Patently unterrifying, Dead Space 2 is nonetheless a feat of paradigm-splicing worthy of Frankenstein himself. The scars of creation are visible on its flanks, repurposed muscles and organs bulging through the skin, but somehow everything works in harmony. All told, Isaac Clarke can do without his day job.

Patently unterrifying, Dead Space 2 is nonetheless a feat of paradigm-splicing worthy of Frankenstein himself. The scars of creation are visible on its flanks, repurposed muscles and organs bulging through the skin, but somehow everything works in harmony. All told, Isaac Clarke can do without his day job.

LittleBigPlanet 2 makes no bones of being part of an on-going project, reaching back into the still-blossoming folds of its predecessor not to paint over or recompose, but to straighten out, to rearticulate, to clarify.

Still, an opportunity has been missed. EA has the resources, and DICE has the talent, to put together a fantastic Vietnam game, one that delves rather deeper into the setting than weapon rosters and track lists. Instead, the pair have treated Vietnam as a Flavour of the Month.

In a generation where Nintendo seem ever-more preoccupied with hardware innovation and its expanded audience, Retro's dependable high-quality output bodes well for the future.

It's damn good, and not just in a "good for the Wii" kind of way. Of course it doesn't match the likes of Modern Warfare 2 and Halo Reach shot for shot, but it provides a thrilling eight hours worth campaign that offers a worthy diversion from any current HD alternative.

It's a game built round a single mode, in effect, but with its hefty community presence, asymmetrical flex and raw kinesis, it offers more entertainment value than racers many times its size on paper.

It's a game built round a single mode, in effect, but with its hefty community presence, asymmetrical flex and raw kinesis, it offers more entertainment value than racers many times its size on paper.

Black Ops reveals a franchise travelling in two directions at once, simultaneously more relevant than ever and among the most redundant of shooters.

What PD have delivered is unquestionably a phenomenal achievement and will represent countless lost hours for petrolheads the world over, but the GT series is no longer the gold standard for driving games. If it takes Yamauchi and his team another five years (or more) to better GT5, the brand runs the risk of being left in the past.

It's taken multiple console generations, various rebuilds of Sonic Team and more miserably failed experiments than Eggman's R&D department, but it's finally here: a Sonic game worthy of genuine praise.

The world is huge and meticulously detailed, the mechanics are captivating, and for all the bugs the rewards of persistence are considerable.

The world is huge and meticulously detailed, the mechanics are captivating, and for all the bugs the rewards of persistence are considerable.

As an exercise in giving shape to the ego of the person playing it, it's second to none; as an attempt to realise the conflicts and compromises of high statehood, it falls short.

Dead Rising 2 is a serviceable follow-up, and another unique addition to the ranks of zombie bashers. Its uniqueness is of the rough-and-ready variety, however, sparked by colliding clichés, and for all Fortune City's lashings of sugar, glitter and grey matter, many will find that unevenness hard to bear. Recommended, but watch your step.

Everyone involved in this project from greenlight, to the cunning PR strategy, to bravely naming the game Sonic 4, to the polished final product, should be immensely proud – and now, fans who've stuck with Sega and the Sonic series through thick and thin, can be too.

EA Sports MMA is a deep, well-rounded, well-structured sim, chewy enough to keep a veteran of the genre occupied but not so chewy that laymen will bounce off.

EA Sports MMA is a deep, well-rounded, well-structured sim, chewy enough to keep a veteran of the genre occupied but not so chewy that laymen will bounce off.

Dead Rising 2 is a serviceable follow-up, and another unique addition to the ranks of zombie bashers. Its uniqueness is of the rough-and-ready variety, however, sparked by colliding clichés, and for all Fortune City's lashings of sugar, glitter and grey matter, many will find that unevenness hard to bear. Recommended, but watch your step.

Highly refined and just a little faded, Civilization remains the classiest act in the "4X" marketplace.

Proof at least that 'serious' strategy simulation, often excitably proclaimed 'dead', has plenty to offer given a willingness to tear out dead wood.

It's not just an incredible PSP Metal Gear – it's an incredible Metal Gear and an unexpected leap forward for the series.

Yes, Blur has borrowed ideas, but it has assembled them with great care, expanding and improving on them in many cases.

A whiff of expansion packishness aside, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is another breath of fresh air in an oppressively and perhaps misguidedly 'mature' gaming climate, a chubby, blue-eyed God among chest-bumping, photorealism-brown, cover-seeking insects. Whether you own a Wii or not, there are, quite frankly, no excuses.

In Redemption, Rockstar have succeeded in taking an over-subscribed genre and realizing it with such atmosphere and boundless possibility that it fluently captures the thrill of the Wild West, and with that they’ve taken the Red Dead franchise into the big league, proud to stand alongside the best work they’ve ever produced.

Lost Planet 2 is a mongrel of a shooter – huge, vivid, intricate, feature-heavy, unfailingly cheesy and, at times, a bit broken.

Super is the perfectly refined poster child for an entire genre, and is once again one of the best games this generation.

Super is the perfectly refined poster child for an entire genre, and is once again one of the best games this generation.