A missed opportunity to reinvent the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which offers only incremental improvement and too many old problems.

Konami forgets it's already made the ultimate Contra tribute - and it's not this bland rehash.

The game’s limitless options and boundless enthusiasm have never been so impressive, but it’s further away than ever from fulfilling its potential as an actual video game.

It's now the only game keeping vehicular combat alive, but even fans will be disappointed at the lack of change and ambition - in what is more a remake than a reboot.

An excellent remaster duology that’s an interesting reminder of early online console gaming and one of the most feature-packed Star Wars games ever made.

An ambitious but uneven action role-player, with impressive visuals and excellent boss battles, that are held back by an inherent shallowness – particularly in the lack of meaningful exploration.

Customise a very ordinary platformer into something a bit more personal in this clever DSiWare game.

The Phantasy Star Online legacy still goes unfulfilled, as the portable version treads water.

More restatement than rebirth, this Gradius greatest hits collection has little new to offer.

A colourful, loot-orientated action role-player let down by over-simplified systems and levelling up that often feels inconsequential.

A disappointing follow-up to Gone Home that tells a less interesting and less focused tale, while failing to advance the art of interactive storytelling.

An ambitious and unique approach to video game storytelling, but one that never quite escapes the limitations it purposefully imposes on itself.

It definitely looks the part, and the striking is excellent, but stodgy controls and a weak ground game makes this far from the ultimate MMA game.

It’s fun and polished as far, as it goes, but it feels as though more content might be due in future updates. It’s also seriously light on instruction, leaving the impression of having been rushed out to a tight deadline.

A disappointing sequel to The Dark Descent, but while the horror elements can seem mundane at times the storytelling and characterisation remain impressive.

Another disappointing instalment of the once great franchise. Inconsistent level of realism, poor presentation and too few positive innovations.

One of the Amiga's favourite sons returns but with little of its original personality intact.

Not a bad start to the second season but not a great one either, with a formless plot and unusually weak characterisation.

As fascinatingly unique as it always was but this former PlayStation 2 game is showing its age and while it’s still one of the best JRPGs of its era, it pales when compared to more modern titles.

It's the gameplay which is slave to the visuals and storytelling here, in this intriguing but shallow post-apocalyptic fable.

A staggeringly ambitious, gun-free immersive reality detective game set in an alternate 1980s Britain, whose admirable intentions are undermined by technical problems.

The basics of gameplay work tremendously well, but the game is bogged down by too many niggling faults and the sense that it’ll take until at least next year to fulfil its potential.

A few baby steps forwards for the granddaddy of farming sims, but not enough to deserve a new game or your time and money.

A competent Soulslike lifted by its alternate history premise and Parisian setting, but it’s not quite enough to compete with its obvious inspirations.

A remaster too far for a game that, through no fault of its own, is showing its age and is further encouraging the franchise’s reliance on nostalgia instead of innovation.

A fascinating retro shooter that proves a perfect match for the world of Warhammer 40,000 but whose almost complete lack of nuance and variety eventually wears you down.

Disappointingly mundane first person shooter from the creators of the genre, with only a few interesting ideas and far too many overfamiliar ones.

Despite improvements the debt to Portal cannot be fully repaid in this cleverly-constructed by staid first person puzzler.