A clever mix of puzzle, stealth, and action that manages to avoid most frustrations thanks to a constant stream of new ideas and a knowing sense of humour.

It feels more like a restatement of the original game than a full-blown sequel, but while its effect on the Wii U’s fortunes may be limited the fact remains there’s nothing quite like Pikmin.

Gaming’s ultimate eSport gets a well-considered makeover by the masters at Valve, although new ideas, and fixes for old problems, are currently thin on the ground.

An enjoyably old school arcade adventure that also manages to feel thoroughly modern, with a great mix of action, puzzle-solving, and almost survival horror style exploration.

An inspired mix of roguelike and platformer that dares to be fair with its rewards and its penalties for death – although not necessary its random medical conditions.

All the ingredients are there from Human Revolution, but the final dish is disappointingly tasteless – even if its main problems are the opposite of what you’d expect.

A step down from the masterful Bowser’s Inside Story, but still a wonderfully imaginative and dryly funny mix of platformer and traditional RPG.

An impressively ambitious expansion that greatly improves on some of the original’s failings, offering new ways to play while still remaining accessible and fun.

A mediocre remake of a game that really doesn’t deserve to be remembered, although it’s still fascinating to see what passed for adult entertainment back in the ‘80s.

Genuinely one of the worst video games ever made, where the dry-humping sex scenes are no less confused and impotent as the rest of the gameplay.

The whole concept runs contrary to many of the series’ strengths, but it’s still hard not to be engaged by what remains some of the best storytelling in gaming.

Not a particularly good game in its own right, but an enjoyably outrageous mash-up between three of Japanese gaming’s most prolific publishers.

Not one of Call Of Duty’s better map packs, but there are still some highlights and plenty to keep fans playing for just a few more months.

The pinnacle of arcade scrolling beat ‘em-ups and still amongst the best the genre can offer today, despite some change-chomping difficulty spikes.

When it hits its targets the game can be genuinely funny, but its aim is too haphazard and the gameplay nowhere near good enough to pick up the slack.

A horribly disappointing mini-game collection that has none of the qualities of the real WarioWare titles and won’t entertain even the most game-starved Wii U owner for more than an hour or so.

The best really has been saved for last – assuming you find Tiny Tina funny – but even if you don’t this fantasy-themed romp is a great way to say goodbye to Borderlands 2.

A strange set of priorities and a peculiarly high price make Nintendo’s big DLC experiment a hard sell for all but the most committed platform fans.

A disappointing sequel in many ways but as a refinement of one of the best real-time strategies of all-time this is still an enjoyably cinematic experience.

An excellent portable version of one of the best strategy games of all-time, and one that could have a profound effect on mobile gaming.

A streamlined port with intelligent controls, this massively multipleyer online strategy overcomes visual disability and tutorial woes to offer horizons of exciting possibility.

In theory this is one of the best zombie games ever made, but in practise it’s riddled with technical flaws that fail to put the necessary meat on its undead skeleton.

A stunning achievement in both storytelling and third person adventure, with unforgettable characters and tense, brilliantly paced action.

It still feels more like a remix than a wholly new game, but New Leaf combines stress free entertainment and inescapable addiction in a more beguiling way than ever.

Plenty of smart ideas and some very attractive presentation, but none of the core gameplay elements work as well as they should and the game ends up sadly forgettable.

An inexplicably bland shooter from the usually reliable Insomniac that has no personality and no sense of purpose beyond a few hours of empty co-op action.

A great mix of action, strategy, and endearing silliness – and also a great reminder that there are some games only download services like Xbox Live Arcade can provide.

A very poor first person shooter buoyed up by the promise of things to come, and an impressively ambitious attempt at a cross-format connected universe.