This is one just for the big Star Trek fans. The average gamer is unlikely to maintain interest for too long; especially given the main campaign has a completion time of around 10 hours.

Right now, Mario won't be looking over his shoulder, but if this title (and indeed the franchise) continues to grow, we could see a much needed competitive side to the genre that has been severely lacking for a decade now.

Overall Vanguard isn't a bad game, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table of the MMO industry.

Overall Darkness Within wasn’t a bad game…however it wasn’t a great game either. It’s a game with a lot of potential that felt like it just needed someone to tighten everything up across the board.

Rise of Prussia is a solid but unspectacular slice of neoclassical strategy gaming that is worth a look if you are a die-hard fan of AGEOD's previous efforts, or if you're a strategy buff looking for a new challenge. And possibly if you have an obsession for white wigs.

What they get is what they expect; a bright and brash fighting game that keeps to the established expectations, but would have been far better suited to the repetitious, unpretentious and simplistic nature of a home console.

The harsh void of an instructive and friendly tutorial is enough to send away newcomers within the first minutes of firing up the game.

Lacking in polish and attention to detail, Risen still stands up as an absorbing and hugely playable RPG title.

It's a lot of fun, visually pleasing and nods towards players who've been with SEGA since the dreaded Dreamcast days.

Escape from Paradise City attempts to combine strategy games and RPGs, but does so in a most unspectacular manner.

Buy it on a console if you must play it, but don't expect things to be much of an improvement.

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.

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.

A little more imagination and Galactic Assault could have been a far more valuable addition to the overfull alien battle strategy genre.

Unfortunately, Obscure II's solidity of game design tends to fall by the wayside to some glaring technical glitches and generally low production values, making it look like a game from 2005 rather than 2007 at times.

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

Perhaps this is due to the game being rushed out to coincide with the film's release, but whatever the reasoning behind it, The Incredible Hulk just doesn't quite seem finished.

This package feels like it's been thrown together to make a quick buck, and despite having so much content, it's ultimately lazy work. That said, it's immensely fun to come head-to-head with friends in a number of delightfully pretty environments.

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.

Playing through A Hat in Time was an experience that made me question the idea of a specific term - Inspired. It’s clearly built as a homage to titles like Super Mario and Luigi’s Mansion yet struggles to stand out on its own because of it. It certainly made me smile from time to time, but most of that time was also spent thinking how a finer experience could be achieved by simply playing the games that inspired it. An issue presented by a certain other homage earlier this year.

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.

For all its faults though, Disciples is certainly something unique, and the quality of the overworld sections and general strategising may well be enough for a crowd that will inevitably seek it out anyway.

It’s clear enough isn’t it, if you remember this Amiga classic and you’re well up for round two then maybe it’s worth picking up. It’s not a full priced release anyway and it seems that they’ve done a pretty good job of capturing the essence of the original but with a new lick of paint.

Defenders of Ardania is competently made but doesn't really excel in any particular area.

If you already own the Season Pass for Far Cry 5 give it a go, but we doubt you’d want to buy Hours of Darkness separately. Save your money for the far more fun sounding zombie and alien expansions.

Even with those negative points and the fact that it doesn't add much to the series I still like Faith in Destiny. Despite showing its age at times the core game play is still entertaining and somewhat addictive.

PlayStation Move Heroes isn't awful, but it's a shame these grand old licences have been used for something not so grand.

It's interesting, baffling and - at times - bizarre whilst it lasts, and if the community ultimately flocks around it during the coming weeks, you'll likely have a few hours' fun delving into multiplayer matches and figuring out your best build queues before moving on.

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

Had the core gameplay been better polished then Naughty Bear would have been able to get away with having only a few solitary environments to explore, but as it stands it's a hell of a lot of fun for a couple of hours, but that's your lot.

Although it doesn't push any boundaries, Just Dance 3 is a decent addition to the much-loved series.

Terminator: Resistance Annihilation Line is a worthy addition to the base game if you enjoyed your time there but it doesn’t do enough to fix its many flaws. While the story is rewarding and atmosphere creepy, there’s something just a little cynical about the whole thing.

There’s a lot of great game here, with some fantastic ideas, but a lot of major problems are stifling the fun. If those issues are fixed, then Phantom Doctrine might be worthwhile. If you see a patch with the note “combat isn’t broken anymore”, then you may pick it up. Until then, hold off.

The whole affair just suffers from a lack of polish all round.

If you've never played either of the two previous Cities XL titles this is a much better value proposition and more worth your time – as long as you understand this is a solid – but flawed – title.

Crytek seem to have this innate ability to forget what made their previous games liked and fail to address any complaints – so with Crysis 3 we once again see poor checkpointing, an abundance of non-human encounters, not so fun shooting, linear enclosed areas, and forgetting about human enemies altogether after the halfway point. Their best looking game yet, but also their weakest.

The whole affair just suffers from a lack of polish all round.

But a jam-packed experience underpinned by flawed game play is still a flawed package.

I want to recommend War of the Worlds to everyone, I want to slap a high score on it and call it a classic, but I can't because it made me too damn angry. When it works it's a wonderful and challenging experience, hence the still reasonable score, but it too often doesn't.

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.

SYMMETRY takes masterful atmosphere aided by great art and sound, and plugs it all into overly simple yet unfairly difficult gameplay strung around a story that starts in an interesting manner but goes nowhere meaningful. There is a whole lot of potential on display here that gets left out in the cold.

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.

The problem with Kinect Star Wars is down to the use of the Kinect Sensor itself – while the package is a well constructed and well thought out one, it's all too often that the sensor misreads something and it becomes frustrating.

For a full-price game, though, Wahammer 40K: Armageddon feels lacklustre and slightly cheap, more of a re-skin of Panzer Corps than its own beast, and lacking the sense of grandeur that the setting requires. There’s a great turn-based 40K out there somewhere, but this isn’t it.

If you’re looking for an interactive board game with role-playing elements, a ton of stats and moderately interesting writing you could do a lot worse than Blackguards.

Episode 3 is just more Wolfenstein - which isn’t a bad thing since the game’s great, but none of it is new or original. No new enemies, no new level design, no exciting setpieces, and no real reason to buy it. The story’s neat and it was undeniably fun all the way through, but if you haven’t yet bought The Deeds of Captain Wilkins you can leave this particular book of The Freedom Chronicles on the shelf - you’ve already read it.

A run-of-the-mill procedural twin-stick roguelike that has a unique aesthetic and premise, but little else. Without more content, more variety, and more exciting unlockables, West of Dead is dead in the water. Or will remain in gaming purgatory. Either way, I have very little faith in West of Dead’s future.

It's just a little too shallow for comfort.

The truth is Evil Genius 2 succeeds in expanding on almost every feature of the original, but it somehow manages to not fix a single one of its main problems. The original game also suffered from an intense lack of player control and management tools back in 2004, and Rebellion somehow missed all of that when designing its sequel. As fitting and poetic it is for evil to defeat itself through incompetence, it makes for truly terrible gameplay when a player fails at a game because he is not given the tools to succeed when the game misbehaves. It ruins what is otherwise a great and very well produced title, and the hurdles are too big to ignore -- Rebellion managed to make the concept of launching international schemes to rule the world a boring endeavour.

While the opening hours do nothing to rid your mouth of a slowly growing taste of disappointment, Nights of Azure eventually manages to claw you back once some of its more interesting combat mechanics begin to shine through. It’s relatively short length aids the process, but also comes under fire when you consider the bare-bones storytelling. It’s a difficult sell, but one I hope GUST can rehabilitate with the upcoming sequel.

Some will find its look and concept tired and defunct, but slow paced strategy titles are still big business. If anything, it's good to have the choice of another franchise in English. It's just a shame that the potential for something great has been squandered by a lack of sheen.

A slight update to models and textures doesn’t solve Mafia 2’s myriad problems from a decade ago, nor justify a purchase if you don’t own it yet.

As enjoyable as Blacklight: Tango Down can be, more often than not the game struggles under its own limitations; it's near unplayable when frame rate drops kick in.

If we view Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure in the most “objective” terms, it technically gets things right. It looks stylish, it runs smoothly, and it doesn’t come with the bugs you’d expect from modern gaming. However, the details that make a game a hearty recommendation aren’t there. It’s got heart, the amount of care put into its art proves that. But an average story, simple puzzles and shaky voice acting makes for a game pleasant to view but not amazing to play. It can be an alright introduction to the genre for people who haven’t experienced old school adventure games and don’t want to use walkthroughs. Anyone else will find a title that’s pretty, fluid, and underwhelming.

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.

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.

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.

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 surprisingly inaccurate recreation of London ties into simplistic gameplay and terrible performance to create a deeply flawed and shallow game.

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.

Lethe’s story starts off as one thing and transitions into something different. It can be difficult to follow when you’re trying to figure out who’s voice you’re reading. But the atmosphere completely makes up for it in many ways, so if you choose to ignore the story, you might find the scary elements enjoyable. It’s not a revolutionary horror game and it might not scare diehard horror fans but there’s some fun to take away from this game.

Front Mission Evolved can sit well with mech game fans especially with its multiplayer. However as a third-person action shooter not very much stands out unless you quite enjoy boss battles with lots and lots of strafing, reloading, repairing and firing volley after volley of missiles, rockets and bullets.

Front Mission Evolved can sit well with mech game fans especially with its multiplayer. However as a third-person action shooter not very much stands out unless you quite enjoy boss battles with lots and lots of strafing, reloading, repairing and firing volley after volley of missiles, rockets and bullets.

Front Mission Evolved can sit well with mech game fans especially with its multiplayer. However as a third-person action shooter not very much stands out unless you quite enjoy boss battles with lots and lots of strafing, reloading, repairing and firing volley after volley of missiles, rockets and bullets.

If you are in the mood for a political strategy game and you are willing to put the time in, Political Animals will reward you with an in-depth turn-based game filled with backstabbing and bribery. It is blindingly obvious Political Animals has a lot to offer, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to invest your time learning how to play it.

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.

Reign isn't a bad game at all, and it's surprisingly well-balanced given the tremendous scope and ambition on show; but that's a breadth that comes at a price, as none of the various elements in your kingdom ever feels completely well realised, leading to a lack of personality and ultimately forgoing that familiar Civdrive to play long into the night. If you want to test your management skills in one of the deepest strategy games of the year however, delve right in.

Cossacks 3 is extremely ambitious in its offerings and they mostly look good on paper, but when it comes time to deliver, it collapses under the weight of its own promises.

We're off the opinion that the worst that can happen to a game is it being uninspiring – Northern Crusades isn't a bad game, but neither is it a particularly good game. It simply is and it's hard to give a passionate answer either way as to whether it's worth your time.

I wanted to like Hegemony III but it was just too frustrating. The combat works exactly as I like it to with lots of options, and I love the diplomacy aspects, but there’s just too much here that sapped my enjoyment.

If you're likely to be playing without kids, you're not going to be hooked by this loosely connected mini-game compendium and should deduct a point.

Mad Max is a decent if, uninspiring time waster.

While I consider myself a veteran of strategic RPGs, frequently I found myself frustrated by Aarklash and annoyed by the lack of depth to many of the systems that support the combat - looting and equipping characters has ever felt so much like a chore, while the puzzles you'll face are an unwelcome obstacle, lacking entirely in originality or ingenuity.

All-in-all, the game can be a lot of fun, but basic gameplay controls and mechanics stifle its ability to really make a lasting impact on you other than one of untimely-rage quitting and frustration.

For all its Bioshock-inspired environments Dead Money falls short delivering on its premise. At 800 points for an eight-hour adventure it's certainly value for money but when the quantity far outweighs the quality then this is one adventure you can miss.

Kingdoms of Amalur was one of the most underrated games of the previous decade and its return will make that pretty clear to some players. However, the remastering of this borderline classic is hamstrung by a 2012 inventory and menu system, a 2012 user interface, and 2012 icons and health bar. That being said, the updated environments, characters, and other elements do look great and the actual gameplay is superb. However, it feels like a wasted opportunity that THQ Nordic didn’t spend the time to bring those lagging elements into 2020 along with the rest of the facelift.

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.

The Girl and the Robot’s interesting take on conveying a fairy-tale narrative is unique and it sits neatly alongside the platform and puzzle-based conundrums that make up the game’s duration. That said, the poorly implemented combat system and a distinct lack of polish both drag The Girl and the Robot far beneath the lofty standard for which it aims.

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.

Supermarket Shriek has its moments and might be the sort of chaos you’re craving, However, its racing thrills can get stale and its longer levels can suck out the fun. There are worse games that use these sorts of novelties, but it won’t hold your attention for long.

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.

While it won't be able to compete with its big budget peers in pretty much any aspect, at least it's a fraction of the price of the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Lost Planet 3 is competent, but lacks any real soul.

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.

The Origins Immersion Pack isn’t anything special. Whether it is worth it to you depends on if you’re interested in taking an African nation through the mission trees or want to play a fleshed-out Judaism. The free patch that goes along with it, however, should be welcomed by everyone, especially if it ends up doing what it says on the tin. From our limited testing, this seems to be the case, including a noticeable performance increase from 1.31.

None of the single pieces of Darkstar are particularly shoddy (voicework aside), but mixed together they form an experience that's largely devoid of anything memorable, but also one that remains hypnotically sedate until eventual boredom sets in.

There’s a lot to like about the game but there are problems in equal proportion that stem from the base game. The expansion doesn’t do anything to add to the game or resolve issues. It adds more content for those diehard fans of the game, but fails to do anything that would revitalize the system to attract new players.

LEGO The Hobbit has plenty of charm and plenty of content, but it's hard not to feel like the series is lacking some of the verve that it once had.

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.

Millennia’s take on the historical 4X formula is fascinating, but the wonder wears off soon due to misplaced priorities and omissions that are hard to overlook.

Dogfight 1942 is a decent arcade flyer that's ultimately kept grounded by an insubstantial campaign and a lack of anything interesting in the multiplayer department, and while it may pass an afternoon, don't expect much in the way of longevity.

My problem with War, the Game is that it's not really interesting enough.

The trouble is though, the gameplay is not the major part of the game. It’s the story, and the many long non-interactive cutscenes that often feel out-of-place next to the PSP-quality graphics.

Every addition that Snowfall makes is fun and adds a bit of variety to your city-building. But those additions are few, and even the more sweeping systems like road condition and heating don’t add any long-term strategic considerations to the game. Even the new winter cities are a mostly visual change. It’s tough to recommend dropping money on such an insubstantial expansion.

A mixture of classic and new levels is a perfect introduction for newcomers, but perhaps only the ardent roll ‘em up fan will truly love this Katamari.

A cheap, cheerful affair that you shouldn't expect too much of.

A superhero game where heroes are quite fragile, Marvel’s Avengers is constantly in doubt of where it wants to go and ends up arriving nowhere.

That it's a slight improvement over the last is not a surprise though, and for those of us not in love with the series it's just another disappointingly average action game.