That's the story of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: This is actually the game that the original should've been. If you've not played MVC3 or traded it in and want another fix, this is absolutely the best route to go. If you bought the original, how much do you love MVC? If you want more, go get it – the newcomers are great fun.

When summarising most videogames, it's almost always important to thrust the mechanics out front as one of the primary metrics to be judged. Catherine, for the first time that I can recall in a very long while, demands to be reviewed on its narrative and thematic content. It simply cannot be ignored.

I love the combat skills of the general; it makes me feel superior in the battlefield. This game makes me want to know more about the Western Civilization.

Clever ideas are interspersed with components that fail miserably, making this the definition of 'mixed bag'.

Metal: Hellsinger’s infectious blend of rhythm game and first-person shooter elements gripped me all the way through its story mode and beyond, despite its mostly disappointing boss battles. Its roaring metal soundtrack ebbs and flows around how well you deal death to Hell’s denizens, constantly pushing you to do better...It’s some of the most intense action that I’ve experienced this year and a game you should definitely put on your radar, especially if you love both first-person shooters and metal music.

If gamers are worried about Fat Princess not giving them an amusing time, then they should worry no longer – Fat Princess has more highs than lows to justify a digital download for any PlayStation 3 owner.

The difficulty of some of the puzzles could be increased, but the variety of gameplay is there and the game was enjoyable and definitely worth the price of download.

It's fair to say Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an appealing return for the much-adhered franchise. It offers some truly unique and intriguing gameplay elements that will invite newcomers whilst challenging series aficionados. This is extremely important after the failings of XIII, as it shows Square Enix are prepared to keep building on the RPG formula they shaped. Serah's adventure is an entertaining and dynamic one, signalling that Final Fantasy is moving in the right direction once again.

"Reality 2.0" still stands as my personal favorite, but Bright Side of the Moon is a great way to end.

If you like the idea of cruising around farmlands in a weaponless Half-Life 2-style buggy by all means pick up The Following, but don’t expect a smooth ride.

If The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit cost a bit of money, we’d still highly recommend it. The fact that it’s totally free means it’s elevated to a must-play, even if you have no plans on playing Life Is Strange 2 - and if you’re considering it, play this now. Any minor quibbles we might have, like some interactive points not being obvious, drop away when you remember that it’s free.

I’m someone who finds it hard to care about retro homages, and Gato Roboto is the exception to that rule. It’s fun, its challenge isn’t overwhelming, and Kiki is now part of the pantheon of gaming’s cutest cats. The short length might be a source of contention in the future, but I’ll gladly take something that lasts as long as it needs to over something that meanders a couple extra hours. This game is not only an exceptional love letter to a bygone era, but its modern sensibilities don’t get in the way of the challenge. If you love the design of retro games but wished their difficulty was balanced rather than frustrating, Gato Roboto scratches that old-school itch.

With The Quarry, Supermassive heads back to the woods with mostly positive results. The story is not much to write home about, and the paring back of physical control of characters' actions leaves some empty spaces. Still, the cast is generally likable, the presentation impressive, and there's plenty of joy to be found in manipulating the lives of these poor young souls. The Quarry has plenty of thrills, chills, and kills, but also an abundance of filler.

If you’re just getting into Sam and Max, Night of the Raving Dead isn’t a bad place to start and definitely worth the cost, though you’ll miss out on some of the in jokes.

There’s not much about Sniper Elite 5 that’s particularly remarkable. That, however, didn’t stop the visceral X-Ray kills and the simple act of mowing down Nazis to see me through to the end of its campaign. There are plenty of other games out there that do stealth, action, or World War II better, yet the series’ formula is very much its own and does manage to carry a game that otherwise struggles to do anything interesting. Its flexible difficulty, the tension of invasions, and gruesome long-range executions keep things fun if the very premise appeals to you. But certain antiquated design choices and guns that don’t feel all that great keep Sniper Elite 5 from being memorable.

The consistency in design and reverence for the subject matter is King Arthur's greatest strength. Too often war games of this persuasion end up as dry, hardcore affairs that only the slimmest of niche audiences can appreciate. Neocore, although biting off a little more than it can chew, has provided an experience that positively oozes with atmosphere and challenge, yet all the while catering to those that spend twelve hours a day devising battlefield plans - and the other twelve reading the Art of War.

There’s no single feature that will revolutionise Beyond Earth’s fairly conventional approach to strategy, but as a complete package this expansion does a great job of fleshing out the game’s mechanics and giving it a sense of identity that previously was sorely missing.

After a run-and-pass arcade footballer, then pick up PES. Anything else, then FIFA's ahead by a long shot.

All in all, Shadowgrounds: Survivor is a game for fans, casual gamers, and for gamers who miss the old ‘simple’ style of the arcade era. Newcomers may be a little put off with the ‘enter-in-the-middle-of-a-story’ feeling, but if you just ignore the story completely, then what you are left with is a perfectly enjoyable third-person shooter.

It’s interesting that The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk comes out at the time it does. The game has a lot to say about things like discrimination, acceptance, purpose, and willful ignorance and goes about it in humorous and sometimes surprisingly deep ways. It has everything a good point-and-click should have from meaningful world engagement and enjoyable dialogue to good, old-fashioned, item-heavy puzzle solving. That said, it’s clearly a journey that Studio Fizbin isn’t out to bar anyone from for the sake of nostalgic difficulty. Their adaption of point-and-click mechanics to modern times with things like the hint system ensures that the only thing keeping a player from moving forward at any point is their own stubborn resolve. It could have better character animations at times to go with all of the solid and wonderful things built visually, aurally, and mechanically around these characters. However for the most part, The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk makes a strong case that point-and-click adventures still have a lot to offer in modern gaming.

It's a Masterpiece in my eyes and I rarely use that term.

Despite a bitch-slap of an ending (setting it up for a sequel no doubt), there's some really great moments in this game.

The original Pillars of Eternity earned much deserved high praise when it was released. The White March – Part II keeps those elements that made the game such a success, but also tweaks some of the areas needing improvement.

Nadeo have succeeded in turning people who normally wouldn’t care about breaking records on a track into drivers that do.

Nobody Saves the World’s form switching and punchy, responsive combat carries the game where its other elements let it down. The star of the show is its surprisingly dynamic twist on aRPG mechanics that makes figuring out builds to counter the dangers of its dungeons rewarding enough to warrant spending 20+ hours killing monsters and helping its sometimes oddball NPCs.

Hitman’s latest episode has some impressive moments, but Marrakesh feels limited compared to the sprawling, interconnected layouts of Paris and Sapienza. It’s part of an increasingly great game and still provides some solid stealth action, but don’t be surprised if you’re not coming back to this one for more than a few tries.

The Campaign might only last around 6-7 hours, but there are plenty of reasons to go back, ensuring that Gears of War: Judgment feels more than just an expansion pack to its predecessors.

As a RTS Homeworld: Deserts Of Kharak doesn’t actually have much new, but it’s still one of the better releases for the genre in a long time. In many ways it feels like a modern Westwood classic, but most importantly it evokes the same feelings of complex strategy that you might have had when playing the original Homeworld games.

Hue is a great indie puzzle platformer with charm and character. It’s color themed mechanics work well and allow for some great puzzle platforming.

All of the problems are irksome rather than game-breaking, and don't have a significant impact on what is a surprisingly deep and engaging rendition of Mark Twain's "good walk spoiled".

The Metronomicon is a rhythm game like few others. Any good programmer can put together a soundtrack and slap arrows on the songs, but The Metronomicon sets itself apart by way of numerous RPG mechanics that actually make you strategize a bit while you’re trying to keep the rhythm of the song going. Building note sets, queuing up the attacks, switching party members, defeating enemies, and surviving battles put The Metronomicon quite a step above most other rhythm games we’ve played. Moreover, it has just enough context in its story to keep things amusing in between and the soundtrack is a pretty fantastic mix of contemporary styles across the music industry. We just wish we had a dance pad to go with it when our hands start cramping.

After a run-and-pass arcade footballer, then pick up PES. Anything else, then FIFA's ahead by a long shot.

Aside from those enjoyable new Dutch republics, however, a lot of the new mechanics in Res Publica feels like content Paradox didn't have time to slot into previous expansion Wealth of Nations, so it's a little disappointing to see it jammed into another content pack rather than simply patched in.

If you've got a solid Internet connection and some spare cash you might want to consider braving the DRM, or you can hope that Ubisoft will stop being so bloody stubborn, realise the error of their ways and scale down the DRM so that everybody can enjoy the impressive game Blue Byte have so lovingly created.

Civilization 7 is a focused and compelling refresh of the decades-old formula that will keep most players coming back for more, yet parts of its condensation don’t work as well as the whole.

In the end, Warlords of New York is a fantastic setting beautifully rendered, but is ruined by bad gameplay decisions, and an interesting expansion that could have lasted days is artificially rushed by forcing you to complete it in one go. If you love The Division 1 and want to see more of it, you’re in luck - but be aware that every single good side is going to have a massively disappointing bad side.

Unless Blizzard has some real story shake-ups and a phenomenally tuned raid on the horizon, I’m honestly expecting the sharpest player decrease to set in within the next few months. The expansion itself has some interesting ideas, but sticking to a World Quest grindfest is quickly becoming the norm, and the Island Expeditions aren’t exactly exciting.

A real remaster that thoroughly updates an 18-year-old title into a proper next-gen game, and actually makes it better than the original.

It says a lot when Shadow Warrior 2 is only the second best 3D Realms game out this week, and the other is yet another remaster of Duke Nukem 3D. Despite loving the first game I could not get along with this sequel, with both single-player and co-op feeling lacking in different ways.

Dig beneath the effortlessly stylish veneer of Apotheon though and it soon becomes clear that its impressive calibre bleeds through into its homage to the engrossing Castlevania and Metroid games pioneered back in the 8-bit days.

It was perhaps too much to ask of Telltale that they blow our minds in the very first episode, but I still feel a little let-down with how “setty-uppy” All That Remains felt, with a mostly predictable storyline and few really significant or interesting choices to make.

Nevertheless despite these issues I still found myself enjoying The Journey Down: Chapter Two a lot as it is just a fun, charming adventure that gets the LucasArts spirit pretty darn right.

All of the problems are irksome rather than game-breaking, and don't have a significant impact on what is a surprisingly deep and engaging rendition of Mark Twain's "good walk spoiled".

Battletech is one of the most fun, engaging, and exciting strategy games we’ve played in a long time.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does a fine job of reinvigorating the Lego game formula, even if it continues to be mired in gargantuan amounts of busywork. Most importantly, however, it’s a highly entertaining Star Wars spectacle that brings humor and joy in Sarlaac-sized portions.

A combat system that’s deeper than it first appears is the real star here, but you’ll likely also stick around for the perverse and disturbing universe and the story that plays out within it. The voiceover work will quickly annoy you and the difficulty is unfair, but there is still a bit to enjoy here, assuming you can ignore some of Othercide’s shortcomings. I wanted to like Othercide much more than I did.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands plays it safe, never leaning enough into its fantasy elements or bringing any significant changes to the Borderlands formula, but offering more of the fun looting and shooting the main series is known for. It boasts better writing and humor than Borderlands 3 while throwing in interesting spells and class powers that spice up its otherwise familiar combat system. Repetitive dungeons and a tedious endgame drag it down a bit, but if you’re looking to shoot dragons instead of bandits and sift through an endless stream of guns and items in search of the one that works slightly better with your build, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has got you covered.

Should you buy Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition if you own it on GOG? Probably not. A few optional characters, a Horde mode, and a few built-in modifications do not a Really Special Edition make. You should absolutely play Baldur's Gate if you don't mind isometric RPGs that give you a real challenge, since the writing is still amazing and both the world and combat system are still really deep and engrossing.

This sophisticated tone is one of the reasons I would recommended Yakuza 4 to any PS3 owner. It's brutally violent, intriguing from start to finish and requires a surprisingly small amount of background knowledge.

The developers need to be commended for their efforts and if you like sandbox games, this is unmissable.

While there are a number of omissions in Fallout 4 VR; working scopes, manual reloading and holding two handed weapons correctly to name a few, this game is the most complete experience that I’ve played on the Vive so far. No other VR games offer an experience of this depth or length and while you will have to make a number of adjustments before jumping in, I think it’s worth it. Fallout 4 VR is the best version of Fallout 4 and as more mods are released, I can only see it getting better. It’s by no means perfect and it’s very noticeable that this game has been adapted, rather than being built with VR in mind, but the end result is still something I can confidently recommend. If you’re a fan of Fallout 4 and own a HTC Vive, you won’t want to miss this!

Despite the lack of co-op Fall of Cybertron is a huge improvement on its predecessor, offering plenty of entertainment for the non-fan and out-and-out geekgasms for the Transformers acolyte.

Stellaris is simply wonderful. If you enjoy grand strategy games then you’ll love this. If you don’t then this could be the one to change your mind. If you’ve been too intimidated to try the genre before now, then here’s your ideal starting point.

After last year's encouraging switch-up, the developer hasn't done enough to iron out encounters in the ring. A little imagination would go a long way with WWE's next installment.

Whereas The Surge managed to get the basics of Dark Souls right but failed to make either the enemies or world interesting, A Walk In The Park corrects this problem (for the most part). The idea of a sci-fi Souls game was cool but setting it in a Disneyland-style theme park is clever and done pretty well. It’s very much Itchy & Scratchy Land from The Simpsons, with killer mascots and murderous jolly robot parades. Things get ridiculously tough towards the end and the game starts to forget about the fun enemies, but with this expansion Deck13 have finally made a Dark Souls alternative people might want to play. If you own The Surge, you need to take A Walk In The Park.

In the end, Rise of the Republic is a capable expansion that acts as a bonafide prequel to Rome II, providing dozens of hours of fun to fans of the game and its time period. It even pushes the envelope further, adding new features to the campaign and making the fall of Rome a two-battle endeavour instead of a simple siege. Creative Assembly continues to surprise with their ongoing high quality support of Rome II, and Rise of the Republic is yet another notch on that increasingly busy belt.

If you've been waiting for the finale to dive in, well go ahead and do so with the full confidence that it'll be worth it.

The greatest addition to the formula is the co-op multiplayer. Grab a friend online, and the two of you can slice, chop and smash your way through the hordes together, with plenty of missions to complete. The action is very entertaining with a second person keeping you company and you'll spend hours simply exploring and clearing out entire areas of zombies together.

A very good game that needs some amount of balancing and polishing to really shine.

A new engine and new ideas breath new life into a series that was in serious danger of turning stale.

Superhot: Mind Control Delete’s focus on improvisation and rogue-lite elements excellently complement its “time moves only when you move” core gameplay loop and distinctive aesthetic, making it a first-person shooter that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss.

A quality game, but at that absurdly low price there's really no excuse to deny yourself of it.

Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma will not be to everyone’s tastes; that much is obvious. An eclectic mix of puzzle solving and non-linear visual novel narrative, Zero Time Dilemma’s inconsistent conundrum quality and distinctly no-frills presentation aren’t enough to seriously detract from the impressive calibre of its numerous idiosyncrasies.

Dune: Awakening finds its Voice in the strengths of the universe it adapts and the weirder elements that can’t be found elsewhere even if its early hours and melee combat need more work.

Legend and Underworld are both good, while I think Anniversary teeters on the absolute brilliant quite often – but three games of that quality for a bargain-basement price is an offer I find hard to refuse and hard not to recommend – especially if you've a hankering for a bit of artefact hunting while waiting for Uncharted 3.

Overall, a fantastic game that yields a relaxing experience and a gaming experience for all. The adventure is fun and awe-inducing. The graphics and music are coupled well together and marry each other to make for an amazing fantasy feel.

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.

Overall, Sniper Elite 4 has so much to offer its players and successfully caters to a wide variety of people. The fact that the Campaign can be played solo or entirely co-op is awesome, making it easy for players and their friends to jump in and out of the story as often as they please. Experiencing each mission for the first time is just the beginning of an on-going learning experience and the more familiar you become with the maps, the better sniper you’ll become.

With better skill progression, a better take on combat hit percentages (like, removing them and relying on other methods to determine hits), a bit more originality, and a bit less linearity, Mutant Year Zero would have been an easy recommendation to just about anyone. Still, it’s a game that I really enjoyed and hope to see future content for. If you like tactical battles, RPG mechanics, and weird universes, you should definitely check this one out.

Although perceptibly divisive in execution and theme, it becomes difficult to imagine an individual that would experience That Dragon, Cancer and not feel richer and better off for having been immersed in its bittersweet storytelling as the end credits roll. While some might be understandably put off by the slim pickings of traditional genre fare on offer here, That Dragon, Cancer staunchly remains as an experience that everybody should let into their lives regardless.

Strider is unapologetic in its approach: it’s a Metroidvania that thrives on speed, slashing, and general carnage. It manages all four very well.

Try it, you may very well like or even love it, but don't come crying to me if you don't. I told you so.

Episode 4 is another terrific addition to Agent 47’s latest. After a less spectacular stay in Marrakesh and a fairly limited detour in the Summer Bonus Episode, Bangkok provides another terrific level for further murderous possibilities, and one I can’t wait to revisit as more targets make their unfortunate lodgings at the resort.

The improved road and transport infrastructure the content allows for is pretty great but like the other DLC’s, the content seems lacking in quantity.

In the end, A Way Out is without a doubt the most satisfying coop experience I’ve ever had. It’s a superb experience made from the ground up to be purely cooperative, and it creates a unique sinergy that even coop classics like Left 4 Dead can’t come close to achieving. The truth is, A Way Out not only holds itself alongside the best coop titles out there – it surpasses them.

With awesome character customization and the impressively bold approach the pawn system takes to storytelling and online connectivity, that makes this all the more worth exploring, even in spite of its sometimes conspicuous faults.

The more focused second half saves Eriksholm from oblivion. For a game clocking around 10 hours, it takes too long to get going and put all its cards on the table.

What this game does really well is appeal to those nostalgic fans of old-school fighters, whilst providing a new, refreshing aesthetic.

Better realism gives you far better challenges and when coupled with the graphics and fantastic audio it makes the ‘beautiful game’ into a beautiful game.

Whilst the integration of the physics system within the environment in Penumbra is certainly more deeply-ingrained, the puzzles themselves never quite reach the same level of ingenuity as the classic Valve title.

For those who are already fans of the series, I’d suggest Crystal Souls is an essential purchase. For those none the wiser to Spiderweb Software’s extensive back catalogue, there’s no better time to join the fight.

PES 2012 plays an extremely entertaining brand of football, largely sweeping away the complaints of the two previous versions in the process. There are problems for sure, but it's nice to know that whichever of the football titans you choose this year, you'll get a decent result.

It carries that rare trait of success where many expansions suffer miserably and leave many gamers in despair.

If you want to replay Baldur’s Gate II or are an RPG fan who hasn’t played it this is definitely the version to get, but unless you’re desperate to get it now I suggest waiting until a Steam sale.

It certainly feels like the best Tropico game - but anyone who’s played a previous Tropico game might get bored at doing it all again (although the excellent missions help) and anyone who hasn’t might struggle to progress. In the end though, it’s still a worthy follow-up.

The more you play it the more it feels like a patched version of previous entries and less like a new iteration of the series. It doesn’t mean you should avoid Autosport if you’re looking for a return to form from Codemasters and the Grid name. Far from it.

Amid The Ruins is utterly superb and is everything I want from a Walking Dead episode.

Sure it looks the same, sounds the same, and plays about the same, but it's a whole new world out there, a world where nature reigns supreme and your sims must bow to its forces or suffer the consequences.

Medal of Honor: Airborne is a game that needs time ploughed into it to reap the fill awards. If you’re looking for something that will reinvigorate your experience of WWII FPS’ then look elsewhere. But if you are looking for an excuse to take the same old fight back to the Nazis’ then here is your answer.

It’s more of the same, but better, which was to be expected, and I have enjoyed playing it a lot.

What it loses in realism it makes up for with variety and a strong presentation.

For now though, if you’re considering picking up that second season 400 Days is damn near essential – and if you’re not, then it may well change your mind.

Despite it's downfalls, El Shaddai is a memorable experience from start to finish. It offers a quirkiness and sense of style that is not only unique, it's surprisingly refreshing.

This is a game that's worth immersing yourself in. There may be a few bugs now, but they'll inevitably be fixed in a patch soon, and there's more than enough here to keep you coming back for more Thrax-spanking action.

Warband is a huge improvement over the original game, but we'd have to wait for a sequel in order to see anything really new and exciting (aside from multiplayer I guess).

Call of the Sea feels like a mix between a puzzle game and a 1930s pulp novel. It blends these varied genres to mixed success; the puzzles are largely solid but you can find yourself banging your head against the wall in frustration for some, and the writing can be a bit campy but is carried by brilliant voice acting. While the game is decent, the visuals, the acting, and the setting are top notch. If entered with the right mindset, The Call of the Sea can be a good companion for an evening in.

You’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of Far Cry 5, but we don’t think anyone will go away thinking it’s the best Far Cry game. Because it’s not.

Dead Space 3 is a game that looks sleek, is polished to the last minute detail, and is full of some stunning set-pieces. But beneath those shiny distractions, it lacks any real sense of soul, slotting in among a raft of other third-person shooters, never causing you to feel anything other than short bursts of panic and relief.