Battlestations: Midway has the potential to blossom as a multiplayer game, primarily online. With everyone free to jump between units, it can become chaotic, but that's half the fun.

Adapting one of Hollywood's masterpieces was brave, but it's a pity the game designers lacked the courage of their convictions, choosing to shoehorn Grand Theft Auto into the mafia setting.

There are a large range of weapons and opponents are smart. Unfortunately, the lengthy espionage sorties are often not as gripping and the change of pace is jarring.

Activities such as poker tournaments, capturing felons, gold mining, animal herding and hunting provide variety but their appeal is short-lived.

The learning curve is steep but mulling over the rules becomes part of the addictive charm.

With intensely interesting lore and characters, an awe-inspiring aesthetic and one of the most mind-crushingly dull gameplay loops I've ever experienced in a high-budget video game, Hideo Kojima's supernatural epic is pretentious and profound, filled with tedium and terrifying wonder.

Puzzles are kept to a minimum but due to the repetitive ship interiors and the absence of a map, players will spend plenty of time meandering.

Some locations are dreary trudges through dull space-station corridors, but others show more imagination, such as giant pinball tables and underwater in Atlantis.

One of the most disturbing games of the year. In a good way.

It's a brief ride and the action can become repetitive, but the sharp humour keeps you smiling.

If you can get past the dated graphics and sound in many of the games, you may discover that the gameplay is still as dastardly as ever.

Freedom offers countless missions and roleplaying elements such as mining, fishing and gardening.

This flashy package makes great use of Nintendo's classic catalogue to spark nostalgia, break the games down for a new audience and make the joys of speedrunning accessible. But once you've given your best effort in the 150 or so challenges there's not a lot to do, besides local couch competitions and checking in for the weekly trials.

Combat is instantly gratifying, reminiscent of the spectacular fight scenes in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Simple controls let players concentrate on timing, with extravagant moves unleashed as countermeasures to clumsy enemy advances.

Though the replacement of authored characters with procedurally generated avatars has mixed results, Watch Dogs Legion is unique among GTA-style open world crime games as a result. The city is vast and beautiful, your options for vigilante havoc very broad and the potential for it all to explode into a memorably janky anecdote generally sky high.

The outrageous characters, puerile sight gags and sarcastic commentary provide some chuckles but the jokes are repeated too often. Fortunately, the controls and ball physics are hard to fault.

Navigating the menus and many options can be seriously intimidating for the uninitiated, thanks to some complicated design features.

Computer-controlled opponents offer a solid challenge and matches are often tense and exciting.

A fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp.

The touch-screen controls are perfect and two-player action wonderful fun. But often chain reactions come from luck rather than skill and there is a lack of variety in the different play modes.

Total Overdose may be another unashamed clone, but its amusing Mexican underworld storyline and crazy acrobatic moves make it a load of irresistible fun.

The action can be hard to follow, but fans will appreciate the realism.

The biggest concern is that the game's conclusion leaves many unsatisfying loose ends.

But while the adventure is lengthy, the feeble multi-player modes will not sustain interest.

The overall presentation has a polished televised look, but unfortunately it still doesn't have race commentators, just the roar of 21 angry engines.

One of the most enjoyable romps through Gotham in years.

Gripping and gritty, but will leave you wanting more.

One of the most disturbing games of the year. In a good way.