It’s perhaps fitting that Bayonetta should be released on the first launch day of 2010 because not only does it raise the bar for action games for the rest of the year to come it is already, without exaggeration, a firm contender for game of the year.

An amazingly huge, free-roaming, entertaining game that will last you for ages and is a must-have for everyone old enough to own it.

The visuals are absolutely stunning, there are dozens of things to unlock (including some things that were not originally in DOA2) and the online play has been implemented flawlessly, giving us, for the first time, an online 3D fighter that actually feels like a group of players at an arcade and even includes tournaments and championships.

Metroid Prime stands up not only as the most original, diverse and simply awe-inspiring game on the Gamecube, but as one of the five best videogames I have ever played.

The best five dollar investment that I've ever made. Much like Tetris, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved's gameplay is easy to pick up but can take a lifetime to master.

A must have title - no exceptions and no buts. This game features in my all time top ten and has the depth and nuance of play to keep anyone enthralled for some time.

It boils down to the combat system though. A good story is nothing without good gameplay to back that story up, but thankfully The Godfather delivers on all fronts.

It's a truckload of fun, controls tightly, never lets the player down with framerate issues, offers an obscene amount of things to see and do, all the while oozing charm, personality and unbridled quality from every one of its robotic nooks and crannies (now there's a nice image to take with you).

With a strong storyline, a stunning and expansive world, inspired level and mission design and a hefty amount of time required to see it through to completion, inFAMOUS is an essential PS3 release.

The online community is brimming with endlessly different styles of maps, as each of the creators' personalities are poured into the fun of constructing them. LittleBigPlanet will undoubtedly keep you up at night, constructing the next big hit for the community - and if you don't care for that then you can still play the plethora of maps being produced by countless others.

It not only makes for a perfect introduction to the genre for those curious few yet to sample a taste of Sim City, as well as providing some more meatier challenges for the experienced simmer. Combine this with the incredibly detailed, smooth and well-conceived graphics and the discrete sound and music, and you have a game that's pretty much a must have.

Mario Galaxy is a recipe you'll love and it's good for you too, in the sense that it'd be good for you to play a proper title for a change, one that should stay fresh and in your collection forever.

A powerhouse of a game and a real boon for the PS3, which is in dire need of some fantastic shooters.

The most immersing and compelling game I've ever played.

The auction, the user generated designs, the multiplayer modes, and then the desire to earn experience and credits to buy new motors and new upgrades will keep this title funky fresh and roaring to go.

A game that's every bit as original as Super Mario Galaxy and Portal, Braid is a short-lived gem.

Halo: Reach is undoubtedly one of the biggest games of this year, and although it's sad to know that there isn't going to be another one any time soon (well, not from Bungie anyway), it's also good to know that – over the eight years that Halo has been around – Bungie have managed to take every part of each game, and mix them together into one big recipe for success – for avid fans and newcomers alike, for years to come.

The gameplay is great fun and varies throughout with new themes, changing obstacles and introducing great new abilities for the minis at a carefully planned and gradual pace. It looks great, it sounds great and the WiFi functionality is a wonderful surprise that we're only used to seeing on the PSP.

The game simply rocks and in my opinion this is the best puzzle game money can currently buy.

It’s forty-plus hours of top-notch combat, incredible voice-acting, emotional provocation, stunning graphics and exhilarating gameplay of a standard that simply hasn’t been achieved before as a complete package.

I honestly can't dish out enough praise to the SOE dev team for how far above and beyond they went with this one; Echoes of Faydwer is the epitome of what a classic expansion should be and is easily among 2006's best releases.

Shivering Isles not only lives up to but actually surpasses Oblivion in many respects. It has everything that made the original so fantastic and then some. Depending on how you play, you'll be in the Isles for a good thirty hours and I recommend milking that for all you can.

Football Manager 2010 like its forbearers will keep you entertained for hundreds of hours due to the wealth of options available and depth of its leagues.

What with the totally aggressive but fun gameplay, the sheer madness of the speed at which you drive, the incredible quality of the foreground, background and moving visuals and the pumping soundtrack to run alongside it, you'd be a fool not to have Burnout 3: Takedown in your collection.

Although featuring the most realistic and detailed graphics, lighting and animation you've ever seen with sound effects to match, it's still the gameplay that shines the most, combining a sublime mixture of stealth and combat with the most versatile range of moves, gadgets and tactics ever to feature in a stealth game.

Three brilliant games rolled into one that could all easily be sold separately. The single player is incredibly satisfying, co-op is one of a kind and adds a fresh and very compelling face to the underused online co-op genre and the adversarial mode is simply brilliant once again; an online experience no person with high speed internet should miss.

Harking back to my all-time favorite FPS, "Goldeneye," the deep, solid gameplay mixed with ambience and killer multiplayer makes for a pretty great game.

If you played through Dark Mirror and hated every second of it then Logan's Shadow will give you the exact same feelings. If you have good taste however and liked Dark Mirror, even a tiny bit, then you simply must play Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow. With extravagant production values and gorgeous graphics, your eyes will adore it.