Need a new puzzler to bust on your commute? Itching for a stern challenge on your next-gen lump? You're in luck.
Here we present a rolling archive of the best game releases of the week, from major console titles to addictive apps.
Roam through the gallery to discover titles you may have missed.
Hyperburner
Platforms: iOS
June is something of a hangover month for the games industry, pumping itself up on the news hype of E3 before finding a sofa to curl up on and release hardly any games of note.
Mercifully, Hyperburner has blasted onto iPhones at unlikely speeds with some welcome thrills.
A high speed runner/dodger game, it sees you navigate your space craft through increasingly small gaps in oncoming debris. There are six zones to master, each with five challenges. No still image can really do it justice - it's one of the most gorgeous, fluid games you'll ever download, with graphics that rattle along at sweat-inducing speeds.
Get ready to stretch your reaction times to breaking point.
Just Cause 3
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Yes, that is a man grapple-hooking his way toward an attack helicopter. Because that's how Just Cause 3 takes its tea: with two sugars and a grenade.
If game "realism" isn't your thing, and you long for sillier skills than the likes of Grand Theft Auto can offer, this is the title for you. Mad doesn't even begin to cover it. Everything can be blown up in a world that plays fast and lose with the laws of physics. Silly fun.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Standing in perfect contrast to the stupidity of Just Cause 3 is the latest title bearing the well-worn Clancy tag.
Rainbow Six: Siege is brutally 'real'. Losing the hostage will make you squirm with guilt, shrapnel will have you ducking in fear, and bullets have a tendency to tear through you rather than bounce off sci-fi shielding.
If you need a new online multiplayer challenge, strap on your riot gear and aim for the kneecaps.
Monument Valley
Platform: iOS
"What? But this has been out for ages. Get your act together ShortList."
You're right - Monument Valley has been scooping up games awards for fun since it launched in April 2014. But it's now free for iOS.
Twisting spires, warped stair cases and fantastical architecture, this is a puzzle game plucked from the mind of M C Escher. Download it immediately. You have no excuse.
Sniper Fury
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Sniper games are a niche, addictive genre of video games: few really hit the mark, but when they do, you lose the better part of a month gaining an unsettling amount of joy from chasing down headshots.
Sniper Fury itches that sniping scratch. With well balanced controls for a mobile game, a vast arsenal to work through and a variety of combat scenarios, it's well worth the download for that next boring bus journey.
The Last Vikings
Platforms: iOS, Android
Ever thought you were born in the wrong century? That you were robbed of a life on the seas, pillaging distant shores in your long boat, axe in hand? Then this is your app of the week - you big weirdo.
In an aesthetically arresting Viking world you're tasked with building an army, a fleet and special heroes, before taking on all manner of foes, conquering villages and tackling mythical beasts. It's a brilliant way to kill a commute.
Bloodborne: Game of the Year edition
Platforms: PlayStation 4
We don't know what a game has to achieve to warrant a Game of the Year edition, but Bloodborne more than warrants the self-bestowed plaudit.
From Software's dank, unforgiving title hasn't been tweaked, but rather bundles in all of the new, wretched challenges of The Old Hunters DLC pack. That translates to even bigger bosses, more twisted blades and another month of your year consumed with trying to work out how to get another of those bloody gates to open.
Game of Thrones, Episode 6: The Ice Dragon
Platforms: Android, iOS, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
The concluding chapter of Telltale Games' superb click-a-long Game of Thrones adaptation sees a number of lose ends tied up - by which we mean, more people die.
The fate of House Forrester are rounded off with more drama, as Gared learns what's going on in the mysterious gardens of North Grove, and Mira discovers the full extent of Cersei Lannister's control.
A series well worth investing in if you're yet to dabble.
Football Manager Mobile 2016
Platforms: iOS, Android
Terrible news for your phone battery, a brilliant development for your commute.
The mobile version of the definitive football management title, this portable edition leans toward tactics and transfers. Choose a side from 14 countries around the world (that's a staggering number of leagues to dip your thumbs into) and see if you can do any better than Jose.
Beneath The Lighthouse
Platforms: iOS, Android
There are a lot of puzzle apps kicking about on mobile stores - and few of them are as inventive as this rotational gem.
Enter a world of twists and turns beneath the foundations of the lighthouse, in a search for your lost grandfather.
Each puzzle section will require a careful sequence of rotations to guide your character over your standard array of platforming obstacles: spikes, giant swords, bottomless pits. Why you'd build a lighthouse on top of it is beyond us.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Platforms: Wii U
The delightful sequel to Wind Waker has finally made the journey from 3DS to Wii U, losing none of its charm in the transition to the bigger console.
You must find the Phantom Hourglass if Link is going to have enough time to save the day - an adventure that utilises the Wii U's touch controller in an exacting manner that makes you wonder why they didn't remake this title sooner.
Get it on the Wii U Virtual Console
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Platform: Wii U
Two Zelda games in one week? Nintendo, how you spoil us.
The other sequel to Wind Waker has also received a remake for the Wii U's digital store, you nip about in a cannon-wielding steam train, making your way between dungeons and puzzles. Another artful deployment of the Wii U's touch capacity, this is well worth a download for any Link fans.
Get it on the Wii U Virtual Console
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Platforms: PC
The Assassin's have finally brought their particular breed of ultra-stealthy violence to PCs.
Set in the gorgeous, bustling streets of 19th century London, Syndicate does what few of the Assassin's Creed games of the past have managed: make you feel like a badass, lethal assassin, without blocking your experience with tedious quests and awkward controls. Time to reacquaint yourself with the Creed.
Fallout 4
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
It's here. The reason you need to buy a next generation console.
Sell a kidney. Eat pot noodle for a month. Do whatever you must to get your hands on the finest role playing game ever crafted. Deserving of every hyperbole and plaudit in the English language, Fallout 4 is a masterful example of an open, narrative-filled world, balanced with addictive combat and character building.
The hype is real.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360
You wait all year for a console-defining video game, and then two come along at once.
Rising from the shadows of Fallout 4's huge release is the best action platformer of the decade (yes, it's that good). Charting Lara's... rise from a knee-scuffed teenager to all out tomb ruiner, this new adventure sees her go in search of the secret of immortality and the mysteries of the human soul. Which involves shooting a lot of badguys with a bow and arrow.
Football Manager 2016
Platforms: PC
If Fallout 4 didn't threaten the rest of your social plans, the grandfather of football management will all but annihilate them.
Same obsessive detail, same addictive mechanics, new features - including expanded press interaction, fantasy draft mode and cross-compatibility with the tablet version.
Time to take Accrington Stanley to the Champions League final.
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
Platforms: PC
Did you enjoy StarCraft II? Did you battle through its massive levels, conquer the known universe and then do it all again? Then you'll be wanting the new expansion, Legacy of the Void.
The space strategy game's newest chapter sees you play Hierarch Artanis, leader of the mighty protoss race. Years ago, your homeworld of Aiur fell to the merciless zerg Swarm. Now it's time to organise your amassed forces and take it back.
Tiny Rogue
Platforms: iOS
Your new favourite toilet game.
A miniature, unashamedly 'cute' dungeon crawler, you guide your tiny knight around pixelated prisons in search of bad guys to smite, tools to wield and points to level up with. The best quest you've completed with your thumbs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Another year, another instalment of Call of Duty - and it's a good'un at that.
Set in the not-too-distant future of 2065, 40 years after Black Ops 2, there's a campaign littered with explosive set pieces - and a chunk more gameplay than previous efforts.
But the real star of the show is the multiplayer - frighteningly quick and cramming in more features than you'll really know what to do with (robots, jet packs, bows and arrows - you get the idea). Add in a solid zombie mode and you've got yourself enough game to last until Christmas. And then some.
Galak-Z
Platforms: PC
You don't need massive explorable worlds or pixel-heavy multiplayer options to have a good time - Galak-Z manages it with some bright colours and polished controls.
An arcade shooter of the old school variety, you pilot a series of nimble craft through space rocks, vast battles and against nasty aliens in an effort to upgrade your ship and rule deep space.
Prepare to have your reflexes tested.
The Room 3
Platforms: iOS, Android
Another carefully crafted point-and-click puzzles are here to haunt your daily commute.
The third in a hugely successful series, The Room presents you with a series of apparently lifeless puzzle boxes, switches and scenarios: as soon as you start tapping about though, you'll find that all isn't as it seems.
Superbly atmospheric, this could be the best puzzle app you download all year.
Fallout Pip-Boy
Platforms: iOS, Android
Can't wait for the arrival of Fallout 4 (10 November)? We don't blame you.
To take the edge off the wait, we recommend downloading the new Fallout Pip-Boy companion app: synchronise with your main game and check your Stats, Inventory, Map and Radio at any point. The real edge though is in playing your holotape games, turning the app into a mini retro arcade.
A superbly crafted tie-in.
Xbox One Elite Controller
Platforms: Xbox One
Okay, so it's not a game - but it might be the tool that gives you the edge in the likes of Black Ops 3 and Halo 5.
Microsoft has tweaked its already-comfy Xbox One controller to introduce an additional four buttons - accessible by paddles on the rear of the controller. Their advantage? You'll never have to take your thumbs off the joysticks again, crucial for those split-second actions in multiplayer matches. The direction pad can also be customised for a neater fit, while rubberised grips mean you won't go dropping it in the heat of the action. At £119, it's for the 'elite' only.
Halo 5: Guardians
Platforms: Xbox One
The Master Chief returns - and he's brought some friends.
The fifth iteration of Halo sees the campaign split between two co-op stories: you're no longer a lone-gun against the galaxy, as Spartan 117 is joined by his Blue Team (who you'll have only heard of if you read your Halo fiction. Which we don't either). The other half of the tale follows Jameson Locke and his Fireteam Osiris in their search for Master Chief.
What you really need to know? The multiplayer is sublime and the solo story challenging if you ramp it all the way up to Legendary. It's the reason you'll want an Xbox One for Christmas.
Skiing: Yeti Mountain
Platforms: iOS, Android
Remember SkiFree? You will if you're over the age of 25 and your first computer had a floppy drive.
Skiing: Yeti Mountain is the spiritual successor of the legendary mountain escape. Slide down increasingly difficult hills of ice, all the while in search of the illusive Yeti. Manages that tricky skill of being both relaxing and challenging.
Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
One of the best PC games of 2014 is back - with 'enhanced' tools and a solid console conversion to boot.
A superb slice of old turn-based RPG gameplay, you team up with three other characters to embark on a fantasy quest of grand proportions - smiting evil, levelling up and generally being a rugged badass.
Weeks of goods in this.
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Time to go back to Hell. And Earth. And Heaven.
The action slasher of 2012 returns with more than a new lick of pixels: Death is out to restore honour to his brother War, wrongly accused of starting an apocalyptic bout.
Bundling all the DLC into an affordable box, this is perfect for those looking to spend a weekend running about with massive blades.
WWE 2K16
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
Finally - redneck opera for the next-gen console generation.
With an improved reversal system, fluid animations and impeccable recreation of some 120 characters makes this a welcome return to form for the WWE console franchise.
Time to start learning some new combos.
Please, Don't Touch Anything
Platforms: iOS
Finally, a moment when you're actively encouraged to press big red buttons you're not supposed to touch.
A neat twist on the point-and-click puzzle genre, you're coving for a colleague taking a bathroom break, faced with a mysterious panel comprising of a large red button. You're going to need to press it to find out what happens next, even though you shouldn't.
Clash for Dawn
Platforms: iOS, Android
Mobile role playing games are getting really, really good.
Case in point, Clash for Dawn, which is now available for Android gamers. Anyone who's ever raided a dungeon will be familiar with the landscape: pick a character, grab a weapon, choose a faction and stop the Dark Lord from taking down the City of Light with his undead army. You can either go it alone in single player or team up with mates to carry out quests. So long battery life.
Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Zelda + co-op friends + puzzles = your new time killer.
Tri Force Heroes might look a bit cute, but it's complex puzzles and gameplay variation is far from "kiddie". You use bombs, bomberangs and a bunch of other Zelda-staples to explore 32 levels of "press this, open that, get to here" merriment. Whether you tackle it alone or with two other mates, it's a hugely rewarding head-scratcher.
Guitar Hero Live
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U
A week after Rock Band 4 got the band back together, Guitar Hero resurrects it's button-thumping antics with its new Live offering.
With 190 songs (and more to arrive in the future), a superb online mode, the best 'guitar controller' you've ever played, and a 'live' crowd that react to your playing attempts, this is the most satisfying version of the game first picked up some ten years ago.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Another one? Already? Less than a year has passed since the glitch-filled launch of Assassin's Creed Unity, but you can stab any fears of this being a broken flop in the neck.
Set in the gorgeous, bustling streets of 19th century London, Syndicate does what few of the Assassin's Creed games of the past have managed: make you feel like a badass, lethal assassin, without blocking your experience with tedious quests and awkward controls. Time to reacquaint yourself with the Creed.
Back to the Future: The Game
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Great Scott! etc.
Yep, Telltale Games is finally bringing it's five episodes of point-and-click adventure to consoles.
The action takes place six months after the events of Back to the Future: Part III, when the DeLorean turns up - driverless. Marty has to travel back to 1931 on a mission to save the Doc.
It's epic.
Ghosts of Memories
Platforms: iOS, Android
Did you play Monument Valley? Did you finish it in a matter of days?
Then you're going to want to download Ghosts of Memories, a title that borrows some of the themes of MV without stepping on too many toes.
You guide a tiny little wanderer around beautiful isometric mazes, tapping about to find solutions to seemingly impossible avenues. It's the beautiful distraction your commute is crying out for.
WRC 5
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation Vita
There's finally a rally game for the next-gen consoles (which we really need to stop calling next-gen).
This isn't one for the purists - which is fine in our books. It's a fun, feel-good racer, one that lets you hop into a grubby big supercharged wagon and start going sideways in a matter of minutes. Heaps of cars, 13 international rally stages, pleasing weather conditions - if you weren't a fan of Forza and need something lighter, this is the ride for you.
Downwell
Platforms: iOS, PC
The picture doesn't do this bonkers creation justice.
You play a young guy armed with rocket boots. You're falling down a well, unable to propel yourself up, but able to smite all the nasty things lurking below. Amidst the nasties are heaps of treasure, which comes in handy for buying new gear at the shops you also encounter.
Does it make sense? No. Will you care? Not one jot.
Angry Birds 2
Platforms: iOS, Android
Yes, it's been out for a while now - but Angry Birds 2 has just let slip it's new Halloween pack, filled with suitably horrifying sets and powers. You're still slinging birds at stacks of sticks and pigs - and it's still as fun as it used to be.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Platforms: PlayStation 4
We know, you want to play Uncharted 4.
Well you can't - but you can itch your Uncharted scratch with one of the finest remakes to grace the PlayStation 4. The Nathan Drake Collection is more than a visual polishing of the original console trilogy (though it does a fine job of making eight-year-old Drake's Fortune look 'modern'), adding neat extras like Explorer Mode (wander about levels without the hindrance of bothersome foe spoiling your fun) and Brutal Difficulty Mode (does what it says).
And if you still want to play Uncharted 4, you'll be pleased to hear it comes with a pass to the beta test of the game's multiplayer, arriving 4 December.
Pause
Platforms: iOS
Pause isn't strictly a game, but you need it on your phone.
Based on the principles of Tai Chi, it uses a focusing method to help you relax and reach hitherto unknown levels of 'chill'. "By slowly and continuously moving your fingertip across the screen, Pause triggers the body’s ‘rest and digest’ response, quickly helping you regain focus and release stress within minutes."
So basically you move your finger about and feel really good. Which isn't a euphemism.
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide
Platforms: PC
Do you enjoy losing weeks of your life to deeply complicated strategy games? Are you currently lacking all plans for your October? Then you need Civilization: Beyond Earth in your life, along with this new expansion pack, Rising Tide.
Adding to the futuristic missions of Beyond Earth, this latest set of missions takes things to interplanetary oceans, allowing you to build floating bases, along with a smattering of new units, traits and world types.
Seriously, you'll disappear down a proverbial rabbit hole with this one.
Transformers: Devastation
Platforms: PC
Sometimes you don't want to sit down for a long slog at a deeply complex video game. Sometimes all you want to do is mash buttons and watch giant robots rip each other to pieces - at which point you'll need Transformers: Devastation in your life.
An insanely-nippy street brawler game, Devastation sees you take control of one of five Autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack and Grimlock), battling it out against sinister Decepticons. Throw fists, blades and projectiles, transform into vehicles and ruin entire cities. What's not to love?
Rock Band 4
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Nope, it really is 2015, and Rock Band has returned like the combo-hunting phoenix with its best build yet.
The microphone, wireless drums and guitar have been improved for 'next-gen' consoles, with greater accuracy (and Bluetooth), and there's a whole heap of new songs to test your skills on. When you hit a bum note, you'll now get a crowd reacting to your efforts - making the whole experience that little bit more immersive than before.
It's the new solos mode that really sets the fourth instalment apart from the rest - there are sections in songs that allow you to go note-tapping mad in a flurry of creativity.
Fallout Anthology
Platforms: PC
We'd love to run you through the overarching storyline of Bethesda's Fallout franchise, but this text box isn't even nearly big enough.
Featuring Fallout, Fallout 2, Tactics, Fallout 3 GOTY Edition and Fallout New Vegas, this is the ultimate post-apocalyptic role playing experience. Grab your gun, fetch your stimpack and prepare to head out on 18-years-worth of gaming.
Sword of Xolan
Platforms: Android, iOS
"Xolan is a young and brave man who fights for justice no matter what the cost", reads the sell of Sword of Xolan. What it fails to mention is that your plucky hero thirsts for justice via kickass sword and fireballs. Whilst wearing a cape.
A brilliant action platformer that actually works for the small screen world of mobile gaming.
Gang Nation
Platform: iOS
Managed to exhaust Clash of Clans? Say hello to its urban successor.
A fresh take on the laid-back tower defence/combat game genre, Gang Nation takes a light hearted (trivialising?) look at mob violence: recruit a crew (from up to 10 types of troops), fight for territory and look to expand your empire a few more blocks. Hours of addiction.
NBA 2K16
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC
Sports sims are becoming terrifyingly life-like. Case in point: NBA 2K16, the latest basketball title from 2K that seems the easily retain their court crown.
In addition to console-stretching visuals, there's a vastly improved AI - no more backward and forward zig-zagging to get the defensive line to fall apart, these players will learn and adapt to the way you play. Yes, you'll still score, but you'll have to work to earn those points.
Lego Dimensions
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U
It's not a kiddie game. Okay, it is, but it's not just for kids.
Combining the fictional worlds of... well just about every popular narrative you care to think of (Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, Portal, Batman, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who - seriously, there are SO MANY), you "load" real-life LEGO characters and creations via a 'Toy Pad' and proceed to play with them in the game to complete quests to defeat evil Lord Vortech.
Yes, it's going to drain your wallet, but it's also going to be the most fun you've had with a video game since you were six years old.
SKY
Platforms: Android
No, not the TV network, a new, minimalist puzzle adventure.
Your character (a transforming cube) glides along a rail, with various paths open to its progress. You just tap to jump - which sounds simple enough, but you'll be amazed at how addictive Sky makes this interaction.
Hundreds of levels to battle through, a gorgeous, calming soundtrack, it's your new commute obsession.
Final Fantasy V
Platforms: PC
"They don't make games like they used to."
Then cease your moaning and get one of the best RPG titles of yesteryear, lovingly smoothed and buffed for the PC.
The 1992 adventure to save the fate of four elemental crystals (standard Final Fantasy stuff) still holds up as an engrossing, complex adventure - now without the lengthy loading screens.
SOMA
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
A fan of things that go bump in the dark? Then SOMA is your new favourite nightmare.
Set beneath the waves of the Atlantic aboard the research station PATHOS-II, something has gone terribly (predictably?) wrong. There's no sign of the research team, and the machines aboard the station have started... thinking.
Visually arresting, with sound work that threatens to break your nerve (it's haunting), the puzzles are satisfying and the monsters hideous. A properly brilliant fright-fest.
Fifa 16
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC
It's that time of year again, in which the camps of PES fans (which arrived last year) face off against the FIFA army in a battle that sees no real winners.
Along with the usual graphical improvements, the new FIFA includes improved defending (the AI is more intelligent now), more accurate slide tackles (LOTS of fouls ahead) and a defence-cheating "Quick Pass". Fun to master, and just as addictive.
Forza 6
Platforms: Xbox One
Neeeeeoooommmmm. Brrrrrrrruuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaa. Vuv-vuv-vuv-vuv-vvvvvvvveeeeeeerrrrrrrooooommmm.
Just some of the noises you'll be making after a few hours in the gorgeous world of Forza 6.
If you've come to expect great things of this racing series, fear not: Turn 10 Studios have held true to their exacting standards.
If you love racing games for detail and simulation, you'll love Forza 6.
If you love racing games for driving challenges, massive tracks and big garages, you'll love Forza 6.
And if you love crashing multi-million dollar supercars into fences or racing against the Stig... you get the idea.
PES 2016
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC
"They've done another PES? Well mark me down as amazed," said no one.
Pro Evo certainly hasn't parked the bus with its new title, with a raft of new features that will look to convert many die-hard FIFA fans: there's now dynamic weather (can Brazil do it on a wet Wednesday in Stoke? Find out), a new master league system, a slick dynamic camera function and the best goalkeeper system you've ever played with.
Definitely not just another football game.
Pumped: BMX +
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
The hugely addictive BMX mobile jump'em'up is finally landing (with grace and flair) on Xbox One and Steam.
A side-scrolling stunt game, Pumped: BMX + sees you control a (worryingly unprotected) BMXer over ramps, drops, rails and all manner of obstacles in a bid to get combos and build a sweat-inducing high score.
For anyone who's maxed out the likes of OlliOlli and Trials Fusion, this is set to be your new trick obsession.
Order & Chaos II: Redemption
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Mobile
If you love levelling up your Elvish mage or getting new gear for your Orc Warrior, Order & Chaos II is a fantasy world you'll want to dip a toe in.
A sequel to the hugely popular Order & Chaos mobile game (12 million downloads and counting), Redemption brings a massive new world of fallen heroes and quests.
Immediately familiar to anyone who's lost time in World of Warcraft, you can embark on quick dungeon raids, open-world player v player battles, embark on main story missions or just run about interacting with real players and NPCs. A staggering achievement for a mobile game.
Destiny: The Taken King
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Destiny divided opinion when it arrived a year ago - many were bemused by its storytelling and ranking system.
The Taken King changes things up in a way that's set to convert the haters: the levelling system now makes more sense (you level up as you play, rather than according to the gear you collect), the story is move involved in the thrust of the action and the Crucible has some more competitive (and fun) multiplayer modes.
And if none of that made any sense, it's time you gave Destiny a chance.
Retro Rugby
Platforms: iOS, Android
You've played Stick Cricket. You've flicked your way through Paper Toss. Now it's time to engross your digits in the world of rugby.
Retro Rugby isn't complicated: an 8-bit aesthetic that sees you swipe your way between defensive lines of opposition.
A high-score chaser, you're worthy of a spot in the All Blacks if you can get over 100 points.
Super Mario Maker
Platform: Nintendo Wii U
Thirty years after Nintendo changed everything with Super Mario Bros., the latest Mario title looks to change up its own franchise.
The game gives players a Minecraft-style chance to create their own levels, using blocks, obstacles and foe from across the Mario franchise, in all its many artistic styles.
Spend hours crafting your own fiendishly difficult world, share them with friends and take on the hardest levels in the world. A must for Nintendo, Mario and platforming fans.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Platforms: Xbox One
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is all about... well, love.
It's about the love between you and your ship - which you want to keep floating through space by shifting your tiny pilot around the inside of the craft in order to stop it crashing into stuff. Given the internals of your ship though, you've got to climb a few ladders if you want to get from your shield controls to your gun.
It's also about the love between you and your co-op partner - as the game comes into its own if you've got a buddy to battle with. Take on aliens, upgrade your ship and try to stay alive in what makes for a seriously challenging arcade action shooter gem.
Tearaway Unfolded
Platform: PlayStation 4
From the minds of the incredibly charming LittleBigPlanet series, you shoudln't be fooled by the 'cutsie' exterior of Tearaway Unfolded.
You must guide the messenger atoi (a folded envelope) around Tearaway's papery world, interacting with your PlayStation 4 in fun ways: stroke the touch pad to change the direction of the wind in-game, shine a light on your character using your controller's light bar.
It might sound like child's play, but sometimes that's exactly what you want from a game: an inventive way of reconnecting with the playful core of gaming. Give it a go.
Lucky Joe
Platform: iOS
Need to unplug your head and calm down for a bit? Then get this under your thumbs.
Joe (the guy with the hair) loves gum. As he blows a bubble, he soars into the sky, collecting more gum. Burst your bubble and down you go.
Simple, clean and surprisingly addictive, it's your new favourite high score chaser.
Star Wars: Uprising
Platform: iOS, Android
Does the 18 December feel like it's light years away? Take the edge off your Star Wars buzz with this new mobile title, Uprising.
A bridge between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, this RPG allows you to create your own character to take on the crumbling forces of the Empire. Once you've put together your crew, you can take on 'Runs' that see you battle foe to build up XP.
There's surprising depth to this little RPG - with different classes, races and factions to acquaint yourself with. The in-game purchases are irksome, but don't let them put you off an otherwise great experience.
Mad Max
Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
A vast, dusty wasteland to explore. Monstrous vehicles to drive. Faces to punch. And that's only the first hour. A standalone narrative, that plays on similar themes to Miller's film franchise without directly referencing their stories, Mad Max is a driving-stroke-brawler action game, similar in combat style to the likes of Batman: Arkham Knight. But with fire. And sand. And a plot line that doesn't really matter. And that's a good thing.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
The biggest MGS to date, The Phantom Pain takes players back in the story of snakes and soldiers, to 1984 - trotting Venom Snake (Big Boss) around the giant dustbowls of Afghanistan and further afield, as he quests for revenge against the faction that took out his army and put him in a coma. A masterful slice of stealth action that forces you to think and improve your play style, the final chapter of Metal Gear Solid is a worthy conclusion to the famed franchise.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation 4
When this game first touched down in 2013, it collected five-star reviews for fun. An adventure puzzler, it had a novel twist of allowing you to control two brothers with two thumbsticks, moving them around independently in grand scenarios. The older brother has strength, while the younger is able to navigate trickier, smaller routes.
A cracking fantasy game, this is well worth downloading for a week of anti-social evenings.
Get it here: Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Company of Heroes 2: The British Forces
Platform: PC
Enjoying the grind of a challenging strategy game? Then you're going to want to try Company of Heroes 2 and its latest expansion, The British Forces.
Loaded with a stiff upper lip, there's a constant threat of balancing defence and mobility. You're going to have to surprise enemy forces if you stand a chance of pushing them back. Tally ho.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
You don't need HD graphics and an upgradable combat suit to make a compelling video game. Broken Sword games have always proved this, blending an involving mystery narrative with satisfying point-and-click puzzles.
The fifth entry has finally made its way to next-gen consoles, giving you a break from your manic titles with a story surrounding a seemingly worthless painting, murder and religious conspiracy. And no, the butler didn't do it.
Get it here: Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Lara Croft GO
Platform: Mobile
A puzzle game that manages to successfully condense the exploration and adventure of Croft's original outings into a handheld format. Anyone who's played Square Enix superb Hitman GO will be immediately familiar with the layout: Croft has a set of paths she can take, with traps and foe moving around in a turn-based sequence. Avoid the bad guys, capture the loot and get out alive.
You're in serious danger of missing your bus stops with this one.
Get it here: iOS (£3.99), Android (£3.99) and Windows (£3.89)
Until Dawn
Platform: PlayStation 4
A survival horror set in the chilly climbs of a mountain retreat, eight friends find their trip takes a turn for the sinister. So far, so average teen-horror-popcorn-flick - but it's the manner in which the eight interlocking stories of the game's characters can shift the whole narrative that makes Until Dawn a unique, chilling experience. A proper horror experience - bring your best pillow to cower behind.
