Looking down the scope and holding your breath to line up that perfect shot in Sniper Elite 4 is exhilarating, as are the subsequent Kill Cams. It’s just a shame that the poorly delivered story and wooden characters get in the way.

But the harsh reality is that the excellent story is rather let down by the constricting control scheme.

It's an elegantly crafted thriller that stands out as an original, charming and beautiful adventure.

Overlord is an entertaining game that should keep you smiling for its duration, but certain control complexities and a distinct lack of evil keep it from being a truly great next-gen adventure.

Kane's Wrath's biggest problem, though, lies not with the controls but with the difficulty. It feels like it doesn't know what kind of gamer it's aimed at.

Oversights, like not being able to access downloaded GH:3 tracks, are baffling and the number of covers for non-Aerosmith tracks is disappointing. For die-hard GH and Aerosmith fans it's a no-brainer, but everyone else might want to save their money for World Tour.

This remake has been handled with an unusual level of respect and a commitment to the original, and the graphical overhaul strikes a happy balance between old and new.

Other games of its ilk may punch harder on their message, and the challenge here is all but non-existent. But RiME is a beautiful painting come to life, backed by an exceptional score that will make your journey across this island a joy.

The multiplayer support is a great example of local wireless multiplayer gaming done well, and if you've got friends with the game you'll have hours of entertainment ahead of you.

While this Switch re-release doesn't add as much as some may hope, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is still a delight.

I found it mightily upsetting to have something in my hands capable of such beauty, such triumphant gaming bliss, only to have that thing ultimately turn into disappointment and frustration. It's almost more upsetting than playing something that was never up to much in the first place.

Outside of multiplayer, the campaign is a po-faced, nonsensical rehash of greatest hits long past. Extinction (Left 4 Dead meets Zombies) is a lot of fun, and Squads feels like a well-marketed shell for Black Ops' Combat Training mode...Multiplayer is still the star then, but it's diminishing with every return, its addictiveness tempered by over-familiarity.

A funky, fun third-person hack and slash marred by some boring open world side-missions. It's no more simple, or complicated, than that.

A weighty Xbox Live Arcade game, even if you have to pay 800 Microsoft points for it. For those of you who downloaded the game in the first two days, you already know you've got yourself a bargain.

A sumptuous remaster, but the games themselves have aged badly.

The game's simplicity ends up working against it - both in the sense that it's somewhat lacking in content, and that there's really not that much to learn; after half a day's play you'll have more or less mastered everything the combat has to offer, with the exception of the elusive mechanics for reversing attacks. But despite these shortcomings, this is still the most fun WWE title that THQ has produced in quite some time.

An interesting phone-hacking game which draws from the player's real-world experiences to good effect.

It’s in the art direction of the Definitive Edition, led by Petr Motejzik, that you catch the developers’ obsessions: their love of long-coated ne’er do wells; of chrome shining through the wet; and of crime fiction, free of the emotional collateral and ruin of real crime.

If you want a genuinely ambitious video game based on a movie license, check out Toy Story 3. If, however, you or a family member really loves Lightning McQueen and the movie's cast of characters, this simple but fun arcade racer won't disappoint.

Predictably, Proving Ground falls into the 'more of the same category'. When that means more of the same of something brilliant and proven, there's reason for both contentment and disappointment, but if you know you like Tony Hawk, though you'll not be blown away you should certainly feel comfortable here.

If I didn’t feel the sugary twinge of sentiment in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, it is down to its pastel starkness.

Beautiful from a distance, but disappointing when you really open your eyes. Still, I find that I have a certain affection for this game - one that I never expected to develop. If Ubisoft decide to make a HAWX 2, I'll certainly be in line to take a look.

The game's simplicity ends up working against it - both in the sense that it's somewhat lacking in content, and that there's really not that much to learn; after half a day's play you'll have more or less mastered everything the combat has to offer, with the exception of the elusive mechanics for reversing attacks. But despite these shortcomings, this is still the most fun WWE title that THQ has produced in quite some time.

But for those of us who have never played the original NiGHTS, Journey of Dreams is a fun and cheerful game that fits perfectly within the Wii's casual gaming philosophy.

While it's not as imaginative, challenging or as well designed as New Super Mario Bros., still the best platformer on the console, it's a solid addition to the DS' impressive library of platform games.

If you want a genuinely ambitious video game based on a movie license, check out Toy Story 3. If, however, you or a family member really loves Lightning McQueen and the movie's cast of characters, this simple but fun arcade racer won't disappoint.

What first appeared to be a shameless money making coming together of two of gaming's most famous icons has actually turned out to be a fun collection of Olympic events presented with a simple and fun control scheme.

The Thin Silence has a satisfying, creative approach to puzzle solving, alongside a sad story told in equally sad snippets. Though you can reset puzzles and try again as often as you need, you might sometimes still be left at a loss.

A formulaic Metroidvania with satisfying combat and a thick mood in the air, Blasphemous uses its pixel art style and fixation on religious iconography to establish a powerful vision of a forsaken world.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an engrossing, dense, and hard-fought slog, but nevertheless a slog weighed down by some heavy recycling and inconsistent difficulty.

True Colors is the best game in the series since Before the Storm, and it will satisfy your narrative craving for a time.

A fun collection of events, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 has some chaff amongst the wheat, but overall, this an entertaining package that will no doubt be a party favourite.

It's a game that comes across more as GH with a different musical focus, rather than as a new IP in its own right. Band Hero is far from being a bad game, but somewhere along the line it seems the new franchise's focus became a little confused.

If you like the idea of messing with some storm troopers to the extent that it verges on Force-fuelled torture we recommend you give The Force Unleashed a look.

Furi is an interesting game, if not an essential one. When it works it nails that moreish blend of challenge and reward. However it's easy to find yourself being frustrated.

A stale JRPG with interesting combat and lovely graphics that's crippled by technical deficiencies.

The chief pleasures on offer are those of the power fantasy and of the newly burgeoning subgenre that we might call the zoological misadventure.

With plenty of puzzles, numerous game modes and two-player support (on PSP) PipeMania is a fun, tough puzzler that is different enough to other puzzlers on the market to warrant a purchase. Its quite severe learning curve might put off some people, but once you get in the pipe laying zone you'll find an incredibly addictive game.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues was always going to feel a bit desperate, making the most out of a small amount of new content, but Traveller's Tales has done a decent job.

Madden 08 may not be the best football game ever made but it's certainly the best since 05 and a solid addition to any football fan's library.

Fe is all very lovely and (literally) harmonious, with fun layers of platforming. Coloured flowers and singing is a nice enough way to spend a rainy afternoon.

It’s a good thing the fundamental gameplay is addictive, because the missions are tedious.

Despite the fact that all the evidence suggests Virtua Tennis is a series stuck in a rut, Virtua Tennis 2009 is still great fun, especially in multiplayer.

That aside, Metrico is a interesting puzzle game, albeit one that can sometimes feel like it's down to trial and error: a lot of times you'll have to show your working out.

The Last Day of June is an emotional, gentle puzzle, where you must live one sunny afternoon over and over again to try and avert tragedy. It doesn't feel especially new, but it'll still probably make you a bit teary.

A well-executed, cleverly designed puzzle game. It won't last you particularly long - while the latter stages are fiendishly difficult, the game isn't infinitely replayable like Tetris, for example.

For gamers looking for something more substantial or impressive it has little to offer, but Spider-Man 3 DS betters the Wii, PS3 and 360 versions, without any need for their technical muscle and big-budget gloss.

Traffic Wonder is a surprise, then - it's surprisingly difficult, for a start, but it's also a very pleasant surprise that a game of such fiendish quality can exist in one of the most tedious and oversubscribed genres currently polluting the App Store.

Regardless of that feeling of déjà vu, Carbon is another solid racer from EA, and the Auto-Sculpt feature is absolutely fantastic, not to mention the impressive car roster and functional online component.

We had a blast playing the game here in the office, with almost everyone gathering to watch. But it is an inferior fighting game, no matter how oddly compelling it is to see two sets of fictional characters clash in such improbable circumstances.

The awful load times from the console versions have been radically reduced here, but there are still a number of other problems that start to grate after a while - such as the need to perform tricks to earn points needed to buy new tracks, riders and other things from the store. All problems aside, MX vs. ATV Unleashed is an enjoyable game.

There's no denying that Fruit Ninja Kinect is great fun when played alone or with friends, and makes excellent use of the Kinect hardware, but it's also a little overpriced when compared with the iPhone offering. You get slightly more content, but I can't help but think you're paying for a beefed up mini-game. Still, if you own Kinect Fruit Ninja is one of the best experiences available for it.

Although Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword isn't the spectacular action game we hoped it would be, it's still a highly polished, hugely enjoyable game.

Whether you demand more than comfort from your games will inform the way you see Kena: Bridge of Spirits; is it merely a graphically sumptuous example of design that you wish we would leave behind, or is it a vivifying tribute to a rich precursor legacy?

As good as Close Quarters is, then, it just doesn't have the tools to offer up anything so profound at Battlefield 3 proper.

An unusual and unique game, and the DS should be grateful to be its host. However, it is also the kind of game many will find frustrating, dated, and confusing.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes the series’ formula and pushes it, polishing the platforming and bolstering its tombs, but the game’s power ebbs as the main quest is bloated with distraction, and the writing is still patchy and dull.

There's a lot of choice to be had for your money, but the campaign feels a little bland compared to its predecessors, and the idea of repeating it over and over for each of the six races is hardly a pleasant one.

The only serious criticisms I have are the brutal loading times, which seriously detract from the pick up and play appeal of the game, and the fact that we're going to need to buy numerous collections to get all the great Capcom oldies.

Being more of an epilogue than a sequel, Rogue falls short of delivering a full-fat experience.

This isn't the sequel we've been yearning for all these years. It's a fancy looking homage; a game that regurgitates old levels with shiny new visuals. Sonic 4 does a fantastic job of recreating the retro Sonic experience that defined many a childhood, but ironically this could be considered its biggest shortcoming.

It's an impressive feat for sure, but to focus solely on that would be unfair to both the talented studio and venerable franchise: there's so much potential unexplored here, and occasional glimmers of ingenuity in Ready at Dawn's efforts show a developer that should be able to do better.

This isn't the sequel we've been yearning for all these years. It's a fancy looking homage; a game that regurgitates old levels with shiny new visuals. Sonic 4 does a fantastic job of recreating the retro Sonic experience that defined many a childhood, but ironically this could be considered its biggest shortcoming.

WWE 2K24 has a game mode for everyone, top creation capabilities, and an engrossing Showcase Mode celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania that will transport you through history.

The additions and changes might not be a complete success, but the game's gentle rhythm and solid fundamentals are just as oddly compelling as they ever were.

The new character models and HD visuals do a great job of bringing Hillys to life, but only serve to contrast how far game design has come in eight years. We're more critical of camera issues and interface problems these days, spoiled by the likes of Uncharted and Mass Effect. Considering the effort gone into revamping the character models, it strikes me as odd that Ubisoft hasn't addressed these issues too.

Revengeance is pretty sweet, then, but the aftertaste it leaves can be disappointingly bitter.

Outside of the odd frustrating stage, the only criticism I have of Sonic Rivals is its brevity.

While Afterlight is a definite improvement over its predecessors, it still lacks that je ne sais quoi which would push it towards "classic" territory. Despite an iconic sci-fi setting and competent execution, Afterlight somehow fails to really spark the imagination.

If it weren't for the troublesome controls we'd be recommending this without hesitation, especially at its low price point; as it stands it's still worth a look, just be prepared for some initial frustration.

This is a quite beautiful game at times: attractive, detailed, and beautifully lit. The soundtrack is less noticeable, though the main theme, with driving rhythms and a strident melody that recurs in other tracks is an instant classic. But ultimately the quality of the mission design has taken a huge nosedive from the series peak of Assassin's Creed II.

With plenty of puzzles, numerous game modes and two-player support (on PSP) PipeMania is a fun, tough puzzler that is different enough to other puzzlers on the market to warrant a purchase. Its quite severe learning curve might put off some people, but once you get in the pipe laying zone you'll find an incredibly addictive game.

Layers of Fear is a fun ride. If you can live with the poor frame rate you'll find a horror game that relishes the chance to mess with your head, delivers plenty of scares, jumps and heart-pounding moments, and wraps it up in a bizarre yet intriguing storyline.

If you've already experienced the charm of Pikmin you're better off waiting for the tweaked second game, but if you missed out on the GameCube and fancy some easy to play real-time strategy there's no reason not to pick this up in preparation for the sequel.

Theatrhythm's real star is undoubtedly its music, however, which appeals far more than its cumbersome RPG elements.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the long-awaited step into a fully open-world, but one poorly implemented and marred by frustration. A compelling story and characters are a saving grace in what is ultimately a fun game, but Pokemon's attempts at modernising continue to fall disappointingly short.

Those who dare stay with it for a substantial chunk of time will also be pleased that as you climb your way up the ladder, things do knuckle down a tad.

The revised focus on the new toys can make your previous investments feel disappointingly redundant.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the long-awaited step into a fully open-world, but one poorly implemented and marred by frustration. A compelling story and characters are a saving grace in what is ultimately a fun game, but Pokemon's attempts at modernising continue to fall disappointingly short.

A game high on fun, packed with action, but not without a number of infuriating problems.

Decent ideas married to some questionable execution. In short doses Godfather II can be an absolute hoot, but sadly its shortcomings become more and more obvious the longer you spend with it.

If you enjoy games with decent plots, developed characters and brilliant dialogue, this violent, offensive and witty action game is probably worth your attention, and if you're a shooting game purist, try not to expect too much and you'll still have plenty to enjoy.

An interesting and fun roguelike, albeit one which doesn't capitalise on its potential.

There's fun to be had, but only if you're playing the game with friends, since playing with strangers more often than not results in a similar feeling of frustration experienced in pick up groups in MMORPGs.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress.

Aliens Vs Predator is a great deal of fun, but there's no getting away from the fact that it feels somewhat dated and that the marine campaign is head and shoulders above the other two.

If you've been waiting for Ghostbusters 3 or simply a video game that does the classic series justice, Ghostbusters: The Video Game won't disappoint.

Ray's action focussed levels are great fun and highlight how great the game could have been with a clearer focus. In the end though, the mix of gameplay styles doesn't really work.

Chief amongst the offenders is a combat system so outdated I wouldn't be surprised if Vetra games had it shipped it in especially from 1999. Fighting monsters, which is done by mashing your attacks and occasionally blocking, feels clunky and detached, with weapons that all feel like they've got the wrong weight.

A more taxing challenge that required real thought and detective work would have been preferable, but MillionHeir does what it sets out to do very well.

The Darkside Chronicles is a mindless blast-a-thon. It lacks the sophistication of the recent Dead Space: Extraction, but it more than makes up for it by bewitching you with nostalgia. It's just great fun.

The cutscenes are lovely, the dialogue and voice over work stereotypical but fitting, and the soundtrack is a wistful traditional Japanese score that rekindles memories of The Karate Kid. Still, Mini Ninjas will do nothing to quell the growing call from core gamers for IO's "next-gen" Hitman game.

While the presentation is great and the combat generally enjoyable, the missions leave a lot to be desired - and there's little of the sense of wonder that the movie promises. Had the two campaigns been packed with superbly entertaining moments, the missions been more diverse in their structure, and the "vehicles" been more fun to man, then yes, Avatar the Game might have reached the heights its source material looks set to achieve.

The lack of Crash mode is a big disappointment and makes the World Tour feel a little samey. If you're after more Burnout on the PSP then this is well worth adding to your collection, but on the PS2 Burnout Revenge is by far the better option.

Multiplayer is Rocket League's priority, and it delivers.

While some Phantasy Star fans will lament the stripped down nature of the game - from SEGA's point of view, this was unavoidable - overall it's complete fan service. The lack of online play (something that may be rectified by the PSP's linking with the PS3) is a disappointment, as is the overall sense that it's not quite as triple-A a product as it could have been, but as a PSP game it's certainly up there with the best of 2009.

Its most brilliant innovation, though, is the chance to fail. Each case is a hunt for clues to populate your “deduction space”, a literally cerebral device where information snippets get associated with neurons in Sherlock’s brain, which you can mess around with to make connections. Once enough deductions are made, conclusions become available which allow you to close the case, finger a suspect, and decide their fate.

SoulCalibur V is definitely a step in the right direction for the maligned series. Despite plenty of changes and improvements, however, the game is still too complex to be casual and too flawed to be taken seriously. Soulcalibur V might have forged its own soul, but it's not burning brightly just yet.