Borderline brilliant at times and even a heavy weight of minor flaws can't spoil the superb co-op play.

Contra gets a gorgeous new coat of paint, and even an innovative new game mode, but it's still the same old 2D shooter underneath.

The casual fan will find plenty to enjoy but diehards will see Madden 20 as just another facelift to a franchise that knows how to succeed but struggles to innovate.

Less consistent than the previous games, and the Batmobile is a surprisingly unwelcome addition, but even as the worst of the Arkham titles this is still a superior superhero adventure.

A slight disappointment after the surprise hit of Stick It To The Man, but still one of the best modern day equivalents to LucasArts style comedy and puzzling.

A perfectly competent platformer, perhaps Yoshi’s best since Super Mario World 2, but one that is far less unique than its visuals suggest.

A solid reworking of a brutal but characterful retro platform game, which offers a fascinating insight into the earliest days of the genre.

Street Fighter with bullets or a one-on-one 2D shooter, whichever way you look at it this hombrew download is an intriguing oddity.

The best Pokémon spin-off for years and an engrossing mix of family-friendly warmongering and engaging turn-based strategy.

A relatively engaging finale but one that suffers from all the problems of the series as a whole, with too little interactivity and a lethargic plot that struggles to get into gear.

A brief, joyous exercise in curiosity and exploration, that’s at least as much about atmosphere and the feeling of traversal, as it is about your destination.

Shallow, simplistic, and never quite as funny as it thinks it is, but there’s still more energy and imagination at work here than most other new next gen franchises.

Another top notch Lego game and one that surpasses other Tolkien tie-ins, and most other movie adaptations, in terms of both fun and, unbelievably, authenticity.

Hardcore dungeon crawling that somehow manages to make repetitive combat and scrawling on virtual graph paper addictive and satisfying.

A disappointing sequel in many ways but as a refinement of one of the best real-time strategies of all-time this is still an enjoyably cinematic experience.

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.

The best snowboarding game for a long time, with an excellent open world environment… and some very odd, and unnecessary, flaws.

It won’t be for everyone, for various reasons, but if nothing else Kingdom Come proves that a role-playing game doesn’t have to rely on fantasy to keep you interested.

The roguelike elements drag it down a touch, but this is a memorable action platformer whose surreal visuals work in tandem with some fun 2D combat.

Despite borrowing so much from so many different games Capcom’s Western style role-player remains very much its own game – with plenty of interesting ideas of its own.

One of the weakest individual episodes but with the best ending by far, and one that suggests Episode 5 will be a finale to remember.

The overall package doesn’t quite match up to any of the Danganronpa titles, but Rain Code’s storytelling and characters make up for its minor shortcomings.

The interface is silky smooth, rounds are quick and rewarding, and without the need to try and profit from you, unlocks arrive frictionlessly, making for a pleasing golf-themed mobile distraction.

It's got more in common with Advance Wars, but this is still a great strategy game – real-time or not.

Ultimately, Ys 9 is largely the same game as the last one but in a fundamentally less interesting context. As bombastic as the combat is there’s not quite enough depth in it to compensate for the game’s failings, relatively minor as they may be. It’s still an enjoyable and breezy experience (you could beat the whole story in 30 hours with time to spare) but we’d still recommend Ys 8 as the preferred way to dip your toe into Falcom’s waters. Then, if you want a similar experience but just not quite as good, there’s always Ys 9 for afterwards.

Another highly compromised VR remaster, that offers one of the best open world experiences so far and yet still manages to feel deeply flawed as it does so.

A mostly successful reboot of the series in terms of pure gameplay, except now it seems even more like a minor variation of the still superior FIFA.

The mobile version is solid enough but the touch controls aren’t up to the job, despite generous auto-aim, meaning you’ll need to use a Bluetooth controller to navigate its twitchy, fast-moving scenarios.

The idea might offend veteran DiRT fans, but the reality of this arcade style racer is hard to hate - especially when you're smashing your best friend off a jump ramp.

Despite an unhealthy amount of fan service this is an innovative, if inaccessible, one-on-one fighter.

The spirit of old school arcade racing is reborn in a homage to everything from OutRun to Lotus Turbo Challenge, and despite a few bumps in the road it’s all just as much fun as you remember.

The game is steady like Tim Henman but lacks the imagination and true greatness of Roger Federer.

The flaws are obvious, and in many cases needless, but personality (and fantastic animation) go a long way in this eccentric puzzler.

One of the most impressive remasters ever seen, with almost every element of the original retuned and souped up, giving new life to a seminal first person shooter that is still very playable today.

An effective homage to Clock Tower that manages to create a similar sense of helplessness even if it doesn’t improve on the formula in any notable way.

The end product is still several features short of classic status but it's not as dry as January's "Lonpos" and yet just as addictive a time-waster.

Some of the new features could’ve done with pruning, but Ubisoft’s willingness to nurture indie style experiments continues to bear fruit.

Time has not been kind to some elements, but KOTOR’s story and characters are still the most interesting there’s ever been in a Star Wars video game.

Half a decade’s worth of expansions deliver a dizzying array of features but this stylish survival game still frustrates as much as it entertains.

No matter what you think of the original games these are an excellent trio of remasters, that will please existing fans and help to create new ones.

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

A bizarre, absurdist comedy only occasionally masquerading as a video game, but the lack of interactivity doesn’t make it any less entertaining.

The games are beginning to approach their sell-by-date, but the impressively oppressive post-apocalyptic atmosphere still has plenty of appeal.

An impressively ambitious survival horror that moves beyond the realm of mere VR tech demo and, despite some technical limitations, is a hugely engrossing game in its own right.

An excellent remake of a historically important game, that often gets forgotten. The price is off-putting but beyond that this is a breezy and charming adventure that’s perfect for RPG neophytes.

One of the best Lego games of the entire series, with a dizzying array of bizarre characters and some genuinely compelling gameplay for younger players.

A shameless clone of role-playing puzzle hybrid Puzzle Quest, but a slick and addictive one all the same.

World War I has never been so much fun in this successful mix of Tower Defence and shoot 'em-up action.

An impressive blend of old school cyberpunk and modern survival horror, that manages to overcome a bad celebrity voiceover and some distracting technical issues.

A great start to a promising new sports series. It does feel a little lightweight in some of the options but the central combat is handled very well.

Ironically the beginning is by far the worst part, but once you’ve got some headway this is the best Harvest Moon for several years and a fun alternative to Animal Crossing.

The perfect Sam & Max episode is still yet to be made, but in terms of puzzles this one is hard to beat.

Given its cute good looks it’s surprisingly tough, with fights easily able to blindside you when spell-casting enemy Wielders are involved. If you don’t mind a few retries, and make sure you scour the countryside for power-ups, this will keep you busy for weeks.

It's nostalgia first and game second but you'd have to really hate Ghostbusters to not enjoy this tie-in.

Whether it has the staying power Supercell traditionally aims for remains to be seen, but it’s an interesting new direction for the studio.

It's not quite the return to glory Mashed and Micro Machines fans would've hoped for, but despite its flaws this is still a great party game.

There are some important flaws but this is still one of the most ambitious and enjoyable games on the PS Vita, even if it still doesn’t feel like a killer app.

Nothing less or more than what was promised. Still the best football game around but its problems feel more glaring a year later.

Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.

A vast and multi-faceted trip through a stylised Viking life, with a new fighting system, manifold mini-games and diversions, and untold glitches. It’s Assassin’s Creed to its core.

Although this is a considerably more interesting and accomplished game than any of its predecessors it's still nowhere near the cutting edge of the first person shooter genre. And we say that not just because of its abandonment of all that Halo introduced to the concept a decade ago.

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.

With a downbeat art style and a plot that gradually reveals all that lurks beneath, there’s plenty of exploration and ship upgrading to undertake on your way to finding out what’s going on. It felt a bit too slim on consoles and PC but while it works better on mobile the price tag is more than most are likely to pay for the full thing.

A clever 2D platformer that doesn't muddy the waters with overcomplicated concepts or controls - but still has time for some great 3D effects.

It certainly looks the part, but although this never plays quite as well as F-Zero GX it’s close enough that most fans will forgive its lack of refinement.

None of the additions are essential, but all of them are interesting to at least some degree. But you’ll have to wait till DLC Pack 2 to know if the expansion pass is really worth it.

It doesn't get everything right, and its low budget is obvious at times, but this is still one of the most unique and ambitious racers of the generation.

Dontnod continues to lead the world in terms of character diversity and representation, and while Tell Me Why’s story can sometimes lack drama it’s still engagingly interactive.

Arguably the most disappointing Super Mario game ever made, and one that certainly doesn't deserve the world 'New' at the beginning of its name.

Although its addition of plot and characters doesn’t quite work the racing action is as thrilling as ever, with a huge diversity of vehicles and the compelling handling fans have come to expect from the series.

A competent adaptation of the original anime but there’s a serious danger of déjà vu even for series fans, and the solid but unremarkable action is unable to overcome it.

With base building, monstrous sea beasts, and a slow progress from hapless crash survivor to king of the ocean depths, it has more or less the same cadence as the original Subnautica, which was also very good. It does feel slightly like a missed opportunity that this isn’t quite the sea change (pun, I’m afraid, intended) it could have been. Especially given how long the actual sequel is taking.

The way it layers plot and characters around playing the made-up handheld – which at one point you have to repair when it breaks – works beautifully, the physicality of the handheld brilliantly realised on your phone screen, even if the simulated Kid Cosmo game itself is only okay.

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.

The best Bubble Bobble game in over two decades and while it isn’t quite as perfectly formed as the original it is one of the best couch co-op games of the year.

Formulaic but not always predictable, this remains the best of the Tales series and one of the definitive Japanese role-players of the 2000s.

The best version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 so far, although by such a small margin it still doesn't excuse the game's conservative attitude to the fighting game genre.

In Dissembler you swap tiles in a grid to match three or more of the same colour, which then disappear. Your job is to clear each board, a process that involves making considerable use of the game’s unlimited undo button as you tinker with tactics to make sure you leave no square behind. The puzzles are elegantly designed, the interface simple and the ratchet and click noise as you swap tiles is so satisfying it’s almost a game in itself. There’s also a pleasing sense of progression, and before too long you’ll be spotting promising patterns of squares before you’ve even made your first move.

A very competent Soulslike, with excellent combat and an attractive art style – it’s just a shame it barely even tries to do anything new.

The updates have brought definite improvement, but even after two years the huge scope and ambition only serves to hide how simplistic and repetitive the gameplay is.

A fascinating reimaging of an 80s classic that never quite existed, but as interestingly unique as it is, it lacks the elegant simplicity of its more famous stablemates.

Featuring Buzz Lightyear, Elsa from Frozen, Wreck-it Ralph, Mickey Mouse, Moana, Maleficent, and others, more characters are due this year. It’s a solid start, and provided matchmaking remains this easy, a promising one.

A complicated game to score. It’s a mechanically-superior sequel in every way, with more robust combat mechanics, mini-games, and puzzles populating the reference-stuffed open world. But there’s a nagging feeling the extended length and focus on combat has come at the expense of a memorable story. It’s still an essential play for fans of the show, and role-playing nuts will greatly appreciate the surprising amount of depth, but a South Park game propped up by its game mechanics is perhaps the most unlikely twist you’ll find here.

One of the best action role-players on any portable - if it wasn't for the appallingly banal plot and characters.

An impossibly ugly attempt at a faux retro 2D shooter that thankfully plays better than it looks, but still feels like a mostly wasted opportunity.

The excellent multiplayer deserves to be the focus here, rather than the repetitive, humourless, and largely artless first person shooting of the single-player campaign.

A clever, if not wholly original, action strategy that's only lacking in single player appeal.

Don't let its low price or simple visuals fool you, this is the most demonically addictive game of the year and it takes no prisoners.

Playing as the bad guy has never been so disturbing, but despite all the nuanced decision-making the underlying gameplay is never as interesting as the premise.

Breathless horror that efficiently recreates the look and feel of Aliens, but is let down by clunky motion sensing controls and reloading mechanics.

With a warm but whacky sense of humour, this is a Tycoon-style game that has you managing a blacksmithing business staffed by spuds. Set them to work forging weapons with stats that appeal to the selection of heroes that inhabit each of the game’s towns; the better the correlation, the more they’ll pay and the better their XP, adding to your shop’s fame and letting you expand your operation. It’s a polished product, even if it does eventually feel a bit repetitive, and the fact that it’s a PC port makes some of the text so tiny that those playing on phones will be reaching for a magnifying glass.

An unnecessary but well-made expansion for what remains Kirby’s best platform adventure, with plenty of neat new extras and a peculiarly difficult final boss.

Pretentious and restrictive, but also one of the most spectacular visual and aural experiences on the PS3.

A successful reboot for a franchise that still has a lot to give in terms of uniting gamers, and non-gamers, around its uncomplicated but endearing charms.

The brothers’ interactions and cute claymation styling make for delightful, heart string-plucking interludes between levels. There’s not much of it but it concertedly leaves the door open for future chapters.

Call Of Duty’s most concerted effort to break the usual formula is unfortunately the most unsatisfying sequel in years, especially the badly flawed story campaign.

A notable improvement on the original, although most of the changes are still just doodling in the margins – as the series waits for a more substantial overhaul.

Although not a game in any conventional sense, more a work of interactive fiction, Florence is about falling in love, its protagonist drifting through the tedium of adult existence before meeting the love of her life. From the mild awkwardness of their first date, to moving in, daily routine, arguments and beyond, your part in each scene sometimes amounting to no more than scrolling through its practically wordless pages, but making you feel a part of its story in a way that graphic novels and films can’t. At only 30 minutes long and with little replay value, this is not for everyone, but its unique emotional journey is an experience that stays with you.