While Kinect Sports falls flat in the single player experience the fun to be had with friends carries it. Occasional motion control issues and the space required can hinder some of the fun but overall, and in a market flooded with choice, Kinect Sports holds its ground and should bring some high energy entertainment to your living room.

There's a lot here for fans of the Transformers to admire, but strip away the pop culture veneer and War for Cybertron is a slightly above par entry in the annals of gaming.

Dead to Rights: Retribution is a decent shooter, but it simply has nothing new to offer, and doesn’t do a particularly good job of presenting itself.

An unimpressive arcade racing experience. Need for Speed: Undercover seems to lack any real sense of immersion and is graphically a bland experience.

Deadpool will be well-received by Marvel comics fans, but a lack of mechanical depth holds the game back.

If you enjoyed previous Marvel games, you'll find more of the same here. Graphics are improved, there's a great roster of superheroes to play with and their powers can combine to produce new 'Fusion' attacks. But crashing bugs, simple repetitive gameplay and a lack of polish are its kryptonite, preventing this from being a super game.

Project Zero 2 is a functional game, but it's really nothing to write home about. It's a great concept poorly executed and even though it has been slightly updated, it still plays as it did a decade ago.

When it's not busy pandering, titillating, and falling back on fantasy clichés, Dragon's Crown is a sound, nostalgia-tinged experience.

Dark Sector just has so much unfulfilled potential. The ideas are there, they just aren’t executed well.

If you really feel the need to be a giant monster armed with lasers and missile launchers rampaging through an innocent city, then I suppose you could do worse than picking this up. If you've got controllers and friends to spare, the co-op mode can be a good time-waster, or an alternative to the usual party games.

Voltron: Defender of the Universe lacks anything beyond the main campaign, save an arena mode DLC available for an additional 240 MSP that really should have been included in the main game. It is also too short.

A whimsical top-down return to arcade classics of yore, complete with suitable sound effects and clever integration of satellite imagery. A nice distraction, but unlikely to hold your attention for long.

The graphic combat and rich storyline are let down by tiresome dialogue and endless and confusing travel. If you are a fan of the period and want to wallow in the mythology then this game has it by the bucket (amphora?) load, however game wise its lurching pace destroys its underlying potential.

Lego The Hobbit is a handsome game, but it's also proof that the formula Traveller's Tales employs for most of its Lego titles simply doesn't work for everything it adapts.

Despite some serious gameplay issues, The Godfather II is actually quite fun, in a morbid kind of way. Unfortunately, repetition and poor AI routines damage gameplay and ultimately sap the life out of what should have been a tremendous sequel.

An inauspicious beginning for Capcom's new motorbike series that has little to offer even committed fans.

It's inevitable that simulation kings Maxis created Darkspore the way they did – near-plotless and mechanical – for that is all they have known since their inception. Hardcore RPG fans won't mind a bit and will revel in the variety and imagination on display, but others are advised to try before they buy.

A cool concept for a puzzle-block game that is unfortunately hampered by an overly aggressive AI and a real lack of multiplayer opponents on XBL. If you can get a friend or two together though, you'll have a blast.

An unimpressive arcade racing experience. Need for Speed: Undercover seems to lack any real sense of immersion and is graphically a bland experience.

Pikuniku is a hilarious game that’s oozing with charm. Its single player campaign is full of moments that make you feel like a kid again, and its co-op mode is surprisingly relaxing. Unfortunately its charm is let down by a clumsy control scheme that doesn’t always mesh with some of the mechanics, and this can create an experience that ultimately feels unrewarding.

The rules and dynamics established by the Exodus Wars tabletop game set Fractured Empire in good stead, but uninspired production and a desperate lack of unit types hold the game back.

Yoshi's New Island is a fine salute to a SNES classic and an adorable, approachable platformer in its own right, but it's only likely to have value for players new to the genre - and even then, any appreciation of the game that they have is likely to be fleeting.

An inauspicious beginning for Capcom's new motorbike series that has little to offer even committed fans.

When Soma is able to stretch its legs and be the horror game fans have been waiting for these past five years, it delivers in giant terror-inducing waves. Sadly, some inconsistent pacing and clunky mechanics weigh it down, leaving us with a good game rather than a great one.

For casual hack 'n' slash fans then Dynasty Warriors 7 could be a bit too labour intensive and time consuming for your liking. You really need to have a genuine interest in the subject matter on display to get the most out of the game.

Dead Space 3 is an enjoyable action game, but it's unlikely to make a lasting impression.

Rather repetitive and simple. Short with no replay incentive.

The numerous aesthetic accomplishments and mechanical improvements in Metro: Last Light are undone by uneven attention to detail and a lack of player agency.

Although there are problems with the PC version, Mercenaries 2 has a great deal of potential. It's a back-to-basics title that allows you to destroy pretty much everything around you, and you'll have no end of fun doing so.

An inauspicious beginning for Capcom's new motorbike series that has little to offer even committed fans.

Blood Bowl seems to be the result of a fiendish coupling between extremely inflexible Warhammer lore and a studio hamstrung by licensing requirements. It's not exactly intuitive, and requires significant investment and patience to see rewards.

The Hitman Intro Pack is satisfying to play, there just isn't enough of it. This ought to be rectified by the second episode next month, and by then its servers should be stable as well.

If developer Crispy's! goal was to create a highly evolved form of Tamagotchi – albeit with less poop - it has succeeded.

The game has virtually no replay value meaning you won’t be coming back to this often, unless you finally do find someone to play co-op with. Nevertheless it is one of the better games on Live Arcade.

The original PAIN was a moderately successful PSN release that simply lacked depth. Developers Idol Minds have now rectified that with the Sore Spots addition, but it appears to be a case of too little, too late.

Dark Sector just has so much unfulfilled potential. The ideas are there, they just aren’t executed well.

It's a Tekken game, but stripped bare. That's all anyone ever really needs to know.

When The Occupation works, it’s a thrilling investigative adventure that allows the player freedom to explore and chase leads in a way that feels incredibly exciting. Frustrating controls can be overlooked, but unfortunately, the bugs in the game are incredibly persistent and capable of completely turning a promising experience into one that’s too annoying to go on.

After much fanfare, EA Sports UFC taps out disappointingly early.

There's potential in expanding the Warhammer: 40,000 license beyond the strategy genre – something Relic has done with great success in its Dawn of War series – but there's also clearly a lot of work to be done.

Despite being purpose-built for intense online gaming, SOCOM Confrontation just lacks the polish required to pull this off. Perhaps technical issues will be ironed out with future patches, but in the meantime there's just not enough substance here to warrant your time.

Perhaps then, the biggest THQ has made is that they have explicitly created a fitness game rather than camouflaging exercise within the game, such as Fighters Uncaged or the plethora of dance titles on the market. Until this happens, and until the social aspects of the game are improved or a punchable man-shaped peripheral is released, gamers are going to find few reasons within UFC Personal Trainer to take their workouts from the gym into their living rooms.

Whilst often frustrating and lacking in complexity, Lord of the Rings: Conquest still has a limited appeal for die-hard fans. For everyone else, it's a real disappointment.

Ultimately Greedfall is an OK game. It is neither good nor bad. It is however the best game Spiders have made to date, and that gives me hope that they do have a great game in them. I just hope they stop trying to emulate and instead try to innovate.

If multiplayer hadn’t been a broken mess the game probably would have scored higher and while good fun, Army of Two fails to be a great game.

“In Too Deep” gets The Walking Dead: Michonne off to a rocky start, with the introduction of uninteresting characters, a drab story, and a flat ending. Yet the exploration of Michonne’s past and her emotional demons is fascinating, and offers much potential for the future.

Wheelman draws influence from a number of other titles, and fails to provide anything really new to the mix. Some initial excitement is offset quickly by repetition, and ultimately the game suffers for it.

Retro fans will feel acknowledged and loved but everyone else may miss the hype.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant is just another Crash title in a long line of Crash titles. The gameplay is nothing new and the graphics are average. The levels are creative but end up being a bit repetitive due to the mission structure and the back-tracking involved. The highlight is the story which is simply exceptional, and the satirical humour dotted throughout.

Each of Hell’s nine circles are realised with care and character, but without innovative gameplay and with some downright outmoded game mechanics, there’s not quite enough here to distinguish Dante’s Inferno from the raft of action adventure titles available to gamers today.

However, while LittleBigPlanet Karting's polish makes it a solid racer, it is nonetheless flawed and inessential. Despite heavy handling, few corners require anything close to deceleration let alone braking to negotiate, and it's the weapons rather than crashes that significantly alter a final placing anyway. That makes it perfect as a party game as experienced players aren't hugely advantaged, but it also sucks the drama from even the closest finishes, and those seeking a balanced, competitive racer should look elsewhere.

New series guardian Sanzaru Games has taken great care to emulate the gameplay of prior Sly Cooper titles, which gives Thieves in Time an overly familiar but comfortable feel. A polished experience, it nonetheless won't challenge adults, and its one-dimensional characters aren't likely to captivate.

That said, the technology on offer in Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is often outstanding and if you're self-motivated, you'll be able to overlook that problem. Besides, summer usually sees us all making crazy resolutions and making use of the technology available could very well help you to reach your goals.

New players might feel a bit intimidated and frustrated at times by the many unexplained mechanics, but if the time and dedication is put into it, Spintires: Mudrunner can become a dirty but somewhat fulfilling experience you can return to again and again.

It's a shame because Raccoon City is not entirely unpalatable, most of its flaws seem as though they could have been ironed out, but it's doubtful whether it can seriously compete on its own merits with comparable titles currently on offer.

The amazing artwork struggles to conceal repetitive combat and a game that, at its heart, is incredibly easy. Kids will probably rate it highly, but those who have grown up with the series may tire of it quickly.

Wheelman draws influence from a number of other titles, and fails to provide anything really new to the mix. Some initial excitement is offset quickly by repetition, and ultimately the game suffers for it.

Just Cause 4 feels uninspired and lacks anything new and exciting enough to keep players hooked. While the moment to moment gameplay is fun and refined, the lack of variety in both setting and structure makes the game fade into the background in a year packed with so many impressive titles.

Outlast 2 is more of an ordeal than the first, in terms of content but also gameplay. The story provides some momentum, but trial and error sequences will see many succumb to frustration (and many large pick axes).

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm gets off to a moderately good start. Its characters are interesting, but the plot is entirely unclear right now, and is moving in a direction I'm not all that invested in.

While it's certainly the definitive Attack on Titan game, A.O.T 2’s repetitive missions and lackluster online mode will quickly turn stale the freshness of the updated gameplay.

There is no doubt Lollipop Chainsaw is heavily marketed to be an indulgent romp through pop culture and appeal to our baser sensibilities. But once the façade of plastic fantastic is stripped away the game has to survive on basic combo repetitions and mediocre game play.

A novel concept, but Fracture ultimately fails to deliver. Hopefully the terraforming concepts can be applied to another title, in the meantime this looks like being just a rental.

Mad Max has the basics right and looks great, but beyond the first few hours it's a monotonous grind.

The Sims 4 is a visual and mechanical upgrade, but it's missing many of the things Sims fans are used to.

While it looks and sounds fantastic, Sonic Lost World is hobbled somewhat by poor level design and an immediately oppressive difficulty. It still retains some appeal, but oh, what could have been...

Submerged is underwhelming. It squanders a promising opening, and its slight mechanics will no doubt give ammo to those who question the validity of exploration titles.

One Piece: World Seeker is lacking in so many areas. It may be lovely to look at, but an overall shallow and repetitive experience take away any semblance of joy fans are likely to find.

Mario Tennis Open is light, comfortable fun, yes. This much is a given. But, like many franchises that have run for seventeen years or more, it raises the question of what, exactly, it's doing to stay relevant. How is it trying to be something that commands players' attentions in a sea of works fighting for their money and time? How is it justifying its existence, the resources that went into creating it? In Open's case, it seems the answer to all these questions is 'by being on the 3DS'. And that's really not good enough.

Anthem is a game with unmet potential at every turn. The gameplay is fantastic and recreates the ’30 seconds of fun’ that has made its competitor Destiny such a success. But in its current state of bugs, server issues and poor design decisions, it is planted firmly in the ‘play it in six months’ category.

If you can handle the rough and ready and are focused squarely on making your own content, there’s something in here for you. If not, ignore Infinity 2.0 and hope Avalanche iron out the kinks for next year’s release.

Carmageddon: Max Damage ain't no Cadillac, but it's no jalopy either. Rather, it's just alright: fleetingly frustrating, often enjoyable, but never transcendent the way killing pedestrians should be.

Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the sport and absolutely must play each new season’s championship, then this game is probably best skipped in favour of the inevitable follow up in 2016.

No Man's Sky was never going to live up to the hype, but sadly even those with tempered expectations are likely to be somewhat disappointed. It is by no means a terrible game, it just feels unfinished and empty.

The result is an enjoyable action-oriented MMO but it leads one to wonder if there is enough here to keep a player paying the monthly fee. With just 30 levels before end-game content and only two major questing zones it begs the question: Will people stay around after their 30 day free trial is over? For large swathes of the playerbase, we're guessing the answer is 'no.'

Hitman: Sapienza is a great episode marred by server issues. Not everyone is having them, but if you are, you can't progress or access community or live content.

Battleborn has plenty of ambition, but it just isn't particularly satisfying to play. It isn't broken, it's just the whole experience feels lightweight and derivative.

Matterfall contains some welcome formula tweaks and the usual level of Housemarque polish, but it's much less inspired than the Finnish studio's better shooters.

Hob is a beguiling action adventure that's hamstrung by its platforming and a sub-par second half.

Unpredictable camera angles are frustrating at times.

World War Z is probably actually up there as film tie-in games go, and is capable of offering some nifty zombie action that can get your pulse racing. But once you've seen its tricks, it all gets a bit samey fast - faster because we've seen something very similar before - and it's hard to imagine it having much of a shelf life.

Yakuza: Dead Souls is a strange fruit sitting between the Yakuza that fans love and the zombie horde gameplay so overused in recent game development. While it doesn't really do either perfectly, there is enough here to keep players entertained. Fans of the series will enjoy seeing their characters in this new role but newcomers could easily be put off by the clunky control system and watered down gun-play, while zombie fans will enjoy the varied killing methods, but will be disappointed in the lack of challenge the aiming system allows.

A novel concept, but Fracture ultimately fails to deliver. Hopefully the terraforming concepts can be applied to another title, in the meantime this looks like being just a rental.

Unity simply isn't ready for release. The majority of its new systems aren't refined enough, and its existing ones are showing their age. It's still intermittently enjoyable, but a serious step down from last year's Black Flag.

Liberation is so-so, a cheap yet only moderately fulfilling title that throws back the curtain on the elderly systems of the Assassin's Creed franchise pre-Black Flag.

SimCity looks and sounds beautiful, and contains many great development ideas, but the always-online requirement has hurt the game. It also needs some patching.

Gran Turismo Sport looks great, but a lack of content, some dodgy AI, and an always-online requirement see it limp into the pits. Still, how 'bout them interiors?

Despite a growing industry-wide acceptance that open-world games developed for the screen do not adapt well to VR – Gearbox bowled on ahead with their, years too late, adaptation of Borderlands 2. A port with unsurprisingly fails to fix the inherent problems with this transition – with gammy controls and gameplay not well adjusted for the VR medium.

Generally underwhelming and far too simple, Murdered would have been better as a cat simulator.

It’s fun to furiously trumpet and get to smashin’ stuff as Tembo for a while, but before too long you’re reduced to hoping he makes his way over to a better sequel – or possibly the Virtua Fighter roster.

Sniper Elite V2 has includes many enjoyable and memorable sequences. It's just a shame that it these moments are so padded out. When Karl is at the top of a ruined church shattering skulls from 200 metres, the game soars, but sadly transitioning to these instances is too often a chore. Let's hope any third game in the series adds better stealth gameplay to complement the sniping mechanics and presentation that Sniper Elite V2 does so well.

There is still joy to be found in Ratchet and Clank's trademark weapons and humour, but Q-Force's lack of focus ultimately proves its undoing.

Unfortunately a complete lack of characterisation, derivative gameplay, and a difficulty setting that's clearly meant to make a winner out of even the most incompetent makes Shadow Planet 2011 Xbox Summer of Arcade's first inessential release.

Assassins Creed Chronicles: China sees a massive departure from the core gameplay of the franchise, and while it is refreshing to see the game take some risks it never really finds its own identity.

Disney Infinity is okay but it could be so much more. It has a few gameplay shortcomings but its biggest flaw is its lack of heart. It feels more like a fan's attempt at each universe rather than the loving homage it could be.

Not the step forward for TV-to-game titles that we'd hoped. Only really dedicated fans of the show need apply.

FFXV's ambition is laudable, but it's flaws are too big to fully cast aside. The result is an interesting and spectacular-looking title likely hampered by a protracted and unfocussed development.

Heroes of Ruin would like to be the 3DS' Diablo, the 3DS' Gauntlet, the 3DS' Hunter: The Reckoning. Unfortunately, n-Space fails to endow the game with challenging gameplay or engrossing storytelling, apparently hoping that the solid multiplayer will draw audiences. In a marketplace where there's nothing new under the sun, we need a more interesting hook than that.