While clearly not as impressive in gaming terms as the Bloodlines series, Coteries of New York is a welcome addition to the digital world of The Masquerade. Offering up an immersive and atmospheric take on the politics and personalities of the undead Big Apple, it seduces with it’s quality of writing and characterisation, proving to be more than a mere snack to tide the Hunger over until the main course of Bloodlines 2. If you have any taste for the Gothic you should give yourself over to the vampiric delights of Coteries.

A pleasant surprise. It provides a good story wrapped in some very enjoyable gameplay mechanics. Whilst it does have a few niggles, there's no denying that it's a hoot to play through as you hack, slash and blast your way to the Spire. The key issue though is the lack of variety.

Having played literally dozens of Warriors spin-offs, sequels, expansions, and ports, Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 has perhaps been one of the most surprising. By dramatically altering its story-telling method and making a few welcome refinements, it stands out as the franchise’s best handheld instalment to date.

As a port, the Turrican Flashback collection cannot be faulted – these are perfect conversions of some all-time greats. Although the collection is missing some of the others in the series, £7.50 per game isn't bad value and given the difficulty, getting a perfect run is going to take many hours of playtime.

Sure, there’s no damage modeling, the crash physics are nonsense and the graphics won’t bother Polyphony - but this isn’t the point: GTI Club+ rewards continuous play with a perfectly pitched learning curve: your laps will get quicker every time until you’re in that Wipeout-esque zone, chicaning between traffic and drifting around corners without even thinking.

Piyotama is slickly produced, hugely addictive, and the perfect alternative to Warhawk.

Sorcery is truly a game for people who want to get the most out of their PlayStation Move peripherals. And if it's just that you want, you'll no doubt love the eight or so hours of gameplay on offer. If you're more interested in a deep, magical experience then you might feel somewhat short changed – throw away the motion controls and you're left with a good, though not brilliant, and quite linear romp through this mythological, magical world.

Human Fall Flat is a game that’s aware of how unusual it is and builds to its own strengths. Bob’s ungainly controls work particularly well in the invitingly designed worlds that let you play around, cheat and conspire with a co-op buddy.

Zombie Army Trilogy for Switch is a solid port of a solid zombie co-op shooter. It’s not really more than that, but then it’s not trying to be. Just make sure you turn on motion controls, try to bring friends with you, and accept that you won’t have the same whizz-bang toys you would have when playing Zombie Army 4.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: Generation V makes for a sound handheld role playing game. Although some will find it hard to connect with the characters and universe, it’s hard to fault Generation V’s fluid combat and presentation features.

The Collider 2 is an excellent game when you just want to pick up and play something for a small amount of time, but investing longer stretches of time can lead to a build up of frustration, as you crash again and again.

Fe is a thoroughly lovely adventure, full of wonder as you explore and lose yourself in this darkly wonderful forest. Its distinctive art style and the unusual creature designs conjure up something that’s both familiar and alien at the same time, which is only enhanced by the etherial lighting and the animals’ voices. A few nitpicking design issues and some shaky performance on Switch aside, it’s easy to recommend this charming game of discovery and singing.

Iris.Fall is a deliberately bite-sized experience and could easily be completed in a single sitting. Whether this amounts to value for money obviously depends on your perspective, but given the relative cost compared to a DVD or Blu-ray I think it is worth picking up to experience the artistry at hand here. The visual design is exemplary and the narrative is pleasing enough. Definitely a game that is worth a look if you like the art style and the idea of the puzzles, but be prepared for a couple of frustrating moments. Iris.Fall shouldn’t be left in the shadows.

LEGO Jurassic World strikes an excellent balance between delivering a nostalgic take on a beloved series of movies, whilst incorporating the brand new Jurassic World storyline.

Dustforce may look fabulous and has some really interesting ideas but the overall execution falls somewhat short of expectation. Though still enjoyable, the fiddly controls add an unnecessary amount of challenge, barring both younger audiences and casual platformer fans.

For a brief moment of brilliance, Contra: Operation Galuga is the modern interpretation of a 2D run ‘n’ gun that we always wanted. But it's a fleeting moment, and what comes after is a deeply onerous experience that proves a trudge to see through to completion.

I was blown away by the gorgeous character designs and illustrated portraits and the tactical combat also impressed me with unique systems that made it a bit more than just a cookie cutter tactical RPG. Unfortunately, for as much as I loved those aspects, hamfisted humor and clunky menu navigation on console dampened what could have otherwise been a magical experience. It’s hard to get past those issues, but if you’re able to, there some truly special stuff here in Regalia.

Elderand is a worthy addition to the wider Metroidvania genre and offers plenty of bang for your buck. It takes clear inspiration from the best of Castlevania and marries it to challenging combat. That being said, there isn’t anything particularly new here, and there is a lack of consistency across the level design. The result is a solid indie game offering plenty for genre fans.

With a little more refinement, Ronin could easily have been an enjoyable romp. It certainly looked the part and in the initial stages was a slick action platformer, but by the time the game reaches its conclusion, there’s little motivation to continue. It may be short, but finishing Ronin feels like running a gauntlet by the skin of your teeth.

Beyond A Steel Sky has an enjoyable tale to tell that compliments the original game, building a newer, more modern dystopia atop the foundations of the Union City of old. It's just a shame that it's so rough around the edges.

Hungry Giraffe is a fun game. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a compulsive, replayable game in which you'll always be aiming to beat your high score. If it were an expanded game, it would be much better, though for what it is – a minis title – it manages to do what it set out to.

BlazeRush is a fun time-sink that really comes into its own when you have human competition.

It’s everything you’d expect in a Blood Bowl game, with a great tutorial for newcomers and a coat of paint, looking as good as the Citadel Minatures you’d see in the window of a Games Workshop.

Structurally, Blaster Master Zero is a significant step forward for the franchise, but provided you are actively avoiding getting hit, the game is just too easy. Mildly more interesting when driving around in a tank than gunning down mutants on foot, it’s probably a great entry point to the series for more inexperienced gamers. It’s just a shame that this reintroduction doesn’t provide much of a challenge.

The Mooseman is a unique, significant, and often beautiful indie game that proves there’s room in the video game space for all kinds of different experiences. There’s every chance you won’t have heard of the Perm region of Russia or its pagan mythology, but this is a game that places you within its traditions and iconography with sympathetic artistry.

Beast Of Winter is a fantastic slice of everything that Pillars of Eternity does well. The world building and the writing are so good it can make you interested, even if you have fallen out of love with it before.

My Hero One’s Justice sees Bandai at their property-managing best, bringing a hugely enjoyable fighting game experience to the My Hero Academia franchise. The Switch version has a few rough edges, but ultimately the colourful anime brawling feels perfectly at home on Nintendo’s continually surprising handheld.

Unfortunately 8-Bit Armies’ attempt at console strategy is simplified to the point that it outstays its welcome after a few hours. Whilst the campaign will keep you entertained for a few hours, the multiplayer is too empty to expect any more game time. Perhaps if you have someone who you can rely on to play against it might be worth picking up, but otherwise it’s probably not going to last long enough to be worth it.