This is one of the best games of 2011. Never thought I'd be saying that about an iPhone title.

A gallant return to form and takes a direction that breathes new life into a formula that is fast reaching a decade old.

Try to play it seriously and only anger and frustration awaits. It’s lovable in attitude for a short while but once you begin repeating cycles it soon runs out of fuel. Much like the car now abandoned on that highway.

It's easy to pick up and play with just enough depth and difficulty to become an itch you'll need to scratch on a daily basis for a minute or two.

This is a game that starts on a high note and ends on a high note, and propels Lara with a brisk pace in between, without falling into monotony. It’s an exceptional new start for the Tomb Raider franchise.

The flag bearer for a new generation of shooters, finally giving players a different way to shoot the living hell out of each other and doing so in the most enjoyable way imaginable. The shortage of content might be a tough sell for some, but if you’ve grown tired of this current shooter rut then Titanfall is the perfect game to make you fall in love with the genre all over again.

A 2D fighting game fan's dream come true. It's got all the flash and pizzazz of "Marvel vs. Capcom," the finely tuned balance of "Street Fighter," numerous unprecedented gameplay enhancements that push what we expect from the genre and some of the best hand-drawn graphics to ever grace a videogame.

Nearly everything it sets out to do it does remarkably well, and in many ways, Runner2 feels like the pinnacle of the fledgling genre its predecessor helped create.

It is still a great game, with a well-developed and interesting plot, a great balance of action, exploration and character development and a great representation of the Star Wars universe, but I feel it's incessant similarities to the first game don't do it any favours and technically it could be a lot tighter.

It's the Nanosuit that proves to be the star of the show, offering myriad ways to tackle Crysis 2's comprehensive combat.

Beyond Good and Evil is a game like no other, and while many aspects of its design are unoriginal snippets of genre, they all blend into each other to create something truly original.

It has a story chock full of hilarity, the right balance between fast-paced combat and multitasking puzzles, tons of items and a handful of memorable characters, and presents it to use in a psychedelic blend of 2D animation and a wide array of colors.

Modern Warfare 2 will leave you breathless.

The most fun I've had with a fighting game in many, many years. There is an unrivalled amount of single player content and a busy online system, all of which is a joy to play.

It does something no other medium could accomplish, and while it suffers the occasional misstep along the way, what comes before is an endearing and wholly accomplished adventure that makes Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons a powerful experience recommended to all.

Fans of the original Panel de Pon may be put off by the adult-oriented presentation and lack of a story, but the sheer amount of options make up for it.

The online multiplayer provides for limitless possibilities for handheld gaming, allowing its participants to access a miniature world where individual style and interactivity reign supreme.

Although it can't quite sustain an initially interesting premise and refreshingly inventive ideas throughout the full length of its twenty half hour chapters, this is a Devil May Cry enlived with renewed assurance, nestled in more than capable hands.

Its nowhere near perfect online play continues the classic case of being bummed from losses or wins thanks to lag and being S.O.L. if players have no fellow Street Fighters to game with locally.

The Unwound Future is a fitting end to this first Professor Layton trilogy. Even if it doesn't finish the series, it resolves some of the main plot lines.

Do you know why it’s such a great sequel? Because it gives the fans more of what they want, introducing plenty of new spins of the gameplay while still retaining is fundamental qualities.

Football Manager joins the rest of the sports titles this year in flogging a dead and diseased corpse to milk yet more cash from its demanding fanbase.

While short, I really loved Sly Cooper. As soon as I finished it, I went out to the store and quickly bought the sequel.

An awesome game. It’ll remind older gamers of the games they used to enjoy.

Caelondia is a beautiful, vibrant locale to behold, punctuated by a fitting soundtrack that will surprise as often as it delights. But, it's the characters and creatures of this world that make the experience so special and memorable.

Amazing. Not only does it introduce a much-needed change in the story, it gives the series a breath of fresh air with some interesting concepts.

There's only on thing that irks me though. All of these characters have distinct voices and wonderfully rich attitudes. The voice acting is superbly done with so much clarity and excellence. But despite all of the quality, the characters' cel-shaded lips don't move.

The noise of Earth can be scary. Hectic and pulsing. Enough to make even the bravest of Princes turn to syrup.

This isn't anything new for players to experience. It's the same old formula in a new package, with a new name and new ways to animate the whole process.

The graphics are incredibly fantastic and you’ll be shooting South Americans right up until Bungie release "Halo 3" in the autumn.

Mutant Blobs Attack! isn't a game with many surprises up its sleeve, but within its designed simplicity it contains unbridled joy. It's a game that focuses on being fun first, and succeeds at that ambition.

The story wraps up nicely, and it's interesting to see Max in a game with a much darker tone, especially when, for the most part, the grim elements are handled extremely well.

This fresh and exciting approach is one of the most satisfactory formulas to date.

For fans of Warhammer, the strong presentation could be enough to warrant a subscription. For hardcore MMO players, however, it boils down to this: what can I do that I can't do in all of the other MMOs out there? The answer is, not that much.

A good example of refinement over innovation.

If you have any interest in strategy warfare games whatsoever, then do yourself a favor and get this game. It’s a wonderful departure from the happy-go-lucky Advance Wars games of old.

If you’re a lapsed player this is a perfect reason to return; Enemy Within significantly improves a game that was pretty damn excellent to begin with.

It has a perfect price point at just £4.79/$5.99, and represents a worthy successor to Super Stardust HD as possibly the most addictive game on PSN.

The crazy visuals are almost worth the price of admission alone, but the decent gameplay and a great sense of humor also help.

Many won’t like having to put the hours in to nail down a good strategy and have a chance of putting themselves on the leader-board and as such Tetris Party is only likely to be played by those who know what’s involved.

In terms of action gaming on the DS, Portrait of Ruin is second to none.

With an engaging story, impressive presentation and voice acting, and a variety of multiplayer game modes, Conviction has a lot of quality worth experiencing.

As a sequel to one of the greatest racing games out, Project Gotham Racing 4 is a complete success. Understated and utterly likeable – unmistakably, brilliant.

Fans of Telltale’s knack for coming up with impactful character interaction will find Faith to be up to snuff and find plenty of excuses to replay while choosing a different approach.

A great game that does the series justice, and is a fitting conclusion to a remarkable trilogy.

With the new songs and modes, Guitar Hero III is the party game supreme.

The multiplayer makes it even better; the competitive online gameplay is among the best on the Wii. It doesn’t really matter if you know only half the cast; Tatsunoko VS Capcom is one of the best fighters out there.

When you first take a gander at Daxter, you see a beautifully recreated Jak & Daxter game on the portable Playstation. Some thousand bug squishings later, you’ll realise that looks can be extremely deceiving.

Champion mode pulls inspiration from the likes of Rocky and Raging Bull to craft a narrative around the sport that people still find engrossing. It's the perfect path for the series to take and we can only hope the next Fight Night builds on this promise, telling more tales from the world of boxing.

One of the best games that I’ve ever played. The final level of the game is essentially a massive firefight through the Hoover Dam and it was arguably one of the best experiences I’ve had in video gaming.

The deeper combat mechanics haven't been watered-down in the slightest.

Besides these quibbles, the game is nearly perfect, and ultimately, it's just a hell of a lot of fun to play. It’s addictive and incredibly challenging.

Instincts had quite a bit going for it (good graphics, comfortable controls, unique setting) but then does a great job of screwing it all up and making you not care (repetitive levels, stupid enemy designs, slight unfinished feel in places).

DoWII is so unique that it could just as well co-exist with the other traditional RTS games, as it has a focus in places that the others don’t. That said, there still needs to be some new additions and fixes to the multiplayer, as sooner or later the same 6 or so maps will get boring and stale.

While Tekken Tag Tournament is one of the oldest fighters on the PS2, few of the later fighting games have come close to matching its quality.

Whilst I questioned the mechanics of a game like this being the most valuable component, I am finding time and time again that when juxtaposed against the more alluring and decorative Call of Duty, I would rather spend my time prone in a ditch with my teammates on Battlefield 3.

Hotline Miami is the rare breed of game that feels as smart as it is bloody. It is unabashedly gratuitous, but there's a context to its mayhem that escapes most ultra-violent operas. There's really nothing quite like it: its unique blend of tactics, tension and a cracked-out fiction bleed together to form a coherent experience that is equal parts cool and disturbing.

The impressive sounding music studio is a bit of a disappointment - being overly complicated and only producing ringtone-type songs - but a decent set list, enjoyable, and improved, guitar duels and a wealth of celebrity appearances make this a complete package.

Dead or Alive games used to be all about huge, bouncing breasts and overly simplistic, easy to pick up gameplay. No longer. DOA shall henceforth be known for huge, bounding breasts and a refined and deep fighting system.

Cute, charming, and an utterly magical joy to play from start to finish, LocoRoco 2 is your new best friend.

With the story mode, Tails of Swords, create a character and online modes, there are plenty of reasons to keep playing if you have no friends locally to play.

At times it's a struggle to play purely because of how scary it can be, and it's not often you can say that about a video game. Just remember: lights off, headphones on, and try not to go insane.

It's shockingly pretty, and has the gameplay to back it up - especially when gaming with friends.

Fable doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does offer an enjoyable and focused modern gaming experience which is both streamlined and accessible to all. It may not be the best RPG ever, but it's certainly one of the best.

It might not be as substantial of an add-on as The Secret Armory of General Knoxx was for the first Borderlands, but vault hunters hungry for more will find this DLC satisfies their lust for loot quite nicely.

As far as sequels go, Shadow Hearts: Covenant gets everything right by improving upon nearly everything. As far as RPGs go, the quality of the game is obvious.

Having created an excellent Russian campaign, it’ll be interesting to see where the development team heads from here.

There’s just something hypnotic seeing where the ball will go next, the bright colors and the hope that a high score will be broken.

It may not be for hardcore fans of the series who are attuned to a particular playstyle, but for everyone else DmC: Devil May Cry is a highly accomplished character action game with a lot to love. It’s a different type of game than its predecessors but one that’s wholly successful at what it does, bringing relevancy back to the Devil May Cry name.

It achieves everything one could ask from a pilot and on the strength of its setup, Telltale have room to execute what’s looking to be yet another genre defining adventure.

A throwback to the classic games that created the genre. It comes bundled with a strange, obscure narrative and a flawless paint job, but the homage to the old lies there, in plain sight, beneath the sparkle.

Constantly switching between dimensions and characters may turn off those who wanted a more straightforward adventure. On the other hand, the writing, wit, and humor are some of the best stuff that Nintendo has ever come up with.

In the grand scheme of things, they mean so very little because every waking moment spent in St Mystere is an absolute joy to behold.

In short spells, Battle of the Bulge is an engaging strategy game with enough depth to satisfy anyone with a passing interest in World War II history. The developers have clearly paid great attention to detail to make it authentic and ground it in the history it seeks to simulate, but you're left wanting more from a formula that clearly has huge potential.

This is not a zombie stop-gap until "Resident Evil 5" is out; this is an actual game that you do not want to miss...****ing great fun!

The interesting decisions and the gripping characters still manage to hook their addictive claws into the player and almost make it easy forget about the game’s many shortcomings. In this case, “almost” is good enough.

It's another Mario Kart game, through and through. The formula remains unchanged with Nintendo hesitant on adding anything more than minor details. Luckily, the formula's a good one.

Sure, this game is nowhere near as difficult as its SNES and GBA predecessors, but it still requires all the strategy and thought required to make it great.

So do yourself a favor and pick this up. It’s time to throw something.

It is a beautiful, vast and incredibly well-presented game, with a small number of nonetheless extremely detrimental design decisions. It’s undoubtedly worth trying (if only to marvel at the technical and visual wizardry) but there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential here, and here’s hoping Ubisoft are paying close attention for the next entry in the series.

No game juxtaposes so many stunning, grand moments as it does with as many smaller quiet touches, such as Gabriel crossing himself at the sides of his fallen comrades. It is a dark, somber game and a promising new beginning for the Castlevania legacy.

Easily one of the greatest titles on the DS...Between exploring the massive towns, wandering through the multi-tiered wastelands, and challenging legions of trainers, you’ll enjoy a lengthy adventure that no other DS game can boast.

With more fluid and natural, mo-capped animations, better presentation and the introduction of PRIDE, Undisputed 3 showcases progression in all the right areas, giving fans the ultimate MMA experience.

In the end, though, what really carries The Stick of Truth along is its innocence, something that may surprise people who have read the stories about Euro censorship but is unlikely to come as a shock to fans of the show itself, which has always offset its raunchiness with an odd sweetness. This is, simply put, pleasant to play.

Very little of what Football Manager 2014 adds to the series is radically new. Aside from the simplified tactics system, most changes are small, refining the user experience rather than dramatically changing the way you play. That said, these minor changes are impressively numerous and universally welcome, and they come together to make this the best, most addictive (only) management simulation available.

Yes, it is both brief and linear in nature, but the story is presented with such a brilliant combination of style and substance that you'll want to come back and experience it over and over again.

Brave New World makes Civilisation 5 a better game.

For my liking, Red Faction Guerrilla has too many inconsistencies to be considered grade-A material, but then maybe it was never designed to be that way.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy IV successfully proves that remakes can be an honest business.

It might be a while before a fighting game emerges with a genuinely amazing story, but for now the plight of Raiden and the representatives of Earthrealm is fascinating enough.

It’s just so cluttered by other stuff that it ends up being a slog to get through once you’re nearing the home stretch.

Trine 2's a fun physics-driven platformer worth playing both for its involving co-op and vivid use of color. It doesn't present any hugely substantial leaps forward beyond the original formula but if you're looking for more Trine and have a group of friends looking to join in, it's sure to provide a more than sufficient experience.

It’s just a shame that the game is so utterly short; even with so much post-game stuff to do, there’s always that lingering feeling that there could have been more. Regardless, Order of Ecclesia is the most engaging Castlevania game in ages. Pick it up if you want something good.

This is probably one of the best, if the not the best downloadable title on the PSN and XBLA by far.

There's no denying that gamers can walk away from the experience feeling a lasting good impression of the revamp. The new direction of the franchise holds a lot of promising potential and Ninja Theory still comes out showing that the duties of keeping things new and fresh are in capable hands. Here's to new beginnings.

Surprisingly for a game with such a strong comic book feel, it sometimes feels like the world and characters lack personality, but if in future installments the developers can address these few flaws and perhaps develop the narrative in a more evocative environment, they could easily have one of the best games in the genre on their hands.

Evil is performed by men in suits, golden pens in their chest pockets, and stamps in their hands. With a single move with their wrists, they sign death warrants, never seeing the consequences of their actions, maybe not even caring about them.

While the graphics are definitely dated, it’s the audio that makes the game stand out; crafting a classic game around music was definitely a gamble, and it really paid off this time.