DeVuego ES_COR

Asphalt 9: Legends serves up the glitz of a high-quality arcade racer, though its hollow core makes for an overlong, vapid experience when compared to its Switch contemporaries

Despite some striking visuals, Etherborn carries little weight; it's ultimately fleeting in both gameplay and memorability

A clunky, frustratingly limited arcade football experience that doesn't live up to the classic football games it clearly wants to emulate.

A rich and engaging midcore RPG experience that drips with quality from every pore

There are some great moments here, but a few fussy ones that spoils things a little bit

A simple and enjoyable roguelike platformer that cribs heavily from Rogue Legacy, but lacks the vital spark and polish of the very best

There are games out there that are maybes, but Starman is a definitely. It might be a little short, it might be a little slow, and it might be a little annoying in places, but when it gets things right it gets them so very right

Samus Returns is not the most faithful remake in history, but taken on its own terms it’s a fun shooter with just enough Metroid flavour to keep fans happy

Not every puzzle is successful in Love You To Bits, but the imaginative levels and charming presentation will keep you entertained as you seek out the more smartly-designed headscratchers

Afterpulse almost certainly shouldn't be as good as it is, but it is as good as it is, and you should definitely play it

There's a lot to like in Astra, and if you're into leaping around planets then you're going to enjoy it

Involving combat and colourful art do little to disguise a game that feels overbearing in its monetisation, overcomplicated in its presentation, and altogether too familiar

Ramboat is a solid and fun action shooter in a similar vein to Jetpack Joyride

Missing Translation is an intriguing puzzle adventure that's a little too intricate for its own good

There's a decent racer somewhere here, but it's lost in a slosh of bad ideas and poorly implemented features

Despite its shortcomings, not so much a bad game as just a boring (and buggy) one that lacks bite

A delightfully gory and unpleasant game book experience, Heavy Metal Thunder lays it on thick, but in the best possible way

Cubit lives up to its title as being hard to the core. It's a neat little platformer, but expect little more

While it does have its moments, Circuits never quite manages to reconcile its free-flowing musical heart with its cumbersome puzzling

A challenging and gorgeous game, The Rivers of Alice is a mysterious adventure that some will adore

Carps and Dragons is a fairly entertaining fish-'em-up, but the messy controls put a dampener on an already-water-filled experience

A badly dubbed point-and-click that at least packs the artwork to get you in the mood for the next Broken Sword - but it's not the main event

After a rocky start, Blitz Brigade has solidified into a fine online team-based shooter, albeit one with lingering connectivity issues and an OTT freemium economy

Runaway: A Twist of Fate is a typical Pendulo experience - shoddy puzzle design and cringeworthy comedy - wrapped up in a bloated, bug-ridden app

A huge thrill-a-minute adventure, with satisfying combat, and big boss fights. Just don't expect the old Metroidvania formula.

Everything about Hidden Runaway is polished, from the animations to the art style. It's just a shame that the heart of the game is so underwhelming. Hidden Runaway remains a curio for fans of the series, and an entertaining but flawed experience for the rest of us.

Ecolibrium provides bite-size play that needs to be periodically checked up upon rather than taken in hour-long chunks. It's good fun, but unless you're packing a 3G PS Vita, it's not the best title for when you're out and about on the road

While there's nothing painfully bad about Supermagical, the sum of its parts add up to a mediocre whole

Nihilumbra offers a unique, highly entertaining platforming experience, and its story is one of the most intriguing we've seen on iOS in a long time.

Cheese Please is far smarter than it seems, but lacking in flair. An Edam, then, rather than a delicious Brie

Reality Fighters isn't particularly rewarding and it's a bit shallow, though it's a novel release and a showpiece for the possibilities of integrating cameras into traditional forms of play

Despite its polished presentation and solid execution, Kung Fu Panda 2: Be The Master borrows too liberally from Fruit Ninja and Doodle Jump, adding nothing original to their gameplay

A poorly tuned, unpolished wreck of a racer, Split/Second ruins a great idea with substandard execution

Tehra: Dark Warrior is a visual triumph, but the gameplay is as skimpy as the main character’s clothing

Visually appealing and with an operatic setting like no other, Battle of Puppets's strategic play is highly addictive, if also repetitive

Vibrant graphics and bold ideas breathe fresh air into James Cameron Avatar, despite the stifling quirks of its combat system and controls

A simple squad-based touchscreen shooter with the occasional nice touch, Elite Forces: Unit 77 provides a B movie experience

Despite polished visuals and an inspired game mechanic, Hot Balloon Race lacks the challenge to elevate it to mobile gaming's highest flyers

Though the concept makes no sense at all, Crazy Window Cleaners is a fastidiously measured game and balance exudes from every pixel. This is bright, fun, innovative, addictive and essential

Chronos Twins is an intriguing concept thwarted by a vertical difficulty curve. Worth a look for the novelty, and it'll be a long time before you polish it off, but it's a better idea than it is a game

Overall, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Racing is a fun arcade-style take on Formula 1 that junks the po-faced realism of most F1 games in favour of racing thrills.

It would be nice to have more tracks and a proper season mode, of course, and the long-term value of the game is doubtful once you've conquered the Championship. But the fact that the game leaves you wanting more is proof that like Lewis, this game will confound the expectations of many F1 fans in a good way.

With an inventive card-based mechanic, simple controls and plenty of strategy, UEFA Champions League certainly qualifies for a space near the top