Mercenary Kings is a royal retro rumble; an outstanding sidescrolling shooter with the depth and longevity of Monster Hunter. Though unwelcome repetition and grind can set in after long stints, grabbing some mates for local co-op fun with ridiculous customised boomsticks never gets old.
Brilliant and brutal, breathtaking and exacting, Cloudbuilt lights a rocket underneath traditional platformers. Exceptional level design, stunning visuals and a lofty skill ceiling make for an impressive debut, though its ferocious difficulty takes no prisoners.
Luftrausers delivers white-knuckle arcade thrills and intense dogfighting action, allowing us to become a true fighter ace.
Ground Zeroes is a stealthy sandbox, a playground that lets us get used to and experiment with the slick new Metal Gear mechanics. Its weak storyline and fleeting length are disappointing, but impressive replay value, extra content and undeniable quality will make The Phantom Pain's prologue worth the price of admission for many gamers.
As much as anything, I can't wait to play it again. I want to play it right now. Usually I can't wait to be shot of a game after intensively crushing it for review purposes (even the best of them), but here, I'm ready for more.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is a fun, fresh and friendly new take on the tired old multiplayer shooter. Newbies will enjoy a safe and relaxing environment to learn the ropes, while the superbly imbalanced classes provide surprising depth for more experienced players. PopCap's genre inexperience shows in the half-baked progression system and unsatisfying hit feedback, but their bumbling and charming personality ultimately wins out.
Strider is more than worthy to bear the name: a slick, exacting and breathlessly hectic action-platformer powered by superb combat. Though botched 'MetroidVania' exploration adds tedious bulk rather than value, amplified by a grim lack of colour, arcade aficionados and challenge-seekers will be in their element.
How low can you go? Not content with mediocrity, Capcom Vancouver are on a crusade to singlehandedly destroy consumer confidence in next-gen season passes and DLC.
Half gleefully entertaining rail shooter and half primitive QTE-fest, Rambo: The Video Game ends up average. It's a shame that the OTT action is so often eclipsed by shonky production values and tragic instant-fail sections, but if you manage to find a competitive deal for the PC version, you'll find yourself having much more fun than you bargained for.
Another fortnight, another deeply average Dead Rising 3 DLC pack. Though more interesting and worthwhile than the pathetic Operation Broken Eagle, Fallen Angel is still not worth your money unless you really, really need to zap zombies with an awesome electric blaster cannon.
Gigantic Army is pure bot-crushing, Pile Bunkering, beam-cannoning, dodge-dashing, shield-blocking, mech-stomping, boss-smashing, riot-blasting, speed-running, mind-blowing action at its finest.
Having set the stage, future episodes now need to give us more in terms of puzzles, real detective work and big decisions to make... while translating the cast's deepening respect or hatred for Bigby into pivotal game-changing moments.
Loadout lets you create the ridiculous bespoke boomstick of your wildest dreams, but is far from a one-trick pony. Manic old-school shooting, tight map design and a superb in-house engine make for a seriously impressive F2P effort that surpasses any number of full-priced downloads.
Blackguards is a monstrous slab of ruthlessly tough yet massively rewarding strategy that fans of old-school RPGs will find impossible to resist. The more esoteric and chance-based aspects of its mechanics and presentation will put many players off -- not to mention a difficulty curve that makes The Shard look like The Shire -- but chances are you already know where you stand.
Max: The Curse Of Brotherhood is a handsome and surprisingly sharp platform puzzler. Though stronger characters, storyline and controls could have made it truly special, it's still well worth exploring if you're looking for something fresh to play on your Xbox One.
Risk Of Rain is a retro-tough indie gem that pumps Roguelike and RPG elements into insane old-school run & gun platforming. You'll love every ridiculously addictive hardcore second of it, probably grinning and gurning like a sweaty lunatic as you do so.
Spartan Assault proves that Halo can power a solid and entertaining twin-stick shooter. Though short stages and annoying mobile holdovers can spoil the fun, we have our fingers crossed for more - so long as future games remember that what works on a mobile device sometimes isn't fit for the living room.
Bravely Default dares to refresh the classic Final Fantasy formula with quiet yet confident innovations across the board, resulting in one of the best JRPGs of 2013 and a fitting end to a barnstorming year for Nintendo's handheld.
Peggle 2 is more Peggle, only vastly prettier. Which is absolutely what we want. If you're looking for a shot of colourful fun and orchestral orgasmic peg-busting bliss on Xbox One, you can't go far wrong here.
Zoo Tycoon overcomes a weak first impression with effortless charm and hidden depths: a colourful blend of management and playful fun that puts its animals first and foremost. A surprisingly capable launch title for more relaxed players, animal lovers, youngsters or just the young at heart. Granted, that's a cheesy cliché, but it holds true here.