Annoying puzzles aside, Song of the Deep is an excellently put together Metroidvania with a sweet tale to tell.

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.

Prison Architect is a full-on sim that will eat your time. If you fancy a dark look inside the running of a prison, look no further.

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.

It captures the spirit of Star Wars, but will feel very familiar if you've played a Lego game recently.

Inside delights from start to finish. Don't miss out on what will surely be one of the best games of this generation.

It lacks polish, but Dead by Daylight is a genuinely tense ode to 80s slasher movies.

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.

For now this stands alone as something a bit different from the norm. It's brief but discovering everything will take considerable time and effort.

Regardless of how much you like the Mega Man series, in Mighty No.9 you're unlikely to find a game that comes close to that legacy.

When Trials of the Blood Dragon is just trying to be a more accessible, over-the-top and explosive sequence of Trials stages it's perfectly enjoyable. Sadly there's other stuff that gets in the way of that.

A decent adventure game with lots of ropey bits. Just like the last one, and the one before it.

For the most part, however, it's a game with a lot of explosions and not that much excitement.

The big question is whether or not a game like Hard Reset Redux has a place in today's market... a market that has recently received the superb Doom. Whereas Doom took the essence of the franchise and smashed it, rather bloodily, into relevance, Hard Reset sticks firmly to its roots. There's space for both, but the old-school shooter is starting to show its age.

It doesn't hit the heights of Sapienza, but Marrakesh is another sterling Hitman episode.

Dead Island Definitive Edition is a great example of how a previous gen title can be improved on current-gen. Techland has done more than required in porting the games over to PS4 and Xbox One, resulting in a package that is tremendous fun and technically up to par. That's a sentence I never thought I'd be saying.

The more you play Overwatch the more you realise Blizzard thought of basically everything you might criticise it for.

Finally, given how subversive CD Projekt’s strategy has been, how they’ve managed to outclass the big dogs by simply doing the best job they could do with The Witcher 3 after years of honing their craft, Blood & Wine is a triumphant slam-dunk from a team at the top of their game. There is no better way for Geralt to sign off than to do it while whispering ‘get fu.ked’ at a bloated and out-of-touch set of flatulent shitebags. Play his last adventure, it’s his best.

Far Harbor is a DLC that winds down rather than winds up, but it gets away with it. It uses a design that's refreshing even if it does eventually sour, and packs a lot of fun into all the quests you can pick up.

Lumo could have easily been another retro inspired title that did little other than revel in old-school visuals. If anything, the reverse is true here. While visually a little unappealing, the isometric adventure and platforming gameplay are great, with a smattering of hair-pulling moments not enough to irrevocably damage what is a lovely trip down memory lane.

Despite its problems, Homefront: The Revolution isn't the disaster many would have anticipated, and it gets a lot right. If you're after a Far Cry game this year but don't want to throw sticks at mammoths, then it's worth checking out.

Shadow of the Beast is enjoyable, its combat smooth and rewarding, but high-score chasing isn't going to keep many players around for long once the credits roll.

It's a confident, assured, and rather more intelligent game than it first appears, and a strong end to the series.

A superb second instalment, and one which shows off Hitman's greatest strengths.

So, Star Fox Zero is a pleasant return for Fox McCloud and his merry squadron, albeit one with a few flaws that stops it from sitting alongside the Wii U's best.

Ratchet & Clank is an easy recommendation. It's great fun, looks lovely, plays well and almost serves as a palate cleanser to the usual video game releases. Newcomers to the series will likely find a fresher experience (even though it's a proper remake, familiarity does creep in), but fans will love what Insomniac has done here. A remake done right in a series that rarely puts a foot wrong.

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

DiRT Rally, then, isn't a true successor to the DiRT series you might know and love, but it's a better rally experience if you're willing to put in the work.

Dark Souls 3 relies too much on former glories to reach the heights of Bloodborne or the original Dark Souls, but that doesn't stop it being another superb adventure.

It's a game that is over fairly quickly, it misses a trick in combat because Remedy didn't pillage its most famous creation, and it features live action scenes that are best described as enjoyable nonsense. Yet it is just that, enjoyable. Really, really enjoyable once you get to grips with all the powers at your disposal (and level them up). Quantum Break is a glorious use of current-gen power, with the visual fireworks on show making the combat feel positively joyous. As thoroughly entertaining as the whole package is, Quantum Break feels like it managed to reach only 80 per cent of Remedy's potential.

Trackmania Turbo isn't a showpiece title in the same vein as DriveClub but the bright colours, crisp image quality and incredible sense of speed lend it an arcadey appearance that is impossible not to enjoy.

Despite its failings, Hitman's first episode offers hours of classic play before you even consider the secondary targets, time-limited contracts, and the prologue, which features a smaller yet feature-complete training mission. What's here represents a strong start, and a fine return to the more traditional Hitman play that fans have been clamouring for. Elsewhere, it needs to improve.

The Division is not a perfect game. There are flaws. But the flaws are mostly because it's straddling genres, and this is also what gives it so many different things to enjoy. There are complicated inventory systems, daft explosives, a big open world to explore, and incredible multiplayer, but you don't need to get invested in any of them to play the game. The Division is not a perfect game, but it's really fun. Which is sort of the point, isn't it?

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.

It's easy to like Action Henk. It does all the basic stuff well: simple to pick up, hard to master, fun, fast, colourful. Yet it feels like a fleeting interest.

It might be a simplified version of Hitman, but it does simple very well.

Sometimes games just feel right, and Superhot is such a game. It takes something familiar and turns it on its head to create what I expect will become an indie classic.

You get to have a different survival story every time, in a lovely setting, whilst discovering hints of civilisation in the emptiness – feral children who share arrows with you, the distant radio signal that is your first objective, fires that are lit before you arrived.

If humanity ever builds a time machine, once we've finished debating the ethics of killing Hitler and so on, we should use it to go back in time and make the first season of The Walking Dead all about Michonne, before the zombie thing got boring. Right now this miniseries will have to pull some serious surprises out of its hat in the next episode to make it worth buying the whole lot.

Far Cry Primal is a great spin-off for the Far Cry franchise, but it doesn't do anything drastically new.

Starts strongly, but soon fades into a slog through samey puzzles and ever-weaker environments.

TRON RUN/r is one of the most entertaining and spectacular runners around, but that has come at a price.

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.

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.

Firewatch feels like a natural and smart evolution of the adventure game, offering choices without as many constraints, but at the same time expertly funneling players down a path.

It's hard to see Unravel ending up as anything worse than a thoroughly enjoyable, lovely game. I'm hoping it strives for and achieves more by the time the yarn has run out.

Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the best games of 2015 and nothing has been lost in the months since its release. On PC it can look even more spectacular, so just buy it, yeah.

I'm so caught up inside the world of The Witness that it's hard to think about anything else. It is one of the best games I've ever encountered.

The representation of a familly dealing with the protracted illness of a child is well done, but wasn't as interesting to me as the exploration of faith that was inextricably woven into it.

A wonderful upgrade of one of the most derivative and dull titles in the series.

It's simple if judged purely on gameplay mechanics but wonderfully accomplished in terms of storytelling, characters and dialogue. If you fancy a supernatural adventure mystery with a smart plot and clever ideas, don't ignore this.

I certainly found more here to enjoy than I expected, and at times it's riveting stuff, but my interest frequently dwindled as turn-based fatigue rose.

Part puzzle game, part retro experience, part mindfuck, I haven't played anything as engaging and interesting as Pony Island in a long time.

FAST Racing Neo is a simple game, its roots clearly planted in a simpler time. It's good, honest, fast, arcade fun, priced perfectly to match its ambitions.

An FPS where your weapon should be the last thing you use, not the first, Rainbow Six Siege is a fantastic tactical shooter.

There's a lot to do in Just Cause 3, it's just that doing it all isn't really that much fun. In fact it's probably a better game in retrospect than it is when you're playing it: freed from the controls and other issues, you'll remember it fondly. You'll also likely want to get back to it: there's a moreish, Ubisoft-style vibe here that encourages repeated playing. Those of you that wanted Just Cause 2 Part 2 will love what's on offer, but it all feels lesser than the sum of its parts.

While Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is in many ways a retread of what's come before, it's exactly what anyone could ask for from the series while also being open enough to win over those who play it for the first time.

Football Manager 2016 is complete misery, heartache, and bouts of pure anger – directed at a bunch of numbers. But I love it.

Too limited in its maps and modes to keep people hooked, it will nevertheless provide enough fun to jump onto once in a while, hear that famous score and maybe take down an AT-AT. Those who wanted a Battlefront III, however, will have to wait a little while longer.

Campaign is dull and forgettable, but multiplayer is great fun and Zombies has had some real effort poured into it.

The fact of the matter is, though, that this is more of the same, even if that 'same' has been pushed to new heights. If you hated Fallout 3, then there's not much to get you onside here. If you loved it, then you'll love this all the more, because of its differences as well as its similarities.

In an era when triple-A blockbuster games often drown beneath a desire to make things more explosive or complex than before, Rise of the Tomb Raider shows how it should be done. This is captivating romp that should cement Lara as a modern gaming icon.

It does exactly what it sets out to do. But what it sets out to do is boring, bland, unimaginative and thoroughly dull.

Halo 5 Guardians hits all the right notes in a campaign that is thrilling from end to end and delivers a multiplayer suite full of many delights that play impeccably.

Somehow, against the odds, Guitar Hero: Live has given life back to a series thought long dead. I laughed like a pissed hyena when it was announced, but Freestyle has achieved something close to excellence here.

A by-the-numbers remaster, then, and one that would've benefited from a bit more love. For those who just wanted to see what all the fuss was about on their Xbox One or PS4, however, it suffices.

It constantly rips you out of the experience, whether that be from frustration at the mechanics or outright bugginess. You'll want to forgive it its flaws because it does Victorian London so well, something you just can't get elsewhere. But leave it a few minutes and it reveals itself to be as utterly flawed as its forebears, a beautiful facade on a rotting core.

Fun, but a little shallow.

If you're bored of relentless jump scares in horror games, you'll probably get a nice kick out of this paranormal adventure.

Imagine Contra meets Kid Chameleon via Super Meat Boy, with a touch of Sensible Software's irreverence, and you're there. One the most enjoyable couch multiplayer games I've played in quite a while.

Perhaps the reason why the marriage of Minecraft and story works so well is that Telltale has kept things simple. It’s the most basic of hero’s journey plots.

Bedlam: The Game isn't particularly well made, nor much fun to play, but it is interesting. I've played far better games that I'll remember less.

It's essentially like the previous Forzas but with more stuff and slightly tweaked handling. I like it a lot, apart from the trees which are absolutely awful. But yeah, if you like yourself some simulation Forza, Forza 6 is the Forza for you.

So, I'm happy Transformers Devastation exists and thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with it, but it's not quite the game I imagined as an idealistic child. For one, it's not based on the original animated movie complete with soundtrack. And secondly, it's four hours long.

The most refined version of Rock Band yet available, but not as essential as it once was.

None of these problems keep PES 2016 from being the greatest football game of all time. The question is no longer whether PES can catch FIFA, and in truth hasn't been for a while. Instead, it's the other way around, and may well be for years.

Skylanders Superchargers is another solid entry in a franchise that has done gangbusters for Activision, and fans will enjoy the new vehicle gameplay and adventure-strewn story.

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

LEGO Dimensions is the most fun I've had with a LEGO video game since the whole idea was new back on the PS2. It's full of cool new ideas and a story rammed with iconic references and witty humour - something that adults will enjoy perhaps even more than young children.

Soma's slowly-unfolding story, and the choices you live with, make the experience one that will stay with you for some time, the ending hitting all the right notes.

Through simulating the good of adult life and the comfort of routine, without complicating things with the pressures of money, Animal Crossing: Happy Home designer is a relaxing, repetitive toe-dip into the working world.

Still, I'm confident in calling Metal Gear Solid 5 the best game of the year, a vast undertaking where Kojima's reach hasn't exceeded his grasp, a game where a big story doesn't happen to you. Instead, you happen to it, slowly but surely. You may be surprised who you end up becoming.

FIFA 16 is an incremental improvement, but with legacy issues still plaguing the on-field action the changes feel hollow in light of PES 2016's overwhelming turnaround.

If you miss the old days, before games of this ilk got streamlined and simplified, give this a whirl before you read too much about it. It's well worth the small outlay.

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

Considering what's gone into the conversion from Vita to PS4, Unfolded ranks as one of the best remasters released, exhibiting a clear sense of love of the property that simply isn't seen when many older games arrive on new systems.

While it mostly relies on a tried and tired Ubisoft-open-world formula, the exhilarating car combat, the gleeful punk-rock absurdity of its world and the characters that populate it, and its almost flawless presentation make it something more than the sum of its well worn parts.

The Disney Infinity 3.0 Starter Pack is a great introduction that will keep kids and kidults alike entertained for a long time.

Super Mario Maker is an excellent creation tool and, thanks to the foundations it's been built on, a tremendous platformer. Its true potential is in the hands of the community, though, and anyone expecting anything else will probably be a little disappointed.

Dishonored is a great game that doesn't quite achieve excellence, and this collection is the best way to experience it all on consoles, but the port simply offers a crisper image and more defined textures. There's very little reason to buy this if you've already played it, but newcomers will still find a very entertaining title if they embrace the stealth mechanics.

In terms of gameplay mechanics it's incredibly simple, but that works in the its favour, leaving you to become fully engrossed in the thrilling and malleable storyline. If you fancy a gory treat that hits plenty of high notes, Until Dawn is highly recommended.

One of the best third-person shooters in history? It was and still is.

Early-game issues aside, Volume is an entertaining and addictive mix of Metal Gear Solid and Trials.

Hopefully somewhere inside Ubisoft there's a team working on a proper sequel to Zombi(U), but for now this is a reasonably priced port that is definitely recommended to anyone who doesn't own a Wii U. Given the lack of meaningful changes for the better, the original game still delivers the best experience, even if the new-gen game looks and performs marginally better.

The best way to play the game on consoles and it's very much worth playing if you're yet to experience it.

Beyond Eyes' story and experience come nowhere near to making up for the boredom delivered by the gameplay.

Beautiful and intriguing, frustrating and flawed, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is nevertheless still worthy of your time.