It’s an amazing game, easily one of the finest in the Metal Gear family. Even if this weren’t a MGS game, it would still be one of the greatest currently out on any of the consoles.

While the WiiMote combat can be a little flaky, it still outclasses the clunky, unintuitive controls of the original.

Long stretches of riding across deserted, yet gorgeous, environments, punctuated by moments of sheer, adrenaline-pumping terror. The shockingly realistic animations (especially for your horse and the colossi), vast, streaming landscape, stirring soundtrack, and wistful story all combine with the game’s minimalist gameplay to create a videogame experience unlike any other.

It's a lengthy adventure full of personality, an endless plethora of weapons, and addictive co-op gameplay. Fans of the first game would be foolish to pass up another chance to visit Pandora and plunder the incalculable treasures therein.

The story is uninspired, but the actual game is a stunner.

From start to finish, the main element that propels Ninja Gaiden above all others in the action genre is the dazzling combat-based gameplay.

With an engaging story, outstanding visuals, and remarkable sound, Chains succeeds on so many levels.

Stands proudly as a solid game for enthusiasts and casual players alike. It has a fair amount of kooky characters, wonderfully fast-paced gameplay, a fair amount of extras, and great presentation to round it all out.

MLB 10: The Show is by no means a perfect game, but it comes pretty damn close. No baseball sim delivers the amount of game found here, and more importantly, no other sim accurately portrays the nature of the game better.

It’s not perfect and there are a few things which could do with a bit more care for the next game - largely the lack of co-op and fairly dull story and characters - but nonetheless, this is one of the most beautiful, explosive and entertaining shooters of the console generation so far. Bring on Killzone 3.

Reach is the most spectacularly euphoric hello and goodbye in gaming history.

I can’t name another game in this genre that attempts to inject this much humor into the gameplay that never falls flat.

Team play innovations, graphical supremacy and the thundering roar of enemy jets combined with persistent stats all work together to really put you There. There being any one of the varied, immaculately crafted maps, each available in 16, 32 and 64 player sizes.

I hesitate to say, at this early stage, that this is actually a better game than either Fallout 1 or 2, but it very well may be; at the least, it is game-of-the-year material.

Certainly the best of the trilogy. It is a highly refined experience, an exceptional showcase of the growing experience of the team at Epic.

The best superhero game to date. It captures everything that makes Batman who he is with some fluent yet brutal combat and clever stealth action.

As one of the most critical Nintendo fans around, it's nice to see a game come out for the GBA that's original, pretty, fun, and doesn't involve any one of their stupid mascots.

Castlevania means well, providing marvellous visuals and setting a superb atmosphere. But it suffers from hideous amounts of revisiting.

Super Mario Kart is still the best Mario Kart ever, but Mario Kart DS is remarkably close to edging past the original in almost every way.

Minor annoyances aside though, Assassin’s Creed II is a superb game. Ubisoft have clearly listened to the reaction to the first game and have gone out of their way to remedy its problems.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is by far the best expansion of the set, and though it stumbles in its speedy progression from 80 to 85 and the Archaeology profession is boring and repetitive, the bulk of the content feels vast and polished.

Bayonetta is a spectacular game. The combat is truly exceptional, taking the baton from games like Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden and blowing them out of the water.

Despite being hampered by a well meaning, but ultimately interfering, plot, Far Cry 3 has evolved into a decadent, playful and exciting title. Be it quality programming, dumb luck or a mixture of them both, the game plunges you into a thick, gloopy world of sugary gameplay, shimmering visuals, intoxicating audio as well as a great deal more. It's long, stupid and buckets of fun - just what you need to burn away the winter blues.

The minimalist approach and stunning atmosphere elevates the game above the many generic titles surrounding it on store shelves. However, the game would have been more unique if the puzzles didn’t involve so many of those boring boxes and levers.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is stunning, exciting, fun and exhilarating to play, a great example of the 360’s power and online service and an essential title for all Xbox 360 owners.

The adventure is lengthy, the characters are entertaining, and this is truly a game that you’ll want to keep in your pocket for any free minute you find yourself with. DS owners should not miss out on what could certainly be the best handheld RPG of 2009.

It boils down to this: if you have GTAIV on the Xbox 360, buy this expansion. If you don’t have it on the Xbox 360... apologies. In a perfect world, it’d be available on all platforms, but sadly, politics wins out.

It's beautifully made with attention paid to every aspect of its visual and musical presentation.