Visually and aurally stunning, and delightfully clever in places, but marred by repetition and frustration.

While the gameplay is far from perfect, Dragon Age II is an absolute must for anyone interested in the world, the lore and a good story - but anyone hoping for something that feels and plays like Origins might want to adjust their expectations accordingly.

A fairly solid space shooter with a few niggles but worth it if you're a fan of the genre.

I Am Alive is a brave experiment, and one that works more often than not. In terms of creating tension through a scarcity of resources, creating combat that relies on something other than twitch action, and creating an atmosphere so thick you can taste it, it's a total success. It's a shame that it doesn't do more with all of this, and that the mechanics in question are never really pushed, but if you're interested in spending a few hours with a very unique game possessing a very unique atmosphere then it's certainly worth your while. Even at its absolute worst, it remains... interesting.

While it’s far from a gaming masterpiece, UberSoldier does have its strengths that make it enjoyable.

Often frustrating and sometimes unfair, but the glorious flight mechanics, general compelling gameplay, and attention to detail mean Luftrausers is easily worth considering.

Although the game is hampered by a collection of small problems (camera blur, imprecise controls and dubious AI pathfinding), there are enough moments of simulated natural wonder to submerge those doubts. It really feels good to be a divine dick again.

A solid and enjoyable opening entry into a series that, thus far, is impossible to judge. The Wolf Among Us perhaps hews a little too closely to the first arc of the comic it's based on, but it does an admirable job of translating that world to a new medium.

A solid city builder that will appeal to most fans of the genre even if it's currently lacking in features and scope.

It’s far too early to crown this season as a successful follow-up to Telltale’s first foray with The Walking Dead, but there are enough threads of character intrigue to suggest that Clementine and her new crew have a promising (that is to say, heartbreaking and terrible) future.

The gags are often obscene, the women exaggerated in all of the important areas, and there were a few sexually explicit poses we had to look up in our well thumbed copy of the Karma Sutra.

Clementine’s characterisation and her interactions with adults are strong as ever in this fraught episode. Two-fifths of the way through the story is still too early to judge how other themes, characters and plot strands will pay off, but the build-up suggests it’ll be worthwhile.

Fraught firefights and desperate scavenging in an uncaring world.

A solid fast fun shooter that could blossom over time and it's free so it's definitely worth taking it for a spin and experimenting with the weapons.

Marred by some awful path-finding. The problem isn't in the units ability to find their way around the map, in fact they are very good at calculating routes through some very tricky terrain. No, what LoE suffers from is the inability of units to move out of the way of each other, to allow troops at the back to pass.

It's a title that will appeal to the adventurer, the explorer and the builder; not to mention those who appreciate a substantial amount of player freedom. If you happen to be all of those things, Terraria is a lightly tarnished treasure.

A solid and surprising well-written shooter that should easily please fans of the genre. It doesn't do too much more than that, but that's not really a complaint.

It is the best Sonic game we've had in years - though that's hardly saying much. Flawed at times, Sonic Generations is an enjoyable game and one that's easy to like. The failings of Modern Sonic bring the quality down, yet some moments also show what can be done well with a 3D Sonic game.

Solid enough, yes, but nowhere near as awe-inspiring as the original. To be fair, it could easily be summarised as an expansion pack for "Sands of Time," with new missions and costumes to unlock, and that’s not a bad thing, either.

It looks like Sanctum and it sounds like Sanctum, but it plays totally differently. While the more devoted fans of the first game might take issue with a lot of the changes, and while it doesn't match up to that game's heights, there's still a lot to enjoy in Sanctum 2.

Still, as a complete package it in no way lives up to the expectation. Only one of its three core elements (single player, co-op and multiplayer) is worth your time, the other two feeling as though they've been added merely to increase the number of potential bullet points on the back of the box. Depending on which elements you're interested in Battlefield 3 will either be your game of the year, or your letdown of… well, the year.

In Destroy All Humans, play from the Alien perspective and finally know what it feels like to have the upper hand.

The main plot starts moving into gear, and with it come puzzles, decisions, and a bit too much time-wasting... but not enough to detract much from the wonderful core experience.

Not a "Diablo II" killer or a vast improvment over the first Divinity title, it is however a sometimes frustrating game, with limited replay value.

As it stands this is a game that's quirky and fun, offering a welcome change from what we've come to expect from the genre, but ends up trying too hard to be smart and misses the target with many of its peripheral ideas.

It's no longer as astonishing as it once was, but MDK2 HD is a solid update to a solid platform/shooter/puzzler that anyone who isn't afraid of a lack of signposting should contemplate.

What the people want doesn’t always have to be a revolution. State of Decay: Breakdown is a full sandbox mode for the main game, carefully designed to incorporate the original's strengths in scavenging and player-created character arcs.

Dead Rising 3's world is grey and bland, yes, but those aren't words that can be used to describe the frenetic zombie-culling action which forms the game's core.

Pretty, very pretty but PvE gameplay is one long level grind.

TS:CW provides plenty of semi-mindless macho thrills, but, like a one-hit wonder, if you ever tire of the main hook it'll all fall down. Much like ... well, toy soldiers.

Perfectly capable, and perfectly enjoyable. But... well, it's not quite Dishonored.

The shimmer of Central and South American gold may catch the eye for a spell, but the real substance of this DLC lies in the custom nation designer. A capable tool for all your bizarre alt-history fantasies.

There simply will not be enough variety in this package to keep many players interested. For others, the difficulty level will prove frustrating.

There's no denying that Game of Thrones will test your tolerance. There are so many negative idiosyncrasies and cost-cutting measures in place that you'll probably start to wonder when the game will just fall part entirely. But it never actually does. In fact, it stays on course to deliver a compelling parallel narrative to the opening book and HBO series, with characters as morally ambiguous and events just as horrific as any from Martin's pages.

Solid, enjoyable, and cheap. Duels 2013 gets Magic going on your computer with aplomb, although it lacks the flair to stand out.

It lacks depth, and could not be considered a truly involving challenge. Nor does Castlevania have the instant appeal and playability of other titles.

A well executed game lacking much in the way of original gameplay. Play it for the story, grind it for the interaction.

That being said, this is still an Uncharted game. Every Uncharted game comes with a certain base level of precision and execution, and that hasn't been lowered here. Golden Abyss gets a pass, but it doesn't come with honours.

While Honest Hearts didn't quite grab me like Dead Money did, it's another satisfying few hours in a fresh Fallout location. Once you get over Joshua Graham being an actual person rather than a myth, his character is expansive and refreshing (it's rare that to find a religious NPC this nuanced in RPGs), and the hiking trails of Zion make for decent exploration. It definitely favours players who will stray off the guided track though, as those who focus exclusively on the main quests will miss out on some of the add-on's hidden narrative treasures.

It's not without its quirks but Cities In Motion is a dependable heir to the transport sim genre's throne.

The AI is top notch on both the opponent’s team as well as providing support for your own side, the overall atmosphere of each game is immersing and the gameplay reeks of realism.

Book One is a tiny taste of what's coming. It's delectably delicious and I'd love to rate it higher, but at this point, it's hard to say whether Dreamfall Chapters will be filling and satisfying - or if it'll leave us feeling a little empty.

Tiny & Big is at its strongest when it focuses on this semi-freeform puzzling approach.

Remember "Jungle Strike" and "Desert Strike" for any of the old school consoles? Make the game prettier and add control that is much more involved and you will have a good idea of what to expect.

So yes, Warlock is a streamlined strategy game, at a cut price, and that is absolutely no bad thing. It has a few unfortunate quirks, but if you fancy something a bit lighter and a bit more combat-focused than the usual fare, then you'll get at least a few dozen hours of entertainment from this rather enjoyable title.

Without a gripping story line you're more likely to come back to this every once in a while when you feel like a quick zip around in a magnificent flying machine. Worthy of a look if you own a joystick or have played this type of game with your trusty mouse.

Think of Dead Island as a B-game and you'll be fine. It seems like a bit of an insult to reel off the old cliché of "if you can ignore the bad stuff and only look at the good," but for Dead Island that line actually rings true.

Not without its flaws, but very few of those flaws matter too much: Moebius is, on the whole, a well-written and interesting investigation.

The unofficial NYPD Blue adventure game that Telltale never made. Aside from some pretty clear budgetary constraints, The Detail’s hard edged cop narrative has a compelling opening.

That being said, PES should still be top of your shopping list if you're after a game that takes the most exciting elements of the beautiful game and concentrates them into one package.

That being said, PES should still be top of your shopping list if you're after a game that takes the most exciting elements of the beautiful game and concentrates them into one package.

If Red Orchestra 2 appeals then I daresay you'll have a great deal of fun, but you might want to leave it a month to see if things improve.

Each one has its flaws (with linearity being Lonesome Road's biggest drawback), but overall they're a fantastic, collective achievement by Obsidian and should make the (surely) inevitable New Vegas 'Collectors Edition' a must-buy for anyone who hasn't yet sampled these expansions.

Each one has its flaws (with linearity being Lonesome Road's biggest drawback), but overall they're a fantastic, collective achievement by Obsidian and should make the (surely) inevitable New Vegas 'Collectors Edition' a must-buy for anyone who hasn't yet sampled these expansions.

The story mode is slightly worse than expected, but Arcade Action alone makes this a worthy purchase.

Not quite the sum of its parts thanks to awkward level design and a reliance on repetition. Technically sound, but the overall experience fails to hit the high notes.

The War of the Worlds is absolutely not for everyone – those with high blood pressure or weak wills need not apply - but if you fondly remember the games name-checked above, or if you enjoyed Limbo but want something less artsy, less creepy, and less spider-y, this is certainly worth a shot. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't have issues or that it didn't drive me half-mad with frustration, but equally I'm not going to hide the fact that I had a lot of fun dying my way through a ruined London.

Convincing characters, a well-realised, unusual setting and sensible puzzles. All evidence points to a strong opening for this episodic adventure series.

The bottom line here is that Pandora Tomorrow is a care taker game. A filler. The starters course before the main meal. If you go silly for sneaking or are hungry for hiding in shadows then by all means pick this up and have a quiet, tip toeing blast.

A "launch" build with some features still in infancy, Elite: Dangerous nonetheless offers terrific space flight ambiance and trading progression befitting of the once-revolutionary series. In a few months time, this title could be outstanding.

An expansion of Zeno Clash’s fantastical world and inhabitants, at the cost of some of the original game’s brutal tactility in combat.

Bet on Soldier would have been a great game had it not been for the poor computer AI, lack of variety in the models and the abysmal loading times/lag. Great levels, a smart presentation and immersing sound coupled with the betting aspect makes the game stand out in the crowd.

The series' domination of the management genre is not in question, but there are still areas where it could step up its game.

Like almost all DLC it falls well short of mimicking the impact of the original game, but that's to be expected from a three hour/1200 MS Point experience.

SpecForce isn’t a terrible game, but it isn’t terribly good either. It’s a competent shooter, but the absence of everything that made its predecessor interesting is mysteriously gone. The graphics are virtually the same and the gameplay has been taken down a notch.

Despite the faults though, Revelations remains an intriguing proposition because of gaming's finest Italian hero after that plumber in dungarees. Seriously, if there was an Oscar for game characters Ezio would walk it more often than not. If you're less entranced by Mr Auditore then Revelations is a more difficult sale.

If you are bored with the current crop of samey sport sims or bland RPGs, then Trapt can provide you with some light relief and faith that there are original ideas out there that can be utilised.

EA’s most recent effort at representing our spectacled wizard is good enough to please this rabid bunch as well as providing a somewhat entertaining game for the rest of us. Although it may be a little easier than most titles out there.

Not exactly Incredible, but a charming and capable action-RPG at an enticing price.

A highly polished and generally entertaining romp, but it's missing a vital spark to bring everything together.

It may have dumbed down the puzzles a bit, but what’s there is a solid lump of gameplay.

As it stands though, this is a very accomplished fighter that offers well executed gameplay and some enjoyable modes.

Episode two of Telltale’s Game of Thrones concerns itself with maneuvering pieces into position and foreshadowing greater conflict. It’s a robust foundational episode, shoring up Forrester character development for future pay-offs (and inevitable tragedy.)

Far more competent than it has any right to be, Splatterhouse is an entertaining brawler that's over-the-top in its tackiness that you really have to fight not to grin.

Golden Realms provides plenty of hours of entertainment, but feature-wise there’s still some room to be filled in this Halfling’s stomach.

Conquest of Paradise adds colonial and indigenous mechanics which undoubtedly improve the main game, but does it in a way that introduces a new problem or two.

Superb faction design and twists on 4x genre conventions, combined with rather passive AI (even at higher difficulties,) mean Endless Legend is a strategy title that falls frustratingly short of being sublime.

If it wasn't for that second act, Resistance 3 would be looking at a higher score. However, given its duration and the disappointment it heaps upon you, it's that middle third that prevent it from living up to the potential it clearly possesses. It's certainly worth playing but, equally, it's certainly not a classic.

There's not enough depth to justify long play sessions, but long sessions are not really the point here. What Everybody's Golf does is provide a great escape in short bursts and it packs just enough in to keep you coming back to it time and again.

A solid Metroidvania brawler with a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of humour.

There's no doubting that The Darkness II is a fun game, but it could have been so much more than that. Improved pacing could have solved the second act woes and defining a more meaningful way of communicating the narrative would have made the plot and character development more engaging.

For just over a tenner, I'd say it's absolutely worth a punt.

As an affordable, accessible leap back into the shoes of a space fighter ace, Sol: Exodus is a success.

A faithful recreation of the rapid-fire FPS’ of yesteryear, with Nadeo’s usual sturdy foundations for community development.

King Arthur II is less ambitious but more refined than the glorious, sprawling reach of the original. Where that game threw everything into development and didn't seem to care what stuck, King Arthur II has opted to remove (rather than improve) the parts which didn't quite function correctly.

Despite flaws it's a cheap and extraordinarily satisfying way to scratch that racing itch – and if enough people do so, that multiplayer problem might cease to be a problem at all.

And that's where the final fact comes in to save the day: the price. Mercury Hg is a mere 400 Microsoft Points, and it's certainly worth every penny. It doesn't do enough with the interesting concept and it's not a hugely lengthy title, but it'll give you a good few hours of enjoyment, and it's hard to ask more than that for £3.50.

The overall single-player campaign of I of the Dragon will leave you under whelmed. In the 15-20 hours it will take you to finish you'll end up doing the same tasks over and over again.

A faithful and enjoyable update of an overlooked FPS classic. It won't set the world alight, but Rise of the Triad deserves the attention of anyone who fondly remembers the FPS games of yesteryear or resents the slow hand-holding and cover-taking of recent corridor shooters.

For a game packed with cold, mechanised artillery, this FPS-Roguelike mash-up has a surprising amount of warmth and humanity. Scale the Tower of Guns and you’ll find some pick-up-and-replay charm.

It’s a confident attempt at tackling the platform genre, but the playing mechanics don’t quite meet the expectations set by the accomplished artwork and graphics.

All is not perfect in the future, but Trials Fusion is another worthy entry in the series’ bizarre bike-bouncing world.

Cloudberry Kingdom is a very varied, very clever, and very, very hard platformer. It never quite hits the heights its competition does, but then, it's really trying to be a very different game.

I applaud the developer for trying to do some new things in the resource-gathering arena and making good strides at giving the game depth.

It’s not a must-have purchase, but if you’ve dreamt of a Crusader Kings II scenario in which a devil-possessed ruler might have a chance to pick their own Pope, then this is the DLC for you.

NWAC is a little clunky around the edges and could do with some mission-creation options, but it's worth two tentative periscopes up.

If you're a rugby aficionado then you'll probably be picking Johan Lomu up simply because of the lack of choice. However, while not perfect, this is no rush job and worth a look for those who consider themselves causal fans of the sport. It's by no means perfect but, for a series that has been gone for so long (and one that many presumed dead), there's a lot to be impressed by.

There may be no backstory but there's plenty of combat. A solid wave-based space shooter for a bargain price.