A highly imaginative puzzle game made all the more entertaining by its argument-inducing co-op options.

Some of the most difficult decision-making in gaming, both tactically and morally, but occasional rough edges betray the game’s small budget and short development time.

Still one of the best action games ever made, but while this is a competent port/remaster the absurdly high price makes it an expensive novelty.

Everything but the gameplay is great - but as fun as creating your own stories may be, it's not enough.

There's still plenty of the old Assassin's Creed magic in parts, but this proves an unnecessary sequel and one with few genuinely welcome new ideas.

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.

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.

A survival game that isn’t out just to punish its players, but to entertain; with an impressive mix of exploration, crafting, and survival horror.

A surprisingly strong effort at turning around the disappointment of last year’s game, with the best Star Wars action this side of Battlefront.

The new PS3 version of the Chopin-themed role-player still sounds more original than it plays.

One of the best Sonic The Hedgehog games never made, although the level design and combat isn’t quite up to the standards of Sega’s best.

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.

A fantastic little action puzzlers that is one of the best surprises of the year, and a welcome escape from would-be epics and over-hyped blockbusters.

The original Yakuza has been remade into a sequel to its own prequel, but although it’s perfectly competent it feels outdated compared to the newer entries.

It’s great value for money, as a sort of mini-Far Cry 3, but those that have played the original are likely to find it a rather weak sauce substitute and those that haven’t may just wonder what all the fuss was about.

One of the best Shin Megami Tensei games returns, mixing standard Japanese role-playing with the series’ typically provocative story elements and Persona style gameplay.

The most realistic and engaging instalment of Football Manager yet, even if its improvements are extremely minor in themselves.

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

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.

Its mellow pace, peaceful sound effects, and steady built-in intensity are reminiscent of Nintendo’s formative Game & Watch titles, with Mini Motorways remaining mesmerising throughout.

A blockbuster action movie in VR form that shows the abilities of PlayStation VR and Sony’s studios better than ever before, even if the experience is ultimately rather shallow.

A competent remaster of one of Sonic’s better mainline outings comes bundled with an even better Shadow-centric adventure, that makes up for its short length with fantastic levels, tight controls, and fun new powers.

A full-on space opera looter shooter RPG, that is brimming with content and exciting combat set pieces, but which doesn’t quite know when to stop before it starts to feel repetitive.

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.

An excellent remake that makes the game vastly more accessible for newcomers, while still providing plenty of new features, and updated visuals, for existing fans.

A fun but shallow mini-game collection, whose hobbled simulations still make good use of the MotionPlus.

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.

Repetition and overfamiliarity are always the best ways to nullify fear, but until they set in this is one of the most effectively scary video games ever made.