But once you look past all fan-worship and hype, you'll discover just how well the game stands on its own. It addresses the numerous flaws of the original version, and remedies it with a vastly improved control scheme and item menu.

A polished, precise and truly astounding title awaits anyone willing to dive in, and drink deep and become inebriated by the brilliance on offer. Astounding!

The dark storyline isn't fantastic, but the way it's presented certainly is. Gritty characters with a rare touch of humanity, intense combat that will leave you breathless, and some great multiplayer modes are sure to keep you hooked until the inevitable sequel comes along.

Cyrodiil looks absolutely stunning. Everything is bright and wonderful in the sunshine, birds singing, pigeons flocking, butterflies dodging about in the shadows, and then environments look damp, cold and miserable when rain rolls into town. The level of detail is quite breathtaking.

I can honestly say that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a superb accumulation to the series, incorporating just enough new additions to keep the hardcore happy and the new players excited.

It’s the incredible world-building details that draw you into the experience of Infinite, not the shooting, which makes its predominance a shame. Irrational have made a Bioshock that is smoother to play, but less fun to play around with; built on grander ideas, but less coherent ones. It isn’t a flawless second coming, but its almost peerless storytelling, imagination and attention to detail make it well worth playing.

Halo 3 may not be as innovative as its predecessors or have the best graphics on the Xbox 360, but it's an outstanding game and a fitting end to what's been a fantastic trilogy.

Essentially a renaissance for the fighting game genre. Its style and core game mechanics are so incredibly strong that they outshine the few missteps that the title contains. It’s familiar enough for someone who hasn’t played it in 10 years to pick it up and execute the same special moves they grew up with.

An improvement of an already sensational game. It’s got the stellar gameplay that made the previous title shine, as well as tossing in some great camera control and a few other modifications.

The single player, albeit disappointing, is still an excellent thrill ride and precursor to the main pull: the multiplayer. CoD4 cemented its place as one of the best online shooters going and Modern Warfare 2 builds on it, adding a plethora of new features that constantly reward and amaze.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will surely set the bar for this generations in terms of quality, and should be the benchmark for a truly great game.

It may not have the most complicated gaming plots ever, but the game makes up for it with some insanely fun and engaging gameplay and a ridiculous amount of blood and gore to boot.

It isn't one thing that makes Knights of the Old Republic such a masterful RPG, but a remarkable amalgamation of brilliant gameplay elements, jaw-dropping presentation and a huge helping of that special Star Wars magic.

An incredibly addicting, engrossing, and incredibly well-designed inclusion. No stone was left unturned as the developers crafted this masterpiece and if you’re a fan of the previous installments of this game, you’re definitely going to enjoy this latest edition.

This game takes the tried and true racing game formula and refreshes it with a system that rewards you for bad driving and poor sportsmanship. You can drive into oncoming traffic, cause accidents on purpose, and mess with anything that tries to get in your way.

Brawl is easily the most fun I’ve had on a Wii, and could be the most fun I’ve had with a game in ages. It’s just that good. There is just so much to do, and so many different and refreshing things added that it would be a crime not to at least take a look.

After experiencing Chinatown Wars, you have to applaud Rockstar. Not only have they presented their iconic city on a fashionably smaller scale, they have woven an intriguing story into the mix as well.

With ten different courses to select and multiple challenges for each (mostly time trials and score challenges), there's quite a bit to Pac-Man Championship Edition DX to keep players busy.

Braid in many ways is this year’s "Portal"; not in the obvious sense but in the way it has burst onto the scene snatching most hearts that have given it the time of day, with nothing but plucky charm.

At times the overwhelming similarities to the first game can be a little off-putting, but at the end of the day this is an action adventure of the absolute highest calibre, outstanding in every respect, and with some of the most awe-inspiring set-pieces and fantastic action sequences ever committed to a videogame.

While not as revolutionary as Mario 64 or Galaxy, 3D World manages to feel simultaneously fresh and nostalgic in a way the New Super Mario Bros. series never quite realized.

Working alongside a terrific soundtrack, some very cool voice acting, and a custom map building tool, the parts of Starcraft II that make it an enjoyable and addictive ride leave little to be desired.

While Street Fighter IV plays an expectedly brilliant game, the real surprise stems from its direction from a visual point of view that is nothing short of astounding.

While technically sound, even with its enhancements Persona 4 Golden is still a port of a PS2 game. There was only so much the system can do, so if you're expecting something that will utilize the potential of the Vita, you won't find that here.

SSX 3 offers an experience like no other, a rush that just can't be matched.

Despite the occasionally high frustration levels of Braid, the game is cleverly designed and often very rewarding.

This game has it all; it’s got a wonderful story, wonderfully memorable characters, fast-paced and fluid combat with a wide variety of demonic foes, hours of dungeon exploration, puzzle solving, various item collecting, a few lengthy sidequests, a slew of people and animals to help, and even a mildly annoying sidekick to point you in the right direction.

A big game that is worth sinking your teeth into, even if you have to close your eyes and hum every time you're reminded it's called Fallout.