With a toe-tapping soundtrack, glitzy presentation and obvious accessibility, Sonic 4 Episode 1 has much to be proud of. Gamers who recall the early nineties and yearn for a simpler time when true 3d was restricted to bad sci-fi movies should lap this title up, but there's definitely a sense that it could, or indeed should have been more.

Thus, while it may be difficult to call Ivy The Kiwi? an innovative title, particularly because so much of the gameplay harks back to a five-year-old Nintendo DS near-launch title, Ivy's exploits are a breath of fresh air in today's gaming landscape.

Definitely a good game experiment which could have been on the level of a fantasy Papers Please, but in its own right it is great fun apart from the small amount of activities to do and the lack of replayability

SNK Arcade Classics Vol.1 ticks all retro-gaming boxes admirably, offering a satisfying and varied selection of authentically emulated games that deserve to be played, rather than left to gather dust in SNK’s vaults!

Although simplistic on the surface, Burn Zombie Burn does have hidden depth that’ll keep players engaged.

The length won’t win over the more casual players, but for those who still can’t get enough of Metal Gear Rising, Blade Wolf serves as a welcome slice of cyber-dog action.

In spite of some medium-sized annoyances, there are no game-breaking problems here, and there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had for players who like a sprinkle of terror on their gaming pie.

It actually pains us to be so negative about De Blob 2, as there is plenty here to love or even adore. The visuals are sumptuous; the characterisation of Blob, his friends and the gloriously dastardly Inkies is nothing short of sublime. It is also consistently diverting, the problem being that it only rarely feels essential.

Through its boldly chosen subject matter, ravishing good looks and slick mechanics El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is without question a title that deserves to be played – the big question mark that hangs over it is whether you'll engage with it enough to care or to want to come back for second helpings.

It actually pains us to be so negative about De Blob 2, as there is plenty here to love or even adore. The visuals are sumptuous; the characterisation of Blob, his friends and the gloriously dastardly Inkies is nothing short of sublime. It is also consistently diverting, the problem being that it only rarely feels essential.

Through its boldly chosen subject matter, ravishing good looks and slick mechanics El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is without question a title that deserves to be played – the big question mark that hangs over it is whether you'll engage with it enough to care or to want to come back for second helpings.

But for all that it still stands head and shoulders above a lot of the equivalent open world action games out there, and for those happy to go back to the well one more time in this generation, there will be lots to enjoy here. For everyone else Arkham Origins is exactly the game you thought it would be, for better and for worse.

There’s no escaping that it feels like something of a throwback to the PS2, but there’s also an undeniable charm in the story and characters that might just have you playing to the end. Sly and the gang haven’t quite brought their A-game, but for fans of the series and lovers of the long-forgotten platformer, Thieves in Time is a steal.

Sadly, the biggest advancement of Football Manager 2009 - the 3D match engine - is also the most underwhelming. Without eye-massaging graphical capabilities, it's hard to see why any FM veteran would choose the 3D option, relegating the much-hyped addition to an intriguing novelty, yet a novelty which will surely be slowly improved upon year after year.

As a platform-hopping back street brawler, Shank succeeds in carving its very own niche, earning a place on the hard drive of anyone looking for a brutal treat with which to stave off the remainder of the gaming drought.

Frustrating, taxing – Metro 2033 is also a curiously compelling refuge from the mundane.

Staggeringly beautiful and with a surprisingly gentle learning curve, Blazblue has much going for it, but its delayed release means it is unlikely to generate anywhere near the sales it arguably deserves.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is in many ways a very unassuming title; it slinked onto the scene with relatively little fanfare and has had few expectations placed on it by gaming fans, many of whom will likely dismiss it as 'just another Prince of Persia' or (at worst) a shoddy movie tie-in.

In refusing to slap a number 4 in the title, Epic Games itself is admitting that Judgement categorically isn’t the next great leap for the series, and we’re assuming that will come with the next generation. But as a reminder of why Gears of War became one of the most influential shooters of its generation, Judgement is a welcome curtain call, even if it isn’t the grand finale that some would have wanted.

There is a deep and rewarding combat system in place likely to please fans and newcomers alike but the series is fraying at the edges due to technical limitations both online and off.

The game is short, as I said before the page break; you’re able to race through events in a matter of minutes, which is why this is better played with multiple players to make awful choices together. Ten dollars feels like a lot for a short, independent game, but the amount of different options and the varied repercussions for single actions make it feel like better value than the great but ultimately linear Dear Esther or 30 Flights of Loving.

Overall, Zen Pinball 3D is a successful entry-level debut for the series on the 3DS. It contains few surprises and the re-use of old assets is disappointing, but such is the quality of the experience that these are easier to overlook.

Although Kirby's Adventure Wii lacks the dazzling visual inventiveness of Epic Yarn, its chunky, vibrant look is never less than charming, and is complimented by a style of play that eschews challenge for a subtly enveloping comfort blanket of Nintendo delight.

The series has been off the radar long enough to appear fresh and this is exactly how it feels, making it easy to recommend to anyone after a solid game based on the AVP franchise.

Yet despite this, and despite it being a blast to play, we can't help but feel that Crackdown 2 doesn't quite achieve the greatness that fans of the original were no doubt hoping for.

It's a good world with a few flaws, and as long as you're okay with having to repeat certain bits and learn from your mistakes, then it's definitely worth your time.

Best played in short bursts, Battle Group is a fine example of how to make a game designed to slot into short lulls during your day, with each level supplying a snappy and quickly finished slice of naval carnage.

Overall, Def Jam Rapstar is an excellent entry to the rap karaoke genre and goes some way to achieving what fans would have been wanting from the game. With a little bit more fine tuning here and there, Def Jam Rapstar has the potential to be a very serious contender within the music game market.