A fine game for those with psychopathic tendencies, Prototype's relentless sadism may prove too much for some. Still, unleashing a superhero without worrying about consequences is an insane amount of fun. With the greatest powers comes no responsibilities!

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.

It's great fun, charming and surprisingly witty.

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.

Ghostbusters is a good game because it's everything it should have been.

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

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.

Bound in Blood is a slow but steady cowboy crowd-pleaser which rides close to the beaten track. An excellent story is left to shoulder much of the entertainment value while the gunplay sits back in the saddle. Never less than competent, but not essential.

Staunchly challenging, yet incredibly rewarding, Dragon Rising might deter some due to its unremitting devotion to realism, while upsetting others with its co$nsole-friendly tweaks.

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.

As fans of S.T.A.L.K.E.R will testify, Ukrainian games offer a distinctly unique flavour. From the obvious, such as the mere act of witnessing a range Russians behind the crosshair as opposed to always underneath it, to that less definable ambience created by different cultural input, Metro 2033 is a fascinating take on a well-explored theme.

That most damning of all things - neither memorably awful, nor memorably brilliant, but simply decent. The sureness with which Monolith revisits the original game's themes and dual gameplay structure is commendable, but the spark isn't quite there.

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.

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.

Who's That Flying?! zests up an arcade formula so familiar we practically have it etched across the insides of our eyelids, and it doesn't make you pay through the nose for the privilege.

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.

Darkside Chronicles is a vast improvement on its predecessor and offers the dedicated RE follower an archive of unlockable memories, reading materials and fan service in an especially well-presented package.

There’s nothing broken about Dante’s Inferno, and much that’s enjoyable, but it’s more an act of homage than a game in its own right. Like the shade of the Roman poet Virgil, the Ghost of Sparta keeps Visceral company throughout its underworld adventure, but unlike the former, Kratos casts a very long shadow.

In the end, though, there's only so much we can praise an exercise in teaching old dogs old tricks. Forgotten Sands is exactly one step back for one step forward. Let's hope a flying leap is on the way.

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.

The potential is there for a third game to capitalise on the series’ positive features, but until that day, the 40th Day stands as a perfectly competent but ultimately disposable title.

It’s a graceful, carefully contained experience, heavy on finesse and features but oddly short on competitive spirit.

The potential is there for a third game to capitalise on the series’ positive features, but until that day, the 40th Day stands as a perfectly competent but ultimately disposable title.

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.

Given this and a stab at serious inventiveness, Mini Ninjas might have drawn abreast with LEGO Star Wars, rather than sidling warily around the perimeter of essential purchase.

Very much the well turned-out but unremarkable flight sim we first thought it was, despite mid-development flashes of promise.

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.

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

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.

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.

Heavy odds, tricky acrobatics and a whisper-thin health bar combine to make Bionic Commando an action adventure of such unrelenting sadism you'll want to chew your nails out, but also an action adventure that, once you crack it, rewards your labours like few others.

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.

It still feels like a budget project, a slice of throwaway fun jury-rigged to a more significant release, but this time there's no Halo 3 to hide behind, and the downsides are too conspicuous to ignore.

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

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

A good tennis game, let down by a frustrating slow campaign and terrible loading times.

Ghost Squad is fairly recent game, however it lives on past glories. There's not much game here compared to House of the Dead 2 & 3, but with 4 friends Ghost Squad provides hours of entertainment normally only available for a pound a time each in Alton Towers.

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

The last thing the unloved flight combat genre needs is a specimen that sticks to its guns.

Ninja Blade is certainly a game with two different sides, but fortunately each side has enough to recommend it - the glamour of the QTEs, the workmanlike derivativeness of the combat - that you can forgive this rather jarring division.

Relentlessly unoriginal but well turned out.

An offer we can probably refuse, despite the great script and solid sim-management blueprint.

Brainless fun in small doses, but so many spare parts in the long run.

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

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.

Controlling armies of the undead really shouldn’t be this dreary.

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

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 quite dreadfully competent, sufficiently more-ish that you're in danger of forgetting that you could do better, like a packet of supermarket brand tortillas.

It’s a good purchase if you loathe intricacy, enjoy reliving foreign policy quandries in sci-fi guise and are eager to get to grips with Cameron’s universe, but the Next Big Thing it most certainly is not.

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.

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

Ultimately your purchasing decision rests on your comfort with the Wii Remote as control method. If you are a die hard SMB professional that truly mastered the Wii Remote and you’re longing for 70 plus levels of challenge, the main game will satisfy that.

There's a workmanlike shooter dug in behind the bugs and blandness, but why bother unearthing it, when you could be playing Shadow Complex or Costume Quest? Best avoided.

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.

Insultingly easy, repetitive, unfunny, strained, shallower than it thinks it is and certain to sell loads, simply because it's got Sonic on it and it's advertised on TV. If you care about what you play, don't play this.

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.

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