The game is about as long as a movie, making it short at three or so hours in length, but I enjoyed the ride. The gameplay is a tad weak due to the puzzles being very easy to figure out, but realistically you are in this one purely for the storytelling. Also, the game has a satisfying ending which a lot of games seem to be lacking these days.

While I certainly respect Minecraft, I prefer Dragon Quest Builders. It doesn’t offer the sheer depth that Minecraft does, of course, and there will be no “educational edition” of the game being sold into schools, as there is with Minecraft. What it is, however, is a down-to-earth and genuinely entertaining little game that shares far, far more in common with its JRPG roots than even the game itself wants to admit. And as a long-suffering Dragon Quest fan, that makes Builders special indeed.

An RPG that is more about building an army and then leading it into battle is in many ways so much more interesting than an RPG where you’re in control of a one-man army and in pursuit of personal power. I only hope that the release of this game, now, means that there is more Mount & Blade coming, because there really is nothing else like it out there.

Gears of War 4 is the best game in the series so far with more likable characters and a better and more well-written story. The story of friendship and family fits well with the summer blockbuster style that the series has always strived for. Full of action, some humour and maybe even a few scares thrown in with the mix, more than anything else it looks like The Coalition is determined to mature the Gears franchise, and that is hardly a bad thing at all.

The ultimate success story is that Bandai Namco can take Pac-Man as it is in its basic form and still find amazing new, and very modern, ways to apply that formula.

That little technical niggle aside, Virginia is a fantastic piece of interactive fiction, and a fantastic videogame. It’s rare to see a game that truly innovates on the way a story can be told through this medium, and to have something that doesn’t only push those boundaries but does so this effectively is a real treat.

Works because the game tickles our minds based on a time when our imaginations were their most fertile: childhood. I know my toys often waged large-scale war with one another all over the living room and this game captures that in its level and character design as well as the central narrative revolving around a young boy and his nightmares.

The best books, movies and video games try to make you feel something, and to that end Event[0] is an interesting experiment and a worthwhile experience that stands out as very unique game despite its humble roots.

There’s something for every sports game fan in there, and the overall package is of immense overall value. The problem EA has is that in trying to supply an ever-growing range of tastes, what its adding to the package for existing fans, who already have preferred gameplay modes, is really quite limited.

Even in comparison to some of the previous Hyperdimension games, which seemed quite determined to mix in some serious messaging amoung the silliness, this latest title simply cuts itself free, and the writers clearly relished that freedom. For all that I was left thoroughly entertained throughout.

I hope the next Ace Attorney game has more structure in its overarching narrative and the developers actually have the cases flow naturally from one to the next. Even with its flaws, Spirit of Justice is good fun, through, and another quality example of a narrative from the ever-growing stable of visual novels we are now getting translated into English.

While I don’t think Criminal Girls 2 goes anywhere near far enough to be the extreme Sadean experience that it clearly wants to be, at least we have a game that achieves something down that path. Art needs extreme experiences, and genuinely extreme experiences (aside from those laden with gore) are rare indeed in this industry. Kudos to NISA for not only taking a chance on the first Criminal Girls, but backing up its faith that people do appreciate this kind of experience by localising the second too.

The focus in Claire however will always be the narrative, and it’s that aspect where the game shines brightest. While the gameplay and production values appear weak at first, it’s refreshing when all the design choices can be justified through the story and work in favour of it. Claire: Extended Cut is a great experience which really takes the issues of trauma and guilt seriously. While Hailstorm Games does at times get carried away with moralising, the overall story is effective and comes with enough twists and turns to cover the admission price.

NHL 17 is a very good game of hockey that has not really grown much since last year. Tweaks and improvements are there, certainly nothing feels worse about the title than last season, but there is still room to innovate.

It could be argued that this is more of an incremental improvement over the second Forza Horizon game because the overall formula is not drastically different from what has come before. However, almost every single aspect from the changing weather and gameplay tweaks provide an improved experience that makes the exploration of virtual Australia an absolute joy.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst is a great mission based action experience. It’s the added narrative and characterisation that makes it more than just another Monster Hunter-like grindfest for better equipment to take on bigger monsters with. They even provide sunglasses, so you get to look cool while doing it all.

Bioshock: The Collection takes three good to great games and does right by them by providing excellent visuals and all of the extra content for those who want to get even more out of the experience. It is surprising just how well the series holds up today - a testament to the original game design. More than that however, the atmosphere of Bioshock remains strong today and is enhanced by the visual upgrades this collection provides.

Say what you want about Dear Esther, but The Chinese Room really know how to respect its legacy. Almost a half decade on since it first saw light as a Half Life 2 mod, Dear Esther has captured the hearts and minds of players, effectively started a genre and polarised the gaming community perhaps irreversibly. And the developers absolutely know this as they relentlessly justify their artistic choices in the commentary. This game is rich and thought provoking in its design, hiding its depth behind simplicity. It deserves an hour of your time.

At the very least, Four Sided Fantasy is a welcome addition to the flourishing pool of indie puzzle platformers, and is yet more proof that there’s still plenty of life left in the genre.

Thankfully, this is a remaster of one of Square Enix’s all time classics, and it’s not arrogance from the developers at all in crafting a game that will take over 100 hours to complete. It’s a simple, and entirely appropriate confidence in the quality of the work that led the developers to craft such a lengthy quest back in 2000, and it remains every bit as worthy today.

Ember is a fun little game, which sits nicely on mobile to help while away long commutes without pop-ups asking for you to spend money on in-app purchases every few minutes. On the other hand, if you've got an iPhone you've got access to Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and if you've got an iPad there's also the Spiderweb Software titles. Sadly, Ember's a distant aspirant to those games.

Mother Russia Bleeds is a solid debut for Le Cartel Studio. The production is top-notch and the soundtrack is arguably one of this year's absolute finest. It's crystal clear from the onset that the game was born to be wild. It's the culmination of walls gone soft after repeated exposure to drone music and the countless hours spent playing arcade classics. It's a heavy metal game for the most hardcore, and while there's more style than substance to a lot of it, I doubt the fans of that style are going to care in the slightest.

Just like Trails of Cold Steel before it, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is an excellent game, and a fitting second act after the first game’s exquisite setup. I can’t recommend it highly enough – just make sure you play Cold Steel first, otherwise you’ll miss so much of what this game has to offer.

A limited game that fails to do justice to its source material. That’s not to say that the game has no value, because it is decent fun in multiplayer for short sessions, but lacking the atmosphere and narrative as it is, as well as any kind of balance to make it viable for single player play, means it’s one that is going to be forgotten within months.

It isn’t just a rare example of a fantastic anime game but feels like a re-imagining that is, in some respects, superior to the source material. Poignant and dense, Mandatory Happiness is a game that will require additional runs to absorb but only one to be endlessly captivated.

The experience might feel a little unusual to people who are less familiar with the kind of strategy games that were previously exclusive to PCs, but I strongly recommend that people take the time to adjust to what Star Hammer offers, because once it gets its hooks in, it’s unbelievably rewarding.

All signs point towards this being the most successful World of Warcraft expansion in years, which might just be what the franchise needed.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain does enough with modern technology to update the experience and make it both fresh and familiar, which is not an easy task. However, by adhering so closely to the source material and old school conventions, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain will inevitably rub some people the wrong way due to uneven difficulty and some unfair demises that seem harsh when compared to something like the Souls titles, which are renowned for their challenges but also for their fairness in teaching you how to play the game better.