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

Surviving zombies is fairly easy but the real enemy here is tedium and a shopping list of design mistakes that makes this one of the worst zombie games of the year.

A usefully improved version of what was already one of the most successfully ambitious action games of the last several years, with the second screen functions proving an unexpected bonus.

The jokes and plot twists are more bizarre than ever, but even they don’t always hit their mark – and without them this is an even less interesting gameplay experience than its parent game.

The best Ace Attorney so far, with a wonderfully entertaining series of mysteries that showcase the series’ oddball characters to their very best – and make some subtle but welcome improvements to the gameplay.

It’s still not a patch on the better Mario Party games but its still one of the few video games where literally everyone can join in and have some sort of fun – from non-gamers to the ultra hardcore.

The text adventure is reborn as one of the smartest and most engrossing interactive stories of the year, and with one of the best touchscreen interfaces ever seen.

There might not be any slow motion door breaches but this is the smartest and funniest first person game since Portal, with an interactive script that is as a profound as it is constantly amusing.

It’s depressing that the one modern game that shows the most effort is also the least satisfying to play, but if Sonic is ever to work in three-dimensions Lost World gives no clue as to how it might work.

The fact may dismay parents but this is an excellent sequel that goes to considerable effort to inject new ideas and fix earlier problems – making it one of the best kids games available today.

It’s a harder sell than The Walking Dead but this first episode is a promising start, that avoids fretting over details and instead creating characters you will genuinely care about.

A hugely disappointing remake that misunderstands everything that made the original great and turns a state-of-the-art blockbuster into a low rent timewaster.

The visuals are incredible, but for a game obsessed with storytelling at all costs the dopey plot and underwritten characters in no way make up for the lack of gameplay.

A Heavy Metal comic strip come to life, this is a worthy successor to Golden Axe and a great co-op game – but it stops short of fully revitalising the genre.

New Pokémon games often introduce minor features like this but they often feel like slim justification for a new game, and are abandoned the instant a new sequel comes out. Most of X and Y’s new ideas are more substantial, or at least more fun, and help to cement this as the definitive Pokémon game of the modern age.

The best new Pokémon for a decade and a game of exquisite depth and longevity, with visuals and online options that finally do the series justice.

Impressively unique in terms of both visuals and gameplay but all the most interesting ideas seem to wash away disappointingly quickly.

The best Formula 1 racer by default, although beyond the new retro additions very little has changed in this year’s game.

For a game obsessed with OTT violence and knob gags this is a surprisingly charming and likeable shooter, if an unavoidably shallow and repetitive one.

Despite playing the nostalgia card it’s newer players that will get the most from this streamlined sequel, although even they will be disappointed by the workmanlike script.

Still one of the best survival horror games of the generation and one whose thick atmosphere and surreal sojourns work surprisingly well on the PS Vita.

There are some compelling ideas at work here and probably the closest you’ll ever get to Chromehounds 2 – but only for those already intimately familiar with Armored Core V.

An unfortunate turn to the microtransaction Dark Side causes some unnecessary problems with balancing but gaming’s odd couple remains a surprisingly successful pairing.

It lacks commitment in some areas but there are enough new features and promising new ideas to keep fans busy for another 12 months, even if this is clearly a transitionary sequel.

It has sadly little to do with the original Xbox game but this is still a competent little stealth adventure, even if the Riddick connection is of arguable benefit to it.

The most realistic and versatile soldier sim ever made, but also the most bug-ridden and inscrutable – with an initial release that is missing a lot of promised features.

Ironically the beginning is by far the worst part, but once you’ve got some headway this is the best Harvest Moon for several years and a fun alternative to Animal Crossing.

A rather disappointing end to such a ground-breaking trilogy, where all the bold new ideas seem very much at odds with the core gameplay.