While Ubisoft has proven adept at successfully applying its open world formula to a lot of games over the years, Ghost Recon: Wildlands feels like the first one lacking any real identity. While it gives a good first impression with its impactful gun battles, visually distinct open world, and wide selection of weapons, it's ultimately the war of intentions at its heart – between the freedom and unpredictability of an open world on the one hand, and the preciseness of a strategic cover-based shooter on the other – that makes for a title that'll leave both sides of the battle disappointed.

A Criminal Past is a decent last hurrah for Mankind Divided. Its story is fine, but doesn't really add to what's come before. However, the Penthouse is a wonderfully designed and unique level that's well worth exploring for the half-dozen or so hours you're there. It also cleverly demotes your abilities, forcing you to change up your approach. It's a strong effort that tries a lot of new things, and while it's certainly not essential, a little more Deus Ex is always welcome.

Disc Jam has all of the ingredients of a classic but it just doesn't feel fully cooked. Flat visuals and some balance issues prevent this disc tossing sim from reaching the same highs as Rocket League, even if its gameplay loop is fairly accessible and sporting some great depth. That said, though, if this is High Horse Entertainment's Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars moment, then we can't wait to see what it delivers next time it takes to the field.

Death Squared is a solidly fun and challenging experience with friends, and even more so when played as a single-player game. Its lighthearted nature, lengthy story mode, and couch co-op possibilities are all good selling points, but SMG Studios' puzzler suffers thanks to a lack of innovation. Test passed - just.

While things can feel monotonous in places, Ys Origin is a fun ride, and a great introduction to the series for newcomers. Existing fans are sure to enjoy the additional story, though - it's one that only adds to an already rich mythology. Feeling like a fresh escape from the hand-holding that's found in many RPGs these days, Ys Origin is also a welcome challenge that's sure to please those looking to test their skills.

One part Persona, one part Ace Attorney, and one part Battle Royale, Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair are two of the very best murder mystery titles available for PS4 right now, together in one pack. While the games may move just a tad too slowly for some players, those willing to take a chance on a visual novel with a difference will find Danganronpa to be a fascinating, multi-faceted, frequently surprising story that's among the most compelling on the market, full of engaging characters, anarchic humour, and jaw-dropping twists.

There's a kernel of an idea buried within The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing that has potential. The son of a legendary vampire killer continuing where his father left off is at the very least a vaguely compelling starting point, and the action RPG genre could certainly benefit from some more humorous titles to serve as palette cleansers between all the hell and death and misery. Van Helsing's lighthearted tone certainly helps it to stand out from most games in the genre, but neither the battle system or the narrative are interesting enough to make it worth persevering with the other.

iO is a solid physics puzzler with simple controls, minimalistic visuals, and challenging gameplay that comes together as an overall decent experience. The tough difficulty spike and puzzles reliant on trial and error and good luck prevent this from being an excellent title, but if you are looking for a game to roll you over to the next big release then this is certainly worth a punt.

Loot Rascals is an intriguing and infectiously charming roguelike. Its central mechanics are tense and engaging, and the meta-mechanic surrounding them provide a satisfying gimmick. Unfortunately, its card-based stat system offers little strategic variety, and its procedural generation can be frustrating.

An oddity that grows in stature the more time that you spend with it, NieR: Automata is so much more than you think it is – and it's all the better for it. Some decent writing aside, its side-quests fall into genre pitfalls and its open world can be annoying to navigate. But if you're able to look beyond its shortcomings as a game then you'll be richly rewarded. And while we can't really elaborate on why that is, you're just going to have to trust us.

A truly magnificent adventure game. An eclectic array of different gameplay mechanics play off of a small American town vibe incredibly well. While the gameplay is fun and varied, the main attraction is the absolutely incredible writing.

For a free side course of Final Fantasy XV goodness, you can't go wrong with A King's Tale. It's nothing special – either as a new entry to the narrative or as a 2D brawler – but it provides some depth to a character that lacked development which, in turn, further expands upon the personality of Noctis and his relationship with Regis. Despite some lazy moments of design and unnecessarily repetitive combat sequences, there's a couple of hours of fun to be had here with a surprisingly good combat system and a nice, nostalgia-inducing presentation.

Ghost Blade HD is a brilliant entry into the shoot-'em-up genre for both newcomers and veterans alike. It strikes the tricky balance of offering a reasonable challenge to anybody who picks it up, but makes sure that the difficulty never gets out of hand. The deep gameplay and strategy allows for a variety of playstyles, and while the two-player co-op is a let down, the score attack mode will leave you coming back for more after you've bested the main game.

Some titles have the fortune of making their mark with a refreshing concept in spite of multiple problems, and Typoman: Revised is one such example. Its puzzles can be aimless and time-consuming. A lack of length and platforming quibbles are notable issues to point out, too, but its equally clever concept and atmosphere are worth a read despite some obvious misspellings along the way.

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin delivers a passable tale that manages to capture the quirky aesthetic and humour of the original game. But its high price point, pedestrian puzzles, and failure to do much of interest with VR makes it something of a letdown overall.

Forma.8 is an aesthetically pleasing, exploration title with a great variety of environments and enemies to discover. Its presentation is wonderfully abstract, with ambient noise and a sense of loneliness creating a mysteriously enjoyable game that we recommend.

Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea is great way to wrap up the trilogy. This is a perfect choice for someone looking to try their hand at a JRPG, but still offers enough meaty battle challenges and huge crafting possibilities for devout fans of the series. This Plus version is one of the best entries in the series to date, and while Atelier as a whole may not quite measure up to the genre's classics, this is still a very enjoyable handheld adventure that will keep you coming back for more.

VR Ping Pong's a steeply priced simulation that mostly misses the mark. The presentation is rudimentary and the gameplay is awkward and unrefined. The developer may argue that we're just bad at table tennis, but we have no problem in real-life, so clearly there's something awry here. Factor in technical glitches and this is difficult to recommend.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk's fate is to be branded as yet another not-so-great initial effort from Omega Force. While the release does get a decent amount right – the story mode is nicely done in places and the fundamental combat mechanics are super satisfying – it stumbles on several fronts. Again, we're left with a Warriors game that's begging for a much improved sequel. Fans of Berserk will enjoy bathing in the blood for a good few hours, but it's hard to ignore the cracks at this sword's core.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Banned Footage Vol. 2 is arguably an even better piece of DLC than its already excellent predecessor, but our excitement for the additions is tempered by frustration that they should have been included with the main game. We liked the core campaign as it was, but with these packs bolted on it could have scored higher. Still, what you have here is some truly inventive content that repurposes the game's main mechanics in a variety of interesting and exciting ways.

By successfully meshing team based multiplayer with the sort of mechanics you'd normally find in a fighting game, For Honor manages to offer an experience like no other on the PS4. While the skill barrier to entry will likely cause frustration for some, anyone who puts time into learning the extremely deep combat will find each hard-fought success immensely satisfying. While the ancillary mechanics – such as the battle map and loot system – don't feel particularly engaging, it's the enjoyable campaign and multiplayer combat that are enough to ensure this title deserves more than just an honourable mention.

Debuts don't get much stronger than Horizon: Zero Dawn. Guerrilla Games' latest borrows liberally from a variety of different sources, and yet it leverages these fundamentals to forge an experience that's daringly unique. The main quest tires a little towards the end, and the writing never hits the same highs as The Witcher 3 – but the tactical action stands leagues ahead of what we've come to expect from the genre, and the presentation is quite simply unmatched.

Kitty Powers' Matchmaker is a frequently enjoyable dating sim that nails its charmingly campy tone while providing a refreshing change of pace for those who fancy making love not war. It comes close to being a keeper, but the high cost of this version over its mobile counterparts and a gameplay loop that struggles to keep it up for more than a couple of hours means that Kitty Powers' Matchmaker just isn't quite relationship material.

Enormous, open levels augment Sniper Elite 4 with some of the best long-distance shootouts that the series has seen thus far. The under-the-hood improvements – paired with the idyllic Italian backdrop – do give this entry the edge over its predecessor, but if you've played one of these games before then you'll know more or less what to expect. Nevertheless, as far as ball busters go, it doesn't get much better (or wince-inducing) than this.

Double Dragon 4 plays the nostalgia card harder than most, but its narrow-sighted reliance on this has left it feeling like a relic that perhaps shouldn't have been disturbed. The combat can be simplistic fun but is ruined by cheap AI, and the trio of modes don't offer much to stick around for. The presentation is a cool look back at the 80s school of design, but once the novelty wears off, you're left with a frustrating beat-em-up that inadvertently highlights the leaps in gameplay, animation, and visuals that games have made over the last three decades.

Expansions are rare when it comes to fighting games, but Road to Boruto manages to add a reasonable chunk of content to a brawler that's already stuffed with things to do. Most of what's on offer is nothing new, but if you've been looking for an excuse to leap back into CyberConnect 2's super polished title, then this additional adventure is as good a reason as any.

Like matriarch Marguerite's dishes, bonus mode Ethan Must Die will prove an acquired taste, but the two other VHS tapes included with Banned Footage Vol. 1 are a delight. Nightmare serves up some surprisingly smart arcade action that fans missing Mercenaries will surely enjoy, while Bedroom is brilliant puzzle sequence that subverts the rules of the main game in order to create a real sense of tension without requiring any enemies at all. There's no question that had this content been incorporated into the main campaign it would have been an even stronger package overall, but as a standalone it's still easy to recommend.

Nioh is about as approachable as a game of this ilk can be, and while that may offend the hardcore sensibilities of some Souls fans, it's a title that will likely appeal to many players who want a gameplay challenge but are turned off by the obtuse nature of Dark Souls' storytelling and the murky explanations of its mechanics.