An ungodly combination of Fire Emblem and Dark Souls, it delights in making you suffer, but every small step forwards feels like a massive achievement. It’s not for everyone, but if you enjoy the darkness and feel up to the challenge, you can’t do much better than enter the Darkest Dungeon. Just make sure that all your affairs are in order and that you have written a will, because once you’re in, you might not make it back out.

Final Fantasy XV is a unique offering, both for the franchise and RPGs in general. Placing the onus on the relationships of your party, rather than the narrative, has meant that this is a game that strikes not just an emotional chord, but a personal one. While Final Fantasy stalwarts will likely balk at the action-heavy combat, the spirit of the franchise remains, and is better served here than it has been in many years.

The Last Guardian feels meticulously pieced together and is easily one of the PlayStation 4’s stronger exclusive titles. It’s risky and unconventional, flouting modern design practices in a way that few other AAA game would dare to in 2016. Although far from perfect and a little worn from age, it’s a one of a kind experience and hopefully won’t be the last we see from Fumito Ueda and this enchanting world.

There’s a lot of love that went into the creation of The Dwarves but the glimmers of brilliance are dulled by the numerous problems with the combat, as well as the conflicting nature of the narrative with the few moments where you are able to make your own choices. Chances are those who will enjoy this game the most are fans of the books, but it’s a largely forgettable game for everyone else.

My complaints about the scenario editor and the slim number of bundled scenarios aside, Natural Disasters is great. This is another big step forward for what was already the best city builder around, lending it a fresh impetus and giving you more reasons to keep playing.

While the story is serviceable as a backdrop, it’s actually the environments that steal the show. Gliding around and exploring the levels is relaxing for the most part, apart from a couple of moments of disorientation. The artwork throughout is sublime and the music fits it all perfectly, though it sits along titles like Bound, where the art and experience also outshine the plot. If you have a PSVR and are keen to play something that doesn’t take too much effort while providing some great visuals then How We Soar is a worthy pick.

I find myself much more frustrated by Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS than I really ought to. If this had a different verb in the title and eschewed the notion of creation, if this wasn’t releasing in the wake of the outstanding Wii U version of the game, it wouldn’t be a problem, but this game strives for something and comes up short. It’s still worth picking up for fans of Mario games, but there are too many jarring limitations that I really hope Nintendo see fit to address.

Planet Coaster feels like a step into more modern times for the genre. There are bugbears when it comes to the camera and the subsequent patience required to build your perfect theme park, but should one have the stamina to intricately design features for their park, the possibilities are nigh on endless. Managing can feel simplistic at times, but for those who want to have the amusement park of their dreams, even if they use mods from Steam Workshop to supplement their masterpiece, Planet Coaster has it in spades. Now if only the rides could be viewed in VR.

All round, it’s a solid point and click adventure game that combines that familiar old-school formula with a couple of clever quirks. It has a decent story to boot as well, though there are slight issues with pacing, both in terms of the how the narrative unspools combined with some of the more obtuse puzzles. Together, these create a barrier that will stump players while ultimately holding Yesterday Origins back from greatness.

Steins;Gate 0 is phenomenal. Every part of it is bigger and better than the game that came before it.

There aren’t many games like Shadow Tactics, and thankfully, it sets the bar high for any would-be challengers. The blend of RTS controls with stealth-oriented gameplay and level design create incredibly satisfying, almost puzzle-like encounters. It takes a lot of time and patience to be able to discover the solutions to these puzzles, however, and the hours long missions often left me feeling fatigued before I was even halfway through with them. Shadow Tactics is a unique exploration of the stealth genre with a great amount of polish, but if you’re going to dive in, be prepared for just how deep the water is.

The only real problem that Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization has is that it’s a little too steady and a little too laid-back. The premise is that this is Sword Art but without the death, and really without those stakes, and with its tepid narrative, you may begin to question why you’re grinding through so much of the game. That being said, this is the best digital rendition of Sword Art Online thus far, and goes a long way to capturing the essence of the show – warts and all.

If you’re looking for a new horde mode game to enjoy with friends (or randoms), you can’t go too far wrong with Killing Floor 2. I feel it misses out on some of the deeply ingrained teamwork of other co-op survival games, especially on lower difficulties, but if you want a challenge, it brings it in spades.

Its intuitive controls and convincing sense of speed make it a VR title that other developers will surely be borrowing from. While the multiplayer mode’s thrills will provide some longevity, it’s ultimately only a lack of content that keeps Eagle Flight from being essential.

What lets it down is that it’s missing a truly compelling narrative and cast of interesting secondary characters, and while it’s a very enjoyable game, it lacks some of the charm of the original.

Pokémon Sun & Moon are undeniably a superior evolution to previous Pokémon games overall. It’s a little too much to handle for the 3DS at times, and steps away from certain innovative features, but the fact that the series has changed itself some much 20 years after its debut is as refreshing as sipping the water from a freshly opened coconut. If you can avoid any spoilers, difficult as that may be, Pokémon Sun & Moon eclipse all expectations.

Pokémon Sun & Moon are undeniably a superior evolution to previous Pokémon games overall. It’s a little too much to handle for the 3DS at times, and steps away from certain innovative features, but the fact that the series has changed itself some much 20 years after its debut is as refreshing as sipping the water from a freshly opened coconut. If you can avoid any spoilers, difficult as that may be, Pokémon Sun & Moon eclipse all expectations.

Watch Dogs 2 is the perfect sequel. It takes everything that made the first game unique and original, and expands on all of it. Everything is better, from the hacking, to the story, the setting and the variety of content. Watch Dogs 2 is far from being just more of the same. An apt comparison could be the jump from the first Assassins Creed game to Assassins Creed 2. While the first was a promising yet clunky new idea, the sequel delivered on that idea and turned it into one of the most iconic series of the last decade. With Watch Dogs 2, Ubisoft is well on its way to recreating that same magic.

Exile’s End is not a bad game by any means, but it never really reaches the heady heights of its influences. In what is so obviously a labour of love, this is a shame, but such is the risk with such blatant nostalgia. Often, going back is not a good idea.

Reus is a great looking, colourful game with decent music. The art style is distinct and the giant designs are all very well done. It is one of those games you would put on when you have a bit of time to kill because it is so easy to get into. You’ll learn the systems quite quickly as you chop and change the world to meet the requirements of the people, though it will take quite a lot of playing to unlock everything and beat the challenges that Reus has listed in it. At times though you can’t help but feel you’re just doing the same thing over and over, and a little bit more substance would help flesh out the experience Reus offers.

While I feel the initial asking price might be a tad high, there’s countless hours of play time to be found here.

The sad thing about Weeping Doll is that the concept could have generated some excellen VR games. Taking tales from across Asia and adapting them in to spooky VR experiences, a virtual reality version of Ringu, for example, would be brilliant. However, the execution for Weeping Doll is poor, from the laughable dialogue to the puzzles which can be solved in a matter of seconds. When rated next to the brilliant Here They Lie for PlayStation VR, Weeping Doll just doesn’t come up to scratch.

Robinson: The Journey is beautiful, but ultimately too light on content and reliant on overly traditional game design. It’s a wonderful insight into the future of PSVR that sadly remains trapped in the past.

Football Manager 2017 isn’t just a simulation game, but something that will permeate your life.

Following a short hiatus, we’ll no doubt see a second season of missions crop up, and this excites me. Hitman may have its shortcomings, but with a few smart revisions this could easily become one of the best game series to appear on current consoles.

Sadly, despite setting off to explore new settings and backdrops for its blockbusting action, Infinite Warfare finds itself treading in the footsteps of others. The campaign is a good and refreshing twist of putting you in command and having you dogfighting in space, and Zombies is the most accessible rendition of the mode yet, but turn to the multiplayer, the beating heart of any COD game and we’ve been here before.

There’s a huge amount of content available to players, and you can spend hours battling and levelling up in the attractive world of the Super Saiyans, even if repetition does eventually begin to set in.

There isn’t a lot of content but there is replayability value should you wish to beat run times. The story isn’t too important, outdone by the game’s visual design and music. Windlands captures the essence of soaring through the air, but sadly it simply won’t be for everyone.