But while Brain Age has you holding the DS like a book, nurturing your every gaming step, Academy more or less throws you into the mix, expecting a degree of familiarity with how these minigames work.

The visuals are clean and smooth, the music's right on target and the motion controls generally function well (we had a few hiccups with slowing and stopping the ball).

Forza Horizon 4 isn’t as bombastic as its predecessor, but still a challenging and all-encompassing online racer. And the more introverted moments of driving through autumnal or snow-dusted Britain are beautiful, especially as a showcase for Xbox One X.

While "MLB 08 The Show" has stolen our hearts, MLB 2K8 demands respect - and a little love too.

Despite occasional frustration though, the more active gameplay of Ghost Trick is a welcome change from the mostly passive adventures of Ace Attorney (a series we also love!).

Even if linking up with friends is a toss, hitting the single-player with Sonic or Blaze is more than enough pandemonium for one person.

Its handful of setbacks slightly outweigh its improvements, but Galactrix still offers an addictive, puzzle-meets-RPG experience that won’t disappoint most fans of the original PQ, as well as anyone looking for an accessible game that still packs plenty of substance.

Utterly charming with a fantastic set of design tools, but it'll make you crave the freedom of more traditional Animal Crossing games.

There's hours upon infinite hours to be spent clearing blocks all over again - just like we did with the original Game Boy 15 years ago.

By adding yet another layer of realism with the presence of animals - dogs barking in the distant night, cats napping on the couch, rodents running in their squeaky wheel - your Sims' world becomes richer and, thus, your gaming experience more enjoyable.

While it gets a firm thumbs up from us, bear in mind that ThreadSpace: Hyperbol is the very epitome of try-before-you-buy.

With a steep learning curve and massive difficulty spikes, OlliOlli takes a while to get its hooks into you. Once it does, you’ll quickly discover an addictive skateboarding game like no other.

Ultimately, though, no matter how many times you stare into the eye of the tiger, what counts most here is, well, the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of your rivals. When you meet the largest or most fearsome foe head on, remain steadfast then push aside their best combo like a martial arts master, before spearing them through the gut, it's irresistibly exhilarating. Wo Long's cocktail of measured inputs and furious blows alone should keep the focused warrior going to the end. Keep calm and parry on.

While the formula's got its flaws, it turns out motion controls complement The Godfather 's free-wheeling violence and intimidation almost perfectly, making the game world more immersive than before.

The game's main failing is its short length, mostly because it's so fun while it lasts.

Our only real gripe is that the weapon selection is meager; a pistol, a shotgun and a submachine gun fill out your arsenal.

Relentlessly charming despite its dark heart, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney handles moments of sweeping sadness as easily as it does comedy awfulness.

Sloppy combat and ongoing optimisation can't quite spoil this dark fantasy adventure, set in a stunning world of blood and black magic.

Add it all up, and you've got a fantastic package that'll keep you fighting for yardage even when you're driving around in your Madden Cruiser.

The action may always be on a pre-set path, but like any good rollercoaster, Dead Space Extraction gets your heart racing and adrenaline pounding even though you have no control. A far more interesting and emotional take on the light gun scene.

Some delightful scenes mix with more mundane, throw-away moments in an episode that packs an emotional punch without offering much in the way of gameplay.

Between the price, the modes, and the online play, it's a gem.

Ashen contributes more hits than misses to the Souls formula, though the overall experience may feel too familiar to fans of FromSoftware's trendsetting series.

Don’t Starve starts off slow and punishing and continues to get even harder as you play. Its merciless difficulty coupled with its monotonous gameplay can leave some players feeling frustrated and bored. Those who enjoy a good challenge, however, will relish in the satisfaction they’ll get when they manage to outlive their previous record or clear the game’s evil Adventure mode. It may not be for everyone, but if you’re looking for a roguelike game filled with charm and challenge, be sure not to miss Don’t Starve.

Cutting straight to the chase, instead of driving aimlessly in search of an event miles away, was good for consoles, and it’s all the better here on the PSP.

The Wii U Edition's new modes are more "goofy entertainment" than "substantial content." But without them, the game's still great--so you should look at these rowdy wranglings as icing on the Tekken cake. If you skipped TTT2 on other consoles and enjoy 3D arcade punch-ups, this is currently your best Wii U bet.

Borderlands is a very entertaining shooter and a rather bland RPG. It rewards dedication with new guns and new things to shoot at, which is all kinds of fun for players who enjoy MMO-style progression. But if its charm and depth hadn’t been abandoned so quickly, it may have been absolutely brilliant.

By combining an improved UI with deeper strategic gameplay, Total War: Attila increments on Creative Assembly’s formula to deliver a strategy game (almost) worthy of its namesake.

The action is bloody and satisfying, the story plays out like exceptionally well-written fan-fiction and the spirit of the movie and its characters are intact.

Even on outdated hardware, it's impossible not to have a blast with SingStar Rocks.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a worthy sequel that I can't put down. It's weird, surreal, and a great evolution for Nintendo's iconic social simulator - even if it feels repetitive at times.

With more modes than you can shake a stick at and a rock-solid core basketball engine, it's a superb experience that collegiate hoopsters won't be able to tear themselves away from - even as they shake their fists in rage.

With the bounty of acrobatics at your disposal, Legend of Kage 2 should fill your ninja-fix. That is, if you can handle being bitch-slapped by the difficulty.

Though "2K7" keeps the casual fans happy with eye-popping visuals, The Show keeps the die-hards in their seats with just the opposite.

For anyone who purchased the game last generation, the hi-def version is definitely worth the worth the price of admission for Medieval Madness alone.

Just Dance 2014 may not be the most innovative dance game currently available, but it’s definitely an improvement worth dancing to.

The strongest expansion yet. Whether you've been playing consistently for three years or your Sims have been long abandoned, this expansion makes the game feel new again.

Another enjoyable reimagining for the Resident Evil series that nails the action but lacks depth.

You might breeze through it, but it'll be a cool breeze.

Even when things get repetitive, there's something undeniably awesome about waging war on a grand scale. Warlords may not be the most multifaceted expansion pack ever made, but it is an exceedingly addictive one that adds new content and a new style of play to Civ IV.

Like most games by developer Treasure, Radiant Silvergun is an acquired taste, but this version is a fantastic port of a classic shooter. It's still worth experiencing today – especially now that you don't have to sell a kidney to afford it.

A worthwhile purchase. Early on you may find it hard to justify, but give the game a chance - and a few online matches - and chances are you’ll soon be a fan. Can’t wait to download some of the impending expansion packs.

It's possible Need for Speed The Run won't provide as many hours of entertainment as previous NFS games, but then it packs in unique events and some incredibly exciting chase sequences, meaning it packs a lot of entertainment-per-hour. It's not very forgiving of mistakes, but then it provides greater rewards as a result.

The best way to experience what DSII has to offer is through co-operative mode - you can play the entire game's storyline with other people. There's nothing more enjoyable than storming a dungeon with a party of your friends.

Multiplayer co-op and competitive matches are just as much fun as they were on XBLA with modes such as racing and tag to take part in. Still, the bread and butter of n+ is the single-player ninja action and while the game can be quite a frustrating slog, it never truly feels crushing.

Galvanized by the well-implemented trust management system, Splinter Cell: Double Agent proves to be another great game in this venerable series. By delving further into the character of Sam Fisher, Ubisoft manages to keep the series vital, much to our delight.

Wasteland 3 doesn’t bring much new to the table, both as a CRPG and as a piece of post-apocalyptic fiction. But, it’s a terrifically executed role-playing game that rewards player investment from beginning to end.

Even if it's not brand new, Pikmin 3 Deluxe deserves a place in your Nintendo Switch library.

While it brings some undeniable improvements to the series, Revelations feels like one step forward, two steps back. Its gameplay and multiplayer are still fantastic, but they come at the expense of a lackluster storyline and a shorter overall experience. Instead of being the exclamation point at the end of Ezio's story, Revelations feels more like an ellipsis.

At times mechanically clumsy, but artistically sound, Little Nightmares might get on your nerves every once in awhile, but its imagery will burrow into your brain and never leave.

If the thought of playing as a goofy rip-off of Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hyabusa named Frank, who always refers to himself in the third person, doesn't have you running for the hills, then by all means pick up Shadow Hearts: From The New World. You definitely won't find yourself bored.

Do you buy Halo mostly for the multiplayer? Then Reach is everything you'd want and expect from Bungie's final contribution to the franchise – perfectly polished familiarity with exactly the right amount of fresh features and bold risk-taking. If you're counting on an epic, sweeping and satisfying campaign story, however, you might want to keep waiting for Halo 4.

Fire Emblem Fates smartly revises a quarter-century old battle system and offers ever more reasons to care about your little chess pieces, but neither version does enough to welcome new players.

The Stetchkov Syndicate takes that sense of style up a notch as you flit through a church rammed with recovering junkies in one level, then sweep into a rock club with a massive devil statue the next. Excellent.

While there aren't a lot of characters or other modes, it's a very deep fighting game that will keep even old hands pleased and occupied. If you don't mind spending more than your share of time in practice mode, Skullgirls could just become one of the better fighters you've played in a while.

N++ is a stylish upgrade over its predecessors that retains the addictive-as-hell gameplay and adds a vast amount of levels.

Tag matches still feel like handicap matches, mainly owing to the fact that your AI-controlled partner doesn't actually do all that much, even when you call for help.

An excellent remastering effort for anyone looking to discover or relive Nathan Drake’s unparalleled peril.

Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new direction for the series, and it chiefly pays off with brilliant scares and disempowerment of the player. The bottlenecked level design can be frustrating though, as can the nature of do-overs with the beast hot on your heels.

Between the addictive character building and the online community features, there's tons of links action. All you'll need is just a little patience.

Mortal Kombat 11's story mode, along with its gameplay, is the most intense and gripping narrative in a fighter that I've played in years.

Despite some narrative missteps, Tekken 7 is still a compelling, exhilarating experience. Find the right sparring partner and it will entertain you indefinitely.

Ultimately, Bone: Out From Boneville is probably too lightweight, too easy and unsophisticated for most adventure gamers... but don't hold that against it.

New running features makes this the most balanced and enjoyable Madden yet, but a few awkward sights and sounds will remind you that it’s just a game.

Battlefield 6 offers a carefully-crafted and layered multiplayer that strives to be its least threatening self, with innovation and creativity played down in favor of refining all the proven successes from the military genre. What's there will surprise nobody, but thrives when all those components come together – even if the single player can feel fairly threadbare as part of the package.

With such impressive new features in store, it’s easy to lose a few hours just fiddling with your houseboat or adding things to your resort. Though its underwater sections are lacking, the rest of Island Paradise is a great display of what The Sims 3 can still offer fans of the game four years after it first launched.

Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers is a fabulous, unique gaming experience powered by a fantastic gameplay hook.

It's a damned impressive game by PSP standards, and if you're looking for a deep, brutal, high-quality PSP brawler with lots of variety and short load times, then you're not going to find one that's better than this.

While Madden 10 is our favorite football game of this generation, it suffers from trying to do too much. We love the new gameplay engine (more, please!) but could’ve happily done without most of the presentation “improvements” that get more irritating with each game.

There's a lot to love here, but gamers with hatred for Laharl and company won't find anything to change their minds. At the very least, those who appreciate the series for all that it is will find this entry more than satisfying, as it does everything better than before.

Massive, intimidating, and stunningly beautiful, Elite: Dangerous is one of the deepest, most rewarding open-world experiences you can have on Xbox One.

An enormously entertaining experience. For those not daunted by challenge, in the market for a game that's quick to jump into and a great deal of fun, The Binding of Isaac is a fantastic way to spend five bucks.

Weird West has the ambition of a much larger game, and has made smart choices to be able to meet it.

We loved both the single and multiplayer versions of Splinter Cell Double Agent, so we have no issue recommending it to any PC owner looking for some stealthy action. We had to give it a lower score than the 360 version because of some technical bitchery.

Headlander has a few rough spots, but its 70s retro/sci-fi aesthetic and head-swapping gameplay are out of this world.

The only significant new features in this version are Sixaxis control in some of the mini-games, two new multiplayer levels and a female spy skin for multiplayer. Double Agent is a little predictable as we’ve seen many similar puzzles in the prequels. However, there are some memorable new set pieces and a greater focus on storyline.

Goodbye Volcano High is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about a group of teen dinosaurs confronted with an uncertain future. Dreamy pop ballads and an absorbing dialogue system offer a gateway into an introspective story about being young, queer, and chasing your dreams in the face of impending disaster.

If you’ve never heard of this series, but enjoy classic stuff like Contra and its ilk, MS3 is made for you.

Mario + Rabbids gives you the action and strategy of XCOM in a way that does justice both to Mario and to the Rabbid’s kooky style. Ubi’s big E3 surprise is an unmissable Switch game.

Life is Strange fails to execute in critical spots, but it's beautiful world, fun time-reversal, and honest look at adolescence makes it a game worth remembering. A diamond in the rough.

It's a ridiculously challenge old-school RPG experience to be sure, and you can expect to have your party wiped out frequently amidst streams of curses and a few rage quits. But even so, it's a dungeon crawler we heartily stand behind.

Strangers to the series interested in a new MMO won’t be as impressed with new updates and content as a seasoned EQII veteran, and will be offset by EQII’s dated appearance and design. However, EQII fans can’t go wrong with Rise of Kunark as it’s by far the best one yet.

A brilliantly fast and playable racing game that doesn't cost the Earth, Fast Fusion is a superb example of what Switch 2 can deliver. Super Hero mode is pretty perfect, though some balancing issues and oddly fuzzy visuals take off some of the shine. This is really front of the pack.

Stormblood tells an intriguing tale of resistance and rebellion, with well-defined characters, exciting dungeons, and awe-inspiring new classes, but leans just a bit too heavy on the grind.

While not quite as innovative as the original, Company of Heroes 2 does little wrong besides weigh itself down with the mildly superfluous and fail to push the envelope of video game narrative--though at times it really seems desperate to try.

Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs is a fairy tale mystery packed with character and a gorgeous sense of aesthetics. Magical card-based conversations make unravelling what happened satisfying, and though this is a short but sweet vignette it'll stick with you.

If you don't have the nurturing gene or the attention span to keep a virtual animal alive, steer clear - but if you're looking for something that's totally nonviolent and uses all your DS's whistles and bells, Nintendogs is it.

A superbly-produced, feature-rich racing game. Too much of it may feel like busywork and filler, but few other racers are this slick or feature-packed, and it certainly has moments of magic.

Gran Turismo on PSP is not quite as slick as its PS2 or PS3 brothers and the lack of a career mode is surprising. It's clumsy at times and the quality varies immensely, but it's still a class act.

We’ll happily play all season long, during which we’ll invent a thousand more reasons to love and hate it all at the same time. No matter what, though, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a tad disappointed that this year’s version didn’t make the same jump we’d gotten accustomed to the last two years.

Though it struggles to pace itself evenly due to a short run-time, To a T is a remarkable, life-affirming wonder. Perfectly un-perfect and proud of it, this is a flag waved high for oddballs – and likely to be one of 2025's most memorable games.

An enticing (if sometimes uneven) action-adventure that will surprise you with an intriguing mystery and surprisingly deep characters.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is an incredible revival for a venerable series. Pitch-perfect controls, fantastic encounter design, and a tough-but-fair challenge elevate this well beyond a sea of other retro action games. If there's any room for complaint, it's that I simply want more - more levels, and more reasons to come back to them.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a near perfect followup to its justifiably revered predecessor. Unfurling from its cocoon, this Metroidvania has evolved on just about everything I loved about the original. With a gorgeous, labyrinthine world full of secrets, and twitchy acrobatic controls, Silksong can be rewarding when it's not being overly punishing. It's a bit tougher out the gate than last time around – but Silksong has been worth the wait.

Death of the Outsider uses a smaller scale to create a game that offers up its rewards quicker but without diminishing their payoff.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a gorgeously grotesque and endearingly cozy adventure that offers a gorgeous setting along with a satisfying blend of tower defense-style strategy and hack-and-slash combat.

You've never explored an open world quite like this. Sunset Overdrive's iffy gunplay and inconsistent missions are redeemed by absolutely amazing mobility and an infectious enthusiasm for mayhem.

The most accomplished wrestling game of the last decade – only held back by gnawing MyFaction concerns. A shame.