Exactly the sort of fun, colourful, and purposefully silly multiplayer game the world needs right now, even if it’s not exactly the most polished video game of the year.

As inessential as most story DLC tends to be, but despite a few unwanted encores this is still an entertaining, if unnecessary, story expansion.

Hardly a game that was in desperate need of a makeover, but the original is still a solid action adventure and Kratos’ story is given at least an element of closure.

The original RPG puzzler still has its issues, but this remains a worryingly addictive timewaster.

It can be a little inconsistent in terms of both actions and puzzles but late entry or not this is one of the funniest and best-presented adventures of the year.

A welcome comeback for Nintendo’s most minimalist mascot, that justifies itself with an extremely entertaining co-op mode.

One of the best uses of the Wii U GamePad so far and one of the most atmospheric games of the year, even if it does run out of new tricks before the end.

An excellent remake of a game that represents one of the logical extremes of Japanese role-players, and yet remains surprisingly endearing despite its flaws.

A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console.

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

Highly impressive on a technical level but the throwbacks to PS2 era game design feel less like a homage and more an indication of the developers’ lack of experience and imagination.

Gloriously insane and surprisingly good value, it doesn't pretend to be the deepest fighter around but in the short term at least this is one of the most entertaining.

By the end of the 30+ hour campaign you begin to realise that the worst thing about Gears Tactics is that it’s a Gears Of War game. The gameplay and controls work very well but the repetition and lack of strategic control becomes more of a problem the longer the game goes on. As an introduction to the genre it works very well, and we hope it’ll get more people interested in turn-based action, but we doubt it’ll do the same for Gears Of War itself.

Another engrossing example of traditional Japanese role-playing, that’s still accessible enough for anyone to enjoy – as long as they’ve played the first one.

Fire Emblem should be the perfect partner for Dynasty Warriors style action, but this incompetently made crossover squanders its potential on trite fan service and hollow gameplay.

It feels more like an expansion than a sequel, and misses some easy opportunities to improve on the original, but this is still the best family-friendly shooter outside of Splatoon.

The least funny Disgaea yet, but arguably the best in terms of the actual gameplay – even if there is a lack of genuinely new ideas.

For devout fans, the writing in collectable log entries might be more appealing than the main branching narrative. Some connect back to familiar characters like Anderson Dawes, while one particular voice note suggests cameo appearances from the TV series might be weaved in throughout future episodes. It’s fan service but it makes sense in the context of Drummer’s journey at this stage, heightening the atmosphere rather than pandering to replicate it.

One of the best VR games so far, with a very clever gimmick for getting first person shooters to work with current technology.

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.

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

A more traditional Fire Emblem experience than Three Houses, but one that’s filled with fun new features and emphasises deep and varied gameplay over dating mini-games.

A highly enjoyable GTA clone but one that doesn’t quite have the panache of Rockstar’s best or the inspiration to make the most of its otherwise enjoyable gameplay concepts.

A peculiarly pitched spin-off that has almost nothing to interest Bayonetta fans and instead offers an Ōkami Lite experience that is so undemanding it almost seems to run on autopilot.

A stylish replication of survival horror’s roots, which manages to capture and refresh the unsettling horrors of the genre’s 90s origins.

Not to mix comic book metaphors but Lego Marvel’s kryptonite is technical rather than conceptual, but this is still an enormously entertaining co-op adventure.

One of the best sci-fi strategy games ever made, with an impressive amount of storytelling variety and accessible controls.

One of the most pointless sequels ever put to cartridge, and although the core Pokémon gameplay still shines through this is easily the worst version so far.