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.

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.

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.

However, the PSP’s traditional but less constricted control setup and higher storage threshold lead to a more playable, content-rich experience than either the DS or (in all probability) the App Store release.

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

Mass Effect 2 succeeds ultimately on the strength of its world and BioWare have created one of the most beautiful, fantastical, consistent, comprehensive and coherent universes seen in science fiction, let alone video games.

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.

But it's The Sims to near-perfection, crafted with love, calculated to give the most enjoyment to a player and as involving, as simple to get into and as downright fun as it has always been.

Brash, loud, funny and ultra, ultra violent, MadWorld is something of a shock that it was released on the Wii. Thing is, it probably wouldn't be the same on a standard controller. As it stands, this is a great game, highly recommended and with only a few problems to its name.

In an age of endless bald space marines, colour pallets that know nothing beyond brown and grey, and gritty urban sandboxes, Bayonetta is a breath of fresh air.

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.

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

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

So for your money you’re getting one of the best games of the last generation, a dark and difficult sequel, and that most uncommon of beasts, a “hardcore” Wii game.

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

With its karma-driven electric fisticuffs, open-ended parkour antics and stylishly broody ambiance, InFamous is a game worthy of Sucker Punch's slick PS2 releases, and a great addition to the PS3's increasingly formidable exclusive line-up. Shame about the story, but there's plenty to do by the wayside.

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

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

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.

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 merciless, intimidatingly featured, almost grotesquely involved role-playing timesink, perched balefully atop a platform whose users take to higher difficulty settings about as readily as pigeons take to cactus plants.

Halo 3: ODST is by no means a flawless game. It provides little in the way of surprises with only minor changes to enemies and arsenals.

NSMBW bends over backwards to be inclusive and somehow manages to succeed.

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.

It’s an exemplary product, really, but also a very expensive one – that’s the only thing to keep in mind before settling in for a weekend alone with an awesome new peripheral, incredibly loud music and beautiful new patterns to master.

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.