Unquestionably the best golf sim available on consoles.

TSoT is the best, most faithful South Park game to date, but it’s still just an okay game. That said it might also be your only chance to fart on a flaming, used tampon and hurl it at Nazi zombie fetuses, unless they make another Postal.

Geometry Wars 3 makes big changes, but retains the excellent core gameplay and delivers another addictive blaster.

Tiny Tower's real question is about the scale of its economy, then, and whether you can stomach playing a game that becomes increasingly desperate in its desires to part you with chunks of your own money.

Although this sequel could be labelled as Viva Piñata +, in that it more or less builds on the original rather than doing anything drastically different, it's still an absolutely must-own Xbox 360 game.

There's something about World Cup's appeal, though, that works on psychological levels. We all feel compelled to play it not because of a game mode we can play, or improved graphics we can see, but because there's something very special about the World Cup, and playing the official World Cup game taps into it.

BaSS is a genuinely funny game, boasting the kind of clever humour that we all too rarely see these days.

Shift 2 is technically very impressive, but like Hot Pursuit, it's the social features surrounding the game that define it as an experience. If you're a serious fan of the genre, know that Shift 2 does several things better than anything else on the market right now, which makes it an essential purchase.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.

Shooting the bad men and tinkering with your loot in The Division 2 is good enough to keep you coming back to something that’s regularly monotonous and lacks any real message.

A stunning looking, slick and polished FPS that every competitive 360 gamer should add to their collection. It's difficult to see how UT can unleash itself from the shackles of its genre though. Should Epic even bother?

N++ delivers consistently excellent bursts of platforming devilishness, but it's not enough to keep me interested for the long haul.

If it gets patched out, then PES 2015 will go from being the best football game of this generation to one of the all-time greats. Until then it'll be agonisingly short.

Mixes some wonderfully loving nostalgia and ambitious design to create the first credible Mario Kart alternative since Crash Team Racing in 1999. Fact.

Like KotOR 2 before it, Neverwinter Nights 2 promises much without quite delivering its full potential. It's a shame, as it could have been the Elminster of computerised AD&D games.

F1 23 is a fast-paced thrill-ride plunging you into the extraordinary world of Formula One. Braking Point 2 is a huge success, and while other elements of the game have barely changed, the gameplay itself is as addictive as it is enthralling.

If Dragon Age didn't float your boat, neither will Awakening. Dragon Age enthusiasts, however, should consider it an essential purchase. It offers more of the same - no bad thing - in a great value package.

If you're a fan of the "X-Men Legends" games that have appeared over the last few years you'll know what to expect from Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but you'll probably still be surprised at how polished and lengthy the game is.

Top Spin 4 isn't flashy and doesn't come with any gimmicks, but it's an incredibly competent and in-depth tennis sim that the sport's fans would be foolish to pass up.

The co-op career and battle modes are great fun, but had the new tracks been released for GH2 as downloadable content, we would no doubt have had just as much fun.

Even with its faults, it's impossible to dislike The Darkness. It's such a stunningly put together game that succeeds far more often than it fails, with storytelling and direction that puts many other games to shame.

The humour is thankfully intact, but the mysteries grow as ornate and heavily threaded as Sholmes’s overcoat.

Its faults are there to be seen, and some - like the frame rate and lack of tuning options - could be seen as game breaking faults, but if you're not bothered about the technical side to driving, Test Drive Unlimited is simply wonderful.

It really is a modern take on the Mario Kart formula, done in a way that feels incredibly cool and refreshing. It's a game anyone could pick up and enjoy, yet there's depth here that only the very best players will appreciate.

FIFA 15 has gameplay problems, but it can also play some sublime football. However, single-player’s continued stagnation leaves a sour taste in the mouth. If goalkeepers can be addressed, EA will remain the football king.

According to my manager stats, I've spent approximately 35 per cent of my life (since my team was created) logged into FM Live. Either I've got nothing better in my life to be getting on with or FM Live is the greatest football management game ever created.

If you're a fan of the X-Men Legends games that have appeared over the last few years you'll know what to expect from Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but you'll probably still be surprised at how polished and lengthy the game is.

A highly entertaining, 15 hour plus adventure, with some gorgeous visuals, devilish puzzles and exciting action. Fingers crossed the no doubt planned sequel will build on this very impressive debut.

The introduction of stylus controls makes for a far simpler experience, the presentation is spot on and the challenge is balanced enough for players of all ages.

It rarely swells beyond the sum of its parts; with parts as precision-tooled as this, it doesn’t need to.

The magic of exploratory freedom is rife here, and not even the weaknesses of the main plot manage to excessively taint what is top-quality DLC.

Space Marine 2 is a solid successor to Space Marine, fits well into the Warhammer universe, and offers engaging and fun action combat and shooting mechanics. It is slight marred by a limited map pool creating repetitiveness in the game's multiplayer progression-based features.

Despite the way narrative has been re-structured and the combat made meatier, this sequel follows the old conventions of the genre too literally to develop an individuality beyond them. Two entries down the pipe, and Dragon Age is still experiencing the growing pains of a series that's more dedicated to studying fantasy games than developing its own personality in the genre.

With support for up to 32 players online there's nothing quite like this for the PlayStation 2 or on consoles in general.

It's cheap as chips, is perfect for the odd half-hour commute and, most importantly of all, is solid fun. A bizarre, and successful experiment.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a visually stunning and emotive fable that pierces through the noise of the most contested of release periods as a captivating triumph.

Death Stranding is filled with things that must be seen, a sprawling, genre-spanning sci-fi adventure from a developer like no other. It's tackier clumps of writing and stunt casting seem overwrought, but its direction and its stars shine brightest.

It's a survival horror game with incredible ambition, so succeeding in a few areas is still very commendable.

The vibrant, retro look reinforces the game's charm even further.

In its quieter moments Hope County is a picturesque backdrop to terrific Prepper Stash puzzles, and an over-the-top fantasy playground when the volume is turned up. Taking on Eden's Gate is compelling, horrific, and an awful lot of fun.

Looks like a mish-mash of retro graphics, dated gameplay and a thumping dance soundtrack, but it combines to be something brilliant. The gameplay is deceptively deep, the high score chasing is dangerously addictive, and the presentation is just as about as stylish as Space Invaders could possibly be. This is a must own for DS-owning arcade gamers.

It's the audio that steals the show though.

Depth way beyond that of any other action game released this year, sleek presentation and some of the best levels ever created in a video game.

It's undoubtedly a fun game, packed full with humour (although this does tail off towards the end), metal references, amazing encounters and memorable characters. It's the RTS sections that really let the game down for me, feeling like a good idea that hasn't quite been implemented well enough to gel with the rest of the game.

Despite the numerous bugs, New Vegas is a magnificent RPG, one that stands head and shoulders above its predecessor. More importantly, it's also the game that Fallout fans have been waiting for.

With two great games that will take somewhere in the region of 15-20 hours to complete, superb presentation and a sense that you're playing something different to the norm, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena comes highly recommended. If it weren't for a few unfortunate bugs and the odd strange design decision that score below this paragraph might even have been a notch higher.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.

The sharp difficulty and rough edges of Dirt Rally 2.0 give way to a rewarding racing model, with a surfeit of meaningful options for the obsessed.

It’s worth pointing out that few other studios have the confidence to take this approach to horror: not to jolt you with sudden frights or to ration your ammunition, but to probe and puncture your emotional ease by putting foulness in such close proximity to the childish.

There just isn’t enough juice in the combat, the cover shooting, or the endless hoovering of collectibles.

Capcom’s called it “the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles”. We’re inclined to agree. When all is said and done, if you’re a fighting game fan MvC2 is an essential purchase.

I might not have enjoyed it quite as perfectly as Dishonored 2, but Death of the Outsider is a fittingly melancholy way to wrap up a story arc I've loved. The Empire of the Isles is a strange and exquisitely horrible world, and this entry is no different.

When the credits rolled, I felt better, gunning for action, as if life were a thing to rage through with a smile on your face. How often does that happen?

Put simply, if you love Fallout 3, Broken Steel is an essential purchase.

Behind the f-bombs and dick-t.ts are some incredibly mature and well thought out mechanics. Not only does the Skillshot system invite a completely new approach to shooting in single-player, it uses scores and leaderboards to inspire competition in a completely different vein to the amalgamate of contemporary shooters.

It might be a predominantly linear path shooter, but who cares? When the atmosphere and level of action on offer is this great, the fact that I can't wander off to see what's behind a tree half a mile to the East really doesn't bother me.

An excellent return to form for the series and tremendous fun when played with friends in split-screen or online. The often infuriating Grand Prix mode is likely to polarise gamers though, with some loving the unpredictability of it while others will simply give up after being taken down at the last minute by yet another Spiny Blue Shell.

Split/Second is so close to being great; so much so that in short bursts it really is a spectacular arcade racer. It just doesn't have any legs.

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

With gorgeous next-gen visuals, spine-wringing combos, and new Kameo fighters, Mortal Kombat 1 is less a reboot and more an accessible yet fulfilling return to form.

Bungie's iconic title was clearly an ambitious project, and this modern remastering sufficiently highlights what it was that made the original Halo: Combat Evolved such a landmark gaming moment to begin with.

It is one to enjoy, to soak in, to escape into and enjoy every moment you have with it.

The whole package is undeniably ambitious and for the most part Zipper Interactive has pulled it off, but the complex controls combined with the dumbed down aiming make it less impressive as a game than its PlayStation 2 cousins.

In many ways, it actually outshines its console counterparts. Bar a few niggling control issues, the battle system could well be the best in the series yet, and at times I actually felt it looked better than its PS2 cousins.

For some The Last Guardian's iffy controls, awkward camera, and glitches might be hard to overcome. Others won't care as they experience one of the most incredible relationships in video game history.

PES 2013 manages to do something only the best arcade experiences achieve. It offers playability to those who want to dip their toes in and hardcore techniques for the serious gamer.

It delivers on every front, with great action, deceptive strategic depth, stunning visuals and incredible multiplayer support.

You have to hand it to Square Enix for trying to move things forward - better that than yet another rehash of the tried and tested Final Fantasy formula (the less said about Infinite Undiscovery the better). But it does so along a path so narrow and straight that you long for the days of old.

As fun as Midnight Club L.A. is, it wouldn't be nearly as impressive if it weren't for the incredible visuals on display.

There's difficult, and then there's maddening, and sometimes Ethan Carter tips too far towards the former.

It's still an excellent football game that is perfect for newcomers to the series, but just don't expect it to be all that different to PES 6.

It's a quality game, that can't be denied. Play it with a mate and it's a lot of fun. The live action clips are so bad you can't not want to watch them, and the whole experience has that addictive quality that makes you want to play it when you're not, but it's a hugely conservative effort.

There's no question that FIFA on PS2 is starting to show its age. It looks good for a PS2 game and the new animations are excellent, but the frame rate isn't as smooth as we'd like it to be. It's also a big disappointment that online play is nowhere to be seen in FIFA 09 on PS2.

Metro Exodus injects life and light into the series, but its mechanics are still starting to creak; it’s a good end to Artyom’s journey, even if the story seems muffled.

Sadness in that here we have a lovely looking and functionally excellent game, but it's just not got that certain je ne sais quoi, that va-va-voom.

It's good fun with mates and has a surprising amount of depth, but lacks the magic that would have elevated it to a must own title.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds offers plenty of arcade fun, especially in multiplayer. If you have friends over and are looking for a great racing game, you’ll find what you’re looking for here. Equally, if you enjoy online play, Sonic Racing CrossWorlds will scratch an itch. However, due to shallow progression systems, players may find themselves lacking the incentive to play more alone. That said, fans of the Sonic franchise will eat well here, since CrossWorlds’ soundtrack, as well as its literal tracks, are brimming with adoration for the blue hedgehog and his storied history.

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]

There are certainly better hack 'n' slash games on the market, built around deeper combat, but few games can match Enslaved's excellent fusion of gameplay and storytelling.

By virtue of the control system it's the best console RTS available. There are problems of course - the campaign is a bit of a slog, the multiplayer lacks variety and PC RTS players will no doubt dismiss the game, saying it would have been better on the PC (there's a degree of truth to that) - but those issues don't prevent Halo Wars from being as good as RTS games get on console.

We're still not completely sold on what we believe is an overly harsh handling model that frequently restricts the amount of fun the average gamer can have, but it's not an insurmountable problem. Once you're in the groove you'll find some incredible tracks to scream around at high speed and the online play should provide plenty of longevity.

Around Every Corner might not reveal who's on the end of that blasted walkie-talkie, but it ends with such an almighty bang you're bound to return for the final fifth.

The snowboarding itself is solid, if lacking some of the skill required in previous titles, but it's everything surrounding it - RiderNet, Geo Tags and Harmony - that make the game such an involving experience. Its connected features take the genre to the logical next step, setting the benchmark for future extreme sports titles to follow.

Purists may struggle with Blacklist simply due to how it toys with stealth. Given that it's still the game's core, and that its suite of modes, especially online, are damn entertaining, though, mean it's a solid finale to this generation's Splinter Cell.

The frenetic fighting and over-the-top fun of Tekken 7 is great, but it's let down by light offline modes and online matchmaking that, right now, simply isn't working well enough.

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

Utterly lovely, although certainly imperfect, Botanicula is a game filled with soul and bursting with imagination.

The frame rate on the PSP version is a tad disappointing, but it's easy to look past, and the great draw distance and sense of speed has been reproduced admirably on the handheld.

Beautiful, unsettling, challenging. The fungal growths in it are cute little creatures rather than mushrooms (which are horrible). What's not to like?

This is ultimately a modern game deeply rooted in nostalgia, and you can still see the component parts of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Trials, Sonic the Hedgehog and Excitebike in Joe Danger 2: The Movie, but this time around the amalgamation is seamless, unique and completely coherent.

Cordy is simple enough for beginners yet also packs in a decent challenge for more experienced players.

de Blob isn't all it could have been, mainly down to the odd awkward jump and a slightly too simplistic first half, but it's still an extremely polished and well put together game.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a return to form after the misstep of its third entry, comfortably sitting alongside Ninja Gaiden 2 as a fast-paced action romp that makes you feel like a master ninja. However, some weak level gimmicks and an unremarkable central storyline hold it back from dethroning the earlier games in the franchise.

Depth way beyond that of any other action game released this year, sleek presentation and some of the best levels ever created in a video game.

We loved it, but if you're someone who takes games very seriously and are looking for a nigh-on carbon copy of GTA 4 this won't be for you. If the idea of childishly laughing every time your character speaks in a completely inappropriate voice sounds fun, or you just want a game that positively encourages you to mess around, we can't recommend Saints Row 2 enough.

Traditionally one of the more accessible of beat-ups, DR has loads of characters, 34 in total, all available right from the start, and half of which are only there for comic value (Roger Jr anyone?).

It feels more like an interactive cartoon than a classic Lucasarts game, but providing you’re aware of that Broken Age delivers a jolly nice time. It’s just lovely. That shouldn’t be enough, but in this case – it really is.

A Plague Tale: Innocence has some clunky writing in places, and its play gets stale after a time, but it prevails with a compelling mystery and a beautiful world.