Some games are larger than the sum of their parts, but in this instance the individual parts are greater than the sum. If you can disregard the lowly story mode told in a painful and often embarrasing manner, this is a rather good arena-based rpg/fighting game hybrid that requires a good mixture of reflexes and tactics. Also, the music and character selection is a love letter to fans of the Final Fantasy series.

Stealth Inc. is packed with great level design and has a nice balance between tactics and reaction speed.

Legend of Grimrock is old school in every way possible from the character building to the ancient controls and dark catacombs. But if you can overlook the initial awkwardness, Grimrock has some nice surprises. If you enjoy games like Eye of the Beholder and Ultima Underworld back in the days or if you're interested what your dad played when he was young but with updated graphics, this is the game for you.

Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise is not the game that will make people buy back their Wii consoles from eBay. But it might be the game that ends the endless cavalcade of mini-games – and what a finale it is.

As a HD re-imagining, God of War Collection: Volume 2 does exactly what it should. With excellent controls, trophies and a solid 10 hour action blast split over two games this compilation really excels. Chains of Olympus may be a little outdated, but Ghost of Sparta is well worth your while, especially if you haven't played the PSP versions previously.

Wreckateer brings comedy and controlled chaos to the destruction business. It will give you tired arms and sore shoulders, but it is worth it. As a downloadable title it is a pure steal and must be considered a required try (if not buy) for every Kinect-owner.

A brave restart of a game that arguably should've never been made. For a series primarily resting on the solitary player experience, it manages the transition to a multiplayer environment beautifully. There's enough content, races, classes and things to do to keep both new players and old MMO-foxes occupied for a long while, and all of it well realised with the worldbuilding skills of the Final Fantasy teams.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare is highly entertaining and has an interesting twist that ought to be fleshed out into a full-length game. In other words this is an excellent appetizer until we get the real sequel. Hopefully this won't take too long.

Codemasters are indeed the masters of this genre and this time around there is more of rallying and the entertaining Gymkhana events. While it looks good and drives well - it doesn't always feel completely right, however, and could use some more variety throughout the locations.

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.

Primordia follows the path set by recent indie adventures and combines a well written story with an old-school presentation. Ridiculous pixel hunting occasionally obscures the better parts of the gameplay but interesting events and characters keep the game coming out on top of any technical problems.

Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut has made me think about the things that defines a good or bad game. Sure, the presentation is truly terrible, but beneath the technical flaws I find a game that offers a deep, involving story and tons of weird humor. It's a game unlike any other, in the best way possible.

The first Zone of the Enders serves more like an introduction to the mythology. The real meat of this collection is the gorgeous and fast-paced Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner. Complete with all the additional content only previously available in the original limited special edition release, it's still a treat to play. And of course, there's that demo disc of Metal Gear Rising: Revengance.

Beyond Good and Evil HD delivers real gaming magic, despite the outdated camera. We're praying that the sales are good enough this time to keep the sequel in production, because we don't want this tale to end any time soon.

It's impressive how Traveller's Tales manages to keep improving on their Lego-game formula. Each new game is a little better than the last one and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is no exception. It's got great pacing, a hilarious story and solid working game mechanics. Strongly recommended for both young and old.

Great controls in a game that takes minutes to learn and ages to master. Top Spin 4 is one of the better tennis games on the market, thanks to the well-designed career mode and splendid online options.

Because of its name it's fitting that MotorStorm: Apocalypse is somewhat of a rebirth for the series, and the racing feels fresher than ever. It may have lost a bit of its identity whilst borrowing so much from SplitSecond, but the apocalyptic city setting is so strong that it doesn't matter. The best MotorStorm game yet.

Despite a few minor shortcomings it's very hard to say something negative about Quantum Conundrum. It's a very charming game that manages to strike the same chords that the Portal games did, and does it well.

The formula still holds in this game, but for a fifth iteration some new blood is needed. See this as a swan song for the DS, competent and still fun. But we're ready for the 3DS version now.

Mario Kart 7 is a solid Nintendo sequel. The only real obvious flaw is probably that the formula is starting to feel a little old. In most other aspects its a very good product, with great graphics, varied tracks, good online functionality and overall very entertaining gameplay.

Gods & Kings adds some fun and interesting things to the game, but leaves the core gameplay intact. While none of the additions tries to revolutionize the Civilization V formula, each of them still manages to improve it, which makes Gods & Kings a good catch for those already hooked on the basic game.

A big stumble forward as the new and greatly improved skating is slightly crippled by physics engine being slightly off. Smarter goalies and better stick checking makes for an improved defense, but not on behalf of goal scoring. Be a GM Connected is the real revolution and could render the looming lockout just a shrug.

Metro: Last Light is a clear improvement from its predecessor and offers a very atmospheric shooting experience that borders on the survival horror genre.

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.

A world of anticipation rested upon Eidos Montreal's shoulders when they set out to create the prequel to the widely popular Deus Ex, released 11 years ago. Fortunately for both them and the players the results are very good. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has a more narrow storyline and the AI could have been better – but it more than accompishes its mission in delivering a great prequel to one of the most interesting stories in gaming history.

Magicka is both unique and very funny, but it's sadly not really finished yet. Still, it's an enjoyable experience, especially in co-op, and the steady stream of patches is making it better with each fix.

Volition manages to create yet another crazy sandbox game packed to the brim with content and insanity. It doesn’t manage to reach the overall level of its predecessor but has enough peaks to make you disregard the valleys.

Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 may not feel new or fresh, but it's been finely tuned and polished, making this an end-product well worth playing.