While I was very late to the Borderlands party, this "HD Remaster" of the two later games in the series have converted me to the franchise. If the FPS genre moves this way en masse (and we are seeing that happen with the likes of Destiny), then I might just be converted to the whole genre yet.

Plot aside, Reel Fishing is a very specific game for a very specific audience. It's a reasonably casual game, but at the same time it can't be expected to appeal to anyone who doesn't "get" the appeal of fishing. But for people that simply want to toss a lure into the water, then this is a good way to get away from it all for little while, and for an inner city dweller like me, that's a bit of escapism I appreciated a great deal.

A game with much unmet potential. After clearing out the same area for the twentieth time, players will realise just how little effect they have on the gaming environment.

One of the finest iterations in years. While it lacks the outright ambition present in Natsume’s recent interpretation of the franchise, it utterly nails the atmosphere and offers impeccable trimmings that just might win over fans experiencing barnyard burnout.

As a spiritual successor to some of my favourite RPGs of all time, Pillars of Eternity does those games justice with its ultra-traditional story, presentation and mechanics. But I recommend other people check it out as well, as it offers a sprawling world to explore, and a fantastic cast of companions to interact with, making it the perfect example of a retro genre done right.

Paperbound is an incredibly fun game that gives a gravitational spin on the same kind of competitive insanity that inspires Smash Bros. or Towerfall. Its amazingly simple aesthetics work well, and the simple nature of the game means anybody can pick it up and have a crack at it.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D doesn't really belong on the Nintendo 3DS. In fact, Nintendo would have been better off going the other way and doing a "HD" version for the Wii U in the lead up to the next Monolith Software release on that console. But, that aside, this is a classic game, and having that experience on the go is not a bad bonus reason to purchase the New Nintendo 3DS.

With minimal export options, even Art Academy is going to struggle to appear to people as anything more than a bit of gimmicky fun. And Art Academy doesn't have the same interface and functionality issues as this does.

All the levels have the same basic objectives; kill all the goons, destroy all the drugs, and repeat. In later levels the game will add hostages who will get in your way. Killing hostages will understandably lower your score, but have very little value to add to the experience beyond that.

While it’s a slightly limited experience, Vietnam ’65 impresses with its novel mechanics, interesting setting and entertaining gameplay. True innovation is rare in the wargaming world, but this title has it by the Huey-load. And, with its super-budget price, this is one game that all strategy fans can afford to try.

It might not have the stealthy educational value of Minecraft, but Ninjago is a well-produced and clean title, and I'd be able to buy this knowing that my child was going to get enough play out of it to tide them over.

Raid mode returns, and while it’s not as exciting or fast paced as what we saw in previous title's Mercenaries modes, it adds an incredible amount of longevity to the game.

My least favourite in the series so far. I assume it will become a very important part of the narrative, but its highlights are few enough and far enough in between with the promise of more to come that it comes away somewhat less than its predecessors.

Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype is fine as a Vita game. There are better shoot-em-ups out there for the handheld though, and I could only recommend this to the SHMUP diehards. The levels are a tad too long for a handheld game which holds it back somewhat, and unfortunately it doesn't do much to push the genre forward.

Combat aside, Bloodborne is a visionary work by a visionary artist. Intense in both theme and application, it's a gory concession to the tastes of the modern mainstream player, while maintaining the spirit and uncompromising narrative that was the hallmark of the Souls games at their finest. But this is far more consistent in that application than those games, making it From Software's finest work to date.

I genuinely believe this kind of game is something that anyone studying Hamlet should play and should make it part of their extended studies of the play. That's not to say it's not entertaining, because it really is laugh-out-loud funny and working through some of the decision trees gives it a lot of replay value.

The true value of Toukiden, and now Kiwami, is the sheer respect and love for Japanese heritage that drips through its atmosphere.

While it only lasted a handful of hours, The Assignment ended up being a refreshing counterpart to The Evil Within, rather than being labeled as ‘just more of the same’.

Mario Party 10 isn't a classic game, and it certainly does have any meat or lasting value to it beyond being the most casual of party games that you pop out for a quick bash once in a while. But that Amiibo integration is pure gold, and short of Square Enix following up on the Wii's Fortune Street (or Boom Street, depending on where you live), this will be the best digital board game released on the Wii U during its life.

Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 2 - Atlas Mugged was a lot of fun to play. I just wish the wait between episodes was shorter and that the segments themselves had a little more meat to them.

The beautiful design of the game and the interesting way that it handles characterisation and narrative has me looking forward to seeing Book Two with baited breath.

Multiplayer is, of course, the main reason that you buy into a Battlefield game, and it's generally enjoyable, even if it doesn't do anything to revolutionise the genre. However, both Activision and EA, and every other FPS developer that aspires to become the top dog franchise, needs to learn that if they are going to persist in putting single player narratives into their games, then they need to do a far better job.

There is nothing inspiring about Starships. It's an insipid and undercooked strategy game that seems so desperate to appeal to a broad audience that it seems to lost sight of the fact that strategy games are best when they involve some kind of strategy. It's pretty, sure, but it's hard to think of a game more vapid than this one.

Towncraft is a fairly deep town building simulator that never really goes over the line in terms of stressing out the player with deadlines or challenges.

Bladestorm has a unique flavour, and it's one that takes a while to really settle in. But, once you get into its rhythm it has just the right mix of history and fantasy elements so that it does respect to one of the most fascinating periods of historical conflict, while letting you have some fun with it too.

It’s just a shame that the gameplay is so generic.

It's a thematically rich game that more than compensates for the visual weaknesses that are a hold over from the original hardware it was developed for. Throw in a tight and entertaining combat system and you've got a great JRPG for the PlayStation 4 - a genre that is currently in short supply on the platform.

From the opening cut scene through to the various platforming puzzles, Shiftlings feels like more than just a simple platformer with a gimmick. Instead of inserting a joke and then going about the level design like it never happened, here the joke is very integral part of the experience.