With an intriguing editing style and story, rock-solid performances and eye candy galore, Max Payne 3's campaign hits hard where most games whiff. While the gunplay is gorgeous and Superman-ing around the room doesn't really get old, sadly the core combat doesn't quite reach the dizzying heights of the wrapper - faithful to the series, but a bit arrested.

Sonic 4: Episode II is good - not great, not very good, just good. Its physics are better than the first game and the broad nods to past games will please fans, but the music is a disappointment and the combo moves limit the flowing momentum that would have nudged it into "very good" territory.

The complex tactical nature of the title won't appeal to everybody, but it's ultimately what sets it apart. If you're looking for a new shooter with a deep single player campaign, then Starhawk isn't it, but if you're in the market for a clever and fundamentally different multiplayer game, then this should absolutely be on your radar.

Sniper Elite V2 pins almost all of its hopes on its sniping mechanic, and it enjoys some success as a result. The game's disappointing presentation and lack of variety prevent it from providing much more than disposable entertainment, but with engaging gunplay and some decent replayability options, it's an enjoyable distraction when experienced in small chunks.

The simplistic combat paired with strategic gameplay offers a fantastic experience for those gamers who are either new to strategy games or just wish to play a quick game with a few of their friends. Even though frustrating at times, Awesomenauts is a great addition to the PSN's strategic game line-up - as long as you keep the moronic NPCs off your team.

Mortal Kombat on Vita packs the ultra-violent action of the series into your battle-hardened hands, and shows just how hard a punch Vita truly packs. With its $40 asking price for the entire home console game, DLC and large amount of exclusive additional content, Mortal Kombat is an essential Vita title that no fan of the genre should miss.

Datura holds very little challenge and has technical issues, but even in the face of these problems it's a title that is worth experiencing for its distorted narrative alone. It may not be an entirely great game, but it is at the least a push in a different direction and a breath of fresh air that makes you think – and for that, as more and more games fall victim to conformity, it deserves praise.

For purists, newbies or even those just looking to try a Warriors title again, Next is definitely worthy of being the next game booted up in your Vita.

Skullgirls doesn't rework the fighting game template; there's no massive overhaul of 2D scrappers, no single big idea that makes it stand apart from others in the genre. It takes what works and adds a few flourishes of its own, and that's a solid enough foundation for a series that we'll certainly see again.

Pure Chess's basic game and artificial intelligence are appropriate for beginners and experts alike, with many tutorials and challenges to keep single players busy. However, the lack of multiplayer outside of the crawling message play hurts a game that is, by its very nature, a two player game, and it isn't aided by flow-breaking input problems.

House of the Dead 4's crawl onto PSN brings the zombie-infested action of the arcades right into your house of the living. At about the same cost as a pocketful of quarters, you can grab a friend and Move controllers and relive the arcade experience from the relative safety of your home.

Like its predecessor, Prototype 2 is an enjoyable distraction rather than a must-play affair. Its varied combat and satisfying traversal mechanics provide the title with a surprisingly solid basis, but a lacklustre plot and dreary setting prevent it from competing with the very best in the open-world genre. There's certainly fun to be had here, but it's of the disappointingly dispensable kind.

While certainly not terribly friendly to newcomers, seasoned fans will find a heaping helping of engaging strategy gameplay to sink their teeth into and an adventure that offers up countless hours of play to those willing to explore all it has to offer.

Beatshapers and Orb Games' high-octane action puzzle title is the perfect antidote to the post-launch blues, and, despite some minor difficulty barriers, is a worthy addition to your growing Vita collection.

Simple, magical and wholly entertaining, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 lets you relive the final years of the Harry Potter fiction in a charming LEGO world. The simple pick-up-and-play approach makes this adventure completely accessible to younger ages, while still offering enough entertainment to keep the oldest of fans playing into the wee hours of the night.

Arc System Works squeezed a staggering amount of fighting action into this portable rendition of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. Not only are you getting one of the deepest fighting games you're ever likely to encounter, you're also getting more playing modes than you'll know what to do with. But be warned - if you're one of those fighting game fans that likes to be able to pick up a fighter and become skilled quite quickly, this is probably not the game for you. Button mashers need not even apply.

If you've been dribbling to play a soccer game on that big, shiny widescreen, you're in luck – but be warned that, though FIFA Football plays well through its flaws, in a matter of months there will almost certainly be an expanded, improved and numbered update that's not been rushed for launch.

Unsanctioned, brutal and wholly unrefined in its raw underground presentation, Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted breaks free from the restraints of licensed properties and locks two highly trained human adversaries in a cage, putting their martial art forms to the ultimate test. While not for everyone, those willing to take a few merciless beatings will find some enjoyment here - it's just a shame the online comes off like a stiff kick below the belt.

It's a shame that Rayman 3 HD is little more than an upscale of its initial release; it features the same models and the same wayward camera, which reduces its appeal when compared to more modern platformers. However, it still has bags of imagination and these flaws don't entirely diminish its appeal, only dent it. Rayman 3 HD is still a great platformer – it's just one that's showing its age.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with Wheels of Destruction, it's just distinctly average in almost every way. The controls lack precision and the weapons are limited and unbalanced, but, by contrast, the graphics are fantastic and the net code is the best in its class.

If you're longing for something different, and think you can overlook the game's nagging faults, I Am Alive has more than enough intriguing concepts to make it worth your while. Just be prepared to grit your teeth through some of the game's more maddening moments.

Minor tweaks to the swing mechanic improve the rhythm of play but don't do enough to reinvigorate the series.

Not only does the game fit the PlayStation Vita like a glove, it's still one of the most engaging tower defence games ever crafted and the perfect game for those times when you want something you can quickly get into and play.

Anyone looking to get into the fighting genre would fare well here: it's not too technical at first, but offers enough gameplay and modes to turn you into a combo-mashing pro while keeping you entertained.

A game designed for fans. Newcomers may (rightfully) frown at the poor controls and sub-par visuals, but series veterans will be thrilled to find their favourite characters integrated into such a baffling situation.

Ninja Gaiden III's overly cinematic action and dramatic storyline soon falls into abstruse repetition, but in pleasing those not accustomed to the series' hardcore action roots, Team Ninja inadvertently ripped the spine out of the near perfection combat that the series' gameplay structure was founded upon.

A-Men walks a fine line between the fun of persevering with a trial-and-error system and the frustration of instant death, and should only be tackled by the most patient players.

Its intricate story-telling and choice systems are something that'll come to define the series as one of the greatest stories ever told in video games, while its mix of gunplay and RPG elements are delivered in perfect measures.