Suitably, this notion serves as a separate allegory for Explodemon! as a whole - a very loving homage to its 8-bit heritage that modernizes the now 'retro' design approach for both the right cost and length.

The Chapters of the Chosen is a deep, well conceived, measured and expertly delivered title that is as rewarding to play as it is aesthetically pleasing. A title that is both a fascinating glimpse into the past and a wonderful vindication of the importance and durability of solid game design.

If there's anything to take away from Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, it's that it represents a culmination of style of design that Traveller's Tales has been tweaking for years now, and does so in the most positive way possible. Every working part of the Lego series has been nigh-on perfected here, but if the formula has never won you over before, then not only will it fail to do so now, but it probably never will.

It positively crushes the gameplay of the fourth installment and does away with the overused backtracking. With a story that finally explores the truth behind Dante's supernatural heritage and reveals the decisions that lead him to become a hero, DMC achieves something no previous installment could not. It's the art direction and technical problems that let the package down, and they often do so in a big way. We encountered visual hiccups galore, shaky animations and a major crash on our PS3 review copy, yet the game remained enjoyable to the end.

A quality racer that won't break the budget, we expect Hydro Thunder Hurricane to make waves this summer.

Puzzle elements are integrated incompletely with the platforming elements, and while both have moments of retro-inspired genius neither is quite sufficient to truly stand alone.

This is a game which has a free version, so as long as you have a device capable of using it, and at least one friend (or randoms to prey upon with your crude pictures of scrawled genitals) then this game makes for the perfect time-sink. And once you've got it and enjoy it, why not pay the 69p, you cheap sod? It's just over a third of a quid for this much fun!

The impressive vehicle handling, sky-high production values and conscious decision to refine Midnight Club for its next-gen debut rather than reinvent ensure that MC: LA is the best in its class.

All in all, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a polished and well considered sequel to the underrated original that's humorous, hugely playable and frothing with ideas.

The Jak and Daxter Collection is one of the best high-def re-releases about and represents great value for money in terms of bang for your buck.

Regardless of whether Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light marks the future of the series or if is merely a side-project while the next full instalment is prepped and polished, it remains a remarkably successful experiment, and something of a bench-mark for downloadable gaming.

Regardless of whether Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light marks the future of the series or if is merely a side-project while the next full instalment is prepped and polished, it remains a remarkably successful experiment, and something of a bench-mark for downloadable gaming.

In many ways Drakensang is a throwback, a swansong to the party-based RPGs of yesteryear, yet somehow it doesn’t feel dated.

It's barely the open-ended Mafia game that many were expecting, or indeed hoping for, but then it needn't be: Mafia II is of a quality that matches that of GTA and its rivals without the need for illogical side-missions.

Make no mistake though Human Revolution, for all its modern trappings, remains a game that requires commitment, offering the sort of long and deep single player experience that seems to be so rare these days.

When you finally take the key out of the ignition, step out of your hotrod and observe all the carnage that Split Second has wrought, the overriding impression is that this is one slick game.

This is an eight year old game and it shows, with frequent camera issues that rear their head at the most inopportune moments, but to be too critical would be to do the game a disservice given its charm.

For underneath the rage of Mother Nature at the heart of Apocalypse lies a racing game whose visceral impact is almost unlike anything in the modern genre, an anarchic experience built on both arcade simplicity and technical complexity.

Ultimately the game feels like a risk, an antithesis of much of what gaming currently aspires to be, but it also uses the medium to its advantage, to tell a personal story in a new and innovative way. Hopefully it leads to more developers stepping out in a similar fashion, and together pushing the medium forward in equally interesting and unexpected ways.

All in all, it's well worth a purchase if you're yet to get into the series, and a worthy addition to the mounting pile for fans.

With Overkill, Headstrong has delivered an inspired resurrection of both SEGA's decaying franchise and the light gun shooter genre as a whole.

All in all, it's well worth a purchase if you're yet to get into the series, and a worthy addition to the mounting pile for fans.

While nowhere near as technically accomplished as its Western peers Yakuza 3 nonetheless deserves to be experienced for the depth of its central character and its peerless depiction of contemporary metropolitan Japan.

Despite DICE's uneasy underhandedness to force players into more conventional situations that the game simply isn't built for, Mirror's Edge is an impressive experiment and a compelling title that revels in its unique mechanics.

Building on what came before it technically and thematically, Left 4 Dead 2 proves itself a thrilling multiplayer experience fans would be foolish to pass up. The sequel may have arrived just a year after the first but the wealth of content and overall refinement means you wouldn’t know to play it.

Despite its flaws, it has class in abundance, which fans of any type of genre will surely appreciate.

If you can look past the sub-par graphics and keep up with the demanding control tempo, you’ll find a robust beat-em-up with tight and interesting controls, entertaining movesets and a strong cast of characters.

Ultimately, H.A.W.X. 2 is a must for Tom Clancy and flight-sim fans.