After a rocky couple of years for rhythm-action, in which Guitar Hero came to an end and Rock Band 3 failed to repeat the retail success of its predecessors, it's fantastic to see Harmonix back on top with a game that reinvigorates the genre in new and interesting ways. But, more than that, it's just great to have an extremely playable reason to return to some old favourite songs.

If you put any value in the game mechanics that have arrived over the last 20 years with a mind to prevent tantrum-inducing frustration, you might want to steer clear.

High Moon is really starting to find form and do the franchise justice. And despite the game's flaws, fans will surely find Fall Of Cybertron to be the best reflection of their beloved robots in disguise in many a year. Too bad they couldn't get Grimlock right, though.

CS: GO stands as a glowing reminder that quality game design is rewarded in longevity and variety. Valve has not only updated the shooter but has completely outclassed its contemporaries. This is Counter-Strike, whatever the format you choose to play it on, and there isn't a higher recommendation than that.

A few rough edges don't detract from an adventure that is as emotional as it is brain teasing, and is worth experiencing whether or not you can relate to the subject matter.

There's no shortage of ideas on display, featuring some of the best use of AR tech on the handheld to date, but ultimately the 3DS feels more like a curse for the franchise, rather than a blessing.

Sound Shapes will ultimately live or die by its community, which at the time of writing is in dire need of a sonic boom in terms of both users and quality levels. With support, it'll grow into something glorious. But even without, it's yet another novel and wholly entertaining reason to get a Vita. But you probably still won't.

Whereas the first game dragged, Darksiders II offers loot, side quests, an engaging skill tree, and a world four times bigger than the first that constantly keep you engaged with the experience. What's more, its various inspirations and genres feel more solidly packed together, robust and stable like a diamond formed under the pressure of the earth. It's a rough diamond, certainly, lacking the sharper, polished facets that make a real gem like Zelda so irresistibly good, but there's a dull gleam there nevertheless.

Successful because it dares to be different, and actually thinks about how to make narrative, gameplay and setting play off each other. Which, for a game that no one expected much from when it was taken out back and shot, is quite something.

There can be little disputing the quality on show here, although the underlying gimmick and universal approach mean that New Super Mario Bros. 2 can offer neither the mystery and experimentation of earlier games nor the challenge that new pretenders to the platforming crown lay so very, very thick.

There's no denying the dungeons are a minor addition, however, so anyone who owns the original 3DSWare release may not see the value in upgrading. Everyone else, you'll need to still have that childlike sense of play and a certain ability to make your own fun – or at least some children of your own – to get the most out of this.

Tequila Work's debut's confident craftsmanship and considered design more than compensates for its shortfalls with the narrative's impact and the intermittently niggling handling. It's by no means a smooth ride, but this dank and desolate landscape is worth braving.

We've sworn at the screen more times while playing Spelunky than practically any other game. So we wouldn't recommend this to anyone with anger management issues or a heart condition. But, by the same token, it's also afflicted us with chronic one-more-go syndrome. So we would recommend it to anyone who loves videogames. Which is surely all of you.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Pokémon Conquest, however, is that it made us want to go back and play one of Koei's earlier, duller and more convoluted Nobunaga games. And any game that can make us feel that way is worthy of high praise indeed.

If seeing The Dark Knight Rises has inspired you to put the cape back on, do yourself a favour and go back to either of Rocksteady's games instead. Because this one is wearing hockey pads.

There's a mixture of novelty and intelligent ideas in Dream Drop Distance, that don't quite add up to an evolved form of what the series has shown us before. It's another sideways step for Kingdom Hearts, then, but undeniably a grandiose one.

But don't let all this talk of management fool you, there's a real thrill to Rebellions real time battles, especially when you zoom in to watch the often impressive visual cacophony of lasers as droves of spaceships broad side each other or master the intricacies of its RTS rock, paper, scissors mechanics – and can use them to whip other players right back to their home worlds and bombard them.

If only the gameplay was as well realised as the engine that runs it, Inversion would be far more recommendable. Regrettably, as it stands, Saber Interactive has created a mechanically robust game, but one that doesn't do enough with the ideas it can lay claim to as its own.

A very good rhythm-action game, and a confusing but compelling RPG. But, above all else, it is a nostalgic anniversary package that will be adored by Final Fantasy fans and sets a new benchmark for interactive celebrations.

There's room for much improvement in The Secret World, as there often is with any new MMO launch, but this has far more promise than anything Blizzard or EA have had to offer recently.

Conversations shared between Juliet and Nick are among the funniest videogames have to offer, and the range of pop-culture references Gunn weaves in (including an unexpected nod to Michael Bublé of all people) make this the most western-friendly game to come out of the studio without sacrificing its brand of lunacy. Which is something definitely worth cheering about.

It's not particularly new or innovative in its core mechanics, but it marries the dependable and familiar with the not-so to create one of the year's most interesting titles. At its heart it's still a shooter, but at least it's also one with the brains to ask you to shoot something different.

It highlights Kinect's flaws rather than showcases its strengths, sending out one, clear, reverberating message – Kinect simply isn't refined enough to unite the hardware with the hardcore.

Most disappointing of all, as hard as it tries (and it sure does try), it's just not funny.

The netcode is strong enough to encourage sustained online play. The title doesn't do enough to highlight the strides Final Showdown has taken for the series – particularly for PS3 owners, stuck with Ver.B of Virtua Fighter 5 as opposed to Xbox 360's later release of Version C – but it's a still complicated, technical beast of a fighting game, and more than ever worth the effort of learning.

Side missions and hidden blocks are suitably distracting, although the use of a difficult-to-read radar over a mini-map displays a certain level of open world naivety that should probably be expected from a developer that has just been going through the motions for so long.

The best way to enjoy Heroes Of Ruin is most definitely with three friends, but to highlight this as a selling point would be to assume there are going to be people out there with three friends who also own the game, and that will get together and plough hours at a time into it. Realistically, this will rarely happen, and as a single-player looter, Heroes Of Ruin, fairly enjoyable though it is, fails to show the invention necessary to justify its own existence.

That none of these extra-curricular activities can stack up to the base thrill of simply lobbing Kat into the abyss and seeing where she might end up a few gravity shifts down the line is no slight on the optional stuff on offer, though – it's simply testament to the captivating power of so novel a central mechanic.

By journey's end, it's only a passing interest in the increasingly intriguing story that holds attention. Indeed, this is a deeply flawed and overly ambitious attempt for a developer unable to grasp the genre basics. Its only real triumph is that it doesn't completely tarnish the licence's sterling reputation.

It not only becomes increasingly repetitive as it nears the climax but also puts a significant strain on players' patience as Nihilistic injects enemies with a higher HP and more powerful weapons, rather than finding a more engaging way to challenge players. It's a jarring difficulty spike that almost undermines everything the game has so far accomplished as it impressively leaps from one set-piece to the next.

There's no doubt that you'll find a lot of praise for Episode II out there, since it addresses the physics issues with the first episode so well, but games™ can't honestly recommend a game so under-developed on quality controls alone.

As positive as this all is, though, it won't have escaped veterans of the series' that this all sounds very familiar. That's because it is. Future Solider follows the foundations that made Ghost Recon the name it is rigidly, its main twist falling on the vision of what's to come in the military. In many ways, this has worked in Ubisoft's favour, tying in to all the franchise's underlying themes.

There will rightfully be criticism for the slender single-player modes here, but the true worth of Mario Tennis Open is in multiplayer, both as the game's biggest strength and a quiet indicator of Nintendo's online handheld revolution.

Blizzard deals best in the subtle, and there's never any doubt where the focus of Diablo III lies. Even after the final battle is completed and the credits roll, your warrior is still there, ready for the next difficulty level. As such, the balance between the classes, the skills, and the loot get the bulk of Blizzard's attention, which is for the best.

A thoroughly engaging title that easily satisfies any superficial desires. We were left wanting more. [Issue#122, p.114]

Despite its shortcomings, remains deep and complex. [Issue#122, p.111]

There are some laughs to be had at its expense, and everything here works, but that's absolutely all it does. [Issue#122, p.110]

Its overall challenge is both lasting and addictive. [Issue#122, p.109]

Shoddy combat racing. [Issue#122, p.105]

Fundamental control niggles mean very few players will persevere to unlock everything DP has to offer. [Issue#122, p.104]

A storming opener. [Issue#122, p.102]

Its world isn't as evocatively rich as Skyrim, it's action-oriented combat doesn't have the killer appeal of Dark Souls, and it's single-player focus is completely at odds with the co-op-centric Monster Hunter. However, as Capcom's first foray into the open-world RPG this is a worthy achievement, and further proof that the East-West divide should be breached more often. And not just by dragons. [Issue#122, p.94]

Ultimately, none of the story beats or polish mask the fact that Max Payne 3 is very much a refinement of an old formula, and if you're looking for something brand new or revelatory it just isn't here. However, what is amazing is how Rockstar has fallen back on its trademark production values and sublime attention to detail to update the franchise in a compelling way. Factor in some impressive multiplayer offerings and it's still head-and-shoulders above most of its trigger-happy ilk.

This is a true multiplayer experience, which despite its accessibility, demands commitment and communication to enjoy to its fullest. It's also a game, though, that deserves to be loved.

It's a good shooter, then, but one that struggles to hit the same heights of Cave's other Xbox 360 output.

It's a trudge of a game, and while it performs its chosen task moderately well, it's about as ambitious and captivating as a drizzle-soaked walk to the local shop.

It's a bit of a shoddy finish that doesn't marry up to the realistic bullet physics of the hardest setting, but this is still a sniper's Mecca, perfect for those that like to do their shooting from as far away as possible.

What Telltale has created here is a narratively-driven game that's as much about people as events, as much about inaction as it is putting walkers out of their misery, and as much about what cannot be changed as the countless choices the player is forced to make. If the developer can now make good on the game's initial promise, and deliver a truly branching narrative that adapts to the decisions taken throughout each episode – something, lest we forget, that not even the mighty BioWare could carry through the Mass Effect trilogy with any conviction – then The Walking Dead could be remembered as a genuine classic of the genre.

If you like your games to tell an engaging story or to break new ground, Prototype 2 will probably make you vomit up your own pelvis through sheer outrage. If you're looking for powerful messages or the advancement of a medium, you'll likely be left with little but a sour taste in your mouth and the desire to write a strongly worded letter to Radical expressing your dissatisfaction with the whole experience. But if, on the flipside, you're someone that goes into a game armed with nothing more than a desire to be entertained, you'll struggle to find a more accommodating host than Prototype 2.

There's little reason for the lonely man to pick this up. [Issue#121, p.117]

The nuts and bolts of Tiger Woods 13 do more than enough to restore the golfer's digital reputation. [Issue#121, p.116]

Dead Souls isn't a bad game by any stretch; it's just extremely by-the-book on every level. [Issue#121, p.114]

It comes nowhere close to living up to its title's protestations. [Issue#121, p.112]

An engaging and refreshingly svelte JRPG, but one that offers mere hints at where the genre may go from here rather than the new blueprint it could have been. [Issue#121, p.110]

A game that anybody can, and will, enjoy. It's like Wii Music never happened. [Issue#121, p.109]

It's a precarious house of cards. [Issue#121, p.108]

A truly disappointing sequel. [Issue#121, p.104]

Between well-designed dungeons, thrilling boss battles and a compelling hook in Elena's deteriorating condition, Pandora's Tower is a unique treat for those still loyal to the Wii.

It's a crazed urgency that you'll embrace until completion, threading your way round Polytron's crazily idiosyncratic open-world masterpiece until every corner has been reached and, more importantly, understood.

Kinect Star Wars is a hodgepodge of ideas that, either through the Kinect's limited functionality or slipshod execution, simply aren't cohesive enough to deliver the Star Wars experience that fans demand. Our advice? Go outside and pick up a stick.

Perhaps if there was something more interactive about the exploratory portion of Rhythm Thief, the low frequency of rhythm-action action wouldn't be so galling, but plodding through the streets of Paris, no matter how amusing the dialogue of its citizens, feels like a cheap way of stretching out the game length. Which was actually an unnecessary trick if you ask us.

It's a quick thrill – a little bit of fiery eye-candy and raw destruction to pass the time – but as its explosions grow more tiring, there's little else to see among the streets of Shatter Bay, and its focus is clearly muddled. While Unbounded is no doubt a step in the right direction for the franchise, perhaps it was a little early to leave the safety of Ridge City behind.

Its puzzles are unlikely to engage your intelligence or imagination at a particularly deep level, but that might not matter, as Escape Plan's personality might just win you over anyway. [Issue#120, p.114]

It's ironic that a game about robots wanting to be human has so much heart, but is failed by technology that simply won't reach as far as its developer would like. [Issue#120, p.112]

What Warp lacks (or, perhaps, borrows) in personality it more than makes up for with gameplay that's so finely honed, it proves impossible to put down until every corner of its cutesy horror has been uncovered. [Issue#120, p.109]

There's next to nothing for solo brawlers to do. [Issue#120, p.108]

A majestic evolution of its hit puzzle game. [Issue#120, p.107]

Judged as an Xbox Live Arcade game, American Nightmare has the production values but the novelty soon quickly wears off. [Issue#120, p.105]

Ultimately, the game's sloth-like progression of the first six or seven hours relies far too heavily on each player's patience. [Issue#120, p.99]

We won't be playing Unit 13 repeatedly. [Issue#120, p.98]

Silent Hill: Downpour frustrates and irritates, it confuses and confounds. It doesn't scare as much as it should and it doesn't impress as much as we wanted. But there's no denying its ability to keep you playing; to push through to the end.

When it comes to quality Sine Mora has practically zero peers this generation. If you've been craving a true modern classic since the days of Gradius V and R-Type Final then Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have provided the best possible reason we can imagine to return.

A triumph in artistry and gameplay, overcoming the frequently problematic process of reviving an old franchise. So many studios get it dead wrong, but Project Sora has shown that it has respect for the IP, as well as the talent to deliver the world of Kid Icarus to a modern audience and make it relevant to a new generation.

Disappointing after such a long wait then, even if Twisted Metal is still immensely good fun at its core.

It's such a tough sell, as it's so short and so little of its running time can actually be defined as 'gameplay'. It's such a maverick, though, and such a bananas way to spend eight hours, that it's almost certainly something everyone should experience. Just don't go expecting the Earth. Asura's already smashed it to pieces.

While not without its problems and questionable design decisions, Street Fighter X Tekken is miraculous in that it even works at all. It simply shouldn't.

While it's not a total triumph, the core of what Mass Effect 3 achieves is an engrossing, fabulously put together piece of work, regardless of an ending that will delight as many as it dumbfounds.

Where Journey truly excels is in its top-of-the-range visuals, inventive world and its tonal breadth. One moment you will find yourself avoiding the spotlights of menacing, sentient war machines 20 times your size in a barely lit dungeon, and the next plodding through the harsh mountain peaks with almost no visibility, all accompanied by a genuine sense of dread as your character visibly starts to die and can barely walk anymore.

After all those years of lamentation, the gamers, who truly remember finally get their dose of neat virtual snowboarding. Meanwhile, the series' newcomers will finally get why there was this legend status of "winter Tony Hawk" in the olden days - in a few hours of playing they are going to spread those legends too.

You'd have to have a hell of a lot of spare time and cash to make room in your life for this. [Issue#119, p.119]

Like the best iPhone puzzlers, this is a collection of original challenges, uncluttered by unnecessary extras. [Issue#119, p.119]

Charming and engaging. [Issue#119, p.118]

There's little doubt that The Old Republic could have been a groundbreaking release, but it instead chooses to hew closely to the MMO formula, relying too much on the grind and outdated mechanics that don't gel with the Star Wars license. [Issue#119, p.110]

That Pride mode is a doozy. [Issue#119, p.108]

An anemic release, even for a budget title. [Issue#119, p.100]

Not a bad game, but it is a polarising one. [Issue#119, p.99]

Delivers a quality experience on par with, if not better than previous iterations. [Issue#119, p.98]

Outside of novelty value, there's little reason why anyone should pick this up with their Vita over the vastly superior WipEout 2048. [Issue#119, p.97]

Little more than a mediocre effort. [Issue#119, p.96]

It's repetitive, monotonous, and just plain boring. [Issue#119, p.94]

Everything about 2048 oozes class, screams quality and does more than enough to force the hardcore to take a serious look at Vita. [Issue#119, p.92]

It has a tight, well-written and well-acted script. [Issue#119, p.90]

It's tight, focused and despite its flaws is easily the best shooter to arrive so far this year. In this sense, we can't help but wonder why EA has not made a bigger deal out of Syndicate.

If The Darkness III were to combine the best of the first and second games, we'd have ourselves a winner for the ages – as it stands, we have a game definitely worth a playthrough, but probably not worth tripping over yourself to slap down the cash for.

Despite being made of patchwork parts, it is never less than good fun to play and, at its best, a surprisingly intense experience – all credit due there to the twitchy and intelligently designed combat system. Reckoning is a big, meaty game that will thoroughly satisfy both RPG and action fans, and if you are a Skyrim player, then you should definitely make room for this too. You'll love it.

The animation is clunky and below par, but the art direction is quite good, in a lowbrow, pulp comic book kind of a way. The script is trite, and music and voice acting both well below par, but you still couldn't accuse it of being a technical shambles. Design wise, though, it's formulaic, tedious and messy.

On a straight fighting level, SoulCalibur has never been better and although it might be a little anorexic for lone warriors, the multiplayer side offers more than any Soul title since the original Calibur made the Dreamcast a must-have. Which, in and of itself, provides irrefutable proof that Namco Bandai has given SoulCalibur a clearly defined genre once more. Welcome back, Stage Of History.

It's a unique and interesting way of handling time travel in games too, and while XIII-2 might fall foul of all the usual time-hopping pitfalls (read: it's really rather stupid at times) it's hard to recall a sequel that makes such major changes to a great game and still manages to get things so right. If XIII was making a case for the quickest route from A to B being a straight line, XIII-2 instead argues that a time gate directly to your destination is both more practical and more interesting. We're inclined to agree.