Darksiders is an action game borrowing heavily from God of War and Zelda. While it doesn't compete with either series, the game offers a healthy dose of fast combat, gratuitous gore, and overly drawn out puzzles and dungeons.

Few titles this generation will match the purity of Dark Souls III as a game. This is as brutal, exhilarating, and compelling as the series has ever been, but it is also laden with the heavy burden of expectation that its heritage brings. Significant, yet minor improvements are made to the established formula, and nostalgia is warmly embraced a little too often, yet this still doesn’t prevent Dark Souls III from being a fine game.

Magicka 2 is a great fantasy romp featuring some brilliant spells, vibrant visuals and great co-op action. Its minor issues aren't enough to stop you from having a blast.

Fast-paced and fun, Transformers Devastation captures the spirit of the TV series with its impressive, fluid combat and range of devastating Autobot moves. Shame the campaign is a bit on the short side.

Vaporum slaps a fun Steampunk skin on an old-school grid-based dungeon crawler, and the results are engaging and fun. With plenty of customization for players to dig into, numerous puzzles to solve, and winning real-time (but pause-able) combat, Vaporum hums along on all cylinders. Though the overly complex control system could be substantially streamlined, the charms of the game overcome the struggle to control it.

With great additions like the real-time swing aid and the ability to tune your golf clubs, Woods' latest virtual outing gives owners of previous instalments more than enough reason to upgrade to the latest model.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is everything I hoped it would be, and more. It sells the Viking fantasy flawlessly, is brimming gorgeous locations, vistas and interesting characters, and will keep you busy for 100 or so hours if you want to grab everything on offer. It's buggy in places, and the grinding is overwhelming at times to the point where it spoils the feeling of exploration and progression. However, these shortcomings can be overlooked if you're willing to stick with it. And you should, because Eivor's journey is one worth soaking up.

In the end, despite its penchant for occasionally boring puzzles, rough character animations and wildly varying voice performances, Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is nonetheless a roundly fulfilling detective adventure with a vampiric twist that will appeal greatly to anyone that follows the World of Darkness setting. For others, Swansong makes for a fine, if occasionally clunky introduction to that sprawling world of supernatural politics and generation spanning stories.

While TDU2 isn't quite as polished as we hoped it would be, there's more than enough content on offer to keep us coming back for more.

While I would have liked a bit more variety, what Solar Ash gives is a beautiful, vivid, technological adventure that drips with style. Its fluid traversal, combat and puzzle-like sections are a joy to navigate, as are its hulking bosses. Solar Ash is like nothing else on the market at the moment and that alone is enough for me to recommend it. What more could you want than a stunning, fluid, unique game? Not much, I reckon.

.hack//G.U. Last Recode is a great attempt to modernize an older franchise. All the improvements made by CyberConnect 2 were not only needed but welcomed. Sure it still suffers from designs of its time but that shouldn’t deter you from a good overall experience.

Though this is one bird that requires more meat on its bones, the meagre length of Untitled Goose Game isn't enough to greatly detract from the impish comedy and free-roaming sandbox shenanigans that define it as one of the most enjoyable games of the year.

Ultimately, Siren: Blood Curse is a welcome nod back to the fundamentals of survival horror, and provides a captivating experience on the strength of a solid plot and atmospheric gameplay experience.

The Game Bakers have done a wonderful job creating a unique world and telling a love story that's believable and intriguing. I was fully invested in Kay and Yu and shaping their relationship. Though the game is all about the story, the game's turn-based combat is truly unique and demands your attention. What seals the deal is Havens's fantastic soundtrack providing some of the best electronic music I've heard in a while. For those looking for a different type of game, Haven is a great alternative for those looking for a great character-driven and emotional. experience.

Wuppo, despite a couple of small issues, is a heartening adventure in a winsome, self-contained world that’s full of quirk-riddled characters and adorably monstrous bosses.

Though the narrative setup did little for me and the occasional orientation issues mildly frustrated, Viewfinder still manages to shine through as a resolutely interesting, smart and enjoyable three-dimensional puzzler that feels like it was cut from the same, ingenious cloth as Valve's legendary Portal games. What's not to like?

World War Z is a blast to play featuring some great action and some intense encounters that should be experienced by anyone looking for a great co-op game.

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk is easy to pick-up and enjoy, but suffers from a few noticeable flaws that prevent it from being an instant classic.

A sterling port of what is an extremely safe FPS sequel, DOOM II is easy to recommend to anyone that just wants more classic DOOM but who isn't necessarily bothered about a lack of any real innovation. Be warned though, the much higher difficulty does not make DOOM II an ideal starting point for series or genre rookies.

Call of the Sea puts all its eggs into its puzzles. They're fun to solve and feel as rewarding as slaying a boss in some of the most difficult games. The mysterious island Norah explores is gorgeous and full of mysteries that even Nathan Drake would appreciate. It's just a shame that its narrative is such a letdown. Norah may be the main character but I think Harry's adventure would have made a more compelling narrative.

This first episode strikes a fine balance between accessibility and pleasing long term fans to make this the finest slice of Hitman since Blood Money. Some technical issues do sadly mar an otherwise superb start to Agent 47’s latest.

NBA Live 09 delivers a respectable game of basketball in a series that has displayed questionable quality in recent years. I see even brighter days ahead for EA Canada's basketball title.

Creed: Rise to Glory - Championship Edition overhauls a pretty good PSVR arcade boxing game and transforms it into a proper test of endurance and skill. There’s still some technical hiccups that stop it short of going a full 12 rounds, but this game will give you one hell of a workout and a clear goal.

Not a lot different to the first game, but co-op play and combo cards make zombie killing refreshingly entertaining.

I'd rank the single player campaign 7/10, above average in my opinion, but nowhere near as good as I thought it would be. The multiplayer, however - for being one of the most robust and comprehensive online experiences on PS3 - deserves a solid 9/10. With single player and multiplayer in mind then, Crysis 2 scores a very good, but slightly lower than expected 8/10.

A serene and pretty aesthetic sits atop a brutal but satisfying arcade downhill bike game which wears its retro stylings and simplicity with pride. A fine game for all and not just for MAMILS!

With a wonderful story to experience, memorable and unique characters to meet, a trap-laden, monster-infested castle to explore, and multiple endings to discover, The Count Lucanor delivers a satisfyingly scary adventure. Though there are still a few bugs to be squashed (most have been taken care of with a day one patch), the port handles fairly well and is definitely worth checking out for any puzzle and/or horror indie game fans.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is a fast-paced and intense shooter stripped down to only the very basics, all of which is meant to focus you in on the core mechanic of staying on beat. Fortunately, it works beautifully well and creates a fun and addicting gameplay experience that stands above some minor flaws.