Cities: Skylines 2 doesn’t rebuild the genre nor its identity, instead choosing to go bigger and deeper without losing sight of what made its predecessor work. With no better alternatives on sight, this will do.

In all honesty, forgoing the campaign mode and jumping straight in a skirmish might be a better proposition.

It leaves once again a lasting impact and shows the real depths city building can go to and how strategy counts all the way. A few questionable elements hover like a dark cloud but honestly this is the best experience you’ll have to sate a city building lust, Roman or not.

Nevertheless A Nest of Vipers ups the ante considerably and makes for a fine build-up to the finale.

Nevertheless, Shadow Warrior is a highly-polished fun FPS that realises that while being old-school is great there’s no reason why you can’t still be innovative.

While not an out-and-out triumph as a huge Batman fan I was greatly satisfied by the events of Realm of Shadows and how Telltale have adapted the DC universe to their play style.

Story-wise, you'll be hooked enough that you'll want to finish Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, but it's the always engaging gameplay that's king here.

This is a game in a rarely explored genre nowadays, and it does offer the interesting experience of fighting a guerrilla war on the Soviet front – a rare occurrence outside Russian games. If you are a fan of this kind of title and have a lot of patience for rough edges and frustrating stealth, Partisans 1941 might actually be worth a shot.

Neverwinter is a polished, if uninspiring MMO. There's a welcome fluidity to combat, but it doesn't do anything innovative, taking the successes of Star Trek Online and implementing them in a D&D world, as well as borrowing from other post-World of Warcraft action-orientated MMOs. Ultimately, it'll live or die on the lasting success of The Foundry, which promises potentially unlimited creative content that will let you experience stories far beyond the cookie-cutter nature of the ones in the main storyline.

It’s a good, fun, entertaining extra bit of Dragon Age Inquisition, and if that doesn’t excite you then, well, you don’t need it.

Attacking a recently settled city near my borders and settling for peace immediately afterwards, instead of being embroiled in an eternal war against a drastically inferior enemy due to imbecilic AI diplomacy.

The plot is getting more intriguing by the second and the feud between the Forresters and the Whitehills makes for good drama.

Everything is competently implemented without excelling in any individual direction, but the combination and sheer variety of content and fan service has to be commended, and for once it's nice to play through a kids game that doesn't just shoehorn the cinematic action sequences into an average procession of linear levels.

Fans of the Frogwares titles will be satiated, even with the lack of Creepy Watson shadowing your every move. Inconsistencies and plot, er, 'quirks' aside, this is a pretty solid adventure with some neat ideas and a dog jumping onto a series of wooden pillars.

From strategic trading, the recruiting of legions, where to garrison them, who’s right for the job from governor to general – Rome is possibly one of the only games out there that can really give gamers a glimpse into just how pressured emerging super powers were. After all Rome wasn’t built in a day, let Paradox show you why.

It’s perfectly pleasant and enjoyable brand of cartoon violence will probably see a good few hours of your time fly by as you swipe your way through adorable, glowing-eyed samurai enemies

Far Cry New Dawn may be a shorter Far Cry experience, but it’s one of the most fun games in the series since Blood Dragon. The bizarrely colourful post-apocalyptic world is far more enjoyable to explore than the drab pre-bombing Hope County of Far Cry 5, and the Mad Max-style enemies are a lot more fun to take on than the Peggies. While the story’s mostly nonsense, with a few infuriating moments, and it’s undoubtedly all a cut-down experience - it never feels like a sub-par one, or even “just” an expansion. Far Cry New Dawn is the most enjoyment I’ve had with the series for a long time. Now, if only we had a full game like this…

Until a more precise programme comes along, Your Shape will do a great job of keeping you active with minimal fuss.

The 40th Day is just far too inexcusably frustrating to heartily recommend, but if what you're looking for is a hefty serving of disposable, bombastic fare, then this will be right up your street.

The Saboteur can be both addictive and engaging, but also rather stale, all at the same time.

Far: Changing Tides largely sticks to the same recipe as its predecessor, making its vessel more complex and sending players on a journey through a different world. Its description as a companion game is fitting – although you will get slightly more out of it if you play the series in order – and while I loved the original, the sequel didn’t grab me as much. There’s something great about helping the small protagonist make a big hunk of metalwork by diligently pressing buttons, loading items into the furnace, jumping on bellows, and lowering the mast so it doesn’t collide with incoming structures. But pacing problems, environmental storytelling that’s a little too vague, and an art style that sacrifices contrast for a richer yet muted color palette, ended up making me less invested in the world and Toe’s journey. I’m glad I saw it through; I just don’t feel the same mixture of awe and sorrow that was so prevalent in its predecessor.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a very fascinating game, with charismatic characters and gameplay. However it isn't for everyone: buy it only if you're looking for a difficult and demanding experience.

As I said at the start. Motocross Madness is a whole lot of fun. It's not without its problems, and it is a bit rough around the edges, but none of that matters. It's just fun. If you can scrounge up some mates multiplayer is a great laugh too.

Stalker 2 is unlike anything else in the FPS market right now, but design flaws that only become more baffling the more you play and an embarrassingly long list of minor bugs, performance hiccups, and game-breaking issues undo nearly all the good done in other areas of the game. An engrossing experience lies beneath all the clutter, but it will take time to unearth it.

Idun’s gameplay loop, progression systems, and moment-to-moment thrills mostly compensate for its padded main quest, rough edges, and disappointing AI-generated voice acting.

Tesla vs Lovecraft is stupid fun, reveling in nonsense and bullets. The rapid, frantic gameplay delivered in snackable portions underscored by a fantastic soundtrack makes for a hugely entertaining experience, even if it gets a tad repetitive after a while. We’d say blasting Lovecraftian horrors as Tesla piloting a mech was never this fun, but then it wasn’t ever done before.

On the one hand it brings more of what we love about Bohemia's games, gritty combat on an immense scale, with an entirely new setting, a decent campaign and some short but sweet single missions. Yet the expansion doesn't improve on the original and doesn't fix any of the problems ArmA 2 had.

If you're a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, have a friend, sibling or girlfriend to play it with and aren't yet burnt out on the LEGO series this might be one for you. Everyone else should probably think twice.

A tremendously well optimised PC port of one of the better Japanese action RPG franchises out there, God Eater 2 Rage Burst gives a great account of itself on PC to the point that you nearly forget that Monster Hunter even existed.

If you're a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, have a friend, sibling or girlfriend to play it with and aren't yet burnt out on the LEGO series this might be one for you. Everyone else should probably think twice.

Gears of War’s second remaster isn’t a substantial makeover, and some rough edges linger, but small improvements pile up to make Reloaded the best way to experience a modern classic.

Mad Max is a decent if, uninspiring time waster.

By paying such homage to the 80s classics which inspired it - even in an age where ‘retro’ interpretations are ala mode - Space Run feels a bit dated.

It doesn't hurt that the gun play is extremely well realised, with each weapon feeling distinctive, and even, dare it be said, approaching realism.

If you're a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, have a friend, sibling or girlfriend to play it with and aren't yet burnt out on the LEGO series this might be one for you. Everyone else should probably think twice.

King's Bounty: Dark Side is absolutely not a bad game, in fact it's fun and very addictive. The trouble is that they've already released it at least three times under different subtitles and with the absolute bare minimum of tweaks.

The Council is off to an excellent, intriguing and suspenseful start, and the minor issues it has didn’t really make us enjoy it any less. We’re already looking forward to Episode 2, especially after the cliffhanger conclusion which promises to ramp the action up, and that’s the best endorsement we can give.

An amazing looking game with an interesting premise, let down by shallow gameplay and stuttered flow of story and dialogue.

You certainly might find a few hours of amusement here, and original ludicrous comedic 2D adventures are something I'll always support, but Straandlooper have a long way to go before they reach LucasArts standard. They're not even at Leisure Suit Larry yet.

If you forgive it for its flaws, the game accomplishes its mission. You end up with a taste of what it’s like to be Tony Montana.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is a fun game that doesn’t push the boundaries, but does what it’s supposed to just fine.

The Lamplighters League's stimulating turn-based battles encourage you to carefully consider your actions each turn. Use your agents unique abilities in just the right order and you can go well beyond the default number of action points, while taking down entire groups of opponents. Pairing different agents allows you to unlock ability combinations that, aside from being outright satisfying to pull off, also help even the odds, given how you're always outnumbered. While its ambitions as a global adventure aren't quite fulfilled, its – admittedly good – writing feels pushed to the side, and the procedural generation it employs doesn't always keep things fresh, taking control of this group of unlikely allies and helping them save the world is well worth it.

There is so much going for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and while it’s beset with lingering technical woes, underneath it has the right stuff and would be well deserved of your attention.

A wonderful idea, with lovely dialogue, a clever coding system, and some cute puzzles, but unfortunately it clearly couldn't be given as much time as the idea deserved.

This is an accurate Dragon Ball game for better or worse. It comes with the visual flair and iconic sound of the show alongside its over-the-top violence. It also comes with its fair share of meandering moments, outdated characters, and pointless minigames. If you wanted to get into DBZ but didn’t know where to start, this is a good introduction. But if you couldn’t care less about Dragon Ball or Eastern open world games, it won’t make you a believer.

It's seriously one of the best adventure games I've played in years that has words in it (I'm looking at you, Machinarium). It doesn't just tell a good story, it's tightly plotted too.

Unlike anything you'll have ever played. For this fact alone, it's worth a look. Even if the platforming itself is floaty, and later levels fail to inspire the same 'wow' reaction that early ones do, this is an interesting addition to the PSN.

The reality is if you’re looking for this kind of puzzle-action isometric fix, there’s not a shortage of games out there which can offer it. So presumably Lara herself is the lure, however, like I said before the story and characters were, for me, anything but a strong point. That said, this is a decent game with enjoyable puzzle mechanics, a slick combat system and smooth luminous graphics. Just don’t expect any surprises, you’re getting exactly what you see.

Toukiden 2 ends up offering something that’s lacking in all departments.There’s too much fluff between the good stuff, but it still offers a somewhat exhilarating experience in short bursts. If you’re looking for a combat-heavy co-op experience on PC, it’s not a bad choice at all - but if you’re coming from similar games, you’ll likely be left feeling generally underwhelmed.

An impressive remake/reimagining of the series from a technical standpoint, and there are some welcome changes to the way each game plays. It’s unfortunate that efforts to tie the individual stories together don’t always land, but it generally does the trick.

The world and characters are forgettable and uninspired without any of that deeper lore and storytelling Dark Souls is known and loved for. But despite those criticisms Lords of the Fallen is still worth a look if you’re after challenging combat and a grisly dark medieval world to explore.

Top marks for creativity, but the occasional flaws, bugs and, to repeat my oxymoron, lack of unnecessary depth, make it look like the game could have done with another 6 months of fine-tuning.

Although Strike Vector is enjoyable to play then, its current range of content hardly represents stellar value at a launch price of £18.99 - even if it is all available up front. RageQuit is promising frequent, and entirely free updates over the coming months however, so if you consider that lump sum a gamble on a lifetime membership to a subscription service then it becomes a little more palatable.

Warlock 2 is definitely a step in the right direction – it takes everything that was good about the first game, and refines it a bit, while also leaving the original experience intact.

It's walking down a treacherous path being online only and offering some quite forgettable maps. The lack of bot play means that the 1200 point asking price could end up being all for nothing in the future, which is quite a hefty risk to take.

Dead Island 2's visceral combat can effortlessly pull you into the zone as you slash, shoot, and kick zombies while making sure they head into the afterlife with fewer limbs attached. A simple but effective upgrade system gives you the means to counter any foe, while its varied arsenal of melee and ranged weapons keeps things interesting for a good while. Repetition inevitably sets in well before you roll credits, being reflected both in its uninspired mission objectives and how you eliminate opponents. Its disjointed and confused narrative doesn't do it any favors either, but, as long as you focus on slaying zombies, there's certainly fun to be had here.

If you put the lack of missions aside as a consequence of the budget price tag, Banished is still a flawed game. There's brilliant concepts and a core that shines, but a troublesome interface and a general lack of breadth of content is clearly an issue.

Unfortunately, the last quarter of A Story About My Uncle does become a little too repetitive, and slightly overly obscure grapple set pieces require blind luck more often than skill. That said, this is still a great adventure - one which will return you to childhood fantasy, and one which will far from get your goat.

So amongst the other problems, it's also short and clearly rushed.

The excellent Clan eSport-style multiplayer, Steam Workshop support, Story Mode, and hilarious water system are all reasons to buy Worms: Clan Wars. It can honestly lay claim to being the new definitive Worms game on PC, despite the mangling of the Ninja Rope.

Gas Guzzlers Extreme is still worth the plunge if you’re at all intrigued by a return to its simple diet of racing carnage however.

A unique mix of strategy and RPG mechanics that miraculously loses very few of either.

There are some pretty serious issues with Warlords that really cannot be overlooked. That is not to say there is not a wonderful experience to be had because there is, but it is a case of fully understanding what you are getting into. This will not be a walk in the park, it’s a serious time investment that will become frustrating at some point along the way. Once you get past the obvious issues, underneath the ugly cover is a game that gives you the freedom and space to do what you want. It’s a title that can be engrossing and fun that will literally eat hours of your life away instantly. Hopefully in time some of the smaller issues, like the bugs and UI issues can be patched but I would really like to see a rework of the controls.

Blackmill Games’ dedication to history and realism is certainly commendable, but the result is a game that will only appeal to a very select audience. That said, Isonzo is capable of producing some incredibly tense and atmospheric gameplay.

Rage 2 has some problems, but taken entirely as an FPS it’s probably my favourite game of the year so far. The open world needs a bit more personality, there needs to be more actual story missions, and you could drown in the amount of upgrade options there are - but none of that matters once you get into combat. I spent over 20 hours in Rage 2 and every moment was a blast, with constantly exciting shooting that rivals Doom for thrills. And I’ll be carrying on playing it after this review, too. If you’re looking for a 100-hour open-world game, look away. If you want an FPS, look no further.

With a solid blend of strategy and RPG elements, this game does a good job of putting you in your character’s shoes. It’s refreshing to find a strategy game with this much customization, allowing you to upgrade each character the way you want to, not simply unlocking a new, more powerful unit.

It is complex, sure, and perhaps that will be off-putting for as many as it will be endearing for, but there’s an original game here - one that ought to appeal to fans of both spectrum of genres.

The tragedy of Alpha Protocol is that, hidden behind the mass of technical failings is a superb action RPG bristling with choice and driven by some inspired storytelling.

Massive Chalice is lots of fun and highly addictive.

Those of you yet to delve into the Blood Bowl universe will find a game with hours of entertainment to uncover, provided you manage to scale the steep learning curve and avoid the pitfalls of mismatching. Online however, Blood Bowl is a rare treat - and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Evil West’s old-school sensibilities aren’t what drags it down, although its linear levels might not appeal to everyone. Its combat feels glorious when it clicks, but it struggles to find its stride, resulting in a fun but rather unremarkable adventure. Fights range from exhilarating to boring and outright frustrating, its story is entirely forgettable and lacks memorable characters, while a lack of polish in terms of smaller details like NPC models and cutscenes makes it hard for it to properly stand out. But if you’re looking for an excuse to brutally execute vampires with an arsenal that looks, sounds, and feels great to use, there’s enough fun to warrant picking up Evil West, as long as you keep its flaws in mind.

Technical hiccups aside, Blues and Bullets is a raucous and relentlessly entertaining inaugural entry into the episodic adventure genre.

There are moments of pure unadulterated joy packed into this sports compilation, and although it's all over rather rapidly, it's a great ride while it lasts.

The Dark Pictures Anthology still lives in the shadow of Until Dawn, which remains the superior title, but Little Hope is certainly a step forward for Supermassive Games and a guaranteed good time for folks in need of atmospheric Halloween thrills. It may be a familiar cocktail, but the game remixes things well enough that it ends up with a distinctive taste, though your appreciation of the experience will largely depend on what you think of the finale.

Haven exudes an amount of confidence that’s not often seen. Every piece falls into its place and there is never a moment to suggest that developer The Game Bakers had any doubts about the direction in which it wanted to take the game. Its satisfying exploration of interconnected levels, light survival, story-driven visual novel elements, and rhythmic combat all serve the greater experience. It boasts some of the most organic writing we’ve seen in a while and strong protagonists with excellent chemistry. Kay and Yu embody weakness and strength, childlike wonder and maturity, and kick ass together when the need arises. It’s hard to dislike them. Regardless if you’re in it just for its story or want to see everything it has to offer, Haven always finds a way to reward you and never wastes your time.

Project Highrise takes obvious inspiration from a cult classic, but struggles to build compelling mechanics around a proven concept. Constructing a tower still offers its own simple pleasure, but there’s not enough depth here to keep you building a skyline’s worth of high-rises.

Overall Broken Age is hugely fun game, but hardly the second coming of LucasArts as many backers probably hoped.

In terms of bringing old-school Call of Duty up to modern standards, Call of Duty: WWII does fairly admirably, but at the same time every end of it feels like something is missing. The campaign is a tour and spectacle of the terror and intensity of the conflict as the Allies fought their way into to the Eagle’s Nest, but the forgoing of nearly all outside perspectives in favor of an all-American campaign feels narrow in comparison to previous COD outings that have tackled this subject matter. Likewise, multiplayer is as tight as ever and War mode is a solid addition that we hope to see built upon in all further Call of Duty content, but the hub feels tacked on. Zombie Mode is still Zombie Mode and fans will find a lot to discover and challenge in the new scenario, but the stark tones might put off the more lighthearted fans of the mode in its previous incarnations. COD: WWII is far from the worst of the series and players will find a wealth of well-crafted moments and design here, but a few too many oddities and omissions keep it from being the best that Call of Duty has ever offered.

In the end, Apocalypse is an interesting – yet not essential – expansion. The only real game changer are the Colossi, as a ship type, a handful of perks, and a boring mid-game crisis are hardly worthy of an expansion pack. The team at Paradox seems comfortable with putting in the minimum amount of effort when coming up with creative options. But even while it adds planet-killing superweapons, it displays a disappointing lack of creativity in them and holds your hand the whole time, preventing you from ever using them freely. It’s bad enough that they restricted the number of megastructures in the previous patch, but this senseless clamp on superweapons mechanics just perpetuates a trend that will undoubtedly ruin the game in the long run.

Zone of the Enders ultimately doesn't offer much, but then it didn't really promise much either – it's a great, if short ride for any mech fans, and even those who just enjoy fast paced action games should get a good kick out of this as well. Here's to Zone of the Enders 3.

It's definitely going to be punishing to casual players or people who simply aren't that good, but if you do manage to get to grips with it, it's very rewarding. It can sometimes feel a little grindy, especially early on as you're trying to save up money to perfect your first load out, but other than that this is one good looking and well-made man stabber.

It’s perfectly pleasant and enjoyable brand of cartoon violence will probably see a good few hours of your time fly by as you swipe your way through adorable, glowing-eyed samurai enemies.

Make no mistake this is a tremendous homage to classic RPGs but that means it also comes with a few caveats.

I quite liked Heretek due to the way it adds up to the base campaign while simultaneously making use of your characters and giving you new ways to progress. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to get back on the metal shoes of a Tech-priest, look no further – Heretek might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Ancient Enemy isn’t bad, and is one of the better ways you can reinvent Solitaire-esque games. But it is still a Solitaire-esque game, and that makes it hard to recommend to anyone who isn’t a fan of the genre. Add that with the resistances and inventory mechanics slowing down the game proper, and it’s a tough sell. If everything I mentioned here sounds appealing, give it a shot. Everyone else, proceed with caution.

Bite-sized gaming at its best.

With its genre-fusing game play and cheeky yet surreal take on ancient history it really is one of a kind.

For those of you looking for something different, Majesty 2 is definitely one to try out. The humour is light, if sometimes cheesy, and the gameplay is certainly intriguing. Whilst it’s not without its flaws (but then what game isn’t?), this is still a highly accessible title. If Majesty 2 was an 80's TV show, I’d certainly watch it.

A cult classic, a rare and crazy gem that demands your full attention from start to finish. The conversion from Wii to PS3 hasn't been entirely without fault, but it's still well worth picking up, especially if you never experienced it the first time around.

Unfortunately while it gets the mechanics right the overall design is a far cry from Dark Souls. The world itself is plain, unimaginative and uninteresting. The level design is cramped and maze-like. The enemies are mostly stock sci-fi robots which aren’t that fun to defeat. If you’re desperate for a new Souls-style game and like the idea of the sci-fi setting, set your expectations low and you could totally enjoy The Surge. We on the other hand got bored of it very quickly, and we can imagine a lot of gamers feeling the same way. Shame.

I am extremely glad of Serious Sam 3's existence. It serves as a timely reminder of how shooters don't need to be highly restrictive rollercoasters that heavily manipulate the player in order to create intensity and epic spectacle.

But is it worth the initial investment? Due to the impressive groundwork laid by the excellent character creation and combat, I'd say yes.

Anno 2205 has so much going on and makes all of your tasking varied and interesting. One game is three different building sims with real-time strategy naval battles peppered in and everything moves in a way that makes it compelling and addictive instead of overwhelming. It’s an ambitious improvement in a lot of ways over Anno 2070. Unfortunately, the technical issues keep it from being the perfect entry in the series that it wants to be.

The focus on unique weaponry and customization at the moment provides Loadout with a degree of compulsive appeal. But without Annihilation mode, it's debatable whether there is any long-term depth on offer here.

For fans of space-faring simulation games, it's more or less a must.

Block N Load offers an intelligent blend of tactical play and madcap carnage that hits the spot in a way that Ace of Spades never did.

Bugsnax is a feel-good adventure with a lovable cast, a rich variety of tasty prey to hunt, but thoroughly unremarkable gameplay.

Instilled with an obvious reverence and applied knowledge of the genre, The Journey Down is an adventure game made by people who love adventure games. The ride's a little bumpy at the moment, but it's surely going interesting places.