A work of unbridled ambition and imagination but also a pretentious, contrived, and frequently quite dull gameplay experience - Death Stranding is peak Hideo Kojima.

The Danganronpa formula feels like it’s starting to get a little stale, but it still manages to pose interesting moral quandaries with a large dose of black humour and anime style weirdness.

Although compelling, it was originally priced at a rather sporty £24.99 on iOS, which many found off-putting. Its release on Apple Arcade also includes its DLC, making this an irresistible bargain and easily the best way to experience the game on the go.

An ashamedly old school role-player that nevertheless does its best to attract new players and entertain existing fans.

A mixture of roguelike and Zelda: A Link To The Past that looks and plays extremely well, but has its potential cut short by an unwelcome time limit.

Originally released on PC and consoles, the touch controls work absolutely fine, and while it lacks the ingenuity of Nintendo’s masterpieces, it’s a diverting and amusing role-playing game to have on your phone.

It's not original, and its often unfocused, but the willingness to always offer just one more piece of loot and one more giant boss battle makes Darksiders II a hard game not to enjoy.

An engaging mix of The Legend Of Zelda and Fez, which rearranges a number of familiar ideas into a clever action puzzler, even if its visuals are a bit too old school for its own good.

Accompanied by ambient trance music, it’s one of those games where you can slip into the zone and not realise an hour’s passed, making this a somewhat dangerous distraction on public transport.

A worthy successor to the Descent legacy, but lacking the depth of gameplay that would’ve made it a classic of equal standing.

It may be a one trick pony but Saints Row 2 in space will give anyone an appetite for destruction.

The frustrating thing is we have a feeling Dragon Age II is going to be criticised most for its gameplay changes than its storytelling failings. You might not like the new direction but it works as BioWare intended. But the story you carve with your new combat skills doesn't always seem worthy of such risky innovation.

An historically authentic military flight sim that rewards the hard work put into mastering its combat, although there was no need for it to be quite this inaccessible to non-propellerheads.

The result isn’t quite the sum of its parts unfortunately, because although each course looks stunning, rounds have an unfortunate tendency to be frustrating, the random factor underpinning victory just slightly too prominently. That’s actually quite a good analogue for real world crazy golf courses, and if you enjoy that element in the digital world this will seem pretty great.

A competent but uninspired sequel that’s unwise to create so many obvious comparisons to Resident Evil 4, although it still manages to find some memorable moments of its own.

A peculiar mix of cyberpunk dystopia and whimsical platformer that is just about held together by some excellent visuals and a very cute cat.

A fun but shallow mini-game collection, whose hobbled simulations still make good use of the MotionPlus.

A generous expansion that through its stunning visuals and inspired creature design showcases the best features of the original, even if it doesn’t fix many of its flaws.

Yes, you can still be brutalised by higher level players, but most matches don’t feel that way, and real-time strategy fans aren’t exactly spoiled for choice on mobile, making Rivals well worth trying out.

Experienced players will find it patronising, but it’s a non-intimidating start for beginners.

It lacks the sparkle and modernity of the more recent Florence, but still evokes a wonderful sense of mystery and melancholy, and because of its sedate pace does not in any way suffer from having touchscreen rather than physical controls.

It plays a great game of tennis, certainly the best on a Nintendo portable, but the feeble range of on and offline game modes sharply reduces its appeal.

The furore over Dexit may be overblown but even without it this is an underwhelming and unambitious attempt to modernise Pokémon and expand its horizons.

Picross makes the jump to 3D better than many games, although it's still not quite the perfect puzzler.

It may be turn-based and lack any sort of time restriction, but it’s also highly competitive, with a distinct stab of angst when another player steals the very line of food and felines you’d nervously been eyeing. Sadly, it’s also riddled with bugs, many of which force you to restart the app, something that with any luck will be addressed in an update.

A considerably less daring second episode, when compared to the first, that highlights the problems of episodic content more than it does the qualities of Life Is Strange 2.

An interesting halfway house between demo and full game, whose brevity may even save it from some of the criticisms of the main release.

There’s no question that this is a great game, but the problem is that this is not the ideal way to experience it. The frame rate is uneven and while this isn’t a straight action game there’s a constant sense that it’s only barely managing to work on the Switch 2. The occasionally blurry visuals are also less impressive than other launch ports and while some of that may be fixed with a patch, it’s clear this is a fairly compromised port.

An obvious labour of love that finally provides a full release for one of the best looking 2D arcade games ever made, although it’d be wrong to paint it as a lost classic in terms of gameplay.

There's an awful lot of recycled content here, but if you like Zombies mode this is still an essential, if potentially expensive, download.

A fun and unusual take on the third person stealth game, that suffers from some humourless writing but benefits from a surfeit of peculiar magic powers.

A disappointing version of a (mostly) great game, brought low by both technical and control problems - and the general sense that the game doesn't fit the format.

A fascinating journey through the visual history of 2D platformers, although the gameplay doesn’t always match the quality of the many classics it relies on for influence.

Sometimes visuals are enough to carry a game and they certainly take Ultros far, although mediocre combat and some jankiness slightly undermines the unique vision.

An even better game than the original, whose innocuous visuals hide a tense and unpredictable survival horror of surprising potency.

A competent but relatively unambitious expansion that adds plenty of new content but no new ideas.

As a pick up and play mobile puzzle game this ticks the right boxes: levels are short and satisfying to crack, and its cute graphics are just enough to give you an impression of golf.

Extremely easy to use interface and excellent tutorials. Download service sounds promising.

The best Dead Rising so far and purveyor of some of the most entertainingly absurd weapons in all gaming – just don’t expect any depth or longevity.

It's inconsistent and never quite fulfils its potential but this is far more inspired than it first appears and one of the best Wii games of the year.

Much more than just a homage, Consortium might be rough around the edges but the dialogue system and freedom of choice rivals that of any other game.

More than just a Doom clone and despite faltering during what should be the game’s highlights this is an enjoyable romp for both metal and shooter fans alike.

A wonderfully imaginative and beautifully presented interactive anime, but one that cannot maintain a regular enough supply of surprises to justify even its short running time.

The art and character design is likely to put off as many as it attracts, but underneath is one of the most forwarding-thinking new fighting games of the generation.

It's not subtle or clever, but this unashamedly uncomplicated shooter is one of the best of the year.

On paper it does everything XCOM does and more, but poor balancing and overcomplicated rules means it’s just not as much fun.

An extremely solid space combat simulator that struggles in terms of storytelling, and doesn’t entirely justify its open world approach, but still offers an enjoyably unique experience.

A seemingly impossible port is carried off surprisingly gracefully, with the old school shooter action working very well as a handheld game.

Even for those that would never normally dream of playing a basketball sim this is a great game, although it's best played in small doses.

An inspired use of the usual vampire clichés with some fascinating moral decisions to make, that always impact the game world and its combat in unexpected ways.

One of the few successful attempts to mix politics and gaming is far more entertaining than you'd think.

Irredeemably shallow but effortlessly entertaining, this unexpected tribute to a lost genre will make a beat ‘em-up fan of anyone.

A heartbreaking ending to a fascinatingly ambitious interactive story, that handles the build-up to its final dilemma with impressive confidence and heart.

By Nintendo standards this is no classic, but by anyone else's it's a fun and accessible 2D platformer.

One of the best Kirby games ever made and while the formula hasn’t changed as much as it first seems it’s also one of the most enjoyable co-op titles of recent years.

The best portable Silent Hill game never made with great first person combat and impressive presentation.

A competent but shallow and overfamiliar attempt to replicate Assassin’s Creed style open world adventure in the world of 13th century samurai.

We do sometimes, even if it is briefly, get the feeling we're playing a classic PES game from the series. Still rough around the edges though.

An appealing riff on the Pokémon role-playing formula which, while a little too safe, has enough small deviations and improvements to justify its existence.

A spruced up, lightly streamlined refresh of the classic Ukrainian shooter-meets-survival horror series that retains every bit of its uncompromisingly bleak character and individuality.

It’s a strangely meditative process though, thanks to the plinky-plonky music and ambient sound effects; along with the slow pace of the game supplying an almost ASMR feeling as you fiddle about with the number of spots on each hexagonal tile to get them to add up, whilst feeling absolutely no time pressure whatsoever. It’s a great little game, even if it occasionally dances over the fine line between tranquillity and dullness.

Such an old school role-player that most of its influences predate video games, and although an acquired taste it's clearly a refined one as well.

A polished Metroidvania infused with Africana, whose linearity and overreliance on rote-learning action sequences undermine its otherwise high standards.

A surprisingly lean and mean sequel which amplifies the bloody thrills of the original through its impressive presentation and flexible mechanics.

There’s a disappointing lack of invention in the paper thin story and characters, but the combat and witty dialogue is as good as the series has ever been.

A useful improvement over the last game but one that still avoids instituting any of the serious changes that the series now desperately needs.

Even with its positive changes Lego City Undercover doesn’t feel quite as special as it did four years ago, when it seemed to hint at a new direction for the Lego series in general. In that time the franchise’s release schedule has slowed noticeably, to the point where there are currently no new games announced and rumours suggest that Lego Dimensions might be coming to an end. What happens beyond that is a mystery, but while the foundations of Lego City Undercover are worth building on the rest of it needs tearing down if there’s ever to be real progress.

An expertly crafted clone that finally shows consoles owners what Diablo is all about. As long as you don't mind playing alone anyway.

A distinguished iOS release that manages to replicate almost all the features of the home consoles originals, both good and bad.

The furore over Dexit may be overblown but even without it this is an underwhelming and unambitious attempt to modernise Pokémon and expand its horizons.

The creator of XCOM returns with some interesting new ideas, but without the budget or time to refine them Phoenix Point struggles to offer a viable alternative to its more established rival.

A microscopic improvement on Football Manager 2015, that is as addictive and engrossing as ever but seems to have run out of steam in terms of new ideas.

A mellow paced and captivating game of underwater exploration, crafting, and discovery, that feels more like a Subnautica expansion than a discrete sequel.

A superb remake of two flawed but still interesting entries in the Final Fantasy canon – and certainly far better games than any of the last three.

In many ways more entertaining than the main game, this enjoyable romp through Albion shows Fable III at its best, but gives little clue as to its future.

It often feels unrefined and unbalanced, but the uniquely tactical combat system, and Dark Souls influences, create one of the most enjoyably different fighting games of recent years.

One of the great champions of offline multiplayer returns, and although it brings nothing new to the table at least it lets you race along it once again.

The hack, slash, and loot world of Diablo is brilliantly re-engineered for a small screen but the fun, initial progression is offset by a grinding endgame and/or eye-wateringly costly microtransactions.

A complex and wildly ambitious medieval life simulator that basks in historical detail and will happily take over months of your life, even if its radical sense of freedom can create unintended impasses.

Bizarre, abstract, and completely beautiful. GNOG’s puzzles aren’t difficult but they are strangely entrancing, especially in VR.

Another mini-reboot for the father of FPS, but while it’s less complex and challenging than Doom Eternal it’s still a fine homage to the seminal original.

It’s tense and interesting and while it lacks the polish of some board game conversions – Ticket To Ride or Antihero for example – and is a bit too easy in solo mode, it plays a fine card game.

A beautiful, meditative Lego-based puzzle game for two, that emphasises playful fun over challenge, although to such a degree that it’s all over a bit too soon.

It’s still not as good as Sniper Elite 4, but years of patches and DLC have improved it to the point where this is a viable alternative for Switch owners.

A far less significant improvement on the original than many will have hoped for, but still an enjoyable co-op shooter with a largely unique setting.

It comes frustratingly close to being the perfect Warhammer 40,000 action game but repetitive set pieces and a lack of crunch to the combat means that’ll have to wait for Space Marine 3.

A highly imaginative puzzle game whose clever concepts are frequently used in the least appealing way possible – although they’re imaginative enough that the game remains engaging despite itself.

It’s no Age of Empires, but is a well designed and addictive take on the genre with a generous campaign and online multiplayer modes.

A fantasy musical adventure which has big laughs to match its big heart, while being built around charming, if shallow, gameplay mechanics.

As a PS Vita game this is no more than a competent port, but as a restatement of one of gaming's most enduring fighters it's still good, dumb fun.

An excellent multiplayer and the best version of Battlefield ever on a console, but a lesser game than on the PC and with a very poor single-player mode.

Impressively original, if still fairly abstruse, platform puzzler that challenges you to think as differently as it does.

A fun spin-off that takes some of the best parts of Yakuza and weaves a story that’s at least as compelling – even if a lot of gameplay elements are becoming overfamiliar at this point.

A fantastically charming mix of golf sim and role-playing game, that smooths over its rough edges with its irreverent humour and wild imagination.

A Mega Man sequel that, despite its flash new looks and newb-friendly approach, conservatively touts the same formula Capcom has been using these past 30 years.

Might & Magic: Clash Of Heroes is remade as a highly engaging free-to-play touchscreen gem.

Its insanity is highly addictive, and Bacon is the best of this avant-garde trilogy of comestible foolishness.

It may just be a cynical re-branding of Guitar Hero 5 but if you prefer pop to rock this is still fun.