Realm of the Wood Elves is a solid addition to Total War Warhammer and a much needed one. As the first introduction of the Elves, the DLC does a fantastic job of delivering a great roster of units with unique gameplay mechanics that allow the race to play very differently to that of any other faction.

Its freshness shows just how stale a lot of the industry is and it's what's needed in an era of grey, modern shooters.

Resonance is undoubtedly a compelling adventure for the majority of the playtime, but it also feels only half of one, and with the rush to the finale even a sequel couldn't fill in the blanks. Most importantly: what the hell was with the mysterious breast-feeding Japanese lady?

With a gorgeous soundtrack and its sublime design Escape Goat 2 is the kind of 2D puzzle platformer that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside - like a mug of hot tea with a jam crumpet.

GoD Factory Wingmen is a game where accessibility comes easy but mastery does not.

Before playing Chronicle: Runescape Legends I had absolutely no interest in the game at all but now that I’ve tried it, I definitely want to continue playing. The game feels completely different to Hearthstone and that’s what makes it feel so refreshing.

Green Day Rock Band is an enjoyable distraction but wholly unnecessary especially when you look at the features announced for Rock Band 3.

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.

A very Paradox game, in both a good and bad way. It has all the hallmarks of a good game, and I look forward to seeing continued development as time goes by.

Everything kind of just plods along and while you will get moments of brilliance, moments of wonder… they’re too easily buried by a startling amount of mediocrity. Total War: Rome 2 is a perfectly adequate/decent game. It should have been a bloody brilliant game.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is an incredibly fun standalone expansion to one of the Best games of 2014, and in plenty of places is tougher.

It's just a little too similar to previous iterations that it's hard to recommend fans rush out to buy it.

With a haunting and beautiful world as a backdrop to a solid “Souls-like” RPG, Mortal Shell is a much better game than it has any right to be. The magnificent presentation, mixed with the unique take on character progression, steals the show here and despite dying dozens upon dozens of times, I was hooked from the moment that combat started making sense to me.

The emphasis on grinding, the linear environment and the rather uninspired early levels pose a serious threat to this games growth. Whilst these are things that cannot be changed, it will depend on what NCSoft will do next which will ultimately make or break it.

There's no doubt that Flying Lab have created the best online sea-faring adventure there is for players to get their fix of the Caribbean with such a large, intricate and growing community.

Ubisoft have two game series that will always stick out to me for their debut games: Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed. The reason for this is simple: both games had interesting concepts but they weren’t fully realised until the sequel. For Honor is similar in this regard as there are clear things that can be improved with a sequel, however I still believe it is well worth playing. The combat in the game is fantastic, and though the learning curve may be steep, once you get the hang of it you’ll be playing for hours. The first entry in the For Honor series has started strong, I hope a sequel can fill in everything the game currently lacks.

Planet Coaster 2 offers a genre-best box of creative tools and community-driven features and expands on its predecessor on almost every level, but chances are you won’t be as enchanted by its management systems, which continue to be a thorn in Frontier’s side.

In short, fix these problems Over The Moon and maybe the second episode of The Fall will be all fun and not just the last hour.

It’s chaotic fun in a mould that’s largely disappeared since the advent of online gaming but has seen a revival of late with the likes of Towerfall: Ascension.

If you want a sci-fi, difficult timing-based combat game with that unforgiving hardcore Dark Souls touch, you can’t go wrong with The Surge 2.

Twisted Metal never escapes the fact that it feels completely old and archaic. The premise is timeless, and there should always be room for a game of mindless destruction, but the execution is poor here.

It could do with a few more levels, a bonus stage, more bosses, slightly tighter controls and a load more playtesting.

Some of the challenge of the original Zuma is clearly gone.

With it’s unique offerings it breaks away from the historical pack.

Saber Interactive has crafted a highly entertaining asymmetrical multiplayer game in Evil Dead: The Game, and a lot of that is down to an understanding of how best to implement the quirks of the source material into game form. With possession, slapstick, gore, violence, chainsaws, and malevolent trees, Evil Dead: The Game is as Evil Dead as it could be.

I can’t give Deponia Doomsday an unequivocal recommendation. Its protagonist is a major drag and a lot of its humor is straight-up lame. But by the same token, I can’t deny that it drew me in and made me care by the end. It’s a totally solid adventure game, and if you prefer a little extra bite in your old-school adventures, then it will be right up your alley.

It’s not essential, and not close to the best that Obsidian is capable of, but it’s another perfectly enjoyable few hours of looting and adventuring.

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

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

If you can stand the time period, then this serves as a perfectly adequate medium between Hearts of Iron's grand strategy, and Men of War's more tactical focus.

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.

Blood Bowl 2 is a faithful recreation of the board game with improved visuals and a cleaner UI than previous installments. The AI is as poor as ever but multiplayer is really where Blood Bowl 2 shines.

If your primary attraction to racing games is the visual thrill and stylish presentation, you'll be best served elsewhere. Fortunately, as a racing experience MotoGP is up there with the best.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a very good and immersive title, but it suffers from technical issues and some surprisingly misguided design decisions. I was completely enthralled by the first three hours of the game, but the more I explored its systems, the more grating they became. It never stopped it from being a great title – and it occasionally recaptured that magical immersion from the first few hours – but its issues are so severe that they effectively ruined my enjoyment of what is an otherwise very good game.

While there are a few flaws in Shadowrun Returns, most notably linearity, the lack of a save function and a slightly under-utilized world, the excellent and consistently fun writing and XCOM-inspired combat make it a worthwhile experience.

I love the first person point of view. It does nothing for me as far as making better building choices, but being able to wander around street level and see what all my little people are doing is fun.

It's not perfect, but we highly recommend this title to all FPS fans looking for something fresh to bide the time.

Elements of the Wake story from the unresolved ending of the first game are touched on throughout the story. You'll leave this more knowledgeable, but not doubting that there will be more Alan Wake to come.

The plot is bland and often corny, but the gameplay is mostly solid and enjoyable.

A very good, yet slightly enraging experience.

Smoke & Mirrors isn’t quite as good as the superb Faith and is a little shorter, which is a kick in the flying monkey nuts after how long it took to turn up, but it’s still an excellent and enjoyable adventure full of intrigue, surprise and emotion.

Essentially, Field of Glory: Empires is a quintessential Slitherine game. Big scope, big idea, but executed in such a way that will not click with anyone, but the nichest of fans. It doesn’t really add anything that was missing from any other grand strategy game, and all of the glory, character, and scope of the Roman Empire is virtually nonexistent here, feeling instead like a virtual version of a very charmless boardgame. However, if you’re a long time fan of Field of Glory (or a hater of Imperator or Rome II), this game might end being right up your alley.

Cronos: The New Dawn is a remnant of the legacy of survival horror. It takes whispers from two titans of the genre and blends them with its own ideas. It would have benefited hugely from ruthless editing in areas, but remains a masterclass in world building and a perfect balance of tension and release.

And there isn't even any beach soccer in here, disappointingly.

If you're at all a fan of old-school 90's shooters, Serious Sam or just superb multiplayer fun, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter could be the perfect distraction from all the serious shooters being released in 2010.

It brings suspense and intrigue to the forefront, while still tackling the science fiction and drama effectively. Emotions run high in multiple points, always keeping you eager to see what’s going to happen next.

I realise all these caveats render a scored review somewhat meaningless, so the takeaway message is this; if you've never played Last Light, you should – it's an excellent game, and you should opt for this version. If you've already played it, however, you don't need to upgrade.

A mostly triumphant and surprisingly refreshing return to the FPS' favourite setting. Although the single-player is rather lacking, the attention to detail and harrowing atmosphere make for some intense and gripping multiplayer battles.

There will be few fans of Naruto that will find much to gripe about in this game. Its story is huge and detailed, the epic battles with the incredible quick time events will dazzle gamers regardless of their opinion of Naruto and anime in general, and the online fights have hidden depth, but those irritating load screens and the mundane aspects of Story Mode put a large pinch on the glories found within each battle.

A capable indie strategy title that does more with its Lovecraftian setting than most similar games of the past decade.

As a celebration of all things Jurassic, Jurassic World Evolution 2 serves as a worthy successor to the original. As a park management game, it struggles to find a meaningful focal point. Given Frontier’s expertise in this exact department elsewhere, that’s more than a little disappointing. A light, messy sim that acts as a tribute to the prehistoric pandemonium of the Jurassic Park/World series.

Atomic Heart is a shooter with some fantastic ideas, excellent presentation, and a fair bit of variety. Although it doesn't excel at any one thing and flatters to deceive at times, it still has enough to offer a compelling adventure.

If Shootmania can gather creative types into its playerbase, capable of bringing it new modes, weapons and maps then it could turn out to be a varied and lasting experience. But for now it feels like a shell or wraparound for a game that hinges on players engaging with the myriad tools available.

In the end, Aggressors is an interesting experience that should be of interest to anyone with a passion for Ancient Rome and 4X titles. It almost feels like a step between Civilization and a proper wargame, and it has the advantage of a very clear tutorial that teaches you the ropes in a quick and efficient manner. If you feel like that crossroads of casual 4X and anal wargame would be of interest to you, go ahead and give it a shot. Aggressors may just surprise you.

Forgotton Anne is a wholly unique and evocative experience. While it delivers on the selling point of the beautiful hand-drawn anime art style, it backs it up with fantastic story and engaging gameplay. This is truly something special we have here, something that must be explored by anyone who can get their hands on the game.

In a year of big-hitters, Space Marine is one hell of a surprise.

Not every sport is a winner, but there's no denying that Sports Champions does a great job of showcasing what the Playstation Move has in store for us over the coming years.

If you are a hardcore puzzle gamer looking for a new challenge, this game is for you.

Shenmue is incredible- All open world games should be this good. Players hoping for a little more action and less Forklift Operating should check out the Yakuza series.

Victoria 2 is one of those games where it's easy to expect more from it than it can actually give. Giving its dedication to history, depth, strategy etc... fans can get a bit carried away.

One of the most haunting and well-executed titles of this or any other generation.

If you enjoyed playing board games or card games when you were younger (or are still young), Armello will captivate you. The game is beautiful to look at, fun to play, and challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. Even if you’ve never played a game like this before, it’s enjoyable just learning to play and finally getting a satisfying victory.

A Total War title that removes several tactical and strategic options and steps back most of the innovations made in recent entries.

With improvements that feel more incremental than innovative, 2K Australia have stepped up and provided a solid and long-lasting if technically safe entry in the Borderlands series and yet, it's one which stands out almost singularly on the merit of it's breathlessly entertaining cast and rowdy narrative.

For us, and for anyone who thinks exploration of these worlds is the main reason to play games like Bioshock and that Prey was at its worst when it forced you to go back through previous locations - Prey: Mooncrash is hugely disappointing.

It’s nearly unheard of for a company to pick up the rights to a game franchise and actually do the damn thing justice, but here we are with Star Control: Origins. The adventure is fun, funny, and all together engaging. I’m probably as surprised as you are that the game is actually this good.

Though not significantly difficult from its predecessor and prone to bouts of repetition, Space Run Galaxy remains a wholly refreshing take on the tower defence genre. Indeed, the focus that Space Run Galaxy places on speed and immediacy makes for a furious effort that is as challenging as it is rewarding.

Watch_Dogs 2 is definitely a good game, especially compared to the first one which was a dull game. It’s got a lot of personality, especially in terms of the cast of characters, and humour is always welcome in open world titles. The missions may generally boil down to “go somewhere, sneak past/shoot guards, hack something, get out” but they cover fun subjects and are never less than entertaining. Nevertheless the online side is aggravating as all hell, the controls aren’t quite receptive enough particularly when driving or shooting, and being able to kill loads of people doesn’t really jive with the DedSec ethos.

Forces of Corruption is an absolute must-have for fans of Empire At War, it adds great new features and fantastic new units.

As delightful and clever as Reus is, the intensity of the play when you find yourself juggling multiple projects unfortunately lets it down, as it doesn't feel built to support such action.

Rebel Galaxy has a ton of style and an incredible atmosphere that captures the weird little subgenre of space western to wonderful effect. But its repetitive combat and focus on trucking across the galaxy means that it’s not as exciting as it could be. There’s a lot to like, but you’ve got to work for it.

Much like the evolution of trains in Railway Empire 2’s history-spanning campaign, the game itself has learned lessons from the original and forged ahead with a stronger outing all around. While it has a compelling competitive edge to it, the game is best when things are serene.

Man of Medan is a strong start to The Dark Pictures series, and more ambitious than it may first seem on the surface - while a single-player run-through took us 5 hours, the game is about trying that story again in different ways. However, if you don’t like the idea of replaying a story-based game, then you may be left unsatisfied with just a single playthrough - as you certainly won’t have all the answers. Nevertheless, a fun and deeply scary game - and the multiplayer needs to be experienced.

The point is fun, and that's something Infested Planet has in spades. Blasting aliens is inherently enjoyable thanks to responsive controls and some satisfying sound and visual effects.

Shadow of War won’t win any prizes for originality, well, not after the first game swept them all. But it’s a bigger and (mostly) better sequel to a series that still feels unique, and for fans of Middle-Earth we’re not likely to get more movies so you can’t really ask for better than this.

Seasons after Fall is beautiful game that exists to dazzle you with handcrafted imperfect art and animation. This is an experience that isn’t for everyone, as some gamers feel their time is better spent in a more perfect art like Child of Light or Abzû. However, for those that fall in love with imperfection, this game is the perfect addition to your library.

Much of F.E.A.R 3 is commendable then, but ultimately a lack of polish and genuine investment in the campaign sees it fall a distance short of full potential.

Battlezone 98 was a classic and Redux is a pretty good offering to old fans and new players alike.

Fives games in and the Tropico series has really found its feet, creating a cheery and relaxing ambience that sets it quite apart from other city-builders out there.

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.

The AI for all of the Battlefield suite is well written, but there's nothing like a human opponent or partner to add spice to the experience.

Silence is a beautiful game that combines emotional themes with breath-taking art and music. It works fantastically as a cinematic experience and takes its players on a concise yet fun adventure, integrating puzzles along the way. Daedelic have done an excellent job exploring the space between life and death, touching on dark and abstract feelings in a delicate and thoughtful way.

Medal of Honor tries to cram in every trick it can conjure up, but ultimately fails to include the kind of staying power needed to take over from Call of Duty.

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

In many ways Shardlight is a typical WadjetEye adventure game - low-res graphics, common sense puzzle solutions, wildly imaginative, well written and hugely entertaining.

It’s a real shame that the campaign plays second fiddle to challenges for drama and certainly entertainment, as Tropico 3 still has a fair way to go before it makes a significant impact outside of the PC world.

Nevertheless, if you like the sound of a strange Naked Gun/Monty Python-inspired robot-filled adventure/exploration game jam-packed with laughs you should get Jazzpunk as soon as possible.

FoGII:M consistently creates memorable battlefield moments. Winning a critical melee that collapses an enemy line and turns the tide of battle. A cavalry charge that unexpectedly smashes through an enemy flank. On overzealous charge that ends up in the rear of the enemy’s lines, isolated and vulnerable. For those looking for a more strategic experience, FoGII:M will fall flat. If you want tactical battles or a digital tabletop miniatures experience than FoGII:M is for you. The only thing missing from this digital tabletop experience is painting your army.

It's far from perfect – held back by how much is missing in far too many places – but WWE All Stars is a very welcome change and if nothing else a very encouraging base for the future, and definitely worth some of your time.

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

If you've never played Overkill before this is the definitive version of a great game. It's something that might only be played once but will be remembered fondly after that fact as a fun experience. It's hilarious, sometimes disgusting, sometimes ridiculous and almost always fun – especially when playing with a friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed going back to Albion and can't wait for more from Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios.

Stars in Shadow has some limitations that are defined by its indie development, but exceeds preconceptions with the amount of content and its near flawless execution. It’s an indie game truly for the 4Xer to revel in.

A must-have expansion to those players who dream of creating their own interstellar corporate empire.

Yes, Your Grace is a fascinating game with heart. Its short length might turn away some players, but it will be perfect for anyone who loves regret filled choices or was burned badly by the Game of Thrones finale last year. If you like your games with emotional variety and anxiety, you’ll enjoy your brief time with Yes, Your Grace.

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.

It's far from perfect – held back by how much is missing in far too many places – but WWE All Stars is a very welcome change and if nothing else a very encouraging base for the future, and definitely worth some of your time.

Despite its linearity, I'd argue that The Medium is a genuinely chilling ghost story that's sure to leave a lasting impression. The splitscreen effects make for quite a few memorable moments, and there's no denying the growing sense of accomplishment as you solve difficult puzzles and make your way through the cursed resort. It may not be on the same level as some of its inspirations, but I'd definitely recommend The Medium to any fan of classic survival horror.