With a unique gameplay premise that is explored to its logical ends, both in terms of the problems you’ll be solving and the narrative wrapped around them, and a stunningly atmospheric backdrop, The Swapper proves to be a satisfying and thought-provoking adventure that all puzzle fans will enjoy.

The passing has been given an overhaul to eliminate the ping-pong passing that plagued online games and made EA sad as it didn't represent a real game of football. But I fancy they've gone too far in the opposite direction.

Ubisoft Bordeaux has delivered exactly what it promised. Assassin's Creed Mirage is a compact, stealth-focused adventure that punishes anyone trying to go in loud, and it does so in a world that's always a delight to explore (and be chased through).

Tomodachi Life finds fun in the most mundane of activities, thanks to quirky style that makes hanging out with digital friends surprisingly engrossing.

There's a real attention to quality and portability that Zipper has put into Unit 13. From gameplay that combines the Vita's new touchscreen tech with the tight controls and solid gameplay of the best games in the SOCOM series to missions time-designed around commuting gamers and airport dwellers alike.

Despite occasionally falling victim to its own scale, this is a highly polished product that is charming and entertaining in equal measures. The dream-based plot gives Nintendo license to be as creative and insane as they like, which adds up to one of the most inviting game worlds on 3DS so far.

This is easily the best-playing version of Tiger this year. It's just a shame that so much content had to be left out of the bag in order to land this year's shot on the green.

The Saboteur is a charming mess. Yes, the unpolished gameplay can be frustrating and, yes, the storytelling can be silly. But as soon as we drove through the gorgeously stylized Paris – then jumped out of our nitro-fueled racecar to snap a unsuspecting Nazi’s neck – we didn’t care anymore. For us, the good overwhelmed the bad.

With all the new bells and whistles, there's no way that fans of Retro Evolved could go wrong with this one. But even strangers to the series should give Geometry Wars: Galaxies a shot as they'd be hard pressed to find a more satisfying 2D shooter out there.

If you lost interest some time around the umpteenth GameCube iteration, or the woeful Mario Party 8, MP9 is a good excuse to come back. Enough of the old concerns have been addressed and the game is more focused than ever, marking a return to simplicity that reminds us why we loved huddling around those old Nintendo consoles in the first place.

Marks a new era for the Far Cry series and delivers more explosive action and adventure than ever before, even as the story fumbles some of its more upsetting plot points.

If you've played any Diablo-style RPG and any Monkey Island-style adventure and enjoyed them, you know you'll like DeathSpank. It's a hilarious and seamless combination of the two genres more than worthy of your 15 bucks and a couple weekends of your time.

Our compulsion to keep playing "just one more level" meant that our feelings and hands would get hurt along the way, but in the end we liked what we saw.

With lovely gaming references hidden throughout, never better than the Prince of Persia spoofs, it's witty, charming, and forgivably broken.

With solidly rebuilt controls only a little marred by a still-fussy camera, LEGO Star Wars II is even better than last years prequel trilogy-based offering. And, as the first LEGO Star Wars was an amazingly entertaining homage to Lucas's genius, this sequel stands atop the original's shoulders as the pinnacle of LEGO Star Wars fun.

Knights of the Nine isn’t in the same league as stellar Morrowind add-ons like "Tribunal" and "Bloodmoon" but any fresh reason to revisit the world of Oblivion once again is all right by us.

No sports game gets the past right quite like NBA 2K23 – and its present-day immersiveness is incredibly powerful, too.

The Xbox 360 version is nothing like the PS2 and Xbox versions. Instead of Campus Legend mode, where you can take some hapless youth through his illustrious college career (hiring tutors to teach him math), you get amazingly realistic graphics.

Until the time comes for Tiburon to break down the game to its lowest level and rebuild from scratch, NCAA Football is going to keep on looking and feeling like it has for years now. While to us that's not necessarily a bad thing – after all, the last thing anyone should want is a repeat of the NBA Elite debacle – some people will inevitably feel like the franchise is growing stale.

While not particularly revolutionary despite the theming, Persona 5 Tactica is certainly moving. It's easy to imagine it fanning the flames of rebellion (to use the game's own parlance) in the hearts of players. It's not as all-encompassing as a mainline Persona, and lacks some of the charming odds and ends usually present in them, but it's hard to fault a new kind of spinoff that is mechanically competent and features a compelling narrative.

Sure, Bomberman is still sticking with 2D, and his tale is silly at the least, but there's a ton of gameplay value here. Atlus’s secret release really shouldn’t be kept hidden - it’s the bomb.

Unsurprisingly goofy--but it also just happens to be one of the greatest superhero games ever made.

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.

As a comprehensive and thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer package, however, Lost Planet Colonies is well worth seeking out for its refreshed online servers and distinct new play modes.

Even if you only play the massive single player campaign, R-Type Command is a breath of fresh air in an industry filled with “me too” knock-offs and umpteenth sequels.

The Zodiac Age allows Final Fantasy 12 to realize its full potential, thanks to a wealth of graphical enhancements, a soaring soundtrack, and the addition of the Zodiac Job System.

It’s not a perfect game, mind you, but it’s a breath of fresh air that reminds you how invigorating a game designed for – and not around – the Wii can be.

A scientifically fluid refinement of upgraded graphical sheen (PS3 has a slight edge over 360) and unprecedented stylish madness that will harvest some of your most enthusiastic hollers.

The dungeons are well-designed, the action is well-balanced and fun, and even the characters are likeable. This is a must-have for any action-RPG fan or anyone looking for something different on the DS.

Avowed fills a first-person void within the fantasy RPG genre, but it also stands as an immersive spin on Pillars of Eternity without losing any of the stellar storytelling and worldbuilding that Obsidian Entertainment is known for. Overlooking its forgettable party combat system and some minor quality-of-life misses, Avowed deserves to be remembered as one of this year's best games.

It's well-executed, it's got an appealing look and a sharp sense of humor, and the pacing works well for handheld play.

I'd still recommend Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to the Metroidvania heads among us, as well as longstanding Prince of Persia fans whose experience with the series stretches back to the late '80s/early '90s. For those wanting more in the same vein as 3D adventures like The Sands of Time, this ain't it. But it is a return to relative form for a series whose last mainline outing landed 14 years ago – it's just disappointing that this very good game was held back from true greatness.

Going solo will end fast (maybe a couple of hours), but grab up to 12 people and you've got the definite Wii party experience.

Styx: Blades of Greed takes this dark fantasy stealther open world further with fantastic results, slotting together complex bases to create dense settings for sneaking that neatly expand in complexity as you progress. Some tech problems and guard simplicity can irritate, but the huge array of creative problem solving, from decoy clones to fireplace scuttling, makes this a world worth getting lost in.

Excellent control options aside, a lack of major platform-specific extras doesn't hold Plants vs. Zombies on Vita back from being one of the best versions yet.

But the battles are the heart of this game, and despite a steep learning curve, they’re strategy-filled, immensely deep and visually stunning. If you missed it the first time around, there’s no reason to ignore Yggdra Union again.

But for 10-12 hours, Ninjatown is a very charming and habit-forming, if modest, RTS that puts a throwing star right in our hearts.

Its generation-long strengths hold true, and just about prevail over an increasingly cynical microtransaction creep. My Career’s jump to an open-world setting throws a new gauntlet down to the rest of sports gaming.

Once you get into the rhythm of the game, though, you remember why this series is so popular. It's not the mythology or the unit design or the videos as much as it is the kill-or-be-killed simplicity of it all.

COD has a few issues in single player this year but the overall package delivers another good shooter with plenty to do and some neat new online ideas.

There is no denying this Dead or Alive looks better than ever, but its improved fighting system is another step in the right direction. The game's story mode leaves much to be desired, however, but fortunately the game's other modes will keep you coming back for more once you finish. Ultimately, Dead or Alive 5's new fighting mechanics and flashy stage effects turn battles into an entertaining, over-the-top experience anyone can get into--with enough practice, of course.

A comfort blanket of a game that appeals if you’ve played none or all of the series’ entries. Sun and Moon’s mix of classic callbacks and cheerful changes are super-effective.

Though 3D Dot Game Heroes is a fun game on its own, it's impossible to divorce it from the games it parodies. Your overall enjoyment will depend on whether you're in on the joke or not. But if you do "get it," then it's the perfect game for the nostalgic fan looking for another taste of their childhood while getting a few good laughs at the same time.

There's also a huge, gaping multiplayer-shaped hole running right through the middle. The only other fly in Riddick's surgical bruise ointment is its length. Or lack of it.

Unfortunately, we just can’t recommend the Wii version as the best playing Okami even though it's "newer."

If you're tired of training your brain and want a little alien-infested action, go ahead and pick up Scurge: Hive, because you won't be disappointed by its frenetic blend of creep blasting and puzzle solving.

Check your 2D-hating attitude at the door, and lock and load to experience the absolute pinnacle of a genre.

War of the Roses is an online experience unlike the vast majority of competitive war games out there. After you get over the initial clunkiness of the controls, wading into battle with a massive two-handed sword and bringing it down on some poor soldier's head is even more exhilarating than getting a multikill in most online shooters. The combat is fast-paced and the customization is addictive.

A comfort blanket of a game that appeals if you’ve played none or all of the series’ entries. Sun and Moon’s mix of classic callbacks and cheerful changes are super-effective.

Masterfully balances the needs of old and new players alike – but online teething problems are a curveball Sony has to overcome for the game to truly prosper.

Exactly what anyone craving an eclectic director's cut of Rise of Nations could want, and just as playable, thanks in part to three well-balanced antagonists. If it's not terribly inventive, well, there's always "Rise of Nations 2," right?

If ParaWorld stumbles at all, it's because despite creative units like sneaky ninjas and wooly mammoths, it doesn't go quite far enough to show off its unique personality, and its multiplayer maps are content to offer balance through symmetry rather than varying strengths and weaknesses. These limits never get in the way of having a blast, though.

With great rhythm gameplay and creative composition, Fantasia: Music Evolved is a colorful title that earns its Fantasia name.

Returnal can be messy, tough, and perhaps a little too uncompromising for a $70 game. And yet, despite the moments of pad-clenching exasperation, it remains a moreish experience even after you’ve plummeted its depths.

It's mostly there - the charm, the gameplay, the visual presentation - but there are some key elements missing. The level design leaves much to be desired, and without the cinematic moments the experience simply isn't incredibly strong. It's still an extremely solid cover shooter with a strong story and some fine platforming elements, but as far as an Uncharted game, it comes up short of what we've come to expect.

Vicarious Visions has built an engine that could actually push the series in a new direction, with the focus on skating rather than gimmicks that came from the annual release cycle that the series was stuck in. Here's hoping this is more of a warm up than a victory lap.

Harold Halibut's sunken spaceship adventure on an alien planet is a stop-motion-style delight filled with meticulously crafted models and surprisingly moving writing, but awkward controls and occasionally clunky animations mar an otherwise excellent title.

And with no monthly fees, Guild Wars Factions serves as an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar with the MMORPG genre or Guild Wars series.

So what if Carbon isn't redefining the street racing genre - really, at this point, what could? It hits a sweet spot of intensity, danger, and style.

This enchanted kingdom certainly has its flaws, but it's still well worth a visit.

A case of evolution rather than revolution, Sniper Elite: Resistance uses what came before to create something that's familiar, but consistently fun and occasionally tense. Plentiful collectibles and unlocks throughout the campaign, and a fantastic invasion mode, ensure this will last long past the final mission.

Enslaved is a bit scrappy in its presentation and would have benefitted from more polishing time, but its heart is in a place few games even try for. Its world is original, fascinating, beautiful, and daunting. Its characters are alive and full of real emotion and they're truly loveable. Its simple combat is spare but elegant, and its climbing sequences get the blood pumping.

Luftrausers may suffer from a few bugs and interface issues from time to time, but at its core is a magnificently modern aeronautic arcade experience.

Other low-budget signifiers include some bland-looking riders and effects, not to mention few "known" artists on the soundtrack. But in the areas that really count – offering a compelling, substantial simulation of the sport – Stoked is the best option for virtual powder fiends we've seen in some time.

A whole lot of fun, though, especially with some friends. The current generation of hardware isn’t dead yet; this is a great game to play as you wait for next year’s game on PS3.

There aren't many multiplayer party collections that offer this much bang for the buck.

Enslaved is a bit scrappy in its presentation and would have benefitted from more polishing time, but its heart is in a place few games even try for. Its world is original, fascinating, beautiful, and daunting. Its characters are alive and full of real emotion and they're truly loveable. Its simple combat is spare but elegant, and its climbing sequences get the blood pumping. It tells a story unlike any other, and it tells it with maturity and confidence.

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.

But attempting the single-player campaign mode as the Roman Empire, especially the West, will present the greatest challenge to experienced players.

There's just enough racing mixed with the right amount of Hawk trickery to make it a successful new direction for the series that definitely has room to grow.

With its brutal, agile combat and engrossing slice of cyberpunk existence, you'll desperately want Ruiner to keep the story going.

Beyond Light delivers one of the best raids in Destiny history and some of the best story moments in Destiny 2, and that's more than enough to make up for a few disappointing gaps.

Knights of the Nine isn’t in the same league as stellar Morrowind add-ons like "Tribunal" and "Bloodmoon" but any fresh reason to revisit the world of Oblivion once again is all right by us.

Skylanders Imaginators is rich with customisation options, and a genuine sense of fun makes this a brilliant addition to the series.

The best stories are the ones that you craft as you kick butt across the universe. Dark Avatar makes your space operas even more varied in tone and content than ever before.

It's a punchy, fulfilling game that takes you to plenty of cool places and does a lot of basic things right.

The developers needed more time to stroke you tenderly. Now you’re forever condemned to being on the verge of boo-yah.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a solid soulslike game with some unique systems that sets it apart from its contemporaries. Combat is flashy and fun, but it's bundled with some frustrating boss and movement mechanics. Still, a stunning world and excellent dungeon exploration make Wuchang: Fallen Feathers worth trying.

It's this progressive difficulty that makes Joust just as intense today as it was 20 years ago, and a welcome addition to the Live Arcade for those who fondly recall the Defender days of yore.

An average sandbox title with a charismatic anti-hero and hilarious B-movie presentation as its saving grace. And we'll take that.

Lumines Plus on the PS2 scores points simply for being a great game and cheap as balls, but alas, this is the frailest version we’ve ever encountered recently (single player, versus, time trial and puzzle mode - that's it), so you know we’ve got to dock it.

This frantic game still delivers the twitch frenzy that gamers crave, and deserves its spot in your quick-fix collection.

It may be incomplete, narratively speaking, but Lego The Hobbit is just as content-packed as any other game in the series, and is a great experience for Lego and Middle-earth diehards alike.

It's still plenty of wacky, crazy fun with four human players, but it's still a shame that it doesn't rise above the glut of other minigames compilations on the Wii despite its prestigious pedigree and the most impressive cast in all gamedom.

After several years in the wilderness, NBA Live is back and it means business. While it’s not yet ready to take on its 2K rival, Live is a fun game of basketball that’s easy to pick and play.

Yup, it’s still a Lego game. But it’s one of the best in recent memory, full of silly laughs, gentle puzzles and delightful playable lizards.

In the end, playing .hack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth is like drinking fine wine from a plastic sippy cup. It has a compelling story and premise, served up with repetitive dungeons and stale battles.

Platforming fans are unlikely to find anything revolutionary here, but it goes about its business with a welcome sense of brio. Hell Yeah! might want to send you to Hell, but at least it intends to do it while putting a smile on your face.

With its ability to attract new gamers, the Wii is a perfect home for Hottest Party, which may be the most mainstream-friendly series entry in years.

In the end, we came away from Scribblenauts wondering if we had missed the point. There were a few puzzles with satisfyingly original solutions, but instead of feeling empowered by the freedom to write anything we wanted, we felt more confined by the limitations of core mechanic and the game’s lousy controls.

What was good is still good, but rarely better. What was bad is still bad, and sometimes worse. Changes have been made, though only the addition of four-person co-op makes much of a noticeable impact on the experience. This is a sequel you've sort of already played.

If you love the personality and the gameplay of the series, you'll find it all here. And if you've never played a Katamari game before, you're in for a wonderful surprise.

Even though the game's pacing and long-winded conversations don't always make for the most ideal portable gaming experience, this is still a really solid adventure.

Sound good? Then you’ll be in heaven with this new pack, especially if you bought Guitar Hero Metallica and have the dual bass pedals going. If these seem a little tired to you or you don’t want to pay for the whole collection, maybe just hold off and see if these make their way into the online shop eventually.

While Power of Illusion doesn't quite live up to the Genesis classic it references, it proves to be another solid addition to the 3DS's library. The main quest is a fun romp through beautiful, Disney-inspired stages, marred only by its short length and a few underutilized gameplay ideas.

Dreamfall ends on a cliffhanger. If it's all the same to the creators, we'd rather not wait another six years for a resolution.

If what Ontamarama was trying to do was advance the music game genre, it sort of has. But, if a sequel can better integrate the two strands of its gameplay, we could have a real hit.

If you love all things MK, you'll see Shaolin Monks as a special milestone in the franchise and a reward for your loyalty. Otherwise, it's just a fun brawling diversion with lots of gloopy blood and two unlockable characters. Either way, it's good stuff.