Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t a good Sonic one. It’s a solid, if bland, outing for a character that still deserves much better. Fans of the Sonic Boom animated series will still likely find something to enjoy, but younger gamers may struggle with the new-found emphasis on multiple abilities and gated areas.

Rise of Iron is an excellent expansion to Destiny, but it doesn’t have the same lasting impact on the game as The Taken King did. There’s not all that much for Bungie to fix this side of a fully fledged sequel, and so this DLC gets to focus on weaving a new story that delves into the game’s lore, providing hours of new content for the game’s fans to play time and again.

Whether you’ve been a fan of Psycho-Pass for years, or you hadn’t even heard of the series until you saw this review, Mandatory Happiness is well worth checking out. Though you can play it as a newcomer, it’s a far more rewarding experience if you’ve watched the anime.

While Madden 17 isn’t a huge leap for the franchise, it does a fantastic job of continuing to move it forward. With stellar graphics, vibrant commentary and intuitive gameplay it is certainly amongst the finest games in the series and, at this point, it’s difficult to see where the next dramatic improvement for Madden can come from.

NBA 2K17 is on par with 2K16, making improvements in some areas, but with a few drawbacks alonside them.

Rive doesn’t quite reach its full potential, but shoot ’em up fans should give it a go anyway. The frustrating difficulty spikes are hard to ignore, but when it comes together, it’s a fantastic fast-paced corridor shooter which could have been considered one of the best 2D shooters in recent years. Either way, it’s a good send off and farewell for Two Tribes.

Virginia’s tale of intrigue and mystery quickly comes full circle. In that time, it will take you to some pretty surprising, extraordinary places, and easily warrants a second playthrough. The closing moments may not be to everyone’s taste, though the journey to get there is certainly worthwhile.

There is fun and satisfaction to be had in stealthily taking out whole levels without being spotted, but that is perhaps due to the nature of stealth gameplay rather than the strengths of the game itself. If you are looking for something along these lines and don’t mind the issues too much, you may enjoy Filthy Lucre, but there are other games that do the same thing with more success for a similar price, making this particular game difficult to recommend.

Despite my initial impressions, I really enjoyed The Bunker. I’m never going to play it again, but for the couple of hours it lasted it held my attention and expertly racked up the tension. It is certainly not for everyone, but it entertained me for it’s duration and you can’t really ask much more than that.

PES 17 is another example of Konami’s football series regaining some of the charm and style that made the series so great in the past. The game controls well, it looks good and it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s a big step forward on the path to reclaiming its crown, but it isn’t quite FIFA’s empire just yet. With a few improvements to the likes of MyClub and some parts of the game, the series could be there soon.

While I struggle to play One Way Trip, I also feel a muffled yet ever present pangs of fascination. This is a rare specimen – an experimental approach to game design the likes of which we’re never likely to see again, at least not on consoles. Its incredibly niche appeal creates a barrier between Beret and a good 99% of those who own a Vita and PlayStation 4 (if not more). Then again, in some bizarre way, that seems completely intentional.

The tasks may seem menial at first, but when you get in your first proper big battle with all the chaos of swords clashing, archers firing arrows, and cavalry charging the game just comes together. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the hardest games I’ve played and that just makes it so very satisfying when you succeed.

There’s nothing wrong with taking influences from classic franchises, but the very least one could do is make it transformative enough to warrant its own game. Oceanhorn: Monsters of Uncharted Seas is both mechanically too similar and at the same time somehow inferior to the The Legend of Zelda franchise. It has a lovely score, but there are far more original interpretations of the genre out there.

With the big push that Nintendo has given to Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, it’s a shame that this is the black sheep of the main series. It’s not that it’s bad, far from it, and ArtePiazza have exceeded the original version in every way. Yet as much as I love the work they’ve done, the plodding nature of the game makes this the longest game in the series, for not necessarily the most compelling of reasons. A lovingly crafted game, and a dramatic improvement on the original, but not the best entry point to the franchise.

The Tomorrow Children is at the beginning of its journey, with Q-Games’ next step one of the most important in shaping the game’s future. What is present shows promise, but after several days of playing it feels like most of what can be experienced has been. There’s already a sense of repetitiveness settling in, and it feels like something is missing, even if I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. On the flip side it really is great seeing players work together to help their towns grow, and finding ingenious ways to do so. The canvas is set and there is potential for a masterpiece to appear depending on what comes next.

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is simply an incredibly fun and addictive arcade experience that once again reinvents the arcade classic in a compelling way. The visual style feels timeless, looking as great as it did back in 2007.

It’s a real shame that the first Touhou game to officially come out overseas is Touhou Genso Rondo. It really doesn’t capture the appeal or the magic of the mainline Touhou series, and there are plenty of other fan-games in vastly different genres that are at least much more mechanically polished than this one. Touhou Genso Rondo is a mild disappointment for fans of the series, but despite the broad marketing efforts of NIS America, it should simply be absolutely avoided by newcomers.

Trails Of Cold Steel II feels less like a sequel, and more like the second half of an incredibly rich JRPG experience. There’s a lot to take in between both these titles, and it can feel like a slog at times, especially with the first game. Cold Steel II does a great job of making that slog worth it, and delivers with an action packed story and a consistently challenging gameplay experience. It’s a hard sell for anyone who wouldn’t normally play a JRPG, but for fans of the genre it’s a cut above a lot of other modern examples, and for fans of Cold Steel I, it’s a must-buy.

Where other franchises are demonised for failing to constantly evolve, Ace Attorney is one that benefits from remaining untouched, propped up by lovable characters and some superb writing.

With only a gradual difficulty curve to its platforming, 140 is just a few hours long, but they’re a good few hours. There’s a vibrant and colourful minimalist art style, and it goes well with the soundtrack that really underscores and ties into the simplistic rhythm platforming.

A charming puzzle platformer, Hue’s colourful aesthetic and thoughtful tone make for an enjoyable, if slight, adventure that will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

Verdun’s goal is an admirable one, to capture the feel of warfare on the Western Front, on occasions it manages to do that and be fun. The rest of the time, it’s an unintuitive slog. It might be a better game on PC, but on PlayStation 4, it’s almost certainly not going to be this year’s most fun or engaging WWI shooter.

It’s somewhat difficult to recommend Mother Russia Bleeds, as the dystopian setting and drug-filled plot are at odds with the conventions of the side-scrolling beat-em-up genre. While the sprite work is overall quite ugly, the level of detail is astounding in depicting this game’s disturbing imagery. With limited replay value, couch only coop, and not much diversity among the playable roster, these issues outweigh the promise of Le Cartel Studio’s debut game.

If Metroid Prime: Federation Force is anything to go by, I am fearful of the future of the 30 year old franchise. The controls do take some getting used to on the New 3DS, but those with the standard 3DS should avoid this like the plague, due to the terribly optimised controls for that hardware. It’s certainly not fun on its own and only marginally more so with others. This is not the Metroid game we’ve been waiting for.

While the car handling and actual driving is excellent, Kunos Simulazioni don’t successfully turn this into an enjoyable game, stuffing it with single player events and a career that are both frustrating rather than fun. At its best, Assetto Corsa is quite simply a sublime driving sim. I just wish I could say that without caveats.

In a way Armikrog feels like a tech demo for something much bigger, a showcase of what a final build could look like, with the majority of the character dialogue and story still to be added in. The fantastic claymation and the decent music can only distract so long from the facts that Armikrog feels soulless, lacks any charm, has boring characters, and has puzzles that could have been more interesting. The story of Tzurk and Meva told on the tablets would have made for a much better game.

Simply a great game, and it’s a shame that it’s taken this long for it to make it to the West. As a PS4 release, its simplistic graphics are unlikely to wow anybody, but the fast-paced combat, enjoyable characters and compelling crafting make for an experience you’ll want to come back to time and time again.

It’s easy to say that The Turing Test gets a passing grade. Lots of thought has clearly gone into how the story plays out, while the puzzles are designed to teach the player without overtly telling you how a new gameplay mechanic works. Little details at the end of each zone and side puzzle flesh out just what’s going on, while the puzzles will test your logical thinking. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s certainly worth a look at for those wanting to scratch that First Person Puzzle itch.