Was it worth the wait, yes, it did keep drawing me back but through the final missions auto-pilot mode had taken over. Regrettably, for a new game, it already feels dated.

In some areas (like the moveable furniture) it adds interesting enhancements, whilst less successful innovations can simply be ignored. But what it fails to do is to keep the momentum of the first game.

Bulletstorm may be a sick, filthy game that you may not want to show to everyone, but at least it knows it is and simply doesn't care. It's much more interested in whether or not you can slam three shotgun shots into that guy you just flung into the air.

If there's one complaint it's the precision necessary to succeed in completing some of the championships.

If there's one thing that pisses me off without exception it's a full-price retail tag slapped shamelessly onto a distinctly half-arsed product. Now there's a quote for the box.

Gran Turismo 5 is a love letter to racing fanatics, but also the perfect entry point for more casual players. It plays like a dream, and as long as you can forgive the occasional hiccup here and there, you'll find yourself completely enthralled.

It is worth a glance, but if you bore easily you may find this doesn't have the 'wow' gameplay factor to hold your interest for long, and would probably be better off looking elsewhere ultimately.

The fact that you are being asked to pay full premium for what is effectively an expansion pack in all but name, may put some off.

What it does do is take the most basely satisfying parts of the whole RPG genre and lay them out in a fast moving buffet of bloodshed and looting. The joy of acquisition and dominance inherent to role-playing games is married to the savage joy of slaughtering entire crowds of victi.. sorry villains, and in conclusion I can heartily recommend it.

A more than competent and enjoyable real-time strategy experience.

For veterans of the series, you will gladly find your love for it refreshed and charged, once again to play through this new glorious setting and deeper plotline, incorporating two new character classes and hero customisation to keep you online and campaigning for hours on end.

It's not perfect, the unbalanced nature of the maps, the spawn camping and a fairly harsh learning curve for newcomers may put off a lot of people, but for those who put the effort in to get past that there's a deeply nuanced shooter to be found.

There are always a large number of players online whatever the time of day with the dedicated Sony servers usually holding the larger 32 player battles.

If you are a fan of this genre then you will love Shatter to bits (bad joke, I know), but even if you don't like these 'break out' type affairs, giving Shatter a go would really be worth your time.

This is a ride you don't want to miss.

Darwinia is the most refreshing, beautiful, frustrating, compelling and dare I say it original game I've had the pleasure of playing in many a year.

In bringing Formula One back to HD consoles, the racing veterans have created a robust and at times thrilling game that effortlessly slips into pole position ahead of this generation's other F1 efforts.

The only potential upset for those fond of Picross DS is that there are no nods to other Nintendo properties, so that means no more Mario-themed objects to be carefully unearthed. That's the smallest of minor quibbles, though, and it's silly to be anything other than delighted by the sheer glut of perplexing content available here.

While the plot may be simple in theory, for example, the dialogue is wonderfully eccentric, and always keeps you glued to the screen.

Despite initial concerns about the price tag, Halo 3: ODST offers up a surprising glut of content for your money. Bungie aren't making a concentrated effort to reinvent the formula they've so successfully championed, and for that reason they're likely to come across their fair share of detractors. Halo 3: ODST is never going to be considered game of the year, but Firefight in particular will likely be played for a long time to come.

While DiRT certainly does offer the best traditional rally experience around at the moment, by including the chance to race directly against other vehicles in the CORR events it almost accidentally reminds you that racing that way is actually more fun. If you're a serious rally fan then this is easily the best game of its type, however, anyone just in the market for a decent racing game may want to stop and decide if this is really going to be their cup of tea before they part with their money.

The bottom line here is that Nintendo's supposedly underpowered home console remains the single best option for a pure survival horror experience thanks to the vastly superior controls, taut gameplay and fright value of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition.

This game is pure, unadulterated, ultra-violent fun, and should perhaps be compulsory for anyone who needs a bit of stress relief in their life, or have an urge to shoot aliens for no other reason than because they can.

Taking all things into consideration, and despite some dodgy gameplay balance issues, wonky supercar handling, and ill-fitting drift events, much of Need for Speed: Shift is undeniably impressive and EA's work is done with regard to breathing fresh life into a decaying series corpse.

As much as a sore ass is the sign of a poor movie, sore eyes from a lack of blinking is a sure sign of an excellent videogame. Perhaps the biggest endorsement worth assigning to Crackdown is that hours of enjoyable gameplay will fly by as the player endeavours to rid Pacific City of its criminal contingent - and not much blinking will take place in the process.

Like an unexpected kick in the plums, it's a genuine surprise that this is actually rather good.

I've not played many of the previous Madden games, and I wouldn't call myself an American football enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination. But this game really managed to capture my attention. Its addictive; its fun, and its very easy to get sucked into.

It features fantastic level design that make a fresh change from the usual FPS fodder. Coupled with a captivating and well told storyline, Prey comes together to be the game of choice if you are looking for an FPS that, if not perfect, actually does something new for the genre.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a fantastic journey that you'll be exploring for weeks on end. With tens of hours of content and challenges to overcome, this may well be the epic saga you've been waiting for. If only the experience was slightly condensed down and given just that little bit more focus, we'd be recommending it outright.

Were it not for the plot and the special significance of Final Fantasy VII this game would invariably fail to stand out in a crowded genre, brimming with innovation and quality. Still, this is Final Fantasy, and that still counts for something.

Overall, this title has bucket loads of quality and a game structure that should keep you happily driving for many hours. It is a shame that multiplayer didn't make it in somewhere (even in online, it's all time trials).

Quite simply, it's easily the best shooter of the year thus far.

What remains to be seen is whether EA can reintroduce a suitable element of difficulty to knock the series back in the right direction without forcing an unintentional bogie.

If football management is your thing and you have a whole load of free time, you don't really need to look further than the new Football Manager.

2010 FIFA World Cup is a brilliant football game and a perfect example of how to build a proper game around a one-off tournament. It's hands-down the best football game out there at the moment until FIFA 11 at least.

There's certainly enough material in here to keep you occupied for hours on end and the wealth of freshly added ninja-gubbins demonstrates Team Ninja's commitment to providing real value for money. Having said that, the sheer unflinching brutality of Ninja Gaiden 2 on Xbox 360, for us, makes it the definitive version of the game.

Played in the spirit in which it is intended, Hitman: Blood Money proves that even in the series' fourth installment it still has the means to impress with its gameplay, freedom of exploration and high production values. Although there are still one or two little annoyances, there's no doubting that there's more than enough here to satisfy even the most experienced of contracted killers.

Alan Wake is a good game. But as well as a recommendation, I'd suggest you take your time with the first play through, because it's a game you can also only really experience once properly. You will most likely play it more than once - but that first time is the real charm of the thing.

We were hoping for a little more innovation from Brutal Legend beyond the standard sandbox set up and button mashing, axe-wielding action. But then again, if the Gods of Metal are pleased with it, then who are we to complain?

The opponents seem to always outclass you, with the AI coming across as simplistic, relying instead on superior stats as opposed to any kind of impressive fighting prowess.

This game may be cheap but it often feels even cheaper. It's not just the simplistic mechanics at work but the rough edges which begin to cut once the initial lubrications of happiness at replaying a classic title have worn away. From icons that shift slots on the UI to redundant information screens being favored over the existence of useful ones, Colonization 2008 feels more like an intern project than a game that should be sold to the public.

The sheer amount of options and decision-making direction available to the player can be quite overwhelming. There are, however, a selection of well paced tutorials at hand in order to draw you into some of the game's elements at a gentle pace.

More than most games your personal level of satisfaction with WarioWare DIY will be directly proportional to what you expect out of it.

While our stay in the city of sin has been an enjoyable and occasionally engrossing one, we won't be needing to revisit anytime soon.

Rise of the Apocalypse could suitably have been named 'X-Men Legends II: More of the Same +', for that's what it offers.

If there's one complaint it's the precision necessary to succeed in completing some of the championships.

Dangerously compelling entertainment.

By concentrating solely on the bits people who want to play superhero games are most interested in, namely superpowers and character abilities, rather than any of the more involved economics of other MMOs, COH/V manages to deliver a pair of finely focused games that understand what their audience wants and aren't ashamed to provide it by the bucket load.

It's pretty hard to find serious fault with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.

TiP is a confident and well realized evolution that leaves the way open for more sequels. If/when Microsoft release a motion controller this game is already well positioned to become a masterpiece at the flick of a patch.

A decent package, only let down a little by its lack of ambition.

While the experience is short-lived, the seven or so hours of gameplay you get from it are truly amazing and for once, I can say a film-to-game conversion has successfully been achieved.

It sets the foundation and future for the franchise on the next-generation. However, if Ultimate Alliance had better playable characters, improved customization and a little more of a challenge in places it would indeed be perfect.

It pushes the stilted FPS genre in a direction not often associated with mindless run and gun action. The seamless integration of brilliant performances, staggering character animation and near photo-realistic presentation only serve to enhance impressive white-knuckle action gameplay and a truly creepy yet compelling pseudo RPG storyline.

Blur has plenty of the Project Gotham spirit in it, as well as a slew of impressive new ideas. But it all feels quite tame next to the competition.

The only thing stopping it achieving a better score are the aforementioned niggles coupled with some below par AI. Their computer-controlled abilities switch from laughably amateur to 'one mistake and its race over' Terminator-style brutality in a matter of moments which seems more than a little unfair.

A couple of managers I competed against admitted they were addicted, yet none had a problem with this particular addiction. As for me, I think one of the most interesting things about FML is the thought of where Sports Interactive will take the concept next.

Ultimately, Vigil Games and Joe Madureira have spread themselves too thin with Darksiders, which is, though I'm loathed to say it, largely style and scant little substance.

A deceptively simple game, one of those classics that you can instantly pick up and play but which colludes with the pleasure seeking part of your brain into compelling you to keep on playing until you master all its little nuances.

The visuals may not delight to quite to the same degree as the 360 version, and the view can be a little close-up at times, but new features like wi-fi animal trading, the interface, and of course the icon-based menus that are much more intuitive, make for an experience that can hold its own against the original title and will hopefully attract a few new players to the series too.

It's certainly a little rough around the edges, but spend a little time delving deeper into the 'Zone' and you'll find you've chiseled away at a beauty.

Only Valve's Orange Box trumps it for sheer value and quality. For that reason alone, Assault on Dark Athena is nigh on essential.

Naturally the pimping side of things have been expanded to a maddeningly complete degree.

Call of Duty 3 looks superb, its action is flowing, its detailing is immense, and its authenticity unmatched, but conversely it provides worthless gameplay extras where extras are simply not necessary, and it detracts from established and proven foundations through occasionally sloppy delivery - in its core single-player element.

The package as a whole works well, not because of the packed in wheel, not because of the new content and innovation, but because Nintendo have proved that they understand what it is that makes this series great - the balance between racing and fighting.

I find myself strangely drawn to its slightly old school re-imagining on the arcade racer. You might be tempted to wait for a fleshed out sequel, but I suspect that in hindsight this will be the version to play - before it feels the need to grow up or add more complexity.

It's a saga that only insatiable hardcore genre addicts will garner any real fulfillment from.

Naturally the pimping side of things have been expanded to a maddeningly complete degree.

Initially, Pirates! feels extremely open ended and multi-faceted, yet its varied gameplay features soon lapse into the uncomfortable realms of repetition and borderline monotony - there's nothing on offer by way of expansion over its PC and Xbox counterparts.

The main achievement of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - which rises above all other minor concerns - is that it represents the first genuinely appealing real-time strategy success on a home videogames console.

It's a gigantic, beautiful game, but it's one that irreparably hurts itself with an unforgivably slow introduction.

At its heart, Red Alert 3 is classic Command & Conquer. The art style is fantastic, the presentation is silky smooth and the core gameplay is as satisfying as it was over ten years ago. The game dances so close to being quintessential, but consistently falls short of the mark, and that's almost entirely because of the abhorrent decision of including the co-commander system.

Thanks to genuine challenge, bruising A.I., a significantly improved Manager Mode, and more involving evolutionary player aspects, this year's FIFA emerges as yet another successful edition to EA's once vilified football portfolio.

We'd get rid of power-ups completely, or at least, implement them so they don't murder the flow of each race.

Enslaved is a worthy adventure title that overcomes its own minor shortcomings with an excellent narrative and glorious visuals.

What Ensemble have achieved is nothing short of astonishing. It may not prove to be the finest example in presenting lasting appeal – single-player certainly doesn’t last all that long – but ultimately, Halo Wars stands out as an RTS experience that works incredibly well while ticking all of the right boxes for the fans.

Where it excels, and where it innovates, all is rosy, and occasionally exceptional - but where it falls down it can chafe, and it still isn't as balanced and polished as it might be. That being said, Evolution do more than enough to make this a good purchase for fans of the genre.

But it is the simplicity of the gameplay that is both a boon and a curse. For while BfME will appeal to many causal gamers or LOTR/RTS fans looking for some light entertainment it will seriously disappoint all those people who have been patiently waiting for the chance to lead the forces of light against the hordes of evil in a satisfyingly deep and engaging strategy game.

Played in the spirit in which it is intended, Hitman: Blood Money proves that even in the series' fourth installment it still has the means to impress with its gameplay, freedom of exploration and high production values. Although there are still one or two little annoyances, there's no doubting that there's more than enough here to satisfy even the most experienced of contracted killers.

The only thing stopping it achieving a better score are the aforementioned niggles coupled with some below par AI. Their computer-controlled abilities switch from laughably amateur to 'one mistake and its race over' Terminator-style brutality in a matter of moments which seems more than a little unfair.

Like a bullet to the face, Saints Row 2 is a brash, over the top, occasionally childish but actually quite lovable foil to the convention-breaking seriousness of GTA. It isn't perfect, technical glitches and imperfections abound in places, but Volition score big with the explosive, water-tight action, the user-customisation elements and in offering such an incredible amount of content allowing players to spend tens of hours immersing themselves in Stilwater's many attractions. Bling bling.

It more than holds its own against the perceived heavyweights of the genre.

A surprisingly satisfying and original first-person survival horror game that really shows off the Xbox 360.

Infinitely playable and any fan of the series will find it a greatly rewarding experience.

Gruesome, bloody and at times compelling - even if you might admonish yourself for thinking it.

Perhaps this easiness stems from the fact that despite the huge number of games featured it's hard to escape from the feeling that a tad more variety would be welcome.

Sure, it's never better than GTA itself and isn't going to win any awards for originality, but Saints Row does measure up to 2001's "GTA III" pretty well.

A prodigiously enjoyable title. It has lots of action, violence, crazed humour and simple gameplay for pick up and play moments. It might be too easy and the multiplayer mode is not the best, but apart from those two minute annoyances there is nothing else you can fault it on.

One of the most exhaustive, expansive and compelling RPG experiences on the market.

The Witcher is a bit of an oddball. Genres exist, over many years defined and redefined, but successful games rarely detract so heavily, while still claiming to be a part of one genre. The Witcher is an RPG is spirit rather than in practice. It'll suffer because of this.

It is a finely constructed, accessible real-time strategy game with a brilliant soundtrack, tactical warfare with intricacies too long winded to go into here and highly addictive gameplay.

Assassin's Creed arrives as a glorious but flawed masterpiece that deserves to be praised for all that it does so brilliantly, not shamefully criticised for a smattering of minor detractions that never threaten to do anything but temporarily blemish an otherwise glistening gem.

Whenever a game of such craftsmanship actually gets a release in Europe, you would be a fool not to grasp it tightly and treasure its unique and original interactivity.

Its more of a single player experience than it is for multiples of people, and in that sense it works nearly perfectly. Car handling is simple, the frame rate is speedy, but more than anything Coast 2 Coast is fantastic fun to play - a quality that many a game bogged down with FMVs and unnecessary complications neglects.

You're effectively getting two games for the price of one with Just Cause 2. The first is a creative but flaky action game with a criminally stupid story. But the second is a budget-priced holiday to the most remarkable and culturally diverse nations in the world, one where hilarious cartoon violence is just a part of everyday life.

New features help give the game a little extra spice. I especially like being able to force other nations into becoming protectorate states and demand they fight in my wars with everyone else.

Pong's fabulously simple gameplay may have been used as a blueprint during Rockstar's development of Table Tennis, but that's certainly a positive attribute and only further enforces the notion of aspiring to create a comparably addictive experience that's completely free of unnecessary padding.

If you have an interest in golf but aren't too bothered about realism and are after a challenge then Hot Shots Golf Open Tee is one PSP launch title you must get.