SBK '07 succeeds at being accessible to casual Superbike fans while also catering for the hardcore market.

When you and your two pals are sharing item pick-ups, driving in each other’s racing lines, and skimming past one another for a boost, Team Sonic Racing shines. It offers something different in the kart racing genre.

Lumo could have easily been another retro inspired title that did little other than revel in old-school visuals. If anything, the reverse is true here. While visually a little unappealing, the isometric adventure and platforming gameplay are great, with a smattering of hair-pulling moments not enough to irrevocably damage what is a lovely trip down memory lane.

At points Comic Jumper will frustrate to the extent that you'll want to walk away and never look at it again, but if the humour grabs you then it's possible to overlook the many problems.

With a bit more ingenuity in the puzzles, more made of the time travel and a little more graphical "oomph", Raven and Activision could have had a real gem on their hands. It's still well worth a look though.

While the game's superb comedy feel makes the experience great fun, any evilness is all but lost, which is a shame as a touch more comedy cruelty would have been brilliant.

The more I played the less the goings-on of the narrative bothered me, and the more I relished the wavelike rhythm of the action: the roll and crash of sailing and breaking to alight for supplies.

Orcs & Elves is no revolution. It's Western role-playing the way it used to be - hidden passages, mountains of gold, dead dwarves and a temperamental dragon. It's perfect fodder for the geek in you, and a half-an-hour train ride, but don't expect it to rock your world.

Despite its faults and playing it very safe, Assassin's Creed Mirage is a step in the right direction for Ubisoft, an exercise in concision and a solid attempt to rekindle what made early AC games memorable.

If you're coming into the series afresh, Crackdown 2 is well worth checking out, but for those of us who have patiently waited over three years for a sequel, it's a mild disappointment.

A great port of a good game that has a few problems, the result being something well worth picking up if you’re looking for some decent home console Resi action, or just something to get rid of the lingering taste of Resident Evil 6. Although this re-release is somewhat surprising, it is far from unpleasant.

Despite a few niggles with the note structure changes and the nagging feeling that this could have all been DLC, Greatest Hits is still a lot of fun.

On the one hand it's highly entertaining and almost obscenely violent and crude, but for a next-gen title with a next-gen price tag it doesn't quite deliver.

If the DNA of Biomutant sparks a re-evolution of some of the genre’s dull spots, perhaps we can forgive the dull spots present here.

The good driving mechanic and excellent presentation found in Parallel Lines are only let down by some rather mundane missions.

Skylanders Superchargers is another solid entry in a franchise that has done gangbusters for Activision, and fans will enjoy the new vehicle gameplay and adventure-strewn story.

While its impact isn't as great as the original, Guacamelee 2 is a reminder of how good combat and traversal can feel when married together as they are in this 2D platformer-cum-brawler.

The combat can be slightly uninvolving at times, and the exploration side of proceedings serves little more than to connect one battle to the next, but the experience as a whole is surprisingly enjoyable.

Oversights, like not being able to access downloaded GH:3 tracks, are baffling and the number of covers for non-Aerosmith tracks is disappointing. For die-hard GH and Aerosmith fans it's a no-brainer, but everyone else might want to save their money for World Tour.

I would recommend the remake to anyone with a nostalgic thirst for the original, but so, too, to those that like their laughs with a dark bite.

Knothole Island is a good effort but far from the standard the full game set.

Once you get over the fact that playing EndWar makes you look and sound like a bit of a twat, you start to have quite a lot of geek-fuelled fun ordering your army about the battlefield, but we can't help but feel that EndWar is more proof of concept technical showcase than fully fleshed out triple-A title.

The combat can be slightly uninvolving at times, and the exploration side of proceedings serves little more than to connect one battle to the next, but the experience as a whole is surprisingly enjoyable.

A solid effort that, in some ways, changes the Gears formula for the better. Whether it will be remembered as anything other than a stopgap is questionable, but small qualms aside, it's a good one.

Regardless of that feeling of déjà vu, Carbon is another solid racer from EA, and the Auto-Sculpt feature is absolutely fantastic, not to mention the impressive car roster and functional online component.

Essentially, Mario Party 9 is a great leveller. No matter if you play games for a living or only touch a controller when one is forced into you hand, chances are you'll be in with a shot of winning come the end of the each game. The Wii has always been about bringing people together to play, and Mario Party 9 does that considerably better than I thought it would.

Anyone with an established affection for roguelikes (apparently there are a lot of you) and even the slightest liking of Pokémon will really enjoy this. And ultimately, I did too - played one mission at a time, Mystery Dungeon's old-fashionedness in the context of the adorable setting is charming, and you can't fault it for a lack of longevity.

The game engine is certainly in need of a makeover, and this might be the last year THQ can offer what is more or less a slight update, but it's a fun game and something that will get more than a few hours play with some mates.

I Am Alive only really becomes a proper tale of human survival if you can look past the wonky mechanics and rough engine, if you can see past the rustic models and amateur dialogue, and if you can actually connect with the wailing cast of cardboard cut-outs. Ubisoft's vision is clear and ambitious, but it lacks the development talent and budget to be effectively realised.

It's often gorgeous to look at and the story is worth experiencing, but the multiplayer is nothing more than a slight distraction and the lack of co-op is a missed opportunity. Bound in Blood is worth a look, but as a sequel it doesn't take the series on enough.

N++ delivers consistently excellent bursts of platforming devilishness, but it's not enough to keep me interested for the long haul.

Without any online modes though, and a lack of visual polish, it's a game that will struggle to appeal to players wanting more than a basic racing sim.

In truth, the gameplay has begun to tire slightly – certainly the stealth sections feel strained due to a lack of options – but this is still a strong piece of content and a genuinely pleasant surprise. Rocksteady will always be the true Dark Knight, but Cold, Cold Heart proves Warner Bros. Montreal is a decent Dick Grayson after all.

Decent ideas married to some questionable execution. In short doses Godfather II can be an absolute hoot, but sadly its shortcomings become more and more obvious the longer you spend with it.

While the game insists on holding your hand a little too tightly and the time limits can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, de Blob 2 remains a solid platform game with an interesting mechanic at its core.

Ultimately, C&C4 is a curiosity, one that succeeds in moving the RTS genre forward and is at times brilliant fun, but it fails as a fitting finale to one of the most loved science fiction tales in gaming. In 1995, Westwood popularised the RTS genre with a landmark title. It seems unlikely that history will judge Tiberian Twilight quite so fondly.

A modestly brilliant game throughout, and is thoroughly playable and very addictive. It has some inspired boss and bullet pattern design, and gives an immediate, rewarding sensation that truly belongs to the world of retro games.

It's fun, accessible, full of educational info and should keep young'ns happy for a good while.

The novelty alone is worth a punt.

While the game insists on holding your hand a little too tightly and the time limits can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, de Blob 2 remains a solid platform game with an interesting mechanic at its core.

An improvement over the original, but these improvements are marginal, and it still has a lot of the same issues that occurred in the first game.

Minecraft Legends is a worthy spin-off from the main game, but doesn't break any new ground in the real-time strategy genre, instead acting as an accessible entry point for the younger generation.

While the game insists on holding your hand a little too tightly and the time limits can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, de Blob 2 remains a solid platform game with an interesting mechanic at its core.

DeathSpank's mishmash of genres is definitely entertaining at first, but it never manages to live up to its appealing concept. It's trying to combine the best parts of two beloved genres, but in doing so it creates a product that's not as good as either.

PES 2011 is a good game. It's the best version of PES I've played on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it's a step in the right direction - but it isn't a FIFA beater.

For me, Runes of Magic is impressive for a free MMO, perhaps even the best, but predictably it's nowhere near as good as its subscription-based rivals, WoW and Warhammer Online.

Three-dimensional space games and flight-sims are a dying breed in the current climate, and in terms of gameplay, Project Sylpheed cruises some way above average.

It’s a game of MacGuffins, so to speak—what you’re doing and why you’re doing it is inessential to the joys and the juice on offer.

PES 2011 is a good game. It's the best version of PES I've played on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it's a step in the right direction - but it isn't a FIFA beater.

A wonderfully tense and oppressive atmosphere let down by the restrictions of live action interactivity.

It's a game that comes across more as GH with a different musical focus, rather than as a new IP in its own right. Band Hero is far from being a bad game, but somewhere along the line it seems the new franchise's focus became a little confused.

What needs to be remembered is that this isn't a brand new Serious Sam game, but the original in new clothes. As such it feels a little dated compared with modern releases. It's undoubtedly fun and relentless in its strive for all-out action, but with a recommended retail price of £18, it feels a bit light.

Whether OlliOlli World charms you or chafes at your patience will depend on your appetite for such whimsy.

Predictably, Proving Ground falls into the 'more of the same category'. When that means more of the same of something brilliant and proven, there's reason for both contentment and disappointment, but if you know you like Tony Hawk, though you'll not be blown away you should certainly feel comfortable here.

Telling Lies expands on the concept Sam Barlow created with Her Story, with a web of intriguing characters and mysteries, but the more overblown aspects of its plot detract from the personal drama.

On one side you've got some brilliantly designed platforming, with Ubisoft able to breathe new life into what could have been quite stale gameplay. Sadly, the combat, of which there is a lot, fails to do anything interesting. It's too basic and as a result dull and repetitive.

Aliens Vs Predator is a great deal of fun, but there's no getting away from the fact that it feels somewhat dated and that the marine campaign is head and shoulders above the other two.

Afterburner Climax is a great, and reasonably priced way to play the arcade game in the comfort of your own home, but it's a remarkably simple game that will leave some people wanting a lot more.

Beijing 2008 isn't doing anything all that new, but there's just something undeniably addictive about going for high scores and fastest times. If you've got an urge to twiddle an analogue stick faster than any human knew was possible you can do a lot worse.

With a bit more ingenuity in the puzzles, more made of the time travel and a little more graphical "oomph", Raven and Activision could have had a real gem on their hands. It's still well worth a look though.

Despite the niggles the main thing to say about Rivals 2 is that it's great fun. And fun, lest we forget, is what it's all about. The whoring of Sonic the Hedgehog continues of course, but the Sonic Rivals series continues to do its best to stem the flow of blue-skinned cow dung.

Given The Broken Bond's quite dazzling presentation it's easy to overlook its main fetch-quest focused flaw, so it's well worth a look. Just be aware that to non-fans some of the storyline will be quite hard to follow.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker isn't the most taxing puzzle game in the world, but it's well-paced and enjoyable all the same.

It's slightly disappointing, but I found myself returning to Blood Dragon after I'd finished it. The compulsive appeal of the parent game carries over, and it's nice to play a sci-fi shooter that's not trying to tell a so-called 'epic' story. Here you shoot people, a lot, and for most of its short running time that's good fun.

I enjoyed my time battling foes alongside wizard friends new and old, but Magicka 2 takes more effort than most games, and it's tiring.

Split/Second is so close to being great; so much so that in short bursts it really is a spectacular arcade racer. It just doesn't have any legs.

Series fans will love it – indeed, series fans would probably love it if a Capcom came to their house and punched their mothers – but Episode 2 not only provides a motivation to pick up Ep 3, it also neatly brings overarching backstory into play.

For hardcore shooter fans, Galaga Legions is an essential purchase, and can rightly be considered the definitive Galaga game. For everyone else, we can't recommend it over Retro Evolved 2, which remains the Xbox 360's best shooter by a country mile.

World Tour does nothing to advance golf games to wherever it is they need to go next – I think we can all admit the genre has become incredibly stale – but it still manages to entertain. And that, my friends, is no bad thing.

Blair Witch is great at building tension and letting you get lost in its unforgiving forest, but sometimes it takes that too literally. It mostly overcomes that, however, thanks to your magic camcorder and superb pooch.

As a spin-off from the Zelda franchise Hyrule Warriors does the job. It’s fun, pays decent fan service, and uses the Dynasty Warriors template well.

A well-rounded spectacle that serves up something for most wrestling fans.

Speaking of destruction, every building in the game can be destroyed - something which was quite a surprise at first, after a stray missile missed its target and downed a building a few hundred metres in the distance. This combined with the complete bombardment of enemies makes for a game that constantly brings a smile to the face of players.

And yet, despite these glaring, obvious faults, Destiny is utterly capable of draining the hours away, via its excellent combat and its PvP. Flawed, yes. Fun? Certainly. A total failure? Not really.

Then there's stuff that's just completely baffling, like the game's complete inability to match players into games that have already started - those kind of matchmaking particulars might work for a game the size of Halo, but here it just causes untold problems and a lengthy wait on the lobby screen.

Despite these signs of a slight rush job and the mixed presentation, I couldn't help but have a good time with Captain America.

If mainstream releases are leaving you feeling a little uninspired, Omega Five should be just the kind of boost your daily intake needs.

An imaginative, slightly quirky platform puzzler which will be great for the kids but doesn't hold a whole lot of challenge for adult gamers.

Despite these signs of a slight rush job and the mixed presentation, I couldn't help but have a good time with Captain America.

If you really want to play online though, or the game modes are important to you, the PlayStation 2 game is by far the better choice. This year Konami can just about be forgiven for short-changing Xbox 360 owners, but next year's game better be next-gen.

I can't deny that I'm disappointed by Scribblenauts' shortcomings, but I will certainly continue to play after this review is done - and I hope with all my heart that 5th Cell decide to make a sequel.

The fun of playing these games, especially these days, lies in the director, Ryuchi Nishizawa, whose approach to genre was one of precise and genial disregard.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues was always going to feel a bit desperate, making the most out of a small amount of new content, but Traveller's Tales has done a decent job.

Everything a downloadable title should be: simple, addictive and well priced. Those still in a strop that it isn't the 'proper' Crash mode that we've seen in Burnout games previously are missing the point. It is what it is, and it is jolly good fun.

There remains about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond the glint of something far gone, and there is something warmly reassuring about the place.

Everything a downloadable title should be: simple, addictive and well priced. Those still in a strop that it isn't the 'proper' Crash mode that we've seen in Burnout games previously are missing the point. It is what it is, and it is jolly good fun.

Though held back from greatness by gameplay flaws and performance issues, System Shock still presents a fascinating world and interesting story that'll be more than worth the effort for dedicated players.

As an example of the kind of control Move is going to allow in future titles, Sports Champions is easily the best of the launch line-up, but compared to the obvious competition (Wii Sports Resort) it's lacking content.

Does it succeed? Well, I don’t know—I’m not an astronaut—but I can report that it has a pleasing gravity.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected, making this the perfect title to celebrate the World Cup with, even if it's not the perfect footy game.

There remains about Pokémon Brilliant Diamond the glint of something far gone, and there is something warmly reassuring about the place.

For a next-gen price tag you expect to get a next-gen product, and sadly MotoGP '06 hasn't quite made a successful leap to the next-generation.

Fun, but a little shallow.

Its depth is fairly lacking by modern standards, so genre veterans may want to stay clear, but management sim newcomers will find a well designed and fun little game.

The football is shoddy, avatars glitch out and every now and again and the responsiveness of the game is occasionally brought into question - but none of this stops the experience being enjoyable. To conclude then, the answer to a question that has been on everybody's lips: is Kinect Sports better than Wii Sports?... Without a doubt.

NASCAR 09 isn't going to set tills on fire in the UK, but it's a solid racing game that offers something a little different to the likes of GT, Forza, PGR and GRID. It's not the most exciting of games to look at, but in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a race you need to be on your game if you're going to succeed.

Grasshopper jumbles together the conventions of the hack and slash with a slew of other ideas, and, if it all hangs together, it’s precisely because of the Hang: the relaxed air of logorrhea and pop cultural reference that wafts through it.

Don't expect ico crossed with the mind bending puzzles of Professor Layton, but do expect a well produced adventure game with puzzles that don't make you feel dumb.