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.

The Black Plague has many issues, but its clear creative vision provides the blueprint for a potentially amazing game to come.

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.

It’s the Tropico you know and love - but with a new developer, it should have had more than that.

State of Mind's aspiration of telling a recognisably human story set in a believable near future full of society-altering technology is so close to being great, but limited animation, outdated gameplay and occasionally stilted voice acting hold it back.

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.

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

If anything, it may feel a little low-key in comparison to the epic fantasy and sci-fi that we know the series contains. It feels like it’s playing things a little safe and is here just to reacquaint us with the world(s), with minimal progression and a lot of scene setting. Your enjoyment will really depend on how invested you already are.

While it does gets tiresome in the later stages, Fire Emblem Warriors excellently blends frantic hack-and-slash with deep strategic role-playing to deliver a package that fans of both series are certain to love.

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?

Skully is light-hearted, old-skool fun. In an era of online shooters and battle royale titles it is a breath of fresh air. At times difficult but not overly so, it will respect your platforming skills and have you performing daring feats. Nothing is incredibly unique here but what you have is executed well. Skully is not my favourite game of the year but fun distraction nonetheless.

Cake Bash is a fun party game with a lot of potential, but with relatively few bash modes and minigames, it can feel repetitive after a while. The limited progression and fast unlockables also mean that when your completion hits 100%, you may see little reason to continue playing. However, with the freedom to play against bots, local friends or online, if looking for a cute, quick and easy party game to jump into, Cake Bash may fit the bill.

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

We really enjoyed our time with Zombie Army 4. I would have liked better music and some more varied objectives but apart from that it is hard to not get stuck into slaying hordes of the undead. Especially if you have a friend to watch your back, like I did.

Good Goliath is short and fun but maybe a bit of a one trick pony. I did enjoy the combo system and the slight puzzle style to the oncoming enemy waves. Its graphics, environments and immersion are all top notch and as long as you do not mind just throwing stuff for a few hours and a few small issues, do not hesitate to give it a try, I enjoyed my short time with it.

What that means for the third instalment remains to be seen, but as the conclusion to this particular story No Going Back lacks the punch of the first season’s finale and becomes an analogue of the second season as a whole: an above-average game which has vainly struggled to step out of its predecessor’s shadow.

Lost Ember is a visually stunning game with a breathtaking world to explore. These features, as well as its beautiful soundtrack and engrossing narrative, make it a must-play indie - but its constant performance issues really hold it back. It is worth fighting through them, but be aware that your immersion will consistently be broken.

Hunt: Showdown is a solid game, with genuine thought put into making it play in a distinct way, but it feels too anonymous in every other key area to be essential within the genre.

If you miss the days of old school BioWare (back when BioWare were still good) then Element Space may be operating on the exact retro wavelength for you.

Gorgeous presentation and some genuinely creepy moments just about manage to outweigh the conventional, and mildly dated gameplay.

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.

Just Dance 2014 on the Xbox One is exactly the game you might expect it to be. There is more content than most people will likely use and as a core experience it doesn't offer much to sell non-fans on the wonder of Kinect, but if you fancy some fresh beats to dance to on your shiny new console, it works well without drastically altering a winning formula for Ubisoft.

Broken Sword 5 is difficult to judge when considered alone, the combined game proves itself better than the sum of its individual parts, and playing the game in an episodic manner makes it feel like someone took a hatchet to a perfectly fine game and then split it apart – and then had the impudence to not even make sure the join was neat.

With effective visuals, a moving story, and a powerful message, Through the Darkest of Times is a must for anyone who enjoys historical and interactive story-based games.

Tiny Metal is a fun little strategy game, although a few issues stop it from being truly amazing.

Ultimately, LittleBigPlanet 3 is a pretty decent effort which lamentably hamstrings itself. It’s charming, aesthetically pleasing, and a lot of fun when it works – but various bugs and glitches, long load times, and a lacklustre story mode really drag it down.

Double Kick Heroes is an explosive action rhythm-based game filled with original and licensed metal music to enjoy. Take on an active role of driving and shooting with the Gundillac, and double kicking your way through each epic song. Tour with your bandmates, kill the undead, and journey into hell itself. Feast on all that is metal, with over the top violence, foul language, and insane metal music, all with satirical wit. You really won't find any other game quite like this. Get out there and SHRED!!!

A little refinement could have gone a long way for Citizens of Earth, but without that extra touch, it’s not so much EarthBound as it is grounded.