As a brand new run-and-gun game it’s a simple one, but add the time manipulation mechanics and it becomes an incredibly refreshing take on an age-old genre. Awesome, dumb fun with a very clever twist.

Abyss is as “OK” as a game gets. Presentation and gameplay-wise, it’s very unmemorable, and there’s not really any particularly reason for recommending this eShop purchase, save for its very low price.

Not much has changed, but that’s a good thing. To tamper with the formula would be doing a disservice to the great work that first came to people’s attention, two years ago. If this gets the lonely quadrilateral in the hands of more folk, then that’s a good thing.

It may not be revolutionary, but it adds just enough to pique interests while keeping the core experience we’ve all grown up with, regardless of age. Mario Kart is one of those timeless franchises that every age group can enjoy, and sometimes, that’s enough to celebrate.

An immersing, profound experience that is equally as rewarding as it is exhilarating.

The Walking Dead is back on track, after a slightly dull Episode Two, this is exactly what the series needed. It will make you care again, it will make you angry and sad in equal measures, it will remind you that nobody is safe in this universe, but best of all it recaptures The Walking Dead’s brilliance. I cannot wait for the next episode.

Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, with its strange design and riveting gameplay, echoes this side of the feline personality, too. Captivating stuff.

Putting aside it’s controversial nature, Conception II is okay as a JRPG. If you can handle the identikit dungeons and by-the-numbers gameplay (and if you haven’t played the many other great JRPGs on both 3DS & Vita), then you may find some enjoyment here, but it’s unlikely to last very long.

There is nothing to offer in terms of longevity after the eight levels have been completed, but as this is a download title, you get a fair amount of retro-style carnage for your cash.

Almost as simple as a shooter can get, Puppygames’ space blaster owes its success to our inability to be satisfied by a personal best. The premise and genre make more sense on the Vita than the PS4 (though options are always nice to have), but Titan Attacks is charmingly simple and hugely playable on any format.

In Bound by Flame, Spiders deliver an action-RPG that just about manages to remain playable throughout, but offers not a single “wow” moment. An interesting but limited crafting system and an atmospheric fantasy world don’t make up for run-of-the-mill writing, 2-dimensional characters, imbalanced combat, and a rushed, unsatisfying narrative.

Like its predecessors, this is most definitely an under-the-radar, cult title which is unlikely to be troubling the charts – which is a damn shame as it features a fresh take on how a platform game can be played, something that almost becomes an art-form in the right hands.

Constantly having to do things keeps you interested, and never did I feel like I was just a passenger. A few more unique ideas such as the ray gun and we could have been looking at a truly revolutionary game, but as it is, Beware Planet Earth! only changes the formula slightly.

Let me put it to you this way. I actually stopped playing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to do some other work. I’d play a mission, decide I couldn’t take any more and go do something else instead, just to get away from it. Quite frankly, that’s the opposite of what a game should be.

Leo’s Fortune proves that on-screen controls can work well when the gameplay is designed around them. A visually stunning iOS game that runs smoothly and justifies the premium price, with no in-app purchases to speak of, means the game feels high budget despite it coming from a small team. Another good game, then, and one iOS users should be checking out as soon as possible.

It’s a far better introduction to the peculiar designs of this superb cult series.

Whether you are a fan of the source material or not, the production values are excellent, there are plenty of options as to how you view and take part in the action, and the power of the modern game console allows Zen to do things that no traditional pinball cabinet could ever do. Excellent then, and well worth a look. May the force be with you.

The game does a good job of replicating the atmosphere of the first two two-dimensional Broken Sword games, successfully integrating new 3D modelling with traditional hand-drawn backgrounds and old-school point and click techniques.

If you liked the first game or need something to scratch that Civilisation itch then this will make you very happy indeed – just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the giant turtles.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy-themed MMO doesn’t get everything right, even on PS4, but the things it does well outweigh those it doesn’t, and the end result is a fun and engaging open world RPG with some great multiplayer options that don’t really come into their own until end-game.

Not only is Hearthstone one of the best F2P games I’ve ever played, it’s unbelievably deep, rewarding, and satisfying.

One of the best in its class. It is a game that encapsulates the spirit of horror in any form of media and offers suspense, terror, panic and a mystery to solve. The procedurally-generated levels and fantastic design not only make the game challenging, but create an intense and energetic atmosphere, aided by the sparse resources that must be painstakingly preserved for that crucial, life-or-death moment.

It’s so pleasing to see a game this gorgeous actually back that up with impressive gameplay, as long as you’re a fan of the genre, that is. An impressively deep RPG that actually bothers to make each party member feel different in combat, while telling a story that most will relate to in some way or another, Child of Light is full of whimsy, yet also full of heart and never gets boring.

Triple Deluxe is a solid platformer bookended by some great extras, even if it is pretty easy, give or take a couple of tricky boss encounters. It lacks the sense of wonderment that Epic Yarn generated with its incredible use of texture, humour and verve, yet is still well worth a look -and is perhaps the finest handheld outing for the cerise sucker.

A visually ballistic and staggeringly polished fighter that offers great lip service for fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure while also delivering a game with enough flair to appeal to both determined and casual fans of the fighting genre. And if there’s one thing people will remember about All Star Battle, it’s that it’s stylish. Mission accomplished, Cyber Connect 2.

It is far and away the superior version, and that’s without the need to download any sort of fan-made patch. The cycle of death and success has never felt this good.

Hitman Go is a rare breed in mobile games because it doesn’t try to copy another popular title, or provide a lazy spin-off from its source material. In fact, it manages to take an existing license and apply it to an entirely new genre, whilst still managing to maintain the spirit of the original.

Mario Golf World Tour offers a methodical 3DS sports title that fills a niche on the console more than adequately, and it would have been a compelling and satisfying golf game regardless of whether it built courses in the Mushroom Kingdom or not. One of the best plates of chips I’ve had in a while, regardless of the ketchup.