Given the circumstances that Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales releases into, it's heartening to have a tale that's so eager to see the best in everyone, and that strives for diversity in a world divided. In that way, Spider-Man: Miles Morales' message of hope feels like the right sentiment for this very moment. It's escapism with a social conscience, a timely, tremendous thing right now. Insomniac's second crack at Spider-Man retains the breathless energy of the original, but ends up a lot like Miles Morales himself - still fresh on its feet, a little awkward in places, but steadily growing into itself. It's a game that's full of character, and a tremendously likeable one it is too. [Eurogamer Recommended]

It's a brave experiment in the genre, a more solid package than the Penumbra games and stops at nothing to make you truly, deeply uncomfortable.

As it is, Soulcalibur IV's new features and its ability to entertain both newcomers and fighting game experts make it a good buy - if not the revolutionary leap to the next level you might've hoped for.

For those of us who understand that while true non-linear storytelling is never going to happen, personalising a linear narrative in meaningful ways according to your own inclinations is far from inconsequential, then it's another significant step into the future.

Forza Horizon is built on the best parts of the Motorsport games but delivers a strikingly different experience to them, and in many ways a better one. It has its own personality. It exchanges infinite laps and bottomless grind for an actual structure and a sense of adventure, while mastering its roads requires less practiced skill than it does courage and intuition.

Batman Arkham Shadow can feel rough around the edges at times, but it's still a more than worthy entry to the Arkham series, and an essential Quest 3 experience.

A stunning simulator that true racing enthusiasts will be able to marvel at for months, but one that will be an incredibly daunting prospect for those of us just merely looking for racing entertainment. It truly goes off the scale in terms of difficulty if you've any intention whatsoever of playing it remotely seriously, and I've never come across anything quite this brutal.

Here's a more grounded Doom, but one that's as brisk and playful as ever.

The voice acting in the game is downright awful - especially painful after hearing the excellent voice acting in "Tales of Symphonia."

Graphically Syphon Filter is impressive and the musical score is utterly fantastic, though unfortunately the voice-over work features more racially stereotypical accents than your average mobile phone ring-tone advert.

The sum of FM 2011's parts is the most organic but more importantly, most believable man- and team-management experience the series has provided.

Expertly paced and bursting with fresh ideas, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess kicks down the door of the real-time strategy genre like few others, combining energetic action with spectacular demon slaying.

This is just as beguiling as the first Emblem; but while it's still true love, I'm getting to the stage where we nag each other, and get fed up with each other's little idiosyncrasies.

There are some few entertainment experiences that rise above mere amusement, and the world of Lordran is one of them: an endless feast to be chewed over and digested, each morsel swallowed with lip-smacking relish before returning eagerly for the next.

Emboldened by years of success, Capcom's risky 360-era shooter dares to tackle sci-fi shooter convention in a proudly experimental gamble.

Tunic turns its many influences into something that feels both familiar and gloriously new. [Eurogamer Essential]

The handheld's d-pad cannot be used to move your character (instead it triggers taunts) and the analogue stick prevents precision inputs. Here, stripped of its fan service and joyful chaos the grim truth is revealed: Super Smash Bros. is a mediocre fighting game.

Experiments feels more like a straightforward level pack than a bona-fide sequel - and one that most players will blitz through in no time.

The problem with all these things which have been coded to create historical semi-realism is that it creates a limit of the tech-tree they can climb.

A superb blend of traditional and wrestling-specific fight mechanics, and there's so much variety here that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you could play this one from now until the next SmackDown without getting bored or running out of things to do.

An ode to joy is exactly what Peggle is. It's a constant series of rewards, slapping you on the back and tickling you affectionately under the chin for what you achieve by design and accident alike - the purest of celebrations of what videogames are all about.

It's a multi-tiered gameplay system that demands not only fast reactions, but also mind-bogglingly complex mental agility to take account of all the factors in play.

There is gold in these old genres, and Shovel Knight is a successful dig.

An enchanting, emotionally charged visual novel with a new take on deck-building and tarot divination.

And while you don't get any of Llamasoft's recent games, the collection ends with a lovely video piece about Minter and his partner and co-developer Ivan "Giles" Zorzin. It also ends with a lot of people admitting that the brilliant, terrifying, gorgeous thing about Llamasoft is that their games continue to get better and better and better, Space Giraffe! Polybius! Akka-Arrh! All of these make me think that, if we ever get it, Llamasoft 2: The Rest of the Jeff Minter Story is going to be unmissable.

With a new found sense of tension, and showpiece Contract missions, Citizen Sleeper is transformed. This follow-up has improved the RPG formula in every way.

I'm all for games that want you to reach the end, and encourage you to stay on board for the whole ride, but, assuming that the vast majority of people following the series are experienced point-and-click players, this is starting to feel patronising. When the actual core gameplay becomes an undemanding routine, that's a dangerous position for an episodic series which needs to keep players playing.

Far more welcoming to button-mashers than Street Fighter IV, this is a game in which you can tap stuff and watch sparkly miracles happen. But to begin to understand and master its systems will take just as much practice as it did in Ono's game – and quicker reactions to boot.

A little more spit and polish on the mechanics, and the confidence to build a game around original ideas rather than sitting in the shadows of giants, and it could create a classic of its own. For now, this is a fine calling card.

Assetto Corsa's laser focus on the driving experience works wonders - and when it comes to replicating that simple, brilliant pleasure, there's no other game right now that does it better.

Machinarium is a treat for the senses that demands more of your brain, a paradoxically gentle yet punishing riff on a genre that, until now, had been revived but sadly defanged for modern players.

An absorbing, tense and well-wrought samurai adventure let down by a little too much recycling and some muddled new systems. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Frozen Synapse takes the old, the stuffy and the traditionally glacial and it makes it brand new, instant and brutal. It's such an achievement.

The game does suffer from a lack of innovation as it progresses, but the basics of the gameplay are solid and the sheer polish of the title - not to mention the interesting plotline - are enough to keep you going for many, many hours.

There's just nothing wrong with Guitar Hero 5: no horrible new art direction or gimmicky new features (3's guitar battles still haven't quite been forgiven), no backwards moves, no ill-advised changes to a winning formula.

There's a depth of enjoyment to Final Fantasy IV Advance - even pathos - that few other games can match.

In every other respect, Super Stardust HD is an absolute star, the jewel in the crown of the PlayStation Store and quite possibly the best purists' shooter to appear on console since the legendary Geometry Wars.

A 3DS classic gets a follow-up that doubles down on the charm. [Recommended]

It uses the Wii tech so cleverly, remembering that simple is best, but letting it play in a way impossible on any other console. It's non-stop hilarious, and utterly adorable. If only it had been more inventive with the 3D potential, it would have been a stand-out classic.

Football Manager 2022 ramps up the emphasis on the modernness of today's game. It's the most accurate, most joyfully compulsive entry yet. [Eurogamer Recommended]

This is utter loveliness, embodying everything the DS has come to mean to me. Puzzles, high spirits, and an embracing of beautiful 2D artwork over complicated 3D fuss.

At the very worst, it's an ingenious multimedia toy that'll have you dusting off the untouched corners of your MP3 collection for a few happy evenings. But for those twitching fingers that still enjoy the thrill of the high score, Audiosurf has the potential to become a bite-sized obsession thanks to its quick fix gameplay and infinite musical possibilities.

A hugely enjoyable strategy game, and if you've no interest in the history I'm sure it's possible to appreciate it as just that. But the way in which it frames its source absolutely enraptured me, reawakening a long-dormant interest and sparking a search for countless other takes on the battle and its wider context - many of which, it has to be said, didn't come close.

Though a return to Kamurocho isn't far away, Yakuza 0 is, in many respects, the end of an era - and a heck of a finish it is, too. [Recommended]

Even pointlessly simple card matching games like Luigi's "Pair-A-Gone" and "Memory Match" had us playing relentlessly, whiling away Tube journeys and whiling away stolen moments at all manner of the day and night.

It may not be licensed by George A. Romero, but it was certainly inspired by him, and it replicates a lot of the feelings he inspired in the viewer.

Not a life-changing experience (if you discount the coming years of physiotherapy on my arms) but it is an astoundingly competent first-person shooter. While the multiplayer mode is a flimsy experience unless you have friends you can rely on, the single-player mode offers a worthy adventure even for players who don't ever expect to take the game online.

Bigger and better - but there's not enough genuinely new for Destiny 2 to achieve greatness. [Recommended]

Blending fishing with Gothic horror and Lovecraft is a fine hook, but Dredge is too defined by simple loot-and-upgrade rhythms to reel you in.

It's robust, but it lacks some creative effort on Nintendo's part. Newcomers will love it, while series stalwarts will find its novelties welcome, if largely inconsequential. But it's nevertheless one of the stronger entries in the series, balancing the orthodox precision of the original with the playful silliness of the more recent iterations more successfully than ever.

It takes a measured approach to combat, pitches the atmosphere at the same eery, mysterious level that we loved about the first game, and wraps it all up with one of the more flexible control systems imaginable (quick point though, Ubi: why can't I invert the look up/down?) that make it possible to enjoy the kind of trap laden environments that would make Lara's eyes bleed at the prospect.

The Collection is an instantaneous embrace of past and present that combines gaming's powerful sense of nostalgia with its perpetual arms race of processing and graphical power.

Admittedly better value for money than the rather uninspired "version 2" Dreamcast release, but for a game which has seen as much development as this to suffer from fundamental flaws and dodgy design decisions in so many areas is bizarre.

If Revolutionary Concepts came to charm us senseless, it worked. There are so many reasons to enjoy Gesundheit; its 40 levels of puzzle nonsense are only a small part of why you should dutifully surrender your loose change.

Can't sleep? Moon too bright? Want to eat it? It's a simple goal for a demon in the underworld, as you'll find in this gorgeous, extraordinary narrative adventure that just so happens to require skateboarding.

Like its many buried riches, Nintendo's Pikmin series remains a treasure ready to be rediscovered. [Eurogamer Recommended]

It starts off brilliant, then erodes your enthusiasm over time.

A delightful co-op action RPG that's sadly stymied by its insistence on making it hard to play together.

The Alters achieves something tense and new by merging strategy base-building with third-person exploration and a sci-fi story about cloning yourself. But repetition and complicated busywork mar the overall effect.

Boom Blox is brilliant alone, fantastic with friends, a superb addition to the puzzle genre and a game that will make you glad you own a Wii. Here's hoping it's only the first of its kind.

Madden 08 stands by itself as a respectable, rewarding sim, but judged in the context of last season, it's merely a mild, expensive improvement.

Canny enough to keep you hooked, but sufficiently honest to throw in something a little more nourishing too, the genetics are pretty strong with this one.

There are moments of glorious frustration, as there are in any great platformer, but the sting of such hurdles is always soothed by the sweetness of victory when you overcome them.

So even though the wait continues for a 3D Castlevania that truly matches the elegance, complexity and spatial intelligence of the 2D games, this is a polished and enjoyable blast of musty Gothic action in its own right.

Out There also reveals something of the human pioneering spirit and its twin: the urge to survive till the final lungful of oxygen is expended. And if and when you do manage to scrape through another day, it's a game that allows you to marvel at the unlikeliness of all this as well as the miracle and fragility of life.

Whatever anyone tells you, you're never too old to enjoy Pokémon. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, a liar or possibly both. No, the immense depth, inescapable charms and boundless personalisation found here is enough to put most other commercial releases to shame, with the new battle mechanics making Diamond and Pearl even more covertly complex than the series has previously been.

To complain that Virtua Fighter 5 isn't accessible enough would be like complaining that a black and white film isn't colourful enough, or that a vegetable dish isn't meaty enough. VF5 sets out to create the world's best beat 'em up for beat 'em up aficionados, and it succeeds.

If you're an old school arcade veteran looking to prove yourself again, then this is perhaps the purest gameplay experience you'll find for a long time. Even if you're a rookie looking for something 'new', you can't go wrong, but you might well find the barriers to entry a little harsh to say the least.

Yakuza continues its good run with a fine - if a little lumpy - retread of a modern classic.

A compelling modern mystery thriller that's bigger, better and more ambitious than its already brilliant predecessor.

The truth is, when it comes to DLC, nobody is doing this stuff as well as Gearbox's team at the moment.

With the usual snappy dialogue, hilarious set-pieces and some genuinely brilliant puzzles to wrap your ailing brain around, it looks like Telltale has hit a rich vein of form.

As culmination of three years in which we've gone from a scattered lineage of average UFC games to a genuine contender for the best sports fighter available today, Undisputed 3 is, on all counts, a round three technical knockout.

What it is is a well written, enjoyable adventure that nevertheless feels slightly underwhelming once the credits roll.

A deft and heartfelt journey through nostalgia. [Eurogamer Recommended]

While FM14 feels in many ways like a standard release, the subtle changes to philosophy beneath the hood feel like a corner being turned - an acceptance, perhaps, that sometimes for a complex simulation to remain captivating, parts of it must be made simpler.

With the PC's internet potential yet to be realised it could well be the making of a classic.

It's a surprisingly deep, involving and intense hackandslash experience that belies its apparent simplicity.

As for those of you who cherished the original game? This is the best pair of rose-tinted spectacles money can buy, and a good alternative to the anti-climax of seeing how a once-cherished favourite has aged.

With its familiar interface, simple mechanics and hummable ditty, resistance to its effortless charm is completely futile. At this stage, you might as well buy shares in Kairosoft.

The Omega Collection is a wonderful reminder of those heady times, as well as a reminder of the potency of the formula concocted by a small team in Liverpool. When WipEout clicks - when the track falls away in perfect tandem with the bassline, sending your stomach turning as if a Mitsubishi Turbo has just spun into action as you take your first step onto the dance floor - there's nothing else like it, and given the premature demise of Studio Liverpool it's quite likely there'll never be anything like it again. There may well be other, better futuristic racers out there - but there are none that can boast this much style. [Recommended]

Disparate parts pull together to form a beautiful game that's only more potent for its awkward adolescence. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The additional content of Brave New World ensures that, now more than ever, Civilization 5 feels like a complete package; a game to lose hundreds of hours to as you build an empire to stand the test of time, and one to which you'll sacrifice many a cup of tea along the way.

Visually, The Warriors does not impress. But as a film tie-in, as a classic brawler, as a game that offers excellent multiplayer modes, quality bonus content and a unique style all of its own, it excels.

Red Faction is the very definition of a solid 7/10 - a game that should have been better, but offers more than enough to warrant a purchase during the quiet months.

A breathlessly brilliant tactical RPG, it's just a shame that Valkyria Chronicles isn't quite as assured off the battlefield.

New tricks will make the headlines, but Sports Interactive's best move is to breathe new life into the brilliance that's already there. [Eurogamer Recommended]

It's not the best Final fantasy game in the series - even with the new additions to what was already a strong classic JRPG, the inescapable confines of the structure make this literally a lesser game than many of the subsequent releases - but it's a respectful and assured update and that freshens an aged experience for a modern audience.

Kirby's long anticipated move to 3D platforming sees the series step up to a new level of invention and wonder. [Eurogamer Recommended]

5pb's 2009 visual novel gets a sizeable makeover - but don't expect it to make new fans for the genre.

Ambitious and sometimes overwhelming, Three Kingdoms does a great job of capturing the complexity of China's vivid past. [Eurogamer Recommended]

F.E.A.R. is the 360's first shooter to score a [90] on Eurogamer for the simple reason that it's such a consistently exciting game that gets the core of the experience so absolutely spot-on that most of the niggles are swiftly swept aside. Slow-mo gunplay and cunning AI don't sound like next generation ideas, but somehow Monolith combines the two so expertly that it feels more alive and more exciting than could ever seem possible.

Thronebreaker proves card games can tell a story every bit as punchy and provocative as the blockbusters it takes inspiration from. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Far Cry 4 is well worth a visit, but it's more a backpacker's delight than a five-star island paradise.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a cerebral but hugely characterful stealth tactics game filled with creativity and depth. And fun pirate stuff.

This is a restrained and worthy modern update that keeps the essentials clutter-free.

If you let the game draw you in, the fantasy world becomes much more real than you could imagine -and the game much more compelling.

While it does its best to be an amalgam of all the best street racing games - and is certainly one of the best looking - it fails to haul itself onto the top of the podium by virtue of not enough variety, no new ideas and a few too many minor irritations that take the gloss off the final package.