XCOM 2’s PS4 port is hobbled by some turgid technical issues, but it’s a testament to how magnificent a game it is that it still rises above them. Outstanding, brutally challenging and endlessly enjoyable, XCOM 2 is a legitimate triumph.

PlayStation VR Worlds provides a solid introduction to PlayStation VR, giving you a taste of what the technology is capable of. The experiences, however, are a mixed bag and fairly brief with little replay value. The London Heist proves to be the gem among these five mini-games.

A solid introduction to VR scares, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is a surreal and creepy experience that keeps you on the edge of the seat, though more could have been done to take horror games to the next level.

Not the most visually appealing episode, but Colorado has its own charms and sees the story come to the forefront, if a little too late to have the impact it desires.

Taking a formula made famous by Minecraft and refining it in every possible way is what makes Dragon Quest Builders a fun and enjoyable experience through and through. The only thing holding it back is your own lack of imagination.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is a decent enough expansion that fans will likely enjoy, but it feels lacking in wake of The Taken King. Time for Destiny 2, we think.

The final product that is NBA 2K17 is exactly what basketball fans want, right down to Shaq at the commentating table, but in areas where it progressed it also felt some growing pains.

I personally enjoyed Zenith, the story and writing kept me going though all the various issues it presented. The amount of bugs, glitches, and technical performance issues just can’t be overlooked, especially for a casual gamer.

Boasting a wealth of challenge and a litany of well considered changes, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 feels like a Grandmasters Tour of series architect Toru Iwatani’s magnum opus. Accessible and compelling, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is one of the finest arcade games you can buy on PS4.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst is the perfect alternative to a game like Monster Hunter. It may take a while to get into and a lot of information is thrown at you right from the start to turn off any player, but for those who stick with it will find a very rewarding experience both for hardcore and casual players.

The addition of 'The Journey', the engine shift to Frostbite, and the strides towards a more unpredictable, methodical representation of The Beautiful Game render FIFA 17 a game certainly worth playing.

There's promise going forward, for the story at least, but this is an otherwise messy episode on several levels.

Virginia takes the adventure game to new places, and while not everyone might want to join in on the trip, those that do will be rewarded with a thoroughly mesmerising experience that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Slain: Back from Hell is a stylish 2D side-scrolling action game that borrows from the best in the genre. It's wonderful pixel art will have you in awe more than once throughout your adventure. Striking down your enemies is brutally fun but also frustrating when you’re getting hit because of faulty hit detection. I just wish there was more to do after the single playthrough.

Inoffensive, and pleasing enough as finales go, but there’s a clear feeling that Minecraft Story Mode could have, and should have, finished much stronger than this. In truth, it did, four episodes ago.

A landmark title indeed, Dear Esther’s debut on PS4 serves as a timely reminder not just of The Chinese Room’s seemingly bottomless well of talent, but also of Dear Esther’s capability to fulfil that oldest of gaming mantras – escapism, with vigour and aplomb in fashion that very few other games have managed to before and since its original release.

Showcasing a clever narrative steeped in great performances and anchored by a real sense of place, The Bunker sadly doesn't last long enough or offer sufficient incentive to return to its titular subterranean dwelling once the credits roll on this interactivity-light adventure.

There’s no denying that the Bioshock series is an ambitious one, and that it features some much loved/derided games. Bioshock Collection is the current definitive way to experience those games on consoles, but there’s little new for long-term fans beyond a bit of spit n’ polish.

A true curio in the most literal sense, Mount and Blade: Warband will sharply divide PS4 players according to the premium that they place on aesthetics. For those who can look past such failings though, hundreds upon hundreds of hours of play awaits with a game that combines medieval combat, strategy and role-playing quite unlike any other. Just don’t stare at it eh? It’s rude.

Filthy Lucre strives to be a game of interesting choices between caution and gung-ho action. Unfortunately, the lack of challenge and inept AI mean that neither style of play is satisfying.

If PES 2016 was the best entry in around a decade, then PES 2017 is arguably among the greatest in the series full stop. With extra care and attention paid to improving on many of its predecessor’s strengths, as well as tweaking and fixing adhered to its issues, PES 2017 comes out of it as a fantastic football game.

Supremely easy on the eyes and simple to pick up and play, Jotun’s depiction of Norse mythology is flamboyantly atmospheric. Somewhat less up to the task however, is the longevity of the game itself which leaves you craving for more beyond the relatively meagre playtime that the game offers. All the same, Jotun: Valhalla Edition manages to secure its place in the pantheon of action adventures with verve and aplomb on account of it's superb boss fights and varied mystical realms.

The Tomorrow Children is an odd beast then, full of quirky imagery and profoundly daft moments inspired by a sense of community, but it’s not all that welcoming, which is a problem for a community-based game. Time will tell if The Tomorrow Children can gain enough of a following to make it work.

NHL 17 has everything in place to separate itself from the other sports titles with only a few cracks in the ice keeping it from a perfect slick.

Automatron has a short-lived story that’s enjoyable without ever really kicking into gear, but luckily, the robot-building and other new additions to the Commonwealth save this first batch of Fallout 4 DLC from being a disappointment.

The Final Station is yet another example of an Indie title with great ideas but not the best execution. The world is well crafted and its simplicity can allow anyone to get into it. But it's more important features like maintaining your train feel shallow and are a definite missed opportunity.

Trails of Cold Steel II runs with the narrative left off from its predecessor, and the same level of detail and development that fans have come to expect is still ever present, even if the running effort trips up on occasion under its pace.

There’s nothing new for repeat players except another crack at an exceptional, if ever-so-slightly dated game. For those who haven’t picked up Resident Evil 4 in a while however, this is as good a time as any to remind yourself of what heights this series can reach.

As silly and sadistic as ever, Worms W.M.D. is a multiplayer hoot.

Much like The Great War itself, Verdun is rough, grim and wholly unforgiving. A perpetual lesson in patience and poise which decisively punishes fools but rewards frugal armchair tacticians, Verdun makes the player work in every way that a good shooter should. Emboldened by an impassioned take on one of history’s more overlooked conflicts, Verdun’s rough appearance is not enough to detract from one of the finest shooters on PS4.

Inside is as beautiful as it is bleak. A truly fantastic experience that deserves its place among the very best games of the generation.

If you are a fan of Attack on Titan, you will want this game and if you’re not, you should probably knock a point off the score below and try it anyway.

Prominence Poker is surprisingly enjoyable as a casual, yet competitive, multiplayer game.

Codemasters has finally made the Formula 1 game F1 fans have been clamouring for – realistic, thrilling, and adrenaline pumping.

Bangkok is the weakest episode so far, but even Hitman at its weakest is still pretty good, grim fun.

The trenches have never had this level of attention, so the hard-nose side of the game holds proper presentation alongside its vertical counterpart.

Mankind Divided is a thoroughly satisfying Action RPG that understands how to make stealth play enjoyable, flexible and challenging. The design of its near-future world is remarkable, and the stories held within it are compelling. The only sour taste here is an ending at odds, and the slightest whiff of over-familiarity.

It’s flawed in some fundamental, if fixable, ways, but No Man’s Sky has a dreamlike allure for those who can sink their teeth into its space-faring expanses. A memorable game, if not quite what it could be.

Bound is a vague but undeniably powerful game. Its sweeping environments and spellbinding aesthetic invite you to look closer, appreciate its story, and find meaning through your own interpretation. The gameplay beneath is pleasant (if unremarkable) and dutifully supports the greater aim of giving the player something to reflect on.

Even the most hardcore Gundam fans will find it hard to say they enjoyed VS-Force. It may look and sound like a good game but it doesn't play like one. Poor controls, pointless story, and some crazy difficulty spikes leaves VS-Force missing the mark in almost every way.

Inheritance isn’t much cop as a horror, missing the power of the unknown that Layers of Fear possessed. It’s as a wonderfully surreal epilogue to the main story where it works best.

A steadfastly solid start to Batman’s Telltale series, but Bruce Wayne isn’t the only one with demons to overcome. Some poor writing and acting, plus the usual slowdown and engine troubles means that this isn’t a peak performance for the developer or the character, even if it does set up the rest of the series nicely.

Arguably, Brut@l lacks the depth of some of its genre contemporaries while the uniquely touted ASCII-inspired veneer, though a flamboyant shift from the norm, results in some visually repetitive environments. All the same, Brut@l still acquits itself nicely as a decent hack and slash yarn whose prospects are elevated by co-operative play and a neat level editor that adds a good number of extra hours to its playtime.

The element of disguise makes Chambara surprisingly deep, though its shallow content leaves nothing for gamers uninterested in local multiplayer.

Shiren wandered into my life ready to take me on a grand adventure, but instead all we did was go camping in his backyard.

ABZÛ is perfect for fans of Journey and other thatgamecompany titles, thanks to the sweet simplicity of its gameplay and visuals, as well as marvelous musical score.

A thoughtfully crafted love letter to the sort of titles that many of us forged our gaming mettle with.

Lifeless Planet's stark simplicity belies its heartfelt message. Its environmental blandness countered by a compelling story.

A furiously engaging speedrunning platformer, 10 Second Ninja X is as much about shaving seconds off your time in each level as it is concerned about shaving slivers off of your sanity, but never before has laying waste to your mental state while running a gauntlet of almost obscenely well-designed platforming levels been so much fun.

Access Denied renews the focus on the Order of the Stone’s adventure and adds a couple of interesting new characters into the mix for this sci-fi-tinged episode. Unfortunately, it’s brief and more of a series of good moments peppered into a rather pedestrian plot than the upturn in form that was needed to kickstart this mini-series.

ROTK13 lacks any of the basic macro and combat strategy fundamentals of previous titles, making this a sequel in name only. If you liked Sphere of Influence then you’ll enjoy this title too. But for those who waited for an ROTK game, keep waiting.

Not just an exceptional title that breathes fresh life into the traditional Tetris formula, Tricky Towers also gives a great account of itself for those folks looking to test their brains rather than their trigger fingers in both local and online multiplayer gatherings.

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force added much needed and requested changes, but not everything seems to have been addressed with this re-release. The different paths you are able to take add more depth to the already well told story.

Without ever being spectacular, Riptide GP(R) provides a good value, highly enjoyable water-based racing experience that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Headlander is an okay game made much better by a suitably daft concept, and the way it’s presented. It’s an amusing take on the Metroidvania-style genre that adds little new mechanically.

A welcome addition to an already strong series, Hitman delivers once again with two fresh hits that put interesting spins on existing levels.

Adr1ft just doesn’t bring enough to the table to make it a great outer space survival experience.

An ambitious and yet more elegant evolution over the first Banner Saga, The Banner Saga 2 fires on all cylinders and provides one of the newest and most enthralling strategy series money can buy with an absolutely belting middle act.

Assault Suit Leynos is a fun game and a decent remake of a title that a lot of people may not have even heard of. It oozes with retroness with its great soundtrack, character designs, and overall feel. It’s just unfortunate that its exploitable boss fights and confusing controls (which will take you the entire hour length of the game to learn how to use) hold it back.

Dangerous Golf is a fun combination of sport and puzzling that has an unfortunate number of small faults to it. There’s potential for the future of developer Three Fields here, but this will just be a stepping stone to it rather than a building block.

I Am Setsuna brings to light all the memorable aspects of what made classic games classics. With the good outweighing the bad, I Am Setsuna embodies old concepts and creates a challenge worth undertaking, even if the pilgrimage to the end is as difficult for the player as it is for Setsuna.

MilitAnt is one of those games where you feel no guilt or uncertainty for which game has to go once your hard drive is full. This game had over twenty years of influences, innovation as well as mistakes which it could've learned from.

There really is a lot to like about Dex. A deft marriage of platforming, action and RPG elements, it struggles a little under the weight of its ambition but overall Dex proves itself as a formidably enticing effort that holds substantial charm for fans of all things cyberpunk.

The PlayStation brand has something special in God Eater Resurrection, and developing the franchise even more would be a godsend. With little holding it back, Resurrection makes a strong statement on how the hunter genre should be.

The pick up and play nature of Prison Architect in tandem with its wealth of gameplay options make this title far outshine its few flaws with a charming and engaging overall package.

At its best, it’s an entertaining way to spend a few hours in a wonderfully-built ocean world. At its worst, it’s a cheap. uninspired and frustrating slog.

A messy, obnoxious but yet utterly loyal update to one of the industry’s most unruly red-headed step children, Carmageddon: Max Damage manages to elicit fun in occasional bursts but its general lack of polish and innovation means that it’s an effort that can only really be recommended to long-time fans of the franchise.

Adventures of Mana has a great, olden feel to it, capturing what made the beginning years of the medium so special. While rough around the edges, this inspired RPG has a perfect home on Sony’s handheld powerhouse.

A new series with loads of potential. It is hampered by a horrendous loading time and major content locked away online. If you can handle these two problems then the game is a lot of fun, and will have you grinding away for days to make your super merc squad.

A highly lacklustre standalone addition to both the Trials and the Blood Dragon series. Trials of the Blood Dragon is a pointless exercise that suffers from far too much awful platforming, and a very tight-fisted use of the Trials set up.

In every way that a remake of a classic property can be, Pac-Man 256 soars.

As a story, Zero Time Dilemma matches up to the ambition of its predecessors, with some missteps. As a game, it’s significantly less polished, with ideas and changes that nearly always step backward.

One thing’s for sure: There isn’t anything quite like Party Hard. A delirious, if flawed, marriage of Hitman, Hotline Miami, and Home Alone, Party Hard’s idiosyncrasies will no doubt turn off those without the patience to persevere; but for those willing to put the time in, Party Hard is murderously good fun at its most unhinged.

Resident Evil 5 suffers from duff AI and a few other niggles, but is overall a fantastic, content-packed action game with brilliant co-op appeal.

With its enjoyable narrative and fun quests, The Technomancer is certainly worth playing, even with its bland visuals.

Excels in areas like combat and crafting but not in narrative or characterization. It has enough gameplay options to bring any JRPG fan to the table, but not everyone will leave content.

A visually beguiling though relaxing explorative adventure, N.E.R.O fails to properly capitalise on its unique setting as its simple puzzles, brief duration, and lack of replayability ultimately damages its long-term appeal.

A[n] oily, toxic pool of bad ideas, half-baked mechanics, and shoddy design masquerading as a tough retro-inspired football game. Kick Off Revival is just plain awful.

Atelier Sophie has a target audience in mind here, and while it offers a compelling crafting with alchemy, the narrative lacks much intrigue to keep things moving.

If Umbrella Corps was a free-to-play title, it'd probably be a mildly inoffensive novelty, but it's not. It's a costly mess of confused messaging that adds almost nothing (bar a ‘shocking' revelation about an established character that's about as shocking as the Scottish Premier League table) to the Resident Evil universe. The game's lack of quality is almost dwarfed by how utterly pointless it is.

A scrappy but accomplished take on the whole Metroidvania shtick, Bard’s Gold marries tactical platforming action with great progression systems to create an effort that is highly worthwhile for fans of the genre.

If you've got a few mates together and the drinks are flowing, then this should only be considered as a last ditch attempt to inject some fun into your evening.

Mighty No.9 fails to recapture the spark of its Mega Man heritage in any meaningful way. There’s not much inherently wrong with how it plays, but it is haphazardly presented and not quite as enjoyable as it could be.

With its bold, inventive take on the party game, Perfect Universe succeeds in shaking up a tired multiplayer genre whilst adding plenty of single player challenge The issue it has is that some of the nine games on offer are too complex and/or dull to work as good mini-games, and that leaves a fairly small, but decent, collection to peruse for some multiplayer shenanigans.

Minecraft enthusiasts of a certain age-range will be excited by the prospect of seeing their YouTube heroes appearing in A Portal to Mystery, and for the most part, this is a fun murder mystery romp. However, the need to shoehorn in these extra characters takes away from the established cast, and the results of this venture are incredibly haphazard.

It may sound like i'm being too hard on Anima: Gates of Memories but the truth is I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. After getting used to the camera and the awkward lock-on system I found a lot to enjoy, and the Arcane Tower hides many secrets and additional side quests to expand your playtime.

Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- is easily the king of fighting games released up to this point, at least in this generation. It's not only accessible for new players but keeps the hardcore players satisfied as well.

Initial intrigue brought upon by Soul Axiom’s cool concept and sharp art design quickly tumble downhill when you discover that everything else is a rough, unsatisfying husk that disappoints in a way that brings out your frustration more than your anger. This is one poor soul.

If you are fan of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Blood and Wine is a can’t-miss.

So much of Oxenfree is an utterly heavenly experience. The conversation options knocks other games out of the water, and the characters are relatable and well-realised. The story is well-paced for much of the fairly brief play time, but sadly things unravel by the time the finale arrives, making a potential stone cold classic into something that’s merely great.

All the same, the fact remains that sleuthing about Victorian London has never been as entertaining as this.

Mirror’s Edge feels far more refreshing now than it ever did eight years ago because in those eight years, first-person shooters have become ridiculously widespread, and the only other first-person options are more sedately-paced, heavily story-driven, and control-light. Catalyst sits in the middle of it all,imperfect, yet special in its own way.

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is a must-play for fans of the original or platformers in general. Expertly written and well executed, the title played like some sort of grand theater, possessing a narrative that was both familiar but also new, filled with dynamic characters who interacted seamlessly not only with each other but also with the world itself. Don’t let a few minor issues put you off, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is a top-tier action RPG effort that is more than worthy of your time.

Hitman’s third episode builds on your pre-existing knowledge and ramps up the pressure in a very hostile environment. The trip to Marrakesh never quite reaches the giddy heights of the previous episode, but it still stands as another exceptionally-designed level to add to the growing greatness of 2016’s Hitman experience.

What first appears to be a bullet hell shoot-’em-up that’s stuck too far in the past, becomes a game that embraces its retro influences intimately and successfully by being an enjoyably intense and challenging throwback. The only major downside to Score Rush Extended comes in the form of some very basic visuals that prevent this being an even bigger surprise.

While nothing remarkable, Shadow Blade: Reload does at least do a solid twitch platforming job. When it’s hitting its lightning stride, it’s actually quite fun, but too often it trots along being bland and unimpressive instead.

There isn’t exactly a shortage of twin-stick shooters on the market that much is for sure. Neon Chrome however, while not doing anything especially innovative, nonetheless does a great job of pulling together roguelike elements, deep progression systems and satisfying twin-stick shooter beats into a single, compelling whole.

Valkyria Chronicles is a must-have for any tactical RPG fan,and even if you’re not a fan of the genre, the story is worth the purchase alone. Valkyria Chronicles is still one of the best tactical RPGs this century.