Sam Fisher is back with a vengeance then, leaner and meaner than ever before. Splinter Cell: Conviction, like Fisher is also rather lean in terms of narrative-based content, but there's more than enough going on in multiplayer to make SCC well worth the asking price.

It’s an experience that truly stretched different parts of my mind in more satisfying way than Portal.

In summary - here’s the city-builder you’ve been waiting for.

It goes without saying that Pragmata is a terrific game and one of 2026’s must-play titles. It fires on all cylinders and doesn’t let you go, even after the credits roll. The frenetic action, charming characters, and striking visuals help bolster a creativity rarely seen in AAA titles. While it can play it safe in the story and settings, it is one of Capcom’s best games this decade and a sure-fire Game of the Year contender in my book.

Despite a battle system that has the ability to irritate, Ni No Kuni should be experienced and enjoyed by all types of gamers.

More importantly, it's actually one of the best fighting games available on the market in its own right, so it shouldn't be overlooked by those who enjoy the genre but not the sport.

A fantastic RPG that superbly mixes player choice and great combat to something bigger than the sum of its parts.

The Sly Trilogy is worth a punt whether you played the originals or not. It still plays fantastically, and now looks gorgeous too. Prepare yourself for the upcoming fourth release, and grab a copy of this 2000's legacy.

The price tag for these games feels about right for the number of hours that come out of them, and I find myself going back and replaying earlier episodes, which helps me to feel that I got the bang I want for my buck.

Inquisition is an excellent return to form after the claustrophobic, rushed Dragon Age 2, an exciting and sprawling colossus of a game that rewards the player at every turn.

Finish with the option to inflict pain online to friends and random contenders and you're looking at the most definitely Fight Night yet.

Cooperative play done right!

Trials Evolution's first batch of DLC is exactly what the game needs. A decent amount of extra content for 400 MSP will rejuvenate interest in those who have moved on. Upon returning you'll notice a richer, more diverse community to enjoy.

Sadly, Battlefield 3 is only capable of being the game it should be on a decent PC. As good as it is on the console (looks pretty good for a console game, and is technically pretty stable) - it is still a shadow of it's true self. We don't know if DICE actually favoured the PC as a platform over the consoles, but we feel they did try their best. Sadly, the ageing console hardware naturally limits what is possible.

While many may still argue they’ve taken a too glossy approach to Tiberium Wars, it cannot be denied that it offers at its heart a lot of the core elements that made Command & Conquer the great universe it is.

Crysis 2 ticks all the right boxes, with a lengthy campaign that packs plenty of replay value and multiplayer options that are bound to prove a big hit. If only the suit's powers were managed a little better, and the AI was up to scratch, we'd be recommending this outright.

Doom: The Dark Ages is a notable new entry in the long-running FPS series with a flavor and gameplay ideas of its own, but it can feel oddly unfocused at times, plus not every change is for the better.

As was the case with its predecessor, Frostpunk 2's city-building and society management layers aren't particularly deep on their own but fuse into a cohesive whole that grips you soon after you arrive in its frozen wasteland…Although it's a bit harder to care as deeply about the people whose lives you're responsible for, Frostpunk 2's crises sent me scrambling for makeshift backup plans while its tamer moments encouraged me to stop and ponder about the path I chose for the city; and, when all was said and done, I couldn't help but also wonder where the series might go next.

Dare I say it, Forza Horizon is arguably the most attractive and all-encompassing racer of the generation.

It might not reinvent the wheel, but that doesn't stop it from being the most addictive version yet. Fantastic in every sense – here's to a year of imaginary goals.

Not since Rocksteady's Batman Arkham games has a developer so successfully made such an amazing title out of a licensed property, one that not only is a perfect South Park game but an incredible RPG as well.

Underneath the port inadequacies is a masterful piece of design; intricate and drenched in woe. Dark Souls is infuriating, but well worth the investment in time and shattered patience.

Overall if you've got the rig and a game controller plugged in then DmC: Devil May Cry is great start to a new direction for the series, and hopefully one that will get to keep exploring this new, grittier Dante.

Even before the credits roll Sam and Max shoot their way into the shop, defeat a laser grid, complete every child’s favorite science project and get abducted by aliens in the process. Just another day for the dog and hyper kinetic rabbity thing!

There's a lot about Marvel vs Capcom 3 that's disappointing, but in the end there's too much in here that's good to make me really want to be really hard on it.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, you should really check the game out; the story is engaging and the characters are fun, but it’s the charming picture-book aesthetic and unique combat system that really make the difference.

What is Guitar Hero trying to do? It's not pushing in any straight direction, but in every which way, making owners everywhere enjoy the lowest common denominator. As a rhythm game, there's no comparison, but as a music game, one in which players can enjoy the songs they are playing...that's something that needs to be seriously addressed.

With just one episode to go off of I’m still prepared to bet that unless Telltale screw up massively I’m going to end up thinking The Wolf Among Us is better than Game Of The Year contender/winner The Walking Dead in a few months’ time.

For both longtime fans of the series and newcomers experiencing the struggle against the nefarious Dr. Wily for the first time, what Capcom have essentially wrought with the Mega Man Legacy Collection is a consummate assembly of the franchise’s 8-bit era outings.

Episode 3 is back up to the quality of Episode 1, and is easily proving to be the best series Telltale's ever put out. If you're not on board the Walking Dead train by this point you're missing out, period.

As the landscape of these types of games becomes increasingly bigger, it’s nice to see a game strive so hard for innovation.

The finale to Batman: The Enemy Within is epic, action-packed, and can play totally differently depending on player choice. Dialogue, characters, locations, scenes and even the outcome are vastly altered, and the whole character of The Joker can either be a deranged friend or a deadly foe. ‘Same Stitch’ is a spectacular end to arguably Telltale’s best series, and one that encourages players to replay the entire thing to see how things could’ve gone.

It’s a fascinatingly engaging game, drawing you in with humour and charm, then keeping you hooked with its intelligent level design that guides you to the hidden treasures subtly, making you feel like you’ve achieved something without ever forcing you into frustration.

The fledgling Spanish studio has made Castlevania very much their own and created a beautiful and epic new entry into the series that is capable of engaging both the diehard fans of the series and newcomers alike.

The solid base THQ built themselves two years ago has progressed massively, making this game the most complete experience yet.

Sports Interactive has taken a long look at their primary tactical setup and made changes to make it more relatable to their audience and also more analogous to the influence that real-life managers are able to exert. As long as they keep pulling tricks like this, Football Manager is a series that will remain evergreen.

Ultimately, it makes Civilization V a much better game, which is the key thing here.

Europa Universalis 5 marks a bold step forward for the series, managing to lets its tangle of initially intimidating systems breathe and interact with each other in an outright impressive manner that also feels less limiting than the Monarch Power of its predecessor. The sheer amount of detail and granularity on display feeds into a complex gameplay loop that, with enough patience and help from its integrated automation, reveals itself as surprisingly approachable while allowing you to claim victories as you're learning the ropes...Its focus on simulation does translate to a slower-paced sequel that, on top of demanding lots of time for one playthrough, can also feel cumbersome. Yet, in breaking away from the series' boardgame roots and borrowing elements from its cousins, Paradox Tinto has managed to truly put the "grand" in grand strategy, creating a beast of a game that's eager to eat hundreds of your hours provided you're brave enough to cross the swamp leading to its lair.

With a few of its existing rough edges smoothed out, Death Stranding Director’s Cut manages to be a more approachable experience than its previous incarnation, and for those coming back to it, there’s just enough new to warrant a second journey across America.

Three Kingdoms is a good game, and it feels like relearning an old game – it sticks to the Total War formula, but changes so many things around that everything feels different.

While Sengoku Jidai’s historical accuracy and tactical focus made a strong first impression, I found that the more I played and understood its mechanics, the less I enjoyed it.

Doom is tightly and elegantly designed, with fantastic enemies, compelling gameplay, a wealth of things to discover, surprisingly subtle storytelling, and an emphasis on fun.

It may carry a lot of the same foundations as other MMOs but BioWare has given the genre something it has desperately needed - actual RPG - and that can only spell good things for us all.

Yes the second episode isn't anywhere near as much as a challenge as the first, featuring puzzles that you'll solve by just walking around and clicking on things, but all the choices you'll be deciding and seeing how they turn out still make The Walking Dead a delight to play – and those choices are well-implemented, causing massive changes to the group and how they react to Lee.

This could have been a great game, so it's a shame certain things are holding it back - still, it's addictive, interesting, highly enjoyable, and so credit where credit's due.

Crysis 2 ticks all the right boxes, with a lengthy campaign that packs plenty of replay value and multiplayer options that are bound to prove a big hit. If only the suit's powers were managed a little better, and the AI was up to scratch, we'd be recommending this outright.

Anno 117: Pax Romana is a more measured, relaxed city builder than its predecessor, operating on a smaller scale while reshuffling key elements of the series' well-established formula to varying amounts of success. Both familiar and refreshing, it makes you think differently about how you build your cities. Its two different regions are both gorgeous, equally viable starters, providing their own sets of compelling challenges to solve as you settle islands and watch your cities and settlements grow – and oh, what joy it is to admire the results of your work as its excellent soundtrack plays in the background. Sadly, a short campaign and underwhelming narrative alongside a UI that requires a bit too much clicking and scrolling to navigate sabotage the latest entry in the series. The same can be said about its clunky, unsatisfying RTS-lite naval and land battles that provide too little reward for the attention they demand. Yet, even so, Anno 117: Pax Romana's best parts still outshine these missteps, making a rather compelling argument to don the mantle of governor.

Two Point Museum inhabits the same space as the other entries in the series, confidently maintaining approachable levels of depth. Although its campaign comprises fewer stages, they're more involved. Managing staff, finances, and exhibits comes with a good amount of familiarity. Still, I always looked forward to creating the next cultural hellscape that only vaguely resembled an actual museum and still functioned. While expeditions get old much too soon, the six exhibit themes on show alongside the oddball humor of item descriptions and radio shows do the heavy lifting, succeeding to offer enough reasons to see the campaign through and dabble in the sandbox mode. Two Point Museum continues to capture that olden Bullfrog charm expertly, but the series is starting to feel like it's not far away from belonging in a museum.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a strong foray into the Tolkien universe, backed up by popular combat from other major action series, with its own free-running style to boot.

Really, it costs nothing to give the game a go, so if you're a PC Gamer who likes shooters and wants to try something truly different, you owe it to yourself to drop onto Auraxis. You won't regret it.

Frontier have created one of the best games in the genre, and judging by their support of Elite Dangerous post-launch, it seems that there’s still more to come from the developers.

Boasts enough variety to keep it consistently entertaining, and so that you never know where you will end up.

F1 2010 has been a long time coming, and those who enjoy the sport will find such value in this title.

Finish with the option to inflict pain online to friends and random contenders and you're looking at the most definitely Fight Night yet.

This is very much the God of War we all know and love, and it's great to finally witness both games on a screen worthy of the series.

A willingness to refine its trademark depth and realism with advanced features has provided enough of a leap for those of you well-versed in the game, and the excellent training Academy and on-screen indicators provide a crucial link for everybody else to get to grips.

Sadly, Battlefield 3 is only capable of being the game it should be on a decent PC. As good as it is on the console (looks pretty good for a console game, and is technically pretty stable) - it is still a shadow of it's true self. We don't know if DICE actually favoured the PC as a platform over the consoles, but we feel they did try their best. Sadly, the ageing console hardware naturally limits what is possible.

More importantly, it's actually one of the best fighting games available on the market in its own right, so it shouldn't be overlooked by those who enjoy the genre but not the sport.

Connor's adventure is an excellent one. His story is methodical and meticulous, much like the land his people inhabit. A slow build-up may deter players, but plenty of memorable moments are worth sticking around for. The game is so rich with content and minor activities that it's almost impossible to tackle it all.

A solid and enjoyable platformer, and one of the best Metroidvanias available for Xbox Live Arcade. Fans of the genre will note the repetitive strain later into the experience, but anyone else is bound to have a blast throughout.

Field of Glory II is a testament to the sheer wealth of consideration and ingenuity that Slitherine and Byzantine games have put into hybridizing a tabletop and digital strategy experience. The game’s battles feature a depth that will invite new players to explore and learn while making veteran strategy gamers work overtime to wring success from its turn-based battlefields. Learning the rules can be overwhelming, but putting them successfully into action against an enemy force feels great. Some sound elements could be better and it’s a shame that the vast number of factions aren’t utilized a little further, but with creative modes like the map editor, we may very well see some fantastic user-generated campaigns down the line. All-in-all, Field of Glory II lives up to its legacy and delivers a sheer technical depth that will keep tactical minds engaged from start to finish.

The best FM by far - the definitive football management simulator.

Obviously there are a few limitations such as only having 5 characters, but that’s not too much of a problem. I was personally impressed.

One of the best games to come to PSN in ages, Guacamelee! is one of those rare titles that bridges the gap between the familiar and originality perfectly with some of the most vibrant and stylish graphics of the year.

One of the most refreshing turn-based strategy games I've experienced for some time. It's clever and deeply tactical, yet also manages to be relatively quick-paced and exciting.

There's a lot about Marvel vs Capcom 3 that's disappointing, but in the end there's too much in here that's good to make me really want to be really hard on it.

In the end, Rise of the Tomb Kings is hands down the best DLC I’ve ever played for Total War: Warhammer. With a fantastic amount of themed changes and features, the DLC perfectly immerses players on the experience and genuinely creates the feeling of raising an once-majestic empire from the sands of time. It’s as it should be – Tomb Kings do not serve. We rule!

Experiencing Resident 4 HD, everything is as it ever was. The visual upgrade is well received, and the game's narrative is as terrifying and enticing as ever. Capcom have played this one safe, as it would have been nice to see them try and mix things up with a new inventory system.

Killzone 3 is the best first-person shooter on PS3, with its varied and stunning single-player campaign and all-out action-packed multiplayer.

F1 2012 produces an excellent race, but we've seen it all before.

Stacking is an essential purchase that will leave a smile on your face for days to come. It needed a little more content and variety, sure, but we'll tell you one thing - we're definitely looking forward to what Double Fine has for us next.

Best of all, when you dive into the first corner melee on race day, the sheer thrill of trying to avoid the seemingly impossible number of cars around you is simply unrivalled.

Wealth of Nations is an admirably focused DLC that basically reworks an entire section of the game.

Frostpunk is definitely one of the most engaging strategy games around, and one that deserves to be experienced.

For all its slight foibles, Just Cause 2 is hugely entertaining, and despite the creeping feeling of repetition beginning to set in as you destroy your 500th fuel tank or collect your 1000th item, there's more than enough freedom to pull off ludicrous stunts and experiment with your weapons, vehicles, parachute and grappling hook to make you want to extend your stay in Panau's sandbox paradise indefinitely.

A brilliant homage to the 2D fighters that birthed it and brilliantly plucks features equally from more modern fighters as well as adding a few new ones of its own. Definitely brilliant – just not quite perfect.

All-in-all, this is the most fun I've had with multiplayer these past few months, and I'd recommend this game to both newcomers and Streets of Rage fanatics alike. Not only is this a heartfelt throwback to the golden years of couch co-op, but it's also an extremely well-balanced and impeccably crafted romp through a city in need of saving.

The game looks absolutely beautiful, is jam packed with things to do, and as ever, the combat is a joy to fiddle with.

If you haven't played Worms before, pick this up. Otherwise, you're probably best to stick with what you've got. Worms 2: Armageddon is great fun, just as it was ten years ago.

Episode Two is better than the first, both because its featured level is a more varied, interesting location, and because it eases the uncertainty of the episodic release and sets a precedent for excellence going forward.

There's no doubt about it, Split/Second is a finely balanced, visually stunning racer that loves the brown stuff hitting the fan.

The turn based combined with RTF is unique and fun, providing a little time for thinking and not so much twitchy trigger finger.

An incredibly welcome breath of fresh air. Never underestimate the simple need to let loose and cause some mayhem, and the skill shot system is exceptionally done.

This could have been a great game, so it's a shame certain things are holding it back - still, it's addictive, interesting, highly enjoyable, and so credit where credit's due.

If you’re expecting a game as terrifying as Amnesia and without any adventure game-style puzzles to solve you might have some complaints, but SOMA is still scary, dripping with tension and heart-stopping moments, and it’s easier to find the items you need to solve puzzles than in Amnesia.

As a casual strategist or a hardcore simulation fan, Defcon contains enough elements to involve anybody in the fight for global thermonuclear dominance, and you won't want to leave any time soon.

A great game with fantastic world building and gameplay, The Division 2’s most egregious issues can easily be fixed during its lifetime.

Need For Speed Shift does exactly what it is made for: giving any driver the experience they want in a racing game.

Saints Row: The Third is a consistently thrilling and addictive streak through the sandbox genre's most popular avenues, even if it is as shallow as the 'GTL' lifestyle it strives to promote.

Years of waiting, and we're presented with a title that still feels unfinished. Gran Turismo 5's main frustrations come from the fact that, at times, the game is entertaining and a joy to play. At other times, it had us questioning if Polyphony understand what the current generation of consoles are capable of.

Cooperative play done right!

For fans of loot hunting and a cooperative multiplayer experience, Borderlands will unquestionably steal their soul. Their days will be wrapped around figuring out how to put more time into Borderlands and trying to find out who they can ultimately trust as a teammate.

A fantastic show of force from the long-standing Team Ninja, but one that feels like it didn’t truly understand the mass appeal of the genre. Spruced up with the group’s signature style, Nioh only falters with its less captivating world. We can appreciate the heritage, but it won’t grab everyone.

The story, world, voice acting, music, script and style are some of the best gaming has to offer, rivaling the best animated movies. The puzzles are 80% superb, best the adventure genre can do, and 20% frustrating as all hell. Nevertheless that’s an absolutely minor thing in the grand scheme of things, and the world and writing are so incredible you’ll let any trial-and-error moments slide.

Thimbleweed Park has a few small flaws but nothing that stopped me immensely enjoying myself. This is very much a classic comedy adventure in the LucasArts style, and that’s exactly what I wanted.

Sonic Mania boasts a level of polish, care, and attention to detail the franchise hasn’t seen since Sonic and Knuckles. The developers clearly love Sonic and Mania glows as a result. And while it still comes tethered to Denuvo DRM, the game at least is not affected by this.

It really does feel like Fallout 3 with slightly nicer graphics and a few mods (like “homebase customization”) thrown in, and while Fallout 4 has everything that made the last game great it has all the weaknesses too, like a terrible inventory menu, stiff character models, interior locations requiring loading screens, and more. Fallout 4 is an amazing game that I doubt anyone will be disappointed by, but it’s not unique. And I still prefer New Vegas.

A great chapter and one that can easily be picked up and played through for beginners like myself without becoming bewildered by past game lore.