An excellent remaster of three of the PlayStation 3’s best looking games, but none of them have aged quite as gracefully as you might expect.

Downloadable content done right, with excellent value for money and a high standard of new tracks that seem even more consistent than the main game.

Imaginative use of VR to make one of the best new music games of the generation, and which also manages to be the best Star Wars game never made.

A significant improvement on previous entries, with better stealth and AI making the sport of Nazi-hunting more enjoyable than ever.

An excellent conversion of the home console original, that actually seems more at home on the PS Vita than it did its original formats.

A fantastic scrolling beat ‘em-ups that shows exactly how the genre can be evolved and modernised, while also indulging in some gloriously retro presentation and throwbacks.

The worldless storytelling is some of the most compelling of the year and the purposefully frustrating control system an outrageously daring experiment.

A far better game than many would’ve imagined, not just in terms of its action and Lord of the Rings authenticity – but in bringing a genuinely new idea to gaming.

There are no instructions and the English translation is a bit homespun, but the game is rock solid, its real-time gameplay loop proving hugely compelling.

There’s such a huge range of combinations of brawlers, perks, attacks, status effects, and buffs that you’ll keep discovering new approaches to even after many hours of play. A genuinely deep and complex mobile strategy game, with pleasing handcrafted visuals.

The PC flight sim makes a near-perfect landing on consoles, with some of WWII's most exciting combat.

But despite all that it gets right we do wish that Guild Wars 2 had been bolder with the art style and the setting of its game world. Or that it had pushed its combat system even further and created something genuinely unique. Although the fact that it has no subscription fee is an unqualified positive that needs to be adopted as standard before free-to-play ruins everything.

It wasn't a very good game eight years ago and slightly improved graphics certainly don't improve its standing now, but if nothing else this proves the world needs a Doom 4.

One of the best story-based games of 2011 and proof that big budgets and famous voiceovers are no match for clever design and a good script.

The only other possible complaint is the complete lack of any multiplayer, but as distracting a diversion as these options are in the home console games gunfights and online multiplayer are both way down the list of reasons of why we play an Uncharted game. Especially as Golden Abyss' story campaign lasts well over 10 hours.

An unexpectedly involved space combat simulator that manages to replicate the thrills of the 90s X-Wing and TIE Fighter games with surprising clarity – and an excellent VR mode.

By perfecting the Dungeon Keeper formula, the best James Bond game since GoldenEye proves that playing the bad guy really can be more fun.

It’s played in real-time, a countdown appearing on each move you make, with new cards to collect when it’s finished. It also has a branching narrative with the powerful and evocative prose you’d expect from the founder of Failbetter Games. If you like being flung headlong into deep and esoteric mysteries there are few games that do a better job of it, or reward you as much when you figure them out.

The technical achievements don't come without a cost, and the game world still lacks personality, but this is still a first person shooter of impressive talents.

Despite a disappointing story campaign this is a notably improved sequel, whose endless loops of addiction feel far more honest and rewarding than the first game.

A fantastic open world role-player, with a mountain of content and interesting diversions – although the unengaging storytelling remains its main weakness.

A solid sequel to the crowd-pleasing original, which still doesn’t make enough of its unique setting but manages to add an impressive amount of depth to its combat and side content.

One of the best story driven games of the year, and one of the prettiest, although you do sometimes wonder if it’s focusing on the most interesting aspect of its plot.

Overall Black Ops II is the most ambitious and innovative Call Of Duty for years, but it's also the most inconsistent. But that may well be the short term price for trying to do things differently.

In many ways Absolution is as effective a franchise reboot as we've ever seen, retaining almost everything that was good about the originals and while making the game more accessible for new players. It also has most of the same problems, or at least swaps them out for new ones, but maybe that at least will convince sceptics that IO hasn't sold out.

Two indie Wario Land homages in as many years is a strange but very welcome coincidence, as this is almost as good as Pizza Tower – while still being very much its own game.

Sadly, with only 41 puzzles – more are coming soon – it’s over too quickly, but while it lasts this is a highly amusing and completely free slice of mobile gaming goodness.

A beautifully crafted survival horror game that knowingly harkens back to the original Resident Evil, while adding in some sympathetically designed modern touches.