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.