It's well worth a play for anyone looking for an intelligently told, challenging story, or anyone who's a fan of adventure games which happily bring you back down to earth with a thud.

The Evil Within could be leaner and more technically sound, but the blemishes on its blood-stained carapace fade against its thick atmosphere and the frantic thrill of battling its monsters in the dark.

Not A Hero thrives in its messy, hedonistic chaos.

An extension that creams off the outwardly silly side of throwing cars around muddy tracks, and packages it up in a bright, boisterous party bag. It may lack a little single-player finesse, but then, you can't have a shindig without a crowd.

Given the frustration levied by its questionable level design, Hotline Miami 2 loses its replayability factor - something its predecessor delivered ever so well.

But there are times when it all comes together majestically.

Here you feel like you are put on both sides of the divide, manipulated by fsociety to manipulate others. That you might start to enjoy and crave the power that the latter affords is a disturbing and fascinating thing.

Like its central character it's a violent, ferocious beast which more than makes up for its lack of perfection by being brutally entertaining.

Evolve is exactly as satisfying as the people you're playing with. It serves a concept that is so precise that anything less than perfect unison between participants results in a confused mess. But when it all comes together, when your fellow players are all singing from the same hymn sheet, there’ are few more striking multiplayer experiences to be had.

But it never crosses the threshold into greatness, either in its visceral thrills or in its sober, but ultimately a little bland, tale of the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan.

I have no hesitation in saying that Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom is one of the most memorable, enjoyable games I've played this year.

What holds Titan Souls from greatness, then, isn’t the difficulty posed by besting its bosses - or even the lack of narrative elements - but the act of felling the foes themselves. What should be a momentous occasion - particularly following waves of near countless failures - is too often anti-climactic.

The combat, and it's worth noting that this makes up the majority of the game, is superb. It's not particularly deep nor clever, but it's immensely rewarding, as too are the scripted first person sections which exist purely to, yes, let you punch things in the face.

When you liberate an enemy stronghold Rico sometimes says, “That was fun - let’s do it again.” This feels like a perfect summary for the game: it is 15 minutes of stupid fun on repeat. But that barely matters when you are firing remote-detonated cows at a military compound filled with the red stuff.

To embrace Disney Infinity is to buy-in to the whole package: collecting the physical toys, building in the Toy Box, enjoying the Play Sets. Without interest in all its components, its appeal is diminished.

While it does occasionally creak under its years, at its heart Shadow of the Templars is an enthralling, sumptuous adventure with wonderful characters and a marvelous sense of wit and charm. The kind of things that just never get old.

Really, with the levels of customisation as huge as they are, the player's enjoyment is only held back by their lack of imagination.

As much as the red-blooded manly man who exists inside me (however fleetingly) wants to pigeonhole Kinectimals in the casual-core-for-kids category, I just can't do it. This is because, in the interests of journalistic integrity, I have to admit to having been completely disarmed and won over by the experience of interacting with the cute cuddly, virtual cubs in the game.

It is scrappy in places, and often trite, but is well structured and compelling. Let’s hope Techland take this success and run with it.

The game doesn’t outstay its welcome over its 12ish hours, which is, truthfully, something of a blessing.

As I played Child of Light for review, I found it to be a game that I wasn’t itching to play, but rather enjoyed myself when I did. A pretty, diverting yarn that I’m thrilled exists, but is perhaps a little too nice to recommend wholeheartedly.

A lack of variety doesn’t stop this being a wholly welcome return for Amplitude. It has a thumping heart and soul, a timeless nucleus of gameplay that I hope Harmonix has the opportunity to build upon. A euphoric finger dance across a fizzing, abstract space.

Luckily [the checkpointing is] never quite that bad, and the compelling narrative, stunning action setpieces and beautifully realised game world more than make up for the few shortcomings.

But its baggy middle does become more taut in The Quarry’s strong denouement; the threat and deathcount rises, the story threads come together and your decisions show their consequence. The paths you choose make for quite the spiderweb, which Supermassive lets you poke into should you wish, and it is never less than impressive to see all of those different decisions pulling together your own personal story through the game. Even if there can be some odd cuts between scenes, a skipped beat because you managed to get one of the group killed.

This is pretty much the perfect Xbox Game Pass title. Persuade some pals to download it too and you’ve got a cracking co-op shooter for zero financial risk. Solo players might find it slightly harder going but for genre aficionados, The Ascent is a salve for both the eyes and the trigger finger that will scratch your cybperunk itch until you-know-what gets its act together.

Head and robot gameplay styles mesh together in a fluid, intuitive way, and the gorgeous colourful space stations and melodramatic sci-fi synth soundtrack makes this sci-fi romp an enjoyable, surprisingly sincere tribute to the wobbly sets of old.

Virginia hit me right in the chest, the kind of game I’ve wanted to exist for years, and the first game to actually nail it in a way that I think fully takes advantage of the potential. It is the game that titles like Dear Esther, Gone Home and Firewatch have hinted at, but in a way that evolves the interactive narrative form way beyond anything we’ve seen before. It’s a game to savour and talk about for years to come, one that left me, just like the inhabitants of Kingdom, Virginia, speechless.

Battle Royale isn't the most original of games, then, but it's far more accessible than most fighters, rich in fan-service and PlayStation history, and a fun party game to boot. It may never particularly surprise or break any moulds, but it's a seriously fun, well-crafted brawler, and well worth a look, particularly for fans of the franchises it houses.

As a game in the here and now, The Forgotten Sands can feel dated, its hero outshone by glossy new kids on the block like Nathan Drake.

It is a game that is interested in one thing and one thing only: turning enemies into bloody smears and hopefully finding some new shoes. And, thankfully, it is very good at it. If you are one of those people-who-like-this-kind-of thing, of course.

An interesting, slow-burning adventure game well worth your time.

Mini Ninja’s toybox is generously and imaginatively stuffed but, unfortunately, the same can’t be said of its playground.

An all out co-op shooter that does exactly what it says on the tin. What it sets out to achieve it succeeds with style, even if these ambitions are firmly rooted in B-movie territory. Whilst this stunted ambition and some minor gameplay niggles hold it back from being truly great, this is a full throttle, adrenalin fuelled, macho-fest which is dumb, fun and full of guns.

There is still a great multiplayer shooter here, but it feels more like an expansion than a full sequel - if it wasn’t for the campaign, Hardline would be Battlefield 4’s version of Bad Company 2's Vietnam expansion - it even has the vehicle music. It just forgot to bring the personality.

A highly enjoyable game in its own right and it succeeds at being pure, rollicking entertainment. Players who are prepared to look past its derivative gameplay, will find its silly characters, ridiculous plot and even some of its technical flaws may just be part of the reason they continue playing it long after the first couple of hours have passed by.

I would like to be able to say that in the weeks and months to come, the multiplayer modes will be fuller, the niggles less prevalent. The core of Battlefield V, that raucous and spectacular shooter, suggests that the future is bright. But while those questions hang in the air, this is a game too slim and scrappy to recommend fully. In due course, that could change. But by the time Battlefield V is where it should be, will it be too late?

Undead-battling co-op survival mode Zombies – an acquired taste I’ve regrettably never managed to stomach to any degree – rounds out a solid portion of CoD that can’t quite shake the notion it’s merely providing target practice until Vanguard’s Pacific-themed Warzone map enters the fray next month. Then again, perhaps that’s actually the point.

With an excellent time-management mechanic, some great dungeon design and an emotive love story at its heart, Pandora's Tower is an action-RPG well worth checking out.

Its core template may be showing its age a little, but the overall package offers enough new content gameplay tweaks to keep the faithful happy.

Despite the fresh coat of paint they feel stuck in the past, rolled off the factory line with seemingly little question as to why they’re doing it...Pokémon fans and newbies alike will love Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl because Diamond and Pearl were great. But there’s not enough brilliance or shine here to add the lustre they deserved.

It's unlikely to make any Game of the Year lists but Dead Island 2 provides plenty of low-brow thrills.

A superb marriage of gaming tropes from various generations, it manages to carve its own path through the mire that is the modern FPS genre, and look lovely while it's at it.

Reflecting on the nature of revolutionary uprising he comes to the conclusion that everything is ultimately ok as long as you die smiling. Similarly, if that’s all you really want from an open world shooter then Far Cry 6 will not disappoint.

Despite the fresh coat of paint they feel stuck in the past, rolled off the factory line with seemingly little question as to why they’re doing it...Pokémon fans and newbies alike will love Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl because Diamond and Pearl were great. But there’s not enough brilliance or shine here to add the lustre they deserved.

This attention to detail and the recreation of a genuine park experience makes any shortcomings forgivable. When the Kinect controller (for space, light or other environmental reasons) takes a little time to get setup it's less frustrating because the end result is worth it.

Nintendo's boisterous take on our national sport is thrilling and hilarious, but doesn't offer enough options to play with.

As party games go, Kinect Sports is infectiously good fun. It's highly doubtful that this title will be enough to woo Wii owners over to the Xbox 360 on ts own. But for players who already own Microsoft's console and a Kinect sensor, it's more than worth a look.

But that focus is what makes Siege’s multiplayer so good. In a year with a glut of good competitive first-person shooters –the sci-fi fizz of Halo 5 and Star Wars Battlefront or bombastic ordnance of Battlefield Hardline and Call of Duty: Black Ops III- Rainbow Six Siege’s smart, sharp tactical nous marks it as one of the best.

It was great being given the chance to play something a little different than your more prevalent shooters involving muscle-bound marines. With the ERS system and forgiving flight controls giving an accessible edge to a niche genre, it’s an enjoyable and recommended introduction.

Mirror of Fate is an excellent entry into this new Castlevania canon. It treats its plot with as much reverence as a home console title, while capturing more of the feel of classic Castlevania than Lords of Shadow. It's an excellent companion piece to Gabriel's first adventure, and a thoughtful, well-designed handheld title in particular.

The cast of characters breathe a lot of life into The Surge’s otherwise cloying, horror-themed take on robots and cyborgs, and by the time the end credits rolled, I found I’d experienced an exceptionally interesting, exciting and satisfying narrative action game.

Video gaming is an extraordinary medium capable of so many things; transporting you to other worlds, challenging your mettle and your beliefs, telling stories and fuelling creativity. Sometimes, it lets you get together with your mates and shoot zombie Nazis in the nuts. Consider the bar raised.

Type-0 is a consistently interesting experience despite not always being one that hits the notes it's aiming for. It's an example of how wonderful games can be when they focus on a particular form of design, but simultaneously, it stands as proof that even those mainstream games labelled 'mature' struggle to provide a narrative of wider cultural value.

Tales of Zestiria is a profound disappointment, and does not deserve the time investment that huge games of this length require.

Cars 2 certainly doesn't lack personality and sheen, then, but there are some irritations that hold it back.

Nintendo's manic revival of Wii Sports could use more variety, but its lively appeal is a joy for the whole family.

Games often reach for this kind of digital dopamine hit of course, and many succeed, but the reason Mirror’s Edge is so good at it is due to developer DICE’s knack of having you inhabit the body of your avatar so fully.

Like a zombie with all its fingers cut off, State of Decay’s reach often exceeds its grasp. Despite this, it feels like a game people should play, if only for the creeping moments of brilliance.

For now, though, FIFA 21 plays a very good game and it's clear the devs have been paying attention to criticism. Headers appear to be effective once more and off the ball movement has seemingly been rebuilt from the ground up, with two new mechanics attempting to address the deficiencies of team-mate AI. The first lets you manually direct runs with a flick of the right stick. The other allows you to take direct control of a runner by pressing in both sticks at once and then timing the return pass as normal. It’s tricky to master and feels a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time but does introduce a welcome set of skill-dependent attacking options.

Ubisoft’s insistence on releasing what is, frankly, an unfinished product is inexcusable. Players falling through floors, obnoxious NPCs interrupting cutscenes, characters turned into terrifying grotesques as they are rendered without skin. All have been exposed in Unity’s litany of bugs. You could be lucky and not see any of them at all, or they could come and spoil your fun entirely.

Beyond the poor dialogue, patchwork visuals and ridiculous interface of the console version, there is an interesting adventure game buried here.

Better than we expected.

It's also the most resolutely hard-core Guitar Hero title to come off Activision's assembly line in a while; anyone can breeze through the easy setting on this game, but expert level on Warriors Of Rock turns some of the tracks into visceral finger-bleeders.

It's a game that offers few surprises then, but one that offers plenty of enjoyment. It has nowhere near the depth of Obsidian's last RPG, Fallout: New Vegas and in this case it suits.

Luis Antonio's smart timeloop starring James McAvoy is an absorbing yarn... if you can see past its frayed edges.

There's a more nuanced approach to family inclusiveness here than in most games aimed at this age group, and - perhaps helped by the confidence in the power of words that bleeds through the whole Potter universe - a touching emphasis throughout on the importance of becoming wise.

Pokémon's first fully open-world title has a lot of ideas but never quite manages to stick the landing with any of them.

The offshoot is that there are likely to be one or two sections that might rub players the wrong way. But it is exactly that manic energy that makes the return of Battletoads such a welcome treat.

A gleefully amoral riot of a game shot through with a devillish sense of humour. It's not perfect, and it's certainly not as immoral as it pretends to be, but it is consistently enjoyable throughout and more than guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

The additions are welcome, bolstering Black Flag’s excellent formula. The only thing that stops Rogue from reaching the heights of of that game is how its lack of new ideas isn’t replaced by a fresh setting.

The cats don't have the same level of interaction that the dogs have, generally just sitting around the house with general disinterest, regarding you with mild disdain and plotting world domination. Just like real cats then.

uDraw Studio isn't everything it could have been. But as a solid, entry-level art studio, it's a welcoming canvas. Ideal to encourage children to get creative without scribbling on the carpet.

On a technical level, then, Wolfenstein is a game that swings wildly in quality on an almost minute-by-minute basis, and a rather vanilla multiplayer offering doesn’t do much to quicken the pulse.

The plot can be a little vague at times, and the opening hour is fairly meandering, but Conarium is an otherwise exciting, creepy jaunt through the realm of unspeakable evil.

The cats don't have the same level of interaction that the dogs have, generally just sitting around the house with general disinterest, regarding you with mild disdain and plotting world domination. Just like real cats then.

An inventive, compelling online brawler, the likes of which you won't have experienced before. It is technical and spectacular enough that it accommodates both skilled players and those who just want to mash some buttons and watch the sparks fly.

The atmosphere is, in a word, anxious - and it’s impossible not to internalize it. Particularly when faced with Quick-Time Events (QTE) which, more often than not, lead to a horrifying death.

I ended up hooked, playing it for hours, and I'm almost certainly not done. I also made a video of myself performing brain surgery in a moving ambulance, which I can't link to in a Telegraph review because I have a mouth like a sailor.

The most disappointing aspect of WWE '12, however, is that an apparently meaty online component is completely borked.

A nearly game; good ideas and intentions scuppered by a desire to cram in as much stuff as it can. Yet despite this, Infinity still provides a lot of fun.

As good as all the new content is, however, veteran Lego game players may find hard to get away from the sensation that Lego Indiana Jones 2 is more of the same it may not appeal to anyone who feels that the core gameplay is in need of an overhaul. However, as family friendly titles go, it's hard to find fault.

Pokémon's first fully open-world title has a lot of ideas but never quite manages to stick the landing with any of them.

The cats don't have the same level of interaction that the dogs have, generally just sitting around the house with general disinterest, regarding you with mild disdain and plotting world domination. Just like real cats then.

It's all a bit laboured, a bit tedious, and it's the kind of co-op game that's more fun based on who you're playing with, than on what you're playing. It sits in this awkward middle ground between Borderlands and Left 4 Dead, never remotely matching either but never quite crossing into the territory where you should be avoiding it.

It all feels mightily uneven. For every thrilling gunfight or anecdote-worthy encounter in the wilderness are other stories of frustration or key non-player characters wandering away from the objective and getting stuck on a rock. It perhaps betrays the short turnaround since Far Cry 5, with its ideas and changes not given room to flower and make New Dawn the disruptive series experiment it could have been. But if you are willing to look past its niggles and familiarity, New Dawn still provides plenty of post-apocalyptic punch.

Days Gone is a game that is, at once, both so close and so far from being what it could have been. There are certainly things here to enjoy and sufficiently pass the time. Those dusty roads of Oregon being the most prominent, but when that world is so empty and its inhabitants so vacant, it starts to become a real challenge to care.

For now Driveclub is a distinctly mixed experience; skeletal in some aspects, but breathtakingly complete in others.

The Medium, perhaps aptly, is an interesting game of “nearly there”. It is creepy but not frightening, intriguing but not wholly engaging, clever without capitalising on it. This translates to its story, which I never lost interest in but neither was I completely hooked. The Medium goes to some dark places, touching on a slew of heavy ideas like mourning, PTSD and child abuse. It doesn’t drop the ball on these, per se, but neither does it feel equipped or committed enough to do them justice.

It's all highly unsettling, and the most important things about the game -- its mood of fumbling desperation, its clapped-out London settings, its focus on exhaustion and disempowerment -- remain startlingly unchanged after the transition in platform and the stripping of the Wii U's clever propwork.

It is a small delight, then, to be able to replay Onimusha Warlords. In truth, it is an imperfect game that thoroughly shows its age (this is an enhanced port of the 2002 original to PS4, Xbox One and Switch, rather than a full-blooded remake like the upcoming Resident Evil 2), but a singular one that reminds you of its forgotten impact.

There is every chance that in a week’s time the toy-cons we built may be languishing in a cupboard, with the thrill of creating something already over. Regardless; what a charming, rewarding and singular way to spend our time it has been.

If the combat is Andromeda’s most pleasant surprise, it is the alarming drop-off in the game’s writing that is of most concern. The dialogue, in particular, is unusually flat and laboured for a Bioware game, while Andromeda often fumbles what should be its biggest moments.

A game that keeps you strangely grounded, when it should be making you soar.

No Man’s Sky is a fundamentally simple game; one that’s flawed, slow, and where the moment-to-moment activities are sometimes even... boring. But its intoxicatingly rare attitude towards pure discovery create a game that’s captivating unlike any other.

Still, despite the inconsistencies, The Devil’s Daughter is an enjoyable thriller. Albeit one that doesn’t always know its strengths.

The problem with Unbounded is that it doesn't seem comfortable sharing its secrets with you. It's called Ridge Racer, it looks like Burnout, and anyone who has played an arcade racer will, not unreasonably, expect a certain handling model...Unbounded is not that game.

Irritations aside, there’s rarely a dull moment and a delightfully ludicrous storyline with high-camp villains frames the action nicely. As such, Bionic Commando at its best is a macho, cheeseball 80s action movie that Arnie or Sly would have been proud of.

Crackdown 2 is immense fun, but this is thanks to the fact that its core gameplay remains largely unchanged from its predecessor. In a way, the game feels more like a slightly more evolved version of the original Crackdown than a true sequel.