Unless you're genuinely lacking anyone to play it with though, Left 4 Dead is easily one of this year's must-have games.

Unless you're genuinely lacking anyone to play it with though, Left 4 Dead is easily one of this year's must-have games.

L4D2 may be more of the same, but in a thoroughly pleasing sense.

Its depth and attention to detail simply is unrivalled compared to what arcade racers considered 'realistic' beforehand.

As it stands, however, it feels like I'm missing ten hours' worth of gameplay. It's a testament to the strength of the rest of the game that I really want those hours.

With an enormous amount of customizable options, absorbing story mode and large mod community, T.H.U.G. provides just about anything a gamer could want in a skateboarding title without grabbing a board and hitting the streets. Combine that with the ability to "place" yourself into the game with the face mapping feature, and you have a product that could easily be considered one of the best games of the year.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of the generation's best racing games.

The story is original, compelling, and told in a way that builds suspense. It's the other stuff, 10% of the game tops, that Mass Effect could have done without.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is one of the best values on the Switch. It goes above and beyond the usual port jobs to create a whole new experience – one that fits the platform perfectly. You can easily lose hours playing stages to completion or kick back for five minutes and play a single stage in portable mode and have a blast. This is a very versatile adventure and one that all past and present fans of Mario should pick up.

Dark Souls is a twisted, depraved, unforgiving bundle of death, hopelessness, and despair, and I mean that in the best way possible because if you can overcome the many, many obstacles it will throw at you over the 20+ hours it takes to complete, you will come away with a sense of accomplishment that few other games can match.

Easily one of the best sports titles that have come along recently. The expansive and highly replayable Street Challenge mode can absorb gamers for months, and the level of customization is truly massive.

Nobody makes DLC like the team at Rockstar and The Ballad of Gay Tony is no exception. Like The Lost and Damned before it, The Ballad of Gay Tony offers up an 8-10 hour campaign for only $20. That is amazing value.

The improvements to the game are just phenomenal. It's very hard to take an already impressive game and improve it, but Barking Dog has done a superb job of taking Homeworld further.

The inclusion of Home Field Advantage is a great feature, and really strengthens the strategy of the game when coupled with the Match-Up Stick. Unfortunately, these two things aside, too much of the game plays, looks and sounds like "NCAA Football 2004."

It kicks some serious ass. We’re talking impressive graphics, great story, excellent atmosphere, great music, hilarious (though sometimes forced) one-liners, great puns on games/movies, you name it, it’s there.

With graphical refinements that create a better-looking experience, the PS5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best way to experience the core game, while Intermission is a finely-tuned side story. Yuffie is completely unlike any other character in the main adventure, and will make for a lot of fun to use when she takes on a bigger overall role in future entries of Remake. Anyone who held off until now to get the game will be happy to see just how much more of Midgar’s world is showcased in Remake versus the original release in ’97, and those wanting a faster-paced gameplay experience will love the action-centric take on FF VII’s ATB system. It’s a must-buy for long-time fans of the series and PS4 owners of the original full-on Remake release can upgrade to the PS5 version for free, with Intermission only costing $20.

The inclusion of both the Big Play Control and Pure Swing systems provide a natural addition to gameplay, and the Dynasty mode, issues aside, has a certain level of realism that can only be improved on in next year’s version.

Multiplayer is far better. It is almost a cross between a strategy and an arcade game in that clearly some strategy will take you a long way, but you welcome to just jump into a game and blow some stuff up and then jump out without a big commitment of either time or brain power on your part. I found it quite addictive.

Burnout Revenge is one of the best games out there in terms of sheer, mindless game playing joy.

FIFA Soccer 11 doesn't have any groundbreaking new additions, but is without a doubt the most accurate and realistic soccer game on the market. For the hardcore soccer fan, or even the average interested gamer, this is a must pick-up.

In short, Human Revolution is a very good game and I can recommend it without hesitation, but it's not very good at its primary point of design. There is an unequivocally optimum path through the game, and while you can't purchase every upgrade there is, you can pretty easily get every one that's worth having. In a game that's ostensibly about choices, much fewer of them matter than you might think, and that's a bit disappointing.

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

All in all, an absolute treat for the eyes and the ears... that is if you can stomach the content. Anyone interested in L.A. Noire must understand that this is a game for an adult audience. The grisly crime scenes can be very off-putting to some, and considering the subject matter of the game is to solve serial killings and clean up a town notorious for being the Sodom & Gomorrah of the era, players should know what they are getting into beforehand. The dialogue is also quite strong and this title may actually be the first video game title to use a specific acronym for "see you next Tuesday" so liberally (or at all).

It delivers on all fronts: graphics, story, and especially gameplay. The only downside is that those with lower end machines are going to have to drop their graphics and resolution down quite a bit to achieve an acceptable frame rate.

If you’re a fan of science fiction or horror, you owe it to yourself to have Dead Space in your collection.

A lot of imagination, work, and care has gone into it, and your best bet is to slow down, explore it, and see what you can find. It's one of the better games this year, and will probably still be discussed ten or twenty years from now.

Overall, I've got to say that once again Firaxis has proven itself to be a house of very smart game developers. They've grabbed a great franchise that has lay dormant a very long time, and done an excellent job modernizing it while staying true to the original vision. Whether or not modern audiences flock to a game of this kind of difficulty level of course remains to be seen.

ME3 is a tough game to love, but a pretty easy one to like.

No current strategy title can give you the clash between horseback cavalry and industrial age tanks and howitzers as compelling as what Rise of Nations brings to the table.

If you don't find the true 360° freedom of movement confusing and subduing, you will definitely enjoy this game. If, however, the likes of Half Life make you motion-sick, then this will be the end of you for sure.

All three titles have been given visual facelifts and their execution on today's gaming systems is excellent.

What makes Battlefield 1942 so playable is because it's so subtle.

There are a couple of interesting levels or sequences throughout the game, and the production values are obviously high, but Dead Space 2 is blatantly uninspired.

Dreams is a must-have for anyone who has wanted to create a game but didn’t have the know-how to make all of the elements work together. Dreams does a better job of teaching you about game logic than any toolset I’ve used, and makes it fun. It’s perfect for any age range and can foster creativity in its users for years to come.

In short, Human Revolution is a very good game and I can recommend it without hesitation, but it's not very good at its primary point of design. There is an unequivocally optimum path through the game, and while you can't purchase every upgrade there is, you can pretty easily get every one that's worth having. In a game that's ostensibly about choices, much fewer of them matter than you might think, and that's a bit disappointing.

One of the most atmospheric, creative and technically impressive titles to hit any console in quite a while. An engaging plot, combined with the right balance of stealth and action makes Butcher Bay one of those classic games that any owner of the Xbox should have in their collection.

The game is massive. I could radically estimate that unlocking just a small tip of this iceberg could take around 100 hours.

The bottom line here is that this is still The freakin’ Beatles in a triumphant rhythm game début. The music is fantastic, the presentation is out of this world (sometimes literally), and all done with the utmost respect and care.

What would happen if you took "Tetris," flipped it sideways and injected it with some cocaine? Lumines would happen.

All in all, an absolute treat for the eyes and the ears... that is if you can stomach the content. Anyone interested in L.A. Noire must understand that this is a game for an adult audience. The grisly crime scenes can be very off-putting to some, and considering the subject matter of the game is to solve serial killings and clean up a town notorious for being the Sodom & Gomorrah of the era, players should know what they are getting into beforehand. The dialogue is also quite strong and this title may actually be the first video game title to use a specific acronym for "see you next Tuesday" so liberally (or at all).

TOD is a gorgeous, compelling and exciting title that seems to do everything right and does so with the style and grace seen very rarely these days.

Beautifully crafted. The story-driven gameplay is compelling and the atmosphere is a visual and aural masterpiece.

Overall, I’d say that Virtua Fighter 5 Online is a remarkable game with a few missteps, but no fatal flaws. The intricate gameplay is better than ever, while the addition of online play adds an incredible amount of replay value to the game, even if it does need some improvement.

NBA 2K11 has managed to piece together the best parts of past basketball video games to create an experience that is immersive, rewarding, and novel. Though there are frustrations that mostly stem from the level of difficulty, these are changes for the better. Without the addition of Michael Jordan, this would have been a great basketball sim. Add MJ to the mix, and you've got a complete package that will satisfy any fan of the game.

Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games’ best effort, one of the PS4’s greatest games, and the best game ever crafted from the ground up for the platform. It combines a gripping narrative with intense action that blends both fast-paced combat with slower-paced, tense stealth sections perfectly. Everything about their vision for this game clicks into place and is accentuated by a stellar presentation. The game features top-shelf graphical work, a unique and enjoyable soundtrack, alongside a fantastic cast to make an unforgettable experience.

NBA 2K11 has managed to piece together the best parts of past basketball video games to create an experience that is immersive, rewarding, and novel. Though there are frustrations that mostly stem from the level of difficulty, these are changes for the better. Without the addition of Michael Jordan, this would have been a great basketball sim. Add MJ to the mix, and you've got a complete package that will satisfy any fan of the game.

Dark Souls is a twisted, depraved, unforgiving bundle of death, hopelessness, and despair, and I mean that in the best way possible because if you can overcome the many, many obstacles it will throw at you over the 20+ hours it takes to complete, you will come away with a sense of accomplishment that few other games can match.

Excellently produced, with intuitive, responsive controls, a deep, engaging storyline and immersive sound.

This game requires an extensive amount of time to understand as its realism is unsurpassed by any other strategy game in the same genre.

By doing what they do best Criterion has made Burnout Paradise one of the most accessible and wildly entertaining arcade racers ever created.

Combining the sense of speed that the franchise is known for with a ton of replayability and the option to continually update the game with new machines and tracks, Pure has plenty of gameplay for any racing fan.

The bottom line here is that this is still The freakin’ Beatles in a triumphant rhythm game début. The music is fantastic, the presentation is out of this world (sometimes literally), and all done with the utmost respect and care.

If you are one of those people who played XCOM2 to absolute distraction, over and over and over again, by all means War of the Chosen is no doubt for you. For people like me, who enjoyed XCOM2, but wandered away from it once the plot was done, I’m not sure this is enough to bring you back to full throttle. There’s no question that I’m enjoying War of the Chosen, but the oh-my-God let me just play one more turn, complete one more mission, wait until this room or that research project is finished, is greatly diminished.

This type of strategy title is not going to appeal to everyone. It’s peaceful, pleasant; a sorbet pallet cleanser between action titles, if you find yourself looking for such a thing.

If you have any interest in flight simulation, Flight Simulator 2004 is the de facto product out there. If you're learning how to fly or you'd just like to virtually learn a bit about flight, there's no better place to start than here.

The inclusion of GameFace II, Tour Difficulty mode and Tiger Proofing provides plenty of player customization options that fans of the sport will enjoy. Plus, the inclusion of Tiger Vision allows people who've never picked up a club to feel like a golf pro.

A huge leap forward in the evolution of street basketball. It has numerous options, solid control, and engaging gameplay that will appease hardcore fans and casual ballers alike.

All in all, Shadow Complex is a finely-crafted game that is sure to please anyone with a fondness for the older Metroids or the newer side-scrolling Castlevanias as this offers up a similar experience, with some of its own touches that help it stand out from the rest.

Easily one of the best sports titles that have come along recently. The expansive and highly replayable Street Challenge mode can absorb gamers for months, and the level of customization is truly massive.

The quintessential difference between other gangster games and this one is the fact that the story gives reason for the action to exist. It doesn't work the other way around.

Modern Warfare 3, while still an excellent thrill ride in its own right, feels far too similar to MW2 or even Black Ops for my taste.

In the end, crisp visuals, superb sound and an engrossing solo campaign all help Brothers in Arms stand out from an overcrowded crop of World War II shooters.

While the inclusion of the vision cones and the concept of the Superstar mode were creative ideas, the actual implementation of the features ranged from inconvenient to improperly constructed.

I like that for the most part it tests primarily your thinking capabilities, without resorting to hard-to-accomplish and time out ducking or jumping exercises to increase the game's difficulty. The visuals are shivers-up-your-spine creepy, and from the first to the last, though those two points are not very far apart, I've enjoyed my time in Limbo.

Brotherhood is truly "same as it ever was", but none the worse for it.

DJ Hero 2 improves upon its predecessor in every way.

If you never purchased "Superbike 2000" and you're a fan of motorbike racing, Superbike 2001 is a game you don't want to miss.

The first couple levels are excellent and there are jewels hidden throughout the rest of the game. It just becomes a little frustrating to wade through all the other fillers that lie between.

Even without competition to drive them forward, EA has created an immersive and enjoyable hockey experience that any fan of the game will appreciate.

If you’re a fan of science fiction or horror, you owe it to yourself to have Dead Space in your collection.

With a couple of dozen characters to master, tons of action, great music, amazingly good graphics (why the hell didn't Soul Calibur II look this good on the PS2?), three extra Tekken games, and the character customization mode, Tekken 5 gives you a lot of value for your money.

The difference is that "HL2" was given the effort to keep it going throughout the final product, whereas FEAR shows its brilliance intermittently. In this sense it’s a disappointment, but a game hardly needs to be perfect to be playable.

Was the return to Rapture worth it? Absolutely. Although the odds seemed stacked against the developers, having to do without both Ryan and Levine, they have delivered a rich, awesome trip through one the most fantastic video game environments ever built.

Included in this very good expansion pack is what amounts to a patch for AOE2. Their 'you want us to clean up some gameplay issues for AOE2, you've got to buy the expansion pack' attitude gripes my cookies.

Redefines the team-based warfare genre with its vehicle combat, high-adrenaline missions, and mind-blowing graphics that will have you drooling over your keyboard, while dodging spinfusor discs. Shazbot, this game kicks ass!

It’s one of the most consistently, thematically dark games of this console generation. This isn’t something you plug in to cheer up at the end of a long day. Yoko Taro is the closest thing that video games have to an Ingmar Bergman, and you should only jump on this ride if you’re in a mood to grapple with some heavy questions about life, death, sacrifice, and humanity.

With it’s stunning graphical presentation and Indiana-Jones-ish-1930s-serial storyline, players will be compelled to complete the entire experience.

Rainbow Six Vegas represents a return to glory for the franchise, with a renewed emphasis on tactics, a brilliant cover system, new high-tech gadgets, challenging missions and a multiplayer component that’ll keep you coming back for more.

The standard that expansion packs for RTS titles will be judged by. Not only did it advance and improve the story of Warcraft, but it also introduced an innovative campaign for one of gaming’s most respected factions. What’s more, the sheer number of enhancements makes each mission enjoyable to play from the first building placed to the last enemy destroyed.

If you spent any time at all on SF2 as a kid, on your SNES or Genesis or down at your arcade, this is a must-have nostalgia bomb.

The inclusion of GameFace II, Tour Difficulty mode and Tiger Proofing provides plenty of player customization options that fans of the sport will enjoy. Plus, the inclusion of Tiger Vision allows people who've never picked up a club to feel like a golf pro.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is the pirate-themed open-world action adventure that I’ve always wanted. While the meta-story is little more than filler and Captain Kenway’s story could have been better focused, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with these pirates, privateers and buccaneers.

From the new modes and vehicles to the expanded level of destruction and rewarding progression system, it all lends to an open warfare experience that will have you returning to the battlefield for months to come.

If this is the last piece of story we get from The Last of Us and the franchise ends with one installment, it’s a good way to go out.

After an iffy PS4 entry, Rift Apart delivers the full-on next generation experience for series fans and newcomers alike. It’s the best showcase game the PS5 has had yet and makes the on-board SSD shine in ways that truly impress when you take a step back to soak in just what’s happening in real-time.

The inclusion of the cutman mini-game between rounds is a great addition, and the Haymaker provides a phenomenal sense of drama with punches that can knock boxers out at any time. I personally can't wait to see next year's version.

No matter what price you pay, you'll get one of the best platformers of the past half-decade, and the best game in the series as well.

From the new modes and vehicles to the expanded level of destruction and rewarding progression system, it all lends to an open warfare experience that will have you returning to the battlefield for months to come.

I had been looking forward to this game for some time, and I’m not disappointed with the result. It fixes some of the niggles I had about the previous game while holding the core gameplay that I loved solidly.

This is one of those sequels that feels like a mission pack for the original. There’s a distinct feeling, as you go through Dishonored 2, that we’ve been here before, which even the characters themselves remark upon from time to time. That doesn’t make it a bad game, but it’s a slight sour note in what’s otherwise just as dense, manipulable, and customizable an experience as the original Dishonored.

Revamping the action platformer genre with plenty of action, wacky, impressive gadgets and an interesting storyline, this is what the future of action games should be.

The inclusion of Home Field Advantage is a great feature, and really strengthens the strategy of the game when coupled with the Match-Up Stick. Unfortunately, these two things aside, too much of the game plays, looks and sounds like "NCAA Football 2004."

One feature I really loved about this game was the way terrain was handled... This is something that I felt was missing from most other games of this genre, and is a welcome feature that really brings the game to another level, especially in multiplayer.

With an improved story mode, loads of additional features and easy to learn controls, TimeSplitters 2 moves you past the trouble of having to learn complex rules and gets you right to the heart of the matter: fragging your enemies.

As a whole, Horizon Forbidden West tops the original game even if it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in quite the same way. Much like how The Last of Us 2 had a lot to live up to and struggled to do so, but was a superior game technically, the same holds true here. The gameplay here is more exciting as is the moment-to-moment storytelling. The pacing is faster and with that comes a bit less time for the story to breathe at points. However, it’s still a great story overall and one that keeps the player engaged from start to finish. Forbidden West is a fantastic looking, sounding and playing experience that benefits from the addition of motion controls in way that few AAA-level games have showcased before. If you enjoyed the original game, be sure to pick up the sequel – although newcomers can enjoy the action just as much, as the story can be easy to get lost in without knowing the cast and the world.

Even without competition to drive them forward, EA has created an immersive and enjoyable hockey experience that any fan of the game will appreciate.

Well-polished and just plain fun to play. It also held, for me at least, a warm dose of nostalgia that left me feeling all gooey inside.

Ori and the Blind Forest is a must-own for anyone who loves Metroidvania games.