The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 4 – Amid the Ruins serves up yet another emotional rollercoaster, offering just enough time between conflicts in order to allow you to catch your breath.

Atelier Sophie 2 massively improves upon everything from the original game. It has a much more interesting story, plenty of heart-felt character interactions, and a ton of different side activities to keep you busy. Becoming a master alchemist and exploring this vibrant dream world is a fantastic way to celebrate 25 years of Atelier titles.

DiRT 4 is an impressive package that takes the strong foundation of DiRT Rally and sprinkles on a few friendly updates, such as DiRT Academy and the return of Landrush. The handling, whichever way you lean, is robust and extremely gratifying with cars that are a lot of fun to drive. The career mode gives you plenty to do, and Your Stage means you’ll never be short of new rally challenges to take on. Some very slight graphical gripes aside, this is another success story for a developer that seems to be firing on all cylinders.

Rather than a reforged sword, 4-II is more of a secondary blade – and its edge is just as sharp.

NBA 2K22 spreads itself a little too thin off the court, but it genuinely takes strides on it. The game’s rewritten defensive system makes for a much more enjoyable experience across all modes, where you feel rewarded for using the ball effectively and engineering open looks. MyCareer’s first foray into non-NBA activities could do with fleshing out, and there’s still an overreliance on advertising and microtransactions. But with one of the most complete Franchise modes on the market, and with exceptional presentation across the board, this is a series at the top of its game again.

Capcom has translated the Resident Evil Village experience to VR in supreme style, but it comes with a few caveats. Some of the cinematic spectacle is lost, and you’ll need to battle fiddly animations just as much as the werewolves dominating the remote village. Still, wonderful VR graphics, welcome comfort options, and great haptic feedback support make it a PSVR2 must-play.

The Amnesia series is one of the best horror franchises the medium has ever known. And the fact that the entirety of the series is now available on the PS4 is a win. The hide and seek gameplay holds up well, and while more could have been done with the visual presentation, the sound design is top-tier.

It's a clever mix of genre and story, because it provides a cosy space to immerse yourself in while also highlighting the reasons why people play things like this in the first place — to unwind, to take a break with something relaxing. Alta is forced to slow down and reflect on her issues, and through conversations and moments of introspection, the game delivers a thoughtful, emotive tale that may well hit home for many.

A substantial visual overhaul of Dead Rising is what will immediately stand out most, but where the Deluxe Remaster truly thrives is in all its gameplay touch-ups to make the classic play and feel like any other modern game. They all build to the definitive Dead Rising experience, where its time management feature can be properly appreciated.

Keeping one foot firmly in its own past, Age of Empires 4: Anniversary Edition is an exciting step forward for the series and a satisfyingly deep game in its own right; you'll likely learn something new each time you play.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is stellar sequel to a surprisingly great game. The Nemesis System remains the real star of the show in all of its expanded glory, and while its dynamic brilliance threatens to make the main story missions seem boring by comparison, there's enough heft to the overall package that you can look past its shortcomings. In the barrage of blockbusters hitting PS4 over the next few months, Shadow of War should not be missed.

Your fate is decided by a scattering of cards across a table; dice rolls mean death or fortune and your next step could warp you to an insurmountable brawl. Hand Of Fate’s mix of strategic planning, random chance, and meaty combat is both rewarding and addictive. Fighting lacks complexity and doesn't quite stand up to the eventual repetition, but this game within a game is still well worth your time overall.

One of the best detective games of all time, L.A. Noire on PS4 will certainly give you bang for your buck thanks to its improved graphical prowess and neat package containing all of the original’s content. It may not be the greatest looking remaster overall, but visuals aside, it's still the engaging storylines and the complex characters that you'll come back for. Team Bondi may have been shot three days before retirement, but its spirit lives on.

Paradise Killer will gradually win you over. Part of its smart design is letting you begin the endgame trial, where you'll make your final accusations, whenever you like, giving you complete control over the outcome. When you're satisfied you know what happened, you can start proceedings and present your case — there is no single correct answer. Combined with a great, low-tech aesthetic and an excellent soundtrack, and this is a game with both style and substance.

While The Pedestrian is a great puzzle platformer, it's not perfect. Probably the most noticeable absence in the game is a hint system. The puzzles can get extremely difficult at times, becoming borderline frustrating even. Additionally, another missed opportunity is in the game’s use of the touchpad. While pressing the touchpad works as the interact button, the cursor cannot be controlled by sliding your finger over it. This nitpick might not affect many players, but it’s still an odd exclusion. Minor frustrations aside, The Pedestrian is a fantastic puzzle-platformer that stands out from the crowd. For those looking for a unique pick-up-and-play experience, it's well worth the investment.

It's not only a great addition to the Vita's library – it's one of the best rhythm games on the platform.

The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection bundles together three of the greatest games ever made, but does so in a convoluted manner. Spread across five separate apps on PS5, it can be a challenge to locate the specific version or the bonus feature you need. The digital packaging surrounding the three classics doesn't quite feel like the labour of love it should do, but once you sink into the PS1 original, Sons of Liberty, or Snake Eater, it's abundantly clear there's still nothing quite like Metal Gear Solid. Konami's Master Collection gets by on the ever-lasting quality of its fallen series, not the means that have brought it back.

Forza Horizon 5 might be a few years old, but its vast amount of activities, robust feature set, and superb driving model mean it's still out in front. It isn't perfect — it can feel bloated and overwhelming, the AI is frustrating at times, and the characters and dialogue are a constant weakness. However, behind the wheel, tackling its myriad events and exploring the beautiful open world, it's hard to not be convinced by its optimistic personality and sense of fun. Despite its late arrival on PS5, it still feels showroom fresh.

Prison Architect is a fantastic simulation game. Its clever systems combine in interesting and intuitive ways to create an experience which is tense, challenging, and engaging. Niggling control issues aside, the title is a terrific example of how a traditionally PC-only genre should be ported to consoles.

Videoball is a classy and low cost game that is manic fun in multiplayer and an okay grind in single player arcade mode. Don't let the simplistic looks put you off – have some balls and fire this up at your earliest convenience.

After the Fall is a standout co-op apocalypse shooter with a lot of similarities to Left 4 Dead. It has a plethora of content that's entertaining and thrilling to play both solo and as a squad. If you’re an FPS fan or are just looking for some multiplayer entertainment, we’d highly recommend you give this title a shot.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is easily one of the best entries in the series, and is arguably one of the greatest anime fighters to be released in some time.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is another fantastic skateboarding title that revives some all-time classics, albeit with some caveats. It's a shame that 4 couldn't be more faithfully restored, but what is included still makes for a fun arcade skating experience that fans of the series shouldn't skip — especially considering the brand new levels and other neat secrets. It may not be the greatest remake, but it's further proof that there's life yet in this timeless series.

It's a superior game that plays brilliantly, and certainly stands in a league of its own in the Arkham line-up for the most part, but it simply doesn't leave your jaw agape like Arkham City seemed to manage with such ease and finesse.

With a compact, but dense world to navigate – most of the game takes place in one sprawling interconnected area – you’ll learn your way around in no time. This is aided by the game’s clever fast travel system, which cuts down on pointless back and forth greatly.

We could not recommend Lara Croft Go enough. Performance issues with the Vita port notwithstanding, this is a near flawless game that exemplifies an attention to detail seldom seen in gaming nowadays. Charming visuals, rewarding and challenging gameplay, and a lot of replayability make this a must have purchase. If you're looking for something that's high quality while also doing something a little different, look no further than Lara Croft Go.

The random nature of the level order and the Hacks offered to you mean there's almost a rogue-like flavour to it, though this is still very much a linear game. It's just a little wider, and that meta-storyline and clinical creepiness is absolutely still part of the experience. Endless and Infinite modes mean you'll never run short of baddies to break, a task that's just as satisfying here -- if not more so with the added power-ups.

Scribblenauts Mega Pack might not conform easily to any gaming genre, but for those with imagination or a love of the DC Universe, this bundle offers hours of fun puzzle solving and platforming. A worthy addition to any gaming library – and a positive learning experience that is actually more fun than chore.