A hell of a lot of game for your money and for the most part a ton of fun, sadly it outstays its welcome leading to total fatigue as you enter the overly long unnecessary home stretch.

While swinging around a humming nanosword never gets old, Songbringer's aimlessness prevents the party from really getting started.

A vast and rich world with a too-thin story and enough bugs to ruin any immersion.

This episode treats us to a unique variation on some classics characters which adds some narrative flare. Yet it falls short where it counts with the moment-to-moment gameplay.

A brutal, chaotic top-down shooter that offers great focused gameplay but little else.

Not for everyone but if you can see past its issues, herein lies a phenomenal old school RPG.

With FIFA 18 you will have the most fun games of football and the most infuriating; you’ll find plenty to do but perhaps only do one of those things. You’ll enjoy the holistic slickness of it all and the fact pretty much everything is licensed appropriately. You’ll do this until FIFA 19 comes out, too.

A beautifully realised and often harrowing cyberpunk tale let down by repetition and gameplay which is both simple and frustrating in equal measure.

While it looks and sounds great, Perfect Universe sadly fails as a collection of pick-up-and-play minigames.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game is an enjoyable action-adventure romp, but ultimately it never quite reaches the standards set by some of the previous LEGO titles. The framerate issues are a constant nuisance, and other technical issues such as crashes and excessive loading screens make the game feel unfinished, as if rushed to launch alongside the film. Thankfully, fans of the LEGO Ninjago Movie will definitely enjoy playing through the story as their favourite ninjas, while LEGO enthusiasts will find enjoyment in the variety and depth of collectables on offer.

Aside from the one or two issues it has Ys VIII is a magnificent game, it's fun to play, with mechanics that suit both casual players while giving more hardcore gamers a challenge. The plot is compelling and the characters memorable, while the music is not only enjoyable but also instills a sense of adventure and nostalgia that serves to endear the whole experience to the player. It’s the perfect starting point for new players while remaining true to the saga’s long legacy.

A beautiful JRPG throwback with deep combat, held back by punishing difficulty spikes and far too many technical issues on PS4.

The best in the series since Uncharted 2, Chloe Frazer's Indian sojourn is a thrilling, fresh and engaging adventure.

Like a food pairing that shouldn't work but does, Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle overcame our scepticism and rewarded us with a supremely competent turn-based strategy game.

Full of fun and a joy to get lost in, Cat Quest is only a few whiskers short of being the purrfect game.

Destiny 2 is a better game than the original but more akin to a reboot than a full sequel.

A quietly compelling return to Oregon, which substitutes sci-fi gimmickry for an earnest look at growing up.

A quirky fusion of genres which challenges as much as it charms.

There's so much to like if you're a fan of action cartoons but Agents of Mayhem is let down by repeated use of locations and annoying bugs.

A remarkably strong challenge of your tactical skills hides some wonderful world-building and character-driven storytelling that helps this game really stand out.

Fable Fortune brings pride back to Albion and has the potential to provide meaningful competition to the juggernaut that is Hearthstone.

Overcooked Special Edition on the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic slice of old school local player co-operative fun held back by the lack of a workable single-player mode and dogged by a series of annoying but not game-breaking performance issues. Packaged with both pieces of paid DLC for free, if you are a Nintendo Switch owner who will routinely have the opportunity to play with family or friends then even with the stated issues you’re in for an absolute hoot.

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is a good tactical RPG if you've got the time, but not if you're looking for a meaty storyline.

The Enigma provides a promising start to this new season of Telltale’s Batman story. The episode wraps up the opening act in a satisfying manner, whilst still leaving enough intriguing questions to ponder for the next. Who are the members of The Pact? What are their goals? How will your chosen alliances affect the events to come? The major alliance choices will hopefully be the basis for some interesting deviation in the narrative of the upcoming episodes. Well, as much deviation an episodic Telltale game can offer, at least.

While not quite able to deliver an arcade football experience worth sticking with, the quality gags make up for the low budget aesthetic.

The Golf Club 2 improves upon its predecessor in every department. However, graphical issues and an irritating implementation of ghost players means this drive lands in the light rough rather than the fairway.

Poor controls and a bland aesthetic mean that Skeleton Boomerang is a game you won't be returning to any time soon.

Full speed wall running and bombastic action make this very difficult and very attractive platformer an exciting challenge to conquer.

Offering many hours of solid city building gameplay, with the potential to play from your couch and bringing to the table an actual campaign rather than just countless sandboxes, Aven Colony is an excellent little title, which we can particularly recommend for console players.

Le Tour De France Season 2017 is the Team Sky of cycling games. It is the best of the genre, it is familiar and it’s liked by only the true hardcore.

If a digital ‘choose your own adventure’ book with epic audio and gorgeous art is your cup of tea, then this historical/supernatural drama will be right up your alley.

Micro Machines as a brand is still great fun but you’ll find that’s sustained only for the briefest of moments.

A few extra bells and whistles keeps Splatoon 2 relevant and fun on its new platform, but Nintendo plays it a little too safe for hardened Splatters.

A tough, technical fighter with a lot of resources to help you conquer it. Shame about the story mode, though.

Death Squared doesn't do anything particularly new but its execution is wonderful. More to the point, with the right group of friends, it's a downright hilarious way to spend an evening.

A stylish, bleak puzzler which overcomes many of its flaws through tightly polished delivery.

Whilst lacking in the depth that some other management simulations offer, Pro Cycling Manager still does a good job of transferring the technical world of pro cycling into a competent if unremarkable game.

It’s great fun and easy to play, but hard to master. It is delightful on your own playing against the world’s high scores and those of your friends, but also wholesomely entertaining as a party game given each go takes seconds or minutes and you can try again very quickly. There is no right or wrong way to play and many sets of tactics which can be employed to garner great results. You might blast through the levels, or collect all the trophies, or spend ages just chasing the top of that leaderboard. You can play it in multiple ways, trying to achieve varied goals. I wholeheartedly suggest you take the highway to the Danger Zone. There, I said it.

Victor Vran is an excellent port of a solid Diablo clone combining solid 60fps (ish) dungeon crawling with some heavily action-oriented demon-slaying gameplay.

It is because of the more interesting innovations, and promisingly atmospheric ghost stories, that Perception's issues render it so disappointing. After its initial scares and exciting concept, it all begins to fall flat. The big reveal for how the stories were all connected felt muddled and underwhelming. The game seems to sacrifice vital narrative development in favour of inconsistent and misplaced atmosphere building. With as much thought put into the execution, as was clearly put into its concept, this game may have been something special, instead it haunts the realm of mediocre.

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.

Arms is Nintendo at its very best. It keeps things simple enough to be fun for the casual player but nuanced enough to satisfy hardcore fighters.

Even with its lightweight platforming and puzzles, Pinstripe remains an enjoyable and touching romp through Hell.

A hefty and uncompromising challenge for those who would welcome it, but a tad too unforgiving for newcomers to the genre.

If you’re a fan of the series and didn’t get to experience it on PS2, you’ll want to pick up Till The End Of Time purely due to it being the series’ highlight. Otherwise, this third entry will be a divisive one, even amongst those who love JRPGs. Its combat is good, but everything else is simply unremarkable, and a basic port only serves to highlight how far game design has come since its release.

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

An uncoordinated tangle of ideas that's just too confusing to be fun.

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

Whilst there's not a lot added here, what there is makes Cities: Skylines an even more complete city building simulation.

A poor ending to the weakest season to date, bogged down with inconsistent characterisation and a plot that ignores or discards many key threads.

Deck13 has improved their offering since Lords of the Fallen but this action-adventure RPG still fails to dazzle. It works well, but nothing more.

A distinctly below average hack-and-slash game with better examples of the genre already out there.

Chapters doesn't fully commit to the puzzle-adventure genre the saga is known for, but with plenty to explore and a novel's worth of narrative packed into it, you won't be strapped for content.

A personal, touching journey wearing the bright red cloak of an intricate puzzle. For a game that doesn’t utter a word, RiME says a lot - and it’s all wonderful.

Minor inconveniences aside, Injustice 2 surpasses not only its predecessor but most fighting games on the market today. Boasting a vibrant roster of characters, plenty of replayability and some of the smoothest gameplay we’ve ever seen from the genre, it makes for a superb beat-em-up whether you’re a button basher or a combo king. To think, we would never have been treated to such a well-made fighter if not for the marriage of seemingly unrelated franchises all those years ago.

Gratuitous in lieu of sense, Outlast 2 is unpleasant. Fans may lap this up but, while technically competent, there's nothing here to truly enjoy.

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.

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.

With improved performance and the addition of co-op gameplay functionality, Lego City Undercover is elevated to the status of one of the better, more fun modern day Lego titles.

A fun and charming action RPG with robust gameplay and some great battles. It's just a shame that there are very few surprises.

Tenderly handling the subject of death while portraying it in interesting ways, Edith Finch is a narrative adventure that deserves to be chronicled.

Puyo Puyo Tetris is a solid fusion of two distinct and entertaining puzzle games, resulting in a high quality, long-lasting and very challenging game.

Despite its issues, Prey is an enjoyable first-person shooter which begs you to explore its wonderfully crafted and at times awe-inspiring world.

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

Well presented and thumpingly over-the-top, Dawn Of War III combines elements from its two predecessors to mostly great effect. With a few more maps and modes, this could be a solid competitive title.

All in all the Disney Afternoon Collection is a great deal; six great games for a very reasonable price, and three different game modes. The rewind feature is also great and solves a lot of problems that comes with old-school platforming games and instant death pits. They’re great fun and the best bit: you don’t even have to get up to change the cartridge if you want to switch games.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch is a no-brainer for fans and/or Switch owners - easily the best version of Mario Kart released to date on any platform and yet another killer app for Nintendo's fledgling hardware.

Despite the little niggles, Tethered has done a good job at making the crossing from being a fun game for VR to being a fun game full stop. It might seem simple on the surface, but it brings a new twist of a speed challenge to the god game experience without taking away the balancing act and patient build up you might expect. It’s certainly less fun when playing patiently, but it has enough charm and challenge to get you caught up in the act of pushing for record times.

Little Nightmares is a beautiful, clever, and at some points breathtaking game, that is only let down by a few minor frustrations.

It’s huge, but Persona 5 never outstays its welcome. If you’re a JRPG fan without a PS4, this is the game that fully justifies the purchase.

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.

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.

What should have been a ramp up in excitement for the finale descends into dull, familiar tropes with bizarre characterisation.

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.

If you missed playing Bulletstorm when it was originally released the Full Clip Edition is the definitive way to play one of the Xbox 360's more under appreciated titles. Not to mention it's stupid, stupid fun!

The graphical departure and lovely humour paper over the cracks of a weak plot, but barely. Telltale fans will love it and Marvel fans will appreciate the reasonably faithful translation to the small screen, but for everyone else it would be advisable to wait and see how the next four episodes pan out before committing to another potentially lacklustre series.

Blackwood Crossing is a mature take on the process of grief and is certainly worth playing despite its flaws. It does not strive for a happy ending where there can’t be one, but instead presents an acceptance of what loss does to an individual and to a family, permanently. The grieving emotions of abandonment, guilt and confusion are wrapped artfully in a surreal world of rabbits and haunted potting sheds. It’s a game that can be completed in an evening, but only if you want to spend it struggling slowly through uncanny landscapes, and crying.

A cleverly plotted puzzle game wrapped in the cloak of a murder-mystery. It may be brief, but The Sexy Brutale will certainly deliver an unforgettable evening.

Simple in appearance but hiding considerable content, Tiles provides an alternative challenge for those in need of a novel puzzle, or a quick game between games. It can’t possibly match up to the ostentatious presentation of The Witness, or the heartwarming story of World Of Goo, but for a budget brainteaser you could do a whole lot worse.

A cheery and extensive world-building game that has unfortunately been swamped by busy work and glitches.

A divisive entry in a lauded series, which manages to succeed despite encumbering its open-world design and interesting upbeat narrative with lacklustre combat and poor UI.

Yooka Laylee is a great example of what can be achieved with the 3D platform. It is let down only by its lack of motivating narrative progression, and a tendency to get a little monotonous.

I Am Setsuna is a wonderful game which, while bittersweet, is told beautifully. It fits the Nintendo Switch wonderfully and is a great example of what the console is aiming to achieve.

Loot Rascals sugar-coated visuals may be what catch your eye but sinking your teeth into it reveals the real treat. Bursting with sweet personality and sour gameplay mechanics, this innovative roguelike adventure may not be to everyone's palette but is an experience worth tasting at the very least.

A pedestrian episode which does little to shake the feeling that the series is in dire need of a shake-up.

With plenty of fun puzzles and environments to explore, The Crow's Eye manages to make worn out graphics and a cliched horror story worth playing.

A truly brave experiment in game design, which overcomes its erratic elements and occasional repetition with a remarkable piece of storytelling.

A disappointing finale for a series that started out with huge potential, but which fails to tie up any loose ends satisfactorily.

Despite its polish, System Rift is a disappointing exercise in ennui, offering very little new or interesting over its two-hour playing time.

Good for one evening of outlandish fun, but not one you'll come back to.

Vertical Drop Heroes is a remake of a browser-based game from the turn of the decade. It does procedural and roguelike in a quick and fun way but ultimately is only for fans of this genre. What it does it does well, but that is limited.

A straightforward puzzler that borders on the fiendish as you progress. If that's your thing then iO will definitely be in your wheelhouse.

A unique and well-crafted opportunity to test your grey matter.

As ambitious as it is, Ghost Recon: Wildlands fails to break free from the Ubisoft blueprint. However, that doesn't stop it from being an addictive, sprawling shooter, particularly when playing online.

Despite some slightly uneven pacing, Night in the Woods is a mature, honest and fun tale of how it feels to be lost in a damaged world. This is the indie game you just have to get your paws on.

Nioh is a very good game of its own right. It doesn't do anything new but it does deliver one of the deepest combat mechanics inside an engaging action-adventure RPG.

Vive le Roi may not rewrite history, but an elegant art style and addictive stealth gameplay certainly make it a worthy pretender to the throne.

An attempt at resurrecting the horror genre from a top-down perspective that has gone horribly awry. Terrible controls, frustrating visual effects and limp action result in Outbreak being a barely functional game.