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.

Armed Seven is a worthy genre piece. It is an easy recommend for any shmup fan out there, and though its short length may turn some off (it only has six levels), the brutal, merciless nature of the game, and the robust controls should be more than entertaining enough to encourage you to come back to try to master at least one combination of weapons.

There's a lot to like about White Night, if for no other reason than it genuinely is different and these is real potential for this to spin out into a franchise if the development team can do a better job of rationalising the noir elements and figuring out the solution to a frustrating Easter egg hunt in the dark. The underlying vision alone makes it worth a look, but it's not going to be quite remembered as the same innovative experience as those pioneering horror games it references back to.

While the basic premise is a simple one, it is the added elements such as the day and night transitions, defense building, RPG-like elements and that online leaderboard that makes Over 9000 Zombies quite the enjoyable arcade game.

DmC might have been better received had it been built under a different name - at the very least it might have escaped some scrutiny from fans of the original games. That being said, what DmC does provide works well and this latest iteration is the best reason to give the game a chance if you have not yet done so.

If there was any justice in the world a game like Atelier Shallie would be considered in the same breath as the latest Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or the Souls game. Because it is that good.

Nippon Ichi has provided yet another reason to keep the PlayStation 3 active under the television.

A Druid’s Duel was a very intense experience that had me growl like a grizzly more than once as a single mistake would be enough for the opponent to take me down. Overall, A Druid’s Duel is a solid and attractive experience that tactics strategy fans will find themselves losing themselves in for hours at a time.

The Vita has, much like the PSP before it, become a great home to offbeat JRPG experiences. Oreshika expertly blends a simulation experience with JRPG elements to create an entertaining experience with a few rough edges around the exploration and storyline. It has a unique flavour worth investing time into.

Flame Over is refreshing. It has a clever twist on the roguelike by introducing the fire as the primary enemy, that is by far the most engaging aspect of the game. It feels real, it spreads, it’s alive. The first few stages do get repetitive, and it isn’t long before you start seeing the same rooms, as is standard for the genre, but it’s well worth the adventure.

Without the kind of narrative depth that has me cracking out the history books (as I did with Hakuoki) or heading over to the philosophy section of the library (Danganronpa), Tokyo Twilight ends up being a little too simple and teen anime for its own good. That being said, it's harmless fun, and with an enormously creative and enjoyable combat system, as well as plenty of content, it's still a very worthwhile game.

David is easy on both your time and your wallet so it’s not an immediate write-off. There are still some excellent ideas hidden away which might be worth your time though, as long as you don’t go in expecting Shadow of the Colossus.

Helldivers offers plenty of challenges and a great excuse to play with others, and that is when the game is at its best. There is a nice campaign built around the carnage that offers a sense of accomplishment, too, that makes the difficulty worthwhile.