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.

BioWare has created a rare beast with Sonic Chronicles; a beginner's RPG that is pitched perfectly for the hedgehog and handheld’s younger followers to identify with, while still possessing its developer’s unmistakable sheen of quality.

When playing to its strengths, Hitman: Absolution is a genuinely great game. Overall, though, it feels slightly disappointing, simply because it doesn't spend enough time playing to those strengths.

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.

Sucker Punch have managed to boil down the essence of the series whilst retaining the most enjoyable elements, all topped off with a level of polish and detail that, for now at least, helps justify this new generation of hardware.

If you are fine with crazy difficulty in your platformers then it’s a really rewarding game to play and so beautiful it puts the NSMB series to shame.

Despite all its shortcomings, Dragon's Dogma if an often enjoyable and interesting experience.

Sadly Guitar Hero is starting to succumb to its heritage of being Rock Band's old man, and slowly growing out of touch with the gaming generation. Guitar Hero: World Tour doesn't offer anything of any substance over Rock Band, especially with its less than stellar selection of tracks and a disturbing lack of atmosphere.

Overall Resistance 3 is a notable step up in the series and has a lot of offer; it is highly polished and c some enjoyable set-pieces and encounters.

Bean's Quest isn't perfect, but it provides a spirited and slickly presented slice of platforming action for iOS gamers, with six challenging worlds that offer good value for the £1.99 asking price.

Our complaints might well fall on deaf ears though, because whilst Two Worlds II is no technical masterpiece (with clipping issues, horrific drops in frame rate, draw distance, screen tearing), the role-playing it contains is certainly entertaining and thoroughly engaging.

Dark Void poses something of a dilemma. On one hand, it is an extremely enjoyable, quirky and lovingly crafted B-movie adventure delivered by a developer with obvious ambition. On the other hand, however, it has a number of fairly significant rough edges with elements that don’t stack up quite as well when compared to other titles in the action adventure genre.

If you like Marvel, it's one of the less egregious Marvel Comics tie-ins and the 3D does make a pretty game prettier. There are certainly better experiences in the current selection of 3DSware, but for the budget price, you get a lot of mileage. Now if only I could keep Iron Man in that suit and blasting his enemies for more than five seconds. That's what happens when you trust a drunk superhero.

It is bound to have its critics then, but when you get to see Darkstalkers’ Morrigan fighting alongside Ghost and Goblin’s Arthur and a grandfather-clock, salt and pepper-shaker tossing Dynamite Cop, it’s almost impossible to stop yourself falling just a little bit in love with the whole affair.

Fun, challenging and frustrating in just the right measures, the collection highlights the respect Sonic holds as an old-school entity, even though the years that followed spelt disaster and led to his dethroning as a modern icon.

Bubble Jets is an understated game inspired by a gentle toy that provides an equally gentle, yet strangely addictive experience. It is also well pitched for the App Store and its audience, being strangely heart-warming for older gamers (giving them a twinge of nostalgia,) while younger games will be instantly at home with the easy to understand controls and immediacy of the on-screen action. The biggest frustrations it provides will likely for other iOS developers across the world who may well be left slapping their foreheads and exclaiming – 'Why didn't I think of that!'?

The hidden object aspect of the game is solid and never falls on the side of frustration, but the minigames could do with being more varied and taxing. Ultimately, Death in Scarlet comes highly recommended for those looking for a game light on difficulty but heavy on intrigue.

Saints Row 2 is as unremarkable as it is entertaining, but if you’re willing to forgive it for its myriad of flaws and technical vulgarities, there’s a fairly meaty game at the heart of it all that should, if nothing more, satisfy your criminal cravings until Rockstar's first wave of downloadable content.

It encompasses the audiovisual elements, the neon graphics and low-rez music, and the joyous bloodiness of early shooters. But at the same time it also encompasses how dehumanising and routine the old games were – how the violence was immature and gratuitous and just a way of dressing up limited gameplay mechanics with visceral feedback to actions.