A soothing and enjoyable adventure with a smattering of smart LEGO-building puzzles and a dose of metroidvania exploration, LEGO Bricktales is a polished and fun way to while away a few quiet evenings.

It's slightly upsetting how close Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is to being a properly good remake. Were it not for the parade of annoying bugs and the occasional crummy mission, this would be easy to recommend. In its current, messy state, however, Black Forest's latest effort falls.

A good co-op experience that is just a bit too short to satisfy, plus missing a few features that would have made the game stand out. I’m becoming a broken record but, again, the online needs a bit of an overhaul.

The Karate Kid: Street Rumble is a good, solid, retro-style scrolling beat 'em up that demonstrates not only a clear love for its source material, but for the heyday of the genre itself. Nonetheless, once you've dispensed with its twelve levels, you might struggle to find a compelling reason to go back for more.

Tannenberg isn’t trying to compete with the Battlefields and Call of Duty’s, as it’s a completely different experience; one much slower paced, deliberate and brutal. Some will be turned off by is clunkyness and sluggish gameplay, but the realism and recreation of WWI battles is on a whole other level. If you’re looking for realistic trench warfare, Tannenberg will pit you in 40 player WWI battles that history buffs will relish in.

While it's undeniably wonderful to have Battletoads back after such a lengthy hiatus, not everything in here hits the mark. When it does work, however, Battletoads will tickle your funny bone and maybe even conjure warm, fuzzy memories of the '90s originals. You should toadally play it.

The similarities to Gears hurt its originality, but the glaive is simply awesome.

Offering a good dose of blood and viscera for gorehounds and more than ample fan service for Evil Dead heads, Evil Dead: The Game is a solid entry to the 4v1 horror genre, let down ever so slightly by repetitive objectives and slightly annoying solo missions. Putting that to one side, what Saber has created here is pretty... groovy.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue is the sort of thing we like to see in an AC game. A well-paced story with plenty of intrigue, twists and a vaguely charismatic lead with a shonky accent.

A robust and engaging mission, Star Trek: Resurgence does the iconic sci-fi saga justice with an intriguing original storyline that slots neatly into the series' lore, offering interesting and likeable characters, choices that feel like they matter, and its fair share of twists and turns. Engage.

A mighty fine bite-size Battlefield experience that takes a franchise synonymous with being a military shooter and establishes it in new territory. Battlefield Hardline is not as grand or epic as you’d perhaps expect a core Battlefield title to be, but it’s certainly a damn fine alternative.

Worth a punt if you've yet to become acquainted with Fortune City, and although the addition of checkpoints might seem beyond the pale to some, it considerably reduces the frustration factor. At a budget price, Off the Record represents surprisingly decent value, and who out there doesn't like cross-dressing and clubbing zombies to death? Exactly.

While it has a few nice ideas, Rainbow Six Extraction is nonetheless a generic first-person shooter that feels more like an expansion, rather than a full-blooded game. I’m not entirely sure Tom Clancy would approve.

Where last year's LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham proved that there's still life in the LEGO series, LEGO Marvel's Avengers is proof positive that cracks are beginning to show in TT Games' once bulletproof franchise. A severe lack of variety lets the side down, indicating that it's high time the LEGO series receive a much-needed shot in the arm.

Predictably enjoyable, Just Cause 3 is as big and ballsy as its forebear, but doesn't push the envelope quite enough. Yet, if it's action and explosions you seek, then look no further. Just Cause 3 is still the most fun you can have with a gun, a grapple and infinite parachutes. Boom.

Sacred 2 provides an incredible amount of content, and a replay value that will keep fans busy for hundreds of hours. Unfortunately, getting full enjoyment from the game requires looking past multiple minor technical problems, and poor graphics and audio.

Manic marine mayhem, Maneater is a one-of-a-kind shaRkPG that can feel a little one-note at times, but it's never anything less than an unhinged, knowingly daft piece of entertainment. You get to be a shark and eat people, for crying out loud. It's fun and guaranteed to make you smile, (you son of a bitch).

WWE '12 takes the plunge and ditches the Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 moniker, mixing things up and slamming down the franchise for the three count. The overhauled system is a positive first step towards advancing the series, and the customisation is still second to none. So, pop on some tight pants. It's time for some wrassling.

Showing signs of early promise, Battleborn very quickly becomes a chore, its repetitive story and paltry selection of multiplayer content putting the nail in its coffin after about 10-15 hours or so. That's assuming you even have the perseverance to stick around for that long. Battleborn is a disappointment.

Credit where credit is due to Team17 for trying something different. While not necessarily a roaring success nor an abject failure, Worms Rumble guarantees enjoyment in the short-term, but its long-term prospects don't seem as promising. After a few hours, Worms Rumble does prove a bit wearisome and may not worm its way into your affections.

Dead Island surprised us by being a tightly crafted experience, full of interesting locales and intriguing missions. It can lose its way at times, but you will find yourself coming back for one more go time and time again, as crippling zombies and saving bikini clad females never gets dull. Losing yourself on Banoi will feel like the vacation from hell, but you'll love it.

NHL 23 seems like an iterative instalment, as EA Vancouver settles in with NHL 22's Frostbite Engine. Nevertheless, if it's an excellent game of ice hockey you seek, then this is - quite literally, as it happens - the only game in town.

For those people craving a wrestling game with all of their classic heroes then they should look no further, but with a less than comprehensive career mode and a seemingly tacked on online feature, it will fail to grip you long term.

Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor – Martyr is a pretty solid ARPG from NeocoreGames with some neat ideas – like procedurally generated dungeons – but it’s far too frustrating and repetitive for a mere mortal like myself. If grind is your name though, you should probably change it, but at least you’ll like Martyr.

Buried beneath Lake's innumerable mundane tasks are some really cool characters and stories. It’s just a shame you have to dig deep to really reach them.

An ever-so-slightly shabby single-player first-person shooter, Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition still does right by the movies, delivering a decent slice of narrative, and robust action, to boot. Come with me if you want to be entertained for about 10-15 hours.

All barnacles, salty sea life, and rusty, otherworldly machinery, Silt is an underwater odyssey filled with murky mystery and some pretty neat puzzles. In a nutshell, it's sort of like Limbo, but in the ocean.

You do not have to be a fan of 50 Cent to enjoy this cheesy slice of shoot ‘em-up pie, and if you have a friend to play it with all the better. That being said, the game is pretty damn short and you will have zero inclination to play it again so it is probably better saved for a rent.

Layers of Fear showed early promise, Blair Witch demonstrated that Bloober could resurrect a dormant movie license to great effect, and Observer saw the studio successfully turn its hand to cyberpunk horror. The Medium is a similarly excellent game, serving as further proof of the developer's horror expertise and its credentials as an exciting creative outfit.

Whilst it’s quite clear that BioWare are in a good run of form with their full retail titles, creating RPGs from the upper echelons of class and sophistication, Kasumi’s Stolen Memories is another piece of DLC that just goes to show that they haven’t taken that art across into their DLC.

A disappointing end to a promising tale, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a turgid and inconsistent sequel that fails to live up to its forebear.

A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing voyage of soul-searching self-discovery, Sable is also a rewarding jaunt across an otherworldly desert that involves climbing, hoverbiking, and gliding. And rather good it is, too.

It’s about time that the Xbox 360 had a party, karaoke style game that felt at home on the console. Everything about Lips is right on the money; the microphones are fantastic, the selection of tunes is sublime and the singing interface is the best in the business.

Get beyond the complicated controls and mechanics, and Starpoint Gemini 2 turns out to be a mostly enjoyable voyage across the far reaches of space. The price tag is a little steep given the dated style and presentation of the game, but there's no shortage of content if you're in the market for a steadily-paced and involving space sim.

A strange horror experience that isn't all that scary, The Chant is nonetheless an interesting ride while it lasts, despite being marred by a scrappy story and even scrappier combat. It's weird, but not all that wonderful.

A remarkably pleasant, entertaining and pure stealth puzzle game, Spy Chameleon is one of the best games starring a lizard we've played in some time.

Despite EA Sports leaving itself plenty of room for improvement in future iterations of Grand Slam Tennis, what's here is enjoyable. Perhaps a little too easy for tennis veterans, the experience of being out on court, thwacking the ball around is great fun. It's just the Career Mode that lets the game down.

This is a game in only the loosest sense of the word, but is an intriguing proposition nonetheless, especially for those with a penchant for action-based manga series. Asura's Wrath is an original, engaging and occasionally ridiculous game and as a result is certainly a novel experience, though whether it's an experience that most gamers will be happy paying top dollar for is another matter.

Free from Kinect, Frontier has been able to deliver a game that revels in split-second timing and precise controls. The result is the studio’s best Xbox game in years that's a brilliantly fun coaster-racing, track-building, building destroying experience in its own right.

It's Drive, Destroy, Dominate remit is delivered in spades, but after while, it can start to get a tad repetitive.

Alien: Rogue Incursion isn’t top-class, but it roots you in your surroundings, and, even without a clamp-on headset, you feel enveloped.

This game is easy to pick up and plenty of fun to play. You may well get frustrated with the swinging mechanic after a while but once you become familiar with it the whole thing falls into place. Sadly the campaign will not last you very long at all and the multiplayer is more of a novelty than a long term investment.

It might not be as big as Red Faction: Guerrilla or offering the same open-world, but Armageddon is nonetheless a worthy sequel with enough new ideas of its own to set it apart. Play around with the magnet gun and the plasma weapons, and you'll be hard-pushed to find something as mindlessly fun.

There's no doubt that Crackdown 2 is a well made title, and there's a lot to be said for playing through the game in co-op – and you'll need to if you want to obtain all the online orbs – but there's the distinct feeling that this is just more of the same stuff, in the very same city.

RoboCop: Rogue City had its fair share of technical issues, but somehow, Unfinished Business has even more. Its characters look hideous, the frame rate frequently hangs, and there are other niggly little bugs that will drive you mad. And, yet, once you start blowing away goons with RoboCop's Auto-9, none of that matters and all is right with the world.

There are definitely some faults to this game, but it is overall an enjoyable experience. Double Helix Games is a mish-mash of multiple companies and is overall very new to the video game industry so the faults are no surprise.

Virtua Tennis 4 though feels like it was a little too safe after the backlash fans had towards VT09, and as such has not really taken the series forward in any way. Sure, it's still a more than enjoyable tennis game, but you could play any title in the series and get pretty much the same impression. Things are at risk of becoming a little too stale if truth be told.

Brilliant use of time powers which means it fulfills it primary purpose, misses out on reaching its full potential though as the puzzles and game are made far too easy.

A sequel that on paper had huge potential, Just Cause 4 is unfortunately a bit shabby and light on genuinely new ideas, beyond the novelty of lightning storms and tornadoes. The core gameplay remains good, explosive fun, but Rico is evidently running out of steam.

On the Xbox 360 though, it's a different landscape, and for now, Harmonix's Dance Central 2 has its flag firmly cemented at the top of Dance Mountain. Wait, wait… I have a better one… In Dancetown, Dance Central 2 is currently the Sheriff and Just Dance 3 is the Deputy. Yeah, that's better… Just Dance 3 does have 2 Unlimited though… and there's No Limit to how nostalgic that song is.

Harold Halibut's handmade world has bags of charm, but its sedentary pace and largely uneventful narrative might not be to everyone's tastes. Great stories stay with you, but, sadly, I'm not sure Harold's will.

LEGO Jurassic Park is, as ever, a sizable package with plenty of replay value when it comes to finding every hidden nook, cranny and minikit. However, the same gameplay persists as do some of the same bugs and glitches – often revolving around co-op play. So while it is nice to revisit locales both new and old, it’s not so great to see the same issues and problems when you get there.

Despite some glaring roster omissions and little in the way of meaningful evolution over the boxing sims of old, Undisputed enters the ring as a lean and mean contender that's fighting fit. Just don't go expecting any seismic shifts when it comes to the boxing formula.

There are few songs with no improvements over from the last game, and it even plays exactly the same.

LEGO The Hobbit is still a game full of things to see and do, but the problem is that you have the nagging feeling you have seen and done them all before.

It may only grab your attention for a few short hours, but during that time, Let Them Come proves to be an enjoyable, uncomplicated and gore-laden alien blaster that has a certain 80s/90s sci-fi movie charm. There are far worse ways to spend six quid/eight bucks.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 goes light on RPG mechanics and its action is somewhat lacking. And, yet, being at the heart of Seattle's political machinations, embodying a powerful vampire and engaging in brutal, bloody combat, is a lot more fun than the sum of its parts would suggest.

Another dose of Supermassive’s choose-your-own horror, lacking in scares.

It's not perfect, but it wears its heart on its sleeve and delivers a game that is plain, good old fashioned fun.

A solid title from a company with years of experience making karaoke games, with a very real possibility of a steady revenue stream for Konami if they handle the DLC well.

A fresh start for MMA fighting games on consoles, EA Sports UFC is a solid second crack at the sport for EA that still has acres of room for improvement.

New IPs at this stage of the console cycle are fairly rare, especially those with ingenuity and creativity in abundance, as well as a little innovation to boot. That right there is Remember Me, a memorable experience with a strong female lead, an epic score, a hugely creative world and some deceptively deep mechanics. Here’s hoping we see Nilin and co. again sometime soon as she’s not someone we’re going to forget in a hurry.

If you like Worms, you'll still love Worms Battlegrounds. Deathmatch and Forts modes are still fun when played with friends, but single-player feels like an interminable grind. Here's what you need to know, in a nutshell: it's a Worms game. Pure and simple.

A wonderfully realised fantasy world that is equal parts entrancing and disturbing. The story is well realised and will keep you enamoured until the credits roll. There are a few niggles here but nothing to stop Alice: Madness Returns from being a wonderfully different slice of entertainment. Now who's for tea?

The Gunk is a difficult game to label, but an easy one to enjoy. Whether you’re sucking up a load of the titular gunk to help bring an alien world back to life, or listening to an engaging back and forth between the game’s main characters, there’s plenty to like here, even if it doesn’t quite live up to its early potential.

Little more than a cash in on the first Lips and one that I would only recommend for people who do not own the original, but even then you are hard done to as you would be missing out on better songs and more achievements. Madness.

A polished game overall that falls victim to crimes of the past.

BELOW evokes a fantastically ominous air of foreboding with its soundtrack, and its visual style is unquestionably superb, but as an example of the roguelike, Capy's game does nothing new. Perhaps it's intentionally pared-down, but the resulting game is enjoyable for an hour or two, and a relentless chore thereafter.

Homefront's story-driven element is a disappointment, but you'll still probably return for a repeat visit. The multiplayer on the other hand is a far more inviting prospect and will likely burn up a fair few hours, days, weeks and even months if you catch the bug.

An unflinchingly violent and gruesome survival horror that ratchets up the tension from the get-go and doesn't let up, The Callisto Protocol is superlative stuff, and a must for anyone with even a passing fancy for Dead Space and its ilk.

While not bad enough to be nuked from orbit, Aliens: Fireteam Elite regrettably falls short of what I'd hoped for from the franchise, especially seven years on from Alien: Isolation, which remains the high watermark. A lack of atmosphere, tension, and interesting stuff to do beyond shooting things, makes for a somewhat disappointingly flat experience.

UFC Personal Trainer is a great addition to the small stable of fitness games on Kinect, offering something that's both in-depth and incredibly intense. However, it's simply let down by a lack of more casual, enjoyable game aspects and pointless trainers with little to contribute. That said, if you give it your time and attention, UFC Personal Trainer should yield some real results to show off on the beach this summer, if that's what you want.

Vampyr is one of the year's most interesting games, cementing Dontnod as one of the most interesting developers around. Go get your teeth into it.

This is still a solid tennis game but it is also one that offers almost no improvement over its predecessor.

Dead Money clocks in at a good five hours or so, and is well worth investing in if you're thirsty for more New Vegas action. There's plenty of what Fallout does best, with new melee weapons and guns to try out as well as several divergent conclusions to reach once you manage to successfully (or indeed unsuccessfully) pull off the Sierra Madre heist. But does Dead Money deliver on the same level as Fallout 3's DLC did? To a certain extent yes, but having played through the DLC episode, we can attest that Dead Money is absorbing while it lasts, yet you might still be left wanting more once the credits have rolled.

A slender and streamlined FPS made by just one person, Bright Memory: Infinite is quite the feat – an action game that flies by at a lick, bombarding you with slick set-pieces and cracking gunplay. This is a first-person shooter distilled to its raw elemental components, and it's marvellous.

Bristling with energy and a bright, breezy '90s-inspired style, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove harks back to a simpler time, when life was a little bit funkier. And fun. This is a fun game.

A movie tie-in that thinks outside of the box, John Wick Hex is an unexpected and unique strategy game with more than a few neat ideas up its impeccably tailored sleeve. Yet, a steep difficulty curve, some fiddly controls, and a frustrating sense of repetition cramp its style. However, cool heads and sharp wits will prevail.

A solid detective yarn with decent puzzles and a procession of absorbing mysteries to unravel, Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile is an intricate and enjoyable, albeit slightly shabbily presented, adventure with a slightly unusual 1970s style.

Genesis Alpha One has some really cool ideas going for it, unfortunately they’re outweighed by repetitive busywork that you easily get bogged down in. Sure, it’s an interesting strategy game at times, but the grind is just too damn much!

While there are numerous better and more comprehensive racing games out there, Project CARS 3 is nonetheless a remarkably solid racer in its own right, with a slew of cool options, customisation features, cars, tracks, and more. If you're in the market for a spiffy new racing title, Project CARS 3 is certainly a solid choice.

Despite its slow and dreary start, Thief builds to deliver an experience that most stealth fans will lap up. However, most Thief fans will mourn the loss of the reboot’s freedom and choice. That said, Thief is ultimately a game that delivers epic highs and mediocre lows, and for the highs alone, I have no issues recommending it to anyone.

Providing a complex and multi-layered experience, Section 8 is one of the better multiplayer titles currently available on the 360. With clan support, stat tracking, and more, hopefully this game will sell well and build up the sizable community needed to keep the battles large and epic. Despite some need for the weapon balance to be re-tuned, an undersized HUD, and poor tank controls, Section 8 is a blast, and worth checking out if you're into large-scale multiplayer battles.

From a design perspective, Cloudpunk is fabulous. Stunning soundtrack, a lovely little voxel-art world, but the game itself (and the bugs! So many bugs!) don’t really inspire like the world itself. In truth, it gets incredibly repetitive and rather boring the longer the games goes on, and the narrative isn’t strong enough to get its hooks into you.

The story never really takes off and the characters are a bit one-dimensional, plus the lack of anything other than the main quest to occupy your attention is a let down.

A perfectly decent chunk of linear extra-terrestrial shooting, with a sprinkling of mild Soulslike elements, nice puzzles, and plenty of exploration, Scars Above is a double-A budget game that's worth a look.

After a rocky start, No Straight Roads settles into a rhythm, but its action is off-key, in spite of its edible looks and funky soundtrack. Regrettably, No Straight Roads is an action game that doesn't quite hit the high notes, with execution that falls some way short.

WET is certainly all about style over substance, but the rather short main story will not keep you occupied for too long. The presentation and music is spot on, but aside from a few achievements and challenge modes, there will be very little reason for most players to come back after one playthrough.

If you're expecting a Martian mission like Total Recall, then recalibrate those expectations. Deliver Us Mars is a rather slow affair with little variation in its puzzles and a languidly delivered narrative. In spite of its issues, however, this is a journey just about worth sticking with.

Controls are responsive and players did what they were told to do without a hitch. Lack of fighting direction hurts this score.

Don't be fooled by its simplistic, retro visual stylings. Crimsonland is enormous fun, and the perfect game to dip in and out of on occasion.

Perhaps not as glorious as Lost Odyssey or Eternal Sonata, but it definitely keeps up with Tales of Vesperia and Blue Dragon. A unique, twisting story with likable, engaging characters and a deep, entertaining battle system. Highly recommended.

Failing to deliver as an effective horror story, Man of Medan is interminably slow to get started, and when it does, the narrative and performances prove more laughable than scary. The best kind of horror is the stuff that really gets under your skin, but sadly, this barely even pricks it. A soggy first chapter in The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan is best left on the seabed to rust.

A hotchpotch of ideas and themes, Karma: The Dark World is a horror experience that doesn't quite manage to come together in a satisfying, coherent fashion. As such, it emerges as a frustrating, confounding thing, albeit one that displays brief flashes of potential. There's the kernel of something great here, but the execution ultimately falls short. On Xbox Series X|S, it's also hamstrung by frame rate issues.

If you've yet to play a Katamari game, then Once Upon a Katamari is as good a place as any to start. Its time-hopping adventure offers a fresh spin on the series, with new mechanics and additions that only serve to enhance a winning formula.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River will please fans of the last game, but will still leave players of the PC originals out in the cold. It's the best military sim on consoles yet, as far as we're concerned, but in the time since Dragon Rising launched, we expected a bit more from the sequel.

A solid racing game that does a good job of recreating a sport that has been pretty much ignored in gaming terms. It may not be suitable for everyone though thanks to the control issues and lack of variety.

Sea of Thieves has the potential for some great tales, cruising the high seas, following the wind with them sails. Its lack of content and things to do hold it back, but at no point is the game totally whack. Arrr!