No doubt a dream come true for fans, but with so little innovation in the core gameplay the boast of being an interactive cartoon seems more like a liability than a positive.

A successful start to the first episodic Resident Evil, with some genuinely inventive co-op features and the most effective scares the series has seen in years.

An excellent expansion to what remains the PlayStation 4’s best exclusive, and one of the most enjoyable retro shooters of the decade.

As match-three puzzlers go this is well above average, but the cynical microtransactions make it a horrible slog to actually play.

Beneath the technical wonder this is just a dull, aimless Gears Of War clone – where the attempts at storytelling are just as boring and lifeless as the action.

Not much more than an HD update of the last gen version, but still one of the best arcade shooters around and a loving homage to the original Asteroids.

A technical showcase for the 3DS but artistically speaking this gets almost everything wrong, from the banal action to the laughable storytelling.

Only a minor evolution of Rome II, and with many of the same bugbears, but the stunning visuals and deep strategy bring a fascinating period of history fully to life.

A great idea in theory, but in practise the novelty wears out extremely quickly, with a serious lack of variety in game modes, maps, and tactics.

Some of the best 2D sprite work ever seen in a video game, and all used to support an impressively varied and imaginative Metroidvania.

The action may not be up to quite the same standards as the writing, but the bizarre world of the Underzee is more interesting to explore than almost any other recent game world.

More accessible and more immediate than ever before, whether it’s a hit or not Monster Hunter 4 is definitely the best of the series so far.

A wonderful throwback to ’80s style British gaming, that has much to teach modern titles in terms of player freedom and open world design.

If indie gaming is just a state of mind then Ubisoft is getting increasingly good at encouraging it in their developers, especially in this novel plant-based platformer.

Another uninspiring episode of nothing but filler and hopes for the future, although that’s as much a criticism of episodic content as it is the game itself.

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

One of the best Metroidvania games around, with some inspired visuals and great use of its Ancient Greek setting – despite some minor issues with the gameplay mechanics.

Always a jewel in the Zelda crown, and this remake successfully smooths out some of its rough edges – without losing the edgy appeal of Link’s most unique adventure.

A small improvement on Dead Island, but there’s still barely anything that either works as well as advertised or is isn’t just stolen wholesale from other, better, games.

A wonderfully assured first episode, in what has the potential to outdo both Telltale Games and Quantic Dream in terms of successful video game storytelling.

It offers no surprises or innovation, least of all in the new Exo Zombies mode, but most of the new maps are great and this first download is surprisingly good value.

More a reissue than an actual remaster, but the game itself is still as wonderfully unique and entertaining as ever – with some of the most memorable characters in all gaming.

One of the best real-time strategies for some time, although it’s a shame that despite a few new ideas it’s not really interested in pushing the genre forward.

A moderately interesting idea in theory, but the flawed execution makes this horrendously overpriced piece of DLC a waste of both time and money.

Despite the outrageous plot and bizarre weapons this is a disappointingly mundane expansion beneath all the silliness, and one that addresses none of the parent game’s failings.

It looks like EarthBound, and to a degree it plays like EarthBound, but this has none of the charm or character of the SNES classic – and considerably worse combat.

While its fun to see how absurd those distractions get that only makes it harder and harder to pretend you’re playing a real game, with consequences and genuine danger. Despite all that we’re curious to see what Violation will do for their first next gen-only sequel, but for now this second expansion is probably best left to burn.

The remake is no longer the technical marvel it once was, but Capcom has done their best to reissue it in a way that maintains all the splendour, scares, and laughs of the original.