Ultimately, that’s why Super Mega Baseball succeeds. It doesn’t sweat the superfluous stuff. It has great teams, good difficulty scaling, approachable gameplay and a phenomenally addictive rendition of pitching and hitting.

A spit-shined re-release of one of the most ambitious games of last generation is nothing to be flip about, especially with just how polished this version feels.

For better or worse, The Evil Within is essentially Mikami’s survival horror greatest hits.

If you are a Hatsune Miku fan… well, you already bought this game. If you’re a fan of rhythm games in general, this is one of the best around and very much worth recommending.

Alien: Isolation is a triumph and one of my favourite horror games ever. That it features such an iconic antagonist is the cherry on top of a delightfully terrifying cake.

Although it’s DLC, Dragonfall is an improvement on the base game, Shadowrun Returns, in every aspect. The campaign is superior, the narrative more engaging, the characters well fleshed out and the quests more compelling.

To take a game that was supposedly complete and yet seamlessly expand it in such a way is laudable, and overall, this is a bravura performance.

While not as revolutionary as Mario 64 or Galaxy, 3D World manages to feel simultaneously fresh and nostalgic in a way the New Super Mario Bros. series never quite realized.

Though the mystery of what happened in Mount Massive was already discovered, developer Red Barrels has shown that there are plenty of new horrors that can be built, even more grotesque than then those left behind.

Mario Kart 8 is the end result of years of refinement. It zeroes in on exactly what we want from Nintendo.

This is still a thrilling shooter with a refreshing fondness for its old school roots, but it’s the characters, storytelling and the horrifying themes it explores – ambitions that far exceed anyone’s expectations – that makes it such a memorable experience.

In the end, though, what really carries The Stick of Truth along is its innocence, something that may surprise people who have read the stories about Euro censorship but is unlikely to come as a shock to fans of the show itself, which has always offset its raunchiness with an odd sweetness. This is, simply put, pleasant to play.

The flag bearer for a new generation of shooters, finally giving players a different way to shoot the living hell out of each other and doing so in the most enjoyable way imaginable. The shortage of content might be a tough sell for some, but if you’ve grown tired of this current shooter rut then Titanfall is the perfect game to make you fall in love with the genre all over again.

With a little patience and practice these challenges can be overcome, and that’s what makes Calculords a wonderful strategy game for all but the most ‘mathophobic’ players.

There’s an adherence to old design tropes throughout much of Broken Age, but there’s also a yearning to find a way to tell this fun story.

It is ART, god damn it. And it’s wonderful.

It successfully mixes elements from its own genre and simple but addictive endless runners.

Fans of Telltale’s knack for coming up with impactful character interaction will find Faith to be up to snuff and find plenty of excuses to replay while choosing a different approach.

Each choice feels incredibly meaningful because it affects everything.

It’s difficult to imagine Assassin’s Creed ever leaving the sea behind.

If you’re a lapsed player this is a perfect reason to return; Enemy Within significantly improves a game that was pretty damn excellent to begin with.

Changes both big and small across the board make Pokémon X and Y the most polished Pokémon game to date.

For the first time in a long time, Pokémon has taken a real step towards pushing the series forward.

Very little of what Football Manager 2014 adds to the series is radically new. Aside from the simplified tactics system, most changes are small, refining the user experience rather than dramatically changing the way you play. That said, these minor changes are impressively numerous and universally welcome, and they come together to make this the best, most addictive (only) management simulation available.

It’s just a terrific experience, somehow managing to gratify with choices that seemingly mean nothing, achieving this feat with a phenomenal central performance, expert writing and ceaseless creativity.

It achieves everything one could ask from a pilot and on the strength of its setup, Telltale have room to execute what’s looking to be yet another genre defining adventure.

Part of what makes the game so generally appealing is that, for the most part, it drops the nagging feeling of “good for an open world game."...Grand Theft Auto V is a good shooter and a good driving game with responsive character control. While some of the extras might be spread a little thin, there are no compromises with these central mechanics, which is a feat for a game of this breadth.

It’s an overly tough cookie to initially crack into, but like Tetris, it’s a game with a simple base interaction made compelling through intelligently constructed sub-systems.

Blacklist isn’t a revolution for the Splinter Cell series but a refinement of everything that came before, enticing new players and welcoming back those who enjoyed all of Sam’s previous escapades.

Lights off and headphones on is a must. Allow yourself to fall deep in Red Barrels’ asylum and the reward is a frightening descent into the bowels of man’s search for greatness. The sound design is exceptional – even more so when considering this is a lower budget production – and the weight of the world is tight.

Despite Paradox’s best efforts, it’s still not a game that everyone will be able to love, but for those that can, it’s a juggernaut of a title that will keep them occupied for the duration of the Hundred Years War.

It might lack the brisk sense of mystery that propelled the first half of Daud’s story, but it ends on a far more satisfying and conclusive note that both expands upon the possibilities of the universe and sheds new light onto the events of the main game.

It may have slightly deviated from its original design to welcome the uninitiated to the genre – the many, many knowing references reveal a game that’s meant for the fighting game community more than anyone else – but the added depth proves welcome, even if it requires a little more understanding.

It does something no other medium could accomplish, and while it suffers the occasional misstep along the way, what comes before is an endearing and wholly accomplished adventure that makes Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons a powerful experience recommended to all.

Without reservation, Guacamelee is easily DrinkBox’s finest game to date. It subscribes to the design that made Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night the classics that they are, but it offers its own unique spin on the genre.

Similar to its more experimental bretherin, Proteus and Dear Esther, it’s a triumphantly successful demonstration that narrative doesn’t need to be funnelled down the barrel of a gun, balanced on the edge of a blade or relegated to a background cut scene for the sake of gameplay. Instead Gone Home actively embraces the unique possibilities of interactivity, laying out a breadcrumb trail of fascinating trinkets that leads to its touching crescendo without ever withholding control.

Evil is performed by men in suits, golden pens in their chest pockets, and stamps in their hands. With a single move with their wrists, they sign death warrants, never seeing the consequences of their actions, maybe not even caring about them.

Saints Row 4 does not innovate nor break new ground. What it does do is reinvigorate a simple idea often lost in the race for cinematic showboating: having fun.

Pikmin 3 would be something of a rare gem in any console’s library, never mind the fledgling Wii U’s.

Even if you’re discounting any additional future content (and the developers are already hinting at follow-up campaigns post-release), this is a game that deserves your attention right now. A.M.F, chummer, see you in the sprawl.

Brave New World makes Civilisation 5 a better game.

Nearly everything it sets out to do it does remarkably well, and in many ways, Runner2 feels like the pinnacle of the fledgling genre its predecessor helped create.

Contra: Evolution is a fine game. Not a “fine port”, or a “fine remake”, but a fine game.

The Last of Us is a sobering conclusion to Naughty Dog’s relationship with the PlayStation 3. It is the studio’s finest game to date, marrying gameplay and fiction better than any of the Uncharted games. It’s sometimes haunting, sometimes beautiful, but more than anything else it feels real, and both you and Joel are very much vulnerable to it.

Whatever her motives, 400 Days and indeed The Walking Dead are remarkable achievements simply because they prove that games are capable at spawning thoughts of fundamental debates such as the meaning of life and death.

Joe Danger 2 feels more coherent and varied than its predecessor. Where the first seemed like a loosely connected set of tracks, this one found the identity the previous game lacked. It’s as immediately fun too.

The Knife of Dunwall can be finished quickly, in a couple of hours, but this isn’t how Dishonored is intended to be experienced. Players who take their time and thoroughly investigate each location will find over six hours of enchanting gameplay to sink their blade into.

As with all the best expansions, The Old Gods doesn’t just give you more of the same. Instead it takes an excellent core system, and adds a set of rules and changes that give you drastically different ways to play.

For a budget price, Gunslinger provides a hugely entertaining experience, distilling the dime-novel heroics of the pulp Western and an excellent, satisfying combat system into one immensely likeable package. Bravo.

It may not be the best possible way to play Terraria, but taken on its own merits the Xbox version is still a triumph.

Being a NetherRealm Studios production, it has a tendency to flirt with the superfluous, but there’s tasty meat to be found in the core combat even if not all of its mechanics mesh perfectly together.

Rather than just being a typical add-on, Blood Dragon exists more as a complimentary stand-alone experience to Far Cry 3’s tale of survival and savagery—it’s an insanely fun, ridiculous ode to the bygone era of games that got by on having great action gameplay and a title that sounded cool.

4A Games’ followup to the remarkable Metro 2033 doesn’t quite hit the high watermark of its predecessor. At times the story and experience feel too constricted and too safe in comparison, but 4A eventually hits the perfect balance of action and atmosphere.

Sceptics will have their own reasons for shaking their heads and walking away, but those who make the investment will find a rewarding experience, with oodles of depth, hours of playtime and, yes, an abundance of menus.

Some stealth games end up solely being about moving from one shadow to another, but Monaco has a good balance between fast paced action and careful planning. That’s what makes it successful in the end, despite its – at times – confusing and cluttered visuals.

It takes the best parts of MK but refuses to rest on its laurels, building on a solid blueprint to create a fighting game with its own identity and unique fighting system. It remains accessible but manages to retain a hidden depth, making for a complete package that’s fun to play no matter your skill level.

If you are in the market for a portable brawler, consider this one of the best options currently available.

While it can’t compare to living with an abusive parent, you do get an insight into what it’s like, and you get to experience a sliver of the emotions the creator went through. And that’s the unique strength games have. You understand those emotions a little better by feeling them yourself.

Fun and frustrating in equal measure, Twisted Dreams blends (rather than borrows) elements from Super Mario Bros., Sonic, and the essentials of many classic platformers that makes the experience feel fresh in an era when the genre has lost its bite.

Guacamelee takes a tried and tested formula, and puts its own sheen onto it, in the process crafting one of the best titles, downloadable or otherwise, available for Playstation Vita.

Most Wanted U holds the status of the best entry and furthers the accessibility of the formula in meaningful ways.

It’s the incredible world-building details that draw you into the experience of Infinite, not the shooting, which makes its predominance a shame. Irrational have made a Bioshock that is smoother to play, but less fun to play around with; built on grander ideas, but less coherent ones. It isn’t a flawless second coming, but its almost peerless storytelling, imagination and attention to detail make it well worth playing.

It’s astonishing just how much content is packed in here.

The plot and combat could’ve been better, but its mode of storytelling demands your attention nonetheless as there’s no other experience like it and, for a good many, that means a lot of return trips to come.

End Game provides a more than fitting conclusion to Battlefield 3. The fifth expansion is on par with, if not surpassing, the other offerings.

It may not be a huge leap over last year’s game but its satisfaction is almost endless.

Hearthfire will appeal to the player that has made enough headway to justify buying the add-on but for those constantly on the road or haven’t been burdened yet with too much stuff to carry around, it might seem too superfluous to justify the purchase.

It’s the depth and flawless execution of this vision, matched only by Capybyra Games’ majestic Superbrothers: Swords and Swocery, that makes Year Walk something of a rare treasure within the realms of iOS gaming. It’s a simple, beautiful, if sometimes confusing puzzler, whose original premise and disturbing atmosphere will linger in your mind long after its brilliantly suggestive end-sequence.

This is a game that starts on a high note and ends on a high note, and propels Lara with a brisk pace in between, without falling into monotony. It’s an exceptional new start for the Tomb Raider franchise.

This is a welcome new standard for sports videogames as a whole and with any luck, will generate interest in getting the audio right. There are only so many places left to make it new and NBA 2K13 has crossed another off the list.

Crysis 3 is a mishmash of Crysis and Crysis 2, which is probably the best thing we could hope for now that the series has to work on aged consoles

Platinum identified that a world subject to infinite player Ginsu-knifing is a world without obstruction. Revengeance revives its signature sword play as the show stopper it was always meant to be, but does it in a calculated manner. The result is an action game that never overstays its welcome.

Whether navigating the labyrinthine hallways of Curien’s Mansion or dodging the reptilian occupants of Death Adder’s Lair, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is the right kind of trip down memory lane.

It all culminates in an ending that will probably become one of those iconic gaming moments - similar to the ending of Fez, it provides a great sense of closure while also making no apparent sense whatsoever.

It’s a solid, fun experience that will keep you coming back for one more turn.

It may not be for hardcore fans of the series who are attuned to a particular playstyle, but for everyone else DmC: Devil May Cry is a highly accomplished character action game with a lot to love. It’s a different type of game than its predecessors but one that’s wholly successful at what it does, bringing relevancy back to the Devil May Cry name.

To ignore it for avoiding standard conventions would be a mistake. Put any preconceptions aside and let Ed Key and David Kanaga’s work take you in.

Stand it beside Papa Sangre and they make a strong argument for design that begins with the technology first, refusing to force an idea onto it without contemplation - and this makes The Room feel necessary and unique, providing something unavailable elsewhere.

The Scorchers is a fine way to re-familiarise yourself and extend the run-time of this under-appreciated throwback shooter.

It might look like a daunting game to dive into, but stick with it and you'll find one of the most engaging and addictive strategy experiences available.

Its narrative is compelling, its writing thoughtful. The mechanics may be little more that a delivery mechanism for its story but Kentucky Route Zero's mysteries leave you wanting more. Fortunately, there's more to come.

Although it can't quite sustain an initially interesting premise and refreshingly inventive ideas throughout the full length of its twenty half hour chapters, this is a Devil May Cry enlived with renewed assurance, nestled in more than capable hands.

The New Super Mario Bros series was never one to defy expectations, but rather build upon years of refined nostalgia. New Super Mario Bros. U is formulaic Mario and is a delightfully fun time for it.

No Time Left is a wholly satisfying and rewarding conclusion to one of this year's best. It makes a grand statement for episodic content.

While technically sound, even with its enhancements Persona 4 Golden is still a port of a PS2 game. There was only so much the system can do, so if you're expecting something that will utilize the potential of the Vita, you won't find that here.

Mutant Blobs Attack has the right amount of charm and variety of gameplay elements especially considering its price.

Dyad walks that fine line between artistic evocation and arcade addiction, emerging in a blinding euphoria of brilliant light at the end of its tunnel.

Most Wanted succeeds because it is all about the driving and the driving is excellent. It's Burnout with a name that will sell. And that's a pretty good thing.

It's still very much a game rooted in past successes, but the bold changes it makes on the campaign side shows Treyarch aren't quite prepared to rest on their laurels.

At $3, Rayman Jungle Run hits a nice middle ground in terms of price, but it's the quality of its content that makes this an invaluable gem.

Hotline Miami is the rare breed of game that feels as smart as it is bloody. It is unabashedly gratuitous, but there's a context to its mayhem that escapes most ultra-violent operas. There's really nothing quite like it: its unique blend of tactics, tension and a cracked-out fiction bleed together to form a coherent experience that is equal parts cool and disturbing.

Sometimes it's frustrating and sometimes it puts you on edge.

Halo 4 is another Halo game in every sense. It's a technically spectacular achievement that in isolation is a product to make the industry proud. Series fatigue is inevitable after six full-length titles and this prevents it from being genuinely essential. For many that decision will have already been made.

Planets Under Attack is a surprising little strategy game, filled with a lot more depth that what can be seen on the surface.

Marvel vs. Capcom Origins is the definition of what every HD fighting game re-release should be and as long as Capcom continues down this path, high anticipation for Darkstalkers Resurrection is foreseeable.

It might not be as substantial of an add-on as The Secret Armory of General Knoxx was for the first Borderlands, but vault hunters hungry for more will find this DLC satisfies their lust for loot quite nicely.

It's intelligent, rewarding and challenging and with any luck it will find the audience it deserves.

Dishonored may not contain the depth of Skyrim or the unrivaled beauty of Uncharted, but it does present something new, innovative and engaging. It makes the player think about the effect their choices, both in terms of narrative and gameplay, may potentially have on the world around them.