In many ways more entertaining than the main game, this enjoyable romp through Albion shows Fable III at its best, but gives little clue as to its future.

The best Transformers game so far but, more importantly, a hugely entertaining and original action game that is one of the most uniquely entertaining releases of the year.

Even with its positive changes Lego City Undercover doesn’t feel quite as special as it did four years ago, when it seemed to hint at a new direction for the Lego series in general. In that time the franchise’s release schedule has slowed noticeably, to the point where there are currently no new games announced and rumours suggest that Lego Dimensions might be coming to an end. What happens beyond that is a mystery, but while the foundations of Lego City Undercover are worth building on the rest of it needs tearing down if there’s ever to be real progress.

Its similarities to Portal will be obvious to everyone and in terms of puzzles this is very much its equal, but in terms of script and characters… not so much.

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

A serious attempt to get the whole of Skyrim working in VR, but the compromises in terms of graphics and controls are considerable.

Viewing this simply as a re-release it's still a hugely enjoyable game, overshadowed only by its own sequel - with its longer, more complex missions, no time limit and multiplayer modes. Since it's getting the New Play Control treatment too it makes this a little harder to recommend... but not much.

The aging formula may be getting by purely on charm at this point, but this is still the best Harry Potter game ever made - Lego or not.

It would've been overlooked as a retail release, but as a download this unique puzzler is a real bargain.

Most British gamers will find it unbearably obtuse and slow-winded but there's a depth of content and gameplay here that will still find its fans.

An awkward mishmash of the innovative and the overly familiar, that in the end represents no clear step forward for the franchise.

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.

Warm and witty, this four or so hours of charming adventure will leave you very much looking forward to the next episode. It’s not what you’d expect as a follow-up from Threes creator Asher Vollmer (and others) but it’s good all the same.

An attempt to simplify and streamline XCOM sounds like a disaster in the making but the original’s tense turn-based combat is still highly entertaining even in this reduced form.

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.

A hugely ambitious space strategy that rivals even Civilization in terms of presentation and addiction - despite a few rogue elements.

Another charmingly scripted adventure with bright cheery graphics, a loveable cast and… tedious combat and frustrating exploration.

An improvement on the last episode and although some of the storytelling tricks are a bit of a cheat they’re all in the service of an increasingly intriguing plot.

A charmingly short and sweet Metroidvania style adventure, featuring an ordinary cat doing ordinary cat things, in a game that’s perfect for casual gamers and for enjoying between larger epics.

One of the best graphic adventures of recent years, with an interestingly complex main character and some enjoyable puzzles.

Possibly the best looking game of all time, mixed with not quite there combat but a great multiplayer.

An impressive blend of old school cyberpunk and modern survival horror, that’s almost ruined by one of the worst acting performances of the year.

Despite many rough edges and a fumbled narrative few shooters feel as tense and unpredictable as this.

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

An inspired mix of graphic adventure and Majora’s Mask style time travel, that offers some of the year’s most inspired puzzle-solving.

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

The mixture of old school, new school, and Metroidvania works surprisingly well – even if Strider’s long-awaited reboot still feels slightly too safe.

After the career high of Silent Hill 2, Bloober Team return to their usual routine, with a Frankenstein’s monster of other people’s ideas – all of which are expressed better elsewhere.