A useful fine-tuning of an already solid retro remake, that's more than a rival for Geometry Wars and other downloadable shooters.

Not necessarily an essential experience, but despite the repetitive elements the game’s co-op thrills and winning humour ensure entertainment for both new fans and old.

Corporate greed and some avoidable flaws prevent it from reaching infinity and beyond, but this is still a game that can delight and inspire in equal measure.

An enjoyably old school arcade adventure that also manages to feel thoroughly modern, with a great mix of action, puzzle-solving, and almost survival horror style exploration.

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.

Not much more than an HD update of the last gen version, but still one of the best arcade shooters around and a loving homage to the original Asteroids.

A better remake than Secret Of Mana, even if it does remove one of the original’s best features, but the one-note gameplay and weak storytelling limit its appeal considerably.

A mostly successful remake that reimagines Fatal Frame 2 for the modern day, and while it can veer a little too much into action territory it’s still an impressively horrifying video game.

It walks a precarious tightrope, where it risks disappointing both Persona and strategy fans, but most of the time this fun but shallow tactical role-player threads the needle to enjoyable effect.

Simple but enjoyable co-operative fun, but despite its looks this 2D shooter lacks the pace and ingenuity to trouble the best in the genre.

Too expensive to win the graphic adventure new fans but old ones will still enjoy this genre highlight.

It needed a lot more fine tuning to work properly on the Wii, but almost by default this still becomes one of the best racers on Nintendo's home console.

Every year this moribund franchise goes without a complete overhaul the more obvious and unacceptable its half-decade old problems become.

A modern 16-bit role-playing with inspirations that range from Stranger Things to Persona 5, with elegant turn-based combat and a knowing wink to the genre’s more established tropes.

A welcome reminder of the origins of Pokémon and while the game’s age is obvious in more than just its graphics the unbounded sense of exploration and experimentation remains as compelling as always.

The concept is clearly not going to appeal to anyone with an age in double digits but the game makes much better and more varied use of Kinect than almost any other title so far released.

Another obnoxious sequel that seems to have forgotten that the whole point of the game was its originality.

The PlayStation 4 may never get a real Monster Hunter game but this portable remaster is the next best thing, and a useful improvement on the PS Vita original.

It's got its share of flaws but this is another absorbingly original puzzler for WiiWare.

The same beautiful, laidback 2D adventure as it's always been, but now almost ruined by fiddly and unresponsive touch controls.

As a remaster this is rather shoddy work, but the underlying game is still one of the best homages to Super Metroid from the last generation.

A solid start to Black Ops III’s DLC schedule, with two standout maps and only one actively bad one.

A very welcome double pack featuring two of the series’ most notable entries, but which inexplicably ruins the meme-inspiring intro of Symphony Of The Night.

Its eerie ambience and moments of existentialist angst will stay with you long after you’ve finished its five or so hours of lugubrious adventuring, its few buttons and straightforward controls translating neatly to touchscreen.

A small improvement on Dead Island, but there’s still barely anything that either works as well as advertised or is isn’t just stolen wholesale from other, better, games.

Despite some interesting visuals and world-building BioWare just can't escape from the shadow of Mass Effect 3's ending, or the now overfamiliar action.

Not nearly as uninspiring or derivative as it first appears, but instead one of the most engrossing and thoughtful puzzlers of the year.

A fun, extra slice of Indiana Jones’ familiar brawling, puzzling, and tomb raiding that sits comfortably inside the Raiders canon without adding anything distinctive of its own.

A beautiful, colourful, and bitingly satirical sci-fi Metroidvania that also has a welcome respect for your spare time.

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.

At last an HD collection that seems at least somewhat complete, and manages to recapture the magic of what made the original games so influential.

A loving tribute to the past and present of Japanese role-players, with some impressively clever time travel powers and gorgeous artwork – although it’s a shame about the random battles.

An occasionally biting satire of post-Brexit Britain, that also happens to be one of the best – and shortest – graphic adventures of 2016.

A welcome reboot of a great rhythm action game, although the lack of new ideas and disappointing soundtrack leaves things a little off kilter.

As a game it still clearly doesn't work in anything like the way it's supposed to, but as a party game novelty it currently has few equals.

Some truly innovative ideas that all MMOs would do well to take notice of, but they and the intriguing narrative are wasted on the tedious and derivative combat.

A frustrating mix of the best and worst of Persona results in a disappointing Shin Megami Tensei spin-off that prioritises streamlined gameplay over innovation.

It's not the backward step of the PS3 version, but this tactical shooter still lacks real advancement.

Hugely disappointing portable debut that replicates the basic look of Gran Tursimo but rips out its heart.

A wearingly competent Soulslike that seems to have no interest in inventing anything of its own and which is nowhere near as refined as FromSoftware’s best games.

Easily the best of the Dark Pictures Anthology series, which finally manages to serve up some interesting characters and effective horror scenes, with an appealingly gothic atmosphere.

Although it feels more like an early access release at this point, this is a promising start for what should eventually eclipse Vermintide 2 and all the other Left 4 Dead wannabes.

Luigi’s Mansion 2 was always a much better game and while there’s some novelty (and possibly nostalgia) value to playing the original it doesn’t warrant a new full price release.

Putting looks before substance doesn't seem so bad in this superbly surreal first person fighter.

A disappointingly shallow and unfocused adventure that is aimed solely at a young audience - and even they’re likely to feel somewhat bored and patronised by the end.

It's a mystery why Mitchell has allowed Pang to remain dormant for so long given this consistently clever, if slightly cheap looking, revival.

One of the most unlikely remasters of 2016 is also one of the most enjoyable, as long as you like retro shooting, cowboys, and robots.

It may have been cutting edge in 1997 but the Shin Megami Tensei series, and Japanese role-players in general, have moved on a lot since then and this entry is really only for completists.

The comedy is an acquired taste but the presentation is an unqualified success. However, it's the gameplay that's the real problem in this tedious 2D actioner.

A polished, witty mix of golf sim, platformer, and roguelike that offers sterling value for money but can’t quite overcome an increasing sense of repetition.

A charming pixel art retail management sim with a surprisingly involved plot, whose well-structured gameplay keeps you engaged right up until the disappointingly abrupt ending.

A delightful sojourn in bleakly beautiful landscapes, that has you steering a herd of giant yak-like beasts while gently wrestling with controls that aren’t afraid to embrace the organic waywardness of your charges.

A quietly powerful, deceptively smart narrative adventure about childhood and football which succeeds as a thoughtful reflection of not only a moment in time but memory itself.

A walking simulator that’s also a love letter to The Thing, transplanting its blend of naturalistic realism and abject horror into an immaculately recreated 1970s North Sea oil rig.

Another big budget game more obsessed with impersonating its favourite films than creating any genuinely new script or gameplay ideas.

Fire Emblem has the potential to make a great partner, but this badly made and painfully simplistic crossover is as disappointingly dumb as all the other Dynasty Warriors games.

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.

A decent sequel, with some fun new features, and proof once again that motion controls are the great leveller in terms of truly inclusive interactive entertainment.

One of the best movie adaptations of all time and an impressively original strategy game that manages to rival even the best action titles in terms of tension and adrenaline rush.

Technically it’s still the best modern Sonic, if you don’t count Sonic Mania, but time has not been particularly kind and neither has this unambitious remaster.

A promotional tie-in more than a fully-featured video game, but as long as you know what you’re getting into this at least conjurers an enjoyably colourful footballing atmosphere.

Not the silly novelty it might sound like but one of the most enjoyably addictive and cleverly original action stealth games on the PlayStation 3.

There’s a lot of promise on display in Metro Awakening VR, but on PlayStation VR2 at least, it’s not yet in a playable state.

Not the deepest wilderness survival game around in terms of gameplay, but certainly one of the most atmospheric and thought-provoking.

A fun, fairly brief campaign that offers plenty of memorable scenarios and a suite of improvements that turn The Division 2 into a true contender for the looter shooter throne.

A fantastic 2D shooter, that despite being the developer’s first game shows they understand the genre perfectly – but perhaps not the needs of those that are less familiar with its traditions.

It's a competent clone then, certainly better than others that have been attempted over the years, but nothing more than that. Clearly the PlayStation deserves a vastly more significant game to honour its influence on gaming. Copying Nintendo's own celebration seems not only wrong-headed but borderline offensive. In this case fans definitely deserve better.

For a game obsessed with OTT violence and knob gags this is a surprisingly charming and likeable shooter, if an unavoidably shallow and repetitive one.

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.

An almost classic just misses out for a second time, but this is still a successful attempt to show that real-time strategy can be done differently.

It looks and sounds great but this post-apocalyptic rhythm action game lacks that little extra kick to make it a genuine classic.

An alternative to Fallout rather than a homage, with a more freeform approach to open world gaming that offers more meaningful freedom than many other bigger budget titles.

An excellent start for FIFA on the iPad, even if it does show every sign of first match nerves - with considerable room for improvement.

The most realistic and versatile soldier sim ever made, but also the most bug-ridden and inscrutable – with an initial release that is missing a lot of promised features.

A loving update of what is still a genuinely fun and innovative genre mash-up, as well as a fascinating glimpse at the glory days of British gaming.

It shuns the more raucous fun of Boom Blox, but this is still one of the better Move games so far and a good tech demo.

Backwards-looking and unnecessary tie-in/remake which leaves the Prince needing yet another reboot.

A clever spin on the Spelunky style of randomly-generated platformer, and although it asks a lot of its players its rewards are worth the effort.

An interesting historical curio that has its charms, and some surprisingly good storytelling, but the old school gameplay and very modern pricing are not a good combination.

A modern day alternative to Gauntlet, whose innate shallowness and overreliance on random generation is balanced out by some fun combat and great co-op action.

A fun and imaginative homage to Dungeon Keeper that's gone from impossibly to merely incredibly hard.

Mixing Final Fantasy with Harvest Moon feels like it should result in something more stimulating than this awkward mishmash, whose disparate elements all prove disappointingly underdeveloped.

Another uninspiring episode of nothing but filler and hopes for the future, although that’s as much a criticism of episodic content as it is the game itself.

In terms of pure gameplay this is perhaps the best serious detective game so far, but the issues with the script and characters remain more than a one pipe problem.

Some of the best 2D Mario levels in years, but the lack of online options means the construction aspect is unnecessarily limited.

A highly original puzzle game that turns the act of telling a story into an entertainingly convoluted process of logical deduction and amusing plot development.

You don't have to be a child to enjoy this new game from the makers of Hitman - just very undemanding.

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.

The underlying technology and use of Kinect is impressive, it's just that the package as a whole seems a little undercooked.

The original was obnoxious and insensitive but this new shooter lacks even that much personality.

Cleverly progressive one moment and tediously predictable the next, next gen Killzone has all the same strengths and flaws as the older games – just now with even better graphics.

An absorbing, tactical three-person co-op game that does well to expand the Rainbow Six gameplay into a more fantastical setting.

The cops ‘n’ robbers theme often does more harm than good to the Battlefield formula, but this peculiar spin-off has just enough tricks of is own to be worth a collar.

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.

The offensive microtransactions aren’t a surprise but the tedious open world structure obscures what is a surprisingly nuanced and technical arcade racer.

There's plenty of novelty value in seeing your games on TV, but it's one that wears off very quickly.

Skyrim is back yet again, with a graphical makeover and new user generated content, but at full price even fans of brazen commercial cynicism will find their eyebrows quietly reaching for the sky.

The customisation and creation tools are impressively powerful, but the disappointingly dull racer that's been built around them doesn't provide much inspiration.