One of the more understated games in the Resident Evil franchise gets a facepaint and a new release for the current generation platforms, but without fixing any of the archaic gameplay problems existing in the earlier games. New players beware, this is a harsh, unforgiving game compared to the newer entries. Nostalgics will likely already own this in one or more format, and have little reason to repurchase it in this upgraded version. A little more love and polish could have gone a long way to make this more appealing.

Rango is a licensed game that tries to break away from the movie it profits from, but it's way too short, easy and not very pretty. Clearly inspired by the superior Ratchet & Clank-series, but it fails to stand on its own two feet on all but a few occasions.

If you're playing alone you probably will be disappointed with Darkspore's storytelling, all grinding and the enormously slow start of the game. With some friends it'll be much better, and with a lot of configuration possibilities, over 100 monsters to collect and entertaining action battles which requires some strategic planning, this is an excellent adventure while you're waiting for Diablo III.

Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Extremes once again team up and deliver a twisted variation of a classic game-mechanism. Black Knight Sword is their take on the 2D-platforming hack-and-slash games of yesteryear, and despite a few balancing issues it comes out as a solid experience. For fans of absurdism, this is a must-have.

16-bit retrostylings, humorous writing and the explosion-based platforming entertain for a while, but unless collecting items and looking for secrets is your cup of tea, the game gets repetitive even in the short time it takes to finish.

Deathspank: The Baconing is a fun game with first class humour that gets dragged down by repetitive combat. Brilliant in small doses, though.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D contains the same high-quality action as the bonus modes in Resident Evil 4 and 5, but this time in attractive 3D. Unfortunately it doesn't contain enough actual game play. Too few missions, missing favourite characters and areas and enemies that only have been taken from the latest two games. It's just not worth the money, and with the save file debacle there's little value in buying it used either.

An attempt to bring a classic game to a new audience that early on looks like a solid and fun game, but after a while shows its not so polished design. What was addictive and challenging in the early 1980's does not fly today. The somewhat cluncky, unprecise controls and inconsistent difficulty level makes Choplifter HD a games that initially lifts off with confidence but crashes halfway through and never really gets some air beneath its rotors.

Go Vacation is perhaps the 20th party game I've tried on the Wii system. You would think that these games would have to evolve to give us new experiences, but the truth is that very few titles actually do. Go Vacation is not bad if you're a bunch of people who want to have fun – but you played it all before.

Far from a simulator, far from a thrilling action title, far from good looking and with a muliplayer without any longevity. Apache: Air Assault could have been a great title but fails to deliver on all accounts.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is a point and click-adventure, cast in a modern third person adventure, featuring the greatest detective of them all. Through a wild adventure through the rougher parts of London, an immense conspiracy needs to be cracked open. With decent atmosphere, a real page-turner of a story and clever puzzles, this is a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes or classic adventure games.

Grasshopper Manufacture manages to both astound and repulse in this pseudo sequel to the monumental Killer 7. With a rather strange story written by Suda51, clever and quick combat designed to actually challenge players on the higher difficulties and a distinct visual style - Killer is Dead is a unique, well-crafted game. Unfortunately, much of it falls flat due to a clearly misogynistic worldview. It's a shame, since Killer is Dead is one of the technically finer products from the studio.

In Need for Speed: The Run the linearity is almost drawn to it's outer edge. It almost feels like everything you do is planned before you even start it and all you do is learn when certain events in the race will poop up and then act accodingly. The good parts - the Challenges, the varied enviroments and in some aspects the multiplayer - is drowned by poor design of basic game mechanics.

Silent Hill: Downpour is yet another half-decent survival horror game in a series that, just like many other horror series, is waiting for something to happen. This eight episode of Silent Hill is acceptable and interesting enough to take you all the way through, but on the whole as a game - not much more.

Tekken 3D Prime Edition is a classic example on how a portable game manages to keep the core from the console big brothers, but that fails miserably when it comes to offer that extra something that makes it stick in your memory. The game mechanics are as good as always, but it soon becomes too repetitive and boring to make any lasting impression.

Sega Studios Australia has surprised me with the depth and quality of their official London 2012 game. They seem to have really put their hearts into making it a great sports game and not just some easily forgotten mishmash, and they have succeeded with their goal.

It might not be good enough to compete with the best games in the genre, but F1 Race Stars is an entertaining cart racer that has many great ideas but only fully realizes some of them.

Painkiller: Hell & Damnation feels like a celebration of how first person shooters used to be and The Farm 51 manages to do a lot of things right. However, the short campaign coupled with the multiplayer issues I had keeps it from going all the way.

It's practically the same game as the home console versions, but the lack of any kind of multiplayer really bugs me and the touch controls are more annoying than helpful. Collecting secrets and unlocking new stuff is still a lot of fun, but I really, really miss some sort of multiplayer.

Mario Sports Mix contains an alright mix of party sports games, but I don't think players will leave their cart racing, bowling or olympics for long. Basketball is quite charming though, and is the best game of the bunch.

Chasing Aurora is a beautiful game that can be fun to play together with four friends in short sessions. The price is a bit steep though, and the game gets repetitive fast and it doesn't offer much for the lone player.

A fantastic city simulation that meets all expectations. So perfectly balanced it makes it easy to pick up and enjoy, but proves to be very difficult to master. Funny, addictive and with great options for both co-operative and competitive online play - Sim City is a clear candidate for Game of the Year.

Of Orcs and Men aims to twist the roles around – the human empire is the big, bad beast. Arkail, the most badass of Orcs accompanied by the Styx, the talkative, Tourette-stricken goblin is on a desperate quest to stop the human empire for eliminating their races. What I really like is that the action-focused role-playing game becomes more of a buddy movie with some really good set pieces and dialogue. It's not perfect, but Of Orcs and Men delivers a thought-provoking twist on classic fantasy plots.

An odd mix of genres that doesn't capture the magic you usually get from a Ratchet & Clank title. A game that can be fun for a while but never really manages to create its own identity.

Sega's Yakuza team goes way off the beaten path with Yakuza: Dead Souls and infuses its otherwise serious, grounded series with a fresh injection of zombie mayhem. With gunplay as clunky as Resident Evil 4 it manages to emulate Capcom's franchise quite well, and in pure chaos and weirdness, actually manages to outshine the latter attempts. Not as much of a world to explore as in Yakuza 4, but way more zombies to murder and a nice catch-up of some of the series' strongest characters.

Storm offers a charming puzzle experience but it relies too much on agility and timing and too little on well crafted levels.

Q-Games latest release, PixelJunk 4am, is a masterfully crafted visual music painting tool. At best, it's an interesting experiment, meant for chilling out on the sofa. At worst, it's just a tech demo. Baiyons music is good and well suited for the activities, but buyer beware – it's nowhere near a game.

An interesting attempt to tackle the Middle Earth franchise, but lacks new source material. Snowblind Studios has attempted to tell a side story to the story established by the books, casting it in their familiar style of hack and slash games, but it fails to spark any direct interest in either story or characters. Combat becomes slightly tedious shortly after being introduced, but can still be fun for frantic multiplayer sessions either locally or online. For Middle Earth fans, this could be enjoyable in well-paced out dosages.