Mojang's famous video game series goes all action-RPG and proves a fine introduction to the world of fantasy looting.

The most notable downsides to the game are its technical wobbles, with the camera jolting out of place, the odd audio glitch and rare instances of item hotspots not appearing and requiring a restart. These are a shame -and one hopes eminently fixable in upcoming patches- but are not enough to take the shine off a smart, funny and handsome slice of classic adventuring with a modern sensibility.

As well as some smart on-field tweaks, Madden's marquee mode sees notable improvements after some notable neglect.

Erratic, smart, puerile, limited but never less than a lot of fun, Lollipop Chainsaw is something of an endearing mess. Too often its satirical tone can run into trouble, and Grasshopper's hyperactive approach to game design can infuriate as much as it impresses. But Lollipop Chainsaw's quirky edge and strong writing carries it through those shakier moments, leaving a candy-coated video game in possession of a sharp bite.

It feels like such a painstakingly created world could have hosted a more interesting and considered exploration of its themes. As it is, Wildlands is a vast, pretty and militaristic playground for friends to charge around in. And at that, you cannot deny its potency.

Even the co-op, local-only, fails to save the game from tedium. It’s a shame; aesthetically and mechanically there could’ve been something here, but there just weren’t enough ideas put in play to make Mother Russia Bleeds into anything special. Coupled with the often frustrating collision detection and the woefully poor friendly AI, Mother Russia Bleeds ends up as little more than a tedious, forgettable drudge.

It’s a mess. But a fascinating mess.

Wonderland itself, the way it changes visually and the way it changes Alice, is the game's most important feature.

I’ve had a lot of fun with it, both chipping away at Adventure Golf on the train and playing a few rounds with the kids at home. But it is forgettable for a Nintendo game, meaning it isn’t long before you move onto other things. The recently released Clap Hanz Golf on iOS, for instance, which has the kind of oomph that an arcade golf game should have. And the kind Mario Golf: Super Rush is curiously lacking.

Of course, a totally linear game is nothing without its plot, and The Whispered World doesn't disappoint in that respect. It's a relatively unique take on the 'reluctant hero saves the world' tale, with the kind of memorable ending that'll divide opinion straight down the middle.

It's a shame that Homefront's gameplay is so blunt and creatively barren, as the world Kaos has built around their (ludicrous) premise is superb.

It feels that EA Tiburon have a conundrum here as there is both too much and not enough when it comes to Madden’s modes. Persevering with stuff like The Yard and Face of the Franchise to keep the options broad is all very well, but when no aspect of the game is given full attention, everything feels undercooked.

A few tweaks are needed, but things are on the right track.

Like its cast, it can feel like an unholy jumble of disparate ideas, yet that unpredictability is one of its greatest assets. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. represents a gamble on the part of both developer and player, then, but as long you’re prepared to accept its unconventional terms, there’s a good chance it will repay you quite handsomely.

Admiration and respect is due for how N-Fusion has compressed Deus Ex into its iOS form. But as a general rule, straight replicas of traditional console and PC games on touch devices is folly. Despite the developer’s best efforts, the devices have neither the grunt nor control palette to stand up to the task, resulting in a fiddly and pared-back experience.

As much as it can come off the rails, there is something gruesomely compelling about The Callisto Protocol that drags you through its dark, blood-soaked corridors. Perhaps it is its lavishly constructed world; finding your way out of the prison onto Callisto’s snow-whipped surface has quite the effect. Perhaps, when it works, it is the primal satisfaction of the combat; a perfectly executed dodge and clobber before lobbing another zombie into a woodchipper with your gravity glove is a grisly but undeniable rush. It is unrefined and often testing, but if those raw ingredients appeal, there is some ghoulish action to savour.

Combat is fast and fluid, but it's also wearyingly repetitive, and even with the new weapons, there's a distinct lack of variety.

The learning curve makes it likely you’ll want to blast through again at least once with your flight skills finally under control. And this is when Star Fox Zero is at its best: a thrilling, fleeting and flawed joyride.

Rare have been clear about their goal of wanting players to create their own stories within Sea of Thieves, and it is safe to say they’ve succeeded. Let’s hope they can keep the ship on course.

It contains obvious missteps and a clear reliance on repeating objectives at a time when the open world genre has taken leaps forward, but for all its repetition, it never became boring. For all its barren desolation, I was never without things to do, find or see to continue my satisfying path of progression.

Much as last year, then, NBA 2K21 is a fantastic sports game wrapped in an unappealing layer of lootboxes and microtransactions.

If Brink grabs you, it'll grab you hard. Even though the lack of polish is at times a disappointment, beneath the occasional annoyance is a fantastic and refreshing shooter that offers something different to the norm. It's standing on the precipice of true brilliance.

It's not quite pumping lead into their glowing orange weak spots, but it's not far off the mark.

It's an experience like no other, if not always for the right reasons. I adored it, but I couldn't tell you in earnest that you will feel the same. But I will tell you this: you absolutely must play it. How else would you ever know?

While it may lack the grunt, confidence and sustained excitement to truly compete with the industry's big hitters, H.A.W.X 2's missile-ducking, bogey-outmanoeuvring nonsense is a rare thrill.

Another brave and ambitious effort from the consistently inventive Eden Games, then, but another flawed gem. If anything, Test Drive Unlimited 2 teaches us that it's not just the open world you create, but what you do within it that really forms its identity. A shame then, that despite coming across like the coolest guy at the party, deep down, TDU2 is still not really sure who it is.

The final twenty minutes of the game are sublime.

A brilliant game that is nonetheless difficult to recommend to everyone, then. But those with an eye for detail and a fair amount of patience will be rewarded with a deep, engaging and entirely idiosyncratic experience. Just don't go in expecting your hand to be held at any point.

As a huge series fan, I had high hopes for Maiden of Black Water. I certainly didn’t expect to find my attention drifting because the game became boring. For all its flaws in the past, the Project Zero series has never been simply dull. And yet that’s exactly what Maiden of Black Water is.

While Sniper Elite V2 is too patchy to recommend wholeheartedly, its brief flirtations with excellence and its core sniping make for an enjoyable, bloody waltz through Berlin. It won't replace Call of Duty or Battlefield, but its slower, sneakier twist on the military shooter is a welcome concept, even if it doesn't always hit the mark.

Nier is a twisting, turning journey of erratic quality. It's one of the best, worst, most broken, most perfect games I've ever played.

There’s definite worth in this spin-off, and ample evidence that Climax can deliver, but a greater sense of adventure is needed if Chronicles is to truly soar.

If the Arkham games are Christopher Nolan levels of invention and genius then Gotham Knights is hanging out down in the DC Extended Universe with Zak Snyder and Aquaman. Set your expectations accordingly and there’s enjoyable entertainment to be had.

For Avengers to entertain any thought of survival as a service game, then, there is a huge amount of work to be done. Most games in the area falter in their early days, if not necessarily to this extent, and there is the kernel of something good here, with strong combat and definable superheroes that are fun to stomp/fly/bound around with. With new heroes on the way to bolster out the roster, if Crystal Dynamics can find a way to hone the game closer to its strengths than its borrowed weaknesses, there may be hope for the Avengers yet. Otherwise the decision to compromise its otherwise solid campaign in the pursuit of all-consuming longevity could prove fatal.

I had more fun making my way up to bed in the dark after playing Thief than I did at any point during its benighted trudge across The City.

So will I be renewing my subscription this month? Probably not. But my month in Metropolis and Gotham was an extremely enjoyable one.

The film truly is a millstone around the game's neck. If this game was called Cosa Nostra or Organised Crime 101 (or something similar) it would feel like a far stronger title altogether. Its open-world game template may be well worn but The Godfather II contains some excellent ideas, and the way it integrates them through a smooth control system is admirable.

With something like Ring Fit Adventure, the variety of exercises and madcap storyline drew me back in time and time again, and in comparison Fitness Boxing 2 just feels flat. Even the budget RRP of £39.99 feels far too much to pay. Given that we’re all mostly housebound at the moment, it feels like there might have been an opportunity to do something more interesting with the concept.

A mostly good adventure, then, but not without some major foibles. There’s no doubt Battlefront 2 is better than its predecessor but we do miss some the latter’s purity – guns, for example, still feel excellent to fire, but there’s so many of them now that you feel like you’re in Call of Duty shooter territory. Amidst a forcible loot system it creates a slight sense of soullessness that could see DICE’s latest effort risks fading into the background as another decent shooter that misses its mark. This is Star Wars, though, so there’s no doubt they’ll get another shot.

If you have no interest in the anime or manga and simply want a musou game, there are better, more fleshed out options out there, but for Berserk fans it’s rich with cutscenes lifted from the latest anime, faithful to the story, and gives you a chance to hack folk apart as Guts. In other words, it’s a lot of silly, fan-pleasing fun with plenty of scope to improve in a potential sequel.

Despite its less impressive iterations over the years, the Need for Speed name has delivered some truly excellent games - from Underground’s street racing to Shift’s wannabe-simulation, all the way to Hot Pursuit’s absurd action. But rather than build upon this rich diverse history of fun, Ghost Games has sucked the fun out of a game that should epitomise the outlandishness of going really bloody fast. When you could be playing Driveclub, or Forza Horizon 2, or Project Cars, or even the beautiful and superiorly quick Forza Motorsport 6, offering a racer without speed? That’s suicide.

There are enough clever ideas here to mitigate for its shallowness.

As nice as it all looks and sounds, however, one can't help coming back to how lightweight this game is.

Strike Suit Zero isn't a game for the faint-hearted. Strike Suit Zero is tough. Really tough. And while it's this challenge that makes it such a compelling space shooter, it's the very same thing that will drive away players in hordes.

Outside the lacklustre story, I can't help but feel that some of its shortcomings are down to the ageing DS hardware that has never really excelled at producing fully functioning 3D environments.

Like its predecessors, Another Code: R might occasionally wallow in sentimentality, but that’s easy to excuse given how unafraid it is to tackle topics like loss and regret head-on, its distinctly untraditional subject matter making it feel like a breath of fresh air in an industry dominated by physical rather than emotional conflict.

It’s gorgeous, wonderfully polished and a fascinating cast of misfits drag you through a mire of gameplay foibles that make that off switch look ever so tempting. There is some fun and satisfaction to be had in the beautiful and bloody combat, too, but we wish the gameplay was lavished with as much care and attention as the presentation.

Ultimately, it lacks the action set pieces that helped to push the FPS genre to where it is today.

The film truly is a millstone around the game's neck. If this game was called Cosa Nostra or Organised Crime 101 (or something similar) it would feel like a far stronger title altogether. Its open-world game template may be well worn but The Godfather II contains some excellent ideas, and the way it integrates them through a smooth control system is admirable.

Ultimately, it lacks the action set pieces that helped to push the FPS genre to where it is today.

Polly could use a new bow.

The multiplayer is so much fun that it's almost enough to forgive the game's solo-mode shortcomings.

Nothing /quite/ works as it should, and when Simcity is built on those systems from the ground up, that’s an incredible shame. There’s so much to like, but there’s so much that will frustrate, and it’s hard to recommend you brave the many ailments.

Wheelman isn’t exactly the smartest video game out there. In fact, it’s quite possibly the dumbest game I’ve played in a long while. However, it’s wickedly self-aware of its own silliness and revels in it, leading to the kind of guilty pleasure that can only come with such a willful grasp of absurdity. And smashing things up, of course.

It weaves a miserable tale of loneliness, dehumanisation and sexual and emotional abuse. It will exhaust and upset, leaving you bereft for Renee and the thousands of women like her. Contrary to the title, there is no light here, only darkness. But that doesn’t mean it is not worth a look.

The story mode is rather short, and can comfortably be beaten within 5 hours, but the coop mode adds a considerable amount of length to the game.

There's nothing quite like EDF's insane thrills. Simple, old-school, but oh so very good at what it does, Insect Armageddon is well worth a look. As long as you don't mind a bit of ant vomit, of course.

It's a harrowing tale of ambition which far exceeds its boundaries, of broken promises and broken game mechanics.

The film truly is a millstone around the game's neck. If this game was called Cosa Nostra or Organised Crime 101 (or something similar) it would feel like a far stronger title altogether. Its open-world game template may be well worn but The Godfather II contains some excellent ideas, and the way it integrates them through a smooth control system is admirable.

As a story, it’s all deeply unsatisfying. And that’s a real shame, because a cogent narrative could have papered over some more of The Order’s cracks. As it is, that job is left to visual splendour, decent shooting and a marvellous, if squandered, setting. And, while it lasts, The Order is a game that entertains almost as much as it frustrates. But not quite enough to shake the feeling of a wasted opportunity.

As much fun as there is to be had in the multiplayer, it doesn't include any new developments or references to the game's main plot and suffers from the absence of its titular characters. The fact that the campaign only takes around five hours to compelete further fuels the sense Dog Days is an incomplete and flawed package.

The result is a game spread too thin, with a bulging selection of modes to play but none of which entirely nail their raison d'etre. In itself this feels an unwinnable decision for EA to make; bringing in new modes to innovate takes time away from developing other areas that the fans want bringing up to date. Something has to give. And perhaps this year that something has just been too much.

Due to its shortness of length, repetitive (and at times annoying) gameplay and non-existent re-play value, its hard to justify paying the full recommended retail price for it.

At its heart, Mafia 3 is a simple story of revenge, but its actors sell it to you with gusto, and the linear prologue does a great job of getting players invested. Unfortunately, as soon as you’re out in the open-world and you’re free to roam, it becomes a repetitive slog, not least because when you’re doing the same thing on repeat, it only serves to highlight the limitations of the rest of the game.

In a world where blockbuster racers like Forza Horizon 4 provide big budget mod-cons, Dangerous Driving will be too pared back for some. But for simple thrills and focussed spills, it drives right to the heart of the matter.

It’s still decent fun, though; which is the game in a nutshell. Disintegration teems with potential and it would certainly be interested to see its ideas expanded upon. But if this fun, flawed first attempt can find enough traction for the team to have another crack remains to be seen. I rather hope it does.

While Bientôt l’été may lack the potency of Tale of Tales’ best work – the subversive, disturbing The Path is this writer’s personal highlight - there’s something to be said for a game that so boldly goes against the grain.

Whether it was time constraint, requirements of the 007 license, or a developer stepping out of their comfort zone you can't shake the the feeling there's a great action game bubbling under at Bizarre, but Blood Stone isn't it, limited by a lack of variety and reliance on the tropes of its genre. But it is a well-constructed, entertaining and wholly-polished blast.

It’s good fun, though feels more like a distraction, a shiny thing waved in front of our noses to stop us noticing the proper golf sim is so bare.

Unrewarding then, but never frustrating.

We all need a Die Hard every now and then, and that’s exactly the kind of spirit Retribution evokes.

Due to its shortness of length, repetitive (and at times annoying) gameplay and non-existent re-play value, its hard to justify paying the full recommended retail price for it.

How disappointing to see such potential wasted. What a shame to see a developer so clearly uninterested in their own project. Such is the lack of invention and variety on offer, The Force Unleashed II can't help feel like a cursory cash-grab, more akin to DLC than a fully fledged retail product.

Everything added is a disappointment, and everything retained only succeeds as much as it did before. It’s not often that a sequel completely fails to build on the successes of the game that came before it, but Riptide achieves that defeat with a cynical lack of ambition.

Still, it's breezy, colourful presentation and general silliness make Kinect Adventures easy to like.

Approached with an open mind, and accepted for what it is rather than what it isn't, a guided tour of Albion proves surprisingly appealing.

Those looking for a breezy party game to show off their new machine will find a game with flaws and frustrations that cannot be ignored.

It's a decent enough game to play through, but certainly one you'll forget in a hurry. It's the kind of game perfect for a lull in gaming when there's nothing else left, and you fancy something disposable but enjoyable.

It’s a shame that its brains can not match its looks. If you want a visual tech demo to showcase your shiny new console to your mates, Ryse performs that role with some gumption. But at its core is a violent, shallow and desperately limited hackathon.

The Shoot is hard to dislike, hard to like, and hard to care about in any way.

Just don’t expect to come away with any fond memories or exciting stories to tell. You jump around collecting orbs, you shoot things and they blow up. And that’s it. But sometimes, that’s enough.

It's the overall lack of challenge and depth which proves to be the major sticking point.

Survive isn’t the lifeless husk of the Metal Gear series many thought it would be with its creator no longer running the show. When it gets its groove, it’s something very special indeed - its story, world, and freedom for exploration and creativity are all remarkable. The problem is that it'ss difficult to ignore the malingering corporate influence that has filled the gap in Kojima’s absence.

The fact that Okabu is the work of just five people is remarkable: this is an ambitious undertaking for such a small team, but there's no denying that on occasion here it feels that Hand Circus has bitten off more than it can chew.

A game we wanted to like more than we did. Its retro sci-fi concept is so appealing it initially makes it tempting to excuse some of the game's rougher edges. In the end, however, no amount of nostalgia can absolve the game of its ropy gameplay, patchy plot, substandard production, generic (and sometimes poor) level design and thin content; the campaign takes around eight hours to complete and that's the only mode on offer.

Fans of the film series may find the video game adaptation of Jigsaw's latest round of lethal morality tests diverting, but true blue console horror fans are better off waiting for something with a bit more bite.

On the whole, Splatterhouse achieves what it sets out to do, even if it is spoiled in parts by some sloppy execution and technical niggles. It's mindless, tasteless and ultimately throwaway, but as the mask often intones: "I could say I wasn't enjoying this ... but that would be a lie."

It loses a lot of the adult tone of the original, but it's far too frustrating and convoluted for kids (or all but the most patient of adults). It looks great, and there are some nice ideas, and a few great puzzles, but it's all let down by sloppy execution. Even the songs are miserably bland, which for a Disney title is especially disappointing.

Right now, despite those fabulous jetpacks, Anthem stumbles more than it soars.

Feels like a rushed Christmas pick-up after the incredible fan-service of Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8. The tennis gameplay is solid fun, and groups will certainly find some enjoyment at its core, but with a limp lack of variety and none of Nintendo’s usual personality, it’s a functional but forgettable note in Mario’s history on the court.

Limited and occasionally scrappy, Dr Kawashima may not offer the perfect medicine, but its gentle brain teasing and enjoyable body twisting means that the idea of "mathercise" perhaps isn't so scary after all.

Eventually, Bolt uses up its charm and can slip into repetition. there are a few attempts to mix things up at the climax which produce mixed results, but there's a fair chance that even young players will lose interest before the denouement. With that said, Bolt is a more than serviceable movie tie-in.

Much worse than a pipe in the face, though, is the fact that Shattered Dimensions' excellent structure also appears to have been a victim of cost-cutting.

Whilst deep down I will always carry a torch for Guitar Hero, I just can't recommend the weakest offering in the series to date.

While it has some nice ideas, Dood's Big Adventure is far too basic and scrappy to be worth your time.

There is a mission relatively early on in Redfall’s tale that draws you into the mansion of one of the town’s main antagonists. It is a creepy, looming pile creaking with atmosphere and, once inside, plays smartly with Arkane’s knack for twisted level design; shifting time and space and spinning a hair-raising tale through gameplay and artistic direction. It is brilliant and, for a moment, recalls some of Arkane’s best work. But then it’s gone, fading in the wind as you return to wrestle the so-so shooting, lacklustre looting and barrage of bugs...Rather aptly, the mission is called The House of Echoes.

These flashes of inspiration can't stop Start the Party from being an extremely fleeting experience.

Short, disappointing, and certainly not worth spending £40 on.