So, to summarise, Mugen Kouro is an odd and unique mix of elements. The story holds the interest of the player even if the mundane battles don't. The customisation aspects provide a refreshing break and a more immediate goal. And the spaceships almost look like they're straight out of Star Wars! [JPN Import]

With Final Fantasy XII being such a revolution to the series, creating the series’ best battle system in the process, Final Fantasy XIII feels like a massive backwards step.

Toy Soldiers just tries too hard to be different, in the end.

In summation, it looks great, the music is wonderful and no matter how frustrated the player gets with any one puzzle, it's an enjoyable enough experience that they won't want to stop until they've finished it.

The game is truly epic and makes the first game feel like a prototype for the sequel. It is a deep and wonderfully involving game that is often breathtaking and constantly rewarding.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a superb multiplayer game providing a great level of variety and replay value.

God of War and its sequel were two of the best games on the PS2. They exist now as an example of streamlined, entertaining and challenging games.

Infinity Ward has made the wise choice of not padding the game out to satisfy angry internet comment posters but has instead provided a completely satisfying experience that sits beside the vast multiplayer components perfectly.

Children will manage it, and Super Easy mode (where hitting any note counts) makes Rock Band accessible to the youngest generation yet.

The level of enjoyment derived from the game in single player proves that this is a game best played in co-op, which is where Borderlands shines.

In terms of its game mechanics Duels of the Planeswalkers is a great conversion of the card game with an excellent interface in place, but unfortunately the heart and soul of the game have been torn out. What’s left is just a shell of the Magic experience; it looks and sounds like Magic, but has little of the depth, challenge and satisfaction that the physical version offers.

The developers have played it safe to some degree and because of this Uncharted 2 doesn’t feel like it has an identity of its own.

Hakuna Matata is a unique title and as such will no doubt attract a cult following. There is a lot to offer those who can find the required time and patience required to gain the best from it.

Demon's Souls asks much of you. For some it may ask too much, but, if you are prepared to rise to the challenges it presents you will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying gaming experiences of this generation.

Wet has a great story with some excellent voice acting from the main players – the people behind Pelham, Ackers and Rubi all manage to carry off that dark, menacing vibe without straying into comic book territory. It’s just that the game lacks any real staying power – the scoring mechanic isn’t strong enough and the inconsistent pacing will fail to draw many players back after the initial playthrough.

Squeezing so many items into the game and having each one act how (and beyond how) the player expects is amazing.

Mini Ninjas is an utterly cute and charming game that may not have the complexity and amount of content ‘hardcore’ gamers look for, but anyone who disparages Mini Ninjas for its simplicity is missing the point.

DiRT 2 is a superb celebration of rallying as a sport, with a mixture of new events, which deserves to be played and enjoyed by any gamer with even a passing interest in the genre.

Diabolical Box is proof that the success of Mysterious Village was not a fluke, and that the DS is the perfect platform to render such an adventure.

Put simply this is one of the best games of 2009 and arguably the best game yet released on XBLA.

Battlefield 1943 is technically very well made, with high production values and a solid online infrastructure that can easily host 24 players without any problems. Great as this is for the first 3-4 hours, though, it’s not long before the monotony sets in. There simply isn’t enough variety here to keep you coming back, and being an Xbox Live Arcade release is no excuse.

The game is by no means great but is also certainly not bad.

Buy this game if you want a challenging title that will eat up long journeys or quiet evenings in darkened room; it’s a great take on the franchise and it’s made for us, for the fans.

Red Faction: Guerrilla knows it is a game about making buildings fall over and it doesn’t purport to be anything else.

It's almost like the time-space continuum ripped open and farted out a title from years ago which, by rights, should never exist and only does so because of some unholy pact with Satan.

While not perfect, Infamous has enough excitement and vigour to see the player through to the end, and crucially leave them wanting more. The real hope is that that there will be another instalment of the adventures of Cole and the inhabitants of Empire City.

Bionic Commando is a flawed game that suffers at the hands of engine limitations and tacked-on multiplayer. The game is immensely enjoyable for players who put the effort in to master the swinging and combat, but sometimes the frustrating sections threaten to overwhelm the rest of the experience.

Velvet Assassin is a primitive and basic game even by last-gen standards.

With such a distinct lack of understanding of the genre and almost hateful disregard for the player's enjoyment, the biggest crime going down in Tokyo, it seems, is a simple lack of respect.

Online play: what an addition. Duel mode is the same as it ever was, only now with added strangers.

HAWX does what it does admirably in most cases. It provides an enjoyable and entertaining diversion in a rarely explored genre with just enough content to keep gamers with friends busy.

Eat Lead is an outdated relic, it does nothing original or creative with the wealth of diverse, high-quality source material available to it.

Stoked is very slow to get going, but stick with it and you’ll find a true gem.

Even the poorest of titles there shows more promise than what’s on display here.

It's yet another unique DS experience, yet another game that simply must be played.

It takes the chassis of the light gun game and augments it with one of the most entertaining stories in years, a decent selection of unlockables, a brutally funny soundtrack and an overall level of attention to detail that is as refreshing as it is clichéd.

Big Bang Mini is among the best shooters on the DS.

Combine this with the game’s superb presentation and you’ve got an excellent, albeit somewhat brief, puzzle title that really will appeal to players of all levels, whilst simultaneously bringing some refreshingly new ideas to the table.

Interpol was never a game that was going to set the world on fire, but it does offer the kind of experience that is becoming quite rare these days. It is a genuinely calming and relaxing title and when you consider how many levels you are getting here, is good value for money.

Crash Commando is a superb, little release that binds classic, fast-paced 2D gameplay in a great looking package.

Persona 4 has its flaws. Some carried over from Persona 3, and some of its own creation. Initially it’s hard to look past these and the game feels a shadow of its predecessor.

Prince of Persia turns out to be a worthy justification for once again restarting the franchise. It brings the series back to its essential roots, stripping away the superfluous muck that had gathered during the last few outings and at the same time having enough new appeal, charm and content to make it worth trying.

While the game does have a few minor weaknesses, they don’t take away from the fact that this is the definitive Tomb Raider experience to date.

Left 4 Dead is a game which keeps things simple, but this to its benefit. It mixes all the right ingredients of tension, gore and rewards to make it thoroughly enjoyable.

If Mirror’s Edge had only provided the TTs, it would have been perfect for skill-game addicts. The story mode isn’t quite as polished and critics have tended to focus on this mode’s foibles rather than on praising the real highlight: the TT mode.

So, Gears of War 2 manages to traverse the difficult sequel terrain with aplomb, but for whatever reason leaves the player unsatisfied. Maybe the inevitable sequel will put some of the vim and vigor back into the series.

What is so frustrating about Endwar is that underneath everything, it is a brilliant game. The designers have just made it extremely difficult to get at this by wrapping the core gameplay with a number of ill-conceived modes.

The basic ideas behind Legendary were quite sound. Unfortunately it seems they were never properly realised, instead cobbled together with the digital equivalent of shredded newspaper and masking tape.

Quantum of Solace is definitely of interest to more than just Bond fans – anyone looking for a varied, somewhat light-hearted shooter will derive a good degree of enjoyment from it.

The presentation and love put into the character designs and attention to detail carries the simplistic and overly easy gameplay further than it should. If you want a gentle introduction to the genre, this is absolutely perfect.

Far Cry 2 is a game that thrives on the moments and experiences caused by its mechanics working in harmony and by making the player think about where they are and what they are doing. If the player can buy into the world and fiction they will have a thoroughly exciting time surviving through the twisting plot and explosive gun fights.

Trashy, vulgar and complete with a set of morals that are thin at best, Saints Row 2 is a fantastically stupid game that infuriates as much as it entertains.

Dead Space should`ve been a run of the mill, copycat title destined for bargain-bin obscurity. As it stands, it`s a glorious introduction to a new game world.

There will obviously be another in the series, by which time Gearbox Software will have hopefully managed to tame both their engine and the irksome controls, and ultimately provide the game experience that this title should have been.

A simplified take on breakdancing, with larger than life characters, a more stylized approach and better rewards for the player could have been a proper hoot. As it is, you would be better off avoiding this and acting wild in the comfort of your own home if you fancy getting your yerks on.

Anyone even remotely interested in the racing genre owes it to themselves to pick up this gem.

Warriors Orochi 2 is a divisive game and one that many will over-look due to the largely negative reviews circulating for it.

While not necessarily a bad game, Lego Batman scrapes through under the definition of 'fun'.

It’s unfortunate that so much of the game world is so irredeemably broken.

Tales of Vesperia surpasses every Tales game that preceded it, by building on their strengths and adding a series of new features.

There is no doubt that Silicon Knights have failed to live up to their early promises regarding Too Human.

It's a gamers' game to be truly savoured - here to show anyone who forgot or missed it the first time, just how ridiculously good it is at what it does.

Despite being a remake of a four year old PS2 game, the ideas and scope of the original still feel fresh and exciting. Thankfully, the developers have not simply given this remake a PS3 graphical update.

True tennis fans will probably find some mileage in Top Spin, even if only against similarly minded friends, but for most this will go down as a bland and ultimately disappointing game that takes realism a step too far and squashes any concept of fun in the process.

While not a complete success, Battlefield: Bad Company has many plus points, and provides a limited but fun single-player campaign that, while not wholly original, does have some memorable moments.

For people with DSs, there are at least ten better rhythm games on the system, and for Guitar Hero fans, this is nothing but pointless.

Nothing should stop any self-respecting gamer from picking up this title.

Bold, ambitious and unlike anything else this generation, there lies an experience beyond several oddly disparate parts. A swansong to a breed of cinematic narrative which has finally reached its apex.

Sadly, it will not take you long to make your way through the stages on offer. Collecting the Calabash presents something of a challenge, and you are given a ranking after each stage which gives a touch of replay value to proceedings.

The Incredible Hulk is nothing more than a shoddy imitation.

But, in the short time it takes to reach the end, it will have already become old hat and it doesn't hold up to repeated playing, even on the frustrating higher difficulty setting. This makes it only essential for the more hardcore Jason Bourne fan.

XBLA Sudoku is well implemented, well presented and is enhanced considerably by being able to compete online against other Xbox Live players.

Wii Fit is already flying out of the shop doors in Japan and the same will happen when it arrives in the West too, not because it’s a gimmick that’s easily bought into, but because it’s a great product.

The reality is that longevity is limited to how much the player enjoys swooshing down the snow in the solo game and for some this isn't going to be enough. A beautiful experience, while it lasts.

The ideas behind it may be simplistic, but their excellent execution is what makes Boom Blox so much fun. Its presentation and implementation make it easy to pick up and approachable by any age group; this is enjoyable, easy-going fun at its best.

Any serious puzzler would be strongly advised to look elsewhere for their fix.

Iron Man is a mess, an utter travesty and a total waste of anyone's money, no matter how little they spend on it.

Only pick this up if you're the sort of person who buys supermarket own-brand bog roll and enjoys the rough sawdust texture.

Definitely the type of game to park your brain in neutral, play and enjoy without expecting too much from it.

Viking: Battle for Asgard falls too far below the benchmark set by those that have gone before.

Despite the repetitive and fiddly combat - which de-harmonises the experience and impacts on the enjoyment factor somewhat - ardent, die-hard fans of the series will have a fulfilling and fun time with the revisited universe.

Despite the lack of challenge provided for half of the single player game, Minna No Golf 5 excels in every other area, offering a realistic golf simulation wrapped inside a package so cute that it is impossible to resist. [JPN Import]

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is a let-down in as much as it caters for its target audience, but does little to refresh or invigorate the series as a whole.

Overall, Condemned 2 starts off brilliantly and has much potential, but ends up a crushing disappointment. Not only does it pail into comparison to its predecessor, but it also fails to stand up against other games in the FPS genre.

They need to elevate PES to the next stage of its life that it so deserves, and the only way they can do that is to give players more of what they want rather than take from them.

It's great fun in the two-player mode and, like any other lightgun game, is a good laugh for post-pub blasting. It's just a shame that Sega didn't make more of an effort with this release.

Brawl has the most characters, is the best balanced, delivers the most and generally trumps both the other games so far.

Not matter the hyperbole, Army of Two is a single player game that has been hastily dressed up for co-op.

Patapon is one of the PSP's more original and interesting titles of late.

There's simply so much game here, and so much replay value to be found in pursuing high scores that - for not much more than a fiver - it'd be rude not to buy it.

For those who love score attack systems and shooting things then membership of The Club is certainly recommended.

Despite these small problems, however, this is still essential playing for long-time fans, and for new entrants: buy this game, play it, and then get the others.

Lost Odyssey is a long arduous journey, but it is one that’s filled with a story that continues to flesh out its characters right to the very end.

There’s no other game on the DS with gameplay quite like this and every DS owner should try it for themselves.

Burnout Paradise is a superb title that offers a glimpse into how the racing genre is evolving. While not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, what it offers is sublime entertainment.

There can be no more complaints from gamers looking for a unique experience when gems such as this are out there to be sampled. Miss it at your peril.

Once all areas of the map have been fully explored, the replay value is threatened by repetition, but amongst the violence and destruction found elsewhere in videogames, it will always be refreshing to sit back – cup of tea in one hand, a remote in the other – and simply just relax in the deep blue.

Shooters are quite thin on the ground for the DS, so fans of the genre will find enough here to keep them going for a good while, particularly in the quest to attain gold medals for each and every planet in every galaxy.