If you like your battles tactical this is a great game to sink your teeth into. The campaign escalates nicely and does a good job of selling the desperation of your mission. I’m not sure about re-playability but it does have a skirmish mode to play around in.

If you're more intrigued by jetpacks, rocket boosts, wall-running and the thrill of flying off a ramp as you make your way to levels end as fast as you ruddy well can, Cloudbuilt is heartily recommended.

A slight update to models and textures doesn’t solve Mafia 2’s myriad problems from a decade ago, nor justify a purchase if you don’t own it yet.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is at its best when it encourages you to be patient and focus on discovering its world, taking in the strange shapes of its trees and plants, while uncovering Na’Vi stories and customs. Easily the best way to experience the universe envisioned by James Cameron, it’s also a fun enough take on a FarCry game, albeit not one that refreshes Ubisoft’s tired formula nearly enough. Combat feels loose and, before long, clearing outposts or fighting the same few types of enemies will have you inevitably yearning to head back out in search of new wondrous sights. Exploration alone makes Frontiers of Pandora worth playing – especially if you’re an established fan of the universe – but, much like the RDA’s pollution suffocates the life out of its surroundings, mechanical tedium inevitably and unfortunately drags things down in the long run.

If it wasn't for these frustrating moments, Pid would be a lovely mix of puzzles and platforming, making you challenge and engage your brain. Missing the bus should be the most frustrating thing you experience, but unfortunately it's not, meaning Pid is just one stop short of something great.

While the game does deliver a nice bundle of challenges and like a larger number of other adventure titles now it comes with a FPS feel, you could still do better.

Beyond Blue struggles as a narrative adventure game but shines as an educational tool that brings awareness and reveals some of the ocean's secrets.

It’s a solid effort from tri-Ace in the end, and a marked improvement on their other titles this generation, but the solid gameplay is let down by its sometimes overwhelming difficulty and a bland story and world-design.

Part racing game, part destruction derby, and even part tower defense, Rock of Ages 3 is all ridiculous fun. With a variety of gameplay modes and a map editor, there’s a lot of life to this game, too. Rock of Ages 3 is a game that focuses on just being plain ol’ fun and you know something? It really is.

The likes of Flatout and Motorstorm have provided ample competition in the mud-filled Americana stakes previously, but there's something about the driving model in Showdown that satisfies in a fashion that few other games manage. Whether that's a result of simple expertise or just iteration over a number of titles is something only Codies can answer, but whatever the formula was for the success, you have to be happy they've gotten here.

What The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing may lack in replayability it makes up for in competence, enthusiasm and easy charm. The moment to moment slaughter, the deceptively deep levelling and abundance of powerful loot mean it's a difficult game to put down.

Directive 8020 is another solid entry from Supermassive Games, even if it falls short of the studio’s best horror experiences. The decision-making mechanics remain as tense and entertaining as ever, especially when playing alongside friends. While uneven pacing, cheesy dialogue, and technical hiccups hold it back from greatness, the game still delivers an engaging sci-fi horror adventure filled with memorable choices and strong atmosphere. Fans of Until Dawn and previous Dark Pictures titles will likely find plenty to enjoy here. It may not be the standout entry in the franchise, but it’s still an enjoyable and highly replayable horror game.

Finally significant progress has been put into place, as the game's backbone is starting to feel sturdy enough to carry the weight of expectation.

Only a few clunky systems, a couple of irritating puzzles, and a brief playing time let the game down, and none should put you off buying. Between this and Machinarium it seems post-apocalyptic adventures in robot civilisations are a safe bet for excellent puzzling.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is an incredibly fun game - provided you are ok with slowing down the pace and willing to put up with uncompromising stealth. If you are looking for an action heavy stealth experience, this isn’t really your cup of tea. However, if you’re like me (though I’m terrible at stealth on the whole) and want a great, difficult challenge, Styx: Shards of Darkness might be right up your alley.

Whilst Section 8 may not be revolutionary, it’s a refreshing take on the genre.

With the customary spit and polish the engine will receive over the next year, Champions Online certainly has the potential to turn into the best superhero MMO out there. For now, that mantle still belongs to City of Heroes, but having played both games throughout beta and release, this is certainly a more daring title in the initial stages.

This is a videogame that deserved a bit more attention, rather than being labelled as simply a fun download only diversion. That said, Papo & Yo is still a remarkable experience, one of the most emotive games of the year so far and one that will stay with you well after the credits have rolled.

For those willing to forgive its more archaically-rooted foibles however, Way of the Samurai 4 very often proves to be a hugely entertaining prospect while providing a gleefully quirky look at one of the most enticing and formative periods of Japanese history.

Earth vs Mars doesn’t have a fresh take on familiar tactics, but it gets all the basics right, is constantly pleasant to play, and offers good value for little money.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE doesn’t go the extra mile to really mine the sci-fi classic for gold, but it lands all its shots and delivers highly replayable, no-nonsense retro goodness that looks, sounds, and controls great.

However while The Chinese Room have attempted to make their Amnesia a purer horror experience they’ve merely succeeded in removing all the actual gameplay along with the first game’s brilliant sanity meter.

The best advice anyone can be given is to pick up South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! for the Xbox Live Arcade if they are either a fan of the genre or a huge South Park fan by default.

MotoGP 10/11 will disappoint anyone who enjoyed last year's game. In short, the 'all-new handling' the game uses as a selling point makes for a game lodged between two conflicting race genres.

Tormentum is a surprisingly addictive adventure game, despite being seemingly so basic.

Dungeon Siege III falls victim to its lack of ambition. With a little extra guts, the developers could have installed an engaging narrative, memorable characters and an online component that would prolong the title's life. Instead, what we have is an emotionless, unrewarding journey that shies away from doing anything special.

It's not quite deep enough, and the difficulty curve ramps up to an insane degree pretty quickly.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 will most likely receive a cult following for its kooky characters and general offbeat atmosphere, and the solid multiplayer options will keep many coming back. A word of warning, however - give this one a rent before you go the whole hog, as the baffling physics and numerous technical oddities are sure to kill this ride for many.