A flawed episode, but one which is finally getting the series back on track. At this stage though, we have to wonder whether it’s too little, too late.

Max The Curse of Brotherhood is a mixed bag. It looks fantastic, it can be fun, even exhilarating plus some of the puzzles are totally wicked (in a good way). Sadly though it is unable to be anymore than something reasonably priced to play on your Xbox One over Christmas if you have completed your Xbox One back catalogue from launch day.

While the underlying game is still fantastic, the Switch port of Cities: Skylines is plagued with poor performance and finicky controls. If this is the only version available to you then it may well be worth a look, otherwise you'd be better off elsewhere.

Awkward controls and an uninspiring score thankfully don't sink a game with an intriguing story and well-designed puzzles.

Might & Magic X - Legacy has the potential to be a fantastic and challenging party-based RPG in the style of old games from the genre. It is more focused on exploration and combat than it is on story. There are some weak presentation issues that hold it back a little and unfortunately, intolerable performance issues that are a fatal blow.

Ultimately though, Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters remains something of a niche oddity, a nicely presented and slick release which doesn't really offer strategy fans and visual novel enthusiasts anything of substance - much like the spirits you’re sent to exorcise, it seems mostly confused and doesn’t really do enough to justify its existence in this world.

So there we have it, a Battlefield game with weak single player and solid if underwhelming multiplayer - absolutely no one saw this coming.

Despite numerous issues, House Flipper is a slow burn that will frustrate and comfort you, making it a decent game to add to your Switch collection.

A solid, charming, cute little football management game just don’t expect a deep strategic simulator.

The Doctor Who fan in me loved his time with this title. From a non-Who fan, video game standpoint though, its negatives weigh heavy on the overall experience. Its short, too easy and sometimes cumbersome. If your a Who fan though you will love parts of it, as I did. Maybe wait for the title to go on sale.

Someone far more astute than I pointed out that the game feels like a Facebook game and it was at that moment that everything that is wrong with SimCity clicked into place. The always online requirement, the pleasantness, the restrictions, the simplicity, the overwhelming emphasis on community over the individual. SimCity is a game that seems ripe for the casual social networking infrastructure, but has instead found itself unfortunately released onto the mainstream market.

Might & Magic: Chess Royale is an excellent game for passing small bits of time, though the lack of depth makes it feel stale over time. Nothing revolutionary has been added to either genre here. Regardless, if proper updates persist, this could be an excellent addition to the autobattler genre.

Siegecraft Commander is an interesting attempt at creating something different and new and for that Blowfish Studios should be commended. It’s unfortunate that, in the end, they’ve created something which doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Throw in other common Lego issues, such as an extremely boring hub sidegame based on combat (why isn’t there an option to play a randomised ‘Return to Sender’ score attack? Or anything additional to do with the vehicles?) and you have to count Lego Ninjago: Nindroids very much as a missed opportunity.

If you're looking for a quick game to blast away five minutes you could do a lot worse than Shooting Stars!

A wonderfully animated but disappointingly short adventure, which nevertheless points to a promising future for its creators.

Sniping fans who are done with the recent Sniper Elite V2 and crave more sharpshooting action will probably get some mileage out of this budget title, but lowering the scope reveals a game that could have used a little more polish and attention before release.

Tokyo 42, despite its faults, is a fun game to play but ultimately feels like a massive missed opportunity.

A number of features aim for the stars (sorry) but don’t always reach the target. So if you’re risk averse and want to settle into something mainstream, you’d best look elsewhere as you’re likely to see the rough edges instead of the potential for growth.

It’s just a shame that a promising start has once again been squandered at the penultimate point, leaving a great deal of damage control to be done in the finale.

An enjoyable collection of mechanics that are let down by the repetitive nature inherent in the game itself. If you enjoy the first couple of levels then you could play for years but if you don't find it the most riveting thing ever it will probably lose you long before the campaign is done.

Ultimately though, Smoke and Mirrors is a short but engaging chapter, hindered by some odd decisions around the choice mechanics but bolstered by a deeper look into Bigby’s heart, for better or worse.

It feels like there’s a very good game inside Divinity: Original Sin, but it’s hidden away behind a thousand glitches and gameplay problems.

Unlike most driving games, Dakar 18 is not an intense and action-packed experience, but a slow and more mindful fare. Its divergence from typical driving games may put off a lot of players, but the unique mechanics and beautiful world more than make up for this. Hopefully future Dakar games will capitalise on its highlights and eliminate its many problems.

Sanctum 2 is a jack of some trades, and while it doesn't master them it makes them a lot of fun.

Terrifying visuals are undermined by choppy controls and a frustrating use of procedurally generated levels. Monstrum could have been a terrifying horror experience, instead it became a boring one.

It’s a fun and well-designed strategy game while it lasts, but there’s not enough content for it to have any kind of longevity.

Even though Raging Justice doesn't reinvent the wheel, it does the job in fun way that I feel is definite value for money. Pick your preferred mode and have at it.

Ever Forward is a satisfying and pretty puzzle game, with a compelling narrative. However it suffers with being a bit too frustrating at times when the precision required is made difficult with clunky controls.

Spuds Unleashed was not a bad game, in fact, I grew to somewhat enjoy it. I just feel it took too long to get to grips with the controls and the aiming was sometimes too inaccurate to be enjoyable. If you persevere you can get over this issue, I just feel most people will be put off well before then.

A huge step in the right direction but is a tough on newcomers who may be put off by its complexity.

The two-three hours spent with this third and closing episode in the mini-series offshoot from the third game proper, and the similar amount of time spent playing the first and second episodes, has been well spent when in the moment. That is it’s been intriguing and different enough to warrant playing and if you chose to do so you’d find yourself moving onwards pretty quickly to get to the next bit.

A disappointing end to a series with promise, Game of Thrones needs likable characters to engage emotion.

2Dark’s call back to old 90s horror games is nostalgic, though it comes with all the issues of the games from that era. There are certain expectations from modern games for mechanics and controls to feel intuitive and goals to be well communicated. The interface quickly becomes unmanageable as the inventory balloons and invades the main game space. Having full access to your inventory and combining weapons on the go sounds like a clever concept. That is until you’re in the throes of gameplay and the thing you need is indistinguishable from the junk you have collected. The overall game experience suffers due to this, but if you’re fond of 90s horror games like Alone in the Dark and the original Resident Evil, then you’re likely in for a treat with 2Dark.

I enjoyed playing Worm Jazz, but it's not a game I'm eager to return to. It has some fun levels but it's lacking in variety. If you want a fun, laid-back puzzle game it's not bad at all but, unlike some worms, I wasn't hooked.

It might not scale the lofty heights of its illustrious predecessors, but it’s got some fresh ideas and is certainly worth a look if bossing units around is your bread and butter.

Attractive visuals and level variety could not quite make up for the technical difficulties present in Fin and the Ancient Mystery. However, given the approachable price point and mild replayability, this game might be worth a quick playthrough for fans of platforming games, assuming depth is not part of your gaming pursuits.

For those who’ve played the original version, the update has nothing new to offer except for a slight spit-and-polish and a few extra lacklustre missions.

The sight gags and deadpanning from the crew are nowhere to be found, leaving the burden of engagement squarely on the shoulders of a featherweight story which simply does not do enough to carry it. As such, the next episode will prove to be pivotal — both in terms of shaping the series’ arc, and in confirming whether this spin-off was worth Telltale’s investment in the first place.

Ciel Fledge is a conceptually great game that suffers from overwhelming tedium knocking down an enjoyable story.

At moments a beautiful depiction of the struggles of mental health, but a greater progression should have been felt throughout.

The Crimewave Edition does too little to Payday 2 to make it a really worthwhile update.

Despite its classic metaphoric coming of age storyline, despite its lovingly drawn backgrounds that seem to have sprung to life from the pages of children’s stories and despite the innocuous language and childish humour, the incongruous nature of the frustrating puzzles will thwart children unfamiliar with the ancient lore of point and click adventures.

Exposition-heavy, yet light on actual plot development, In Sheep’s Clothing is perhaps the weakest episode of The Wolf Among Us to date.

Hardboiled and undercooked, the story and tone of Milanoir are dead on target, but the shooting doesn't quite hold up against the tough difficulty.

Hard Reset was a great game when it was first released in 2011. The Redux edition has a graphics overhaul and a story pacing rebalance it still retains the gameplay of the original. While that was great five years ago when old-school shooters were in decline, Hard Reset now feels somewhat dated.

Whether or not The Elder Scrolls Online is for you depends on what you are looking for. It is not a conversion of the single player series that many might have hoped for.

The loading times and frequency that the game needs to load is immediately and consistently depressing too and for these reasons it all becomes hard to recommend. The thing is though does that really matter? Probably not because you know, it’s for kids.

It’s certainly not a joke game, and the writing quality does elevate it for those who have an appreciation of the material that is being targeted, but the whole combat mechanic becomes so tiresome so quickly that you can’t help but wish the game could have been shorter, the story more focused, instead of the more positive elements of the game losing some of their sheen from hiding behind the rest of it.

In conclusion, The Infectiousness Madness of Doctor Dekker is an admirable attempt at a niche horror title, marred only by the U.I. of the particular version I played. I’m already invested in their next game, I’ll just make sure I pick that up on the Switch.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is a game that tries to take the best of both new and old Castlevania but ultimately comes up short all round.

Team 17 took a simple idea, blowing up enemy worms named after your mates with an arsenal of ridiculous weaponry, and turned it into one of the most iconic and fun memories in gaming. But that was 1995 and here we are in 2014 realising that not much has changed in nearly two decades.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China is sadly a bit of a let down. Gorgeous to look at, fiddly to control and a tad dull to experience, this is yet another AC iteration that falls flat. A bold idea, poorly executed.

The Padre has so much potential but sadly it fails to deliver on most of the aspects I was really looking forward to. With uninteresting gameplay and clunky controls it's fairly difficult for me to recommend this game as a survival horror. If you go into this expecting a witty adventure, you may enjoy it more.

In the end, Magicka 2 almost feels like two different games. If you choose to play through the game on your own, you will regularly become frustrated at the game’s control scheme, its random difficulty spikes and overwhelming and unfair nature. On the other hand, if you team up with friends, you’ll get a far more enjoyable experience that doesn’t fix all the game’s problems, but does make them easier to deal with.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine could have had deep mythology building for 1930s Americana, but instead it offers only enough to get you intrigued before forcing you back into the grind-laden, story-gathering crawl the rest of the game is.

An odd beast, one which seems unsure whether it’s trying to be a genuine throwback, or ironically retro; the graphics and gameplay indicate the former, but its difficulty level and tone suggest the latter.

Chaos Theory has two big things going for it, the character of Max and its final cutscene. If it wasn’t for these two factors, our time of enjoying Life Is Strange may have been up. Its gameplay has become rather tedious and the lack of elaboration in Max’s time travelling usage is a severe let-down.

Ambitious in both scale and scope but sadly is just too much for the console hardware it will be mostly played on.

Guardian of Gotham is an improvement on the banal Episode 3 then, but is not without its share of technical and narrative faults. The caped one has an uphill battle ahead of him before the year is out.

Some missing features, specifically the ability to speed up time, holds Cities: Skylines back but it's still a competent city builder.

The best thing to say about The Evil Within is that it is a good survival game with some decent mechanics, the worst thing I can say is that it is a poor horror game that doesn’t live up to its design or the talent of the director.

A finale as uneven as the series itself; a few highlights and more meaningful outcomes to earlier choices are offset by Telltale’s usual problems of pacing and gameplay mechanics.

A beautifully crafted game on the surface but is ultimately crippled by its core gameplay mechanics and short length.

A wry hacking adventure, marred by a few unfortunate design choices.

The Novelist still remains an interesting experiment that you will find yourself getting caught up in. Playing as an outsider to the family gives you a significant amount of objectivity but also prevents you from ever really connecting.

All in all, despite the by-the-numbers approach that Compile Heart has to its stories, and it's penchant for lacklustre world design, it's the little details that honestly make Fairy Fencer F : Advent Dark Force an enjoyable experience. Even with shallow, predictable characters, they do have genuine-feeling interactions behind all the clichés. These walking anime stereotypes end up being quite endearing, if you can get over the initial first impressions that each one gives. Unfortunately all of these aren't enough to redeem the game quite sufficiently to make it a hit; the repetitive nature of the dungeons can get incredibly tedious very quickly, turning what could have been a fun time into a dull slog.

At a couple of quid less we’d suggest that most people think about giving it a punt (or, indeed, a jab?) but for now this will probably remain in the quite small ‘passionate about boxing, owns a Vita’ niche.

A fun game with surprising depth to its strategy elements. However, the heavy focus on fan service may leave players feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

Rain is an interesting but failed experiment. The single mechanic that renders everything invisible when in shelter from the rain is clever and quite endearing, and the way it is implemented creates a unique stealth-driven puzzle game. Yet the game consistently fails to consider its audience. The puzzles and narrative are too simplistic for adults, yet the environment and control mechanics too dull and confusing for children, so it is unclear who the developers are targeting.

While I enjoyed most of my time playing 60 Seconds I do wish the gameplay was a bit more varied. it does get a bit samey after a few runs so it is best to play in short bursts. It is entertaining though and will not break the bank.

If you’re desperate for some Warhammer strategy then this may do you, otherwise you’d be best to look elsewhere.

A romp through a cursed forest playing as a cute little critter. It’s not doing anything groundbreaking or new by any means, but what’s here is worthwhile for a palette cleanser between other platformers.

Samsara invites the player into a shadowy and magical world of block-building puzzles. The gameplay experience falls down on its lack of detail, often leading to a lack of motivation to carry on into the depths of the game. However, the intricate solutions that can be achieved make the game time worthwhile, with play best reserved for a level or two in a spare few moments or a morning commute.

Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Video Game is an enjoyable representation of Supercross, but doesn't quite reach the levels previously expected.

Hungry Giraffe is an addictive, colourful game that will provide some entertainment for those looking for a quick gaming fix, rather than settling in for an epic story-driven HD experience. However, the novelty factor won’t last long with both the gameplay and the game’s quirky nature becoming repetitive and frustrating fairly quickly.

Constructor Plus is as frantic and fun as the original entry ever was, but a mixed approach to upgrading aged visuals and sound effects combine with an outdated user interface and strict gameplay progression to hold the game back, leaving it feeling like an expansion to Constructor rather than the sequel claims to be. Fans will find more to enjoy, but Constructor's anachronisms are likely to give newcomers pause for thought.

Technical difficulties sadly sabotage what could otherwise have been an enjoyable medieval management sim. Perhaps future patches will soften up these rough edges.

The key problem with the expansion is that Saints Row has now become impossible to one up, even by its makers, due in no small part to the fact that it went off the scale bonkers in the main Saints Row IV adventure. Mix this in with the fact that the port is poor, bordering on shoddy, and you are left with a game that looks last gen, plays last gen and offers very little in the way of new content.

By the end it feels as though Re;Birth2 has taken two steps forward and then two steps back.

Despite a beautiful lick of paint, and some much-needed gameplay improvements, Assassin's Creed III Remastered still suffers from the same issues that dogged the original back in 2012.

If you’re looking for Vita Ninja Gaiden then pick up the first Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. It’s a much more solid purchase.

Blacksad: Under the Skin has a pleasantly engaging story and fine, if somewhat repetitive, game play mechanics. Unfortunately, the end result just did not seem to be a finished product. Significant patch work will be needed to do justice to the story.

Simple but stylish, Dawn of New Riders is nothing new but a lot of fun, especially for fans of the series.

Supercross is by no means a bad game, but I would have a hard time recommending it to someone that isn't already a fan of motocross in general, or the supercross series in particular. If your patient, you'll be rewarded with a solid dirtbike racing sim, but the average racing game fan likely won't have the patience to tolerate the game's shortcomings.

Mario is back for some more sporting fun and if you can find him some pals the potential value and fun are endless. If not? Your mileage will be limited.

Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey has all the hallmarks of a well acted and mysterious adventure game but is held back terribly by a lack of polished design and a glut of technical shortcomings. Giving no hint of what can be interacted with until you've moved your painfully slow avatar close by leads to a lot of slow wandering around, while attempts at combat gameplay fall flat and take time and momentum from the building narrative.

A dark, challenging stealth game undermined by an unimaginative and rambling story littered with crude gags and lazy pop culture references.

While not a bad game by any means, Damsel seems to lack polish and direction. With a mediocre story and overly cluttered environments, it struggles to find its footing as either a story-rich game or speedrunning twitch fest. If one direction was chosen, the potential seen here could certainly be reached.

The sad truth is that while the trilogy is more than playable on the Vita this collection is not the definitive version, and if you have the choice and the inclination you would be far better off playing these on the PS3.

Knack, like its namesake, is something constructed of relics – from the basic gameplay to the poor characterisation, nearly everything feels like something from two console generations ago.

The result is that this latest offering is perfectly serviceable but more than a little bland.

Like a fleeting target ducking in and out of the crosshairs, much of the fun in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is obscured by off-putting technical faults and uninspired gameplay.

There’s a lot of content here, with a sprawling campaign and varied multiplayer modes, but ultimately it’s not worth the slog of what amounts mostly to tedious battles and glorified fetch quests.

In many ways Monster Monpiece is a game that shouldn’t have even been made, let alone ported over here. Everything from the most ridiculous fan service ever through to the repeating in-battle chibi characters screams niche, and it’s not a good niche either.

Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders is not a remaster or remake, in fact it’s barely a port. Whilst the scale of the game makes it fun in places, it looks and feels incredibly dated, and you’ll lose a lot of that fun if you’re wedded to mouse and keyboard. It’s an old game, presented warts and all: if bad camera controls, dodgy voice acting and uninspiring storylines are going to put you off, then keep away. On the other hand the game is quite cheap, and it remains the gold standard for a genre that never really got the attention it deserves. If you’re a fan of the original it’s likely a must-buy, for everyone else I’d temper your expectations accordingly.

Favouring narrative and visuals, Degrees of Separation is a game that you'll either love or hate - with a decent range of puzzles and an almost frustratingly broad set of environments to be explored.

Largely forgettable, Alien Rage never really punches above its weight even though you’re willing it to. It struggles to get going and in the rare instances things start to look up, you're stopped in your tracks by stability issues, impossible odds or sheer frustration. A lack of innovative features fail to set it apart as a shooter, let alone recall the nostalgia of classic shooter games it claims to evoke.