The strongest aspect of ACIII is the more mature moral tone.

The whole time you're playing Warfighter, just behind the sofa, there's a camouflaged Call of Duty-sized elephant sitting in the room - busying itself by practicing scope kills with its trunk. To go up against that beast Warfighter needed to impress on its own terms, and really deliver something new and exhilarating. Instead we got a cloning experiment that went badly awry.

Artorias of the Abyss successfully revitalizes your initial wonder through Dark Souls' world, and for that it's worth every Microsoft Point.

At times, the experience of play manages to feel even more dated than the camp innuendo of the movies...It becomes a begrudging joke, particularly in the stealth sections.

id Software's take on hell might be a little two-dimensional, but if you don't have the patience for the likes of Dead Space, this should scratch your diabolical itch.

Lone players need not apply: an offline campaign proves useful for learning the maps and the nuances of play, but the focus is firmly with the online game. And either way, we'd advise spending a little extra buying Awesomenauts instead.

Without any visible reinvention or revolution, WRC 3 is left looking embarrassingly dated. The WRC license has been recreated with impressive accuracy, and there's a serviceable sim underneath the awkward handling, but the entire package is painfully weak compared to its competition. If this is rally, feel free to count us out

As a street-legal version of a purebred racer, Horizon is something that anybody with an interest in cars can pick up quickly and play for ages. And if you don't like cars already, well, it might just persuade you.

Being the weakest episode in a series that's been so consistently amazing is hardly massive criticism, though. We'd felt quietly confident about it for a while, but the cliffhanger at the end of Episode 4 leaves us in no doubt: the final episode of is going to be an absolute corker. If you've not started playing, it's time to catch up.

There's no doubt that there's a push towards narrative and mechanical innovation at its heart. This won't earn plaudits for what it achieves, but what it attempts is another matter - it might be destined for the bargain bucket, but it's worth picking up once it gets there.

Strong characters entertain throughout the game's uncharacteristically involving story, with sheer imagination turning those limited core systems into something just that little bit more magical. There are tears, laughter - and most importantly, the first successful stab at Kinect-enhanced immersion - as Fable: The Journey gallops toward its epic conclusion.

Sophisticated, unnerving and reliably unforgiving, XCOM: Enemy Unknown isn't just Xbox 360's finest strategy experience - it's also a strategy game which changes how you think about strategy games. Go into it expecting a deadening flow of unlocks and build queues, and you'll get a nasty surprise. Approach the game as you would an odd noise in the basement, and the Earth might just have a fighting chance.

Dishonored is an evocative game. Even without knowing the pedigree of its key developers, you won't fail to spot similarities to the angular black steel of City 17 in Dunwall's quarantine barriers. The European twist on old London is true to the concept art, and what the textures lack in up-close resolution, the world makes up for in grand complexity and generous options.

At around five-plus hours of fun, Hell Yeah! doesn't outstay its welcome. From that first negative reaction to the title, we never expected to be saying this: Hell Yeah! is a fast, smooth and intelligently designed platformer with boundless enthusiasm, a winning imagination and stellar production values.

A disaster even by movie-game standards. [Nov 2012, p.107]

An accomplished shooter on the whole, and a fittingly thunderous send-off for current gen Resident Evil. The next instalment needs to tighten the focus, deciding which ideas are worth sticking with, but this could be the definitive videogame blockbuster - huge, colourful and surprising.

There's very little new in Dead or Alive 5. It's built on tried, true and perhaps tepid fighting game foundations, but given the depth it's difficult to fault it for that. Fighting game players in search of something completely new might be better off holding out for Persona 4 Arena. But if it's just a solid, technical fighter you're after, Dead or Alive fits the bill.

The production values are consistently impressive, and we've learned at least six new things about bears. You can't say that about Gears of War 3.

Dribbling's expanded, players are fallible, and online modes complement the real world unlike any sports title before it.

The words "awesome" and "badass" are used a lot in this game, but Gearbox has earned the right. When you gunzerk into a crowd of bandits, get killed, and your shield's nova kicks in, wiping everyone out and bringing you back to life, you'll think so too.

There's no denying that PES 2013 is a huge improvement over the last few offerings. However, the years spent fixing the football side of things have allowed FIFA to eclipse it in terms of game modes, so that's what Konami should now focus on evolving for next year's edition.

Codemasters has tweaked the driving physics to work surprisingly well with a stock Xbox 360 controller.

More wet slap than knockout blow. [Oct 2012, p.101]

Like the goblins - it swings and misses. [Oct 2012, p.101]

An average party game regurgitation. Not at this price. [Oct 2012, p.101]

Don't mourn this roadkill. [Oct 2012, p.99]

A cheap and cheerful sim at a luxury price. [Oct 2012, p.97]

Jet Set Radio may have lost the graphical novelty that made it the jaw-dropper it was back in 2000, but it still has the warm attitude, inexplicable storyline, and outstanding soundtrack that make it such a lovable bastard.