It's got fan service where it counts, too - familiar character themes appear in the soundtrack, win quotes will often comment on specificities of other characters, and there are even some custom introductions for certain pairs of characters.

Without much competition right now, Bad Company is a surprisingly fun and well designed effort.

This game is truly as happy as I make it out to be, and the peppy musical gibberish serves as a perfect audio backdrop to the joyful scene.

If you're a fan of 2D fighting games then you will definitely enjoy this game.

Umbrella Chronicles is a must-purchase for Wii owners. While it isn't a killer app on the level of Mario Galaxy, it's probably the best multiplayer game on the system.

It is a great time killer but the mental challenge of the game makes me feel like I’m actually doing something, a feeling I don’t get from many other games.

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

Truly a different game, and it’s different enough to warrant a spot in your collection.

The plot and combat could’ve been better, but its mode of storytelling demands your attention nonetheless as there’s no other experience like it and, for a good many, that means a lot of return trips to come.

Add in an epic, bombastic orchestral score by Kevin Riepl (he also worked on Gears of War) and a surprisingly robust and easy-to-use level creation tool and you have one of the better games to be released so far in 2011. Highly Recommended.

It has a much better sense of itself than previous entries, and instead of shoving touted features in your face, it simply presents them to the player and lets them loose.

It was never going to be perfect but it hits a spot that's been left unappreciated for an awfully long time. While the likes of Call of Duty and Crysis continue down the road to absolute realism, Duke Nukem Forever takes gamers back to remind about how to have fun; surely that's why people play games?

The great presentation - especially the audio effects - makes superb use of the handheld’s capabilities.

Thanks to the handiwork of Ubisoft Shanghai, the small but passionate cult following and the burning sting of its original commercial failure, we all have a second chance to reconcile our differences with this flawed masterpiece – I'm glad I did.

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.

It's also arguable that by emphasizing the ladies love pillows to the extent they have in this and the two sequels they have undermined their claim that the Dead or Alive series can offer a rewarding fighting experience and not just plenty of virtual bosoms to ogle.

Regardless of any latent, potentially ethically inquiring core, however, this is a strategy title that triumphantly captures the essence of oppressive and authoritarian leadership in conflict, in the process achieving - on the surface and indeed for most players - exactly what it sets out to do.

For the short time that the game does last it is an example of how Live Arcade titles should be done and how an old game can be refurbished, yet still retain a nostalgic edge to please all types of players.

It’s retro comebacks at its finest.

In the end, it’s a little disappointing that Butcher Bay is the better game included in the package. Dark Athena is by no means bad, but it’s a bit like coming on after Bill Hicks at an open mic; no matter how good your set was, the performance in front of you set the standard.

But at the end of the day, taking down a handful of terrorists through meticulous planning with the snake cam and order issuing is as rewarding as ever.

The type of game the PSP needs. Its light, fast-paced gameplay is great for just picking up and playing. With over forty levels, it’s got just the right amount of depth to be a top-shelf PSP game.

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.

And with this highly interactive, jiggling way to play - clearly the portable precursor to the modern innovative wonder known as the Wii - Wario serves up yet another delicious feast that gamers who are never satisfied with their high scores, or who prefer games that revolve around plenty of action and reaction, will no doubt enjoy digging into.

There is just something incredibly satisfying about a great 2D shooter. Metal Slug 3 may be a few years old and minus a dimension, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best action games currently on the Xbox.

It's rare to see a movie game that is enjoyable in its own right. Even without the Bourne license, Conspiracy would be a great action game. It blends two totally different gameplay styles together and delivers them in quick, intense bursts.

A great game for fans and on the whole, but a handful of the features it boasts come accompanied by disappointing sacrifices that are particularly painful to those who have come to love and expect so much from the series.

Despite the lumbering campaign mode, Halo Wars is a brilliant addition to the series and, more importantly, to the RTS genre.