This slick new Civilization may be more reduction than Revolution, but it's easily one of the most distinctive games on 360 and PS3. I can't see myself playing much more of the single-player, but I genuinely cannot wait to war over landmass with a few like-minded chums.

Between the multiplayer modes and the Challenge Rooms, there's more than enough innovation to make up for the minor irritations of the retro controls.

As RTS games go Winter Assault and its parent game are more concerned with being spectacular than they are about being sophisticated, but we appreciate how that works.

While it arguably does little in term of innovation, it has some classic puzzles, far more satisfying combat elements than ever before, some truly horrifying sections, fantastic visuals, gruesome audio and a quality storyline that kicks most of the embarrassing competition out of sight.

Explore a toy-box cosmos governed by violent forces in this mesmerising adventure. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A layer of modern nonsense can't obscure the purest, most entertaining Trials game in an age. [Eurogamer Recommended]

A winning premise of cleverly combined genres let down by a series of irritating design issues.

Dazzling and mysterious, this ambitious party-based RPG is a masterpiece. [Essential]

Mesmerising and thrilling, this is a puzzle game for the ages. [Eurogamer Essential]

There is more charm to inFamous than Cole's face and voice suggest, but basking in the glow of the end credits, there are also a lot of painful memories to recall; of too many missions that funnel you into shooting galleries, of difficulty spikes and enemy-spamming, and of staring at the upgrades page rather glumly, aware that for the most part you're only being invited to make things strike harder or across a broader range.

With its oppressive 16-bit visuals and stomping Eastern Bloc soundtrack - all ominous parps, sinister trills and garbled Tannoy announcements - Papers, Please feels a lot like an interactive anxiety attack. It's hard to call such a nerve-shredding experience "fun", but it is absorbing, brilliantly written and causes you to question your every instinct and reaction - both in the game and in real life.

If you like 'clever' shooters, those that offer you a challenging and unique range of ways to reach for the highest score, I'm not sure you can do much better than Space Invaders Extreme at the moment.

Dirt 4 is an authentic and innovative off-road racer, though it lacks the focus and finesse of its exceptional predecessor.

BioWare has done what many thought might be impossible, and delivered the world's second ever triple-A MMO. That is a mighty achievement and a huge relief. But it may yet turn out to be too little - or rather, too much - too late.

Punishingly difficult but ultimately rewarding, games of Skate's caliber are a rare breed and as far as first attempts go, it's been years since we saw one this accomplished. Just... sick, man.

This wonky crossover is the unlikely source of a superbly designed tactical combat challenge as well as a charmingly silly adventure. [Recommended]

Far Cry 2 is unforgettable rather than perfect, then; brilliant, frustrating, sombre and comical, it offers freedom within extremely curtailed limits, and strives to treat its players like adults. In the end it remains, true to its source material, a game that was born to struggle with itself.

With some imperfections, Toys For Bob delivers an enjoyable, goofy, deviously challenging and occasionally genius sequel. [Eurogamer Recommended]

An absolute must have purchase for any Dark Age of Camelot fan. Camelot!

At the very least a more responsive stick-based system would have been a plus. but as it stands it almost feels too much of a simulation at the expense of action - although doubtlessly some of you will admire that approach.

As an added bonus, even the multiplayer mode is fully supported online via the somewhat underused infrastructure mode. That said, we should perhaps stress that four player multiplayer is very much a 'bonus' rather than something to get massively excited about.

It's the quirky, totally un-golf-ish tasks that give the thing depth.

The addition of a robust and varied co-op option helps to mitigate the disappointment of the by-the-numbers traditional multiplayer modes. However, looking back to Kristan's review review of Call of Duty 3 you'll find the exact same complaints being raised two years ago. Corridor gameplay. Outdated features. Flaky AI. They're all still here, albeit masked by even more whiz-bang effects than ever before.

Chaos Rising is about as generous an expansion as you could possibly want. The single-player mode could stand to be a lot bigger, but it's gone to incredible lengths to address the main complaints about Dawn of War II.

A cheap, polished online-enabled offering that fans and newcomers should embrace heartily to their bosoms. It's exactly the sort of quality offering that Microsoft should be extracting from developers of Live Arcade titles and one that should bring a smile to the faces of any right thinking gamers.

Not the charmer its predecessor was, but a jolly 40 hour epic with dashing combat and an engrossing empire-building subgame. [Recommended]

An exhaustive reworking of a foundational dark fantasy epic, with some quietly radical new ideas. [Eurogamer Recommended]

There's no big feature to point towards, but small improvements make F1 2018 stand out as a superlative racer. [Recommended]