Incredibly simple to pick up and play, but with the potential for plenty of tactical approaches, Videoball is a great multiplayer game and I’d love to see it hit the esports scene in a big way.

Xbox One owners will be super pleased –– thanks to Bethesda’s ongoing mod support since the release of Fallout 4, you’ll get access to over 200 mods at the time of writing. PS4 players aren’t so fortunate, and will likely be disappointed by the paltry number choose from –– Sony’s 1GB limit on mod files means that the mods themselves are limited to more cosmetic changes that don’t nearly explore the vast potential that a community driven bank of content provides.

Essential for those who haven’t experienced Butcher Bay, it’s also well worth a repeat visit for those familiar with the hulking prison. The new campaign, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same velocity or finesse but at its best, will still be one of the smartest, and most satisfying, games you’ll play this year.

It’s easy to recommend the game because all the RPG elements and Towers of Time nonsense aside, it is a fantastic fighter at heart, albeit one that teases how it could’ve been better still.

You can only review what is in front of you. And currently, PES 2020 seems out of form.

No doubt there is a lot more that could be done with a mixed martial arts game and, as a biennial release, you wonder if UFC 4 could have moved the needle a bit further on for the genre. Perhaps EA could do with a new contender to keep it on its toes, not so much undisputed as unchallenged. But for all its faults, where it matters most - in the octagon- UFC is a genuine thrill.

This is a game best enjoyed in short bursts, or in the multiplayer. At its best, it's an intoxicating cocktail of high-speed thrills and explosive action. It may feel slightly shallow after several hours of play, but give it a brief window of your time and you're looking at some of the most intense and gleefully maniacal racing available.

Disappointing too is the roster of worlds you visit, and the lack of exploration in each.

What a pleasure it is to find a video game with such warmth and fascination with companionship. And what a joy it is for it to be found in a game with such an elegant sense of exploration. Some of its technical quirks cannot be ignored -errant frame-rates and inept camerawork especially- and some may find Trico’s capriciousness anathema to seamless adventure. But that is also what makes him and The Last Guardian so remarkable. Things that any animal lover can relate to - it is beautiful, heartfelt, unique and infuriating. And I adore it.

There's no doubt that Konami need to rip out the entire front end of PES for essential modernisation, but the best menu system and career mode in the world mean nothing without a fabulous game of football at its heart. That's what Konami have focused on this year, getting it right on the pitch. That focus and a new-found determination to not be left behind is stamped all over PES 2013, an excellent and long-overdue return to form.

A great little racer with some excellent track design and a pretty unique feel to its racing. It's just a shame it's a tiny bit too punishing in places, with a multiplayer that doesn't quite match up to its single player.

Those who don't check their preconceptions at the door are missing the point. Novices and veterans be warned; Final Fantasy XIII demands your complete and utter surrender. Those willing to comply will be rewarded with a unique and compelling gaming experience accompanied by visuals that can only be described as completely out of this world.

One could still wish for a better story, for more choice and consequence in your actions or for an end to the nagging collect-em-up nature of the Ubiworld. But for sheer daft mayhem, this is now the action game to beat.

Newcomers should be aware that some of Resident Evil’s old-fashioned style can frustrate, but it is still a creepy, involving slice of bona fide video game history.

It's a rollicking adventure and a story well-told, held back by limited mechanics.

Purists and veterans will probably dismiss Halo Wars due to its lack of depth, but Halo fans and the uninitiated should jump right in. It's probably the strongest RTS game that's ever been released for a console, and as an entry point into the genre, it's pretty much unbeatable.

It’s a superior game to Conviction, but it won’t be held in the regard as the original Splinter Cell or Chaos Theory. It’s spread too thin and too focussed on trying to cater to everybody than exploiting what it’s best at.

In Local and Private lobbies, Tekken 7 is almost perfect, but comes short of greatness when it comes to looking at the full package, which is a frustrating disappointment.

Last Light is the rare shooter that lingers with you once you’re done with it.

Catherine will mean different things to different people, a game that runs far deeper than its titillating surface might suggest. And the journey to finding out what it means to you is certainly one worth taking.

FIFA 15’s biggest changes are cosmetic, and that will is absent. FIFA 15 plays, more than any other recent FIFA sequel, largely the same.

Once hits its stride, Saints Row IV is a pleasure to try and keep up with. Its relentless insanity will occasionally tire, but its in these moments you can appreciate the smarter elements. Despite everything, this is a more mature game than its predecessors.

This is a fizzy, exciting brawler that’s easy to pick up and even easier to like, all bolstered by an authentic and reverent adaption of the DC Universe.

Nidhogg is a game that is messy and finely tuned, at the same time. It’s certainly niche, definitely esoteric, but for those that it does tickle, (especially those who have a friend to play with in real, physical space), it’s the kind of experience that is unlike anything I can think of, and since first coming across it years ago, has been talked about with a sense of wistful nostalgia by anyone I know who’s played it. And that’s got to be worth something.

It’s slightly too short, a bit technically ropey in places, and extremely heavily front-loaded with some very dense lore, but once you work your way through the initial overwhelming lack of direction, what you’ll find is an exceptionally rewarding RPG filled with deep systems, a ton of genuine replay value, and a lot of love and care.

15 feels like a significant step forward. Not only in terms of mechanics, but in terms of improving players knowledge and skill at the game through finesse and feedback.

If you're willing to foot the bill then the sheer amount of new content on display is sure to make this a reunion to remember.

It is probably best summed up by a battle with a beast in the game’s denouement: a suffocating struggle in the dark, punctuated by fierce assaults on the senses that goes on for ten minutes too long, losing its lustre in the process. By turns thrilling, terrifying, thoughtful, thoughtless and tedious. A strange game indeed.