An improvement on the first game, but this still lacks the variety and thrills to be considered a true top gun.

A seemingly random collection of Konami arcade games that’s so incoherent and bare bones it won’t please retro fans or newcomers.

It’s an interesting mix, and despite moments that require ultra-specific placement of Magibot’s power circles, and a fair bit of dodgy translation into English, this is a mostly successful blend of mental and dexterity-based challenges.

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.

A darkly atmospheric horror puzzle game from the original developers of Little Nightmares, that’s undermined by dull puzzles and too much trial and error.

A bizarre mishmash of disparate gameplay elements, with absolutely no sense of coherent design or narrative… and yet its stunning game world is still a fascinating mess to explore.

With a minimalist 1960s art style, a capitalist-sceptic theme, and jazzy soundtrack it’s got style but continually having to restart levels because you made a wrong choice on the first day gets tired fast.

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.

For a paid game there’s a lot of microtransactions on offer, even if none of it proves essential. It also doesn’t feel all that tactical. With enemies emerging from multiple angles, there’s rarely time to engage in anything but furious spamming of special moves and a silent hope that you’ve upgraded enough to survive an encounter.

The deadpan humour is complemented by deliberately B-movie style acting, but the formula-making mechanic is undermined by ever-stricter time limits which make it feel like a chore well before its relatively brief eight acts are finished. On the plus side, half its profits go to charities actually searching for a cure for cancer.

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

Another impressive PlayStation VR tech demo, but as a game, and the long-awaited return of a beloved franchise, the experience fails to satisfy.

The problem is that the strategy elements are shallow and underplayed and while the game is fun and interestingly weird, it really doesn’t add up to much. We were interested to see how the mouse controls work, but while they’re fine on a technical level they’re really not necessary, given how little of the map you can see at any one time.

A different take on the usual Metroidvania formula, but while the story and setting are charming the puzzles are rarely anything other than frustrating.

A stripped down Animal Crossing with a premise so lightweight it can barely be said to exist at all, and yet there’s still an undemanding charm to its no-octane thrills.

A fun demonstration of the Xbox One’s capabilities but unfortunately much more a stealth sequel to Kinectimals than it is a proper Tycoon game.

A fun and accessible introduction to the world of Catan but technical failings and a lack of options mean it’s not quite the adaptation it could’ve been.

Immersive sim meets four-player co-op in this vampire themed first person shooter that features competent gunplay but a lack of ingenuity in its challenges.

Further proof of the Wii's gift for first person shooters, if only a more experienced developer would try.

The core action is explosively silly in all the best ways, but the controls, missions, and story structure are all disappointingly underdeveloped.

On paper it's a cynical cash grab while everyone waits for Revelations, but despite the price this is a fun and addictive score attack shooter.

Blow up cars, send people flying, jump off tall structures, and do your best to combat the terrible controls just enough to fulfil each level’s litany of objectives. Goat Simulator’s re-emergence on Apple Arcade is identical to the original release, offering its peculiar demolition-orientated delights to a new generation.

The gentle sound effects and nicely judged art style create an unusual atmosphere and one that encourages quiet exploration. It’s a singular but short-lived experience, and unfortunately one that doesn’t afford much replayability. It’s also riddled with bugs that regularly force you to replay entire sections.

Relying noticeably more on action, an automatic bullet time kicking in as you take aim with your silenced silver baller pistols, its colourful good looks and globetrotting look good on touchscreen, although its profusion of buttons are only really suitable for iPad. As ever with games that feature occasional frenzied action, a controller is your best bet. Its Achilles’ heel though, is that it doesn’t permanently save checkpoint data, so if you have to close the app and reopen it, you’ll need to restart the whole chapter from scratch, an egregious oversight for a mobile port with such long and involved missions.

More up close and personal zombie slaying in post-apocalyptic New Orleans, retaining the original’s focus on exploration and crafting, and its relentlessly uninspiring combat.

It undoes some of the damage of the last few games, but taking the series back to its roots is an admission that Ratchet & Clank has done nothing but go in circles all generation.

A competent, if unwarranted, remake of an amiable 90s platformer that most people have long since forgotten – if they’re even aware it existed in the first place.

A deeply disappointing sequel that devolves from a perfectly judged mix of rhythm action and platforming to an unfairly difficult slog that’s not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.

Survival mode is the only time Starhawk comes together to create a properly entertaining whole. In all the other game modes it's merely a loose collection of bullet points and underdeveloped ideas, ones which never gel together into the multiplayer classic this could so easily have been.

A much more interesting story and lead character than usual for the series, but the weak script and aging combat system fail to make the most of it.

A loving homage to old school shooters but one that refuses to take the steps necessary to become its own game, even with the excellent new co-op modes.

Trying to simulate a sport as complex as rugby on a shoestring budget is a thankless task but in multiplayer mode at least this does a better job than any of its rivals.

A Total War game proves not to be the best way to explore one of the most fascinating periods in ancient history, with boring real-time battles dragging down positive changes to the grand strategy elements.

A charming and emotionally honest interactive story, despite distracting flaws in terms of both the script and presentation.

When it’s finished this has the potential to be a classic multiplayer horror game, but the state it’s in now the original movies feel like they have higher production values.

The least interesting WarioWare entry so far, with overcomplicated multiplayer characters and microgames that seem to have lost their sense of manic invention.

Its headline feature is easily its worst but there are enough other new extras to make this a costly but still diverting return to the land of Skyrim.

If you didn’t play the first game this may be worth a look, but we feel as though we’ve already had a lifetime’s dose of Archero.

Reasonably good value for money and a better open world environment than the original but with very little story or structure, Pokémon’s first expansion feels disappointingly hollow.

A reasonable Puzzle & Dragon clone, but matching gems and punching bad guys does nothing to honour the legacy of the TV show.

The graphics are a great advert for the power of the PlayStation 4, but in terms of gameplay and story this hasn’t moved on at all from the previous generation.

Simultaneously better and worse than you’d expect, with some fun co-op and detective elements but weak combat and muddled storytelling.

The new additions are all positive but, apart from the reintroduction of religion, extremely trivial - which makes this an interesting test of the Civilization faithful.

In spite of the difficulty level and minimalist beauty of the graphics, Optica’s problem is that it’s just not that compelling, and once levels start to get more devious, summoning the will to trial and error your way to the end becomes your biggest hurdle.

The touch controls work well, and while it’s not particularly complex or involving, it’s a nice bit of snack-sized phone entertainment to while away a few minutes.

Pocket Build’s approach to world making is unusual in that there are no goals or enemies, your time and effort freed up for aesthetic concerns and the mellow process of terraforming and building towns, villages, and parks populated by humans and goblins. Your tiny denizens will fight each other, but fallen combatants can easily be revived. It’s the essence of relaxed geniality for those with a high boredom threshold.

Horribly inconsistent but also daringly imaginative, but even with its faults this is one of the most innovative racers for years.

The best Tenchu for years, even if it does still leave too many frustrating relics from the past.

A hugely disappointing penultimate episode, but if you enjoyed the first three it’s still nowhere near enough to put you off from following things through to the end.

You’re Rock Gunar, sole survivor of your unit and last bulwark against the extraterrestrial onslaught in this Aliens sentry-gun simulator. Illuminated by the flickering muzzle flash of your gun and the explosions generated by grenades, Molotov cocktails, and one highly combustible species of alien, your job is to aim high or low to take out herds of xenomorphs advancing along the floor, walls, and ceiling. It’s all a little bit mindless, but the upgrade path has a satisfying grind to it, and the chiptunes and faux 16-bit pixel art style are a winning combination.

It's clearly been quickly thrown together for the launch, with many features missing or out-of-date, but this is still an encouraging start for FIFA on the Vita.

Skater XL has a mid-budget price point and comes from a small indie outfit from which you wouldn’t expect triple-A polish and heft. It also has a substantial community busy designing mods and items for it, too. But unless you’re a truly fanatical skateboarder in real-life, your most likely reaction to buying it and booting it up is likely to be: ‘Is that it?’. It’s an exemplary control system in search of a game.

A clever, adult-themed survival horror, but one that still fails to chill spines as it used to.

As you progress words get longer, featuring far more abstruse letter groupings, and although it can’t quite muster the rampant addiction of Alpha Bears, it offers a decent word-based challenge.

A wasted opportunity to create a modern take on System Shock, with the dull storytelling and action overshadowing the otherwise effective puzzle elements.

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

When the local parish church won’t absolve you of immoral acts committed elsewhere, you need to re-commit each of the seven deadly sins within the bounds of its diocese. So begins this work of delightful absurdity that brings together baroque music, Renaissance painting, and the spirit of Monkey Island; in a point and click adventure that feels like being stuck in an interactive Terry Gilliam animation. Its puzzles are not sophisticated, and the multiple fourth-wall-breaking references and meta-jokes won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but picking your way through cheerfully animated Hieronymus Bosch canvasses never loses its charm.

Its B-movie charm is beginning to sag and this revamp of the Xbox 360 hit fails to make the most of its enhancements – or charge an appropriate price for them.

Not a bad attempt at bringing Resistance to the PSP, but the end result feels shallow and repetitive.

An uneven mix of tense psychological drama and buggy, half-broken gameplay mechanics but the end result is still one of the better movie tie-ins of recent years.

With a script that’s got its moments, and some good, solid sarcasm from your protagonist, Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son tells an engaging story of cynicism lost and superficiality seen through. Some of its mini-games are best forgotten, and the problem of repeating dialogue is never completely sorted out, but as sequel to a film that seemingly defied follow-ups, this is a brave and at times entertaining result.

Something of a greatest hits collection of ideas from Ubisoft’s other open world games but it also has some fun new ideas of its own… as well as a mountain of glitches and microtransactions.

It’s very simple, but there’s a level of learning involved in when to boost wood and gold production; when to upgrade your defences, barracks, and walls; and which path your raiders should take. It’s very throwaway but the lightly tactical gameplay is still breezy fun.

A loving homage to 16-bit classic Flashback but despite some fun visuals the clumsy controls and combat could have done with a bit more modernisation.

A surprisingly high quality tie-in, which for once acts as a good introduction to gaming for youngsters.

A welcome tonic to overly large open worlds, Mafia 2’s story and missions remain worth experiencing if you haven’t already, but its age and intrinsic flaws are still obvious.

It copies and borrows from the best - and often very well - but competence is no substitute for character in this forgettable 2D adventure.

Real-time strategy for the FarmVille generation, and yet it still owes too much to the past - and offers far less than it pretends for free.

An excellent portable fighting game engine in desperate search of a fully-featured game to attach itself to, in what is a shamefully insubstantial release.

Unusually complex for a Tower Defence game, but also needlessly obscure and difficult to play.

A loving homage to the Evil Dead franchise, but it’s a series that doesn’t particularly suit the 4 vs. 1 concept, with shallow combat and too little variety.

A game about fighting office block-sized monsters, where you spend most of your time battling far less interesting human-scale enemies, with clumsy and repetitive melee combat that pales next to the all-too-few behemoth fights.

It certainly won't be troubling Angry Birds in terms of the number of downloads but this is an amiable, if derivative and repetitive, action puzzler all the same.

It's not a game for the ages but it is a reasonable introduction to real-time strategy for action fans.

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

A disappointing final whistle from EA as the new mechanics and fine-tuning create little in the way of major change, for a series that has long been in need of a major revamp.

There are some clever ideas at work here, particularly the hero's primary weapon, but a lack of gameplay refinement and bland storytelling fail to make the most of it.

Despite the huge variety of moves and characters, this disappointing follow-up to Guacamelee is let down by mindless combat and bland dungeon design.

It’s certainly a better alternative to the mobile game that inspired it, but what few new ideas Octopath Traveler 0 has do little to give it its own identity and paint a worrying picture for the series’ future.

The graphics may have improved but this is still the same old After Burner - for better and worse.

A peculiarly constructed open world zombie game that sidelines its most unique features in favour of generic action and unengaging storytelling.

An occasionally inspired attempt to reinvent the Valkyrie Profile series, but a weak narrative and a dispiritingly empty game world drain the enjoyment from what could’ve been a fun action role-player.

A shot for shot remake of the original - and therefore one of the most pointless makeovers of the year.

As a straight action game the core combat is elegant and original but the roguelite structure makes the already mountainous difficulty just too much to bear.

Another impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne but a less entertaining game than Salt And Sanctuary, with some frustrating combat that doesn’t always feel entirely fair.

A fairly cynical attempt to mix Left 4 Dead with a twin stick shooter, but there are still some interesting ideas in amongst the far too familiar ones.

Destined to be as divisive as all modern Final Fantasy games, but it’s the story and characters that disappoint more than the capable combat and exploration.

This may be a VR dream come true for Trekkies, but it’s one you wake up to discover is severely lacking in variety, depth, and value for money.

The mega evolutions and real-time battles continue to impress, but this expensive DLC is far too repetitive to be considered an essential purchase.

A clever and unusual indie detective story, but the emphasis on clunky stealth and samey cases quickly saps your enthusiasm for the pixelated noir setting.

The graphical downgrade has certainly been handled with less grace and the new controls are more twitchy and unpredictable than the old ones.

As a 2D interpretation of Assassin’s Creed this works perfectly well, but the workmanlike design and bland atmosphere makes it hard to get excited about.

Not a particularly good game in its own right, but an enjoyably outrageous mash-up between three of Japanese gaming’s most prolific publishers.

A co-op Metroid seemed like a bad idea from the start, but while Federation Force has its moments they’re overshadowed by sloppy implementation and bland design.

A disappointing sequel that offers no significant gameplay improvements compared to its predecessors, and a notably inferior story and set of characters.

Another slow-paced and only intermittently interesting episode, that underlines the fact that the story and characters are never going to be as engaging as the first episode suggested.

The action side of things is weak but as an interactive meditation on mortality and predestination this is an impressively thought-provoking indie experiment.

Just as shallow and unoriginal as you'd expect, and with some fairly obvious technical issues. But it still offers hope for the future of Kinect.