Overall, Inversion is a game that feels instantly familiar, and not in a good way. The game lifts heavily from more illustrious sources, while its own unique selling point, gravity powers, never feels fully exploited. But equally, the game is a solid and reasonably well-produced shooter that is fun to play, particularly with other people. As long as you don't expect a revolution, you will have a good time battling this particular alien invasion.

In closing, The Secret World might well have worked better as a third-person action adventure with a co-op focus, rather than a fully-fledged MMO. Had the developers gone down this route, it could still have delivered that thrilling story-based experience, but also provided more in-depth combat mechanics. As its stands, it feels like a collection of inventive ideas that haven't been used to their full potential.

The game can become a bit of a grind as more challenging missions may require multiple attempts, but the core swinging mechanic remains fun throughout. Knights of the Round Cable captures the feel of an easy to learn, difficult to master game with controls perfectly suited for touch devices.

While The Dark Knight Rises doesn't quite live up to its cinematic namesake, Gameloft deserve credit for capturing the feel of the Arkham titles if not the depth and challenge. It's very true to the film without being a classic in its own right, so the so-called Nolanites will no doubt find something to appreciate here.

Fur Fighters: Viggo on Glass is the full Dreamcast game adapted to the iPad without being locked by in-app purchases, so there is a lot of content to keep you coming back. That is, assuming you can cope with the touch controls.

As a simple hack and slash game, ORC: Vengeance is a good fit for mobile. But while it may look the part of a console or PC quality game, it lacks much of the depth and customization of its dungeon crawling contemporaries.

iOS platformer fans could certainly do worse than to pick up SolaRola, but there are several far more polished and fun examples of the genre available on mobile devices.

Too often it requires multiple playthroughs of the same level to earn enough money to advance. The levels themselves also tend to last a few more waves than they should given the amount of repetition. But if taken in short bursts, tower defense fans will keep coming back for the strategic and action-multitasking Commando Jack has to offer.

The game isn't quite as pick-up-and-play friendly as Temple Run, requiring more finger agility due to the constant switching between lanes, but once you get started it can be just as difficult to put down.

With 45 increasingly challenging battlefields to cross, and a surprisingly well-made arcade bonus game to boot, Non Flying Soldiers will satisfy your puzzle fix

Sound Shapes is really what you make of it. The campaign, while a unique and thrilling musical ride, is criminally short and can be completed in under an hour on your first attempt.

Jack Lumber evolves the slashing formula of titles like Fruit Ninja by adding a bit of finesse. Similarly to the food-slashing game, logs will fly onto the screen and it's your job to hack them into pieces.

The market for shooters is so saturated that issues such as those detailed above could be terminal and it is not enough just to rely on the Tom Clancy brand to pull people in. There are some great elements to this game and you can certainly see it engrossing players, particularly with the abilities and tactics. But overall, more work must be done and hopefully Ubisoft is treating this beta as a learning exercise before full launch.

Though The Curse doesn't bring much new to the world of puzzle games, it is a substantial collection that will keep players scratching their heads for a long time to come.

The game's nonsensical internal logic and humor is a lot of what makes McPixel so charming. The downside is that failing a puzzle means repeating it until you get it right.

The whole game is pulled together by wonderfully drawn levels, with the bright colors popping even on the smaller iPhone screen. Mobile gamers looking for charm and challenge will find both in Grabbity.

The whole game is tied together with a surprisingly lengthy story and the high production value art expected of a Square Enix game. And once players get the hang of the story, a challenge coliseum lets you put your deck against other real players for item rewards and competition for a top spot on the leaderboards.

Even without the online option though, Shufflepuck Cantina is a challenging and wacky trek through the stars.

Despite some poor design choices and sub-par graphics, Tokyo Jungle is an oddly addictive game that exudes charm. Each survival attempt feels unique thanks to a steady stream of unlockable animals, new challenges and hidden areas. Stranger than anything we've played this year, Tokyo Jungle is a unique title which, while not without its flaws, is wildly entertaining and well worth a download.

Space Holiday is one of the most deceptively fun games to pop up on mobile devices.

Make no mistake, Torchlight 2 is nothing revolutionary. It favors a remix of genre conventions over any true evolution of the action RPG formula, but it is a pitch-perfect execution of those traditions that remains satisfying from start to finish and beyond

Control issues aside, Lili is a charming mobile adventure game, and a definite showpiece for smartphone visuals for a while to come.

What Royal Revolt lacks in strategy, it makes up for in bright visuals and the ability to become more involved in the sweeping battles. It provides a surprising amount of content for a free game, with equally surprising production values to match.

The game is pure destructive fun, but that purity comes at a cost. There is no score, leaderboard, or even a level star system, which may turn off some players who want a record of their gaming accomplishments.

While utterly unlike the original game in any discernible way, Zaxxon Escape makes for a fun ride in its own right as the speed increases every second you survive.

As useful as this is, the game offers only an ephemeral experience, and will struggle to hold players' attention after their daily workout has concluded and a few high scores have been logged online.

It's hard not to smile at the charming cartoonish visuals, though that smile can easily go the other way after a few of the action hero's cringe-worthy one-liners.

F1 Race Stars is hindered by a lack of courses, while the omission of drifting and lack of customisation ensures that it doesn't have the same longevity and levels of excitement as the likes of its contemporaries.

Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation was a game with a tremendous amount of potential, but it never fully realizes it. At times it borders on brilliant, capturing the essence of the console classics and looking good doing it, yet at others it's a disappointing mix of novelty controls, frame-rate issues and weak storytelling.

Wraithborne's beauty is only skin deep, leaving a repetitive action game with sluggish controls once the shiny coating is peeled away.

While the slow level advancement hampers the game's pace, Nutty Fluffies is still a fun, if occasionally frustrating, ride on iOS.

Is Curiosity a good game? No, not by a long shot, even if it could function properly without the constant server problems. But that's really the point, it seems, to experiment on how long people will continue to play even while knowing that it isn't good.

LittleBigPlanet Karting succeeds in applying Media Molecule's 'create and share' formula to the racing genre, offering almost the same level of creative freedom as the core platform series. As a racing game in its own right, it struggles to compete with the genre's leaders such as ModNation Racers and Mario Kart, but at least manages to impress on the innovation front.

Despite the best efforts of all involved to try to avoid the pitfalls of the original, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two still is still guilty of some of the offences of old, but it's as stylish and creative a platformer as you are ever likely play. Nobody can fault the developers for their ambition, and it's abundantly clear everyone on board had love and respect for the source material. Perhaps the third time around they'll perfect the formula.

Players uninterested in collecting all of the stars and going back to earn medals will likely feel that Sleepwalker's Journey is over far too quickly. It is, with levels that are meant to be replayed and mastered rather than offering a lengthy adventure.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale achieves what its sets out to do for the most part. Sony now has its answer to Super Smash Bros and PS3 and Vita owners have a place to turn to for accessible multiplayer bawls. It's a well-presented game that does justice to its cast of characters, but it could have been something more with a solo campaign of greater substance.

The game gives little motivation to step out of your comfort zone to solve puzzles in clever or innovative ways, but becomes far more satisfying when used as an outlet for your imagination rather than strictly adhering to any level's given goals. It's as fun of an experience as you make it, with those yearning to flex their creative muscles getting the most from the virtual sandbox.

Bladeslinger may be a showpiece on iOS for how it looks, but the gameplay was just too ambitious for the touchscreen's capabilities this time, and the overall game suffers as a result.

While this sort of endless runner formula has been fairly exhausted on iOS devices already, Verticus manages to still stand out as a top notch game thanks to the skydiving freedom of movement and responsive controls.

Much of what made Paper Mario charming in the first place still remains with Sticker Star. However, this 3DS game can be pretty tedious to play. The sticker system is a fresh and interesting idea, but ultimately, too many problems bog the game down and what's left is a lacklustre installment.

Once you start an online match everything runs fine, but the initial connection often takes longer to establish than the match takes to play. Connection issues aside, for speedy wordsmiths Writer Rumble is an excellent find while those with slower fingers will want to steer clear for something more turn-based.

Like short-term Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, the Wii U version of FIFA feels like an interim edition, warming the seat for next year's release.

Enjoyable multiplayer modes are only worth so much when backed by a paltry single player campaign, but taking the budget price tag into account, we can think of worse Christmas stocking-fillers for fans of the series of the tower defense genre.

For nostalgic fans, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is worth it on iOS just to take one last drive through the city with you wherever you go. But if you actually hope to complete missions and play the story, this is probably the worst version you can get.

The iOS game is much abridged compared to the iOS original. The game starts as a free download with two songs, Final Fantasy VII's One Winged Angel and Final Fantasy X's Zanarkand, with the rest of the 59-song soundtrack available as in-app purchases for $0.99 / 69p each.

Hundreds is certainly worth a look for those craving a challenge on their iPad, but only for the most masochistic gamers.

Developing a multiplayer-centric title is all well and good, but Anarchy Reigns could have been something more. Playing solo is a necessity for honing your skills and unlocking new options before you take the fight online, but those tight controls and enjoyable combat feel wasted during the hollow and repetitive single-player campaign.

Time Surfer is essentially more Tiny Wings with a rewind feature, which for some fans will be enough, but won't convert anyone who wasn't already fond of the game it's based on to begin with.

If not for the unfortunate shot restrictions Pangolin would be a hard puzzle game to put down. As it stands, you'll want to take long breaks between play sessions, but it's still a journey worth taking.

Noble Nutlings is a solid first effort for Boomlagoon, offering fun, fast-paced courses and a wide-eyed cast of squirrels that we likely haven't seen the last of.

Temple Run was by no means the first endless runner on the mobile scene, and its success paved the way for an influx of worthy competitors. With this in mind, Temple Run 2 feels like a trek across well-trodden ground, albeit a scenic one, rather than a substantial expansion of an existing formula.

Tin Man Can's 60 levels offer a lot of bang for the buck, at least assuming you have the reflexes to make it through them all. It is definitely on the more challenging side of the mobile gaming world, requiring precision timing pretty early on and never letting up after that.

As a result, Infestor's 60 levels are over rather quickly. The levels are smartly designed and still quite rewarding, but it feels like there is still a lot that Ravenous could do with the different abilities. If we're lucky a sequel will materialize before too long, because Infestor shows promise to be studio's best yet.

That said, the iOS version is superior for the simple fact that the mouse controls on the computer are more fiddly. We recommend that you try out 10,000,000, but if you have an iOS device, playing with the touch screen is the way to go.

Fractured Soul is fresh and clever, but it will probably appeal most to masochists.

The game feels short, but that's more because of enjoying the puzzles and wanting more to play than because of a lack of content.

The free-to-play design elements may hold some players back from completing the game, but it is clear the developers have a lot of love in their homage to the Ghostbusters films.

Corpse Party: Book of Shadows has its moments from a storytelling perspective, but it would have benefited from more interactive features. There's some morbidly creative horror for readers to sink their fangs into, but don't expect to encounter any believable characters or award-winning wordsmithery.

Proteus is very much a niche title. Without any real objective or storytelling hook, the open-ended nature will no doubt bore some. That said, its attempts at emergent gameplay are commendable and worth experiencing if this type of game appeals to you.

Unfortunately, playing solo is not that fun. Without friends, you're supported in your party by bots, who are mindless and quite incompetent. It becomes even more challenging to get through levels, and without the aspect of teamwork, the whole experience is just dull and not very enjoyable.

The controls can be rather twitchy, as aiming feels far too fast at times, but that is actually fairly accurate to the original feel of the game.

Be Together is a fun, average mobile puzzle game, but there isn't really a shortage of those on iOS lately.

The enhanced visuals and local and online co-operative multiplayer are welcome additions, but everything else feels a little bit outdated, with a distinct lack of variety in enemies and objectives in particular making the levels bland and monotonous by today's standards.

Rock Runners takes several levels to really get challenging, but once it hits its stride it can be a fantastic speedy platformer.

The Bridge is also relatively short, but at the same time it doesn't outstay its welcome. It's for the most part enjoyable while it lasts, and provides a decent thought-provoking time.

While it's pretty to look at, The Gods: Rebellion offers an inconvenient control layout and relies too heavily on lengthy arena battles. At moments it shines, but those moments are few and far between.

The enhanced visuals and local and online co-operative multiplayer are welcome additions, but everything else feels a little bit outdated, with a distinct lack of variety in enemies and objectives in particular making the levels bland and monotonous by today's standards.

Flaws like these show that, while Urban Trial Freestyle is a decent addition to the PlayStation games library, the game struggles to match who they're trying to imitate in pretty much every department.

There is a fantastic racing game core to Real Racing 3, but it is hiding behind a restricting free-to-play model. If there was a one-time purchase to eliminate upgrade times and increase the amount of cash earned per event, Real Racing 3 would be far more balanced and recommended without hesitation.

That said, Splash or Crash is very much a decent addition to the eShop, and provides enough enjoyment and replay value to be worth its low price.

Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow - Mirror Of Fate is an ambitious title with great boss battles, wonderful visuals and intuitive combat, making it a good fit for the Nintendo 3DS. But it won't be to everybody's taste.

The slim amount of content is more tolerable for an iOS game though, giving leaderboard chasers an action-packed shooter that is fairly unique among smartphone and tablet games.

Nano Assault EX is a solid upgrade over the original game, but the shortcomings remain unaddressed. That said, it's still very much a decent experience filled with enjoyable moments, and if you're intent on playing Nano Assault, you should get the eShop version.

The Showdown Effect isn't a bad way to kill some hours, and the developer is clearly intent on supporting the game with new content. We also didn't have many problems finding matches. But while this is a promising start, the game doesn't quite scratch that multiplayer itch just yet.

Le Vamp feels fresh in a sea of iOS endless runner games, making it well worth a look.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time manages to make us nostalgic for the PS2, but this is an example of a game that fails to play to its strengths.

Nimble Quest is a fun twist on the classic Snake game, with the random heroes you collect making it a different enough experience each time to keep you coming back.

As it stands, the Steam copy of Dungeon Hearts fails to fulfil its potential. It's visually charming if a bit bland, and the core mechanics are a solid base for what should be an enjoyable game, but it ends up being little more than a decent distraction.

There are also connection problems with online matches, though admittedly it is nice that you can compete in online matches at all. Tekken Card Tournament can get good if you put the time into it, but it's going to take a lot of your time and money along the way.

There is also no multiplayer sadly, though there are plenty of single-player matches to keep you busy for a long time. Injustice does the best it can with the mobile controls, offering a fun, if watered-down, face-off of DC heroes and villains.

The Arrival is worth experiencing if you're craving some really good scares. As a game, it falls a little flat with its repetitive nature and short length, but play it with the lights dimmed and you will have some memorable moments by the end.

Fish Out of Water! is still a fun pick up and play game, but after five minutes you have essentially seen everything the game has to offer. Like the game's title, Halfbrick may have stepped out of its natural element with this game, and the result is gasping desperately for air.

La-Mulana won't appeal to the more casual players. Instead, it's for those who are masochistic with a fondness for 'Metroidvania' games - but even then, a high level of patience is required to get the most enjoyment out of this indie title.

It's too early to say whether ShootMania's custom maps will boost its staying power, but we're not sure if an inspired community can draw us back into the FPS.

It's a fairly short title, though, lasting only a few hours, and despite the parts surrounding the narrative being underwhelming, the story itself is impressively affecting and worth experiencing.

While the sequel doesn't reinvent the game, it builds on the original enough that the novelty of dashing steel unicorns hasn't worn out its welcome yet.

Iron Man 3 is a decent enough infinite runner, though slow progression holds it back. Comic fans will still get plenty of fun out of it though, with boss battles against classic villains like the Crimson Dynamo and even M.O.D.O.K. in daily challenges to keep players coming back.

Despite its flaws, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins is a charming release, packed with diverse missions, mostly impressive visuals and a great cast of characters.

This being the case, Dead Island: Riptide will please fans of the original and zombie enthusiasts in general, but first-person shooter connoisseurs won't exactly struggle to find fault with it and are best advised to find their gun-toting thrills elsewhere.

The sequel is impressive for its robust drawing suite and shift in focus toward a community art gallery, but casual artists may find the significant bump in quality intimidating, which could hold Draw Something 2 back from being as big of a hit as the original.

Even fans of the sport will find the lack of game modes and the absence of multiplayer difficult to overlook.

Unfortunately, enjoyable multiplayer modes and what feels like a fresh approach are negated by restrictive gameplay, dull presentation and poor combat.

Sumo Digital should be commended for its attempts to pack as much as humanely possible into a Nintendo 3DS game. However, despite its wealth of options, game modes and extras, F1 2011 fails where it counts most, on the race track.

It feels like a string of vaguely amusing tech demos rather than a game in its own right, and even in this regard it fails to captivate for any length of time.

The problems with the computer AI make the single player a bit of a chore, and while the online co-op action is frantic and fun, it's also chaotic and lacking a bit of flow. There are quite a few glitches in the campaign, including zombies disappearing into scenery, or just disappearing entirely, and the set piece battles are hardly jaw-dropping.

As the first part of a planned game trilogy, it ends on a cliffhanger, leaving plenty of room for the developers to improve future iterations. However, if this first outing is any indication, perhaps The Doctor isn't quite ready for primetime gaming yet.

The Game of Thrones video game takes a while to get going, but perseverance is rewarded with an engaging story full of tough choices and interesting dilemmas. Unfortunately, the plot is let down by poor storytelling, sloppy visuals and mediocre gameplay, despite a relatively deep combat system.

Though Temple Run: Brave is cheap enough for an impulse buy at only 69p / $1, it's hard to recommend compared to the original game, which offers a nearly identical experience for free.

If taken in quick bursts, Party Wave can be pretty fun, but once you've seen the first four or five levels, there aren't going to be many surprises to keep you going.

Purists and fans of the original will get their nostalgia's worth with Spy vs Spy but it was clearly made with only the most ardent of original fans in mind. Even they may wish to leave their memories in the past, as some of the rough edges that were forgiven 29 years ago are downright jagged today.

Farming Simulator 2012 provides a slower pace to gameplay, but the controls make it more frustrating than relaxing.

When the controls decide to work in Random Heroes, the game comes together and can be a lot of fun. However, the frustration from times when it doesn't work outweighs the good, making Random Heroes a tepid recommendation.

Unfortunately, the randomly changing target sums really bring the whole experience down, making Koozac a mediocre number puzzle good for a few rounds before being completely forgotten.

Continuous play opens up a range of unlockables, including new backgrounds, blades, music and more objects to slice aside from rats. The only downside is that it is all quite dark, with the rats often blending into the background and making them harder to slice than it should be.

Unfortunately, Demons' Score is marred by some unforgivable issues. Most notable is the repetition, which has you playing through the exact same song and tap sequence dozens of times to reach each of the more entertaining boss encounters.

Without the guardian units, Blade Guardian would be a fairly generic entry in the tower defense genre. With their inclusion, the game becomes more interesting, but they are arguably more trouble than they are worth, making Blade Guardian difficult to recommend except to the most stalwart strategy fan.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories fails miserably at capturing the core attributes of its series predecessors, namely the effective psychological horror and captivating storylines. It doesn't exactly excel as an original dungeon-crawler either, bogged down by repetitive gameplay and generic mechanics. This is one book you will be able to put down.

With a more focused campaign and some extra work to iron out control bugs, and Borderlands Legends could have shown promise.

That being said, the improvements aren't enough to make it worth a purchase over the free version that was already available, making Wreck-It Ralph a difficult game to recommend.

While Beatdown is high on nostalgia, it is hard to play it without wishing it had released on nearly any other gaming platform.

Unfortunately, Shadowgun: DeadZone is a technical mess. The game crashes almost as often as it works, and when it does work the online lag will make it seem like players are practically teleporting across the map.

Jet Set Radio is a beloved classic, but the iOS version does not do it justice. It is an impressive technical feat that the game can even run on iOS, but that novelty quickly wears off once you actually hop into a level and attempt to skate around.

Middle Manager of Justice is worth a try for the creative presentation, but it isn't a game most will likely stick with for very long.

There is a lot of puzzle potential for Pudding Monsters to grow, and the colorful art style is undeniably adorable, making it still a fun game to play. It will just probably be a much better game a few months from now.

Strike Suit Zero feels very much like a product of the time when space combat games flourished on PC. Your enjoyment will greatly depend on whether you think of that as praise or a condemnation.

Tokyo Crash Mobs should only really be considered by 3DS owners who dig the look of the game and are Puzz Loop fanatics. Everyone else should look elsewhere - there are plenty of superior puzzlers in the eShop.

Primal Fears does come with functional co-operative play, which isn't the worst time-killer if you and a friend are bored, but otherwise it's a disappointingly lacklustre title.

Littered throughout the whole game are collectible hats, which completionists will appreciate, but ultimately, the controls in No Time to Explain are too imprecise and drag down the experience too much.

This would be fine if much of the action was not just so vanilla. This is a solid shooter, but not the game that Aliens fans had long hoped for.

Cyto is ultimately yet another physics puzzler for iOS, though inarguably a highly polished one, with puzzles that offer some fun, but feel more like going through the motions.

Even when everything does work properly, which is rare, AVP: Evolution is little more than a straightforward brawler. The movie license is about all it has going for it, and it uses that license poorly.

Hell Yeah! Pocket Inferno is ultimately a mediocre side-scrolling action game that could have been much greater had it actually tried to invoke its predecessor instead of just referencing it through the art style.

Ragnarok Odyssey is a polished offering with tight controls and nice graphics, but a little innovation would have gone a long way. In terms of both style and gameplay, this is little more than a generic RPG offering that fails to build on solid foundations.

Mini Ninjas has a unique approach to microtransactions, but finicky collision detection brings down what is otherwise a fairly average 2D infinite runner game.

The potential is there for Defiance to be more than a half-decent console MMO marred by technical problems.

Instead, nostalgic gamers might be best served to leave Duke Nukem 2 in their memories rather than their iPhones.

There is very little reason to recommend R.I.P. Rally except for those who absolutely must have every game involving zombies. And even then, there are much better options out there.

Digital Extremes clearly set out to develop a game that is more than a mere licensed cash-in, but Star Trek is a title with big problems, from camera issues to ropey cover and platforming mechanics.

On paper it seems like a solid tactical game, however after a few matches it all starts to feel the same.

Blitz Brigade is nearly the go-to online fist-person shooter on the go, but the servers behind it just are not anywhere near ready yet.

Square Enix has finally embraced the free-to-play model with Final Fantasy: All the Bravest, in what is almost a parody of the worst examples of free-to-play games.

To the game's credit, there is a nice adrenaline ability that briefly puts the action into slow-motion for easier shooting. Unfortunately, that ability was not attached to a better game. Rather than a fun tie-in with the action flick, the game becomes a literal interpretation of its name and dies. Hard.

Whether the game is just poorly thought out or a cynical cash-grab to prey on children and their parents' wallets is debatable, but either way The Croods demands far too much time for too little reward to be worth a download.

It's also still an undeniably good game, and despite awful controls players can still have fun with it. But really, until a developer figures out a better way of adapting the controls to a touchscreen, this version of Metal Slug X should be avoided.