The most immersive Metroid yet with the best console FPS setup we've ever used. But maybe the formula's been tinkered too much.

Final Fantasy XIII isn't just a game you merely enjoy. You fall in love with it. It's gorgeous worlds have you stopping to admire them in complete awe, while a graceful soundtrack massages your brain (despite the unfortunate replacement of the original Japanese theme with a song from Leona Lewis).

Not without its issues, but they're so minor they don't stop it from being the best racing experience on Xbox 360. Or of the current generation.

It's still not the revolutionary piece of software Mr. M lauded it to be, but Fable II finally sees Lionhead's original concept realised, and all round it's clearly the developer's best game to date.

With Turbine's long-standing MMORPG expertise powering proceedings and one of the most welcoming communities in gaming, LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase.

Fans of Grand Prix Legends will love it, fans of GTR will love it and we reckon it's just possible that a host of newcomers could also be taken in by the thrill of driving the car you spent your youth pining for. [PC Zone]

One of the few games that has the power to engage your imagination with pretty pictures, then actually live up to your imaginings when you get your hands on it. Bring back the bloody internal docking next time and it'll probably be the first game in ZONE history to get 100 per cent. [PC Zone]

A seriously good, fat-free but surprisingly deep GTA experience - that you can play on the toilet.

The equivalent of the summer's biggest Oscar-winning blockbuster, it's breathtaking, and destined to become an adventure classic. Totally unmissable.

Perhaps the finest game to strap on its space-trading boots since the seminal "Elite." It's better than "Freelancer," better than "EVE Online," better than the original "X: Beyond The Frontier," better than any number of Privateers, Battlecruisers, Freespaces and Frontiers. Best, best, best. Am I making this clear enough? [PC Zone]

Massively polished, hugely enjoyable single-player game that (finally) does the Batman license justice.

A beautiful, astoundingly deep - yet very familiar - Halo package. Thanks for the memories, Bungie.

Battlefield 3 then, from a campaign perspective, delivers the goods and then some. It's not perfect, but it's bloody close... infinitely more impressive than Bad Company 2 and irrefutable proof that DICE have now firmly stepped into the hallowed ranks of the absolute top-tier developers. COD or not, this deserves a place in your collection - not to mention a place in your heart.

If there is any justice in the world Shogo will be looked back on as one of the best 3D games of its time. Personally speaking, apart from "Half-Life", Shogo is the best game I've played this year.

Now, however, it's been nailed: simultaneous turns, variable game speeds, the ability to join a game on the hop by taking over an AI opponent and game dynamics that leave you despising your best friend. Quite frankly, you needn't buy another game for the entirety of next year - Civ will suffice, and it gets deeper each time you play. [PC Zone]

In MC3 everything is real big. Customisation real big, vehicles real big, racing real big, online real big, adrenaline real big.

An epic, over-sized gorefest unlike any other. Sorry EA, Kratos is still the king of brutal brawlers.

The presentation is also seriously top-drawer. You can see the standard of the graphics with your own eyes, but what you can't see is the triple-A voice-acting and the dirty, groove-laden soundtrack delivered by Amon Tobin. [PC Zone]

Unlike Lost and Damned which suffered from an overly familiar missions structure, the second 360 exclusive episode manages to rekindle the highs of GTA IV's greatest missions (we're thinking Four Leaf Clover) and in sheer absurdity leapfrogs them entirely.

Taken as individual pieces, only Battlefield 3's regular multiplayer is really strong. The co-op and story are both perfectly well executed, but lack true greatness. So, that third elephant: is Battlefield 3 really better than Call of Duty? It's a matter of personal taste, but for us Battlefield 3's incredible multiplayer edges this ahead of it's accomplished rival.

It might look old-skool from the screenshots, but GP Legend totally flies. Races are so tight this is guaranteed to get your heart pumping.

Visually stunning high-strategy from the masters of the genre.

A superb quest that doesn't rewrite the rules but delivers another engrossing Zelda adventure. If you own a DS, buy it.

As an intelligent and masterful 3D beat 'em up experience, this is as pure as it gets. [JPN Import]

The handling is superb, weighty and satisfying with every last handbrake turn. The crash damage and overall visual detail is of the highest calibre in games today, and there are so many events you'll be busy for hours. Codemasters got it right, this time.

We love this game for all the reasons a lot of people will hate it: the wacky characters, the 'holy grail' nature of the combat system to be mastered by only the very best players, of which we admit we are not worthy (yet).

Little problems like this, however, barely even make a scratch on this beautifully fun, frantic, deep and deliberately tongue in cheek racer, which manages to deliver all the fundamentals of a world class karting game as well as throwing in a shed load of brilliant features and the odd innovation here and there.

This is a relentlessly explosive title that doesn't know the meaning of respite; one which laughs in the face of 'downtime'.