As action games go GOWII certainly has one of the most elegantly plotted and skilfully woven stories ever, perfectly mining its mythological setting to deliver an experience full of all the delightful twists, awe inspiring set pieces and huge battles that you'd hoped for.

Packed with a never-ending stream of variety across 30 single-player missions, StarCraft II certainly ticks all the boxes for those looking to ease themselves into the action against an A.I. opponent.

Despite a few incredibly minor niggles, Street Fighter IV arguably represents a new zenith for the series and puts every other beat 'em up in the shade. Visually and technically superior in every conceivable way, Street Fighter IV revives a much loved franchise and is unquestionably something genuinely special that will be appreciated for many years to come, much like its hallowed forebear.

Okami is nothing short of an artistically inspired gaming masterpiece.

Bethesda's apocalyptical Fallout 3 belies its own jaw-dropping desolation by delivering a near-faultless action RPG that manages to not only execute compelling first-person gameplay but also provides an influential and in-depth character evolution system that's supported by an intriguing storyline and a mind-boggling game world that screams "Game of the Year" at every turn.

I pity the developers that have to release their games around the same period as this, because Gears of War 2 is magnificent.

Some of the most engrossing combat and visceral action the PS3 has to offer - presented expertly.

As it is, we're still wowed by Rock Band's ambition, while the Band World Tour mode is truly groundbreaking.

It's a big game, and one that requires a serious amount of dedication and commitment. You can't just dabble in Street Fighter, but you shouldn't really want to: spend a few hours trying to learn it and you'll be hooked for life. This is the epitome of hardcore gaming, a masterclass of competition that demands the u[t]most in technical proficiency and mental clarity.

If any major criticism can be levelled at Final Fantasy XII, a finger would have to be pointed at the game's less than endearing storyline.

Niggly controls, cheating AI, cluttered management screens, a rash of aggravating bugs and an unshakeable sense of over familiarity all combine to keep Rome: Total War from being an outright classic.

Forza 3 is undoubtedly the most comprehensive in the series to date, boasting more cars than you can shake a (gear)stick at and a whole host of fantastic courses to race them on. Slickly presented throughout, Forza 3 has pure quality coursing through its high-performance engine. Make no mistake, this is currently the finest racing sim money can buy.

The entire production reeks of quality from the stellar voice work to the jaw-dropping visuals and intuitive control system - truly this is the Batman game we've all been waiting for. It is to games what "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" are to movies - Batman: Arkham Asylum is without doubt the most definitive videogame realisation of the character yet. It's also unreservedly brilliant to boot.

It's fair to say that this game plays more like a giant expansion pack than a sequel, but that said, it's a brilliant expansion pack.

World of Warcraft may never look realistic but it will always have a very unique charm, and Lich King has certainly improved upon this.

While Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the only episode native to the Wii, and significantly more tuned to Wii Remote and Nunchuk interaction as a result, there's no denying the overall pedigree created as a result of tweaking and attaching the original Metroid Prime and its Echoes sequel.

In this more emotional sense FIFA 10 nails football wonderfully, its near technically perfect depiction of the beautiful game presents you with the very best bits of football letting you live the dream better than any previous virtual incarnation of the sport. It does make you wonder what they'll find to improve for next year, though.

To put it simply - Shadow of the Colossus is a unique experience, that no one should be unlucky enough to miss.

Crysis turns out to be a pretty perfect woman. It's beautiful, clever, fun loving, doesn't mind what you get up to and does its very best to keep you happy (it even has the option to turn the volume down). In fact if I wasn't already spoken for I may be getting ready to introduce it to my parents.

While a seven-hour freestanding Kratos adventure might be considered a little short by some gaming standards, God of War: Chains of Olympus is quite simply the finest slice of action to grace the PSP since launch and is an essential purchase on every level.

All you can ask from an expansion pack, does it improve the original game, does it offer more content and does it do enough to become essential to the core experience. The Burning Crusade offers an emphatic yes to all these so there really is very little excuse for fans not to buy it.

Considering the worth of a lengthy campaign offering genuine challenge, thrilling local multiplayer with A.I. bots, and a layered online multiplayer component that's likely to be PSN's main point of attraction for the foreseeable future, it's clear Killzone 2 has taken the ever-so popular wheel, slapped a gorgeous chrome rim on it, drastically reduced its tyre profile, and applied a sense of balance never before felt on a wheel. Why then would anyone want to reinvent the wheel when the damn wheel never looked so good or rolled so well?

Halo: Reach manages to out-deliver Halo 3 - which was itself one of the most over-delivered game's in history. The updated visuals and AI engine combine with the ever more nuanced and varied gameplay, not to mention online modes and other new gadgets, to make this a game not to be missed.

It is unmistakably a BioWare game, but nobody makes them quite like they do. I can see myself playing it for hundreds of hours.

The brilliant title that we've all been waiting for, making the DS that extra mile more appealing and helping seal my growing contempt for the PSP even though I'm not in the least bit a "fanboy".

Despite the original Assassin's Creed's less than well hidden inadequacies, we were bowled over by the sheer ambition of the title, the daring of the setting, plot and characterisation. That this sequel goes along way to addressing many of the previous gameplay concerns, while expanding on what made the first release such a wonderful slice of escapism, leaves us convinced that Ubisoft really are building a truly vital franchise that this sequel is a pivotal part of.

So if you are under the impression that The Sims 2 is for girls and housewives and that you wouldn't touch it with my rocket launcher you could be doing the gaming node in your brain a great disservice to pass over this title with such wilful abandon.

Cataclysm is perhaps not quite as awe inspiring as previous expansion packs considering this is all refinement and a reworking of original content but there's no denying the sense of sheer joy you feel rediscovering old yet familiar areas of Azeroth.