Fortunately, the small changes do improve the overall package – and Visual Concepts already had an outstanding basis to work from. Basketball fans will find everything that they want and more here.

Don't Starve on the Vita does come with a few gripes, but it has some added benefits which end up putting it on par with its PS4 counterpart. With cross-buy making this most likely available to you right now, there isn't any reason that you shouldn't get stuck in. However, if you hated playing it on Sony's home console, the small changes here aren't going to change your mind.

Skylanders: Trap Team brings enough new tricks to keep Activision’s cash cow entertaining for another year, but we sense that there may need to be some more meaningful changes next time around.

Balancing issues and a backstabbing camera put a limit on the fun, but a diverse cast and surprisingly competent narrative should keep fans fighting well into the late hours – just remember to play it beneath the sheets.

Unfair difficulty spikes swap out the title’s pervading sense of fear for outright frustration at times, while technical issues undo the developer’s outstanding art direction. Thankfully, legendary director Shinji Mikami doesn’t disappoint in the gameplay department, forcing you to get creative with your plentiful combat options due to an unending absence of resources.

Its combat feels fluid and precise, its presentation is mostly gorgeous, and its story – while relatively pedestrian – is told with humour and panache. Unfortunately, a repetitive second half combined with some potentially profanity-provoking platforming hold it back from truly soaring.

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition provides a good excuse to get involved with Hong Kong's shady dealings if you haven't already, but a lack of new features makes it difficult to recommend a return trip – at least at full price.

Chariot is quite the surprise. Its endearing style, smart design, and intuitive gameplay really hooked us, and we ended up having great fun in both single player and co-op. With a Platinum Trophy, and tons of content to tuck into, this is one carriage well worth riding.

Fibbage is a fun idea, and can be a blast if you play with the right people, but you’re not going to be coming back to it very often.

Though not perfect, Defense Grid 2 presents one of the best tower defence options on the Japanese giant’s shiny black box.

JRPG fans should definitely check it out at some point, if only as a filler between bigger things.

Padding is Alien: Isolation’s unfortunate undoing, as there are a few too many recycled moments throughout the course of its seemingly never-ending single player campaign. Still, when it’s on form, this is a nail biting affair, as you use sound and cunningly constructed items in order outwit your incredibly intelligent enemies.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn’t perfect. The somewhat repetitive nature of the side content and lame final acts prevent it from achieving our top score, but do not mistake us when we say this, because it’s one of the best games that we’ve played this year.

Slender: The Arrival was a solid horror title on the PC when it came out in early 2013, and that fact remains unchanged. This PS3 port is unfortunately a shambling nightmare, though, with very few elements working as intended.

The charm of tower defence games can be limited, but Anomaly 2 steps beyond this threshold to not only give devoted followers something fresh, but also provides those curious about the genre an entry point that will undoubtedly entertain anyone’s fancy for a spell.

With tight gameplay, sharp shooting, and a remarkable sense of style, Futuridium EP Deluxe is a delightful 3D shooter.

FIFA 15 boasts everything that we've come to expect from EA's annual footy sim.

It’s a unique title, with enough small improvements that players who passed on the original version may want to consider taking another look – but without cross buy, it may be a difficult game to sell to anyone other than the most devoted of tower defense fans.

There’s no doubt that Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! is a bit of a niche proposition, but it provides extremely enjoyable combat that rivals the smoothness of more well known brawlers. Sadly, what brings down the experience is the dull story and cluttered screen layout that makes arenas feel unnecessarily small.

Frozen Synapse Prime is a seriously addictive handheld title that’ll keep you coming back to tweak your plans for just one last sortie.

If you could do with more Watch Dogs, you'll have a rocking good time with this continuation – but don't expect any deviations from the original title's solid but predictable template.

Poor voice acting and obnoxious back tracking let it down – but this is still on the right side of the law as far as we’re concerned.

Decent presentation and a comical plot help to balance out boring gameplay and a disappointing soundtrack, culminating in a release that neither looks good nor bad on the dancefloor.

Its pleasant presentation and relatively enjoyable online mode just aren’t enough to make up for its bland mechanics and pedestrian platforming.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition still holds the portable Warriors crown, then, but the soul of a great PS4 musou title can still be found alive and well here.

A slew of engaging gameplay modes and a huge character roster ensure that you'll be kept busy, but once again, it's the brilliant and intense spectacle of all-out ninja warfare that'll keep you utterly glued to your controller.

With a lifespan of over 20 hours, Fairy Fencer F is a decent RPG with an eventually enjoyable plot and challenging combat – albeit in some of the wrong places. Fans of the genre will end up really liking it, but it won't cast a spell on everyone by any stretch.

Considering that EA Sports took an extra year to craft NHL 15, the wealth of missing features here is inexcusable.