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.