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.