Whether you're watching them hurtle along in the embrace of a rainbow wind, or guiding them through the intestines of a giant penguin, the squishy, smiling LocoRoco are as charming as they've ever been.

As quick on its feet as you'd expect and glorious to behold, but not quite the earth-shaking return to form we were hoping for after the disappointments of Warrior Within and Two Thrones.

Diehard fans will once again enjoy this title, but for the Sonic franchise, it's another missed opportunity.

With a little more originality, and gunnery to match Lara's athletic prowess, Tomb Raider: Underworld would rank among the best the genre has to offer.

While the ability to sing to your own music collection has its problems, overall Lips is absolutely brilliant fun, as well suited to a Saturday morning with the kids as it is a late return from the pub.

An intriguing marriage of direct and indirect control plus a serviceable gather-build-annihilate template don't quite redeem Robocalypse from a sheer lack of substance.

On the whole, Need for Speed Undercover is way below par and very disappointing.

From the off, Shaun White Snowboarding is an easy game to hate, thanks to a combination of counterintuitive controls, broken physics and the fact that it almost refuses to give you any guidance as you learn the basics.

Mirror's Edge commits a fair few of videogaming's original sins - trial-and-error level design, a perfectionist attitude to the simplest of platforming mechanics - but buried beneath them is an intensely rewarding experience.

A gleeful, gaudy soup of physics sandbox, vehicle creator and action adventure.

It's nothing revolutionary, but you can't fail to enjoy World at War and it ticks every box rather convincingly.

Something of an anathema unto itself, Gears 2 offers more gore, more cursing and more of the stereotypical Space Marine swagger only a compulsive gamer can tolerate.

That voice command system might be the slickest thing about EndWar, but the underlying Total-War-esque framework of turn-based strategy and real-time tactics is worth a thumbs-up by itself.

Relentlessly unoriginal but well turned out.

A slightly conflicted, sometimes lacklustre but generally star-struck and - above all - massive first person shooter with a plump online underbelly.

From the hollow wind blowing down through subway tunnels, to the radioactive dust clouds swirling throughout the wasteland, up to the buzzards circling the encampment where the bodies of 30 slave traders lie; Fallout 3 is as much a game as it is a training sim for the coming apocalypse.

Broader, lusher and better defined than its predecessor, but in reality more of an expansion pack than a sequel - as the subtitle implies.

A quantum leap in concept and design, and one which falls inches - nay, millimetres - short of a perfect score. There's no better reason to own a PlayStation 3.

It is deceptively simple but is bursting with life and will have you addicted for weeks.

A rough diamond. Ubisoft succeeds in making Far Cry relevant again, a few nagging design flaws notwithstanding.

But MCLA does everything right, and has plenty of longevity packed in.

Saints Row 2 is to GTA IV what egg and chips is to a Michelin-starred meal - no substitute, but still a salivating prospect. Worth your time and money.

"Resident Evil 4 in space" doesn't cut it - Dead Space is neither as ambitious nor as engrossing as the Gamecube Goliath. But it's still an expertly realised, slickly implemented survival horror experience.

Fracture has staked its reputation on one main mechanic of making the earth move and for that, it doesn't deliver.

Not so much Silent Hill returning home as Silent Hill rooting through its own garbage. A polished but utterly complacent slab of survival horror.

Sony has taken an unforgivably long time restoring WipEout to our living rooms, so it's just as well the results hold up under scrutiny - and then some.

A diverting tactical shooter curbed by ageing design principles, flawed story-telling and run-of-the-mill tech. Easily the best Brothers in Arms title so far, but after three years in development we were expecting something more evolutionary.

At worst, this is one of the best rental options this year. It doesn't have the depth or longevity of the big simulation racers but for sheer hair-raising off road action, a new franchise is born.

Half Val Kilmer, Half Christian Bale, the formula is looking a tad trite and jaded. Too apathetic for many but fans and kids alike will still find its cute and simplistic ways endearing enough.

It's not what I wanted, it's not what I expected and it's fundamentally broken in many different ways. It's a callous cheat of a game, it's shallow, short and has a man doing a crap Darth Vader impression.

A significant enough step up from the original to warrant your renewed attention this year.

Spore was meant to be everything to everyone; casual, hardcore, old, young, fat, thin, ugly, uglier. But it isn't.

It may not stray far from its roots, but thanks to a cornucopia of on and offline treats Rare's one-of-a-kind garden sim gets our recommendation once again.

A big brash bully of an open world shooter which rarely shines.

It's Disgaea again and it's bloody wonderful again. As complex as you let it be, as overwhelming as it wants to be and as great as it always has been.

Geometry Wars 2 is a better game, not just because of the new modes but the emphasis on fun and novel ways to enjoy an otherwise linear experience.

A good title, but not great.

Blood Curse may lurk within the shadows of convention, but those shadows have seldom seemed more oppressive. And damn good value for money, too.

If I had the option, though, I'd still prefer to simply buy the songs I like rather than buy the full retail disc.

Wall-E is a much better game than many could have hoped for.

Even though there are flaws in the game and there could be more variety in its offerings, I enjoyed the online play so much that I only grudgingly played through the singleplayer mode.

Yep, it's a fun game. Nothing earth-shattering, but more of the same fun and frolics you would associate with a Ratchet and Clank game.

It's stupid, it's nonsensical, it's over the top, it's full of awful dialogue, it demands long sittings and it hasn't changed much from the first game ten years ago. But then, it's Metal Gear Solid, so who cares? It's undeniably brilliant, captivating, exciting and downright fantastic, definitely worthy of at least a few furrowed brows throughout the experience.

It's great fun, charming and surprisingly witty.

Ninja Gaiden II is not perfect but it's one of the best action games since the original and an absolute joy to play.

What could have been so good and what - according to the hype - was going to be so great has proven to be nothing more than a complete and total let down, tied together with some decent ideas but coming out as nothing but totally, completely and utterly shonky.

At first, GTA IV was sort of feeling like a 9/10 game to me. There were a good few moments where I shook my head and jotted down another negative. But as the experience sank in, as the story captivated me, and as the pace quickened, I was very quickly humbled. It would be ridiculous to factor these minor gripes into even one point of a percentage in terms of scoring, because of the magnitude of the game as whole.

There's no real need for repeat playthroughs, nor will the urge be there once you've finished it the first time. Multiplayer is a great addition, but it surely won't attract the crowds that Halo and CoD consistently pull in, thus making it a (most likely) unfortunate dud.

Immensely playable both on- and offline.

Bloodshot is a very solid title with excellent visuals, engrossing sound, engaging forensics, and intense hand to hand combat.

When it's ripped, forcefully, from its original home and forced into the alien territory of the home console the title just dies on its arse, becomes pointless, and doesn't even raise a smirk. I hate you, Size Matters, I really do.

It's certainly a game that can kill a bit of time between a group of friends, and it's not like there'll be many negative memories associated with the game afterwards, but I just don't feel it's that good.

Chains of Olympus ticks all the checkboxes a God of War fan could want and constantly manages to surprise you.

On one hand you have a bright, colorful, highly addictive shooter that'll flex those twitch gaming muscles a bit. On the other hand the game is very short, and if you're not a hardcore fan of the genre, and don't care about leaderboard rankings and hunting down Achievement points, then there won't be any incentive for you to bother with the game after completing it once.

A wonderful game, full of happy happy joy joy from start to finish. If you don't smile at it then you're an idiot, frankly.

One of the best series in handheld history is back for more, a refined and updated experience with the fantastic addition of online play.

Good for a laugh, hurts your arms, Ghost Squad is better, Samurai/Dynasty series still haven't convinced me, good god it hurts your arms.

The game looks absolutely gorgeous with fantastic sounds, and highly addictive gameplay. It may be a tough sell to casual gamers due to its length and high degree of challenge, and to that we say try the free trial before you buy.