NBA 2K13 is a brilliantly fun basketball game and one for all basketball fans to pick up. Casual sports game fans should also pick this up as it's good to play against others. Sure there are a few things 2K can improve, like the menu interface and the inclusion of a tutorial, but once you get a hang of it NBA 2K13 is a great experience.

The other key element in increasing that tension is the fact that each death is a real problem for the XCOM initiative that you're in control of.

Tragic, powerful and thought-provoking, but also intelligent, witty and beautiful - Giant Sparrow's debut is begging to be played.

Mugen Souls is the very definition of a 'good' game. Whilst it'll never blow you away, and there are certainly a number of issues, there's also plenty to do and a varied cast of characters to escort you on this bizarre adventure. If you're after an RPG that isn't quite the norm, then Mugen Souls is worth a look.

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise is a much better effort than its predecessor. By adding in the costumes system, 505 Games have managed to give the game a layer of depth previously missing. However, whilst repetition doesn't entirely spoil the party, it certainly takes the shine off after a while.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Dishonored is the way the later stages of the game change, depending on how you've approached earlier missions. If you go through killing everyone and blowing things up, you'll invoke a lot of chaos in the game world and later missions will be darker and more difficult to navigate stealthily.

A joyful experience, full of humour and character. It manages to walk the fine line between silly base humour and a more intelligent wit too, which is something almost unique in videogames. With a narrative that expands on the original storyline in every conceivable way and so many ways to play, different characters to build and so much cooperative fun to be had, it's hard to see a downside.

PES 2013 has made huge strides forward in how it plays over last year's game.

That the lead character is a Pomeranian in a baseball cap ceases to be an issue once the compelling gameplay hooks you. Even when you're randomly eaten by a surprising tiger eight generations into an animal's lineage, you'll still be watching a tiger eat a pomeranian in a baseball cap. And that's brilliant.

We're not saying that the story mode here is any worse (or better) than previous titles in the series – it's easily on par, but it's also rather stoic in its mechanics and a few more diversions would have elevated it beyond its PS3 contemporaries. But as a platform for your own imagination (and one generously compatible with much of LittleBigPlanet 2′s DLC) it's unmatched, and as limitless as you'd want it to be.

Retro/Grade is a stunning take on both the rhythm and the space shooter genres – both of which haven't had much innovation in recent years. With solid mechanics, fun gameplay and excellent presentation, this could just be the best, and certainly the most unique, downloadable game this year.

It's fun, cohesive and meaningful yet suffers from a lapse in replayability and all-round polish.

Whilst Death's entry in the Darksiders series certainly has better gameplay mechanics and a better style than War's, the story fails to make a mark and the game, for as big as it is, can soon become monotonous at points.

Sleeping Dogs isn't original in most of its mechanics and narrative but the little things that differ from genre staples are enough to warrant your attention. The combat system is a joy and the focus on unarmed combat, rather than firepower, is quite refreshing.

The lack of balance between platforming and tower defence coupled with a handful of under-featured game modes and unstable online multiplayer prevent it from being a "must have."

Functional yet heavily flawed, No Man's Land is certainly a step forward for PlayStation Home though, regrettably, a step in the wrong direction.

Sound Shapes has emerged as one of the Vita's finest games, seemingly out of nowhere. It's deep and complex enough for the hardcore whilst remaining accessible and fun for those that just want something a little bit different.

LEGO Batman 2 may have suffered from the series' collective fatigue in a few places, yet still stands as one of the best, most enriching puzzle platformers to grace home consoles.

It's not clear what really happened here. Ice Age: Continental Drift the videogame is a poor reflection on the series, feels underdeveloped and – given the limited amount of actual game on offer – overpriced even at a 'budget' rate of thirty notes.

For most of the time Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles fails to impress. Whilst it's certainly not the worst game out there, it struggles to rise above average, and I wonder if it would sell at all if not for the Resident Evil name behind it. If you're a fan of the franchise there's a good chance you'll get a kick out of this, but for everyone else I struggle to recommend it.

Graphically the game looks very good, and the devs have created some nice loading screens inspired by the London 2012 logo. There are also commentators in the game and though voiced well enough they quickly become repetitive, sometimes looping through the same lines during an event.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is exactly what fans of the series will have come to expect: a clean-cut refinement with very few barriers to entry.

Such is the fickle world of gaming that the game can be found – one week after release – for £19.99. At that price, despite its flaws, the game is well worth a look, so the score's a cleavage heaving, upskirt looking, foul mouthed...

It blends a brilliant story with strong characters and gameplay mechanics that rival much more established franchises. Yes the difficulty spikes can be a grind, but push on through and you'll find one of 2012's best games.

Table Top Tanks really isn't the killer app for AR gaming, but to say it's a disappointment would be unfair. Despite being simplistic in most respects and offering little replay incentive, it also happens to be one of the cheapest games available on the Playstation Store at a surprising £1.59.

Yes, fatigue does set in the further into the Trilogy you get, but it's hard to argue with a package that represents such good value with three quality games.

Dragon's Dogma feels like the start of something big. It thrills and frustrates in equal measure, and whilst it's not up to the level of those at the top of this genre, one can't help but wonder what a Dragon's Dogma 2 could be like if Capcom act on all the lessons learned from this game. An exciting thought indeed.

This effort has a few interesting ideas and a reasonably accomplished plot, fairly well progressed but it stumbles mechanically over every good idea it has and douses it in some genuinely shocking presentation.

Perhaps the best thing it does though is really hook into your emotions. You might not start off enjoying crushing workers or priests at the start of the game, but by the end you'll hate them and want to hit them with as much elemental power as you can muster. In fact I could do with squishing some right now.

I love this game, and have easily clocked up seven hours plus on it. Velocity is easy to pick up, yet provides plenty of challenge for those wishing to seek out every little secret it has to offer. It looks good, sounds sublime and will satiate those will enjoy shooting the hell out of things whilst also engaging their brains a little bit. Not only is it the best mini I've ever played, but it could also stand toe to toe with some of the PSN's big hitters.

This game is beyond broken and almost entirely not fun, going from bad to worse as it progresses; it's nowhere near worth the asking price of £15 or so, nor the title of the series it is based on.

Inarguably one of the finest portable fighting games to have ever been released. Boasting at least twenty hours of single-player content to kick and punch your way through. It's also one of the system's most convincing ports with a platter of mini-games and exclusive features, organically worked into the overall package.

Hardcore Resistance fans will no doubt like what Nihilistic have managed to get the Vita to do, but for everyone else this is little more than a competent, hard working game that ticks the right boxes but never really pushes the boat out. The graphics are hit and miss, the sound generally terrible and the controls need some work. But it's not a bad game.

DiRT Showdown is very much a game of two halves. The single-player is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure, but it's the online mode that swoops in and saves the day with the combination of RaceNet, Showdown Challenges and lag-free mayhem.

If you don't care about narrative, don't need the latest and greatest game engine powering your HD shooters and can live with the confused juxtaposition of stealth and over-the-top action braggadocio then you'll love it. If you want a tense, tight, stealthy experience then you'll probably love around half of it and loathe when it robs you of that pleasure.

Sniper Elite holds just as many pleasant surprises as it does disappointments. Despite the well-done gunplay and unique aesthetic flares, there are simply too many areas in which the game feels underdeveloped.

Sorcery is truly a game for people who want to get the most out of their PlayStation Move peripherals. And if it's just that you want, you'll no doubt love the eight or so hours of gameplay on offer. If you're more interested in a deep, magical experience then you might feel somewhat short changed – throw away the motion controls and you're left with a good, though not brilliant, and quite linear romp through this mythological, magical world.

Sonic 4 Episode II feels at times dangerously close to being a great Sonic game, but there are elements throughout that let it down and leave you feeling distinctly underwhelmed. The Homing Attack is far, far more of a hindrance than an aid of any sort, and whilst the presentation is good you don't really get the feeling of a classic Sonic game with Episode II.

Bleak, sometimes frightening, always powerful and quite often shocking, Max Payne 3 takes the third person genre about as far as it can go, and most likely does the same this with this generation's now ageing console hardware. Polished to near perfection, with just a few minor sticking points that dent – ever so slightly – what is overall a wonderful slice of gaming. Enjoy.

Whilst never breaking any new ground, MUD offers a good chunk of challenging content, coupled with an official licence and solid online mode. It won't convert those who have never played Motocross before, and it does have a few issues, but fans will find lots to like.

Awesomenauts is surprisingly accessible, offering plenty of depth for those seeking it, the overall package being one that looks sublime and plays out with such a rare degree of fluidity.

UEFA 2012 is what many of us have been asking for since DLC became a major part of console gaming. Unfortunately, the desire to deliver it as an expansion, rather than a unique product has meant that corners have been cut. While that has made the end product less expensive than in previous instances, it still appears quite costly when measured against other items on the relevant stores.

It would have been nice to see a few more trophies, skins or treasure sets thrown into the mix but, as it stands, it's still a solid expansion with Naughty Dog teasing even more content in the months to come.

It may be a visually sound package that throws a few unique spins on the Silent Hill template, though the sometimes awkward puzzles and irredeemably abysmal combat are enough to drag Downpour down the gutter and towards mediocrity.

Yes, the visuals are dated and the story isn't the best of the franchise, but the gameplay still sparkles and is perfectly suited to the Vita.

At its core A-Men is a clever game. The idea behind controlling multiple characters and using so many different skill sets is a good one. In my opinion, a lot of the enjoyment the game provides is often negated by the trial and error nature of the gameplay.

It seems to add just enough to make it worthwhile for owners of last year's game, while still feeling very familiar. The Pins, Country Clubs and Legacy mode are all welcome additions, although they offer differing levels of appeal.

It may be technologically succinct but in neglecting the needs of solo players and bypassing what makes the car combat genre so engaging, Wheels of Destruction leaves an unmistakably sour taste. If you're gagging for another arena-based car game post-Twisted Metal, we'd strongly recommend hanging around for Psyonix's SARPBC 2.

Yes, there are certain areas where the graphics look dated and the lack of camera control can be annoying, but past these complaints you have a collection of games with the frantic gameplay that inspired the likes of God of War & Bayonetta, and it offers a lot of fun.

My main concern is with recommending it to people who already own Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, as I really don't know if enough has changed to warrant spending £40.

It's tricky to see how large a market there is for a game like this but if, by some chance, you're a fan of vintage air combat from the WWII era then this is likely to have great appeal.

Wrecked: Revenge Revisited simply isn't a battle racer. Yes, there are elements of the battle racing but this is more a time attack mode with few actual battle racing events. The multiplayer does have some fun in it, but it's only really good if played in short bursts.

Please don't take this review as the ranting of a moody Ninja Gaiden fan. Remove the franchise name and the score would still be the same. Despite promising much at the start, Ninja Gaiden 3 misfires at almost every turn, and whilst it's not a bad game, it struggles to rise above average.

The dialogue and voice acting is also well done, though can get repetitive. What lets the game down is the camera, which is a big problem as it can hinder progress and leave you frustrated.

By no means a bad game. The chance to face off against Resident Evil favourites such as Nemesis is a really interesting idea, and the constant threat of zombies will always have you on edge. Saying that, I can see the multiplayer modes becoming repetitive fairly quickly. Whilst differing slightly, the modes on offer are too similar, and all play out on the same handful of maps.

Hungry Giraffe is a fun game. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a compulsive, replayable game in which you'll always be aiming to beat your high score. If it were an expanded game, it would be much better, though for what it is – a minis title – it manages to do what it set out to.

The systems are well explained, the controls are perfect for the pace and style of gameplay and the presentation is as great as you'd expect. One or two minor niggles aside, FIFA Street is a very enjoyable game, even though it's not the game I expected.

From Ashes is easily the best character-centric DLC the series has to offer. Unlike Kasumi or Zaeed in Mass Effect 2, Javik is a persistent personality, his integration a lot smoother and substantial. With that said, From Ashes is clearly at aimed at those who want to dig deeper in to the rich sci-fi universe. If you're only in it for an extra mission, forking out £7.99 is steep by anyone's standards.

Whilst there's some issues with writing, some of the mechanics and various other glitches, the epic scale and relatively strong narrative push these aside, giving Mass Effect 3 its rightful place amongst the great, sci-fi epics of our time and acting as a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend is a brilliant fighting game that will take an absolute age to master.

Yes, the multiplayer isn't inspiring in the slightest, but the single player campaign more than makes up for this, and no doubt by now the game can be picked up for pennies anyway...If you like shooters, you should definitely give this a look.

By scaling back the epic-scale battle sizes and weaving in nifty mini-games, NEXT is the first title in the series that doesn't feel like a chore, an element that has plagued the franchise for years now.

If you can overlook the somewhat unyielding game design and slump in visual quality, there's a satisfying strategy game to be found with hours of potential replay value. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that the Vita has an oustanding launch roster, most of which outweigh Army Corps of Hell in almost every aspect.

Unit 13′s a pleasant surprise. It offers up a really smart level structure which caters for short burst gaming, but similarly presents hours of gameplay that'll take considerable time and effort to perfect and master.

There's only so much a developer can do within a genre, of course, but this feels like the first time in a while that big changes have been made with such resounding success.

Unfortunately, there are barely any redeeming qualities in Smash 'N' Survive. Despite a few visual perks, the gameplay, and thereby foundation, of Smash 'N' Survive is dysfunctional with huge implications on the rest of the experience.

From the first spec of sand to the last flake of snow, developers thatgamecompany have managed to get more emotion and more life into a video game than anything else in recent memory; and the striking confidence that the game exudes drags you along for the ride without once letting you go, until the credits roll by two or three hours later.

Visually striking, hilarious, heart-warming and, most importantly, fun to play, we still can't believe that Frobisher Says is a free download. It may not have the substance or longevity of Uncharted or WipEout, but manages to maintain equal, if not better, replay value, ideal for short five minute bursts or social gatherings.

A wonderfully fun game. It successfully captures the spirit of the earliest games in the series but without feeling dated. This generation of consoles has suffered slightly from an understocked catalogue of games that revel in their over-the-top nature and SSX is a perfect remedy for that.

Sporadic in pace and quality of content, this is the area in which Reckoning borrows too heavily from its MMO ancestry and it really doesn't pay off.

A great game, despite the camera doing its best to spoil the party. However, this version is hard to recommend to those who have already ploughed through Sigma; there's nowhere near enough new content to warrant that.

What is difficult to forgive though, are the distracting drops in frame rate at key times which make the game frustrating to play.

Not necessarily a bad game. It just doesn't do anything to make itself memorable or stand out from a crowd.

It looks fantastic on that big bright screen and the new control systems are utilised without feeling too tacked on and gimmicky - at least in the main mode.

I wouldn't necessarily be too concerned about the track and car count, but I would have liked to have seen a more substantial single player.

It's by no means a brilliant game, but it is a good piece of interactive fiction and a new approach, which we'll happily welcome with open arms. Six of them.

UFC fans will love it. Newcomers may come to love it due to the better accessibility the game offers. UFC Undisputed 3 has a good career mode but the strength really lies with facing other human opposition.

It lends itself perfectly to the kind of gaming which is most popular on handhelds - short bursts of easily accessible gameplay with uncomplicated controls. The multiplayer systems are great and Cross Play works wonderfully...It's a shame that the additional game modes, which arrived as DLC on the PS3 version, aren't in there from the start but this is affordable enough that optional DLC isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At just under five quid it's extraordinarily good value, there's lots of game here and the trophies hint at at least two new festival bundles, potentially expanding what's already a considerably beefy game into one that might threaten to make the rest of the line-up obsolete for some time...I love this game.

Virtua Tennis 4 absolutely nails the arcade experience and kicks up some amazing graphics.

No matter what you do, the stats mean absolutely nothing.

This is a really well put together game that makes solid use of the Vita's touchscreen and isn't distracted by some of the other possibilities presented by the new handheld console.

With only a few hours of focussed gameplay, this is a little light on lasting appeal. Don't let that put you off though, Michael Jackson's music has a timeless quality and the presentation of this game is top notch.

It's easily one of the better titles on the system. If you've any love for electronic music then the soundtrack alone is probably worth it, but as a puzzler there simply isn't anything else around that even comes close. Essential day one stuff.

It's not quite on a par with the latest console versions but it's remarkably close, in terms of both form and function.

I absolutely love the game, and found myself totally absorbed in everything it has to offer.

Shank 2 does what a good hack n' slash sequel should: it adapts a few things with the aim of improvement and it turns up the action.

NeverDead does very little to separate itself from the legion of sub-par, gimmick-tagged titles. The premise of playing as an immortal protagonist who can reassemble parts of his anatomy is likely to catch out a number of curious gamers, but it's a concept that fails to shine amidst a crowd of poor design choices and a complete lack of narrative engagement.

At this stage in the PlayStation Vita's life, the most important thing for Reality Fighters to be is, perhaps, a tech demo. In that sense, it is quite spectacularly impressive. Impressive enough to warrant a big purchase and plenty of game time? Probably not. It demonstrates exceptional potential though, and sometimes that can be enough.

Little Deviants is an easy game to like. It plays well, for the most part, looks nice and demonstrates what the Vita can do. It's just a shame that there's not more to it, and although the scope is there to replay beaten levels, I'm not entirely convinced you'd want to.

This latest iteration doesn't change much - it doesn't have to - but it does have a few tricks up its argyle-patterned sleeve.

ModNation Racers Road Trip isn't terrible, it's just not particularly good. Sure, the creation aspect of the game is solid and ranks up there with the very best at this sort of thing, but on the track whilst the handling is fine the graphics struggle and the action feels slightly stilted.

WipEout's lovely. Yes, the loading times are a problem (but hopefully due to be fixed a little with a patch) and some of the track design needed smoothing out a touch, but overall it stands as a showcase for a new console that's only matched by the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

At £7.99 the Ryder White DLC will prove a hard sell for those who haven't already booked a timeshare in Banoi. Despite being fairly meaty in size the expansion lacks any sort of meta-game reward or replayability, not to mention the awkward integration and occasional issue with pacing.

The fact that The Darkness II is a sequel to a game with its roots entrenched in a fairly-twisted comic-book canon is irrelevant. There are no barriers to entry here, no homework to catch up with, just a fantastically pieced together tale coupled with a refreshingly creative take on the ever-staling FPS formula. It handles well, looks great, and sounds even better.

Conflicts aside, I can't help but think that everyone should have this collection, but maybe that's just me.

If you have a small group of friends with whom you usually buddy up to play shooters, PayDay is definitely worth looking into. Despite only having six playable missions, there's a ton of depth when you consider the titanic ranking system and numerous difficulty settings. On the flipside, if you're the sort who likes to ruck up with AI partners then caution is advised; going solo is considerably more time-consuming and almost impossible if playing on Overkill difficulty.

Whilst the story may only clock in at around three to four hours, it still feels worthwhile and, in all honest, probably isn't what's going to draw most into a fighting game anyway. The arcade mode may be disappointing, but there's enough in general (particularly with the online) to keep pretty much any fighting fan happily occupied.