It’s definitely not worth buying a PS3 over, but it’s definitely a must have title if you’re the kind of person who likes to have friends around to goof around with video games.

Most importantly, what Skylanders Giants achieves is a superior sequel to a hugely successful first game and demonstrates that developers and publishers are capable of innovation in a period where all we've come to expect are carbon copy sequels.

Absolutely get Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning if you're looking for a deep fantasy world - but if you can't handle the MMO flavour, you might want to give it a pass. KOA:R shines when it is being creative or original - when you get lost in the depth of the combat, or the wealth of backstory - and falters when it apes other games. And seriously - it's 2012... lose the invisible walls already.

Call of Pripyat is definitely the best STALKER game yet. It's a much tighter package, but for a budget title there is still a hell of a lot to do and The Zone still seems intent on killing you or scaring you senseless.

If you're the kind that relishes a challenge and has understanding neighbours (for when you swear loudly), Dustforce is a low cost yet deep title that can keep you mercilessly addicted for hours.

Walk a mile in the Yakuza's shoes and buckle up for a wild, weird and wacky experience only Japan can deliver.

Soon I found myself scouring the hub world obsessively looking for cool new bits to add to my machines; larger engines, lighter wings, better weapons.

The only thing holding back Scribblenauts is the DS. The reliance on the touchscreen hampers what would otherwise be the best new games franchise this year.

A fitting sequel and takes several important strides forward for the franchise. The strengthening of the multiplayer adds some much needed replayability, the sense of scope and scale is impressive and allowing you to see the climactic battle through the eyes of a smorgasbord of Autobots and Decepticons, each with wildly differing play styles was a definite step in the right direction.

The graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is tight and - while lacking the customisation introduced in Wipeout Pulse - the soundtrack is good. It's let down by long loading times and a short-ish campaign, but Cross-Play gives it both a little added longevity and makes it into a bit of a 'feature highlight' game. It's a must-have Vita game - just make sure you set aside time to play it.

There are very few games which are able to buck trends with aplomb and do it this gracefully. Pick it up when you can and give it the time it deserves.

For the people who know what to expect, Dead Rising 2 will be a fantastic zombie slaying experience. It's full of humour, satire and atmosphere and as long as you play by its rules it's also full of fun. Those who go in expecting a free-for-all genocidal rampage will be disappointed - at least they will until they realise what they're supposed to do.

if you're a fan of the eccentricity of Japanese culture, like a mental challenge and reckon you have fingers dextrous enough to take the job on it will test your mettle and push your sanity to breaking point. It's equal parts frustration and exhilaration, completely intoxicating, almost impossible to walk away from and stays with you. If you're after something a little outside the box Catherine's the game for you.

Final Fantasy XIII wanted you to love it for who it was, but Final Fantasy XIII-2 wants you to love it for who it's like. And compared to Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XII and Chrono Trigger it falters significantly, with a ridiculous and convoluted story, some awful voice acting and the worst music I've heard in a video game. If you're a fan of JRPGs you'll probably enjoy it, but it's in no way the best game on the market - not by a long shot.

The game has oodles of charm however, so it won't feel like a chore for long - TT Games have done an excellent job melding the fun and cute Lego universe with the Harry Potter universe.

There's not a lot to redeem Mirror's Edge beyond its immersive atmosphere. The clipping is probably the worst thing about the game - it's simply inexcusable to have a game rely on something so much only to have it not work when it should.

The threadbare story is filled with pointless motivations, poorly realised characters and bad dialogue - so cross out 'wanting to know what happens at the end'. The way the game challenges you is by simply sending more of the same at you and hoping you run out of ammo. It doesn't have story, it doesn't have gameplay - so why would you keep playing?

Its remarkable graphics and well thought out and voiced characters mark it as a definite achievement, and the sheer length and breadth of it means dozens of hours of entertainment. Plus there is a dog smoking a pipe.

If it were just the campaign with co-op, Judgment would seem difficult to justify for its triple A asking price, but with the addition of the excellent Overrun mode - and a couple of friends - it's a worthwhile purchase.

If you're a fan of games like Sim City, Tropico, Caesar or even the earlier Settlers games, this game probably isn't one you want to miss. The changes from the earlier games and from other games in its genre are almost all for the better, and it's just generally a well put-together piece of entertainment - whether you prefer to build sand castles or kick them over.

A guilty and brutal pleasure with a rare sense of honour, humour and is perhaps the most quintessential Japanese title you'll ever play.

It doesn't have a lot of replayability in the traditional sense, but Prototype is worth a purchase because at the end of the day, when you've finished the main mission and you unlock New Game + there is nothing more satisfying than coming home, switching it on and punching a dozen people in half.

Coming in at about 16-20 hours for under twenty bucks, DeathSpank Thongs of Virtue surpasses its predecessor in every way, and though it does suffer from minor frame-rate issues in the latter sections, it is one of the most rewarding and fun-filled bits of gaming I've had, and I eagerly await the next instalment.

It's not a particularly great rhythm game, nor is it really a Final Fantasy one, but for some reason the two work together well.

An extremely fun action experience that is sure to induce Tourette's to the most levelheaded gamers. It's a blast for the most part, but on occasion it defies explanation by breaking its own conventions and using shoddy camera angles and unresponsive controls to artificially increase difficulty.

Very average in most respects - everything it does right has some element which drags it straight back down. The one thing which makes the game amazing is the attention to detail given to the characters, story and the world they live in.

As a huge fan of both Dead Space 1 and 2 I thought this would be a massive disappointment, but Dead Space 3 successfully illustrates that it's tension I crave from these sorts of games, not fear. Because Dead Space 3 anchors its tension in the challenge the game presents, the player is able to customise how tense an experience they have through the difficulty settings (and it gets pretty bloody difficult). This is a good thing, and both Dead Space fans and sci-fi fans will get a lot out of this sci-fi shooter.

Tropico 4 carries similar almost A-grade production values to its predecessors, is thematically identical, is bug-free if not entirely polished visually and it has a raft of new features for you to enjoy - it just struggles to earn that numerical update to its name.