On the whole, the biggest difference here to other LEGO games comes in the sheer size of Gotham, though its secrets aren't open to you until you get through the game.

There are a handful of decent ideas here, but nothing within is original. And there's a serious lack of excitement; of tone and transition.

Starved for Help tells a better story than A New Day did, but the sparse puzzles and that one huge glitch hold it back from being a huge improvement.

Quantum Conundrum isn't of the same calibre as its inspirational predecessor at Valve, but if you're looking for a new first-person game that doesn't involve violence, weapons or adult themes of any kind, the low entry price seals it as a worthy addition to a genre that we hope will continue to blossom.

With a shift away from clear-cut good and bad, Spec Ops challenges the sympathetic grey-matter with highlighted gaps between 'killing machine' and morality lessened as you tread "the line".

Sadly the story of Sergeant Powers will be seen as a failure, which it is, but certainly only of execution.

Unfortunately the gameplay is riddled with weird and detrimental quirks, like your ranged characters standing right next to your melee characters (making them easy fodder for foes) with no way to change their formation, maps that get confusing when you change the rotation of your viewpoint, clicking on obvious targets not registering as you hit the wrong pixel - all wrapped up in a difficulty curve that forces grinding the same boring maps over and over.

So Game of Thrones features an engrossing story underneath all its decidedly average layers and it's the mechanics and gameplay that hold back the overall experience from being one worth recommending outside of the series' most stalwart fans.

Babel Rising is an unfortunate mix of interesting mechanics and poor design. It's fun in fits and starts, but finishing a level yields a sense of relief rather than achievement. Count us among the non-believers.

A whirlwind of fun for sure, but too many opportunities are missed. At least the cathartic nature of zombie slaughtering does help you push through to unveil the end boss, which in a definite way is its own reward, along with the post credit ending, which you should stick around for.

A fun game for cover shooter fans who don't mind linear progression and a decent amount of cut-scenes.

If you're absolutely desperate for a Move game you could do worse, but Sorcery is really nothing more than a relatively irritating, disappointing curio.

In terms of value, DiRT Showdown offers more than enough hours of entertainment for its asking price (one that is quite cheap on PC if you shop around) and serves as a perfect entrée during the wait for DiRT 4.

Developer Nihilistic seems settled on the idea that bringing Resistance to the Vita is an inherently bold and innovative move, and that doing anything truly interesting beyond that is unnecessary. It's not a strictly bad FPS, but it's so damn perfunctory, so set on ticking the absolute minimum number of boxes and moving on, it's largely boring and forgettable.

Mad Riders has the feel of something whipped up between bigger projects to keep the teams at Techland energised. That's not meant to be an insult, mind, as it feels like the sort of game that would have been fun to work on and design, which carries over into the experience of playing it.

Swiping, tilting and touching your way through this gorgeous world (the story scenes in particular showcase physical awareness and interactivity) is pleasurable and deep in a way that will easily draw you away from your main home console(s).

Massive, meandering and full of menace, Dragon's Dogma ambushes you from the darkness and attempts to remove your still-beating heart. Are you going to let it?

Almost all of the improvements are simply native benefits of the PC platform and CryEngine 3 -- from the frame rate, to the textures and netcode. With a lack of an open dedicated-server model, community of players, or any tweaks to the pre-existing gameplay conventions, I still can't recommend Nexuiz to anyone but the most dedicated FPS diehard.

Future Soldier may not be the sexiest game in the world with some graphical inconsistencies particularly in the cut-scenes and backgrounds, but she handles like a goddamned dream. Friendly AI has totally got your back making it an engaging experience in any mode. The multiplayer offers a solid balance of familiar game modes and a few tasty new treats and Guerilla mode is packed to the hilt with over-the-top frenzied action.

Getting online and into the game though, rewards players with one of the most engaging single-player and co-op experiences in the business, so if you have patience and can look past Blizzard's biggest oversight, you're in for one of the year's best games.

A tennis game that seems unusually keen to hide its potential away behind superfluous control options and silly concessions. It's your best bet if you want a tennis game on the 3DS right now (better than Sports Island anyway), but not a patch on what you can find elsewhere.

Satirical and self-referential, short and sweet, Twisted Pixel has provided a multitude of six-shooting fun, and their quirky creation tucks itself nicely into several age-groups. The Gunstringer is one of the most inventive and chaotic titles for the Kinect to-date.

Datura reeks of under-utilised and squandered potential, making the end result even more disappointing. If you're looking for a moving and immersive title to add to your collection Datura isn't it. Spend your money on Journey instead.

The Arcade mode and multiplayer alone add enough to the single-player campaign to keep you coming back for more, but for me the selling point of the game came in its presentation.

Its nuances are deep, the layered gameplay is incredibly satisfying and there really is nothing quite like it out there. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got another 350 or so hours to knock out.

Trials Evolution is one of the most complete packages on the Xbox Live Arcade. Were it a full retail release, I'd still have no qualms recommending it. As a cheap downloadable release, it's an incredible reminder of just how good we have it as modern gamers.

Interacting with this bright and soulful world is a deeply involving experience, and you'll find yourself continually finding excuses to play for just a few more minutes.

This isn't the kind of game that you'll return to once completed, but as something a little different to the usual shooter formula it offers surprising satisfaction.

The core experience you're getting here is a great adaptation of Minecraft for the console market, one that plays to the strengths of the format it finds itself on. After five days of play, it's safe to say that this is the version I'll be sticking with for now.

The Walking Dead's first episode, 'A New Day', succeeds where some of their past adventures have failed not by fixing the issues that often hold their games back, but by placing a greater importance on the presentation and character work that the team handles best.

It's over the top mindless fun and god help me, I couldn't get enough of the gameplay. The story… hmmm, not so much. Turn off your brain and have a blast.

Fez is engrossing, but it is not perfect. The puzzles are quite difficult, and more vexing still is the map screen, and the obtuse way the game world has been slotted together. No doubt after five or so years weaving the labyrinthine maps of the Fez multiverse, Phil Fish has an instinctive grasp of precisely where all the games warp gates will take you. A newcomer greeted by a 3D lattice of cryptically annotated cubes my find things a tad heavier going.

This is not going to set the gaming world on fire by any means but if you're a sucker for movie tie-ins, have reasonable to low FPS expectations and don't mind some light RTS antics, Battleship is a decent enough distraction for a handful of hours or so.

Tribes: Ascend is the most pure representation of the Tribes experience since Tribes 2 perfected it back in 2001. Almost every single part of the experience has been tweaked and improved, classes reborn and expanded, maps detailed and sprawling. You can ski like a master within minutes, but perfecting your routes, jumps and jetpack tactics are still the aim of the game.

An unconventional and layered RPG with a steep learning curve that is not for the uninitiated or faint of heart. Baring a few faltering steps it is a well rounded and thought provoking tale offering far more than its linear progression should allow.

Silent Hill HD Collection features two very fine, albeit extremely unpleasant and not super accessible, games. It's nowhere near as polished as Konami's other recent compilation, the brilliant MGS HD collection.

Street Fighter X Tekken manages what I had previously thought unthinkable: merging the personalities, rosters and history of two stalwart franchises into one enjoyable package.

Downpour is a pretty solid horror game, if not an exceptionally original or nuanced one. If it weren't for the crappy combat and frustrating exploration it would be a bit easier to recommend, but Vatra has captured the Silent Hill aesthetic well.

To come back to our earlier appalling (but inevitable) metaphor, Kid Icarus Uprising definitely soars a little close to the sun, but manages to get away with only slightly singed wings.

Even die-hard Resi fans (of which I am actually one), ought to steer clear. None of the game's promises are met, and while you might have thought a Resi co-op experience was a dream come true, you're better off waiting until someone internally pitches it at Capcom in Japan and it's handled by the series' parents, and not their snot-nosed, annoying neighbour's kids (sorry Slant Six, but this effort is inexcusable).

Ninja Gaiden isn't a perfect experience, but it's accessible for newcomers and boasts an addictive gameplay formula that goes a long way to forgiving its detractors.

It's easy for many to dismiss Shoot Many Robots due to its repetitive nature, but seriously, what modern day shooter isn't repetitive? Those that stick with it and delve a little deeper will find a diamond in the rough offering hours upon hours of shootery fun.

It still astounds me that a couple of hours of gameplay left such a profound impact.

With arguably more gameplay content than the original, expanded diplomatic and battle strategies, and moving the series forward to the industrial age, developer Creative Assembly have released another stellar entry into this long-running series.

SSX from EA Sports is back, edging slightly closer to a realistic feel of where snowboarding is and may be heading, while still maintaining the huge and impossible we've come to love from previous SSX releases.

Something a bit different from the annual update they've come to love. It's another triumph for EA Canada.

When I Am Alive broke immersion with any number of the aforementioned flaws, which it did far too regularly, it was easy to chastise it. But when it was taking risks and throwing me into tense situations or decision moments, I couldn't drag myself away.

Never before has a game felt like so much was on the line.

While the initial training section leaves a lot to be desired, with early maps throwing you in the deep end, once you get the hang of the controls it's one hell of a wild ride with multiplayer sure to keep you coming back for more time and time again.

It just feels generic. It feels like they took what the original developers made and added a shiny gloss to it, ignoring what made it special to the time period it originally existed in. There's nothing that feels special about Nexiuz, neither changes that make it feel comfortable on its new home, nor any additional features to warrant a special purchase.

It's rare that a title sneaks right up on you and offers intense visceral gunplay, an intriguing consequence system and poses philosophical questions that leave you pondering the possibilities once you put down the controller. Binary Domain manages to juggle these aspects rather well, not outstandingly or brilliantly, but compellingly enough that I found it hard to walk away and was determined to see it through to the end in as few sittings as possible.

There's definitely an audience for a game like this, a story-driven interactive experience that opts for bombastic action and spectacle as opposed to taking place in the real-world as a police or crime procedural, and for that reason, and that particular audience, Asura's Wrath comes highly recommended.

It's easy to praise American Nightmare for what it is, but it's also hard to ignore what it's not: the proper Alan Wake sequel we're clamouring for. It's a game constrained by form, obviously meant as a stopgap in which Remedy can test out a few new ideas without having to craft an entire new game around them.

The separate co-op missions are well worth checking out.

It's a hard game to get really enthusiastic about, and all too easy to walk away from when you hit a frustrating section.

An enjoyable little slice of action. There's certainly room for improvement, and a Hard mode that doesn't remove all the checkpoints would have been appreciated for those who mastered the harder original and will breeze through this one, but it provides enough moments of pure fun to warrant a look.

It's a smaller package than the original Darkness and it does have a few black marks, but that doesn't stop The Darkness II from showing that there's plenty of life in this franchise. Digital Extremes has backed itself to give a different take on the source material, yet held true to the core of what made the original game such a memorable experience. Sink your teeth into it.

There are some issues in the way of variety with enemies, and some missed opportunities for serious survival-horror scares, but on the whole it's still one of the stronger Resi releases we've seen in a while. Definitely worth more than a look in.

With a far more approachable career mode (as well as the title modes and awesome title defense mode which plays out like it sounds), robust and deep combat system, great atmosphere, sexy graphics bolstered by entertaining and spot-on commentary by Rogan and Goldberg, UFC Undisputed 3 is easily the best iteration of the series.

If you're looking for some light-hearted swing and miss fun with your mates then this is certainly worth a look, particularly if you've got a couple of PlayStation Move controllers lying beside your couch, but if you're looking for the definitive tennis experience Grand Slam Tennis 2 is lacking compared to other more established offerings.

Still, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is one hell of a game. It leads the way for action RPGs bringing with it a whole new level of awesomeness to combat without sacrificing expansive plotlines or an incredibly immersive world.

NeverDead is the kind of game you want to like more than you actually do. The gimmick is a smart one, it's quite funny when it wants to be, it's peppered with cool moments, and it's a big improvement from the developer's other recent efforts (Rogue Warrior, anyone?). Alas, fun though it is, NeverDead is several good ideas short of fulfilling its conceptual promise.

Fun though it is, NeverDead is several good ideas short of fulfilling its conceptual promise.

While the story may still leave something to be desired, the overall graphics, drool-worthy cut-scenes and improvements to the Active Time Battle system are necessary changes to a franchise that is still showing its age and struggling to embrace modern RPG conventions. It hasn't reached breaking point yet, but let's hope future iterations take a few more chances to breathe new life into the series before it's too late.

All I know is that the world would probably be a better place if we all treated words with the same reverence Quarrel does.

AMY is just bad, full stop. At 800 Microsoft points, it may look like a bargain. But all you get for the money is grief.

BioWare have remarkably pulled a rabbit out of the hat with Star Wars: The Old Republic. While they haven't revolutionised MMO gameplay as we know it, they have delivered one of the best looking, most playable and most polished MMOs in history -- in fact, a level of polish you just don't expect from the genre.

If you've been searching for a Gears of War fix, this DLC has got you covered, taking you back to before E-Day when humanity still had a chance and giving you a look through your enemy's eyes.

Best platformer I've played, experienced and ogled at in a long while.

It's a game with few real weaknesses, is accessible to players of any calibre, and provides hours of entertainment for those who like to go solo or play with friends. Considering its price, it's almost a steal for the amount of enjoyment that can be had from it.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games includes a great variety of mini-games that are highly fun to play, as well some of your favourite characters from the Mario and Sonic universe. This game is the perfect title to pull out when you have a bunch of friends over at your place.

When you're on the track, Mario Kart 7 feels better than any Mario Kart before it, and for most fans of the series that will be enough. But it's the same basic formula we've seen in every Mario Kart since the SNES original.

There have been obvious comparisons made to WoW, with some even going as far as calling it a clone. But what makes Rift so special is that it goes out of its way to avoid falling into the same traps as the many that have fallen before it. It avoids the painful, mindnumbing grind, makes incremental patches everyday and listens intently to its rapidly growing community.

At the end of the day, Serious Sam: BFE isn't as much of a welcome throwback to old-school gaming staples as the original title was a decade ago. But, thankfully, that doesn't mean that it's a failure or a complete waste of time.

Super Mario 3D Land isn't quite on par with many of the forefathers it tries to emulate. It lacks Galaxy's endless wow-factor, 64's commitment to being grand and impressive, and the general near-perfection of Super Mario Bros 3's gameplay philosophy. But it's still a damn fine bit of jumping action, and one of the 3DS' very best games.

Skyward Sword holds dear to a lot of things we love about the series, but quite frankly just doesn't do enough to move things forward, leaving us with a merely good game that should have been great.

It's certainly not a huge expansion over the previous game, despite the addition of 12 new characters (who could have been delivered via DLC), but it makes sense to rebalance the original roster in the face of the new playable options, so fighting game fans needn't worry too much about justification.

War in the North is also quite a lengthy game, which although sounds great on paper does work against the overall experience.

The Jersey Shore of videogames: fake, stupid, garish and endlessly amusing in a terrible and compulsive way. You'll hate yourself for loving it, but it won't stop you from coming back for more.

You'll find moments of driving glory nestled among a lot of filler or arbitrary 'story', and it's these nuggets that make you wish for the series to return to its successful past. Or, if you're like me, you'll just look at the game as another entry in a respected series that perhaps takes too much unnecessary precedence over EA's better arcade racing franchise, Burnout.

Daytona USA sits in the unique position where it suffers not from its faults, but from the perfection of its original design. There was nothing better than being enveloped in those speaker laden seats, inches away from a ridiculously bright CRT screen, friends or strangers seated either side of you.

If you're a dedicated fan and want more of the series, you'll have fun despite being disappointed at the lack of exposition. As for the casual players, there are unfortunately very few reasons to check this out.

It's just a shame that it didn't have some more time behind it, as it seems that the pressures of a 10-year game anniversary were more important than finessing certain areas. My treasured memories haven't been completely destroyed, but the technical woes make this Halo remake more for the fans than anyone else.

If you can only buy one game this holiday season and want your absolute money's worth, there's no looking past what is arguable the industry benchmark for sandbox and emergent gameplay with player-choice at its helm, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. A work of sheer genius.

May be a little short in length at about 3-4 hours to complete the story and grab all collectibles and trophies, but the pacing and story feels just right.

Familiar-yet-new territory comes in the form of AC-130 missions, only these are far more robust, and desperate. You're clearing a path on-the-fly for teams on the ground, but equally switching between the two. And it's not just decimating ground forces, either. There's no arguing Infinity Ward make a chopper crash look the best in the biz, and you'll be swatting enemy helicopters from the sky like so many flies under your fly-swatter.

The major flaw is not only that it removes the most exciting possibilities of playing Spider-Man, it doesn't offer anything in replacement. The arcade element of upgrading attacks gives you nothing of consequence, and how can it when Spider-Man already has his skill set locked in? It's a dead concept.

The swift and graphically violent gameplay makes you feel incredibly powerful, but maintains a consistent challenge. Despite taking itself a little too seriously than it needs to, this is a fun adventure worth experiencing. For the Emperor!

It offers a different kind of multiplayer and a robust smattering of solo missions to keep any international man of mystery occupied for hours on end.

The biggest praise that All 4 One garners is the constant diversity of the level design and, even more impressively, the gameplay. The beautiful environments are a visual treat that tend to distract from the task at hand, while the little additions to gameplay throughout the campaign -- mini-games, water skiing, jet packing, rail grinding, and the list goes on-stop All 4 One from avoiding the pitfall of losing appeal after a few hours.

Drake's Deception is driven -- like previous Uncharted games -- by the compelling and flawlessly executed story which is matched perfectly by the stunning visuals. Without doubt it's at the pinnacle of storytelling in video games. The puzzle solving is also a boon, intricate in detail with enough leeway to let you do all the thinking. It's a little disappointing then, that the shooting mechanics have the same shortcomings as Uncharted 2 and that it takes too long to get going.

There's certainly room for improvement, but there's no denying that so many different aspects of the first person shooter experience being dished out here are best-in-class. The multiplayer component alone is more than worth the price of admission and the solo campaign and cooperative offerings thankfully bring more to the table than they detract. With Battlefield 3, DICE have at long last raised the bar of PC gaming above the long-held bottleneck of console-parity, to bring us a game that's finally worth upgrading for and I dare say it carries with it a potential for a renaissance of the PC first person shooter.

Cities XL 2012 is even less of a complete title than its predecessor was. When the removal of a core gameplay feature isn't replaced with an effective replacement, what you're left with is a broken game. No effort has been taken to bring C:XL to "2012" standards in the way of a graphics overhaul, and it still runs like a dog with 3 legs to boot.

An incredibly great looking game that is just as much fun to play.

With the inclusion of all the NBA legends, as well as the exceptionally deep and addictive My Player mode, NBA 2K12 is a great game to play and an improvement on last year's version. It is an able substitute until the NBA lockout ends, and the real basketball games begin.

A perfect sequel, and a near-perfect action game. It's stunning to look at (seriously, just watch the snow flakes hit his suit for a minute), plays as smooth as they come, offers an unprecedented sense of player-choice in an open-world, despite being caged in a makeshift prison, and harbors among the best voice-acting and scripting the Batman universe, and games, have ever seen. It's dark, brooding and relentless in adult themes, yet requires no gore to relay any of this.

Even the visuals seem disinterested with everything looking lifeless and devoid of any real colour or identifiable landmarks, outside of a few fan service cameos. Bland is probably the only word to describe how the game looks.

It's certainly one of the most difficult games I have ever played, but it's clear that every single element of it has been designed meticulously to reward the cautious and clever participant.