Still, XCOM: Enemy Within is exactly what Enemy Unknown needed. More maps, more aliens, more equipment... more content.

The perfect launch game, doing nothing new, arguably less so than current gen games but adequately showing off the new hardware - think of it as a tech demo with quick time event executions and you will not be disappointed.

Redshirt isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but those who like the balancing act and resource management that go with management sims will find this is a solid game.

The Shivah turns out to be an extremely short game, completable in between one or two hours, and this includes the time taken to see all three possible endings.

It’s hard to recommend Blood Knights when there are similar games that offer a slicker production and far greater variety.

For all of its innovative bonuses however, Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360 is beginning to show signs of age. It can be applauded for great water physics and being able to handle the frame rate of a constantly dynamic environment rather well in both single and multiplayer. However, the character models and maps are definitely looking rather blocky and dated, even at 1080p.

Online play is smooth and seamless, with your rival being picked from a pool of roughly statistically equivalent players, whether playing with real NBA or FIBA teams or your own custom fantasy myTeam.

Burial at Sea might be a challenger for the best-ever narrative-based DLC yet presented to the gaming community at large. It carries on the legacy of all Levine’s games, and Infinite’s in particular by delivering a strong story with a devastatingly stunning blow at the end.

It’s Lego, it’s Marvel, it’s pretty awesome - a must for any kid who loves The Avengers, X-Men, Spiderman, hell there is too many to name! There are still some issues that have come across from previous Lego games preventing it from being a perfect experience but its audience won’t care one little bit. Hulk smash!

Proteus is an example of a point somewhere on the outskirts of creativity, towards the backend of an ever larger golden spiral. Unfortunately, this bright spark of difference, the uniqueness and the distance from the middle doesn’t guarantee success. In this case what we have here is failure.

The game engine is superb, and it’s easy to forget you’re not playing an actual table which, all told, is the biggest compliment that we can pay Balance of the Force.

Magrunner is certainly far from perfect, with a gameplay mechanic that feels both unimaginative and restrictive, but it is a worthy addition for fans of first-person puzzle games.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut is a great adaptation of a stunning game for the Wii U hardware, making effective use of the console's distinct features.

Outside of the new social features Pokemon Y and its counterpart do largely stick to the traditional JRPG formula and mechanics that have made the series the global phenomenon it has become.

Tearaway is a game for anyone other than the douchiest dudebro, a game for anyone that is able to sit back and enjoy a game for the sheer fun of it. In many ways, it’s a game that Nintendo would be proud to have on any of their systems, and if that’s not a compliment I don’t know what is.

Games appeal in different ways to different people but they should never be tedious, and Warner Montreal have been unable to recapture the spark and essence which made the previous titles such a delight to play. As a consequence, Arkham Origins suffers from monotony - one crime which even The World’s Greatest Detective would find impossible to solve.

Shadow Warrior is an unrepentant love poem for all things 90s and plays out as a greatest hits album of the video games and buddy cop movies from that time.

There are signs of a solid JRPG in Valhalla Knights 3 but it all crumbles to inconsequence given the slog through dull, uninspired locations and cookie-cutter quests.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 is very much what its name implies, an evolution. Konami have taken off the gloves and issued a very strong challenge to EA; whether or not this will translate to actual sales is yet to be seen as this battle will be fought over the coming year.

The best Skylanders game to date and a must for all fans of the franchise, young and maybe old - apologies to the parents out there.

Worms is unashamedly old school, from its steep learning curve and high skill requirements right through to the lack of handholding and gruelling punishment of any mistake.

Fans of retro JRPGs will find a lot to like in a game that at its core is quite traditional despite the unusual atmosphere and complex gameplay mechanics.

Even if the film did do surprisingly well at the box office, you’ll easily spot the slug trails that accompany Turbo: Super Stunt Squad as it crawls its way into the bargain bin.

What you get out of Rocksmith 2014 depends heavily on how you treat it. It's important to realise that it is not a complete learning program but rather the ultimate practice tool and is best used to supplement other learning avenues, be they YouTube videos, books, or classes with a tutor.

Call of Duty: Ghosts does not tamper with the formula, fans will receive what they expect yet, with the world moving on to the next generation of consoles, many could perhaps be wanting more and Call of Duty: Ghosts is too formulaic to offer this. It is a victim of its own institution in a world that is quickly moving forwards.

In trying to encompass so many game mechanics in such a short title How To Survive ends up feeling rushed and unfinished, a perfunctory title that never manages to rise above adequacy.

Once you understand that this game, whilst centred on an elemental and molecular foundation, is really just about moving blocks until they’re in the right place - and have been put there in the correct order - you’ll be able to beat all one-hundred and forty four levels of it (these can all be unlocked from the start if desired) and suffice to say such a result would be as rewarding as getting an A+ in any school exam.

With Beyond the scope is expanded awkwardly without really refreshing the mechanics to support it. The fantastical is brought back into the fray thanks to Cage being unleashed and whilst he drives the narrative with that seed it loses the plot because of it.

With a lot of patience and commitment, this game has a lot to offer but for less-seasoned mech sim gamers, the interface and embarrassing graphics alone may be enough to put you off.

Dragon’s Crown is, without a doubt, the most ambitious, most accomplished brawler of this generation. Fans of the genre have something here that will keep them busy far into the next generation, with the game providing hundreds of hours of content for those willing to put the time in.

There is certainly potential for The Wolf Among Us to excel over the next few chapters. Core presentation and plot are firmly established, whilst the offbeat world and jaded characters provide a refreshing take on the storybook theme.

FIFA 14 pushes the franchise forward in baby steps without providing any major surprises or new “wow” features, yet is still streets ahead of the competition and a must for any footie fan.

All in all, Madden 25 is a decent, if not revolutionary sign-off for the franchise for this generation of consoles, and no doubt we’ll see it continue on the Xbox One and PS4. While it would have been nice if they’d played up the nostalgia a bit more (like they did with NHL 14), it’s a fine game of football.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag doesn’t reinvent the franchise, nor does it move the story on. Instead, it refines the best bits of III and wisely sacrifices some of the po-faced historical accuracy for an adventure with pirates.

Given the source material One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is likely to be avoided by most as they have no connection already in place and the genre is ten-a-penny on the current generation of consoles. This would be a mistake. The story is lively and full of interesting characters even if it’s basic in its plotting and execution.

I am immensely happy that I can take everything I have learnt and plug it into a simulator over the summer whilst I’m travelling around Brazil watching the World Cup. It’s simple and strips out a lot of what I’ve done and utilised this year but the raw challenge is there - to win something and develop the team.

Train Simulator 2014 is the best at what it does, and those familiar with the series will find enough here to go back for more. Newcomers, though, will find the price of admission unusually high both in the sheer volume of expensive DLC that the game will try to sell to you at every possible moment, and the investment of time the user needs before they can really begin to appreciate what this software has to offer.

Despite the adventure being needlessly padded out in between the core matches, the game remains an incredibly fun title for players of all ages.

Once the intermittent connection kinks have been ironed out, and with Rockstar promising regular additional content, this one could run and run. If you've finished the main game you might think you're done with Los Santos, but Los Santos isn't done with you.

The atmosphere and mystery the developers were going for has been perfectly captured but the execution feels too haphazard. This most recent chapters feels almost like a throwaway after the ambition set forth at the beginning.

Puppeteer receives a standing ovation for its visual originality and everyone working behind the scenes should come to the front stage and certainly take a bow.

All we can say is that if you enjoyed The Walking Dead then you really owe it to yourself to check this out. While that game is a lot more polished and certainly more emotionally involving, Cognition doesn't fall too far short and certainly has much more impressive puzzle design.

F1 fans may lap it up, but for non-aficionados the series remains as niche as ever. For something a little more accessible from their driving stable, GRID 2 may be a better alternative.

It should be enough to accept that Lone Survivor is a game that rewards players who invest time and, more importantly, attention into it, and however you decide to run through it you should have a disturbingly confused hoot.

It all comes down to your affinity for JRPGs, but credit falls to Atlus for offering curious newbies that helping hand, a hand that has the strength and power to pull you into the world and become entranced.

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.

The Walking Dead on the Vita is still the same fantastic game it was before; the story still resonates, you still form emotional connections with the characters and you still have the same pangs of horrific doubt over each and every choice the game puts in front of you.

Marlow Briggs isn’t perfect but for all its faults it is important to always keep things in perspective.

It’s taken them long enough, but the Atelier series is finally entering a space where you would be happy to recommend them to any RPG-loving friend, rather than leave them to that one guy we all know who only plays games with suspiciously young and underclad heroines.

It’s big, bold and a bit silly at times but for a silky action adventure that will give you more than you put in then you shouldn’t look much further.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is the definitive version of the GameCube classic.

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.

Arguably the culmination of Rockstar’s work so far, GTA V incorporates the best of their back catalogue; the car handling from Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the vast fauna-populated scrublands from Red Dead Redemption, and the gunplay and bullet time from Max Payne, folding them in to form an experience unparalleled in variety.

Even if you already own its PC brother there is something incredibly refreshing and revitalising about playing the game offline with friends, each with a controller, together on the same screen.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn plays it safe, never straying far from the MMO formula.

Two positive things to take away from everything is that it is arguably the best game Spark have ever produced and is not as bad as Aliens Colonial Marines.

This is not a bad offering by any means but just doesn’t feel as if as much care has been put into it as before. There’s still a lot of fun here with the reveals and the alternate perspective time jump serving as a welcome surprise. Here's hoping that the designers are keeping the best stuff held back and that the final chapter will live up to the promise set by the first.

Although Outlast’s probably not a game you’ll revisit once completed, it’s certainly somewhere you’ll remember for a while to come.

Narco Terror is a surprisingly fun little throwback title that makes no apologies for its exaggerated action and ridiculous plot line.

The PS Vita execution is as wonderful a game as it has always been - despite some ramerate issues when certain events are triggered or areas entered - but is more at home given the way it plays and the fact it nags at you every moment you’re not playing it - which is reduced if you can take it with you wherever you go.

Overkill Software have nearly perfected this wonderful recipe and they are definitely on track to creating something exceptional.

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.

Without gaming staples, every part of the design must be exceptional to keep the attention of the player and while Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs succeeds in many ways, its bloated story and linear, repetitive, environmental design hold this experiment back from being a screaming success.

What we are left with is a dull, broken button-masher of a campaign, a risible, barely playable multiplayer game, and a couch co-op which puts most players on a level playing field with Mr. Magoo.

The Wonderful 101 is an incredibly enjoyable game, despite the initially daunting control system. The nonsensical story, funny characters and intense action all come together to create an excellent romp. While the controls do hiccup on occasion and some later sections do drag on a little it still remains a uniquely enjoyable action title, and one of the strongest exclusives currently available for the Wii U.

Saints Row 4 does a fantastic job of moulding adult content with good old fashioned fun. Whilst not at all perfect, it is a game loaded with content, is easy to pick up and play with enough 80’s tunes to keep you smiling and playing for many many hours.

Spectacular visuals, weighty gunplay and a great single player campaign that is complemented perfectly by what we have seen of the multiplayer all combine to provide the triple-A title that the gaming commentariat have been clamouring for.

Fans of JRPGs will find enough to satiate their Tales craving and others would be wise to take a look into the world as well.

Rome II is a testament to all that is great about PC gaming and should be a must buy for all its followers.

All told though, once you get past the initial baptism of fire Charlie Murder still has lots to recommend it. With the addition of two further playthroughs of increasing difficulty available once you complete it, there’s plenty of longevity in the game. Whether you’ll want to do it solo is another matter though. Grab some friends and turn the dial up to eleven - it will make for a far better experience.

As a pure puzzler though Open Me! delivers and if you like a good head scratch then you could do far worse than trying to poke your way through this set of boxes.

Even if you are actually a fan of the blue creatures, or have a child who is, buying this will not provide one ounce of pleasure for even a slight period of time.

For gamers young, old, and every type in between Rayman Legends is heartily recommended.

Killer is Dead isn’t a game for everyone, much like any other Suda51 or Grasshopper title. The visual style, surreal story and odd sense of humour that runs through the entirety of the game make it more than worth playing through for fans of the Japanese developer, although those who have been left unimpressed with his previous output probably aren’t going to find this to their liking.

DuckTales: Remastered is a renovated and revitalised golden child which when all is said and done shows its age regardless of the effort imparted to hide such truths.

Pikmin 3 is the game that should have launched the Wii U. Its combination of calming atmosphere and strategic gameplay create a unique and mesmerising experience while it lasts. While it may be over too soon for some players it still remains by far the best first party game currently available for Nintendo’s latest system.

Lego Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey doesn’t add a new dimension onto the how Lego games work and doesn’t immediately stand out amongst the heavy hitters such as Lego Batman or Lego Star Wars, but that doesn’t make it any less of an enjoyable platformer.

Overall taking into account the target audience, Disney Planes still feels rushed and lightweight.

Lacking any polish, challenge or interesting story the game doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t already been done many times before and far better.

It would be hard not to recommend Teleglitch: Die More Edition because of the completeness of both its vision and its conceit. However, I would preface this recommendation with a warning that this is not for the faint of heart or those prone to rage quits. You will be rewarded for your time spent here, what you have is a masochistic delayed gratification but truth be told, isn’t that the best kind?

This is a long established cult series which is not especially out to win over new fans, but having not been introduced to it before this reviewer found it fun and bizarrely informative, despite being light on gameplay complexity and rather heavy on spectacle.

As is befitting, Stealth Inc.: A Clone in the Dark snuck up on gamers and took everyone by surprise. With so many inspirations there’s bound to be something that most will relate to, be it a belittlingly wry attitude, spatial logic puzzles or simply Sam Fisher’s goggles (minus a lens). Try it, buy it and you’ll experience a charming puzzler that hides everything but its devious charm.

Superfrog HD might be a little too niche, not quite providing the nostalgic hit that other Amiga titles could have done, but as his old rivals still face stiff competition from the emerging smartphone market, making the jump to PlayStation might have been the most heroic move this little amphibian has ever made.

Let’s leave it with Jake’s own words, spoken as if holding up a mirror to his own life: “Swear to god - I’d rather be polishing boots than sit through this crap.”

New Super Luigi U offers a far greater challenge than any of the previous entries in the New Super Mario Bros. series but little else new beyond the altered physics.

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.

Easily the longest of the DLC released to date, Dragon Keep clocks in at a cool twelve to fifteen hours, possibly even more if you are the kind of player that explores every last nook and cranny of the map. Providing excellent value for money and to date the best reason to go back to Pandora, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is a must for anyone remotely interested in going back to Borderlands 2.

Brothers is nothing short of a triumph, glowing brightly in the embers of the dying fire of this console generation and reminding us all why we started playing games in the first place.

Despite a few flaws, it’s easy to recommend Expeditions: Conquistador for a number of reasons - the storyline, the strategic battles, the exploration and levelling. As an example of any one genre it’s hard to pin down, as it (generally) succeeds in trying lots of things and combining them into a fun and challenging experience. The result is a rewarding and nuanced game with few peers.

For the Kickstarter fans, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded stands proud and tall as a shining example of a completed crowdfunding project and perhaps as a history lesson for newcomers. For everyone else, it’s all a bit limp, really.

The Raven is off to a very promising start. It has a lot of charm and feels somewhat quaint. The slow pace may be off-putting to adventure gamers more used to the old LucasArts' style, but give it a chance and it quickly becomes engaging. It has one of the strongest musical scores to appear in an adventure for quite some time and its cinematic presentation makes it more dynamic that you may expect.

With an initial Campaign that clocks in at around ten hours plus a secondary campaign, and almost unlimited online replay value thanks to the superb Sealed Play (which itself has a third single-player campaign), there are dozens of hours of card-battling fun available in Magic 2014.

What Brave New World does is complete Civilization V. The game was never really all there and it’s taken nearly three years to make it all the way.

Rather than the suave, impressive chat-up line it could so easily have been, Time and Eternity instead sashays up to feminism and blurts ‘I like your boobs’ like Seth Rogen’s menacing delivery in Donnie Darko. It could be a misjudged line but it’s not attractive and it’s not funny. It’s just plain creepy.

While it may not have a single mechanic that changes the way you feel about the game, such as Braid’s time manipulation or Fez’s 2D/3D dimensionality, it gets the basics of a logical puzzle platformer down perfectly, succeeding on many levels.

Unfortunately Mickey’s reputation as a gaming character takes a battering from this version of an already poor game, one which does nothing different and better than what already existed. Indeed the developers should probably have not bothered. If you’ve already had the misfortune to experience this tale on home console there is no way you would want to come back and no reason to do so. If you haven’t, it’s still not going to bring you any joy. We did have high hopes for Mickey’s gaming career but that hope does not survive even five minutes into this title.

It’s surely missing some of the finer details from the PC and console versions, but now thanks to 2K and Firaxis, we can save mankind from alien annihilation, even when on the toilet.

Rush Bros has some good ideas behind it, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired; for a game that claims to be a blend of two genres, there’s surprisingly little content from either.