Crackdown does have a few shortcomings such as an average targeting system and repetitive missions but the game really does have that "one more hour" feeling too it.

On the whole there is not much new going on in the world of Madden NFL 09, but the implementation of features that make it more accessible to casual gamers is a step in the right direction if the franchise is to flourish outside of the United States.

Fight Night Round 3 for the PS3 has the same old problems and a bunch of new ones - and a few scant extra features just aren't enough to tip the balance.

Whilst it is the #1 stop for V8 fans everywhere, it still falls some distance behind the mighty "Project Gotham Racing 2" and "Gran Turismo 3." This game is much more simulation than arcade based, so those expecting to be able to powerslide corners at high speed should look to "OutRun 2" or "Burnout 3" for their arcade racing fix.

To quote a famous wood-stain TV advert slogan – 'It does exactly what it says on the tin.'

Not even a wobbly second act can derail Insomniac's achievement with Resistance 3, a lean and engaging shooter which hums on a current of renewed creative energy and artistic focus. The franchise has finally founds its voice, and we look forward to what it has to say next.

If you played last years game, then it's almost impossible to justify purchasing Madden NFL 07.

Massive, varied, challenging, rewarding and spectacular, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a fantastic reboot and a premier action adventure title.

If your PSP has been gathering dust in the corner for some time, it's time to dust it off, grab a copy of Crisis Core and experience one of the truly great titles to ever grace the PSP.

Trine is an amalgamation of true and tested old-fashioned ideas gussied up with a modern twist, and is never anything less than beautiful, engaging and enjoyable despite its occasional lack of polish.

Rogue Galaxy does many things right, and changes up the tired fantasy settings of the genre, but is still held back somewhat by convention. But if you're after a solid RPG, Rogue Galaxy will fit the bill nicely.

InFamous 2 is a much better game than the first but not a better story, and still suffers from a few inconsistencies which keep it from being truly excellent.

Nintendogs is packed full of quality throughout and it’s always nice to see something so refreshingly different in a world overwhelmed with FPSs and sports games. Highly recommended.

Battlefield: Bad Company's legacy will most definitely be its satisfying use of tactical destruction. The single player campaign is good but not great, but it's multiplayer provides some of the best action that money can buy.

An excellent addition to the Wario Ware series and the ideal game to show what the Wii can do. Its lifespan may be a little on the short side but there's definitely enough enjoyment here for your money.

Torchlight is a lovingly crafted and polished action-RPG that is an absolute must for any fans of the genre, and well worth looking into from anyone else even vaguely interested.

PiCOPiCT is a great puzzler, and the best game available on DSiWare so far.

Excellent presentation, compelling story and gameplay and value for money, Professor Layton and the Last Spectre is both a fitting sendoff for the DS and a great new beginning for the Layton series.

Nintendogs is packed full of quality throughout and it’s always nice to see something so refreshingly different in a world overwhelmed with FPSs and sports games. Highly recommended.

One of the best racing games of 2005. It feels so polished and the presentation is really high class.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is an excellent football game for the fans who only come out every four years, and it plays a good game of football in its own right as well.

Minor blemishes of challenge and length on an otherwise sharply crafted blade, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword is nevertheless a solidly designed DS title.

Rise of Kurnak adds some new incentives for fresh players to pick up the Everquest habit and also has plenty of new gameplay for those that were running out of things to do in world of Norrath.

For all the improvements that come into Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, somewhere along the way, the game's vision became blurred.

Rhythm Heaven is a testament to how simple gameplay mechanics combined with ingenuous design can create a highly entertaining and immersive experience.

Its age is starting to show, but the new additions added to this GBA remake make the trip back much more rewarding. An essential purchase for what is ideally a dead console.

Kirby: Mass Attack has all the features of an excellent DS game - innovative controls, delightful gameplay and eye-popping visual style. This may be one the of the last DS games, but without a doubt, it is one of the greatest.

Alan Wake is an absolute masterpiece of great storytelling engrossed in a deep backstory, accompanied with brilliant complementary gameplay to an amazing degree.

Melding exemplary artistic merit with uninspiring gameplay, Brutal Legend is by turns captivating and clumsy, and certainly more fun to watch than it is to play.

The Wii version is slightly better looking and has motion controls that are reasonably well implemented, as is the extra content.

While the base game remains fairly much the same, the new space battles are a real thrill – it's just a pity that the hero system that appeared to be so promising really just serves to unbalance the experience.

While it's unlikely to convert anyone who can't see the fun in slowly nudging swarms of candy-coated numbers in positive directions, Colonization is a great addition to the Civ IV stable. And who needs sleep anyway?

This Wii version bodes well for the future of the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise. Hopefully Konami runs with it and continues to improve the concepts they've developed here. Recommended for those with even a passing interest in soccer, sorry - football.

Nintendogs is packed full of quality throughout and it’s always nice to see something so refreshingly different in a world overwhelmed with FPSs and sports games. Highly recommended.

A fine finish to Strong Bad's Cool Game, and a fine videogame parody in its own right.

Though by no means a large step away from Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Platinum is on its own merits a deep, engrossing and virtually endless game, and a crown jewel for the Nintendo DS.

Being on a portable console definitely doesn't mean that Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a downgrade from the first game, but there are still a couple of gameplay issues that keep the game from reaching its full potential. Regardless, action-strategy fans will adore what the game has to offer and will keep on coming back for more.

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix could be the best Tony Hawk game ever, but we can't help but feel that the series has reached its peak now.

So while it doesn’t do anything out of the ordinary (well, in comparison to the rest of the series), it delivers what it needs to and does with distinction. It's marginally a better game than the original, but it doesn't have the advantage of being the series' return to form. Still, if you're a WipEout fan or someone who's after an adrenaline and challenge packed racer, then WipEout Pulse astutely fits the bill.

While not as revolutionary as the original, it's still a very competent game and is worth a look for anybody interested in the series at all.

If you like X-Men and have four friends that share that like, you are going to find that there's a lot of fun to be had in X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. It's just a shame that it doesn't really appeal to the rest of us.

The best game in the series yet. If you're after a simulation game with damage or just want to come close to experience what it's like to drive a V8 then you simply cannot go past this game.

Dance Central is the best of the Kinect launch line-up, and with ongoing support promised for what is already a solid and well-executed concept, this inspires faith that developers are capable of great things with this hardware in the future.

Fun accessible gameplay, coupled with enough options to keep its life cycle ticking over makes Anno 1404 one strategy title that we highly recommend.

Whether you're a newcomer to the series or a seasoned veteran of the previous iteration, Everybody's Golf 2 is a fun title that's as addictive as it is accessible.

Singstar for the PlayStation 3 isn't fundamentally different from its predecessors but there is very little left to change for the franchise. With a great soundtrack and some long overdue online features, Singstar is a great continuation of the series.

Saying that the latest FIFA is "beautiful but not as deep as it could be" is becoming a cliché in itself. But it's not without some truth, and although this is engaging for a while (and still the second best football game on the market), it's not quite a keeper.

Dead Space Extraction is a tense, gorgeous rail-shooter which stays true to its predecessor while advancing its genre of choice. A slender package of notable quality.

NBA 2K10 manages to improve many facets of its game over its predecessor, showing that this franchise is not willing to give up its all-star status anytime soon.

Saints Row: The Third takes everything your teenage self found awesome and distills it into a single, outrageous game.

Shift 2: Unleashed doesn't offer the experience that so much of the preview footage was based on. That being said, it's still a great racing game.

Schafer hasn't been able to crack the finer details of blending a story with action and strategy, but Trenched is definitely a step in the right direction, opening up a myriad of possibilities.

Though it lacks the modability of the PS3 and PC ports, it makes up with the excellent implementation of split-screen and is a game sure to please multiplayer gamers in search of something new.

NWN2 doesn’t even come close to matching the high caliber that has been reached with other recent action-RPGs on the market, and is ultimately a poorly executed finish.

Mega Man Powered Up is easily one of the best titles on the PSP at this point in time - a must-buy for all fans of the Blue Bomber.

A unqiue, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable game that provides an experience that you won't get anywhere else. It also happens to be one of the best games based on a movie since "Goldeneye."

Quite simply put - this is the finest horizontal shooter on the PlayStation 2. In fact, it’s the finest horizontal shooter on any of the next-generation systems.

Simply great fun to play. It embodies everything in the Marvel universe, which is a legendary license unto itself, while simultaneously providing an extremely solid Action RPG experience.

The Darkness is an experience first and something you play second. If you can get your head around that you’ll find plenty here for your hard earned cash.

Test Drive Unlimited breathes quality in almost every area and is arguably one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Too much of the game may be spent back-and-forthing between two locations, but the pace eventually picks up. This combined with the re-appearance of Murray make this episode worth checking out for Monkey Island fans.

Bizzare hasn't broken any rules, instead choosing to fine-tune and streamline Blur into something that every racing fan should experience.

Not since Planescape Torment has the AD&D rule set shone so brightly. It's just a shame that all the fantastic elements of Mask of the Betrayer had to be contained within the same awkward engine that Neverwinter Nights was.

Darksiders is a fantastic debut for Vigil Games and an addictive adventure destined to spawn a cult of worshipers.

SOCOM 3 is everything a sequel should be. On-line and off, SOCOM 3 is a rewarding experience.

It's amazing that a slightly buggy game that was originally slated for a 2003 release can provide such fantastic gaming. It's almost scary to think just how influential S.T.A.L.K.E.R. could have been, had it been released 3-4 years ago with completely polished code.

There is little lacking and so much right within Okamiden. A great sequel, a suitable DS send-off and an outstanding game in its own right.

The most robust and refined Hitman experience to date.

A benchmark in downloadable content, even with all of its launch issues around online multiplayer.

While Tomb Raider: Legend is a solid game, Crystal Dynamics just haven’t taken any chances with it – all of the design choices throughout the game feel too safe.

Sega have successfully blended basic 3D and amazing 2D into the game, anyone who has moved away from Sonic in recent years has a great reason to come back to the series now.

Prince of Persia Classic ought to serve as a template for all future XBLA remakes. It had great potential but needed a little extra refinement to broaden its appeal.

As a single player it’s a disappointment and something that would be better played when found cheaper. However, if you’re after a multiplayer game look no further.

A tighter and more interesting instalment than the first episode, and a step in the right direction for this oddball series.

One thing Mario Kart Wii features a lot of is multiplayer options.

Split / Second: Velocity is frenetic, exciting and gorgeous, but beneath the glittering surface lays a repetitive, shallow arcade racer that is ultimately encumbered by an unfair level of difficulty which discourages long-term investment.

One of the best compilations ever, we're just hoping that Sega bring out some compilations for the Sega Saturn and the Sega Master System.

It might not deal with terrorists or modern combat, but Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remains a downright enjoyable experience from start to finish that most gamers should experience.

Fireteam Bravo is a slightly flawed gem, but it’s a gem nonetheless and its gameplay online and off shines bright enough on the PSP’s widescreen to capture the hearts and minds of the SOCOM faithful and all PSP gamers who have been long starved of first-class gaming entertainment.

The story of Kingdom Hearts gets more and more complicated, but the gameplay gets better and better. Birth By Sleep plays extremely well for a PSP game, and has plenty of fun, depth and variety.

One of the most refreshing RPG games for quite some time. A number of shortcomings only slightly hurt the usually spectacular game. It’s a tough cookie, and one that fans of older RPG games will adore.

Madden for the masses. It's fun, easy to get into and a great fit for Wii.

Sid Meier's Pirates is a shining example of how a game can be ported and made enjoyable for the PSP.

Recettear is perhaps one of the most unusual examples of a simulation game yet; with its engaging storyline, large ensemble of characters and action-RPG sequences, this is a game that really stands out from the crowd.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a fun and fast racer for those after an open-ended arcade experience.

While an obvious attraction for the older RPG fan, Etrian Odyssey II will also appeal to anyone looking for a rewarding pocketful of portable exploration and combat.

A decent game suffocating under a crust of hard plastic cheese.

It desperately needs a more interactive in-game tutorial system to lessen the near-vertical learning curve, but there's currently nothing else that can challenge Black Shark in the hardcore heli-sim arena.

ModNation Racers frees gamers from the shackles of the kart racer formula and injects a healthy dose of fun and creativity into the kart racing scene.

Enslaved is a game that has managed to sneak past the hype radar, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most enjoyable and entertaining action-adventure titles this year.

A fine finish to Strong Bad's Cool Game, and a fine videogame parody in its own right.

Halo Wars is unfortunately too simple and limited to achieve the great heights that were expected of it.

Pacific Rift is what the original MotorStorm should have been, and is a must for any racing fans with a knack for destruction and chaos.

A worthwhile addition to anyone’s DS collection. And if you love puzzle games, then you won’t be disappointed with Puzzle Quest.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a mature and rewarding visual novel experience with an unforgettable story that features some truly excellent writing.

The game encourages you to dig deep into your vocabulary and create powerful attacks. It’s surprisingly engaging and when coupled with strategic elements such as Gem Tiles, and can also be quite challenging. To keep things fresh there are also a variety of mini-games on offer. A must for casual gamers.

de Blob is an undeniably infectious game. On all fronts, the game is polished and high quality, making it one of the best third-party titles available for the Wii.

Thanks to additional characters and some enhanced gameplay, animations and modes. Bleach: Dark Souls is a worthy sequel to Bleach: The Blade of Fate that fans of Bleach and fighting games should not miss.