Andy Robertson
The deeper handling, pop-out arcade style graphics on a scale unseen before in the series, the social network friendly Mario Kart TV and Miiverse features and of course the heavyweight Mario moniker itself are Nintendo's best chance to date of turning round the Wii U's fortunes. Quietly underpinning all this is the best Mario Kart experience I've has since it's revelatory introduction some 22 year ago.
Like any good art That Dragon, Cancer redefines the boundaries of its genre. This is creativity unfettered, matched in weight only by the likes of The Last of Us.
An absolute treat for fans of Metroid
Put together, it is hugely successful, not only offering an accessible strategy adventure with charismatic heroes and a fistful of innovations but one that in doing so refreshes the somewhat tired turn-based genre.
Trails… is a superb example of classic JRPGs done right.
As with any of these toy-video-game cross over products Lego Dimensions is not cheap. However, it's come in with super high production values, loads of content and tens of hours of game-play. In an already crowded it stands out from the crowd by taking the toys-to-life genre another step in the right direction.
Overall, Skylanders Superchargers is a very impressive package. Totting up how much extra content you get makes it very good value. Add to that the full backward compatibility support for all the previous figures, new online and racing modes and high end production value and it's a very tempting package. Superchargers is the moment we really see Skylanders deliver on its potential. It's not the cheapest game to play with your family but it delivers a huge amount of value.
This isn't just another update to the Skylanders series, it's the moment the game properly comes of age both from the perspective of top notch gameplay as well as offering families exactly what they want in terms of value. Also, those amiibo-Skylanders are fantastic.
On balance this is another good outing for Skylanders, although not delivering as much ambition and creativity in the video-game as in the toys. Provided families can enjoy both physical and virtual elements of the game there is still much to celebrate here, and plenty of value.
It's not until you see it in action in the hands of fans and players that it starts to make better sense. Testing the game out with my own children was a light-bulb moment for me, as I watch them moved seamlessly from playing with the toys on the carpet to placing them on the Infinity Base and continue those adventures on the screen.
Alongside substantial improvement to the game there has been considerable effort to improve the value here with the lower price starter pack. Disney Infinity 3.0 will be hard to resist for fans of the film and families looking for this year's toy-to-life video-game investment.
Overall Minecraft Story Mode is a great start to a new series. Although the child-like visuals will put some Telltale fans off this is to miss the huge investment and achievement so far. If the series continues in this vein it's set to be warmly welcomed by both Minecraft fans and families.
Skylanders Trap Team won't be the cheapest video game for families this year, but with the Starter Pack and some old figures, this compelling action adventure offers good value.
Disney Infinity 2.0 is a complicated beast, and easy to write off as a money grab for this lucrative new market created by Skylanders. However, see the game in the hands on young players and the different pieces fit together coherently.
Lego Dimensions combines 14 different pop culture franchises with smart Lego minifigures and the biggest Lego video game ever made. The result isn't cheap but offers a significant amount of fun and frivolity both on the screen and on the carpet.
Disney Infinity 3.0 does much more than just rely on Star Wars to sell units, though. Enhancements to combat, toy-box tools and vehicle handling combine with the new space dog-fights, racing and more generous cross-over characters to deliver just what fans of the series have been asking for.
The original toys-to-life series is back with a new driving feature and some neat tweaks to the well-known formula
While the pink puffball hero offers nothing new, younger players will be hooked, writes Andy Robertson
An elderly empty-nester whistles as she maintains her smallholding with calm and dignity in this slow-paced, meditative game
If you have a Minecraft fan in the house this could well be on their Christmas list.