Dynasty Warriors fits perfectly on the console and I personally feel that’s where it should stay.

It was alright. Casual handheld game, for sure, arcade-ish and replayable. It’s nothing gripping, not by a long drive (see what I did there?). On the huge plus side though, when you hit a perfectly spun ball with precision timing, the ball does take on a distinctly familiar blue Super Saiyan aura.

Granted, there is plenty of action, a LOT of shooting things and a stylish flair to the presentation of the game. But with the dodgy controls and often distracting visuals most people would be happy with a rental over a weekend for this one.

Yes, it's pretty rough around the edges and yes, it can be frustrating to interface with. What it is, however, is a very good story with an engaging combat engine, lots of content and a good bias towards action.

A pretty, short, next-generation God of War-alike with quirky gameplay.

Overall Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate should please fans of the series - it has plenty of variety in characters. As for anyone else looking to get into the series, this title suffers from the same repetition as the other musou games. You can have quite a bit of fun by making the characters spout unwholesome lines though.

I did not expect to enjoy Ghost Warrior 3 as much as I did. In terms of relatability, an American military sniper is up there for me with Bill Murray’s Garfield and Zac Efron in pretty much everything he’s ever done. The game is let down by weak graphics and a hackneyed story, but redeemed through solid, satisfying and diverse mission gameplay. Several times pulling off a perfectly executed stealth raid reminded me of the stealth challenges in the Batman: Arkham series, which is high praise. Putting aside my moral biases, I actually really enjoyed exploding some racists heads. Hoo-rah. Is it hoo-rah? Am I doing it right?

There is definitely room for improvements in the graphics department and any straight-from-PC gamers will still need plenty of time to adjust to the gamepad clunkiness.

Yoshi’s New Island places almost all of its eggs in the nostalgia basket. It's a bold decision, but one that ultimately holds back the game by bringing with it some retro-inspired design best left to the 90s.

If you take away all the things that Fire Emblem Warriors does wrong, you end up with a hack and slash game where you wipe out hundreds of bad guys every few minutes. There are impressive special moves, and seeing your favourite Fire Emblem characters come to life on the battlefield is impressive. The thing is, it’s just not doing anything you haven’t seen before. Fire Emblem Warriors could’ve kept the current look and feel, and trusted itself to tell a whole new story while introducing a slew of lovable new characters. Instead it ends up relying on retelling stories from previous titles, with none of the love and care they were originally given.

Codename: Panzers Cold War has some good things going for it but it feels like the developers were rushed to get the game completed.

Technically the title is extremely impressive too, so if you're looking for a title to sell PSPs to your friends, this might do it.

Multiplayer aside, the single-player story is short-lived, clocking in at around 7 hours from start to finish. Despite this though, you’ll be left with some great memories and a soft spot for the two characters before you’re finished.

Beautiful, next-gen visuals can’t redeem lacklustre gameplay.

Mario Party: Star Rush is a tight collection of mini games which are fun even in single player. It’s just too bad that the main modes which encapsulate them aren’t entertaining at all. If you can overlook the grind, then it’s worth playing for the mini games. If you can’t, I’d look for a party elsewhere.

A solid tower wars title with little competition in the genre at the moment. Unfortunately, it's let down by a large difficulty jump and, although it's a visually pleasing title, the grid displaying locations isn't on by default - a strange omission for any tower defence title.

Maybe I am missing the point slightly, and this is purely edutainment for the little ones to expand their mind? Even then you would be better off with a DS and Brain Training.

It makes good sense as a PC downloadable, where the interface and audience align, but here? Not so much.

By design, Thieves in Time is a fairly simple experience, so if you want more of a challenge, maybe it’s time to graduate to something that’s going to stretch you a little more. I personally need more from a game at this stage of my life. Sorry Sly, it’s not you, it’s me.

Bad storytelling and mission design that brings mechanical flaws to the forefront, however, and dampens whatever momentum the experience has. If the best time you can have with Dying Light is through avoiding the main content, maybe that says a lot about how you shouldn’t be structuring an open world game.

Despite being a good, beautifully stylised game, Shu suffers from being too short. The price of $20 is well suited but this is a game you will most likely only play the once before pushing it to the back of your gaming draw. Not only is it going to sit at the back of your mind as a fond memory; sadly you’re not going to bother recommending it to anyone either.

The online requirement seems pointless, but it’s an enjoyable racing game overall.

The end result is that car enthusiasts will enjoy the customisation options and traditional driving methods but other fans of the series will be frustrated at the missing action from previous games.

Playing right through will take you about five or five-and-a-half hours, so it’s not a long game - but you know what else is repetitive and takes less time than that? Call of Duty. Do a value-for-money comparison on that.

It feels like an odd mesh of classic Castlevania, Symphony of the Night, and Lords of Shadow, and like any jack of all trades, it masters none of these elements.

Enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure.

This is a rather shortlived experience that dives head first into a pit of tedium after some early promise.

I’m no expert at fighting games. I like them, but I’m terrible at them, and tend to judge them on how well they do when both players are blindfolded. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite passes that test well, making for a great party game. Most of my issues with the roster comes down to personal preference, but it’s safe to say you shouldn’t pick it up for the story mode alone.

While the overall feel is perhaps best described as a bit rough around the edges, we have to remember that this is a mini after all, and the price reflects that.

There’s a solid foundation to Orbital Gear. The momentum-based aerial acrobatics are fluid, and mastering them is rewarding. The weapons are varied, and it’s interesting how they interact with the game world. It’s disappointing then, as the delay they have in firing is at odds with the one-to-one ease of movement the game is built around.

Tumble certainly has its flaws but for under $20, it isn't going to break the bank either. Those hoping for the fun times had with Boom Blox will be disappointed, but Tumble is definitely for more serious puzzle gamers.

In summary, there are many, many hours of playing time to be had in Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland; however repetitious game play and time constraints make it an acquired taste, best suited to fans of the series.

Despite being a side-show from the annual attractions, it’s still business as usual. Standard stealth with a null story amidst an interesting and unventured historical period. Like me, that last part may be enough to entice. Just don’t expect the former to feel as novel.

Overall, Around the World in 80 Days offers an hour or so more playing time than Call of Atlantis – and is very similar; however it's not quite as much fun.

The third-person madness was a nice change from the typical FPS experience but many seasoned gamers will probably find the simplified gameplay mechanics a bit too tame for their liking.

Although Yakuza: Dead Souls gives a negative first impression with chunky controls and lack of an English dub, as you progress you adapt your play style compensate for the awkward controls. In addition, there's a lot to do in Kamurocho - in and outside of the quarantine zone - if you've got the time for it.

Yes, it's pretty rough around the edges and yes, it can be frustrating to interface with. What it is, however, is a very good story with an engaging combat engine, lots of content and a good bias towards action.

Despite the delays on the release date, it still feels rushed and slapped together at the last minute despite some promising planning and concept designs (I still want to buy a life-size Mantel solider suit).

The game does come in at a mid-price point of $69.99 though, which could be a factor when considering another PSVR shooter, Farpoint, comes out in May. If you remember Descent fondly, or enjoyed RIGS, then Starblood Arena could be worth checking out, but it’s hardly a PSVR seller. It’s a shame Sony don’t encourage playable PSVR demos to allow owners to at least try out a game before investing, because this is a game that’s difficult to recommend to everyone.

The dearth of content and poorly implemented online systems make Driveclub feel incomplete. Coupled with the fact that PlayStation Plus members get a reduced-content, but fully featured, version of the game with their subscriptions, there’s little reason to buy the full game.

Possibly the most detrimental aspect of the PS2 port is the stuff they’ve taken out of the original PSP version. The visual gore is gone, which is odd considering you can still hear the crack of a bad guy’s neck being broken (it still retains its R16 rating). The ability to taser is gone, and most noticeably, the much lauded multiplayer is gone.

There's a lot of caveats here, though, and if you're going into this hoping for the fun of Orcs Must Die! but in a multiplayer context, you're going to be disappointed.

Don’t get this until the bugs are patched out.

But, hey. It's cutesy, its cuddly, and for the young or true blue Pokémon fanatics it won't be a regrettable purchase.

If you've been hankering to cheat in poker, there maybe something here but that has got to be a pretty small market segment; smaller still when the market is restricted to people within that group that can handle the awful graphics. Not recommended.

The problem is that once you move past the initial learning curve, the strategy basically consists of planting plants, waggling around and keeping your animals happy. Ultimately, while collecting new animals is definitely appealing, and the baby animals are particularly cute, the game was too limited for it to be one that I’ll add to my collection and continue to play.

Challenging puzzler – but it's still just Lemmings.

Disappointing. But, I know a twelve-year-old fan of the series who absolutely loved it - for a couple of hours, at least, until they hit a big difficulty spike and went back to watching Naruto and Deltora Quest on the Cartoon Network. And that's probably how it will end for all of us.

If you're a hardcore Puzzle Quest fan you'll probably be disappointed initially but once you get past the graphics, sound and some of the gameplay (!), the twists on the game are a smart extension on what came before it.

This might be one title that is best left in the past, where rose tinted glasses and time itself can protect it from the games that it no doubt inspired. Those which have long since (and far) surpassed it.

So it's frustratingly difficult, then - frustrating not just because it makes it hard to progress, but because it makes it hard to love; an emotion that the game otherwise does fairly well to engender. The presentation - aside from the narrative, which is horrible - is charming, poppy, and fun. You want it to be good, and it mostly is - if you can handle the annoyance factor.

While the cut scenes look good, and Megadeth really gets the adrenaline pumping, the gameplay is too repetitive and buggy.

It's quite unlikely that any non-Glee-watching person will be excited by this entire list - but you really do have to give the show credit for being able to put its characteristic spin on such a range of different songs. Big fans of the show will love this one; the rest of us may simply be puzzled with the offering.

This is Poker Night 2's biggest problem. I was ready to mute the game after the third time being forced to watch a particular Claptrap sequence. You can't skip segments you've already seen, and some don't allow you to keep the poker game going while they play out.

While (in my opinion) the single player game is pretty weak, with its short running time, linear gameplay and predictable structure (fight off wave after wave of enemy, until you reach the end of the level and fight the boss), DotM's competitive multiplayer may prove to be its saving grace.

It’s a great party game and a lot of fun with friends, and would be a great deal of fun for a baseball-savvy gamer or someone looking to dip their toes into an arcade-style sports title.

It’s a great looking game. The look and feel is wonderful and moody, punctuated with flashes of red, such as a boy’s blowing scarf or a blooming flower found at the bottom of a well. And it’s great seeing games coming out of all corners of the world. But this only makes the experience all the more frustrating.

The game lacks that sense of polish and depth that the franchise sorely needs. Gameplay is entertaining at first, but fails to remain so after extended play.

Unfortunately, the overall polish on the title can only be described as "a quick buff".

The real kicker to this title, however, is its cliffhanger ending (after all, this is only Episode 1 of what I presume will be at least a three- or four-part series) which is more frustrating than tantalising.

Should have been a great game. It has all the necessary components and the innovation to make it so, but all of the great thinking and ideas were spoilt when the coders and graphic designers got hold of it.

A mediocre first entry in what I hope will branch into a kind of informative gaming genre.

There is little doubt that many fans have been calling for this kind of Sonic the Hedgehog game for a long time. If you are one of them, it'll leave you happily wallowing in nostalgic bliss. Or, if you're like me, the frustrations and the annoying bloody music may just be enough to convince you to give up on the whole retro gaming thing for good.

Adults who are happy to channel their inner child for a while will have a few hours' worth of fun with Treasure Seekers; kids may find it fuels their imaginations and provides some good fodder for Christmas holiday play – in and out of the house.

It shows so much promise, and you'll love your first couple of hours, but it will become stale well before it should.

Too hard until it's too easy. Pretty, charming, and a cool idea, but infuriatingly unbalanced.

There are some lovely aspects to the game, that have been developed from the earlier experiences that so many people knew and loved. There’s a great soundtrack, and the game has a polished look about it that makes you want to love it. But underneath, there is so much that’s broken, that I currently wouldn’t recommend the game - as I experienced it - to anyone not willing to go through the pain for a glimpse of the game they once loved.

It’s a mediocre Action/RPG hack n’ slash that looks nice on the surface but doesn’t stand up to too much scrutiny.

While it's not the graphically violent, frantic, and desperate game that recent shooters have become, Killzone feels almost relaxing with its deliberate pace and disconnect from reality.

On the surface, there doesn't seem to be too much different between Rock of Ages and its sequel. Rock of Ages II plays very much the same and fills the same niche. However, it is a much nicer game with better defense items and a lot more polish. Sadly, I found that Rock of Ages II couldn't keep my attention unless I had someone else to play with.

Definitely worth the time to play it, but probably only once.

There's good in here, but too much mediocre or just plain bad moments to recommend paying full retail price for the game.

Design missteps and combat randomness don’t defeat this sombre tale.

Same lovable formula, but not much else.

It’s a shame that a title seven years in the making could result in something so lackluster. Aliens: Colonial Marines had the foundations of a solid game, involving writers (David Weddle and Bradley Thompson from Battlestar Galactica fame) and a talented artist (Syd Mead from Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron). It even had the right voice talent bringing back Lance Henriksen as a Bishop-model clone...But it appears that the elongated, ‘stop-start’ development ultimately resulted in an inconsistent and disappointing final result.

I can't help but feel that perhaps this game should have been left as downloadable track packs for Van Halen fans and not a full-fledged release with a high price-tag.

Mighty No. 9 began life as one of the most anticipated concepts in recent memory. While there is fun to be had – especially where boss fights are concerned – there is an overall lack of fresh ideas to bring it all to life.

Irritating dialogue overshadows a unique blend of gameplay elements.

FUSE could have been awesome, but it's not. Graphics and sound are fine. Firefights are intense and you can take out enemies with stealth and melee kills. At times the story tries to give the characters some emotion and depth, but fails, and generally ends up half baked and confused.

It’ll make a great rental for when you have friends over, but it’s hard to recommend for anything beyond that.

If you’ve played the real thing, you’ve all but played Hasbro Family Game Night’s version. Aside from a few differing modes and an online portion it is an extremely authentic replication of the game many of us have played at some point in our lives.

While being the first brain training title for the 360, it does little to enhance the genre, or make itself stand out from the portable brain training crowd. However, it does provide a solid test of your mettle, and for the paltry price you could do much, much worse.

Unfortunately, while on paper it might have sounded like a Fast and Furious calibre idea, in reality Wheelman is barely a Pacifier.

Feels like a PS2 game. It lacks that level of polish that the Vita deserves and the game blatantly recycles the same character models and maps over and over.

While the new flying sections are fine and the characters and cutscenes are good, the game is beset with targeting and camera angle problems, which simply make it feel old. The problems detract greatly from what might have been an engaging addition to Daxter and Jak's adventures.

So, WWE 2K16, at least in Career Mode, is horribly frustrating. Everywhere else, it’s just mildly frustrating. You can play single matches, tag team matches, fatal 4-ways, and triple threat matches online, but just remember all fights are extended QTEs, so if you experience any lag, you’re in big trouble.

Unfortunately, while on paper it might have sounded like a Fast and Furious calibre idea, in reality Wheelman is barely a Pacifier.

Your thumbs will ache in the morning and you may need to fork out a hundred dollars on a new controller but sometimes we all need a bit of cartoonish mayhem in our lives.

Unfortunately, while on paper it might have sounded like a Fast and Furious calibre idea, in reality Wheelman is barely a Pacifier.

A pretty average affair. Fun can be had if you’re really into your hockey, but there are better games to choose from.

Crisis Core has an addictive quality about it because you really need to know what happens next, and you’ll most certainly want to see the next glorious cutscene.

Sort of like that dream you had once about being a bird, but with more feather collecting and fish.

Explorers of Sky is a bizarre mix of child-like presentation with hardcore gameplay mechanics which have long since been abandoned by most other hardcore games. It's simultaneously simple and obtuse, easy and challenging.

Its relative ease makes redoing the challenges very pedestrian, and worse yet, replaying the same dungeon also means reliving all the pre-faffing-about to get there. You have to endure many of the same conversations, cutscenes and menial tasks you already know of and know how to do. Regardless of what decade you played it in, that is not fun.

So while Hardware Rivals is fun for a while it still has a lot of annoyances to overcome.

Flashback isn’t a particularly long game, clocking in at around 4-5 hours with limited replayability beyond collectibles for completionists. For $12.95 though, that’s a decent amount of playtime; it’s just a shame that it runs out of steam so early and leaves you wanting flashbacks of the first few levels.

James Noir's Convoluted Title 3D makes for a largely disappointing experience. If you're a hardened puzzle nut and want to progress through a game by way of your intellectual capacity alone, it's not a total waste of your time. But if you've been thinking about dipping your toes into narrative-driven puzzle gaming and are wondering if this is the title to try, it's not.

In the end, what you can count on is two to three hours of the same Dragon Age II. It looks the same, plays the same, and depending who you pick in your party, the chatter, while entertaining enough, is the same.