A staggering technical achievement that is matched only by the depth and ambition of its gameplay – this is not only the best-looking GTA ever but by far the most fun to play.

Surreally awful on almost every level, the strangest thing about Farming Simulator is how little effort it makes at… simulating farming.

It was arguably never very good even back in the day, but playing it now The Chaos Engine’s basic action is hopelessly outclassed by any number of retro and contemporary titles.

There’s effort and ambition here but nothing can overcome the limitations of a touchscreen or the doomed efforts to replicate the first person console experience.

Atmospheric storytelling of the highest order, but the game itself is often a chore to play and abandons too much of what made the original so successful.

Repetition and overfamiliarity are always the best ways to nullify fear, but until they set in this is one of the most effectively scary video games ever made.

Possibly the best looking game of all time, mixed with not quite there combat but a great multiplayer.

An incredible work of imagination and one of the best-looking games of the generation. The gameplay can’t quite match the magic of the presentation, but it’s not far behind.

A wonderfully unfashionable mixture of old school aesthetics that doesn’t so much demand your time as steal it away without your permission.

The real test for Mercenary is whether the game would stand out if it was released on a home console, but the answer to that is probably not. The nods to GoldenEye offer some deviance from the norm but overall Mercenary does too little to distinguish itself from the competition. That there is no competition on the PS Vita gives it something of a free pass, but it still seems more like a proof of concept than a standalone game.

Another retro platformer that doesn’t deserve such lavish new presentation, where everything has been improved apart from the gameplay.

As good as Diablo is ever likely to be when playing with a joypad, but even the new local co-op options are subject to necessary but debilitating compromises.

It’s still the same old imperfections holding it back, but that doesn’t stop Rome II being the best Total War so far – and one of the most accomplished strategy games of recent years.

Shallow, sexist, and largely nonsensical. The action is amongst Suda51’s best but it’s not leveraged in any way that justifies the failings of the rest of the game.

Unwanted and unnecessary, but despite the bland third person shooting there’s an unexpectedly light touch to the script that hints at other lost opportunities.

The best non-Mario platformer ever made and a stunning work of imagination, where the visuals, music, and gameplay all resonate in perfect harmony.

Unsophisticated and sloppily made but there’s a heart of gold beneath the game’s erratic exterior, as it successfully skewers some of gaming’s more pompous franchises.

A terminally flawed experience but there are enough good ideas to hint at an action spin-off that could have been every bit as good as the real XCOM games.

Corporate greed and some avoidable flaws prevent it from reaching infinity and beyond, but this is still a game that can delight and inspire in equal measure.

Insurmountable problems with the controls stop this from being another Platinum classic but it’s still a fun game, overflowing with charm and wonderfully silly action.

Not just a terrible video game but one conceived purely out of greed and a contempt for its audience – not to mention the hapless parents guilted into furnishing Nintendo’s coffers.

Viewed on its own merits it’s a highly entertaining and feature-packed video game, and that’s all that really matters.

A solid slice of DLC with an interesting story to tell and some notable new gameplay extras, although the fate of the protagonist is unfortunately fudged.

Despite its many and obvious influences this is an impressively unique vision that offers excellent value for money and one of the best surprises on the 3DS’s eShop.

A dream come true for fans of the original but there’s nothing here for anyone else, especially given the tiresome new story elements and obnoxious difficulty.

A far less significant improvement on the original than many will have hoped for, but still an enjoyable co-op shooter with a largely unique setting.

The concept may sound absurd but the experience of playing Papers, Please shines a light not on the game’s hapless victims but on the player’s own sense of decency.

In many ways the best game on the Wii U so far, at least in terms of using the GamePad for something other consoles would find very hard to replicate.