The Digital Fix

Perhaps the greatest compliment that one could pay to Tales of Heart R is that (even with all the boob talk and Japanese innuendo) it manages to feel almost wholesome; perhaps there are nostalgic elements bubbling away under the surface, but the truth is that the game wears its heart on its sleeve ' well, in the title in fact. Tales of Hearts R doesn't feel like it intentionally set out to rewrite how elements of the genre work, but by the end of the game it somehow feels as though it's succeeded in doing so. It's a lovely experience, and if you're one of those gamers that live and breathe handheld RPGs then you really need to make the time to check this one out.

With Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare has rallied from its previous disappointments to deliver a near-flawless fantasy experience of staggering scope, mending the oft-broken hopes of a gaming nation alongside its own reputation as the foremost purveyor of adventuring. As 2014 draws to a close, Inquisition is a contender not only for game of the year, but for the best title to come out of BioWare's impressive stable - either way, it's an essential purchase for any RPG fan.

As a gamer you owe it to yourself to experience Shadow of Mordor if not for anything else other than the Nemesis system because playing a single-player game never made you feel less alone.

Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris is a worthy follow up to its 2010 precursor and expands on everything that was put in place in the Guardian of Light. Whether experienced in single-player or in four-player co-op, the game is a lot of fun and always keeps the player guessing about what they'll be doing next. While the story does leave a lot to be desired, the fascinating tombs and user-friendly controls make up for it and create an enjoyable experience that anyone who is a fan of Lara Croft could appreciate. If you've already finished all of 2014's blockbusters and are looking for something to play over the Christmas period, look no further than Lara Croft And The Temple Of Osiris.

Telltale Games' The Wolf Among Us is the same masterclass in storytelling on PlayStation 4 as we'd seen before on last-gen consoles. However, the transition has only made some glitches and errors even more noticeable

Telltale Games bring their trademark style of adventure gaming to the chaotic wastes of Pandora in Tales for the Borderlands, a surprisingly refreshing take on the world made popular by Gearbox Software's first-person, role-playing series

Fans of the show would be remiss in ignoring this opportunity to explore more of the world. It's also an excellent gateway to gaming for fans of the show who may not be accustomed to the feel of a controller.

With Assassin's Creed: Rogue Ubisoft have delivered the equivalent of Revelations. They've concluded a story arc and a group of characters have been consigned for good to the history books. Within that conclusion the best bits have been retained, the worst bits thrown away and a couple of new things added just to keep things spicy (grenade launcher anyone?). We have a charismatic lead (he isn't Ezio but then, who is?), a taut storyline with a twist and a fun set of missions which don't overstay their welcome. It's a fine end then, before the new beginning which is already available. Rogue may seem an odd release but it is a worthwhile one that any Assassin completionist will want to play and won't regret doing.

Unlike some of the better previous titles like LEGO Batman 2 and LEGO Marvel, LEGO Batman 3 feels more claustrophobic, smaller in scale and lacks that open feel that the aforementioned titles gave us. There is a lot of content for your money, albeit nothing new and the little ones won't be disappointed but it just isn't as good as previous efforts. A handful of poor design decisions, the odd ropey celebrity cameo and a smattering of technical issues along with a small dose of LEGO game fatigue all add up to a slightly underwhelming experience. Good, but don't expect evolution.

It's not going to surpass Rock Band as the de facto music party game, neither is it going to save Kinect. But, as a potential swansong to Microsoft's neglected camera, Fantasia: Music Evolved is more than worthy.

The goal has been simple for Konami; make the beautiful game beautiful to play. On that score alone PES wins hands down and the gauntlet has truly been thrown down for next year's derby clash. It seems that those big signings haven't guaranteed FIFA the title.

It looks fantastic - the gun play, whilst different from your standard Call of Duty fare, is solid, the open world is huge, bursting with life and activities to undertake plus they've finally realised what makes Far Cry so great - freedom to blow stuff up as you please. Technically fantastic, a joy to play for the most part and an awful lot of game for your money.

There's a thin line between rock-hard gameplay and a broken game and while Natural Doctrine runs up to that line repeatedly it manages to never actually cross it. What it does manage, however, is to be a great example of the genre while also doing very little to bring it into the twenty-first century. The enjoyment found here depends on the gamer coming to it; one gamer's excruciatingly difficult and confusing is another's deep and complex, and it's the latter group NISA are going after with everything they asked for. It would just be nice if they could give a little extra too.

It's obvious that Never Alone's Inupiat influences took precedence throughout the whole game, and as a result its gameplay took a hard knock. Some serious AI flaws and glitches ruined any enjoyment we could have with the game, as we spent more time wrestling with its problems than actually gaining any satisfaction. Never Alone is just not an enjoyable or fulfilling experience, and that is why it is best left alone.

So, to sum up what SingStar: Ultimate Party is I can safely say what it is not. It is not the ultimate party. If it were, life would be very dull indeed. What it is is a way to collate certain music videos in one place in exchange for payment as opposed to finding them for free via various other methods. It's a chance to sing into your smartphone rather than hear singing from it and a chance to see shapes turn blue or gold or stay white. It's a chance to record yourself singing without pressing play on the video recorder and a chance to have other people you don't know rate your singing to prove once and for all to your wife/mother/friends that you bloody well can sing. Does all of that make the game worth playing? Not a chance.

Styx: Master Of Shadows showed some potential. Styx himself is an interesting character and the game's use of amber allows the player to be creative in their approach to each mission, but unfortunately these ideas have been thrown into a game which lacks the enjoyment to appreciate them. The frustrating moments far outweighed any fun we had with Styx, and the game's repetition solidified this by making us do those frustrating sections over and over again, which only helped to create a very unenjoyable experience. We only hope that Styx sticks to those shadows he is so masterful of, because we don't want to play a game like this again.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a great action game, full of high tension moments and brilliant gameplay. It refreshes the old formula sufficiently to keep it interesting - but doesn't do enough to become something special in its own right. It's a lot of fun to play, but with a short campaign, uneven story, and by playing things a little too safe, it's not quite as advanced as it claims to be.

For all its flaws, Farming Simulator 2015 is the latest, best entry in an exceedingly niche genre, a reasonable improvement on the last entry, and perhaps a change of scenery if you're sick of the sight of alien spaceships and chest-high walls. Even if the closest you've ever come to farming in real life is accidentally picking up an unpackaged vegetable in Tesco, I challenge you to try the demo, watch the first rays of dappled sunlight break through the treeline, glinting off the whirring blades of your harvester, and not be gripped by a sudden urge to bring the barley in.

On sheer value for money alone The Master Chief Collection is a fantastic proposition, add in that it contains some of the highest regarded Xbox titles of all time, touched up, enhanced and fit for a whole new generation of players, it's quite simply a must buy.

There are few redemptive qualities to The Legend of Korra. Decent gameplay could have been made excellent if only there were more enemy types and, perhaps more importantly, the environments weren't so uninteresting. The story is shallow, the characters are shallow, and the world is shallow. It's bewilderingly underdone; there's very little content and it doesn't really engage with its source material. It doesn't even feature subtitles, so deaf people won't be able to follow it. You might be able to waste a few hours with it, but after that, it'll only be good for gathering dust.