It’s still far from perfect but the improvements here are enough to help fans forget GRID 2, and hope that GRID 3 will be the game they really want.

Probably the best Final Fantasy game on mobile and a good example of how to play fair with both nostalgia and free-to-play microtransactions.

Wonderfully surreal and revelling in its Germanic roots, Lichtspeer starts with the god of light replacing your puny human fists with a light spear to hurl at the faces of a relentless onslaught of winged horses, penguins, giants, zombies and, in the case of the first boss, an insane biker Viking. You’ll earn plenty of LSD, which apparently stands for Licht Standard Denomination, to spend in the shop in order to expand your ‘uber fantastisch Lichtpowers’. Despite never taking itself seriously, the action quickly gets hectic, your accuracy with the lichtspeer and its various upgrades is strenuously tested, revealing some limitations in the touchscreen controls.

It’s tense and interesting and while it lacks the polish of some board game conversions – Ticket To Ride or Antihero for example – and is a bit too easy in solo mode, it plays a fine card game.

A fantastically original racer that goes out of its way to offer unique play modes without alienating anyone that just wants a fun arcade experience.

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

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.

A mostly successful update of the scrolling beat ‘em-up concept, with excellent combat and an impressive range of moves, weapons, and enjoyably dangerous enemies.

One of the best Aliens games ever made and a clever and innovative real-time strategy all of its own, that needs just a bit more polish and a lot less bugs.

A sprawling, story-based epic whose ponderous cinematic cut scenes give way to swathes of arcade style mech action, that is amongst the most fun you can have in a giant robot.

A trip down wrestling's memory lane that ends up being a lot more fun than any of the more serious sims of recent years.

No launch game benefits more from the 3DS's stereoscopic 3D than this almost illicitly addictive return to Ridge City.

It might not be a game, but this is as entertaining a slice of edutainment as you'll ever find. Even if it's not quite the bargain it first appears.

There is such a thing as being too hard and the original version of Below proved that, but there’s also such a thing as second chances and Explore mode has managed to turn Below into a game everyone can enjoy, and without compromising its original vision.

The core gameplay is as excitingly well-crafted as usual but some strange design decisions, and odd omissions, make this an underwhelming sequel.

As loving a recreation of the Mega Drive original as fans could ever hope for, but without any major evolution of the concept it has far less to offer anyone else.

One of the best WarioWare games ever, as long as you’re playing with other people, with some of the most interesting use of motion controls since the Wii era.

£35 for half a Kombat Pack and a three-hour epilogue is terrible value for money, especially as only two of the new characters are any good.

At its best it’s like being in control of a pixellated Final Destination, the deaths coming thick and fast with amusingly inventive variety. At its worst it’s a fiddly load of trial and error, where you can still be tripped up by pesky police angels even once you’ve figured out what to do.

Rarely has such a big budget game been based on such a thin gameplay premise, with this bafflingly dull first person action adventure that begins to run out of steam by the end of the tutorial level.

Contra gets a gorgeous new coat of paint, and even an innovative new game mode, but it's still the same old 2D shooter underneath.

Another good value expansion pass from Nintendo, that doesn’t quite make up for the flaws of the parent game but does manage to emphasise its most positive qualities.

It's no classic, but this is still better value, and in some cases better quality, than shop-bought games.

Microtransactions all but ruin this unusual real-time strategy and its flawed collectible card game.

Clever and consistently inventive platformer, with a disarmingly powerful storyline… plus some of the strangest visuals this side of Katamari Damacy.

Rather than the future of survival horror this is merely a retread of its defining moments, and even then it rarely manages to equal what has gone before – let alone exceed it.

The co-op mode saves it from complete failure but this is a disappointingly timid update of the original, that squanders its potential in both gameplay and storytelling.

There's nothing even slightly revolutionary here, but five decent new maps – including one for Zombies – is perfectly welcome anyway.