So Telltale’s game is one meant for existing Game of Thrones fans, which is fine and probably how it should be. And it’s clear that Telltale’s talented storytellers respect and understand the material from which they’re working.

In the end, though, I had a great time with Prison Architect, and spent more than one night playing into the wee hours in an effort to build and maintain the perfect prison. What I soon learned, of course, is that there’s no such thing. And adding profit to the equation only makes it worse.

Nuka-World doesn’t constitute the best time I’ve had playing Fallout. The action and mild role-playing don’t grow the core experience in any meaningful ways. But it did remind me why this epic post-apocalyptic adventure has kept my attention for nearly two decades, and it has everything to do with the series’ setting, culture, and mythology, all of which echo our own in ways familiar and sometimes uncomfortable.

Even with Zombies proving less of a draw than it has been in a couple of years, the well designed multiplayer maps ought to make Eclipse worth the download for franchise fans.

There’s little question Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is the deepest and most authentic golf simulation currently available...Just keep in mind that the scope of its alterations and enhancements is better analogized as a chip shot than a John Daly-sized drive.

It looks great, plays beautifully, can be surprisingly challenging, and puts a fresh and fun spin on toys that come to life inside games.

Telltale's take on Guardians of the Galaxy probably isn't what most fans of the film will expect, and the differences may prove off-putting.

It may not be the best or most innovative game within the series, but it definitely feels like it fits with the two games made by Rocksteady Studios.

The Disney Infinity starter pack might seem like a good idea the next time you have to buy back your kids’ love for having missed a baseball game or ballet recital, but you need to know it’s probably the start of a very expensive new habit.

In most platformers, the running and jumping – the movement – is a huge part of the fun. It makes you feel skilled. In Snake Pass, movement amounts to a big fat ball of stress over which I rarely felt like I had firm control. Or at least that was my experience. And that makes it hard to recommend – certainly for the kids towards which it seems to be aimed, and even for die-hard 3D platformer fans.

Horror fans may want to give Layers of Fear a shot if they can find it in a future Humble Bundle or if it eventually pops up as a free downloadable via Xbox or PlayStation subscriptions. I can’t recommend it beyond that.

For those not interested high-level competitive play just yet – those who want to watch a fun anime-style story while mashing some buttons, or at most learning the characters’ special moves for a gaming night with his or her friends at home – there’s no point picking this up at least until March. At that time SFV might very well be a casual-friendly game with all the tools to teach you the fundamentals needed to unlock the most rewarding levels of play.

The problem, unfortunately, is that something feels missing without a true hero character with a deep backstory and lots of personal demons and vendettas to drive the narrative forward.

But regardless of how one happens to feel about the cast switch, Awakening still makes for a pretty attractive bit of DLC for anyone who’s still playing – and would like to keep playing – Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

Unless you have better luck acclimating to the traversal mechanics than I did, Dying Light is hard to recommend.

Amplitude is destined for most people to become that slightly off record from their favourite band. You spun it a few times the day you bought it, and you really did try to love it. But now it just sits there, rarely played, a reminder that even those you admire most are capable of mistakes.

It’s a bit too short and easy to be truly satisfying for experienced gamers. That said, I defy any parent still in possession of an ounce of childhood joy and wonder to have a bad time taking turns playing alongside their kids.

Fire Emblem Warriors is more than just a Warriors game with Fire Emblem personalities in place of classic Chinese historical figures. It manages to retain a distinct Fire Emblem flavour despite dishing out a style of action that is arguably the polar opposite of what Fire Emblem fans expect.

It may be comparatively short, but it begins and ends with an emotional bang and stuffs the second half full of surprises and gut-wrenching choices, all while setting the stage for a climactic finale poised to deliver revenge, war with those despicable Whitehills, and – for better or worse – some sort of resolution.

Whether you should pick up Automatron might end up coming down to how much you dig robots. If you can live without them, you can probably just skip it. If, on the other hand, you want to build your own lethal automaton companion to take with you out into Far Harbor’s irradiated sea a couple of months from now (as I know I do), then Automatron becomes significantly more compelling.

The plot is thickening. Hopefully the pacing will adjust to match in coming installments.

My biggest gripe with Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is that it’s not designed to be shared between more than one person playing on different consoles.

It will dazzle players with its next-generation visuals and give them fun things to do with Sony’s newfangled controller...But when the launch hubbub dies down and you’ve played through your day one bundle of games, this probably isn’t the game you’re going to come back to for seconds.

It’s also small and sometimes frustrating, has little personality and no real ambition. There are better ways to kick up some digital dirt.

There’s just something about its robust creation modules that makes sense to me in a way most other game-making games don’t.

Despite its shortcomings, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse offers up an entertaining, albeit a frequently frustrating experience. The game’s rainbow drawing mechanic makes great use of the Wii U’s GamePad but the resulting gameplay unfortunately isn’t always as fun as it could be.

Paying a reasonable price for dozens and dozens of hours of satisfying and balanced puzzle play – and no temptation to spend more on in-app purchases – seems like a no-brainer to me.

Fantasy Life appeals to the dad in me because it teaches kids that work can be fun. It encourages kids to think that jobs – even real ones like tailoring and carpentry – are like a game.

This sense of freedom combined with the game’s unbridled love of destruction and mayhem is what will earn Just Cause 3 a spot on millions of gamers’ shelves. It’s not particularly polished, pretty, or innovative. And no one would make the mistake of calling it intelligent or vital. It’s just a bit of stupid fun. And sometimes stupid fun is all we really want.

Clearly, The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes isn’t going to stand among the greatest Zelda games. Instead, it will go down as one of the more experimental entries Nintendo’s decades-old series. And without much of a story, franchise fans who opt to skip it really won’t be missing much.

There’s got to be a point at which Lego games finally outstay their welcome. But, against all odds, nine games in under two years is not it.

Think of it as a kind of rural Sim City with the difficulty ramped up and no nuclear power plants to lay down. It’s a game that tests your abilities as a pioneer to make it in a world where people need food to survive and if you don’t deliver they’ll die.

While all the elements are in place for a traditional and memorable Resident Evil experience, Revelations 2 is – at least through this first chapter – missing a spark.

Like so many other early virtual reality games, Eagle Flight feels less like a game and more like an experiment that was polished up and given a price tag. It’s a fun experiment worth experiencing, but it’s not worth $60.

If all you’re after is a lot of shooting and exploding and collecting set within a stunning tropical milieu, you’ll find it here. Have at it. If, on the other hand, you’d like a little more in the way of innovative play and nuanced commentary, best keep hunting.

Killer Instinct is one of the most thrillingly addictive fighting games in years, recreating the mid-1990s series like you remember it, just not necessarily how it actually was.

I don’t doubt that Yooka-Laylee will push some buttons for players of a certain age who possess the predilections it was designed to sate. I, myself, have one foot in that group. But my other foot rests in what I can’t help but think is a much larger pool of players conditioned by modern game design who are now unwilling to put up with the problems of games past.

We both thought it was an improvement on the original – not least because it demands fewer up-front purchases than its predecessor (you can now play co-operatively without buying additional characters) – but agreed that there’s still plenty of room for critical gamers like us to kvetch.

The second act of Broken Age is unfortunate evidence that Double Fine’s crap stinks just like anyone else’s.

The only truly game-changing ability I encountered is a jump pack that comes available early on and greatly enhances your ability to quickly move around the battlefield and dodge enemy fire. Beyond that there’s just not much driving us to keep growing our avatars.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege knows exactly what it wants to be, and it’s not necessarily something that will likely appeal to a particularly broad swath of players...It’s a small, focused, and intense game with but a handful of maps, modes, and playable characters. Clearly designed for a niche group of first-person shooter fans interested in teamwork, tactics, and authenticity, it entertains with the challenge of honing skills and strategies rather than jamming a mountain of mostly middling content down players’ throats, as so many other shooters seem eager to do...But that means it won’t be for everyone – especially not those who want to play alone.

Mad Max, despite his propensity for violence and vengeance, represents a flicker of hope that humanity’s best will always work to endure and survive its worst. And that, I think I finally understand, is what has kept me returning the Avalanche’s wasteland night after night.

Headmaster is a fleeting but fun little virtual reality romp.

Like Bram Stoker’s famous book Dracula, the source material on which the series is based, Castlevania continues to evolve and reinvent itself for new audiences.

Dead Rising 4 is a passably entertaining and wholly unnecessary return to a series that’s growing more redundant with each succeeding release.

Good players may relish the more intense competition, but I find playing on the new multiplayer maps against the series most devout fans a bit disheartening.

Developed by Dontnod Entertainment, Remember Me takes risks at every turn. Some of them expose the game’s many flaws, but other show the game’s strengths.

Anno 2205 is a solid city builder, albeit one that doesn’t feel like the full Anno experience to me. If you’re someone who has been interested in the series but has been a bit scared by its fussiness and micromanagement, I’d recommend it. Ditto if you just want a city builder with a heavy resource-management angle...If you’re a long-time fan of the series though, you’ll probably be a bit put off by some of the changes and a very real drop in difficulty.

Guardian of Light felt like a nice little change of pace for the ailing Tomb Raider franchise when it arrived in the summer of 2010, and Temple of Osiris is a capable and – thanks largely to some great puzzles – fairly enjoyable extension of that experience.

Ubisoft has done a surprisingly good job with the port.

Massive Chalice – with its dual-gendered cup, regents of all ages and both sexes, and heroes with a variety of skin tones – is perhaps the studio’s best example of diversity and representation yet. It’s welcomes all players.

It’s a party game more than anything else, and one that warmly welcomes just about anyone who can swing an arm. And while the Wii was rife with this sort of casual fare, the Switch could use a few more. That’s why Nintendo Switch Sports earns an easy recommendation for families looking for some straightforward multiplayer fun.

I want to love Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, but the best I can manage is to appreciate its aspirations and intentions.

Cutting to the chase, Skylanders Imaginators on Switch offers the same creative, co-operative fun as on other platforms, minus a portal but with the added bonus of portability. It is, however, noticeably inferior to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions in its visual presentation.

That’s also part of the problem: It’s merely reminiscent of greater works. It doesn’t have a voice of its own. Its hesitant, wavering tale of a boy and girl struggling together to dispel the dark doesn’t carry the weight of other poetic adventures. Like a frivolous pop ballad filled with vague notions of love and heartbreak, Rain left me in want of clarity, resolution, and a more distinct message.

Despite its finely crafted and quite enjoyable drawing and physics puzzles, I found Max: The Curse of Brotherhood to be more frustrating than fun.

Befriending (and perhaps even falling in love) with artificial humans is not an entirely novel premise for a story, but Benjamin Rivers approaches the idea thoughtfully and with tact, avoiding obvious pitfalls. What he has to say on the subject is worth a few dollars and few hours of any sci-fi aficionado’s time.

Each location along the way is filled with plenty of side-quests, clever puzzles, and secret locations waiting to be discovered. It adds a good dozen hours or more to the experience, making this fantasy world bursting with things to do almost seem like a much more whimsical kids’ version of an Elder Scrolls game.

Every aspect of the Assassin’s Creed formula has been taken apart and put back together again, all while existing in a world populated by impressive crowds of thousands. Sadly, the game pushes right up against the hardware limitations of the new-generation consoles and does not have the quite narrative ambitions or scope as previous games in the series.

If you’ve got an evening to spare and want to fill it with some great beats and alien-blasting action, LOUD on Planet X is worth checking out.

I’ve only spent a couple of hours with Disney Art Academy, but I was pleased with the quality of a Chip – or was it Dale? – drawing I was able to produce completely from scratch following instructions.

Much like Koru, The Last Tinker is made up of a little of this and a little of that, but it provides some good fun through variety and unique design.

I suspect most of my qualms wouldn’t exist had République been designed from the ground up for PlayStation 4, which is perhaps a point in favour of the hardcore crowd who raise their noses at mobile games. However, these problems are too minor to greatly distract from a game with a compelling dystopian story and stealth action that’s both pleasantly reverential and legitimately innovative.

It might not be my first pick if I were in the mood for something to put my grey matter to the test, but I don’t regret the time I’ve spent with it.

All of this is well and good. It’s what I’d expect of a Fire Emblem game on any platform, mobile or otherwise. And it’s plenty to keep me playing. For now. But my concern, as already mentioned, is what happens once I start to encounter anything that feels like a payment barrier. And I can see them coming.

The transition to true open world play may not be going as smoothly as we might have hoped, but the technical issues have yet to push me away. In the end, I’m really just here for the weird wildlife, and there’s certainly no shortage of that in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

While Rogue is overshadowed by Assassin’s Creed Unity‘s next generation marketing blitz, it’s a meaty additional chapter that provides greater depth to some fan-favourite characters.

Regardless of whether I stick with Fallout Shelter to the end, filling a bunker a couple of dozen stories deep with 100 bustling dwellers, I’ve definitely had some fun.

The transition to true open world play may not be going as smoothly as we might have hoped, but the technical issues have yet to push me away. In the end, I’m really just here for the weird wildlife, and there’s certainly no shortage of that in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Tomodachi Life might not have the lasting appeal of a title like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but the game certainly offers up an interesting experience — one that will probably appeal for a longer period of time to a much younger audience.

This is Far Cry reduced to its core elements, both good and bad.

Running across a horde of freaks in Days Gone is a helluva thing.

It may lack new and novel features that we can use to easily define it, but Supremacy gives us something that might be even better: Some Advanced Warfare‘s most sophisticated and entertaining competitive and cooperative maps yet.

So Dungeon Rushers isn’t the most polished or finely balanced game you’ll play on your phone. But the combat and exploration is challenging, the characters’ banter sometimes made me snicker out loud, and – most importantly – it’s fair. That’s enough to earn my five bucks.

As with pretty much any Lego game (except perhaps Dimensions), what it really comes down to is whether you’re tired of the Lego game shtick, whether you happen to be a fan of whatever pop culture property TT Games happens to have on tap, and whether you have someone to sit beside you on the couch so you can play and laugh together – these games are always much more fun experienced with a friend of family member.

Hardline‘s release was smooth, and although it did feel like a modified BF4, it also plays like something novel and worthwhile all on its own.

Of course, the fun that players have with Scribblenauts Unmasked‘s activities will correspond directly to their creativity.

It makes me wish for the return of the good old days of game rentals. Because yes, Farpoint is worth a try if for no other reason than that it shows that a traditional first-person shooter can work in virtual reality – especially if you’re lucky enough to play with a purpose-built gun peripheral. But I doubt many people will get more than a night or two of fun out of it. And they’ll likely become pretty bored by the repetitive level design and unimaginative selection of enemies faced along the way. And frustrated by the wonky cover system. It’s hard to convince myself that might be worth $100.

Racing fans will undoubtedly have fun with it for at least a little while.

A good game with good timing is hard to refuse. And X-Mercs is a fun bit of strategy that managed to come along when I wanted it most.

Speaking as a fellow who’s spent far too much money on plastic bricks for his kid – and more time than he cares to admit building and disassembling them with her – I haven’t been as enthralled with or enchanted by a Lego game since the original Lego Star Wars.

Chambara is a fantastic idea in need of elaboration.

A blissfully easy recommendation for anyone looking for more than just another run-of-the-mill shoot ’em up set in space.

It’s not perfect, but No Man’s Sky is as much – and probably a lot more – than we had any right expect from such an ambitious game made by such a tiny team.

This is a rare case of a game better played on phone than tablet, since the smaller screen lets one alter the beam line much more quickly.

So while I can’t really recommend Minecraft: Story Mode to adults casually acquainted with Mojang’s hit game (like me), or even those who generally tend to enjoy most Telltale adventures (also me), I suspect just about any tween with a passion for Minecraft will have a fine time (like my kid).

Forty bucks might seem kind of spendy for something like this, but each of its three modes could have easily been released as a $10 or $15 game on its own. The value is there.

The Cave is a game worth experiencing at least once. Truly funny games are rare, much less funny games that cover themes as diverse as sin, murder, redemption and desire. The fact that it covers these topics with a sense of style and ease (and without feeling like you’re being bludgeoned with a philosophy textbook) is praiseworthy.

Despite being won over by its personality – a catchy minimalist electronic score and simple but endearing aesthetic give it a feel all its own – I just never found my groove in Dustforce.

Ronin is fun, innovative, and worth a go – especially if your tastes lean toward both strategy and cool ninja high jinks – but there is untapped potential here that could have resulted in a serious Steam standout.

Avid Halo fans who already have a Windows 8 device may want to give it a try, but Halo: Spartan Assault isn’t likely to draw many iOS or Android gamers into the Microsoft fold.

If some strangely-specific apocalyptic event wiped both Warcraft and Dungeon Keeper off the face of the earth, those brave souls with the will to continue might find something to cling to in Dungeons 2. Until that happens, the probably just best to stick with the real deal.

Planetbase is unforgiving with your citizens only steps away from the void. A solar flare can irradiate your workers, a stray meteor can suck the oxygen out of your habitation pods, and your crops can fail leaving your people to starve.

After a tantalizing serving of polygonal freshness in its predecessor, it’s disappointing to see Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars not just tread water but actually move the series backward.

Of course, the ultimate factor likely to determine whether you keep jiggling your buns beyond the first night will likely be whether you enjoy the music or not, and unfortunately I found this year’s batch of songs a bit disappointing. The vast bulk of them are, at least to my taste, flavourless pop fluff.

EA Sports UFC gives them solid bones to begin with, but the series is going to figure something out how to win over casual sports fans if it wants to be a Madden-like success.

Despite being a deep, generally entertaining, and visually luscious tower defence experience, Anomaly Defenders doesn’t quite rank among the best in its category.

Taken on its own merits, Beyond: Two Souls is a triumph of interactive storytelling, betrayed only perhaps by not quite living up to its lofty narrative ambitions in its latter third.