While neither its story nor simplistic real-time combat are stuff to write home about, the depth and accessibility when building beautiful cities up from the granular structure of every quarter will keep you highly engaged.

So it's true. One does not simply walk into Mordor. But seeing as we're already here, we might as well pull some Uruk Hai strings, watch a few heads roll and make ourselves at home.

Ball x Pit is an audiovisual onslaught – chaotic, clever, and cathartic. A Breakout for the modern age that proves the simplest ideas often have the longest shelf life.

Easily the best version of the classic sci-fi thriller, which leaves a bit to be desired, though, in terms of transferring controls to modern gamepad standards.

Hiding behind walls and corners with 40 other dudes, while in the thickest of crossfires, helping each other out with health and ammunition, providing covering fire and fighting for every inch of this vast battleground is just unbelievably compelling. And then there's even a case to be made for this game as a metaphor for the pointlessness of war. Planetside 2 is meaningful on so many more levels than other typical free-to-play titles.

Capcom strays from the well-trodden Street Fighter IV path and finds – thanks to the support of the Iron Fist champions – a marvelous new interpretation of the idea of street-fighting.

That´s all there is to it. Touch for slide, touch to land, that is all the interaction, you will find here. Throw in a few sunflowers to bounce of from and some water hazards and you get a game that manages to create an almost perfect flow.

Yes, Forza Motorsport looks and feels great and offers a lot of content. Unfortunately, there is a lack of variety here and there, which ultimately doesn't detract from the fun on the track. For me, there is still a lack of a certain something that really rounds everything off. So, for the time being, you are left with the impression that you are already getting a very good launch version, but that its full potential will only unfold at some point when all the DLCs and other content have been released.

Assassin's Creed 3 is a fitting end for the series and - to an extent - this generation of consoles as a whole. The characters and story are the strongest yet, but at the same time the game comes with all of the franchise's well-known strengths and weaknesses. So, even though this might just be the perfect finale, the next generation of assassins definitely will have to be more willing to refine the series' systems from the ground up. Then we'll happily listen to their brilliant stories some more.

If you are longing for a final goodbye with some of your favourite characters of this series, you won't get a better chance than this... Citadel is Mass Effect 3's 'Lair of the Shadow Broker'.

Trine 2 Director´s Cut on Wii U is an essential buy. It's beautiful, clever and quite big, which is a combination not too often seen these days in videogames.

Even though it doesn't reach the class of Forza Horizon, Most Wanted is an open-world game in the truest of senses. You have to look for the fun to find it. But since there is so much entertainment scattered about Fairhaven, this should be no problem. Those wild and nerve-wrecking police pursuits alone, which regularly develop their own zany dynamics, would be a decent raison d'être for any racing game.

Non-stop brawling, neon lights and bouncer-marsupials.

F1 23 builds on its solid foundation and significantly improves both the controls and feedback of the cars, while the returning story-mode Braking Point continues to have its weak points.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake from Square Enix goes right back to the beginning of the JRPG genre. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the trek there is worth taking. Well, at least the two role-playing games now look fantastic.

A spotless conversion of this top-of-class action-adventure, which shines with excellent boss fights, an exciting scenario, engaging exploration and many entertaining ideas.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a fast-paced and pleasantly challenging, but also very straightforward and short-lived adventure.

After the first episode I´ve got a good feeling that in August we might talk about the complete series as one of the most engaging and successful outlines for episodic gaming so far.

It ropes you in as a cute and simple game, only to show its true identity after just a couple of rounds. Only if you play clever and smartly plan your journey, you'll be able to ever finish FTL: Faster Than Light – only to turn around on a dime and start all over again.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred finally raises the game to the level we had hoped for in 2023. The campaign has a few weaknesses, but the endgame is great and the new Spiritborn class is the new benchmark for future heroes.

Beautiful in its presentation and with a powerful protagonist: Hellblade 2 is a landmark in fantastic storytelling.

It might not be as timeless as Defender. But now, at launch, Resogun belongs on your hard drive if you appreciate an intense bullet hell and impressive particle effects.

Unfortunately, the game itself is too simplistic and hardly challenging, but the concept is incredibly fascinating from start to finish.

In the end, it's almost more down to the things 4A did to improve the gameplay that make this pleasantly different pair of shooters stand out in their Redux iteration.

Even though I know the original well and know what's coming in the next hours, I might still stay a little longer with Bravely Default than I wanted to. If a game can do that after all these years, it must have done a lot right in the first place.

Grim Fandango doesn't live off of nostalgia alone. It's a great game on its own right and not at all out of place today.

The Drifter combines everything we love about point-and-click adventure games with modern storytelling, clever controls and the kind of style and character that few adventure games have had since the Lucas Arts classics. This is more than just life support for a genre that has long been said to be dead, it's a highlight for anyone who loves captivating stories.

This is still a special game. Other worldly, offbeat and weird – few games have ever been so true to their name.