Killzone: Mercenary is the first FPS which is worth playing on a portable console. PS Vita is finally worth using now that you can take full advantage of its dual analogue sticks and powerful graphics.

Diablo III is the best journey Blizzard has ever made in the world of console gaming. The control system is perfect and the flavour of slaying monsters on your sofa, with a joypad in your hands, is sometimes better than the one you feel with your PC. Graphics, though, remain better on a good computer.

Even if the quest for user-friendliness comes with a measure of dumbing down, Total War: Rome II still has enough depth to appeal to long-standing fans of the series. Stellar graphics and well-honed mechanics makes for a great game.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition has not aged at all in the last three years and the graphic update is solid and well made, despite a little disappointment for textures and animated cut-scenes.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist combines elements of the last episode with the series' original features, and a tough as nails Sam Fisher. The end result is not perfect, but good enough for longtime fans.

The "usual" Suda51 game: you can love it or hate it. This time, though, there's a lot of substance under the great style and the not-so-great tech. Killer is Dead is a solid and rewarding action game, especially if you dare trying the harder difficulty levels.

DuckTales Remastered has the courage to be difficult, and proves itself both fun and respectful to the original. It's a very good remake and a sight to behold. Its difficulty is not for the faint of heart, but it will highly reward those who have the perseverance to keep playing. We couldn't ask much more from a remake.

There is nothing of Ultima's original spirit in this Quest For Avatar. If you can survive to a (light) pay-to-win economy, network problems and technical issues, you may find a good RPG which can be played alone or with your friends.

After all the problems, changes and delays in recent years, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified could have been much (much) worse. The result however is decent for the most parts mostly thanks to the intriguing and tactical combat system.

An half-developed remake, Flashback manages to conjure memories of the original 1992 game wasting them with lots of shortcomings and not-well-implemented ideas.

Payday 2 is currently the best co-op experience of the year and a great sequel too. However, if you plan to play it just offline, you'll be disappointed.

A great platformer, with beautiful graphics, excellent music and an inspired level design. The Murfy levels use all the potential of the GamePad, unraveling new and exciting perspectives in the genre. If you own a Wii U, this one's a no-brainer.

Deep, rewarding, frantic and truly unique: The Wonderful 101 is nothing but an instant classic, something so pure and fun that represents the joy of playing videogames. You gotta be thankful to Platinum Games and Nintendo for this one, Kamiya surely did it again!

A great co-op platform game that requires some strong platforming skill but is largely based on terrific puzzles. Artistic direction is great and challenge is very high (especially if you're aiming at 100% completion). There are some minor issues, mechanics are pretty simple and there basically is no single player, but it's still a great game.

Larian Studios did a really good job in making a RTS-tactical-managerial hybrid full of things to do, well balanced, technically up to raids and even action oriented, especially in online battles.

Mikey Hooks is a really good game, based on a solid gameplay and a really precise control system. It could instead have been a great game, but it's too short and easy, and even if the Race Mode adds some fun, it's simply not enough to make the final step to greatness.

Another great DLC, with three interesting missions, two new locations with a lot of stuff to do, an interesting storyline with deep connections to the original game and also a new, almost survival horror, general feel. If you're a fan of Dishonored, you cannot miss it.

Saints Row IV doesn't excel in terms of gameplay, but it hits a home run in terms of fun and laughter. The plot is both absurd and beautiful and the activities are so varied that one can easily forgive its faults. If you want a sandbox and you don't take yourself too seriously, Saints Row IV is a game you don't want to miss.

A splendid port for one of the best tower defense titles of all time. If you already have played the game in its previous incarnations, though, be aware: apart from the trophy list and the unnecessary touch controls, there's nothing really new here.

A very good first episode, with great atmosphere and a very nice and “realistic” approach to puzzle solving. It's not a triple A title, but it's got a very nice visual stile, some great music and a lovable “old school movies” feel.

Futuridium EP is an extremely challenging and very rewarding shoot'em up, or an addictive space jukebox, if you will. The risk is to hurl the iPad to the ground: play with it moderately.

Lums is a fine physics-based puzzle that brings some light in a crowded genre. It's derivative for sure, but nevertheless it's funny to approach the "physics based puzzle game" in a new light. It's short, though: the 48 levels can last for just three hours, if you don't want to catch all the stars.

A lovely fairy tale, told using the very strengths of gameplay and interaction. It's got some small issues and if you're looking for a complex and long action adventure it's not for you, but it's a very strong experience that touches themes you rarely see in videogames.

Tales of Xillia is an engaging, enjoyable and lengthy game. Though the story may seem like too traditional, it strays away from stereotypes as the narrative progresses, and leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. Unbalanced difficulty and other issues concerning the combat system cast a shadow on the game, reducing its value.

To beat Teleglitch: Die More Edition you need a lot of patience and resilience, this game can be hard and cruel sometimes. Behind the lo-fi presentation, there's a wonderful shoot'em up, with a rogue like soul and a touch of horror. You'll get scared a lot. And you're gonna love it.

This remake operation by Interceptor and Apogee contains many flaws that undermine its overall success; autosaves are too infrequent, frustrating platform sections, as well as a game formula that is so naive and "harmless" (splatter included) that will hardly find proselytes out of the retrogamers circle.

Dota 2 is an excellent game, complex and filled with surprises and rewards for all those patient enough to endure its very steep learning curve.

Attack of the Friday Monsters is more of an interactive story than a videogame. It's short on game mechanics, but the rest is very enjoyable: the tone, the passion and that strange feeling of nostalgic magic that Ayabe and his team could infuse in this delicate story.