While the game itself is never diffi cult or badly designed, it consistently contrives to point out its restrictions: neither controls nor narrative are ever slick enough that you ever feel immersed.

Sadly, it runs out of ideas by the halfway point (there's no online play), offering little more than increasingly steep medal targets that put you at the mercy of the game's rather inconsistent physics. Worse still, some levels have very rigid solutions, which sit awkwardly next to the knockabout, anything-goes approach of the early game.

Puts the 'limp' in olympic. [Aug 2012, p.109]

Fun and chap but largely inane, this stuff would have served better in the full game. [Aug 2012, p.117]

A high-speed change of pace. [Aug 2012, p.117]

Hardly the feel good hit of the summer. [Aug 2012, p.110]

Losing Kinect doesn't lost the joy of this ride. [Aug 2012, p.107]

There's more content here than you can shake a frog at - a lot for 800 MS points - and with XBLA exclusive game modes such as a weekly resetting challenge mode and the one-life, no restarts 'Iron Frog' campaign this is a rare catch, but it fails to detract from the feeling that this game belongs more on a phone that your 360.

We can't tear ourselves away from the purity of the trick system, the pleasure of exercising long-dormant 'hardcore gaming' abilities and the tantalising target that is the top of the Live friends leaderboard.

The ambition is worthwhile on the whole, however, and if you'll frequently throw down the pad in fury, you'll just as frequently snatch it up again for another try.

Even with EA's Need For Speed-branded gloss stripped away and replaced by rudimentary menus, there's still a satisfying, if bare-bones, driving game beneath.

Even if you're confined to single player, Spelunky is yet another small but perfectly formed nugget of joy to be unearthed on the Games Marketplace. Like Fez, Joe Danger and Super Meat Boy before it, the charm simply oozes out of the screen and leaves a saccharine sticky patch at the base of your TV. That initial infuriation crystallises into solid determination and 1200MP buys you an endless supply of levels against which to test your wits and skills.

This is definitely the wall-crawler's best game in years.

It's still a collection of relatively shallow events competing against other sports games, such as FIFA, that have the luxury of offering vast depth within a single sport. As a result even though this is the best multi-sport game we've played in an age, it still feels more like a platter of hors d'oeuvres than a gut-filling steak dinner.

It's difficult to turn your nose up at new content for a game that scored a ten, but if you're expecting something dramatically different or experimental from Dawnguard you're likely to be disappointed.

Despite the blatantly rushed execution, it's impossible not to love The Walking Dead Episode 2. This is thought-provoking, clever, and genuinely grown-up entertainment. Heart-rending decisions and spectacular pacing make this one of the most intense gaming experiences we've ever had.

A third-person shooter packed with thrilling set-pieces that tries to make you think about why you are doing the shooting. It's utterly bleak, occasionally gruelling and falls just short of the thought-provoking masterpiece it was aiming for, but it's still a relentlessly compelling experience if you've got the stomach for it.

While the game doesn't sour our love for Suda-51's output as whole, it feels less faithful to his unpredictable blend of Western pop culture and Japanese quirkiness than last year's Shadows of the Damned was. Instead Lollipop Chainsaw seems to purposefully shift the balance in an attempt to pander to some perceived audience made up entirely of sex-obsessed American teenagers.

Intense shmup-ing but overpriced. [July 2012, p.107]

There's nothing super about it. [July 2012, p.107]

It's a waste of some fairly pleasant graphics. [July 2012, p.105]

Trimming off dead-weight as often as it adds something new, this is the strongest LEGO game yet. We've had seven years' worth of iterations, but these cheeky blocks of plastic are still fantastic.

The new Steel Battalion is going to divide people, in case you hadn't guessed. Some players will choke on the interfacial blunders, gag at the sporadically entertaining missions and walk away calling it the worst game ever. Others, however, will regard even the flaws as a thrown gauntlet.

Babel Rising has a seed of a good idea, but someone got the wrong element, and instead of watering that seed, they blew it.

The best of the bunch is Oasis, a posh Middle-Eastern hotel complex full of corridors, courtyards, and shining surfaces. This map has a lot in common with the Hotel level from Black Ops, and provides a real treat for fans of modes like Domination, with plenty of pillars and balconies favouring tactical progression over rush-tactics or camping.

If you remain nostalgic about this strange era, love the books, and don't mind turn-based combat, this is surprisingly compelling stuff. Everyone else should approach with caution: don't expect an awesome dwarf to give you the cash back if you hate it.

Stagnant and lacking in substance, Battleship is a bit of a floater. [June 2012, p.105]

An enjoyable shooter with hidden depth. [June 2012, p.103]

Equal parts fun and frustrating. [June 2012, p.103]

A fantastical, forward-thinking fighter. [June 2012, p.102]

Nothing we haven't seen before. [June 2012, p.101]

An enjoyable twist on tower defence. [June 2012, p.101]

Not the home run we'd hoped for. [June 2012, p.96]

An explosive Zumba party fitness outburst. [June 2012, p.93]

Just get some friends around for some local play. In that situation alone, Tenorman's Revenge becomes fully entertaining. [June 2012, p.93]

The good, the bad, and the abysmal. [June 2012, p.93]

Sadly, the floaty handling returns, which limits the feeling of tactile connection to the game. Similarly, while the simplistic trick system is adequate for boost hoarding in races, the stunt events are a fiddly chore. Techland still hasn't entirely 'nailed' it then, but you definitely won't feel robbed for the price.

While there isn't quite the same level of incidental detail as the main game, it still feels just as polished and involving as the rest of Arkham City.

If you long for the carefree carnage of Destruction Derby and you're happy to ply the bulk of your trade online this is well worth a look. Otherwise you'll probably want to write this one off.

All it's lacking is confidence. The game might not once dare to underwhelm, but moments of true brilliance tend to emerge from the art direction - creeping into the mouth of a supertanker, shooting your way out of a dank church, clambering through a shattered Nigerian school. That the most impressive thing in a game about wholesale murder is the visuals suggests that Ubisoft might be using the drawing board the wrong way - but regardless, it's produced a shooter that's well worth your time.

Missteps will infuriate those obsessed with consistency, but underneath the messy bits there's something deep, fascinating and exciting. Dull bug-bashers won't abide the rough edges, but they'll be missing out on one of this year's best RPGs. Put up with the shortcomings, and the rest is superb.

It's a smooth, slippery Sonic that takes another step away from it's single-button origins without losing any of the hog essense. With local and online co-op, it offers just enough entertainment to justify its steep episodic price.

The repetitive action might be reminiscent of the original games, but it's still repetition, and ultimately that causes things to drag. Fortunately just like Max himself it's also difficult to dislike - the plot isn't something you'll be able to leave alone for long, bullet time still has the capacity to thrill and the multiplayer provides the variety and unpredictability required for genuine longevity.

The career mode is a repetitive series of unlocked events and the addition of an extremely rudimentary Trick Battle mode doesn't do much to break the tedium. At the very most, this is no more than an afternoon's entertainment.

4J has turned in an accomplished port, boasting crisp, high-resolution visuals and a reorganised inventory...In terms of console sims, nothing touches it. Minecraft's world is one that everybody should experience.

An unremarkable shooter by modern standards, but the satisfaction of its cinematic kills is hard to deny. It's just a shame that these moments are encased in a generally shoddy gameplay experience.

What takes all of this simple arcade fun and elevates it, of course, is Lionhead's flair for detailing, whether the design team's throwing in nods to the rest of the Fable series via the locations - which range from the sunflower meadows of Millfields to the sandy wastes of Aurora - or tossing in classic enemies, including bobble-headed reinventions of hollow men and balverines.

It doesn't really feel like a point and click adventure, and sometimes it barely even feels like a game - but if you're in the mood for something different, this is superb entertainment at a fantastic price. If you're a fan of zombie movies, get involved. We're hooked: bring on Episode 2.

Your moves are clumsy, and unresponsive. Arenas wear you out, rather than challenge you. Boss battles are overwrought and underwhelming. The God at the climax of the Land of the Dead is defeated by a drawn-out process of ranged health-whittling and dodge-rolling.

Had this been a £39.99 retail game like 2010 FIFA World Cup was then we'd be coughing "rip-off" under our breaths, but kudos to EA for giving UEFA Euro 2012 a price tag that reflects its likely lifespan.

A further downer is that the campaign missions are relatively easy to rush through. [May 2012, p.99]

A very welcome nostalgia kick. [May 2012, p.99]

The brilliant thing is how carefully stage-managed this madness is... A bizarre but brilliant online brawler. [May 2012, p.98]

Linear. [May 2012, p.97]

The only thing this is good for is scrap. [May 2012, p.97]

Barely worth splashing out on. [May 2012, p.95]

Iteration for a new generation. [May 2012, p.95]

Less "more of the same" and more "less good." [May 2012, p.95]

Two great games and an awful one. [May 2012, p.93]

Relentlessly clever and deviously charming. [May 2012, p.85]

In small, controlled doses Prototype 2 is great, but it never really manages to do anything amazing. All of the rough edges from the first game are gone, but the formula we're left with feels baby-food smooth. It manages to cure all of the ills of the first Prototype, but not without unwanted side-effects.

It adds visual punch, improved multiplayer, a better sense of progression (as new licenses must now be acquired to unlock further tracks) and an intimidatingly powerful editor with the potential to punt the game's longevity into the stratosphere. For 1,200 MP this is as unmissable an XBLA title as its predecessor and, while it's not quite an evolution, it's certainly an example of intelligent design.

There's absolutely no doubt that Fez is essential. As a fan of games in general, you should consider it required reading - it's one of the smartest, most charming games you'll ever play, let alone just this year or this console generation. Somehow Polytron has constructed something that tweaks our nostalgia for the 16-bit era and yet presents fresh, imaginative challenges.

A huge, complex and expertly written RPG that has the capacity to consume weeks, maybe even months of your life. While its roots are on the PC, it's translated effortlessly to the Xbox 360 with no compromises and stacks up well against the prettiest games on the system. It's more hardcore than Skyrim but by no means inaccessible.

Speeder Bikes are unresponsive to the point of fury, and the one-on-one duels don't respond to your attacks in anywhere near as satisfying a way as the exploding droids. The assault courses are fine, but easily rehearsed, and there's nothing in this game that convinces me that anyone making it thought it was actually a good idea. There are flashes of inspiration that make it genuinely likeable - but it fails, and hard, as a forty pound game.

Sine Mora is a brilliant shooter that doesn't burst immediately into life. But once you pick up the ways in which it tests you, dicks you around, and emasculates you, it'll be one of the best abusive relationships you've ever been in.

The problem is that such a brilliant editor just makes you wish it resided in a better racing game.

At 800 MP, Forces of Nature is hard to resist. Epic's final and most dramatic dose of Season Pass content turns out to be its most conciliatory, a club sandwich of new and warmed-over jollies that belongs on every menu.

A great yearly update that doesn't disappoint. Kinect integration will entertain the less serious player, but the brilliantly precise and challenging new control scheme means the golfing hardcore won't need to give it a second glance.

Lovely design, ruined by imprecision. [Apr 2012, p.109]

Nostalgic fun that's aged badly. [Apr 2012, p.105]

All zombies must try (harder). [Apr 2012, p.105]

Not great for beginners, but fine for flight fans. [Apr 2012, p.100]

Some of the ideas at the core of it are brilliant, but the same thing could be said of the atomic bomb. Blades of Time is slightly more pleasant than a nuclear explosion, but that doesn't make it worthy of your money or your time.

The Kinect controls for all these activities feel intuitive, accurate, and responsive. Considering the range of gestures, there's impressively little frustration involved.

It's abysmal in singleplayer, elevating itself to merely dull and forgettable in co-op and multiplayer. Welcome to a zombie game that's as lifeless and ragged as its primary antagonists.

Most story missions rely on hefty amounts of trial and error, but getting it right doesn't even feel satisfying: it's like playing cards against someone who cheers every time you win, but refuses to teach you how to play. Everything you do is tied back to the multiplayer - a mighty clan-based system that impresses, but adds even more complexity. Armored Core V's initial ease turns out to be a token gesture. This is hardcore.

Ninja Gaiden serves up some Hollywood setpieces with a rock-solid combat system. Forgive the hyperactive cameraman and choose the right difficulty, because the wrong one will ruin your game.

Given that FIFA 12 is crammed with modes and teams, FIFA Street feels lightweight, with only a handful of licensed club leagues on offer and a main menu bereft of choice. Still, if you're getting bored of FIFA and like your football a little more vibrant, this is a decent if not essential choice.

Downpour is an engrossing, eerie play, but it's simultaneously empowered and constrained by its necromantic heritage. There are two sides to every Silent Hill, and like every studio since Team Silent, Vatra hasn't brought enough to the party.

The additions are enticing, but they're also insulting. If you're the kind of person who's easily enraged, steer well clear of this cheeky cash-grab.

If we have one complaint, it's the fact you have to waggle the thumbstick for a few seconds to blow up the thing you're occupying. You're not using B or Y, guys. But otherwise this is an intelligent and modestly-priced puzzler that'll lovingly abduct an evening from your life.

It's a harrowing tale, but a frustrating one too. Odd arcade touches and cost-cutting measures poke through the skin like broken bones. Bluffing your way out of a fight sounds promising, but it's a clunky, repetitive business and bodycounts are high.

Mass Effect 3 is brave enough to threaten to destroy its very own legacy. Everything you've worked for is genuinely at risk, and horrifying things are going to happen because of some of the choices you've made. If you've spent as long as we have with these characters, the impact of this final journey will be one you don't forget for years. Brave, thrilling, and incredibly emotional, Mass Effect 3 is a sci-fi masterpiece.

A fantastically substantial fighting game. If Marvel vs Capcom 3 was too wacky for your tastes, this sits comfortably between it and Street Fighter IV on the lunacy spectrum. The tag mechanic is brilliantly robust, there are loads of new moves to master and the Tekken characters slot in more comfortably than a bum in a favourite armchair. Welcome to your new favourite fighting game.

Not really worth investigating. [March 2012, p.91]

The Lost Archive will blast an evening from your life, and give you something minor to chew on until Assassin's Creed 3. But this udder sac is pretty much drained.

As a series reboot this is perfectly acceptable, but it's the new and innovative online aspects that make SSX feel absolutely superb. Packed to the brim with clever ideas, SSX is a truly unmissable surprise. While most other online modes feel like painting-by-numbers, SSX shrugs and tries something refreshingly different. This isn't just brave - it's brilliant.

This is very much a single-player pick, and the game Terminator wishes it could be.

Asura's Wrath begs for negative criticism. But no unhelpful intellectualising about the boundaries of TV and videogame can magic away the wide grin that sat on our face for most of the game. If you're a fan of massive-attack anime and characters who are only mortal when the battle ends, Asura's Wrath is Naruto for post-pubescents. It's not great value, but it is spectacular entertainment.

Syndicate feels like a deeply average game in a cunning, expensive disguise. Stare at the screenshots and you'll wonder how something that looks so slick can be as disappointing as it is.

American Nightmare is good value, but it hints at more than it delivers - a world in which urban myths can come true never materialises in this episode. But that just makes us wonder what Remedy has got in store.

Kids will obviously adore it, but if you've ever enjoyed inching through Disneyland's campy haunted house, you'll be equally at home in Haunt.

Brief, reasonably entertaining and mercifully cheap. [Feb 2012, p.103]

A by-the-numbers recreation of the show. [Feb 2012, p.103]

Explodes your preconceptions. [Feb 2012, p.101]

It's the one that we want. [Feb 2012, p.101]

The Winter of our discontent. [Feb 2012, p.101]