While Darksiders is an undeniably confident package, it’s a shame the developers have fallen back on a succession of barely disguised facsimiles from proven classics to fill in the mechanics of their game.

Get beyond the cynical positioning of Forza Horizon and you'll find a racer that is, ironically, as efficient and refined as it's older, more mature, siblings. Whether it can build a community as effectively as the Motorsport games is unlikely, but Horizon, for all its familiarity and reluctance to experiment, is still a fine addition to the Xbox 360's roster.

Pirate fans will merrily pick this up and discover a solid purchase, but the rest might want to hold out in hopes of something different from next year’s iteration.

Played in the right spirit Doom II is still a cracking action game. This XBLA re-release, at 800 points, represents good value for money.

Take Ultimate Collection for what it is – an inexpensive assortment of classic SEGA titles – and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on the market.

This is a simple, welcoming escapade that can (and probably should) be ignored by the vast majority of adult gamers this holiday season. Those with children or younger siblings however, would do rather well by giving this a look.

AYIM is a novel, fun and incredibly infuriating game that will pass the time, just don’t expect it to turn your world upside-down.

De Blob's wickedly funny story gives the game a wonderful charm. It may have its flaws, but De Blob is exactly the kind of game we’d like to see more of on Wii - bright, playful and gosh darn fun.

So, if you've already sat through an excruciating wait for your next fix of this hugely popular franchise then strap yourself in and prepare to play long into the coming year. For everyone else, there's always Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Altogether more successful than other recent Xbox 360 forays into the lifestyle gamer territory (You’re In The Movies anyone?), Lips excels because it feels like there is a clear vision underpinning the franchise, one that has gone from the first idea to the final design with a cohesion lacking in the actual tracklisting.

There remains nothing truly revolutionary about Killzone, its story and characters are still unfortunately bland, its fiction hints at greatness that has never quite emerged. Yet Shadow Fall emerges as the best in the series, approaching that ideal single player balance between the weighty, war-torn shooter of old and the more nimble and varied globe-trotting adventures found in Call of Duty, paired with the most refined, and in-depth multiplayer the series has featured yet.

Even when it's at its most curiously punishing, Swarm is dexterous enough to reward those who put the time into learning its methods and also satisfies with the type of cartoon violence that makes for a very endearing and well-made game on the whole.

Even when it's at its most curiously punishing, Swarm is dexterous enough to reward those who put the time into learning its methods and also satisfies with the type of cartoon violence that makes for a very endearing and well-made game on the whole.

The challenge/reward loop will simply not click for many, with the touch-screen controls being little more than a clunky irritant attached to a slow-paced and slightly directionless game.

For all its shortcomings, we still quite like Front Mission Evolved, especially as it manages to imbue a feeling of power in the player with its well made shooting mechanics better than many other shooters. While it is unlikely to be remembered for having any particularly remarkable features, it does what it does mostly very well.

For all its shortcomings, we still quite like Front Mission Evolved, especially as it manages to imbue a feeling of power in the player with its well made shooting mechanics better than many other shooters. While it is unlikely to be remembered for having any particularly remarkable features, it does what it does mostly very well.

For all its shortcomings, we still quite like Front Mission Evolved, especially as it manages to imbue a feeling of power in the player with its well made shooting mechanics better than many other shooters. While it is unlikely to be remembered for having any particularly remarkable features, it does what it does mostly very well.

Hugely enjoyable for the most part, Toy Story 3 can certainly be considered amongst the best of film to videogame tie-ins.

Its ambitions may be modest, but there's no doubt that Dead Hungry Diner succeeds in delivering an intelligent and entertaining experience that's worth of your attention.

For better and for worse Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a game as crazy and nonsensical as its title, but because of that strong core, it’s one that just about makes the cut.

For all the added modes and interaction, simply strapping yourself into the seat of a Bugatti Veyron and unleashing power on the asphalt roads to no pre-destined destination is what makes Unlimited 2 memorable.

There's a lot of depth for a downloadable title game, and Mutant Mudds contrasts strikingly with the first wave of DSiWare games, showing how the service is evolving.

For all the added modes and interaction, simply strapping yourself into the seat of a Bugatti Veyron and unleashing power on the asphalt roads to no pre-destined destination is what makes Unlimited 2 memorable.

Despite its issues, Crush 3D offers a slickly presented, quirky and idiosyncratic experience that delivers spatial puzzles that will definitely stretch your grey matter. Unfortunately, it can also test your patience as much as your lateral thinking, a factor that isn't helped by an annoyingly up-beat soundtrack. So, while Crush 3D's mechanics are wonderfully illusionary, its biggest trick may be in hiding such an exacting and demanding puzzler underneath the breezy, happy-go-lucky presentation.

It is a game heavily invested in gaming’s history and nature in its debts to retro graphics styles and the platform genre but also one which combines them with the medium’s new direction in its use of the auto-scrolling form.

SOCOM: Confrontation is a game delivered with conviction and a clear sense of its identity, and that it will be embraced and loved by veterans of the series is without question. However, its single-minded pursuit of realism is also unfortunately its greatest downfall, making it at times more frustrating than enjoyable.

Brutal Legend has clearly been a labour of love for Double Fine Productions, and this is reflected in the degree of ambition demonstrated on nearly every level. Unfortunately, like the LOVE and HATE tattoos emblazoned on the knuckles of many a Hell’s Angel, with one you must have the other, and Brutal Legend is no exception.

Castlevania: Mirror of Fate is stupid in a good way and robust enough to be an enjoyable challenge. While the boss battles go on a bit too long and the plot is bonkers, it’s a good use of a platforming style often forgotten.