A hugely impressive achievement. It takes everything we loved about the original game and improves upon it.

Without a doubt, rest assured this is the best game yet for this generation. The only reason we've resisted giving it full marks is that in the same way GTA III’s template was blown out so much further in "Vice City" and "San Andreas," we're confident the next GTA on this generation will up the ante considerably.

Rapturous. There is simply no better word to describe this game. It’s a joy to play from start to finish; jam-packed full of both inventive new ideas and nods to Mario past, with a difficulty curve that climbs slowly and steadily.

Like the game's maniacal entrepreneur himself loftily aimed, Irrational put art and intellect above and beyond schlock of the common game. They accomplished something wonderful.

It's a staggeringly impressive achievement; a rollercoaster ride of shoot-outs, action set pieces, compelling traversal sequences and light puzzle solving. It ups the ante in every respect from the original, and while it may be all about the action and the stunning vistas on the surface, the reality is that it's the game's personality, and the game's heart, that is its driving force.

Damn you Valve. That's what rival game publishers must be thinking.

Mass Effect 2's greatest strength once again falls upon the beauty of its universe and the carefully interwoven character dramas underpinning the action. It's a fascinating and hugely enjoyable experience that serves not only as a reminder of how wide the valley between a 'great and an 'excellent' game actually is, but why BioWare is still one of the most vital and important developers out there today.

Where LittleBigPlanet stands out is in the genuinely amazing integration of deep, deep content creation tools and incredible variety of objects with a community mode that truly makes content exchange and rating not just easy, but practical and even essential.

A momentous gaming experience; one that marries artistry with supreme design rarely seen. If there's a textbook on how to be referent to a classic genre while always pressing forward, Red Dead Redemption is the byline. Wonderful.

A momentous gaming experience; one that marries artistry with supreme design rarely seen. If there's a textbook on how to be referent to a classic genre while always pressing forward, Red Dead Redemption is the byline. Wonderful.

Absolutely one of the most rounded gaming packages of 2009. The single player campaign – while not long – is well-paced, with plenty of variety in settings and gameplay, and will definitely be a steep challenge on the harder difficulty levels. The multiplayer component is fully featured, with an expansive set of modes and maps, and it’s great to see persistent stats returning. Rounding it out is Spec Ops, which is very much the icing on the cake.

It might not have the lengthy feature list of certain other shooters, but there’s no denying that COD4’s strength is KISS – Keep it Simple, Stupid. By not trying to reinvent the wheel, Infinity Ward has done what it does best – build a shooter that is unrivalled when it comes to the sensation of being in a real warzone.

There's no denying how awesome the replay and Forge features are – but they're not the core of the game. Don't get me wrong, the single player campaign is very strong, the action is tight, and the AI is F.E.A.R.-killing. But for every positive, there was an area of the game that left me wanting more – the backtracking, the overly cheesy storyline, the underwhelming visuals. And multiplayer feels too much like a HD-version of Halo 2 with a few gadgets you can toss around.

It's a brilliant game and – despite not offering the weightiest selection of modes, and failing to incorporate replay functionality for launch – deserves huge success.

Absolutely one of the most rounded gaming packages of 2009. The single player campaign – while not long – is well-paced, with plenty of variety in settings and gameplay, and will definitely be a steep challenge on the harder difficulty levels. The multiplayer component is fully featured, with an expansive set of modes and maps, and it’s great to see persistent stats returning. Rounding it out is Spec Ops, which is very much the icing on the cake.

But where MGS4 really succeeds is in delivering an experience unlikely to ever be surpassed by Kojima ever again, providing fans everything they want to see, twists you won’t expect and more raw, lavish creativity than the video gaming medium probably deserves.

With simple to use but tricky to master controls, a useful handicap feature and a staggering variety of great characters, Brawl is the perfect competitive party game.

For Nintendo-only gamers out there – and these days, there are more of you than ever – this is an authentic Grand Theft Auto experience. It isn't watered down; it's as fun and foul-mouthed as any series-proper installment. While not perfect, it'll suck you in and keep you up at night like a chronic addiction. Hook it to our veins.

Perhaps the best way to view Street Fighter IV is as the perfect complement to Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. This is classic Streeties – good pace, nice and accessible and yet with a truckload of depth. SFIII: 3rd Strike is always there if you want to delve into an intensely technical 2D fighter – and remains one of the greatest fighting games of all time, but SFIV is going to be the game that reinvigorates the series in the eyes of lapsed fans and newcomers alike.

If you can put in the time and commit to exploring this detailed and carefully designed wasteland, then Fallout 3 can't help but satisfy and engage you in ways that very few games ever have.

It’s well worth the price of admission, in other words; just don’t expect the perfect shooter. Epic made a lot of good calls with Gears 2, but one can’t help but think that the team is still honing its level design, its pacing, its combat and its storytelling. Should be one hell of a third installment.

Even if God of War III isn't going to cause a massive rethink on the way you play action-heavy platformers, Kratos has earned an enviable position at the head of his genre's ladder - and we don't think there's going to be another hero quite like him, in a series as consistently outstanding as this, for a very long time.

A rare breed of game. Not only is it a licensed title that really makes the most of the license, with gameplay mechanics that cater to Batman’s character, a compelling setting and story, and a host of well-known characters, it’s also a very polished product. You can tell that a whole lot of love has gone into this one.

Chrono Trigger DS is a faithful port of the wonderful original, with subtle improvements to the script and a little extra gameplay. If the very, very minor sound issues, or the moderately-retro graphics don't bother you, then is a must-own, especially if you've never played it before.

It is not, however, a flawless experience by any means – and we think the series' finest hour is still coming – but for fans of the original, it's the step forward we were rooting for and just tempting enough for new players to savour.

Outstanding. It is consistent in every respect and is testament to the talents of the developer as well as the power of the PS3 in the hands of a team that knows how to use the hardware - and who have the full support of Sony behind them. In the same stroke, it is not the be all and end all of console shooters, or even shooters on the PS3.

I do have some complaints; namely a short campaign (seven hours), cowardly AI Spartans, an undercooked plot, and it's obviously disappointing that Bungie is no longer at the bleeding edge of graphics technology (as it was with Halo and Halo 2) but at the end of the day we've got an absolute treasure trove of gameplay for shooter die-hards.

A rare breed of game. Not only is it a licensed title that really makes the most of the license, with gameplay mechanics that cater to Batman’s character, a compelling setting and story, and a host of well-known characters, it’s also a very polished product.