Alien Breed 2: Assault is solid, alien-splattering fun, and a real challenge to boot.

Those who enjoyed the previous games should give Razor's Edge a chance, the improvements allowing the finer aspects of the series to shine through much clearer, but if it's a Premier Ninja experience you are looking for you might have to look elsewhere.

In reality, it means that in a game where quick reactions and responsiveness mean everything, you’re often punished for not pushing the jump button hard enough, simply because you don’t have enough time to do so.

All in all, Heroes of Might and Magic VII is a solid addition to the series.

Bedlam is a pretty amazing balancing act on multiple fronts. It has a feel that fondly reminds me of Oregon Trail, but with more head shots and acid-scorched bones.

War Hospital is a primarily functional World War I management simulation game that struggles to establish a meaningful connection between players and their staff and patients. As you progress beyond the initial hours, the gameplay becomes bogged down by repetitive mechanics exacerbated by an inadequate user interface with insufficient tooltips and unclear instructions, accompanied by a host of frustrating bugs that compelled me to frequently reload older save files and restart entire chapters. Despite a promising start, the overall experience is marred by tedium and irritation. Its only redeeming quality lies in its exploration of a scenario rarely seen in the management genre. However, this alone does not warrant an immediate recommendation.

We think it's better than Dragon Rising, and the fact they've taken the "less is more" approach and focused on a couple of key features has been to their credit. It's got some good moments in it, but playing with friends is key and we question the longevity of this title, so the post-release DLC better be good and regular.

There is no single-player, only a handful of maps, and a relentless focus on deathmatch. There are no modern bells and whistles, no character customization, and no real thought past the concept of dinosaurs vs humans.

Should you buy it? Maybe, as it is cheap. Will you be playing it in a month? Probably not, unless you really get into it. Is it good value if purchased and played with friends? Definitely, it’s at its best. Are there enough people playing to sustain it in the long term? Doubtful.

For all its strengths, Martyr fails to impress. While the meaningless loot system and slow progression are clearly an issue, it is the uninspired control system that never really comes together that drags the game down to limbo.

Call of Cthulhu is an undeniably fun adventure game with some great ideas, cool stealth moments, and it never devolves into a shooter like Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth did. However, it also wastes its sanity mechanic, and the second half of the game consists of smaller and smaller locations that seem in a rush to get to an abrupt ending. The first few hours of the game are fantastic, but the rest feels like the team were forced to cram around 20 hours of exciting adventure-RPG gameplay and story into just 4 hours. The story skips to the end, the characters change instantly, and then the credits roll without the name “Cthulhu” even being mentioned. A huge disappointment.

If you absolutely have to get a downloadable Resident Evil fix, get Resident Evil 4 HD instead. It holds up markedly better in every conceivable way and looks pretty good in high definition.

Ultimately, Pro Cycling Manager 2014 feels like a missed opportunity from Cyanide.

The truth is, Genesis Alpha One feels like an Early Access game, far from the polished status one would expect from a full release – even an indie one. While the concept is intriguing and very promising, the lack of immersion and design decisions make everything exhausting. If you’re interested in a roguelike sci-fi game, you could give Genesis a shot, but don’t expect much from what is clearly an unfinished title.

Whatever your experience with the series, if you've ever been fond of alternative racing games and have friends wanting to go for a spin with you then Joy Ride Turbo is a no-brainer. It's a legitimate alternative, perhaps an outright replacement, for the likes of Mario Kart.

Eschalon: Book 3 is an RPG that defeated me entirely.

Champions of Anteria can be a really addictive and occasionally fun game with nice ideas and a neat sense of humour, but as a Straction RPeGy it’s just got far too many flaws to recommend.

What is unforgivable is that All Zombies Must Die! commits the ultimate video game sin by becoming boring. Much like the classic example of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, (that's right, I went there) quantity must not come at the expense of quality or even a basic level of enjoyment. It's a real shame because with more variety and less padding AZMD could've been so much more.

When it comes down to it, cheaper, more sustainable fun can be had from donning a pair of tights and rugby tackling an elderly family member while they attempt to serve the Christmas turkey.

Resident Evil 6 is the disfigured spawn of a generation that is best known for Call of Duty. We've got Resident Evil 4's atmosphere spliced into the body of Operation Racoon City's action. Moments of brilliance clash with sections of irritation.

An interesting DLC with a fantastic weapon system and concept, but somewhat of a letdown execution.

The Park has solid atmosphere and pretty good scares, but it also has an unremarkable heroine and an inconsequential plot. It might be a decent curiosity if you’re looking purely for the video game equivalent of a haunted house, but its high price and short length make it difficult to recommend.

A good blend of economics and warfare, Paradox fans and newcomers alike should like it. Those who liked the new trade system in Empire will love this game, as whilst not being perfect, it sure as hell is addictive.

All in all, a fantastic effort from Critical Studio that reaches a climax when you've got three friends fighting against the toughest and most numerous hordes. If only it wasn’t for that damn AI.

With plenty to see and do, not to mention some great multiplayer offerings, this is a sequel worth checking out.

Alone in the Dark presents a promising yet imperfect reimagining that captures the essence of a mesmerising, atmospheric adventure game. However, it struggles to rationalise the inclusion of clunky combat and basic stealth elements that detract from the overall experience…Solid performances support a narrative rich in psychological and cosmic horror, motivating you to delve deeper into the mysteries of Derceto Manor, even though lackluster boss battles weaken the impact of its critical moments. While these action-oriented sections constitute just a fraction of the game, their lackluster implementation impedes the revival effort from achieving its fullest potential and matching the success of other recent survival horror remakes.

We think it's better than Dragon Rising, and the fact they've taken the "less is more" approach and focused on a couple of key features has been to their credit. It's got some good moments in it, but playing with friends is key and we question the longevity of this title, so the post-release DLC better be good and regular.

Double Dragon Neon is evidence. Evidence that my misplaced obsession with a classic coin-op wasn't misplaced after all. It's proof for those who weren't there – or weren't even born – who believe themselves gaming experts because they remember when the first Deus Ex game came out.

Krillbite get a lot of things right in Among The Sleep. Their use of graphics, sound and level design to build tension and create a creepy atmosphere is second to none, and I was genuinely on the edge of my seat for almost all the time I spent playing. Unfortunately the tension builds to nothing, the monsters aren't involved enough and the game's over and done with in no time at all.

FIVE, at its core, is a competent action RPG with fun abilities and some original ideas. But with achingly slow opening hours, limited character progression, loads of meaningless loot, and an utter lack of difficulty, its appeal is limited.

Make no mistake this isn’t a full blown adventure but a ‘just go with it’ adrenaline rollercoaster ride; it has its ups and downs, with plenty of big drops for the rush, but it’ll be over soon enough. Gat out of Hell is a great round off to the Saints Row adventure as it gets wackier and wackier, with it standing as a defiant parody of how the Saints ended up in this mess.

A great, if not fantastic adventure game that any fans of the genre must get a copy of. It was surprisingly intriguing and has now perhaps spoilt things for me, as anything less than ‘Tunguska quality’ and I’ll be gaming elsewhere.

Ducktales Remastered is a nostalgia trip from start to end, frustrating, life-taking warts and all.

The Escapists: The Walking Dead is a decent puzzle game, but lacks the complexity and freedom of its predecessor by offering basic, linear goals.

I Am Alive is brutal; gripping; captivating; depressing; miserable; and almost always utterly brilliant. An unforgettable game that reminds you why we all love this medium.

Biomutant's strong presentation and beautiful world invite exploration, while its combat makes you feel like a badass magic-flinging, gunslinging, Kung-Fu warrior. Sadly, its tedious missions and weak story make it increasingly harder to stick with the game the more of it you play.

It has a gorgeous engine which lets you create stunning scenes with your towns and cities. Anyone with a flare for simpler Latin times or who really enjoy city builders – you don’t want to miss out on this.

Is it better than last year? It offers a more complete package and the interfaces are much improved, but some of the sports lack the pace and excitement which really makes this a key party piece. It still goes down though as one of the best Kinect titles money can buy.

What's there is decent enough for the genre and certainly as technically accomplished as any Kinect title aimed at kids would ever need to be, but without any strong hooks to keep people coming back it could well end up as just another fad - much like the majority of other content for the all-seeing camera.

It's the perfect arcade title – quick gameplay, insta-restarts and fun multiplayer. When it's showing you failure in slow motion, you can't help but laugh. Squeezing through a gap, dodging multiple people only to showboat across the line, is a fantastic feeling.

All in all I believe if you pick up The Bureau I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Unless you still think it’s an investigative ‘50s-set FPS. Or a proper strategy game. Then you might be.

It’s definitely a step in the right direction for the series as a whole, but I can’t help but feel Gaming Minds have held out on us a little bit.

We don't take offence to the content, but rather the execution - it's poorly designed, and feels hopelessly filmsy. If you're looking for a game to take out at parties then this may well do the trick - otherwise, steer clear.

The majority of the DLC is utterly devoid of surprises, treats or interesting characters and places, and you'll soon start getting bored.

Although there were portions of the mechanics and cardplay that I enjoyed, I can’t get past the shortcomings of the story and lack of strategy needed in the late game. Even if those story beats did not turn me off from this game, I would still recommend anybody looking to get into this style of card game to get Slay the Spire instead.

Unfortunately Nail'd's core gameplay doesn't do quite enough to justify stripping back all of those extraneous details. It's a game that's begging for a little more refinement, visual polish and structural content; and without those in place it struggles to elevate itself above the frustrations inherent in its erratic engine and course design.

For a 4X strategy title it hits a lot of the sweet spots you want and is a great entry for anyone who wants to give running a star spanning empire a whirl.

The majority of the DLC is utterly devoid of surprises, treats or interesting characters and places, and you'll soon start getting bored.

Developers Arachnid games have created a world the is full of charm that is very vivid and fun, the game certainly has issues with its technical state and the horrendously frustrating camera but still provides an enjoyable experience.

As of means of conquest by trade, Patrician IV is a good solid example that will offer merchant gamers something to chew on. If however you like a bit more turbulence as you lift yourself up and forge a seafaring empire then you'll likely find yourself distracted as it can get boring once you realise your convoy captains practically run everything for you, and coin is in abundance.

This is as fine a[n] homage to one of Sci-fi's great franchises a[s] you can get in an MMO format.

NHL 2K10 talks a good game with it’s brilliant TV-style presentation and is almost every bit as comprehensive as its competitor, but when it comes down to the clutch, 2K can’t quite seem to ‘squeeze it’ where it really counts.

There's something naturally intriguing about King Arthur II – perhaps it's the setting. With so many Tolkien RPGs, historical strategy titles and tiresome modern shooters, a game that genuinely captures a new era and source material is stirring. It's by no means perfect, especially in the technical department, but let the developers work out the kinks and you'll be rewarded with a genuinely decent game.

All the same, there’s enough here to bring you back to Galactic Civilizations III and give you enough to enjoy a good few more hours with space battles and planet cultivation, and if that sounds like it’s worthwhile then the price might not put you off. Everyone else may want to wait for a sale.

Easily the most insane and downright fun 2D shooter I've played all year, if not ever. And yes, I did say Vuvuzela sandwich creatures with forks for legs.

Perhaps this is greatest compliment I can pay Liberation. This game restored my faith. Ubisoft can still produce a good Assassin's Creed game.

Vikings: Wolves of Midgard just doesn’t do enough to stand out from games such as Diablo 3 or Path of Exile. While the core of the game is relatively solid and the amount of polish is nice. The game still falls into a classic trap of ARPG’s repetition. The core combat becomes boring very quickly and the level design, progression and enemy AI, flat out doesn’t do enough to keep the combat engaging. Narratively, Ragnarok should be a great story, full of action, drama and betrayal. In its implementation in Vikings however, the game somehow manages to take a story about Giants, mythical creatures, Gods and the world ending and makes the entire thing an apathetic experience. At the end of the day, Vikings is good, it’s just not that good.

Fans of the first HAWX will no doubt derive a great deal of joy from another hearty dose of solid dogfighting, but then everyone else will feel the same sort of confused indifference towards the story and will quickly grow tired of shooting down wave after wave of jet fighters.

Your level of enjoyment will be almost directly mapped to how entertaining you find the visual spectacle to be, and - for me at least - it was perfectly good fun in short bursts.

As a series of systems then, Final Exam is actually a whole bunch of fun, but it fails to harness those into a coherent whole and inject enough variation to keep things fresh.

Battleplan is too shallow and too invested in the novelty of its ideas, lacking the depth to ever back them up. With a little more effort put into presentation and a lot more variety on display it could've been unique. As it stands, it's just forgettable.

Even if it's just a nicer version of Lemmings at the end of the day, Flockers at least isn't trying to pull the wool over your eyes. It's baarilliant.

It's this feeling, the one of crushing disappointment, that riddles this HD update with frustration. Activision killed the series for a reason, and there's nothing here to suggest that decision was a bad one.

NaissanceE could’ve been a neat game but Limasse Five should’ve just stuck with making a cool artistic world and left the actual gameplay at home. I may have then complained that there wasn’t enough game in it, but at least I would have actually enjoyed it.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days provides what the original could not - fantastically gory action over a stunning backdrop of mob warfare and careless violence. There are still a few issues carried over that mar the overall package, but both Mr Kane and Mr Lynch now most definitely have our full attention.

Warner Bros. attempt at getting things going again with Gotham Knights feels largely flat thanks to unwieldy movement and a world that is more “checklist” than immersive, but in small doses it can be fun, and the heroes all feel unique and work well in co-op multiplayer.

Unless you're really hankering for a relaxing puzzle fix to break up this year's AAA releases, I'd hold off for this to hit Deal of the Week.

For its budget and decidedly indie status, maybe that's a bit of a harsh criticism of Strike Suit Zero, but the feeling of repetition was overwhelmingly strong as I made my way through the latter half of the game.

It's a welcome addition to the franchise and one that slots perfectly into your gaming collection.

Superstars V8 Racing is a worthy PSN title to pick up for racing fans. That being said, it isn't as cheap as most store offerings, and so just how essential it is depends on your budget. I enjoyed my time with V8 Racing, and I know plenty of other people will too.

There may well be a half-decent game lurking beneath the facade of tired jokes and nods to RPG tropes and stereotypes, which Citizens of Earth then insists of portraying anyway, however it’s far too caught up in its own bravado to realise it.

Unfortunately, its tower-defense half fails to offer compelling strategic options, and that lack of depth, compounded by the lack of content, keeps the game from having much lasting appeal.

For old, war-tested Stronghold players Crusader 2 is a triumphant evolution of the game that they've held dear for the last twelve years. For the rest of us though, there is perhaps no better time to see what all the fuss is about.

When it’s fun, it’s really fun. When it isn’t, it’s still totally competent. The final thought will have to come down to whether or not building and knocking down castles sounds like a fun way to spend an evening. If so, then perhaps Stronghold: Warlord is a castle worth besieging.

If you want to be scared out of your mind for an hour or so, feel free to get Slender: The Arrival. If you consider that the only prerequisite for a horror game, it gets top marks. Trouble is video games have to have more than that, and this is where The Arrival falls down.

It’s essentially an enhanced remake of the original with new 3D graphics applied. There’ll be a certain feeling of monotony when playing through the title, so players shouldn’t expect a fantastical time that revolutionizes the genre.

I had hopes for Yesterday, but they were beaten out of me during its absurdly short playing time. I got actively angry at the game at several occasions just because of the leaps of non-logic I was supposed to take.

Blacklight: Tango Down turns out to be too much fun for the slowness of the matchmaking system to prove too much of an obstacle.

This game is an interesting take on a well worn piece of history, making it relatable to a wide audience. While learning the game can be a bit frustrating, both puzzle fans and strategy fans will find something to enjoy after you get the basics down.

Unless someone really likes archaeology or must possess every adventure game ever created by man, then it’s doubtful anyone would bother to give Barrow Hill a glance.

While it’s no mega contender, it does have its charm and could easily be one of those games you find yourself visiting time and time again.

Dungeons is not what we were expecting, and that's completely fine with us. With clever and enjoyable gameplay that turns the tower defense genre on its head, this one is a real keeper.

You won't be buying AvP for its single-player though, and if you are you may find yourself sorely disappointed. Rebellion has built AvP around its multiplayer, which is both well-constructed and surprisingly well-balanced.

It gets its hooks into you prompting you to return in drips and drabs. Fans will love it as ever, but if you've never experienced the world of Gundam or Dynasty Warriors, this is the perfect game to bring you into the series.

Two Worlds succeeds at what it sets out to provide – a poor man’s Oblivion and a simple, unrestrictive introduction to role playing games.

It is what it is…a fairly mediocre game aimed at being a marketing plug on a movie franchise. With those expectations it succeeds, and for a random afternoon of whack a mole with a turtle and a golf club it’s enjoyable.

All in all Supreme Ruler is a solid game.

As with Avernum, HoMM3’s sheen has not been dulled by the vitiating properties of time; instead, its unique blend of roleplaying and strategy is just as alluring 15 years on.

It's an old school platformer, in a macabre horror world populated with tricks, traps and freakish foes. The difficulty of the game veers between perfectly pitched and pretty damn frustrating, marring the experience somewhat for those of us lacking the heightened reflexes of a supernatural monstrosity. Despite that, it's a finely crafted package worth experiencing for fans of the genre and those craving a challenge.

Jade Dragon adds precious little to Crusader Kings 2, which would have benefitted much more from a playable and visible Chinese region. This expansion feels far too feature-bare for its price tag, and even at a smaller price point none of it feels really impactful. Even when you have access to the China menu, you’ll likely find yourself progressing via other means.

Overall, WTF is a capable fast-paced game clearly aimed at fans of East/Gundam-style robot fights than more Western/weighty robot realistic representations. The game has a serious problem with feedback that never really goes away, but it should provide enough meaningless fun for anyone who’s really interested in the subject matter.

Jurassic World Evolution: Secrets of Dr Wu is a highly entertaining and worthwhile expansion to the main game, if you enjoyed Evolution. The five new dinosaurs are fun, the missions are some of the best in the game, and the Tacano Research Facility is a tight and truly unique level unlike any other - it’s about research and things going Jurassic World-level wrong, with an entertaining story to boot. If we’re going to be brutally honest though, in terms of actual newness there isn’t a lot in Secrets of Dr Wu. The expanded feeders and other changes make the game better, but they’re in the patch.

It's very traditional, very solid and in gameplay terms doesn't offer anything new to the genre. Behaviour have, as mentioned, attempted to keep things fresh, but there's only so much they could do if their remit was to create a generic platformer.

While Orwell’s Animal Farm stays true to its source material, its repetitive and unclear gameplay weakens a stylized portrayal of the book. It’s not the worst way to spend a couple hours thanks to replayability and excellent narration, but it’s not compelling to get every ending and collect every stamp. You’ll get a lot more out of reading the book than you will from the game.

It's a shame because the technology underpinning both Spore titles is undoubtedly a fantastic achievement, but it looks like we'll be waiting a while longer before Maxis manages to find the right outlet for its creative tools.

WRC 5 is a completely competent, inoffensive racing game, but it lacks the features that have become standard in the genre. Whether you’re a fan of simulation or arcade-style racers, there are many better alternatives out there.

Despite still having a few issues Risen 3: Titan Lords is a vast improvement on Risen 2. The combat could be better but doesn't cripple the game this time, the world is more interesting and easier to get around, and there's tons of stuff to do.

Explodemon is great fun for a few hours, providing interesting puzzles to blast your way through and many a secret to uncover. Repetition swiftly sets in, however, and you may well find yourself not bothering to play through to the end. Still, it's worth grabbing the demo to see whether you're into the concept.