Ace Attorney meets Sherlock Holmes turns out to be a great premise for a new game, with a subtle change in formula that works as both absurdist comedy and historical drama.

An excellent extension to an already large and polished game, with welcome new gameplay additions and a whole new island to explore.

As a prime slice of pure gaming cheese we only hope a new sequel is imminent.

The exceptionally witty writing that regularly knocks on the fourth wall is a bonus that’s somehow brought to life by feeling as though you’re actually there on Pandora with its cast of mock-savage weirdos. If you’re a PlayStation VR owner and enjoy first person shooters you may be seeing less of your family than planned this Christmas.

A wonderfully rich celebration of one of gaming’s more forgotten shooter franchises, although it’s unfortunate its pleasures come at such a high price.

As well as selecting extremely funny idioms from around the world, the way words have been dismantled and rearranged is in itself artistically brilliant, making this a relaxing and amusing joy to play through.

The story campaign is a bit of a chore, but the multiplayer is an exciting mix of RTS and MOBA – and may just be the next big thing in strategy gaming.

An impressively unique stealth adventure which mixes a gothic horror atmosphere with a touching tale of two siblings surviving against the odds.

More than just a retro compilation, this is a fascinating attempt to create an interactive history of Atari, that goes above and beyond in terms of trawling the archives and creating new remakes.

Whatever your preconceptions may be about a free-to-play gacha game made in China it’s nothing short of stunning, presenting you with a sprawling Zelda-esque open world to explore, the green grass and blue skies looking beautiful thanks to console-grade production values. Even the monetisation isn’t too in-your-face, although it does eventually start to get a bit grindy in the late game. Genshin Impact is easily the most accomplished and alluring Zelda-alike available for mobiles, easily outstripping paid-for rival Oceanhorn and its sequel.

Part room escape, part point ‘n’ click adventure, its subject matter, subtle puzzles, and graphic novel style line-drawn artwork make it a treat from start to finish.

A surprisingly good set of remasters, that present the original PS1 trilogy in the best light possible and with some very welcome options for modern controls and graphics.

One of the grandfathers of tactical role-playing returns with an ambitious new remaster, that includes a surprising number of improvements and only a few missteps.

The best Dark Souls clone so far features a number of interesting new ideas and also offers an experience that is easier to acclimatise to for new players.

Hotline Miami remains one of the best indie games of the last decade but its deeply disappointingly sequel drags down this otherwise welcome compilation.

There are regular moments in dungeons when the 3D viewpoint gets in the way, and you’ll need to grind a fair bit, but these are relatively minor niggles when set against compelling battles, great art style, and an inspiringly large world to explore. It even has a New Game+ for those who just can’t let go.

A great simulation game that recalls the glory days of Theme Hospital et al. Although at times it almost feels like a psychology study of the player rather than the inmates.

Gentle and never particularly taxing, the game’s straightforward puzzles complement its charming art style and quietly melancholic story, in this unusual and attractively drawn game.

There is innovation here and even if it’s not always in exactly the areas you’d wish it’s enough to ensure that Call Of Duty’s status as the world’s favourite FPS is still largely deserved.

A surprisingly successful mash-up between two completely different franchises, whose quiet charms offer a welcome alternative to incessant action and overbearing storytelling.

It might not honour the series’ creator, but Metal Gear itself is paid due homage, in one of the best, and most complete, retro compilations there’s ever been.

One of the best remakes ever, but also a puzzle platformer that defies its age to offer an enjoyable challenge to gamers both young and old.

If you’ve played it before, it’s a relatively brief experience that most certainly bears repeating. For those who haven’t, the first time is a joy we’d recommend to just about anyone.

Gaming's politest protagonist returns with another generously stocked portable puzzle compendium.

It works perfectly on a touchscreen, the experience of gently manoeuvring light through each level proving engaging and oddly relaxing.

The best new feature has to wait till September but this is still a useful improvement on last year.

Bullet hell at its finest, with some genuine innovation for a 2D shooter and some great visuals.

Arc System Works aren’t exactly pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, but this is another polished and highly enjoyable 2D fighter that is not nearly as insular as you’d think.

A welcome return for a significant but sadly overlooked part of Capcom’s fighting game heritage, and one of the best HD updates of a 2D game ever seen.

It’s brilliant while it lasts, but feels like approximately 70% of an excellent game, and one that seems to run out of steam before reaching its full potential.

If you’re not too bothered about seeking constant action, but prefer your games to possess a discernible intelligence, overlying a message which is delivered in a subtle yet insistent manner, then you’ll love Road 96. The illusion of generating your own road movie works perfectly, and whether you view it as simple escapism or something deeper it manages to entertain either way.

An imaginative spin on retro 2D shooters, whose unconventional gameplay and visuals are a prime example of what makes indie gaming so exciting – despite some notable rough edges.

With no in-app purchases, what might have been a gacha system is replaced with crafting, letting you use resources to build new beasts, that unleash damage on your behalf. It’s just as polished as you’d expect from such a venerable franchise, and stripped of its monetisation is at least as compelling.

As bizarre a mix of genres, art style, and subject matter as you could ever hope to see. But it all works together surprisingly well and this remaster is well deserved.

A series of darkly comic spy-themed VR escape rooms that revel in their ability to kill you in inventive and unexpected ways.

Not quite as good as the previous two maps, with the more serious atmosphere lessening the fun, but still a more than welcome addition to the episodic series.

Ultimately this is a very different game to the offline versions but on its own terms almost as entertaining.

A wonderfully strange and imaginative indie adventure that delights in terms of its visuals, storytelling, and enjoyably unpredictable gameplay.

A charming, polished, and warmly humorous detective game whose cute 3D dioramas and delightful graphical touches are a pleasure to interact with.

It works really well on a touchscreen, letting you dip in for a bit of mayoral action wherever you happen to be. It may only take a few days to occupy most of the available space in your starter city, but the map itself is vast, letting you experiment with different conurbations across its varied terrain.

Beautifully drawn and with a haunting soundtrack, the cyclical nature of the game and its oblique plot exposition make this a playful and constantly delightful experience.

Royale’s latest update has now had a month to bed-in, and it’s a welcome change. The two-tier battle pass has been slimmed down to one – the free version now considerably more generous – and the shards needed to buy evolutions are easier to come by. A fix for the game’s creaking clan wars system is presumably in the works, but this already feels like a big step in the right direction.

Business as usual with a mediocre single-player campaign and one of the best multiplayer experiences in all gaming – especially on the inarguably superior PC version.

A welcome change of style for the puzzle series, and although its influences are obvious this offers impressive value and variety for an eShop download.

It’s unexpectedly great, with a warm sense of humour, elegantly designed mini-challenges, and new photographic equipment to unlock. Its engaging, time pressure free interactions work brilliantly on a touchscreen.

It’s fascinatingly complex, and even though its music is a bit hectic and its interface a little unrefined, it’s a dream for enthusiasts of cautious trial and error, which can deliver staggering and unexpected breakthroughs.

As you might imagine, we’re still quite some way away from completing The Longing, but the experience so far has been deeply unusual, and sublime in every way. It’s a game experience unlike any other – although one that certainly won’t appeal to everyone – and the mobile version is every bit as unexpected and occasionally joyous as the PC-based original.

The best Japanese role-player of the generation and arguably the best open world environment of the year, despite a disappointing story and some arcane systems.

The Japanese role-player grows up, with a fantastic mix of traditional gameplay and daring plot.

A fabulously imaginative and unique take on the budding detective genre, that mixes clever investigation work with an unpredictable but gripping story.

An excellent remaster of three of the PlayStation 3’s best looking games, but none of them have aged quite as gracefully as you might expect.

Downloadable content done right, with excellent value for money and a high standard of new tracks that seem even more consistent than the main game.

Imaginative use of VR to make one of the best new music games of the generation, and which also manages to be the best Star Wars game never made.

A significant improvement on previous entries, with better stealth and AI making the sport of Nazi-hunting more enjoyable than ever.

An excellent conversion of the home console original, that actually seems more at home on the PS Vita than it did its original formats.

A fantastic scrolling beat ‘em-ups that shows exactly how the genre can be evolved and modernised, while also indulging in some gloriously retro presentation and throwbacks.

The worldless storytelling is some of the most compelling of the year and the purposefully frustrating control system an outrageously daring experiment.

A far better game than many would’ve imagined, not just in terms of its action and Lord of the Rings authenticity – but in bringing a genuinely new idea to gaming.

There are no instructions and the English translation is a bit homespun, but the game is rock solid, its real-time gameplay loop proving hugely compelling.

There’s such a huge range of combinations of brawlers, perks, attacks, status effects, and buffs that you’ll keep discovering new approaches to even after many hours of play. A genuinely deep and complex mobile strategy game, with pleasing handcrafted visuals.

The PC flight sim makes a near-perfect landing on consoles, with some of WWII's most exciting combat.

But despite all that it gets right we do wish that Guild Wars 2 had been bolder with the art style and the setting of its game world. Or that it had pushed its combat system even further and created something genuinely unique. Although the fact that it has no subscription fee is an unqualified positive that needs to be adopted as standard before free-to-play ruins everything.

It wasn't a very good game eight years ago and slightly improved graphics certainly don't improve its standing now, but if nothing else this proves the world needs a Doom 4.

One of the best story-based games of 2011 and proof that big budgets and famous voiceovers are no match for clever design and a good script.

The only other possible complaint is the complete lack of any multiplayer, but as distracting a diversion as these options are in the home console games gunfights and online multiplayer are both way down the list of reasons of why we play an Uncharted game. Especially as Golden Abyss' story campaign lasts well over 10 hours.

An unexpectedly involved space combat simulator that manages to replicate the thrills of the 90s X-Wing and TIE Fighter games with surprising clarity – and an excellent VR mode.

By perfecting the Dungeon Keeper formula, the best James Bond game since GoldenEye proves that playing the bad guy really can be more fun.

It’s played in real-time, a countdown appearing on each move you make, with new cards to collect when it’s finished. It also has a branching narrative with the powerful and evocative prose you’d expect from the founder of Failbetter Games. If you like being flung headlong into deep and esoteric mysteries there are few games that do a better job of it, or reward you as much when you figure them out.

The technical achievements don't come without a cost, and the game world still lacks personality, but this is still a first person shooter of impressive talents.

Despite a disappointing story campaign this is a notably improved sequel, whose endless loops of addiction feel far more honest and rewarding than the first game.

A fantastic open world role-player, with a mountain of content and interesting diversions – although the unengaging storytelling remains its main weakness.

A solid sequel to the crowd-pleasing original, which still doesn’t make enough of its unique setting but manages to add an impressive amount of depth to its combat and side content.

One of the best story driven games of the year, and one of the prettiest, although you do sometimes wonder if it’s focusing on the most interesting aspect of its plot.

Overall Black Ops II is the most ambitious and innovative Call Of Duty for years, but it's also the most inconsistent. But that may well be the short term price for trying to do things differently.

In many ways Absolution is as effective a franchise reboot as we've ever seen, retaining almost everything that was good about the originals and while making the game more accessible for new players. It also has most of the same problems, or at least swaps them out for new ones, but maybe that at least will convince sceptics that IO hasn't sold out.

Two indie Wario Land homages in as many years is a strange but very welcome coincidence, as this is almost as good as Pizza Tower – while still being very much its own game.

Sadly, with only 41 puzzles – more are coming soon – it’s over too quickly, but while it lasts this is a highly amusing and completely free slice of mobile gaming goodness.

A beautifully crafted survival horror game that knowingly harkens back to the original Resident Evil, while adding in some sympathetically designed modern touches.

The best PixelJunk game yet and an inspired mix of Thrust style exploration and elemental puzzles.

An elegantly designed mix of puzzles and platforming that may well be the best Lost Vikings clone yet.

A clever demonstration of all the Wii U's features and, more importantly, a mini-game collection that can keep any gamer – from casual to hardcore – equally entertained.

A gothic masterpiece of weird fiction and roguelike exploration, that gives you the freedom to do whatever you want in one of gaming’s weirdest fictional worlds.

One of the best driving sims of the new generation, and although it still lacks content in some areas the console versions are just as good as the PC.

At the end of each 10-level world your view pans back to reveal the monochromatic artwork you were exploring in a beautiful final flourish, leaving you to admire the developer’s handiwork and your own dexterity. It’s a masterpiece of minimalist puzzle design.

PC gamers needn’t worry they missed the first game, as the superior sequel’s endless loops of addiction feel far more honest and rewarding than the flawed original.

A bad Zelda is still a good game by any other standard but this does frustrating little to improve its standing, beyond making the graphics look even more stunning.

Another inspired mix of Metroidvania and traditional puzzler, and certainly one of the best games on the 3DS's eShop.

A great cinematic action adventure, with one of gaming’s great lead performances, although its Tomb Raider DNA seems fragmented and even degenerative in parts.

An improvement on the original but only in the details, not as a result of any big new ideas. Genre-starved survival horror fans should be well satisfied though.

A much better map than the last two and amongst the best of the season, while still leaving you wanting even more from Hitman’s episodic exploits.

An impressively assured attempt to prove that video games can tackle serious subject matter with respect and a level of insight that only interactivity can provide.

The epitome of short but sweet, that is both a clever tribute to Drill Dozer and Ecco The Dolphin and a welcome alternative to bloated and overlong modern epics.

It's better value than the Virtual Console, but it's still a lazy effort.

A cheerier, more versatile alternative to Trials HD, whose Special Edition manages to make trial-and-error and constant repetition even more fun.

Frustrating and confusing almost by design, Antichamber is nevertheless one of the most intelligent and imaginative puzzle games for years.

A vast improvement on the flawed original, with much more variety and a much greater sense of fun.

Old school adventure sensibilities and an expertly-designed puzzle box world combine in this charming and engaging indie gem.

A triumphant back-to-basics return to WWII, for the original vehicle-based multiplayer shooter.