Surprisingly accessible and deep as you like, Offworld Trading Company is a standout addition to what’s already been a fantastic year for strategy games.

Saints Row IV jacks up the action, pumps up the silly, but above all, doesn’t lose sight of what makes a game play superbly, and that, Mr President, is how you make an awesome video game.

The story is extremely well written and the cut scenes are presented in a manner that will will have you forgetting these are characters in a video game. All of the characters are memorable, and the emotions shown through the voice acting are great and convey the character well. The main villain in Wolfenstein II is General Engel, who revels in her sadistic nature and is incredible memorable – the gleeful way she stomps around performing some of the most heinous things just goes to show how well fleshed out the character is. With the totally unthinkable scenes in the first 10 minutes of the game, to the insanity show by General Engel, players do get a feeling of how atrocious a Nazi ruled world would be. A faced paced FPS that is unforgiving in nature and just down right fun to play. It’s a nice break from the norm of games being released at the moment, and the focus for single player in Wolfenstein II only paid off here. With more content to unlock and the initial choices affecting the story as a whole, the replay ability is definitely here, especially with that “Mein leben” difficulty.

Shakedown: Hawaii energizes its open-world satire with the transparent and ruthless cynicism of modern commerce. Its antihero’s flagrant and invincible dishonesty would go beyond parody if it weren’t kept in check by the player’s underhanded complicity. I want the money numbers to go higher, too. And I’ll destroy or ruin anyone in Shakedown: Hawaii’s lush pixel paradise to see it through.

Peggle is unique among puzzle games though, in that despite never being particularly challenging, it’s still great fun to play and is the very definition of that ‘just one more go’ feeling that some games evoke. A very pure, fun experience that appeals to gamers of all ages, and a great example of simple, but effective, gameplay. Top draw.

Saints Row 2 is a huge improvement over its prequel in every manner, and has successfully carved its own niche in the sandbox crime genre. The co-operative play is almost certainly one of the best such experiences available on consoles, and the sheer variety of things to do in Stilwater is so deliciously satisfying that the technical hitches can be overlooked. It’s so fun, it’s almost criminal.

The game is one of the most satisfying and rewarding pieces of digital entertainment to arrive this generation, and in all honesty, of all time. Prepare to die, sure, but also prepare to be amazed.

If you like shooters, sci-fi, a good revenge story or giant robot dinosaurs, then Bulletstorm has something for you.

Clearly with the focus on combat and challenging enemies, there are similarities with Nioh and From Software’s Souls games, but unlike other games that have built themselves to be copies of the successful formula, the team behind Nioh have added their style into the mix to make it more than another game trying to lure the fans of hardcore action RPGs to it. Those additional ideas build on an already solid foundation, but enable Nioh to standout above the rest of the inspired clones with its hectic, faster paced and varied combat and addictive loot mechanics, to go toe-to-toe with the company that initiated this new wave of challenging combat, going as far as to better them in some areas.

I look fondly at XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It's the kind of game that gives me a glimpse at what games should be. It's a $50 title that has already burned 20 hours of my life, and refuses to be satisfied with that much.

It’s a game that provides action, adventure, exploration, interaction and excitement in a beautifully realised Armageddon that provides so many unexpected moments, but somehow manages to remain consistent and believable.

I like games that don’t take themselves too seriously and there is a whimsicality to this game that I love. The experience of playing it is nothing short of enchanting.

The changes to this years edition aren't big enough to be able to look on F1 2011 as a gigantic leap forward, but then they didn't need to be. Fans of the sport will no doubt find themselves questioning whether or not the new features and updated roster are worth their money, but it is undeniably an improved version of what was already a fantastic title.

Retro-styled adventure games are a spectacularly lonely niche and Time Gentlemen, Please offers a modernised variation of everything you adored about the point-and-click dynasty once dominated by the likes of Time Schafer.

Though initially it tends to be a bit on the easy side and learning when and where to use which power-plays is a case of trial and error, it’s not long before the game escalates into a nail-bitingly intense experienc

If you like deck-builders, you should try this one. If you like the twisted style or the sound of the aberrant mythology, you should try this one. It’s going to satisfy on both counts. The only thing that I’m not particularly fond of is that a run can easily take over two hours, just like Fights in Tight Spaces. It’s a large time investment. There’s no quick ‘jumping in’. There’s also a glaring lack of theme between the different locations you’ll be traversing through, which is a little disappointing from an aesthetics point of view. Still, nothing is going to keep me from saving every last salvageable character, from pulling a ‘W’ with every deck, and from getting to the bottom of the meta-story and (hopefully) beating death at his own game. Now if only I could get my hands on a copy of Fall of Avalon, too…

Capcom basically had no chance of living up to this with future iterations. It was too good, too ahead of its time.

I can imagine some Metal Gear fans might not enjoy this style of gameplay, but if any are willing to give it a shot or if you are a fan of high paced action, then you owe yourself to jump into Revengeance’s stylish and exceptional top class gameplay and have a slash of a time.

While the new additions to the game vary in usefulness and value, NHL 10 achieves what some expected it couldn’t, and improves on NHL 09. However, it’s with lots of small touches, rather than revolutionary new features and modes.

After nearly two years on the market, the PC version of Diablo III was crying for an expansion just like Reaper of Souls. Blizzard has rebalanced and fine-tuned small and meaningful parts of the game, similar to a chef crafting their masterful gourmet meal, and released a product with nothing but positive changes to the core gameplay.

Despite these few annoyances, Guitar Hero 5 is still an excellent example of a band-based rhythm action game done right. This is a true evolution of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, simple but devastatingly effective changes that really bring the best out of the genre.

Ultimately, it's an MMO worth playing. If you're new to the MMO genre, a fan of Star Wars, or just someone who likes massively multiplayer madness, this one is for you.

At its core Rocket League is gameplay perfected and with a suite of multiplayer options, the game will see life for many months to come.

Unless one of the puzzles absolutely stumps you, the credits will come before the 2-hour mark. That might be too soon for some, but what matters more is Framed is a game that never wears out its welcome, with every second a joy to play.

The Binding of Isaac is a game I would reccomend to anyone old enough to hold serious opinions on family planning. It is available on Steam for less than the price of a cinema ticket and it deserves your attention.

Dead or Alive Dimensions is a great game. It's loads of fun, lots to do, and has plenty of longevity. It's pick-up-and-play nature makes it perfect for a handheld too, it's easy to have a quick blast through an arcade course during a short bus journey. With the current lack of quality titles for Nintendo's new handheld this shines out like a star.

The original Just Cause was a little rough around the edges but the sequel is highly polished and looks great. I could easily see myself logging a hundred hours or more in to the game, it’s probably the most comprehensive sandbox game I’ve played.

This is Valve trying to better L4D1 in every way, succeeding but never really breaking away from what did work first time, taking creative risks and really pushing the series forward. In any case play it, love it, it’s one of the best multiplayer games I’ve ever played.