Design missteps and combat randomness don’t defeat this sombre tale.

If you're looking for updated gameplay, you'll find nothing here to satisfy you. It's still very hard (the modus operandi of arcade games in the 80s) and little gameplay niggles (like the oddly backwards-feeling button layout or enemies getting trapped places you can't get at) keep twitching at you as you play.

For those who can't get enough, Liberation is a handy portable companion to Assassin's Creed III, but it is definitely a lighter experience both in physical form and in terms of content.

This is a game with a number of mediocre elements, being released in a season already crowded with other shooters. However, the main thing it does well – capture the spirit and fun of the Bond movies – is enough to draw in a number of people.

The unashamedly jovial and fun tone of Batman: The Brave and the Bold is sure to please gamers young and old.

Great for the PC crowd, provided you have a controller.

Eye Pet is one of the most innovative virtual pet titles around, and a seemingly natural step in the evolution of the genre. Although it’s marketed towards the kids, even adult gamers may find a spot in their collection for this innovative little pet simulation.

It's recommended as a good multi-player fun fest, but genuine fans might find it less satisfying than the last few iterations - which have been rip-snorters.

What Just Dance 3 gets right is how easy it is to load up, choose a song, and get dancing with multiple players.

While the Wii version offers inferior controls, ultimately the console-TV multiplayer experience is something that the DS version cannot match. While the DS version is technically better, the Wii version offers more potential for spontaneous chaos and fun.

Overall, New Little King's Story is an engaging combination of easy to master combat, bosses are a decent challenge, and building up your kingdom is as entertaining as the laws you can create.

In the end Flow doesn’t add enough to justify the $15 price tag if you already have the PlayStation 3 version, and the lack of a save game in between evolutions may be a problem if you suddenly have the urge to play something else in between plays.

You’ll get a fantastic selection of Shakespeare’s plays, the complete works of Jane Austin, adventure stories like Treasure Island and The Last of the Mohicans. Dickens is in there, two of the Brontes, Eliot, Twain, Henry James… you won’t get bored quickly, because there’s a book for every taste and mood. That is, unless you shun the classics.

Sorcery does have a few minor shortcomings, but overall it's a beautifully presented Move title, which is surprisingly fun to play. Your budding young wizards will most likely love it.

It's a surprisingly competent package.

You pay more for the brand, but you do get quality alongside it.

It takes the theme park building and injects it with mini-games that enable a more hands on approach to building and maintaining your park, rather than just moving the mouse and clicking a bit of dirt.

It brings new humour, new methods of interaction, and a much more fleshed-out portrayal of personality for your Sims. In fact, it can be argued that this is the desert-island expansion pack; the pack you'd choose if you could only pick one. If you own the Sims 3 you need to buy Generations.

Charming tabletop presentation, let down by boring combat.

Story woes and Link Twoguns’ ridiculous official name aside, Hyrule Warriors Legends has plenty to offer, whether you’re after carefree hack ’n’ slash combat or something more tactical. Even if it’s just the Zelda dressing that’s got your attention, the Musou series staples at the core of the game, so often written off as “mindless” or “boring”, will have you hooked.

Glitchy, but still maintains the playable charm we have come to expect from LEGO games.

A decent entry into the Halo franchise. It trades in the grand scope of the original games for some bite sized pieces of action that fit the mobile platform well. There are some control quirks which are annoying, but don’t go as far as ruining the experience. All in all, it’s well worth the $8.99 asking price.

The presentation of the game is nicely polished for the most part. From a distance, everything looks really good in-game. Up close, however, H.A.W.X kind of suffers from what most flight games do – bad terrain!

If you are a fan of the band, then you should most definitely Walk This Way. If you’re simply looking for a new Guitar Hero fix, you may wish to rent the game first, or look towards the next downloadable content for Guitar Hero III.

If you’re a young casual gamer whom is interested in Guinness World Records then this one is for you, if you’re not, then don’t worry, you’re not missing much.

As mentioned, the traditional PS3 controllers work perfectly with SEGA Rally Online Arcade. But for a true, arcade-esque experience I recommend using a wheel.

I sat down and played this game from start to finish in one evening and didn’t skip a single cutscene (I didn’t even notice I wasn’t skipping them until near the end). The entire time I was engrossed in the game and having genuine fun and it went by quite quickly, a duck blur, if you will.

I personally couldn't shake the weird exploitation feel of the game that was sexist in the worst kind of way: trying to be funny but failing. Juliet could have been an amazing character (even as a hot, 18 year old cheerleader) but is too air-headed and makes too many cheap jokes fall flat and just come across as flippant. She is not a hero on a quest, she's just a girl with some amazing skills who keeps stumbling along until she wins.

The game is plenty big enough to satisfy even very demanding gamers, but I would be concerned about those controls. Not everyone wants to spend too long getting to know a difficult control system, these days. Often, immediacy is key and this is a step away from plug and play.

A solid expansion of the space stage. You won’t find a deep adventure game here, just a lot of small quests and a solid level editor to add to the strange mix of genres that is Spore.

There is a very appealing quality to this game, that I’m pleased to say far surpasses the DS offering.

A whole lot more content, all wrapped up in one of Dragon Age’s most impressive zones.

Overall, it’s a tepid entrance into the ring for EA Sports and their new UFC title.

We managed to tear through over half the songs before my voice starting shutting down from overexposure to my bad falsetto. We were anything but bored. The songs are fun, the videos are hilariously bad, and a good time was had by all involved (except Tristan, who just seemed a little awkward through most of this).

The beautiful graphics and facial expressions bond you to Jodie, and the raw emotion embodied by Aiden is conveyed not via gameplay but by sound design and the reactions of the supporting cast. By the end of the game you are as connected to Jodie as Aiden is.

Overall it is hard to recommend for Smackdown! Vs. Raw fans under the age of 27; short of The Rock, HHH, Shaun Michaels, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan, most of these wrestlers have been dead or out of the spotlight for years. For anyone with a taste for some classic WWF you can't get any better than this – game wise, anyway.

It’s a new Worms game. That either appeals to you or it doesn’t.

As lovely as Alice: Madness Returns is (and if you've not seen any screenshots, Madness Returns is a very good looking game), it can also be horridly repetitive, and there's a same-ness about subsequent levels, in that they, and the baddies that people them, don't feel as if they get any more challenging as you go along.

The game that finally convinced me to get a Telltale account.

Even though Rainbow Moon does push the retro adventuring vibe, it is an absolute joy to play. If you played RPGs in the 1990s, developers SideQuest Studios have made a game for you. If you've never played an isometric strategic RPG before, it's still a game for you. In fact, everyone should play Rainbow Moon.

Elefunk is a nice, addictive puzzle title with enough levels to make it worth the initial download.

And yes, it is another Sims iteration, but at the same time this one feels clean and fresh. The emotional interactions are really interesting, and the combination of these with different Sims' personality traits and aspirations can make for some great unpredictability. Despite what’s been left out, The Sims 4 feels like it’s heading in the right direction.

It just simply isn’t the breath of fresh air that Black Flag was last November. While that took something that was loved from AC3 and ran with it, Unity takes a few giant steps backwards and finds itself in what feels like a bigger, better looking AC2.

In the end the game gives you a dirty sense of satisfaction and some cheap thrills.

Despite these respectful niggles, UFC Personal Trainer is successful purely because it's fun. Summoning up the will-power (and body-power) to exercise in the middle of Winter can be a daunting task.

Mercenaries 2 has lived up to its expectations to be a fun and crazy game about having a hell of a time in a war zone.

Puzzle design, backgrounds, and atmosphere hold up, but not much else.

I feel bad for Kaos Studios because I think the outcome of Homefront was influenced by possible combination of either a lack of time, budget or talent.

Chances are that if you’ve played Virtua Tennis 3 you may be slightly disappointed, as the usual high bar that is the VT series hasn’t been quite reached this time round, and 2009 is quite similar to VT3 to begin with.

Probably not a game for anyone born too far before the millennium. But it is sure to bring some joy for younger players this Christmas.

If you haven't played the first Lego Indy, this may still be a worthwhile purchase, but even then it's hard to recommend when you can't simply play through all of the original film's levels. Give this one a rent and see how you like it.

Unless you desperately need a decent storyline to enjoy a game, this is a must-buy for any JRPG fan, especially for $24.95. I’ve put 95 hours into the game so far, and I’m still going strong - that should tell you all you need to know.

In the end the single player, while enjoyable, will get repetitive and the online community is almost non-existent at this time.

Its gameplay style and combat mechanic were clearly designed with the console player in mind. When transferred to the PC, the entire experience is undercut.

It's not a terrible game, but it's agonisingly close to being SO much more.

Possibly the most detrimental aspect of the PS2 port is the stuff they’ve taken out of the original PSP version. The visual gore is gone, which is odd considering you can still hear the crack of a bad guy’s neck being broken (it still retains its R16 rating). The ability to taser is gone, and most noticeably, the much lauded multiplayer is gone.

On top of the irritating cinematics and clunky non-driving gameplay elements, the game continues to feature some unpredictable AI when racing computer drivers.

A competent helicopter simulator. It will most certainly push some gamer's buttons and become a well loved addition to their military combat collection. But I'm not sure how large that market is.

Personally I think this DLC (at the right price) is the ideal way to go. FIFA '12 owners waiting for the next annual iteration to kick-off wouldn't be keen to splash out $100 in between games.

Bring on Fire Emblem: Fates.

It’s not a ground-breaking title, and those last few levels almost had me rage-quitting, but the traits allow for some fun strategies and if you’re wanting an enjoyable sci-fi story with your TBS/RPG elements, then Halfway is more than worth the miniscule price being asked for it. I look forward to the sequel (please).

Great in sprints, but tedium might put off players looking for deeper experiences.

One of the most pointless games made for the DS. The idea may sound good on paper, but performing magic tricks is really something which needs to stay in the real world. Stay away from this one, far away.

Speed Racer: The Videogame excels at multiplayer, allowing two people to play split screen across a variety of Championship races.

Dull encounters mean a great Job system never gets a chance to shine.

An entertaining game for the young ones, but an entertaining distraction for the rest of us.

New cast, new story, new creative team - just what The Walking Dead needs.

The music was too cutesy and grating for my liking (a complaint I have with many Nintendo sports games), and I would have liked the option to be able to turn it off, but keep the sound effects of the match. Still, I would rate it as a good go-to game to pick up for short periods, like the bus ride to work. Just make sure your headphones are firmly plugged in first.

Not the snafu it could’ve been and a decent war strategy game.

Deep and rewarding.

All in all, it works pretty well - it looks nice, is fun to play and has an awesome "Crusader: No Remorse" kind of feel to it, something no game in recent memory has managed.

A unique take on the fledgling RTS spinoff genre, most notably due to its easy-to-use creation system and score sharing. Unfortunately, that creation system is marred by glitches that cause inexplicable crashes when loading some custom levels.

Comes up a little short (pun intended).

This could have been a great game. Heck, it still is, but it is a real shame they did not put more effort into the player instructions instead of relying on the player to work things out as they went on. Despite this, if you are a fan of space trading and combat games, this will light up your night sky and deliver you hours of happy game play.

The visual style of the game is striking, but the touch-based controls make it clumsy and can cause large amounts of rage. Murasaki Baby makes a great airport game: if you have the patience and an awkward portion of time on your hands, it’ll definitely keep your mind preoccupied.

If you’re really into the roguelike genre, you’ll enjoy this game. I can’t claim to have been blown away by it, but there were certainly some very cool moments during my playthrough and as this game won’t set you back a huge amount on Steam anyway, if you’re craving some retro, sci-fi action, you could do worse than Sword of the Stars: The Pit.

As far as the Nintendo Wii goes, this game does a very admirable job. It possibly doesn’t beat the likes of Metroid Prime – but it does set itself up for a sequel that could potentially push the bars a lot higher.

While there's nothing technically wrong with the game, it just feels like there's so much missed opportunity with Sports Champions 2.

Don’t get this until the bugs are patched out.

It's rough around the edges, but it sports one of the best, most interesting uses of the Wii U hardware – it just takes a bit of time and effort for the control scheme to really show its true colours.

An old-school side-scroller, with the occasional throw-away 3D sequence included, that makes no concessions to the trend of making games so simple you can complete them by just pressing a button occasionally.

If I were to take a pick, I’d say this game would be perfect to play with your son or daughter – you can play the actual levels, and go make a cup of coffee while they sit and watch the cutscenes.

A good game, but one that requires tactical patience and some skill. A very hard game to play solo, but certainly with a partner or a whole squad of mates it's far more enjoyable, and in some ways more doable.

In the end the high difficulty will drive away casual gamers so trying the demo first is a must. But between the tough bosses and fast gameplay, this is a worthy successor to the NES original.

Golf: Tee It Up! is an XBLA worth getting your hands on, and at 800 MS points, will provide a reasonable bang for your buck.

Wii U exclusive controls aside, FIFA 13 is proof that the series can and will work great on the new console - it just needs a bigger community right now.

Unfortunately, this episode’s strengths are all in superficial places. Nobody comes to a Telltale game looking for technical prowess, and plot is only a tiny part of what makes a good story. I hate to say it, but Above the Law falls flat in the places that matter most: the characters and depth that underpin everything else. Without that, the episode is particularly forgettable, which doesn’t bode well for an episodic series that’s already struggling with its release schedule.

With its accessible gameplay and cute graphics and theme, it’s a winner for all ages.

It’s definitely a good game, one that shows promise for an action focused future in the Resident Evil franchise, but too many little annoyances add up to prevent it from being a great game.

Big splash in the grand scheme of quarter four 2009? No. Big splash on the Wii? For what it is, absolutely.

Official movie tie-in or not, dampen down your expectations.

This is Poker Night 2's biggest problem. I was ready to mute the game after the third time being forced to watch a particular Claptrap sequence. You can't skip segments you've already seen, and some don't allow you to keep the poker game going while they play out.

There is no doubt that this is a quirky game; however it hangs together well and delivers an entertaining gaming experience.

Give it 20 minutes and I guarantee you won’t put it down for the next 4 hours.

The AI can be a bit dense in the team games, though, which end up feeling rather shallow and pointless as a result. Again, the hollow disappointment of finding so few random games to play will rear it's ugly head here and this, as a result, is likely to be the point at which you stop playing it.

I so much wanted this game to be a mindless shooting blast fest, but sadly It failed to deliver on just about every aspect. Thunder Wolves hit the market about 10 years too late, revealing itself to an audience that expects way more than it delivers.

If you like loot-em-ups, and you like the idea of having one in your pocket, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than this.

Whether you're new to the series or a veteran, you may find the later levels to be pretty challenging - and by challenging I mean annoying.