There's a lot to do - and by "do", we mean, "explode" - and that's exactly what the Ratchet & Clank games are all about.

However you felt about Man of Medan, Little Hope surpasses it, promising a lot for The Dark Pictures' final act.

As with Rez and Lumines before it, Sound Shapes hybridizes a genre to put the focus on music over complex gameplay, and creates something entirely distinct from what we typically perceive as a "game."

If the name Hybrid means anything – other than some story point that obviously didn't grab us – it's the way the game has blended third-person shooting with tactical, almost turned-based combat. Moving from cover to cover on autopilot doesn't make for restrictive gunplay, it facilities furious flying combat and desperate mid-air maneuvers.

Though you can't take this version on the road, if you like puzzles, you won't be able to put Mercury Meltdown Remix down.

The gameplay feels more like an action game jammed into a horror story. It's a good action game, but it never quite feels like it belongs. Don't let the moments of monolithic combat or the lack of terror throw you off, though. The strengths of Alan Wake's narrative outweighs shortcomings that need to be mentioned, but can't ruin the experience.

Exceptional when it all works, but for the third year running launch-day gremlins prohibit an even greater score.

Despite the re-hashed ideas, there are more than enough unique tweaks to the formula to warrant giving Gyromancer a spin.

Dementium: The Ward is almost perfection, performing as a fantastic feat of first-person survival, and oozes with a truly, truly frightening aesthetic. Even if it's not the first in its genre, it's the most satisfyingly original game we've seen on the DS in some time.

It's easy to see how Monolith has made Middle-earth as accessible as it can be for first-time MOBA players without skimping too much on all the trimmings of what makes the genre so much fun on PC. The developers have also created a game that manages to capture the magic of the LotR universe without alienating those unfamiliar to the series. Truly a crowd-pleaser, Middle-earth is a great example of what a console MOBA should feel like and easily sets the bar for more games to come.

Warp strikes a good balance between stealth-focused sneakery and brain-teasing puzzles.

Skyward Sword HD gives one of the most misunderstood Legend of Zelda games a second chance. It's an under-appreciated gem, one that finds the space to really breathe with a more reliable and relaxing method of control embedded within it. Skyward Sword has its fair share of problems, but it makes up for many of them in moments of true brilliance and defiance against established series conventions. Say what you will about Skyward Sword, but it's good to be out on an authored adventure with Link again – saving Hyrule one inventive dungeon and challenging boss battle at a time.

Quite simply, there is a sh.t-ton to keep track of. But no matter, these worries fall away the more you play. And soundly beating the crap out of another guy will be a walk in the park.

We say it’s great fun. In fact, that applies both to the story and this game as a whole. Don’t let it slip by.

A brilliant slice of Bat action that lets you make the most of being the World’s Greatest Detective. Don the cowl. It’s worth every penny.

There are some annoyances--the physics engine feels like it's been overly tinkered, and the shortcomings of career mode's become apparent when you step out of Europe's top leagues. However, it succeeds at one key task that it sets out to do: render FIFA 12 obsolete. You can wear last year's jersey, but you won't want to play last year's game any longer.

I'll play more polished, bigger and more bombastic blockbuster games this year, but We Happy Few will stay with me long after its quests are over.

A patch or two will likely address most small issues, and if online isn't your thing then you're good to go out of the box.

Horrifically brilliant, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is simultaneously what you want and don’t want VR horror to be. A blood-drenched fairground ride of cackling delight. Step right up.

Victorian London is the star of the show here, and although some old gameplay problems linger, it hasn’t been this much fun to wield the hidden blade in years.

If you’ve never played a Mario & Luigi game, this is the perfect on-boarding point. It’s got a hilarious script, near-flawless battling, and bucketfuls of charm.

Fun as any Rock Band game could be, but only if you're already invested in both brands.

In spite of lifting nearly every gameplay element from other, often better games, Darksiders still succeeds at bringing these disparate threads together into a brutally satisfying whole. It’s also a blast to explore even at its low points, and if the idea of a Zelda with a more “mature” bent and better combat catches your interest, you’ll want to check this out.

Spot-on Wolfenstein atmosphere combines with gleefully vicious weaponry to serve up a tasty smoothie of good old-fashioned Nazi-frying. It lacks in the new idea department, but it has fun aplenty.

An astounding technical achievement. It's one of the best-looking games ever, and it knows how to bring the spectacle. Its single-player provides a playground for the joyous nanosuit powers, although some buggy AI and generic aliens keep the campaign from soaring as high as it could have. The multiplayer, meanwhile, is a fantastic buffet of playstyles that rewards the creative player.

If the developer could have just tightened up a few minor technical issues and injected a little more soul into the proceedings, this might have been Spidey's best game yet. Instead, it’s just a satisfyingly entertaining experience and a big step back in the right direction.

A fulfilling experience. The improvements to gunplay and customization take it further than its predecessor. Its story gives you enough hooks and motivators to want to see it through to the end. Unfortunately, it may feel like a bit of a slog to get there, and you'll want to sort out exactly who's hosting that game between you and your online friends very early on. However, with a well-balanced squad, there are few more pleasing experiences than taking down a gigantic robot constructor through four unique skillsets.

We have to give respect to Hi-Rez Studios for taking a very daring, risky move by creating an action MMO unlike anything we've played before. Sure, it's different because it combines familiar tropes into something unusual, but it feels like a wholly new experience.