It may be hackneyed, past its sell-by date and a tad too over-reliant on its predecessor’s successes, but when RE5 remembers that it’s Resident Evil and not, say, Gears of War, it’s nothing less than sublime. But unfortunately for the most part, Resident Evil 5 seems to be suffering from a rather harrowing case of identity crisis.

Ultimately, Uprising’s existence is something of a mystery. Its single player campaigns (created due to the demands of Red Alert fans, according to EA) make for a diverting - though not particularly tactical - few hours, but the inability to play any of its new missions with a friend, or use any of its additional units in a multiplayer battle will severely limit its appeal.

Peggle is a rare, but clear example of a game that utilises a simple concept to create a limitlessly satisfying gameplay experience. There are no end of level bosses, ostentatious cut scenes or superfluous button layouts to memorise, Peggle is simply gameplay refined.

MadWorld may well be a highly nuanced comment on the role violence plays within our entertainment, as well as a gleeful two fingers to the Wii’s so-called casual audience.

Not only has the studio delivered a title that lives up to its predecessor’s colossal standards, but it’s achieved a new milestone for the console RTS, paving the way for the future of the genre on a platform previously thought lost.

Empire is distinct, challenging and immensely gratifying. Easily the finest example of the genre.

As a package Black Knight is competent: the frame rate is consistent while the visuals, taking their cue from Secret Rings, suggest that Sonic Team’s capability with squeezing results from the modest hardware is more successful than their understanding of how Sonic should feel as a game.

For all its many graces, Phantasy Star Portable is the latest in a series that’s still trying to ride on its claim of being the first online console RPG, clumsily forgetting the last nine years ever happened.

Countless lauded exclusives have spectacularly flopped since the PS3’s launch and the console’s market share is still less than glowing; there’s a sense that for history to repeat itself twice with another Killzone debacle, given the expectations, the jaw-dropping preview footage and the hordes of illiterate fanboys chomping at the bit, would have been catastrophic. Instead, the end result is nothing short of triumphant.

Ultimately, it’s a shame to see a game with such an intriguing concept go to ruin.

No Gravity: The Plague Of Mind is yet another PSN oddity, joining the ranks of Everyday Shooter, Flower, Noby Noby Boy, Flow etc. Like them, it’s a title that thrives on its idiosyncrasies, succeeding in ways that you probably weren’t expecting.

Blood on the Sand has been developed to plough straight down the middle and appeal to the largest possible demographic; it's a jack of all trades, and master of none. It's not as bad as his previous game, disastrously melodramatic movie attempt or second album. It is, however, entirely standard.

Another day, another game about the horrors of conflict. For the six of you that still care about wanting to trudge through a true Vietnam War setting, the choice is simple – you either play Shellshock 2, or sit through the four hour cut of Apocalypse Now whilst daubed in body paint and playing The Doors on the stereo. Here’s your last clue – it’s not the first suggestion.

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 in desperate need of some more variation, but Dawn of War II is luscious, visceral and fast-paced.

RACE Pro is a racing game for racing fans and, to its credit, never tries to be anything else.

It's this blissful sense of nostalgia that makes Street Fighter IV the runaway success that it undoubtedly is. Street Fighter hasn't changed per se – at heart, it's still the very same game you played all those years ago - but it's been tweaked and enhanced to within an inch of perfection.

Hand of the Heavenly Bride is a solid, old-school adventure with the same problems and delights that any title from the period has. If you’re supporter of the series or just a sucker for this type of action, then you probably won’t be disappointed. But for the rest of you, HotHB does nothing that will change your stubborn opinions.

Flower is an epiphany moment for the SIXAXIS: a game that outright wouldn't work without the motion controls, and one enhanced tenfold by their perfect execution. Disregard it for its unconventionality and you'll be missing out on one of the finest (and definitely most exquisite) titles to hit PSN so far.

Whilst not raising bars and lacking the ability to set new standards, F.E.A.R. 2 is nevertheless a great example of a ‘typical’ genre piece that we can recommend to shooter fans, without doubt.

While not as great a progression as it could have been, LocoRoco 2 still manages to squash, bounce and squeeze its way into must-have territory, and is as pristine a slice of portable gaming as one could hope for. Visually arresting, a pleasure to play and an aural triumph (we dare you not to hum along to the soundtrack!), the love and attention that has been lavished on its production veritably oozes from the screen.

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.

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

The visuals and treasure-hunter plot (and the role that the tarantula and scorpion will play in it) hold just enough intrigue to keep you playing, but as a whole, it’s more a chore than an adventure.

What Afro Samurai has in visual style, it lacks in design finesse.

In essence, Operation Anchorage is everything that Fallout 3 wasn't; if Bethesda set out to surprise then they've succeeded.

Football Manager Live is a curious, audacious shot of adrenaline into a series that was bordering on stagnation.

Skate 2 highlights the premise of evolution excellently with its minor, yet impressive changes reinforcing its position as the best skateboarding game on the market today.