If you’ve already bought into the Zero Escape series’ charming kind of malice, there’s simply no question that you’ll enjoy this, too. If you find yourself curious about rescuing people from certain doom by solving puzzles, I strongly encourage you to at least start with Virtue’s Last Reward, and preferably go back to 999 and enjoy the entire blood-soaked journey.

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.

A classy, clean implementation of an old favorite that feels instantly comfortable - and, amazingly enough, at 400 points ($5), it costs about three clams less than a real deck of Unocards.

A great package overall and especially for long time MMA fans. There are some minor sticking points in the controls and some will miss their favorite UFC fighters, but if you want a fuller experience of what mixed martial arts is coupled with superior online modes, you can't do better than EA MMA.

Your enjoyment of Mortal Kombat on Vita will depend on whether or not you've already played the identical console version, and how much you like tapping the touch screen to make people's heads explode. Mortal Kombat remains faithful to its console counterpart, and is an equally entertaining, albeit sometimes uglier, addition to the family.

A few outdated features aside, eFootball PES 2020 marks an exciting new era for the long-running series.

An incomparably innovative combination of hilarity and diabolical puzzles, Cloning Clyde is also a total bargain at 800 Microsoft points ($5).

Sonic Lost World feels like a Sonic game, works like a Mario game, and feels totally at home on the Wii U as a result. With the most convincing 3D Sonic gameplay by some margin, it’ll no doubt be looked back on as the game that aimed for the Galaxy, missed by a small amount, but still landed in the stars.

Rare Replay is an incredibly high-value retro compilation, which adds to its impressive (but sadly not exhaustive) line-up of classics with new ways to play and interesting bonus content.

It's a masterpiece, if not of technique, then of soul, story and heart.

Simultaneously a new Ghostbusters movie and an enjoyable videogame. Rough around the edges, but the superb scripting and unique humour make this a breath of fresh air.

Jumpship's debut is a fantastic sci-fi tale with an intense atmosphere and wonderfully touching narrative, even if there are a few puzzle and movement frustrations.

Gears 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it changes enough to keep its signature style of cover-based shooting from feeling monotonous. Going into this review, I was convinced Gears of War needed to change drastically or risk obsolescence. But the Coalition has found a different way forward, using new mechanics to polish the old, making the whole game shine.

A few technical hiccups and minor quibbles aside, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 tops off a great year for comic book properties with a fun, varied adventure.

NBA 2K8's got the best on-court basketball experience on the PS2 this year. That's enough for us to declare it the champ.

Suikoden is mainly all about the obsessive-compulsive scrabbling for all 108 "Stars of Destiny" - which means yes, there are literally 108 characters to meet and recruit to your cause.

Tell Me Why - Chapter One is brilliant if you think of it as the opening entry of a mini series, but only pretty good as a game. This is very much an exercise in sowing, but hopefully Chapters Two and Three can be more about reaping.

Lighter, more focused and ultimately more linear than its predecessors, Forgotten Sands never quite feels like a "real" Prince of Persia game, but its popcorn plot and slickly designed, trap-filled environments make it wildly enjoyable anyway.

Even if you’ve played N+ over Xbox Live, or the free PC version, $20 is a small price to pay to brandish this bundle of gaming bliss in the palm of your hands anywhere you damn well please.

A huge improvement over its flawed predecessor, InFamous 2 injects more variety, personality and explosive fun into the first game's promising formula, while removing or fine-tuning its most irritating problems.

The superhero powers and coop mode alone make Crackdown worth recommending. Next time, throw in some more structure - or at least some more gadgets and toys to wreak havoc with when there is no structure - and you'll have a classic must-buy franchise.

An incredibly rewarding game to play, and you can easily spend hours in training mode trying to master the tricky links and parries you'll need to win. It's been a long time coming, but 3rd Strike has finally gotten a console port worthy of its legacy.

While it still exudes personality, style, and class, some of its key areas are in need of fresh ideas. NBA 2K14 is great, yes, but somehow feels like a missed opportunity.

This is adventure done right.

Though certainly not a huge shift for the series, Dragon Quest IX has a near-perfect mix of classic JRPG style and grand (for the DS) visuals to make a great portable adventure.

Sable is downright beautiful in its execution and storytelling, and captures an innate desire for exploration like few other open-world games.

Simply put: you’d have to have a frigid, icy heart to not love this game on some level.

Building upon and refining its predecessor's commitment to historical realism, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an absorbing RPG that fully immerses you in medieval life. If you have the patience to endure a wilfully slow progression system, you'll be richly rewarded with heaps to do in 15th century Bohemia.