Kingdom Hearts 3D has a really good game, perhaps even a great game, at its core. The slick central combat mechanics, sharp graphics, colourful neon-laced design, and childhood-baiting Disney properties all combine to present a game that is often a lot of charming, exciting fun. However, the adage still stands - less is more, and these positive attributes could be so much easier to enjoy if they weren't being broken up by bad writing, frustrating boss battles and a ludicrous excess of development.

But all this said, the game is only US $15, and although hugely infuriating at times, still manages to offer up several hours of cerebral entertainment. Bonus points should be awarded if anyone can play the thing through to the end without turning off the background music, which has clearly been lifted from an elevator in a Disney building somewhere, or not pausing to reflect how inappropriate and darkly sadistic it is to caption each death screen with numerically catergorised examples of what deceased children will never experience.

A brilliantly conceived and well executed platformer, with enough aesthetically, musically and socially pleasing innovations to warrant a purchase.

While it may not have the epic sweep and polish of a Rockstar title, Sleeping Dogs is refreshingly streamlined, serious, and contained, even as it pays homage to its sometimes less-than-grounded source material.

Darksiders II might be a long journey, but it is one that is enjoyable the whole way through. Developers Vigil Games have built upon the core established by its predecessor in some intelligent ways, sculpting one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year so far. While some slight technical glitches and control issues mar what would otherwise be an incredible title, Darksiders II is a true delight and a game well worth playing.

Deadlight could have been something great. Unfortunately, it's as mindless as the zombies it features.

Heroes of Ruin would like to be the 3DS' Diablo, the 3DS' Gauntlet, the 3DS' Hunter: The Reckoning. Unfortunately, n-Space fails to endow the game with challenging gameplay or engrossing storytelling, apparently hoping that the solid multiplayer will draw audiences. In a marketplace where there's nothing new under the sun, we need a more interesting hook than that.

Beenox is capable of making a decent Spider-Man game – in fact, they have made two already – so the culprit here is surely that this game was rushed out to coincide with the Amazing Spider-Man movie release.

Project Zero 2 is a functional game, but it's really nothing to write home about. It's a great concept poorly executed and even though it has been slightly updated, it still plays as it did a decade ago.

The fact is though, that while London 2012 is arguably the best Olympic adaption yet, it is just not enjoyable enough for long enough to warrant too much excitement. Might be a great rental for the kids though.

Lego Batman 2 is packed with fun DC Universe content, tricky puzzles and compulsive collecting, but it's let down by the repetitive and often tedious combat mechanics. It's virtually impossible to fail, making the real challenge one of player interest. Combined with clunky controls, there's enough wrong to prevent this game from becoming a Lego classic.

Fans of Skyrim should almost certainly grab it in recognition of the fact that it's hard to get too much of a good thing.

Religion and espionage alone do not a revolutionary gameplay experience make, but combined with the strategic combat overhaul and a generous helping of new content, it all adds up to far too much time spent playing into the wee small hours.

There is certainly room for a thoughtful shooter or fifty among the brain-dead gorillas that currently populate the genre, and what is on offer here in that regard is encouraging, even if it's not executed to the highest standards. The Line's dramatic punches would have landed with a lot more force had the in-game macho quotient been dialled back a few notches and had all involved not made the choice to speak through clenched teeth, but it does represent a welcome step in the right direction.

The impression is of a blown-up iOS game rather than a game developed and designed for the PlayStation 3 console.

There is no doubt Lollipop Chainsaw is heavily marketed to be an indulgent romp through pop culture and appeal to our baser sensibilities. But once the façade of plastic fantastic is stripped away the game has to survive on basic combo repetitions and mediocre game play.

There is still an extremely functional, good, even, racer beneath the surface, but in this genre that isn't enough to save the game.

Mario Tennis Open is light, comfortable fun, yes. This much is a given. But, like many franchises that have run for seventeen years or more, it raises the question of what, exactly, it's doing to stay relevant. How is it trying to be something that commands players' attentions in a sea of works fighting for their money and time? How is it justifying its existence, the resources that went into creating it? In Open's case, it seems the answer to all these questions is 'by being on the 3DS'. And that's really not good enough.

Sorcery isn't the game that will bring the hardcore to the Move. It's not the game that makes the Move indispensible. In fact, there's little or nothing that couldn't have just been mapped to a standard controller. But it's a novel and polished experience that offers something fun for the younger player, while their gaming parents can at least appreciate it objectively. They may even end up finishing it, while no one is looking. It's a surprisingly enjoyable experience.

For a title with a famous author's name brandished on its cover like a medal of honour, frankly, Future Soldier's writing stinks. There's little to recommend the singleplayer experience, but ironically, those heading online to the plot-free pleasures of team multiplayer will discover the game's true strengths.

All in all, Waveform is a fantastic casual game which revels in both frustration and addiction. And best of all, this extreme enjoyment will only set you back the tidy sum of USD $7.

It's still an exciting, tough fighting game, and it's infinitely preferable to some of the attempts at shaking things up that we saw in the past.

Pandora's Tower doesn't offer anything appealing or unique, and is not a Wii title that will find a home with many gamers.

Sniper Elite V2 has includes many enjoyable and memorable sequences. It's just a shame that it these moments are so padded out. When Karl is at the top of a ruined church shattering skulls from 200 metres, the game soars, but sadly transitioning to these instances is too often a chore. Let's hope any third game in the series adds better stealth gameplay to complement the sniping mechanics and presentation that Sniper Elite V2 does so well.

So yes, there's a good game in Rhythm Thief. It's a game that's not shy about its commitment to accurately evoking the skill and dexterity required of a master thief and master dancer, and as a result it's a fun and formidable challenge, regardless of whether Raphael is stomping the yard or stomping some goons. However, that game's built into a story so anodyne, so unimaginative, so resolute in its seriousness, that it's almost not worth the pain.

It's surreal. Altogether, the impression is of a work that feels like an addled and hazy reflection of the truth. It's far removed from what we know, but unlike so many games there's a real sense that our world and our lives are just beyond the horizon.

Much like its protagonist, Assassins of Kings stands in defiant contrast to the crowd, but in doing so CD Projekt RED has come away with a product that appeals on many different levels – a strong draught of dialogue, action, and coordinated gameplay that ought to slake the hunger, thirst, and yearning loins of any lonesome traveller of the road.

Battleship is one part generic and one part simplistic. The link that binds the two parts together is exasperatingly cumbersome, and that's probably the biggest problem with the game. It starts out fun, but quickly gets repetitive: The same old story.