As an action game spin-off from the highly tactical Advance Wars series, Battalion Wars II does its job, but a number of issues with the depth of the command system and the ability to rely on brute force over tactics let the game down.

It's also a far smarter game in terms of presentation, with Triumph able to bring the game world into the modern era very successfully.

Just about as good as the series is going to get on the PlayStation 2. If you want a game that the entire family can enjoy no matter their prior exposure to video games, The Mega Quiz will be perfect.

Mario Tennis Aces is a good tennis game let down by an Adventure Mode that often feels as though it's cheating you.

In many ways, Dragon's Dogma is comparable to that other recent Japanese take on the Western RPG, Dark Souls. Both are defiantly obstinate, both offer physical, tangible combat, and both try out clever ways of interacting online. And both, of course, are definitely a matter of taste. Where Dark Souls divides people through design choices, though, Dragon's Dogma's will likely divide through design flaws.

Sticker Star's lavish tapestry of neat touches keeps you pushing forwards in spite of the wonky puzzling and boring combat, and its vibrant, buoyant world marries so well with the script's deliciously wry take on Mario's classic tropes. It's just a real shame that the rest of the game feels paper thin.

Online races with six players were smooth and relatively lag-free, and the downloadable time trial ghost cars come in very handy when trying to better your previous lap records. It's the kind of feature set that hardcore SEGA Rally fans will appreciate, but casuals might be left wondering why more isn't on offer.

As the mission wears on, its conceit gathers cobwebs, but do we always need to be blown away?

While Clear Sky's myriad of minor bugs and flaws may irk, they do not render the game unplayable, so while things could have ultimately been a lot more polished and well considered in execution, there's still a lot to like.

I advise anybody picking the game up on Xbox One to turn Kinect off in settings before playing it. You can’t switch off Kinect commands in-game, and if you like to chat with friends while playing, you’re in trouble. Many times Rivals mistook my conversation for commands to change view, look behind and look around, leading me to scream obscenities and lose thousands of SP.

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.

And having spent the better portion of my week with the title, I am yet to unlock every secret the game has to offer, and the sheer number of selectable characters is impressive, if not overwhelming at times.

The blurring is the biggest offender, causing the backgrounds to lose all detail, and the wake left by each car looks considerably worse than in the 360 version.

A great port of a good game that has a few problems, the result being something well worth picking up if you’re looking for some decent home console Resi action, or just something to get rid of the lingering taste of Resident Evil 6. Although this re-release is somewhat surprising, it is far from unpleasant.

There's absolutely no getting away from the fact that Stuntman: Ignition is often an infuriating game, but that doesn't automatically make it a bad one. At times it feels as rigid as an old-fashioned school cane, but perseverance will reveal a highly rewarding experience.

A visually stunning, epic adventure that continues Crystal Dynamics' excellent run. We reckon it's the best completely original Tomb Raider (Anniversary was, of course, a remake) we've had in years, and is only let down by the odd control quirk and camera issue.

Essentially the Ultimate Edition isn't that much different to what's gone before. It's better than the 360 version on account of the improved technical performance, but, as with so many console RTS', it's got nothing on the PC version. If you're a PS3 owner looking for a solid RTS with good controls, this is the best the console has to offer. If you've got both "next-gen" consoles, Halo Wars is still the daddy.

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.

We get a story whose late twists are telegraphed within the first hour or so, and an ending drenched with homage to the Shape of Water. The journey, however, is worth taking. I relished the spectacle of a stranded ship, its hull gashed with Godzilla-sized claw marks. And, in the wavering depths of a dream sequence, Norah swimming down towards a pair of glowing eyes. Still, that sort of thing is par for the course, when you’re in Lovecraftland. What rescues the game from the descent into cliché isn’t a rise to sanity. Nor is it the call of the sea. It’s Harry. You believe in Norah because she believes in him, and even when the plot goes bats you want to see them back together. Who would have thought that the solution to madness might be marriage? Thanks, Old Pal.

So, having sacrificed gameplay in favour of story, what's left is a product that isn't really much of a game at all. If you can put up with the tedium of puzzles and stealth sections, the rich story and compelling characters will furnish you with a rewarding experience.

The core racing, platforming and puzzling is good, albeit hindered slightly by the visuals, but without the competitive edge that the PC game offered there's little here to make you come back.

There's a pleasing weight and solidity to the world, anchoring players into the experience: everything behaves as it should, leaving you to get on with the business of enjoying, rather than fighting, the game...It's clearly playtested to death, utterly enjoyable, and a bit mad. Is it worth your cash? Yes.

The gameplay is solid enough, but it just seems to be lacking effort, failing to make best use of the PSP hardware (multiplayer dogfights, but no online support) and not taking the series forward creatively.

Maybe if it inspired loss of bladder control in the same way the original did - or, better still, how Monolith's Condemned did - it might have been slightly more memorable. FEAR 3 is sadly lacking in the fear department, and has subsequently lost its defining characteristic.

Super Crate Box is a darling of a game, then, hindered somewhat by the platform it's on. It's absolutely impossible to not like it, but this version is easy not to love.

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

Telltale’s entry to The Expanse feels like an obvious move. A world rife with conflict, character and violence is reimagined through the snarky and laser-focused lens of Camina Drummer - and it’s brimming with life and excitement. This carefully spun narrative buries the arbitrary action gameplay, and is totally worth the few hours you’ll need spare to sink this game.

That the game feels overly familiar is undoubtedly a good thing.