Madden 25 is the latest game in a series that appears to have either run out of ideas or simply has no interest in coming up with new ones. Small new additions do little to inspire excitement and a major overhaul feels desperately needed, and is the least that fans deserve.

Manor Lords is a complex and seductive spin on the city builder that may not defy conventions but has the makings of a genre-heavyweight. [Early Access Score = 80]

Nightingale doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking to the survival genre, and its gameplay is overburdened with bloat and needlessly time-consuming mechanics. [Early Access Score = 40]

Palworld is a game of bare minimums, unscrupulous and soulless, designed by the numbers to hit all the right notes to keep you hooked on its addictive catch-grind-craft loop. [Early Access Provisional Score = 50]

Pioneers of Pagona is a robust, in-depth city-builder that almost passes as a full-fledged, complete game and will only get better during Early Access. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

Total War Pharaoh is a fun game, but one that lacks ambition. It squanders its potential with meagre gameplay, story, soundtrack, and performance, and fails to add anything of note to the Total War series, or leave an impression of its identity.

The problem with the new Saints Row is not just that the characters are boring, or that the combat is by-the-numbers and benumbed by unempowering perks, but that the brief snatches of fun—the wingsuit deployed from a high rise, the hand-brake turn through a curtain of tyre smoke—are nothing new, and are done better in other games.

What we have here is a developer that is happy to nudge us with knowing jokes, but who doesn’t dare to frighten us. We might call it a Craven effort. As for the ending, there isn’t one—just a montage of postscripts, detailing the fates of the various characters. Only, we already know their fates, having been at least partially responsible for them. As the credits rolled, the sweetness of the humour had grown stale, and I felt distinctly unsated, though hardly hungry for more. I hate to say it, but Supermassive has made a Butterpop.

If only House of Ashes were possessed with something malevolent enough to actually scare us; sadly, it commits a litany of sins, none of them original.

If only Naka, staying true to form, had given the whole thing a dose of high speed; his work only holds together when it hurtles past our eyes, growing vivid with velocity.

Fight Crab shares a lot of similarities with the glorious gladiatorial battles of Ancient Rome, which were what made primary school history lessons actually fun. Though, like the sporting spectacle, it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

A fitness game that actually works, Ring Fit Adventure is colourful, fun, and offers a comprehensive workout.

The fourth episode brings a welcome jolt of movement and energy, with an urgent pace and the introduction of a new, intriguing character. Some of the branching choices still feel shallow.

Man of Medan's story and characters fail to reach the heights of Supermassive's homage to the slasher flick, Until Dawn. The Dark Pictures Anthology isn't off to the greatest of starts.

Credit must go to Bloober Team for setting a different course for its sequel; it's just a shame that it didn't bring the chills and scares that littered the last outing.

After the slump of the second episode, the drama picks up its pace and the central relationship is tested in some interesting ways.

RICO has a cracking central idea, but it's strained by awkward mission design, shaky performance, and a whippy aim that often misses the mark.

Kingdom Hearts III is overflowing with heart, and mostly unconcerned with the head; as such, it’s in dire want of wickedness.

Below’s moody gloom and atmosphere is spoiled by mechanics that really cramp its central quest.

Fallout 76 is an ambitious game that’s burned by it. The online features hamper what could have been a great Fallout game.

Call of Cthulhu's atmosphere, especially early on, is delicious, but it's let down by wayward pacing and plot and some muddy graphics.

A slow start and and a shifting tone give way to a strong central relationship and some tough choices. The road ahead intrigues.

While We Happy Few's story contains some genuinely wonderful twists and turns once it gets going, it's dragged down by frustrating survival systems, shoddy combat, and an empty world.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season is off to a cracking start, thanks to the dynamic relationship between Clem and AJ and some of the strongest dialogue in the series to date.

Detroit: Become Human wants to move you. It wants to elicit an emotional response through its story. The thing is, it really doesn't. The flowchart is a nice inclusion and adds some variance, but when the narrative is as cringey and ham-fisted as it is you won't want to play through it multiple times.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance has some nice ideas and pretty countryside, but is ultimately still buggy, broken and, perhaps worst of all, boring.

Whether or not you like fighting games or Dragon Ball, extremely dramatic villains and hench dudes with giant hair hurling fireballs at each other (all set to unceasing guitar solos) is kind of inherently enjoyable.

So far, ELEX is an extremely mixed bag, both in the sense of its content and its quality.

ooka-Laylee would fit right into the late 90s with its vague puzzles, wakka-wakka voices, and confusing levels. Time has moved on since the N64, and while there are a handful of bright spots, this sadly isn't the catalyst for a 3D platformer revival.

This is yet another cash-in designed to pull the wool over your eyes. Poor games don't deserve your attention, no matter how much you liked something in the past.

Dino Dini's Kick Off Revival is a bad game. It's one of the few games I've played in recent years that I've had to demo to others, just so I know it's a real game. If you want a retro take on football, this is not it. If you want a retro take on how to make a terrible game, you're in luck.

A confused and confusing shooter which can't capitalise on the famous franchise it leans on.

Stop playing, though, and it melts away: there's nothing memorable about Alekhine's Gun on its own terms, because it doesn't exist on its own terms.

The good news is that, as ever, Street Fighter 5 is the leader of the pack, even all these years later. If the servers can offer a solid online playground, too, then we should all be very happy.

Devil's Third is impossible to recommend as anything other than a curio. Coming from Itagaki, this is a huge disappointment.

Ironfall is a terrible third-person shooter with clunky cover mechanics, shoddy controls and even worse voice-acting.

Although the basic gameplay is serviceable, Murdered barely moves past standard point-and-click fare.

Bound By Flame is an embarrassment on all fronts.

Apparently existing only to serve as a strawman for future arguments against the whole genre, Elder Scrolls Online is a game of exposed weaknesses and failed potential. If you’re hankering for Scrolls, I recommend modded Skyrim. If you’re after an MMO, I recommend any other.

Throw in some truly dreadful writing (the newspaper clippings that tell the story are so nakedly expositional and poorly delivered as to be laughable) and an enemy that actually runs away from you at times and you've got a stinker.

Football Manager Classic is anything but. It’s simply made me want to go back and play the PC version rather than sit around bored for what feels like ages waiting for a single Vita match to end. A great simulation might still be running behind the scenes, but the Vita doesn’t present it in a way that you’ll want to experience.

Go and see the film, dress up like your favourite superhero and, hell, cry like a baby if you ever see Chris Evans in the street. If you happen to run into anyone from Gameloft, however, maybe give them a piece of your mind instead. Or ask for your moola back.

It's just...so...boring. Go here. Get this. Wait a while. Come back. And when it's not being dull, it's being infuriatingly imprecise.

It's not Ninja Gaiden. It's not what anyone was hoping for. It's not worth your time.

Never a challenge, never that exciting, and never really that good, Yoshi's New Island is the first blip on the 3DS' radar for some time.

For the price this is a bigger rip-off than that time I spent a tenner on scanning, and that's saying something.

Don't play it, though, obviously. It's rubbish.

It all handles as you'd expect – although it has a tendency to be finickety and difficult when trying to manoeuvre precisely - and being in the Lego mould tries to give as much leeway as possible (in this instance you can 'lose' and have to start a level again, mind). However, it's all so boring.

Worst of all, for an endless runner there’s no sense of momentum – your avatar keeps a constant pace throughout and it lacks a sense of urgency.

But by attempting to generate its cash by making progression a slow grind, by repeating the same boring levels over and over again until you a) delete the whole thing, b) use real money, or c) die, Glu Games has made sure you'll likely choose the former and latter before you open your wallet.

It also tries and throws microtransactions in your face, but these should be ignored at all costs. Much like Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project itself.

More serious are the numerous bugs: players are often forced out of shadow form for no reason, making the platforming and puzzle-solving a chore, and Dawn frequently gets stuck on boxes, in walls, almost anything. Infuriating, and so common as to be inexcusable.

Comparing it to the real Mega Man X, I'm not sure what's more frustrating: how much it gets wrong, or how much it gets right before falling short. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend this over Capcom's own interpretation of Mega Man X on iOS. It was at least good enough that I wanted to stick with it through the end, warts and all.

The fighting genre has always been about precision, variation and uppercutting roid-addled maniacs into the sky. Developer Daoka has scooped each of these quintessential components into the bin, leaving behind a spectacularly poor experience.

For all its promises of representing a change from the usual (supposed) shoot-bang zeitgeist, Beyond is just as nonsensical as any Call of Duty. It's a thriller without any intrigue, a character study bereft of character, and a game short of actual gameplay.

FIFA 14 iOS isn't a great game. Save your time with EA's football franchise for on home consoles, the way it's meant to be played.

In short, see the films, play the old games, but ignore this entirely. Even the most hardened Riddick fan will just find it needlessly upsetting.

Upgrading the various cars on offer with money earned through races or in-app purchases (which aren't needed) is something you’ll want to do early on to make handling more bearable. The price-to-content ratio is excellent, but that means nothing considering you’ll get bored long before you reach the end of the road.

A lot of care and attention has gone into recreating the Mega Drive original's stages for a new generation, and the structure has been changed akin to Super Mario 64's hub world. But the platforming and control mechanics on offer here wouldn't cut it in any era.

Flashback was never an arcade game, so I have no idea why this is featured. It's a shame that such a revered classic has received such a soulless re-imagining, especially considering the people involved. It's never awful, but its lack of personality is almost worse than being all-out dire.

It's an experience that only lives up to its name in one way; it makes you want to get in and out as quickly as possible.

Given that the game fundamentally relies on fast reactions and impeccable timing, The Shadow and The Flame is a nightmare to try and enjoy because it's the equivalent of driving a forklift truck after downing a packet of medication despite the 'Warning: Causes Drowsiness' precaution.

As shallow and enjoyable as a shot of tepid rain water, and payment is a must if you insist on trudging through.

Worth a punt - especially as it's initially free. Just be prepared, for once you've used your power-ups, the game's momentum will grind to a halt. Unless you're willing to cough up the dough. And the game's not worth it.

Remember Me is nothing more than an entirely forgettable tour de farce of archaic game design. Its horrific dialogue, sickening camera and regressive combat are major blips in a title that poses one major question: was this game worth releasing? ‘Dontnod’ is arguably the right answer.

Buggier than the virulant masses that besiege you, frustrating and, story-wise, uninspiring, this isn't worth anyone's time or money.

It is so immensely tiresome, so poor and such a cash-in.

This is a frustrating game, not just because it can be occasionally unfair but because these guys clearly have an idea how to promote fear. Running around playing kiss chase with a trans-dimensional being doesn't really cut it.

The game's main problem, everything considered, is that it makes what should be a test of skill and patience into a series of shooting galleries that require little skill. Instead, it's a woeful Call of Duty with a telescope.

What is most frustrating is the constant self-sabotage: every time the game does something right, it immediately then ruins it. A section of the game takes place in the derelict ship from the first film. There's a wonderful sense of intimidating scale here – think Kane lowering himself into the same ship. And then, as you contemplate the space jockey, a group of brainless PMCs run in and start shooting.

Despite the whopping size of your new stately mansions, Hearthfire feels cold and empty.

A monumental disappointment. What's been slated as the first mature Doctor Who game is actually a frustrating, dated example of how not to make a game of its genre. An excellent comprehension of the license is completely ruined by shoddy execution.

The most frustrating thing of all, though, is that Bloodforge could so easily have been better. No one would begrudge the tepid level design and repetitive gameplay if it wasn't so arduous+. If Climax had halved the number of opponents, lowered the difficulty ever so slightly and let you respawn with a full health bar, Bloodforge could have been good throwaway fun.

I just find the whole thing to be a terrible gameplay experience with the exception of the dancing.

Just. Under no circumstances, though, should you go anywhere near this alone. When tackled with three AI buddies and a prayer, never has the name Biohazard felt more apt.

But the most surprising thing about NeverDead is just how boring it all is. This is an utterly generic shooter with an inspired dismemberment mechanic that neither Rebellion nor director Shinta Nojiri seems to know what to do with. Lacking any kind of spark whatsoever, it becomes increasingly apparent that NeverAlive would be a more honest title.

It's as though everything the designers came up with was carelessly implemented just to aggravate you. Guess what? It will.

Tekken Hybrid is an interesting experiment in marketing, but it's also an overpriced, vestigial product released in a digital age, and its confusing trinity of titles simply cannot justify its existence as anything more than a shallow, gluttonous attempt at cashing-in on the series' most devout fans.

If you want to work up a sweat pretending to be a superhero, you're probably better off dressing up and running around the local park saving endangered squirrels. Ubisoft's Kinect game means well, and will certainly appeal to younger gamers, but its execution is sadly what we've come to expect from Kinect titles - a bit too messy.

On the one hand it's a bold attempt at creating a real action adventure game using your body as a controller, but on the other it's an awkward, ugly mess that doesn't use its horror setting nearly as well as it should.

As a bizarre curio of video game history, Duke Nukem Forever's appeal cannot be denied, and there is some entertainment derived from overlooking the end product of one of history's most troubled productions. The main thing we can learn looking backwards, however, is that no game should be like this going forward.

As a bizarre curio of video game history, Duke Nukem Forever's appeal cannot be denied, and there is some entertainment derived from overlooking the end product of one of history's most troubled productions. The main thing we can learn looking backwards, however, is that no game should be like this going forward.

As a bizarre curio of video game history, Duke Nukem Forever's appeal cannot be denied, and there is some entertainment derived from overlooking the end product of one of history's most troubled productions. The main thing we can learn looking backwards, however, is that no game should be like this going forward.

Incredibly, this is an in-house attempt and a £40 launch window title. If Steel Diver is an example of how the Big N is planning to treat first-party 3DS games in the months to come, the future is bleak indeed.

As well as being unresponsive and technically broken, it's simply not as much fun as its non-HD sibling.

With its dodgy narrative, interchangeable characters and distressing lack of variation, PlayStation Move Heroes does little more than sully the name of otherwise respectable characters.

Launch titles are often rushed and not representative of what the console can really do, but Asphalt is poor even by these lowered standards. Of all the early 3DS games I've played, this one is a dead cert to be filling bargain bins in a few weeks.

The experience as a whole is entirely forgettable.

For the lucky few who happen to have the preposterous layout requirements, Kung Fu LIVE is a solid novelty title. Unfortunately, it's being marketed to an audience beyond those twelve people.

The two worst games I've played this year have both been on Kinect, and Sonic Free Riders - you might not be surprised to learn - is one of them. Avoid.

Some nice visuals and a reasonably interesting selection of activities, however, MotionSports is rarely an enjoyable experience.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm does a splendid job of being a bit of throwaway fluff you might be able to pick up on the cheap a couple of months from now, but anyone expecting something more than yet another tired throwback will be sorely disappointed.

Buy this, and the only shooting you'll be doing is to yourself: in the foot.

It's not an offensive-looking game, but the brief CGI character introductions are the only area where the game looks to be making an effort; the actual character designs are fairly annoying, although there is at least the option to use your LIVE avatar.

If you see this going cheap, buy it for the included Wii Remote Plus, otherwise avoid.

As one of very few core games currently available for Kinect, this is the kind of tripe that will give the new technology a bad name.

A collection of barely playable mini-games with dodgy physics, poor controls and not an ounce of charm.

Kung Fu Rider's bizarre and broken controls bear little correlation to what's going on in the screen, and overall the game would function far more effectively if its commands were simply mapped to a DualShock controller. It would still remain utterly terrible, however, as the game is an uninspired mess built entirely around a core conceit that gets old surprisingly fast.