As entertaining as this simple golf game may be, though, VR just makes it all feel even jankier. [Issue#180, p.47]

Narratively, it's reaching for a mature, considered story, but isn't there yet. [Issue#180, p.47]

The core Hustle Kings gameplay is solid and some of the game modes and table designs are a lot of fun to lay with, but some design choices for VR get in the way of a fully enjoyable experience. [Issue#180, p.47]

It's rather good...You don't need to be a football fan to enjoy this. [Issue#180, p.47]

We found this version to be glitchy and often a little frustrating. [Issue#180, p.47]

A thoroughly engrossing puzzle game. [Issue#180, p.47]

Decent - if limited - fun. [Issue#180, p.47]

Wonderfully horrible. [Issue#180, p.47]

Proof that VR needn't be a solitary experience. [Issue#180, p.46]

Daft, short-lived fun. [Issue#180, p.46]

An expensive taster that will leave you hungry. [Issue#180, p.45]

The ultimate way to experience synaesthesia. [Issue#180, p.44]

Spectacular but struggles to maintain momentum. [Issue#180, p.43]

A glorious assault on the senses. [Issue#180, p.43]

Rough visuals dampen its impact. [Issue#180, p.41]

Battlezone will quickly feel routine, but it’s also fun – not to mention an interesting window into the possibilities and pitfalls of virtual reality.

Playstation VR's current MVP. [Issue#180, p.180]

Sure, PES 2017 may once again rule the play through the midfield, but FIFA 17 has so much to offer off the pitch that it’s difficult to not be satisfied. As long as you can get your head around the possession-focused style of play in FIFA, you’ll have no qualms with its gameplay, but it’s everything else that really sells it this year.

There’s a wonderful nugget of a game in Spirit Of Justice. The writing, as always, is gripping and clever – even if the puns aren’t – and the series hasn’t looked this special since the intricate sprite art animations of the first three games. It’s a shame that it’s wrapped up in what feels like nervousness – the worry that a visual novel can’t compete with the big boys.

It’s the new Raid that comes out on top, however, and it’s arguably the best one yet. Areas are large and ripe for exploration, jump puzzles are kept mercifully brief, every boss fight feels original and exciting, and there’s a laser focus on skill and coordination during encounters – plus the rewards it offers are largely excellent.

Mafia III feels like a small miracle. A sandbox game not only with a cohesive story, but a cohesive story about a young black man waging war against white institutions – how the hell did this get made? On the surface, Mafia III is yet another sandbox crime game. But lose yourself to its machismo and tone, and verily, you will find yourself playing something you have never experienced before.

Gears Of War 4 is a success, then, even if it does take The Coalition a little too long to find its feet in its single-player campaign.

A life-changing experience for every Batman fan. [Issue#180, p.42]

A remake in all the wrong ways. [Issue#179, p.85]

A clash of approaches that doesn't quite work. [Issue#179, p.84]

A serviceable monster hunter substitute. [Issue#179, p.83]

A solid and welcome return. [Issue#179, p.82]

While it might be a communism simulator at heart, its roots in capitalism couldn't be much more obvious or off-message. [Issue#179, p.81]

Stick with it - it's worth the effort. [Issue#179, p.80]

Best combo of ideas and execution the NFL has seen. [Issue#179, p.79]

As a game, Bound is clearly flawed – its structure, however, is excellent and well realised to support multiple playthroughs with noticeably different experiences – but as an experience, as a piece of interactive art, it’s frequently sensational.

Building on what it achieved with Pneuma: Breath Of Life, The Turing Test is a far more robust, captivating and fulfilling experience. It’s not breaking ground, but it explores some fun ideas and challenges you to follow them. As a sign of Bulkhead’s growing confidence and ambition, it’s a fantastic step.

With the addition of artifact weapons – which are intended to last all expansion pack and can barely reach a third of their ultimate power by the end of the expac’s content – it could be that Blizzard has released and set up to produce what may well go down in history as World Of Warcraft‘s best expansion pack yet.

ReCore is breezier, smarter and more accessible than a lot of its moneyed, would-be contemporaries. Traversing its empty open world is a chore, but when the game carries you indoors and places you inside one of its finely tuned dungeon-style levels, it’s unquestionably good, old-fashioned fun.

At times it feels low budget and it’s hard to look past unlicensed teams in 2016, but then that perfect goal happens and you forget; your senses dulled by the unstoppable one-touch move that peeled a defensive line like a big sweaty banana. That’s what PES has always been about, and this is the most satisfying Pro Evolution Soccer ever.

For games so wholly focused on delivering key emotional beats and complex narratives, the presentation and optimisation leaves a lot to be desired.

A great concept that doesn't realize its potential. [Issue#179, p.84]

Eidos Montreal needed to build on the success of Human Revolution, instead of merely trying to replicate it wrapped in difficult politics. Instead of being the revolution we so hoped it would be, it’s simply left us divided.

As a videogame equivalent of a 1950s pulp science fiction short story, The Assembly works. But it’s nowhere near as good a morality tale, or a virtual reality experience, as it needs to be in order to truly stand out.

Navigation on the PS4 port might be slightly wonky, but you get used to it. This is a crazily thorough and thoughtful management sim; slick and surprising enough to recommend regardless of format.

Quadrilateral Cowboy is a puzzle game unlike any other, but it’s not quite substantial enough to establish itself as a bonafide classic.

Overcooked will enter your regular game night rotation for years to come – it’s up there with the likes of Rayman Legends and Super Mario 3D World. If you need a new game to play with three friends, this is the one.

Worms W.M.D captures all the things that make the series so much fun, especially in local multiplayer, and all those new bells and whistles certainly add a cute little twist, but you can’t help but feel that this really is the same game you played last year, and the year before that, and the year before that… Still, if you’re looking for a slice of classic multiplayer mayhem with a lick of current-gen paint, there are few better places to dust off that bazooka.

If you go into Abzû knowing what to expect, you won’t be disappointed. Few games have such capacity to draw the player in with beautiful artistic direction and subtle environmental storytelling alone.

Improvements and additions over time – including the Raid-style events for catching legendary Pokémon, as teased in the original trailer – as well as ongoing tweaks to fundamental systems stand to improve Pokémon Go as a game, but the quality (and novelty) of the experience of playing, particularly as part of a group, is already there. Go could still one day be the legendary game its immense potential hints at.

Ultimately, the way you play No Man’s Sky is going to have as much of an impact on how much you enjoy it as the quality of the game itself. Hello Games has talked about this being a ‘chill’ game and has questioned whether it should have made heading to the centre of the universe an objective at all since it distracts from the more fulfilling approach of simply being and existing in this world. If the old adage that the journey rather than the destination is what has worth holds true for you then you should find much to admire.

Revelator makes a rock-solid case for consideration as the best fighter of this generation so far. [Issue#177, p.85]

One of the best Kinect games ever released. [Issue#177, p.85]

An imperfect cocktail. [Issue#177, p.84]

An emotional if lopsided tale. [Issue#177, p.83]

Strong premise, mediocre execution. [Issue#177, p.82]

Dull, repetitive and boring. Don't buy this. [Issue#177, p.81]

The merits of streamlining revealed. [Issue#177, p.80]

A tight and empowering boss rush. [Issue#177, p.79]

At least Resi can't get any worse than this. [Issue#177, p.78]

Some neat additions, but they're spread far too thin. [Issue#177, p.74]

It appears to be aiming for family gaming, but just a little more depth would give it more longevity. What’s here is good, but not worth running to the shops to buy.

Inside is a rarity, both in terms of its ambitions and its construction.

Fun that's over way too fast. [Tested with HTC Vive; Issue#176, p.84]

These robots have heart, but not depth. [Tested with HTC Vive; Issue#176, p.84]

A good proof of concept for VR RPGs. [Tested with HTC Vive; Issue#176, p.83]

A fine curtain raiser as we await Persona 5. [Issue#176, p.82]

Good for a fight, dull for everything else. [Issue#176, p.81]

A brave, different twist on the survival genre. [Issue#176, p.80]

Beautiful, fun and Kirby's best game. [Issue#176, p.78]

While it can feel rewarding to eventually squash a boss, you’ll very rarely be having fun while doing so – and that’s a feeling that carries through the entire experience.

All the same, this is by far the best of the franchise so far and if you’ve ever considered giving one of the Sherlock Holmes games a go there’s been no better option to start with.

As Dangerous Golf begins to build on its core mechanics – causing as much damage and mayhem as you can before putting the ball in a hole to bank your score – it continues to deliver a fresh take on the concept.

Catalyst has some wonderful ideas and there are times where it’ll make you feel truly free, but it fails to maintain its momentum for more than a few minutes at time.

Beautiful, engaging, lacking in content. [Issue#175, p.84]

Lacks polish, but worth a try. [Issue#175, p.83]

A great use of the Warhammer license. [Issue#175, p.83]

Builds on an already brilliant indie hit. [Issue#175, p.82]

Charming, creative and stubbornly old-school. [Issue#175, p.81]

A cut, thrust, and parry above. [Issue#175, p.80]

A tough tactical adventure. [Issue#175, p.78]

A tough tactical adventure. [Issue#175, p.78]

A competent shooter marred by bad writing. [Issue#175, p.76]

A great blending of two franchises. [Issue#175, p.74]

A promising work in progress. [Issue#175, p.72]

A short but uniquely brilliant strategy shooter. [Issue#175, p.70]

While we won't go anywhere near as far to say that this online facing side of the game is an afterthought, it doesn't carry with it the same sense of intense playtesting and meticulous detail as the solo campaign.

Right now, Overwatch is a fantastic multiplayer shooter that will likely only hold your attention in the weeks to come if you have friends to roll with.

A perfectly average platformer. [Tested with Oculus Rift; Issue#174, p.82]

VR done right, if you've got the stomach for it. [Tested with Oculus Rift; Issue#174, p.80]

Gorgeous, but more frustrating than fun. [Issue#174, p.77]

Playful proof that the classic RPG isn't dead. [Issue#174, p.76]

It's got the speed, but not the finesse. [Issue#174, p.74]

With all those map layouts and bosses to hunt down, you'll still spend hours in the Gungeon pushing yourself with a stupid, maniacal grin on your face. [Issue#174, p.72]

A game that succeeds in being like no other but falls short of realising its potential.

From Spring to Summer, to Fall and Winter, season changes will render certain crops dead. You have to plan ahead – farming doesn’t even occur in winter – and your jobs remain engrossing day-in, day-out. That’s Stardew Valley’s greatest strength – it gives you a load of interesting things to do in your new life, rewards you whichever you choose to do, and it always feels like more than just a farming game.

As fan service, it does a solid (if a little lazy) job of hitting all the right notes, it’s fun in brief moments, but we’ve seen far too much of it before in previous games. True fans have been waiting so long for a proper sequel that it’s hard to not walk away disappointed.

The detailed town is fun to explore, the dialogue is witty and consistently funny, and the Yo-Kai designs are wonderful (not to mention brilliantly animated). There are just too many occasions where you’ll feel like a spectator and, yes, wish you were playing Pokémon instead.

In the most flattering sense, Ratchet & Clank plays like a PS2 platformer: brisk, nimble, self-contained, but visually it’s up there with the best on the PS4; Insomniac has united two very different eras in videogame making.

If you enjoyed last year’s iOS/Android sleeper Fallout Shelter, but wanted more complexity, less predictable combat and a greater sense of achievement even in abject failure, look no further.

This year’s UFC feels like it improves in some key areas – overall quality, game modes and such – but not enough to really feel a great leap from the past.

This is a masterful piece of storytelling from Naughty Dog, packed full of wonderful and genuine character moments, great performances from the main cast and no small amount of little references for fans of both the series and developer. As a celebration of what Nathan Drake has given us over the last nine years we couldn’t really have asked for too much more.

Much like the recently released Street Fighter V, Pokkén Tournament is a fighting game that only really comes into its own if you plan on playing it in local or online multiplayer. Solo gameplay is fun in short bursts, but to get the most out of this one you’re going to need a partner to duke it out with.