to resist that Disney magic.

With fantastic visuals and a sleek sci-fi setting that brings to mind the world of Mass Effect, The Collider 2 is as visually impressive as it is in its gameplay.

Ultimately I don’t think this will be remembered as a classic, and it doesn’t need to be; what Housemarque has created is a bit of fun with friends around, no more, and no less.

Western Press is a tiny game and it even requests its audience to “lower your expectations”, but it still manages to do a lot of things right.

This is a breathlessly creative and fundamentally interesting game, and it, along with Stranger of Sword City, cements the developer as one of my favourites out there at the moment.

Taken on its own, this may be one of the most important games created in terms of historical significance, and in blending life events, narrative and cultural immersion, captures the essential truth of the human experience.

Kemco produces JRPGs on a budget that are designed to give people a momentary throwback to the 16-bit era of the genre, and while I don't expect anything mind blowing when I do go into these games, I find things this soulless and unimaginative very, very trying indeed.

But, again, I found the soul of Langrisser to be well and truly in the right place, and while I don’t believe it is a classic game, I also don’t believe for a moment that it deserves the commentary it has been getting to date.

It's not perfect. Matt Duchene Hockey Classic is badly let down by a complete lack of difficulty. Even on "Pro" difficulty, I was scoring easily after just a couple of minutes play, and the opposing AI hardly put up a challenge. This severely limits its replay value. Severely.

There's also something to be said about the presentation. Combat plays out through an appealing Dragon Quest-like perspective. Environments are simple, but interesting. The music is often quite enjoyable. Justice Chronicles isn't by any means a classic game, but by Kemco's workmanlike approach to the genre, it's one of the more playable ones.

These tables are so beautifully designed with all kinds of challenging scoring opportunities.

There's a consistency to the world design that is immensely pleasing, and it's easy to get lost within it for hours at a time. If the mark of a good RPG is a believable and vibrant world, in which progress to the next wonder is a reward in itself, then 7 Mages is a very, very good RPG indeed.

By itself, Quantum Break wouldn’t have been as successful as it is. The gameplay is not strong enough to stand alone. But in collaboration with the TV series, the stunning cast, the script, the set and character design all work so well together that it elevates Quantum Break for just an interactive experience to an interactive collective.

Risk of Rain makes an effort to critique the one-man-army story, by tossing around the idea that maybe, just maybe, the survivor isn’t the hero we assume them to be. It’s not the most nuanced criticism, but it’s still an important one, and the element of solitude is a key component of that.

Sega 3D Classics Collection doesn’t have the finest selection of mainstream hits Sega could have assembled, but that curious nature is precisely what makes it so special. Had only the most beloved fan-favourites been given the 3D makeover, I simply wouldn't have walked away with the same sense of awe.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is good fun, but ultimately it’s too shallow and simple to be anything but a passing diversion.

A lack of complexity holds back the game’s replay value and competitive edge, but the sense of style more than makes up for it.

Though there’s less direct threat when compared to more mainstream horror titles, there’s an intensity to that environment that helps to create a wonderfully sinister atmosphere. It’s not an essential horror game, but it’s a genuinely ripping yarn.

The basic mechanics are all there, and though the game features bigheaded anime-like characters and super shots and the like, it has got a focus on the three key techniques of beach volleyball; a need to time ball strikes well, a need to position spikes as close to the net as possible, and the need to be able to hit gaps in the court with those spikes...It’s not perfect, of course. There’s very little content beyond playing teams of increasing difficulty, and earning points to level up your own characters.

But there’s not a single picture in the dozens and dozens of puzzles the game boasts that you’ll actually want to put together. Universally the pictures look like the developer got colour-by-number books, filled them in, and scanned them into the game.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, and Disney Crossy Road adds a whole lot to the package to make it a much more comprehensive game.

Wayward characterisation, however, Aegis is genuine fun, and a genuine twist on a very staid genre.

It’s a smart, genuine little game, with soul and a story to tell, and wraps it within one of the best examples we’ve seen to date of serenity as a play concept.

Ratchet & Clank is a return to form for the series.

Every single locale in the trilogy feels like it deserves a full game in its own right but just as I started to get immersed the story would be over and I would be whisked into a completely different historical period. Long time series fans will still find some enjoyment in the solid stealth platforming mechanics but that’s only if they face the fact that these games are Assassin’s Creed titles in name only.

There was no reason Story Mode couldn’t be a wonderful extension of the Minecraft world, but instead all it succeeds at is pushing me away. After this experience, my desire to play any other Telltale game has gone from high to non-existent.

Explicit narrative aside, I found Stranger of Sword City to be a real winner of a dungeon crawler.

Republique is also utterly beautiful, and coming to the PlayStation 4 as a complete package, rather than the chapter structure it adopted for the iPad release, is greatly welcome. This way, it is a complete package, this game is a chunky, lengthy experience that will last you for quite some time to come.

There's nothing overly serious about Stikbold, and that is where most of the charm comes from. For a game that is nominally about Dodgeball I was overly impressed with how the developers were able to keep the experience fresh and comedic throughout.

Chronicles of Teddy is a pretty cool game. The reward of discovery is well worth the trip, and with some tweaks here and there, Chronicles of Teddy could have been one of the best releases of 2016. As it stands, it is still a gorgeous title worthy of your time.

The problem that Total Wars: Battles faces is that it is just far too aggressive in demanding players cough over real money or be content with a snail’s crawl of a game. And this, it’s difficult to keep the momentum going after those spectacular early impressions.

The biggest developers out there would be hesitant to try and take on such a task as emulating one of the most distinctive approaches to game design, and to do something different with it, to boot. That Salt & Sanctuary mostly succeeds at that goal is just so incredibly impressive.

The problem McDroid has is that it really doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t actually experienced in a game before, and for a while now the consensus seems to be that people are bored with the tower defence genre.

With nothing to do other than explore and combat enemies, the fact that both systems are insultingly simple means that Fairune has no value, whatsoever.

Candlelight isn't a long game but it kept me entranced throughout the entire playthrough. It's a fantastic example of a simple idea executed very well, with extra effort spent in ensuring the player will have a good time. This isn't a game which you will get excited about - but in some ways it's even better than that. This is a game that you can get comfortable with, that will help you relax, and will make you look at platformers in a new way.

Xblaze isn't the team at its best, but I suspect that the quality of the visual novels that the team does produce will only improve from here.

While there is not a ton of content, there is more than enough to keep a racer busy and the quality of said content is spectacular.

Hyrule Warriors Legends isn’t as technically impressive as the original release on the Wii U, but it stands out as a true highlight among portable Warriors games.

It's a far more streamlined experience compared to the Civilization games on PC, and that makes it good as a light hearted pick-up-and-play strategy game that doesn't degenerate into free-to-play monetisation nonsense. The only downside on the Vita is that it looks terrible, with low resolution units and environments when compared to the glistening art style that we see on the iPad release.

My only recommendation is that if you're coming to this looking for multiplayer fun, consider buying copies for friends too, because from day one the community for the game has been fairly limited.

The presentation is charming and the power ups are fun to use. The problem is, of course, that it's not necessarily a game that you're going to want to play on consoles.

Modern board game design greatly de-emphasises the importance of dice rolls in favour of systems that are more predictable and strategic, and I've got to say that I much prefer this brave new world of strategy over luck that we have in our board games now.

A truly classy, inventive game.

What I will say is that Dark Souls III has to be the end of the Souls series. This franchise sits so very close to tipping over that edge to a complacency that can easily be seen as mediocrity.

The lack of overall options and content creates a shallow feeling that EA Sports UFC 2 can never quite shake.

Trackmania: Turbo is a beautiful game that tries to set itself apart from the pack. It's definitely better than most, and it’s clear that Nadeo have become rather accustomed to making these games. As the first TrackMania to make its way onto the PlayStation 4, I do recommend it if it is your genre of choice. But note that, thanks to the uninteresting campaign track designs, how long the game can hold your attention for is definitely proportionate to how much time you might be willing to pour into the track editor.

For my part I really appreciate what Idea Factory has achieved with this game, and, while the theme is quite dark, it’s presented in that same bright and cheerful, satirical space that we’re so used to with this developer/ publisher that it’s charming and irreverent. It’s always nice to play games like that.

The game is evolving, which is a great thing for a title like this that has some MMO elements and will live or die with the kind of online community it can put together. More often than not, I enjoyed my time with Kingdom Wars 2: Battles. It has some rough edges and there is clearly room to improve, but what is there has more innovation than the first hour or two with the title might suggest and I found myself having more fun with it than I have with most other RTS games of late.