Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis is the most impactful character episode yet, and it's easily the most essential. Those already invested in Final Fantasy XV should find a lot to like in terms of additional story elements, and Ignis' flashy, fast, and fluid fighting style keeps enemy encounters engaging. Here's hoping that future episodes build upon what this latest scenario gets right.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s End of Zoe expansion offers the kind of tongue-in-cheek silliness only Capcom’s survival horror franchise can provide. Played straight with some pretty serious stakes, the DLC still manages to be downright stupid all at the same time. It’s a wonderful send-off for one of 2017’s greats.

It’s hard to complain about an additional two hours of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – especially when it’s free. There’s some fun lore for fans to soak up here, and some pretty tense scenarios, too. While it never really has anything to rival the main game’s best bits, it’s worth the bandwidth for Redfield’s masterfully manicured mane alone.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope straddles the line between highs and lows – it’s both exhilarating and bombastic in equal measure, even though its story never reaches the same euphoria as its predecessor. It makes up for this with a tactical and action-packed combat system, interesting crew management system, tons of content, and a marvellous remaster job that has the game running beautifully on both PS4 and PS4 Pro.

A party title with great visuals, sound, and gameplay, Ultimate Chicken Horse is a great combination of conniving strategy and frantic platforming. With plenty of modes to play, maps to customise, and unlocks to go for, Clever Endeavour Games’ PS4 debut is as good for your wallet as it is for your sofa. An essential for any get together, the game’s well-tuned mechanics lead to pure animania.

A Hat in Time excels with an overwhelming charm in its writing and art direction that overcomes any missteps in these areas. Its core, smooth mechanics also benefit from promising ideas, but none of them prevent the game from being pulled into a wormhole of mediocre level design and objectives. The potential for phenomenal platforming and exploration is here, but for every positive, there seems to be a negative in A Hat in Time.

Aside from some more inventive level design and a couple of new bells and whistles to keep you occupied, LocoRoco 2 Remastered is more of the same, which in our book is no bad thing. There’s little here that will surprise you, but it does just as good a job as the first game in providing a simple, grin-inducing few hours. We’ve rather enjoyed revisiting both titles this year, and we think fans old and new will still get a lot of fun out of them. Games as jovial as this one don’t come around very often these days, so if you’re after something light, you’ll have a ball.

Okami is a joy to play and delivers not just a great adventure but along the way actually boosts your sense of well-being as you bring life to the plants, people, and flowers of the world. This is a thoroughbred classic game that deserves to be experienced by as wide an audience as possible; if you missed it before then this new HD version is the best way to experience such an engaging game – don’t miss it this time.

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris is ultimately more Destiny 2 for those who want it, and that would be fine if it wasn't stuffed with so much squandered potential. For its asking price, there's no reason not to expect more from this first expansion. The story missions range from okay to insultingly dull, and the one truly interesting concept that Bungie introduces -- the Infinite Forest -- ends up being little more than a tedious shooting gallery. The most frustrating part of all this is that the developer has been here before, and it still insists on repeating the same mistakes all over again.

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.

Though Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package has noticeably distanced itself from its predecessors - a move likely to alienate series fans - Capcom's latest is still a damn fun game that doesn't take itself too seriously. Its Christmas setting benefits the game's character as a whole, and the wacky weapons and great gunplay, coupled with the new exo suit, ensure that combat is as punchy and enjoyable as ever, and while there is a feeling that it lacks identity, it certainly doesn't lack comedy. Frank West has risen again, and while he isn't as recognisable as his former self, he's been revamped in style.

Bethesda’s really tried to make DOOM work in virtual reality, but despite supporting all three of PlayStation VR’s control options, it doesn’t really feel like the title was designed with any of them in mind. That said, if you can ignore the flaws with whichever peripheral you choose, then the over-the-top action of id Software’s series transfers well, and this is arguably one of the better looking virtual reality titles to date. It’s a little on the short side, but the price point reflects that, and the gunplay is still as intense as it’s ever been.

We really wanted to like Black Mirror more than we did, but a few too many technical hitches put a cap on our enjoyment. This mystery is absolutely one worth solving thanks to the captivating plot and engaging characters, but be prepared to wrestle with poor controls, glitches, and frequent load times.

While this game is a good addition to the existing lore of the Planet of the Apes franchise, it offers little in terms of actual gameplay. The plot of the game is strong, but it's just not enough to totally carry the experience. Final Frontier feels like a valiant attempt at storytelling in a new environment, but it just doesn't quite stick the landing.

With a solid progression system that means no defeat has to be too punishing and every attempt gets you a little further, Sky Force Reloaded is a ‘one more try’ shooter. Building up your ship from a pathetic husk to a monstrous killing machine is satisfying and fun, but it’s a slight shame that the game is let down at times by bland environments and all too familiar enemy types.

The wonky motion tracking and cumbersome menus may leave you reeling, but Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV is not the gimmicky gag that many expected it to be. This is a hearty package with a surprising amount of meat on its bones, and it’s a feast for the eyes in PlayStation VR. Cut corners like 2D cut-scenes do break the immersion somewhat, but relative to expectations, this is way better than it has any right to be.

Episode 3: Fractured Mask doesn’t quite hit the same highs as its immediate predecessor, but the tangled web that Telltale’s cast in Batman: The Enemy Within is getting increasingly intriguing with each episode. This particular instalment may pump the brakes slightly in order to include necessary setup for the impending finale, but it feels meaningful, and the scenes with Selina and Bruce are particularly engaging.

With a huge web of choices to make and an enjoyable competitive mode to boot, there’s a lot to like in this crime analysis. Hidden Agenda proves that the PlayLink initiative can be taken advantage of in more than just casual party games, but this particular outing doesn’t quite realise its full potential. This investigation is absolutely one worth experiencing, but one too many caveats with the app itself holds things back from greatness.

The Sims 4 is the latest and best in the long running franchise and there's absolutely nothing else like it on the market for PlayStation 4. It's the most faithful recreation of the drudgery of daily life on the market, but it's also marred by a bewildering array of control quirks, annoying bugs, and overnumerous menus. If you're prepared to persevere with the more clumsily implemented aspects of the game then there's a lot to love - and there's a ridiculous amount of content - but some will likely be put off by its often obtuse nature.

Far From Noise is not a game for everyone. If you go in expecting traditional gameplay, you will be highly disappointed, but if you approach it with the understanding of it being almost like a picture book, then you will be in for a magnificently written reflection of yourself as well as musings on some of the heaviest topics about life. We went into this expecting a short title with a bizarre premise, and walked away having consumed a beautiful, occasionally melancholic story that helped us understand ourselves a little better along the way.

Star Wars Battlefront 2’s saving grace is its multiplayer. A strong offering provides you with a number of ways to play and a variety of locations to battle on, and if it manages to stick to a level playing field once the infamous microtransactions are added back into the game, it’s an experience we’ll continue to return to. But this is not enough to excuse the abysmal campaign. Any uniqueness dissipates all too quickly, and what follows is a boring set of missions that often feel misguided and unrealistic.

School Girl/Zombie Hunter is a rough, low budget release that's a guilty pleasure for all of a few minutes. Awful cutscenes pepper a forgettable story mode, and the online co-op is stunted. Rather than being so bad that it's actually good, the game's simply below average, weighed down by too many issues.

London Studio's latest karaoke effort may have a decent Party mode and PlayLink functionality, but its one-note tracklist and lack of four-player functionality make it a poor choice for a party game. SingStar: Celebration certainly doesn't live up to its name, then – it's only marginally more fun than a Jehovah's Witness' birthday bash.

Tokyo Tattoo Girls is a simple strategy game which can be fun in small doses but is sadly not interesting enough to keep you playing for long. The story is poor, the characters are strange (and not in a good way), and the gameplay is lacking. The artwork and tattoos look gorgeous, so it’s a pity they weren’t in a better game.

While it's not as unique or charming as its predecessor That's You, Knowledge Is Power is a solid, fun quiz game for when you've got friends or family around. While it's a little light on actual quizzing, the Power Plays allow for plenty of game-changing moments and inject some tension into the game as everyone scrambles to wipe virtual goo off of their phones and answer first. With another solid game added to its lineup and many more coming over the next few months, Sony's PlayLink service won't be going away anytime soon.

de Blob holds up surprisingly well to modern standards. It’s not without its problems: a dodgy camera, floaty jumping, and repetitive tasks rear their heads throughout the game. However, the simple concept of bounding through large environments splashing colour onto every surface remains original, fun, and satisfying – especially when accompanied by a great soundtrack that’s impacted by your play as much as the levels. Somehow, de Blob still feels contemporary, and it’ll cheer you up if this year’s other 3D platformer efforts have left you feeling blue.

Ben 10 is an enjoyable little beat-'em-up romp. All 10 of Ben's aliens feel fleshed out and vastly different from one another, and jumping from enemy-to-enemy in the fast-paced combat is suitably satisfying. Fans of the show will be thrilled with the faithful recreation of the show's art style and general feel. Unfortunately, it's a little bit let down by the afterthought upgrade system, incredibly short length, and non-existent difficulty.

Virtual reality breathes new life into an already excellent campaign. While you’ll have probably seen everything that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR has to offer before, you’ll have never seen it quite like this: vast, varied, and like an actual living, breathing place. Bethesda’s proven that blockbusters can make the transition to PlayStation VR – and on this evidence, it’s something we’d like to see happen more often.