Trepang2 is a very fun shooter that sometimes loses its focus and wants to be a Swiss army knife that does everything. It aims to be a run-and-gun military game that's also a stealthy horror title at the same time. It’s good to try and mix in variety, but the only tool we want to use is the one that makes us feel like an unstoppable killing machine.

Close to two decades later, Tales of Symphonia Remastered is a reminder of how neatly crafted the original GameCube and PS2 title was. Barring a few rough edges, this is still a great action RPG, full of charm and character. The only real downside is that the remaster itself leaves a lot to be desired.

Disney Speedstorm is a fun game that we're glad to see has quite a bit of quality to it. There are some reservations about how well the free-to-play monetisation will work as we move forward, but looking just at the game itself, it’s not a bad time. There is room for this title to become very popular, especially if the right additions are made. At the very least, this can become a fun game for friends. If you're a Disney fan, it's a good way to mash together some of your favorite old movies and battle it out on the racetrack.

BlazeRush’s frantic racing is fun with friends, even if it can be a touch frustrating at times. A lack of track variety lets its wealth of gameplay options down, but if you’re in the market for some Micro Machines-esque action, this is a good choice.

This generation has seen a glut of puzzle platformers grace the PlayStation 4, but fortunately for those interested, Unravel is absolutely one that deserves attention.

Simple, magical and wholly entertaining, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 lets you relive the final years of the Harry Potter fiction in a charming LEGO world. The simple pick-up-and-play approach makes this adventure completely accessible to younger ages, while still offering enough entertainment to keep the oldest of fans playing into the wee hours of the night.

Like Bond himself, GoldenEye 007: Reloaded is sharp and smart; a modern Bond game, as much about stealth and muscular take downs as gadgets and getting the girl. It doesn't always get it right: fire-fights could have been lifted from any other FPS, and level design can be on the linear side, but it's a strong outing for 007 and by far the best Bond on PS3.

Perfect Universe is a good collection of games, and it packs so much fun that it's worth downloading – even if you only intend to boot it up when you have friends and family around. Congrats to creator Will Sykes on a really accomplished package.

It appears content to recycle the same sort of brain teasers we've been solving for years now, but it does so in such a chill manner that maybe it doesn't matter quite as much as usual. Your puzzling capabilities will be tested the more you progress, although tranquillity always remains at the heart of the experience.

SoulCalibur II may have lost a bit of its sheen, but its timeless combat system and range of great single player content prove that this blade is still a worthy match for its more modern sparring partners.

Eufloria HD flutters effortlessly onto the Vita.

Platforming fans would probably be better served by the more streamlined Sly Cooper Collection, but if you've already revisited Sucker Punch's classic trilogy, and you've played Ratchet & Clank's most recent outings, then this collection is your best option for classic platforming on PS3.

As much as this engages as a sobering alternative to the likes of Two Point Hospital, a large chunk of it just sees you cycling through familiar motions. The rich atmosphere and worthy setting are compromised by a narrow vision.

Layers of Fear 2 falls short in one too many areas for us to consider it a classic, but the experience that remains is still well worth your time. Predictable horror conventions aside, spectacular visuals, a haunting atmosphere, and impressive shape-shifting environments are sure to keep you up at night.

Devil's Daughter focuses more on story, with a larger plot taking over from the case work in satisfying ways. Some extended sequences of button mashing can become tiresome and the moral choice system doesn't add anything substantial, but the overall experience is great fun.

GreedFall is Spiders' best game by some distance, and it's impressive how far the developer has come in just a few short years. It successfully scratches that BioWare itch with an intriguing world, likeable characters, and rock solid gameplay. However, aside from its unique setting, nothing about GreedFall truly stands out. Its combat is good but not great, its role-playing is largely fine but ultimately stunted, and its writing is competent but sometimes boring. GreedFall is right on the cusp of being something special. RPG fans will find a lot to like, but don't go in expecting the genre's next masterpiece.

The visuals – which lean on block colours and cartoon characters – can be a bit flat, and the controls can be cumbersome when carrying out more complicated tasks. However, there’s a great business management experience here; the gameplay may seem shallow at first blush, but plunge a little deeper and you’ll find plenty of depth. Considering that this is an underrepresented genre on console, may we recommend you consider it as a complement to Two Point Hospital this Christmas, as you remember Theme Park’s infamous slogan: “Big business is big fun.”

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a solid retread that occasionally gets in its own way. The graphical and musical overhauls are spectacular, and the emotional heft of the story is intact, but the industry has left the title behind in a lot of ways. The control scheme is still pretty unique, and a rousing success in single-player, but the co-op mode comes with an asterisk. While it's a welcome accessibility inclusion, it fundamentally alters the experience, and not really for the better. Throw in some technical woes and you’re left with a remake that doesn't quite feel up to snuff in a modern setting. However, the core game was incredible for its time, and ultimately remains a moving tale in this refreshed version.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a remake more faithful than Mafia: Definitive Edition. It pays a great deal of respect to the source text with excellent cutscene direction, voice acting, and a cast of characters you can't help but fall in love with. The game definitely shows its age with frustrating controls and vehicle handling, but the next story beat is enough of an excuse to continue pressing forward. Mafia: Definitive Edition's narrative and everything that comes with it holds up to this day, and it's one worth revisiting even if you know it like the back of your hand.

Bad North succeeds in making real time strategy accessible to everyone with easy to grasp controls and a straightforward set of tactical choices. However, some may be put off by the difficulty of the latter half, and with just one mode of play at launch, it's a pretty light package. Aside from the occasional bug, the game runs very well, and the miniature battles make for a compelling experience. If you're looking for a streamlined strategy title you can play in your downtime, Bad North is an imperfect but solid solution.

As diverting as Frobisher Says undoubtedly is, we're not entire sure it will remain on your memory card by that point - especially if you have a 4GB or 8GB variant and are already pushed for storage space.

Although it doesn't quite reach the heights of a surging opera, this Vita re-release is still worth singing along to if you're a fan of Japanese RPGs.

Mike Posner was a few years early: all he needed was to set a high score in Invector to show Avicii that he’s cool. This is a hyperactive rhythm game, which is perhaps defined more by its presentation and soundtrack than its simplistic underlying gameplay. It’s good fun, though, and playing it will make you feel cool – even if it’s only for a fleeting second. There’s something to be said for empowerment like that.

There's also a social element to the game as you can level up social ranks between characters once they’ve been on enough missions together, leading to unlocking new skills which can be used in battle or more bonuses for those characters. Fairy Tail carries on going even when the storyline is done; there's plenty to upgrade in the guild, and a multitude of characters to rank up, unlocking new content and cutscenes. That, combined with an enjoyable battle system, makes Gust's latest a solid experience for anime fans.

Think of this as a motoring playset – a production line of components that you need to order and assemble for yourself. Once you get the controls where you want them, your car exactly how you like it, and your race day tactics tightened up, it delivers an exhilarating ride, but few will have the patience – or, indeed, the willpower – to reach that point, and thus it's hard to imagine this outing achieving the mainstream success of other competing motoring series.

Shantae: Risky's Revenge is a solid game.

Indeed, if you don't take umbrage with a bit of pigeon-on-human romance, you're likely to be taken on a riotous and remarkable romp.

Caravan SandWitch is just a really pleasant video game. It can be a bit rough around the edges in terms of animations and technical performance, but its story intrigues, and its atmospheric brand of exploration is largely a delight.