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

There’s an interesting mix of characters and environments to keep the gameplay fresh, and the soundtrack is a delight. It doesn’t hold up so well as a single-player experience because of the repetitive nature if you have to do everything yourself, but it’s a great party game with some friends.

Slightly watered down version from PC, but still a good game to enjoy both with friends or alone.

An innovative little puzzler that stacks up well, and will keep you entertained for a weekend.

Woefully inadequate AI makes boring combat frustrating.

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.

While strategically deep; pacing and control issues prevent this game from being fantastic.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is a must-buy for anyone with a Wii U, and I’d say is even worth buying a Wii U for. It’s not just a killer app for the console (well, the latest in a long line of killer apps), but a smart, beautiful, funny, thought-provoking, brilliant game – the sort of game we’ll be talking about for years to come.

Besides a camera straight from Robot Hell, there’s a real Heart to this little indie brawler.

Han Solo steals the show again, even in tiny minifig form.

Fun, easy, creepy, scary, bizarre, and oozing with atmosphere, but doesn’t quite stick the landing.

If you’ve played any side-scrolling games, chances are you’ve incidentally played this one. Odin Sphere is undoubtedly fun, but its 40-hour quest etches too long to repel the armies of repetition. It’s charm and aesthetic character are the real arrows for its quiver - the crux to get your attention and to keep it.

If you embrace everything, Grand Kingdom is a cheerful, relaxing, thoughtful experience.

Derivative setting, dull NPCs, and clunky combat make The Technomancer an exemplar of lost potential.

While the tutorials could see some work, and the tooltip text and other UI elements of the PlayStation 4 version are inconsistent in their size, this doesn’t detract from the game’s solid foundation.

The biggest issue with gameplay was the autosave feature. We’re all used to autosave these days; the swirling icon that either means you’ve just added something to your character or that presages an encounter. In H:TR the autosave feature also means that the game will freeze for a few seconds. It’s an ugly glitch and one that ruins that feeling I described earlier of dashing from cover and hoping that the patrol won’t see you. It’s a pretty big glitch and I am surprised it hasn’t been patched out yet.

With a bit more polish, and a few much needed scenes, this game could be amazing.

There’s a careful balance between sticking to a series’ roots at the risk of getting stale, and pushing boundaries at the risk of straying from what made the series great to start with – but that’s a tightrope Kirby’s been walking effortlessly for 25 years.

With a combat system that requires simple combos to achieve signature techniques, as well as activate Logia powers and Haki, each moment feels geared toward a faithful recreation of the source material. While it may only be a game for those who already love the series, Burning Blood delivers fans a boat load of fun.

If you have a 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates is a must-buy; if you don’t, it’s yet another reason, on top of so many others, to get one. Just be sure you do your research, and stick to Birthright unless you’re absolutely ready for the challenge Conquest has to offer.

If you have a 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates is a must-buy; if you don’t, it’s yet another reason, on top of so many others, to get one. Just be sure you do your research, and stick to Birthright unless you’re absolutely ready for the challenge Conquest has to offer.

Atelier Sophie isn’t at its best when doing particularly anything. It may only appeal to an alcove of anime fans, being so jovial you can practically hear it wishing you a merry Christmas. The broad stroke of the content can be experienced with any other JRPG, and better so. But if the home-bound, alchemic twist appeals, you may have a game worth persisting for.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a good first person parkour game, provided you keep your momentum going. Chaining move after move while running across rooftops feels very satisfying, but putting the brakes on to fight or pick up collectibles grinds the fun to a halt. An okay storyline keeps you running, but ultimately, graphics that are above-average at best, and an open world that is essentially corridors stitched together means Mirror’s Edge Catalyst falls short of what we really want out of this franchise.

A beautiful, fantastically enjoyable adventure, and a bittersweet goodbye to Geralt of Rivia.

Not a Megan Fox in sight... and it’s still terrible.

Not up for medal contention. Buy London 2012 for the PS2 instead.

Blizzard have made a really good game with Overwatch, and succeeded in building a foundation from which they can build another mega-franchise. But it’s not perfect. Despite their inclusion of so many eSport friendly features and an incredible diverse cast of uniquely powered characters, a lack of modes, party options, and a context-creating campaign are sore points in my eyes.

EDF4.1 won’t win any awards but, if you can look past its failures, it’s a pretty fun game.