A fun little game that will probably do a better job in stirring nostalgia in those who were playing it 16 years ago rather than drawing in any new players.

When all's said and done, Shinobi is a solid, old-fashioned 2D action game on a platform that has been surprisingly devoid of them so far.

A gratifying shooter experience. Even though the campaign is on the shorter side, there are a few visual hiccups, and some of the enemy AI is unbalanced, those small gripes get overshadowed by Crysis 3's tactical gameplay, beautiful environments, and superb online multiplayer. While not treading new ground for the FPS genre, Crysis 3 is a solid shooter.

Complemented with a solid plot and gameplay that finds a steady medium between strategy and action, Anomaly is a clever game that is sure to draw in tower defense fans. It's a very interesting twist and breathes new life into what was quickly becoming a tired genre.

If you like the idea of QWOP and Getting Over It but bounced off the difficulty, Baby Steps is perfect for you – most of the time. But, if you relished the frustration of those games, then this is absolutely the game for you. With a similar hiking allure to Death Stranding, Baby Steps is all about putting your best foot forward which, more often than not, the game does just as well.

Epic multiplayer warfare at the starting price of absolutely nothing. Though battles often feel a little too big, there’s nothing quite like it on PS4.

The game may be short, but it ends before it outstays its welcome. There's some unfortunate repetition of a few moments as a result of its emulation of TV episodes, and the combat itself isn't too deep, but there are few dull moments and the screen will be constantly filled with action.

It's truly everybody's game - if you can swing a stick, you can play this (even if you're a lefty). It's perfect for parties, or for players willing to trade next-gen graphics and fancy options for the chance to swing a club instead of button mashing.

Homeworld's operatic space combat is as engrossing as ever in its third outing, although a weaker story and a slightly odd cover system dim the shine of its star.

A competitive mode would have been nice, but the big weakness in this package is that it ends too quickly (especially for a $30 game) and leaves you aching for more. Which, considering we’re dealing with a gameplay style first introduced more than three decades ago, is a pretty amazing accomplishment.

Blackgate doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in around a lean 6 hours; completionists can expect to take closer to 8 hours tracking down every last object. And while much of Blackgate feels like an attempt to emulate bigger and better Batman games, it's still quite enjoyable in its own right.

It’s all good, but it’s still a simple premise that wears out sooner rather than later for most folks – a free game that lasts this long is great, but when we’re shelling out actual money, we have higher expectations.

This is a game that benefits from simple design. Supported by well-executed mechanics and a very cheap price tag, Hoard is the perfect game for anyone seeking a quick fix.

The absolute best part of the game is all of the stuff you can do besides the main plot. Not that the main plot isn’t fun – it’s just that the minigames are limited to chases, jumping puzzles and the occasional weirdness like ballroom dancing.

A game of two halves: one gripping, strategic and beautifully balanced, the other dull and grinding. Unfortunately, you have to be able to to deal with both.

We were so ready to fall in love with 2K’s take on major league baseball again this year, but we just can’t get past the depressing drop in visual fidelity.

This game is predominantly about next generation tank combat, which may strike some people as terribly boring, but for those just itching to join the new era of steel-clad, explosive-hurling champions, Chromehounds delivers the most satisfyingly complete experience available to date.

It may not blow your mind, but you'll be too busy blasting everything that moves to care.

URU has promised an evolving story line that will unfold as you venture deeper into the Ages. We didn't really see it yet, though, and we have our avatar's fingers crossed that Cyan adds more features and evolves the storyline, and that more players will flock to this new breed of MMO.

Octomania is definitely less accessible than say, Dr. Mario or Tetris, but its infectious charm won us over and assuaged a lot of our initial control-related frustrations. From its upbeat theme song, to its offbeat characters, everything about Octomania’s presentation had us wanting to play more.

It's not a perfect game, but it has a definite charm, and fans of the SNES era RPGs will probably find a lot to like.

It may not blow your mind, but you'll be too busy blasting everything that moves to care.

Obsess over all the game’s hidden trinkets if you want, but the main course of Shop & Chop is for people that value good cooking. For us folk that cannot cook but appreciate the craft, this is a treat.

Fast, frenetic, and frequently spectacular in scale, Lost Planet 2 will do the job if you have an itchy destruction finger, and provides some fun and well thought-out times in co-op. But ultimately, it's just all about the carnage, and frequently seems to have no care for the needs of the solo player.

A slightly slow, single-player only arcade shooter. It has ten levels (plus ten bonus missions), above average graphics for a DS game, and a decent auto-aim that can't quite compensate for the fact that you can't strafe, and thus spend a lot of time running directly into enemy fire.

The best decision the development team made was scrapping last year’s (too?) complicated control scheme for a streamlined series of options, including one that apes EA’s superb right stick/hockey stick mechanic.

We're particularly fond of the fantastic art direction. As if the eye candy wasn't enough, Monster Kingdom has a great soundtrack, devised by top-caliber composers.

Even though the game is a bit rough around the edges, Sword of the New World: Granado Espada oozes with quirky personality that will appeal to fans of Asian-born titles, presenting a visual mash-up of anime and Baroque influences.