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.

In some respects, Splinter Cell Conviction on the PC is the definitive version of Ubi's reborn franchise. But it's a far more controversial choice for those with flakey broadband connections that just want to experience the single-player, or for anybody that enjoys conversing and strategising with other players in their multiplayer.

Remedy have proved that they’re not just a one-trick pony, creating a game that’s starkly different to Max Payne but also deeply referential to it. The clever story, great voice work and presentation all work to sweeten an already sweet deal.

The story falters towards the end, and the fact that the game is so short is the biggest bummer of all. Regardless, it’s a great game that will be remembered for a long time coming.

Rockstar Leeds has done a great job bringing Team Bondi's L.A. Noire to the PC, which is a thoroughly interesting and at times quite addictive crime thriller. It's easy to get wrapped up in a case and wanting to uncover what really happened; sifting through the false smiles of NPCs and rubbing their nose in our superior detective work.

A solidly enjoyable title that has balance issues that need patching but otherwise a good investment for fans of the genre.

What makes Heart of Iron IV work is the fact that although it’s moulded around just ten years of history, it offers so much historical background and variable outcomes, and as such packs a mightier punch than might be at first expected. It’s complicated - overly so at times - and may not offer the same amount of replayability as other genre similars, but one thing is certain: there is rarely a dull moment.

You can do anything you want with this game, the limits being only your time and imagination. If any of you budding warmongers, strategy fiends or history buffs out there are looking for complete control, world domination and a great wargaming experience, look no further.

Our conclusive advice is to avoid the single player in anything but very small doses when your chums aren't around and stick to the co-op almost exclusively.

It's culled the crap, brought new content and tactics to a near-perfect series, and focused on community. It's got an extremely bright future ahead of itself.

Capcom came amazingly close to upstaging Shinji Mikami’s original horror classic, but a few oversights keep this one from really standing out as the cream of the crop for the series. A marvel when it comes to its ability to shake you to your core, its clearly a love letter to both those who adored the claustrophobic nightmares of the original games and those introduced to horror with more recent Hollywood attempts like The Conjuring and Insidious. It’s hard to imagine the formula working in their favor in the long run, but if it’s a reason to trust that the series could still be in the right hands with Capcom after all, we’re interested to see how they’ll carry on torch into the future.

Ultimately though, look beneath the sugary-sweet retro veneer of Terrian Saga KR-17 and you'll observe the beating, savage heart of a brilliantly old-school platformer that'll provide hours of nostalgia-tinged entertainment for the same price as a pint.

Beyond Sol is some of the best things of games like Sid Meier’s Civilization, Sim City, and MOBA like control of your ship and fleet and combines them into one heck of an experience. I’d be hard pressed to remember a time I found a game so relaxing, yet stimulating at the same time.

In the end, Synthetic Dawn adds a good amount of content onto the core Stellaris game for a reasonably small investment. It doesn’t do everything perfectly and could use some mid-campaign meat, but the machine races certainly set themselves apart from their organic counterparts in a grand slew of ways that are fun to interact with and play. As usual in Stellaris, it’s even more fun to craft your custom robotic empire whether you’re looking to make a swarm of interstellar terminators or friendly galactic janitors, each with their own perks, weaknesses, and values. Synthetic Dawn is a beautiful fit to the already lush cosmos of Stellaris and its content will provide plenty of hours of content well worth exploring for the most part.

While I did enjoy my time with the expansion, it doesn’t feel like a vital purchase for someone who’s playing the game for the first time. But, if you’ve already guided several lords and ladies to glorious conquest or gruesome death, Royal Court provides a much-needed injection of new things to do that will spice up new playthroughs, at least for a while.

Playing OFF, you can see why it has enjoyed a huge cultural impact over the last 17 years. It’s a timeless piece that pushes what we believe to be standard video game convention, and the added content is a loving epilogue for long-time fans.

While it’s true some of the tasks open to you in Red Faction: Guerrilla can feel a little repetitious, even laborious, they’re vastly outweighed by the sheer fun you can have taking the land and EDF apart.

Dance Central is not perfect, but at its core there is plenty of enthralling entertainment to be found.

F1 2011 has got the talent, but it needs to learn to love itself before it can be truly great.

Banner Saga 2 may be just the next part of Stoic’s ongoing tale but basically everything has been improved.

Once the initial 'oooooo' factor wears off, singleplayer does get a bit tiresome if you haven't got a purpose, but then all you need is a couple of online friends or someone in your own house to share the experience with, and it becomes fun again.

NBA 2K10 still manages to take it all the way to the hole and slam it with authority.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist isn’t absolutely perfect, but there’s bags of quality content here that’ll keep stealth gamers happy on-and-offline.

The remastering of Sam & Max Saves the World is a delightful return to the comedic antics of our crime fighting duo. Some jokes might not land and a lot of puzzles can feel too easy, but the duo’s wit has staying power. Add that with some catchy new tracks and a remastering that makes the game more stylish than less, and you have a proper return to form. If you never had a chance to play Sam and Max Save the World, this is the best way to experience one of Telltale’s first games.

I’m confident in saying that Superhot is absolutely worth spending two hours on and, in fact, is among the best two hours any game can provide right now. Whether or not it’s worth $25 is a matter of how you value your time versus your money.

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.

Creating the rat cannon was a sure fire giggle and I loved collecting coins al la Mario in order to pay Bosco for his latest sales item.

Best Game Moment: Smashing in a 30-yard screamer.