The quality of the platforming is hard to fault, however.

As a whole, and occasional framerate drops aside, Virginia is wonderfully cinematic, and a fantastic story to inhabit as it unfolds. It's just not for everyone. Which is true of everything that's ever been made, I suppose, and in this case at least what has been made is new and different, and incredibly stylish.

The challenges included are great, the more full-featured games are excellent and the multiplayer games are a must play if you have friends with handhelds.

The familiar Fable experience is as engrossing as ever, and it's incredibly hard to stay mad at a game that oozes charm from every one of its pores. Fable III is a game that is inexplicably better than the sum of its parts.

Overlord II is a solid improvement on the original and great fun for newcomers and existing fans. The core gameplay hasn't changed too much, but small tweaks here and there and the introduction of mounts helps keep things fresh.

It may be unusual, insistent on clinging to a long-gone gaming era, and incredibly hard at times, but by including every major Metal Slug game, is without doubt one of the finest platform shooter titles yet released.

SDvR09 is better than last year's effort, no question, and it's a better game than TNA Impact! on account of it being yet another iteration of a tried and trusted game engine and packed full to bursting with features old and new. So yes, on the whole it has met the challenge.

If we're being picky, we could say that Ninjatown might be a bit too cute for some, and not quite as in depth as other tower defence games on the DS (the recent Lock's Quest springs to mind), but on the whole it's a fun, accessible strategy title with a lovely art style that's sure to please fans of the genre.

Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC owners certainly get better value for money, but the Xbox 360 version signals a strong next-gen future for Lara.

Veterans will still find the nuanced fighting system rewarding to master and, essentially, pixel perfect. But in a year destined to be remembered as the one that saw the resurgence of the fighting game, Tekken 6's star is too dull to shine brightest.

The changes are quite slight, but the putting is vastly improved and the new features make for a better game than before, so if you like the sound of those you won't be disappointed.

House Flipper 2 takes the tedium of everyday chores and successfully turns it into a fun and deeply satisfying experience, with enough variety and modes to make it the ideal game for when you just need to kick back and relax.

And as a game adults can get something out of at the same time as younger gamers, it's perfect.

It's a nice touch to actually have to build things in a game featuring building blocks, and adds to the game's overall tongue-in-cheek feel.

Danganronpa 2 tells a great story that’s worthy of your time. The characters will keep you invested as you wait for the next death. Monokuma continues as a great lead villain, and the new cast may feel familiar, but offer plenty of new tales to discover.

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.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a wonderful 2D platformer, and an essential purchase for all Wii owners, but the addition of multiplayer doesn't live up to its billing. And why is there no online?

The ideal family game. It's quick and simple, but has charm, character and inventive little puzzles galore.

It's Rock Band, but with Green Day songs. If you like Green Day and you like Rock Band, you're going to like Green Day: Rock Band. Go figure.

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.

John Wick Hex could have been a number of different games, none of them as strange and satisfying as this.

Bully is a surprisingly simple and rather tame game by Rockstar's standards, but that's part of its charm. The sense of grandeur seen in the likes of San Andreas isn't here, but Bully has a sense of character that is unique.

A huge amount of CRUSH is brilliantly playable and consistently enjoyable. It is bursting with character by puzzle game standards and, even considering its shortcomings, is still a PSP release well worth picking up if you are looking for something fresh and stimulating.

The ideal family game. It's quick and simple, but has charm, character and inventive little puzzles galore.

Whichever version of Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing you choose you're going to get a well produced, fun arcade racer, with enough tracks and unlockables to keep you playing for a long time.

A brief but striking title, one that doesn't outstay its welcome, perfectly pitched at the digital market.

As addictive as the perk goals are, it's the bread-and-butter sabotage that proves to be the real distraction.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has a string of wisely chosen influences, and it delivers on the long-overdue promise of a fun Jedi action-adventure. Bugs and design wrinkles irritate.