As such, this is a game for everyone who has ever enjoyed that sweet, sweet feeling of swiping loot from under the corpses of hundreds of enemies – and thanks to this Vita edition, you can do it in style on the bus.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is no doubt a worthy successor to Jet Set Radio. That’s not to say the game is perfect; there are some notable issues, such as falling through the floor on occasion, as well as the aforementioned poor combat sections. But those issues don’t detract from this still being one of the most fun games released this year.

Finding the perfect line that lets you kill all the monsters while reaching the exit as efficiently as possible is super satisfying, especially as levels have many shortcuts to discover. Hidden gifts in most stages can be given to White's buddies to learn more about them and unlock special challenges. It's all very elegantly done, and the controls are tight as a drum.

With its watered down presentation, Persona 3 Portable almost feels like an abridged version of the PS2 classic, but it's still well worth playing. A foreboding, ominous atmosphere sells the experience, while the gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever. If you're fairly new to Persona, or perhaps you started with Persona 5, you'll have to persist through some slightly dated design, but don't let that put you off. Persona 3 still stands as a brilliantly broody JRPG.

Dead Space has been brought back in the most faithful manner possible. With the fantastic base experience still very much intact, EA Motive has expanded on it with new content, expanded areas, and more mechanics to help deliver on the vision the game's original creators had 15 years ago. Compared to more modern titles — and other remakes from a similar period — Dead Space disappoints with visuals that fail to justify why it's a current-gen only release. However, it's still a great game to play in 2023, and new quests and mechanics provide more than enough reason to go back to a survival horror classic.

While it certainly doesn't do anything new to win over those who aren't fans of the genre, it does more than enough to sap away the hours of anyone who's willing to wrap their head around its complex workings.

If you’ve already played every hole to death on the Vita, then it’s probably not worth the second membership fee, but if this is your first trip to the clubhouse, then get comfortable – you’re going to be sticking around for some time.

Seeing these ideas come to life and work is such a satisfying accomplishment. The mechanics are so compelling, that the proposition of removing the headset is a sad one. We were utterly engrossed, and definitely wanted more once we made our way through the game’s 60 puzzles.

As we rolled credits on The Midnight Walk, any issues we had technically or otherwise had long since faded away. Instead, what stood out to us was the game’s haunting world filled with pensive storylines, impactful visuals, and an emotionally weighty score. If you’re expecting an engaging survival horror gameplay experience, you won’t find it here. That may have been what we were looking for as we first played the game — especially considering the VR format. But what we got instead was memorable, moving, and evocatively melancholic. The Midnight Walk is not a game we’ll forget anytime soon.

Having spent a lot of time with Back 4 Blood, we think it's well worth your time and, crucially, your money. It's just a lot of fun blowing Ridden heads off or smashing them with a baseball bat like a watermelon in an anime beach episode. It doesn't really deliver a compelling experience solo – the bots are just a touch too stupid for that – but Back 4 Blood ought to become a multiplayer fixture for the rest of the generation to come. Unless they bring out Back 4 Blood 2 in, like, a year.

Samurai Shodown is back and it's arguably better than ever. SNK has delivered a truly gripping fighting game where the tides can turn in an instant, and it's this constant sense of tension that creates a uniquely electric experience. Against a backdrop of faster paced, combo-heavy fighters, Samurai Shodown stands out as a deliberate and excellently judged duelling simulator. Against a worthy opponent, there's simply nothing quite like it on PS4.

If you missed out on this clever take on the zombie apocalypse the first time around, then OMG HD Zombies is a must buy. The fresh undead types and overhauled visuals will offer something new for seasoned slayers, while the sheer satisfaction of the core gameplay loop will delight newcomers. The leaderboards could have been better implemented, but don't let that put you off this hearty helping of guts and gore.

WWE 2K19 hasn’t changed much at its core, but the smaller alterations to the overall package make it a vastly more enjoyable experience to previous instalments. Introducing a proper story to MyCareer gives players an actual reason to play it this year and it's a genuinely engaging experience. The increased depth of the player creation suite means each superstar feels different from the next, while quality of life improvements in Universe will be music to the ears of diehard fans. All of this adds up to make WWE 2K19 the best entry of this long-running series.

Pix the Cat is a fiendishly addictive arcade experience.

While Disney clearly had children in mind when designing Disney Infinity, the toy-infused fantasy worlds are excellent fun for youngsters and adults alike. Despite being held back by a couple of framerate issues and screen freezing problems, this cornucopia of physical and in-game joy still manages to cast a spell over its audience, offering swashbuckling action, magical adventures, and practically limitless creation and customisation options.

Mini Mech Mayhem is a fun, clever, and silly game all at once. Its strategy is deeper than you may be expecting, and while the learning curve can be steep at times, it’ll definitely entertain -- particularly if you have friends to play alongside.

It may be sneaking onto Sony’s handheld more silently than the cunning raccoon at the centre of its adventures, but The Sly Collection provides the best platforming antics that you can currently find on the pocketable format.

All in all, it seems as though Madden as a series won't be deflating any time soon.

Saints Row IV does everything in its presidential power to create a sandbox experience that constantly rewards and always surprises – and it succeeds. Despite the reused assets, a few questionable design choices, and the sometimes shaky technical performance, there’s still nothing in gaming quite like mowing down alien scum in a nitrous-charged golf cart, all while blasting Haddaway’s What Is Love from the radio. That’s what makes Saints Row special.

Everything aside from the story is simplistic, but it doesn’t matter if the puzzles are non-existent or that the graphics are basic, because The First Tree packs an emotional narrative and is a game that every indie fan should play as a result.

There's so much to like in Vampire Crawlers; it's fast-paced, tactical, and super satisfying. We heartily recommend it, but beware its terribly addictive nature.

Yakuza 5 has just about everything that you could ever dream of -- from karaoke and darts to fishing and, er, snowball combat -- but it's the immensely in-depth character-specific activities that steal the show. Whether it's Kiryu's horribly addictive taxi driving quests or Saejima's reflective survival-based hunting expeditions, you can lose hour after hour after hour to Yakuza 5, but it always feels like there's a new obsession just around the corner.

A classy white-knuckle mix of music and action, Aaero delivers a great gaming experience.

Observation uses the unfathomable vastness of space to wonderful effect, conjuring a palpable sense of both isolation and dread that rarely falters across the six or seven hours it'll take for you to see it though. Minor quibbles with some aspects of the storytelling and a couple of quality of life issues don't detract from what is an engrossing adventure that thrills far more frequently than it frustrates.

While some of the gameplay ingredients don't necessarily work that well together – with the combat in particular leaving a bitter aftertaste – you'll at least be able to cleanse your palate with another draft of its fun base building and resource management, and that'll keep you coming back for more servings.

Overall, RAD is a great time. A simplistic roguelike with a humble, yet ingenious mechanic. Its biggest downfall is a lack of multiplayer, which is disappointing, as teams of different mutants roaming the Fallow would’ve provided a new level of fun and extended replay value. That said, for what it is, it’s well done. The variety in its power-ups, map generation, and character selection keep things fresh, and the gameplay evolves alongside the mutating characters to remain entertaining and addictive. Throw in witty dialogue, a super-looking dystopia, and a wonderfully thought out soundtrack, and you have a roguelike that is truly rad.

The DLC is let down by a dwindling online user base, but get a group of friends together, and the reasonably priced add-on will almost always hit the mark.

Apotheon is not perfect, but it's still more than fit for a God. Minor crashing and design issues aside, this gorgeously presented action platformer packs plenty of variety beneath its pottery-inspired shell.