I've considered myself a Call of Duty fan for many years, and I've held a deep-seated distrust of Treyarch since Call of Duty 3. No longer.

Everything works in concert in Sayonara Wild Hearts. It’s sublime.

DJ Hero is possibly the best rhythm action game I have ever played. There's not a dull track in the entire game - hardly surprising given how much superstar DJ input FreeStyleGames has enjoyed.

A step back and a leap forward. As a gateway drug for those reluctant to embrace Mario in three dimensions, Super Mario 3D Land should be a huge success.

I find it easy to ignore Forza Horizon's traditional multiplayer when the single-player is so captivating and enriching.

Okay, so the main bulk of it is yet another rendition of a game we all know by now, but it's easily the best rendition of that game that we've seen so far. When you factor in the Music Studio and all the creative doors that it opens, it's clear that this is by far and away the best rhythm game available on the market today.

Capcom’s called it “the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles”. We’re inclined to agree. When all is said and done, if you’re a fighting game fan MvC2 is an essential purchase.

It's the little things that the core F1 audience will appreciate: the oscillating body work, revamped pit stops, improved tyre degradation, a dynamic cloud system. While casual players might question whether much is different a year down the road after 2010, those in the know - those whose second home is behind a steering wheel - will agree that F1 2011 is the most complete representation of the sport to date.

Resident Evil 2 is more than a remake of a classic game, it's one of the most accomplished horror titles you'll play for a long time.

The core gameplay mechanics are as good as ever, the presentation has been toned down for the better, there are some brilliant new multiplayer options, and everything feels more streamlined than before. Well worth adding to your playlist.

It's the little things that the core F1 audience will appreciate: the oscillating body work, revamped pit stops, improved tyre degradation, a dynamic cloud system. While casual players might question whether much is different a year down the road after 2010, those in the know - those whose second home is behind a steering wheel - will agree that F1 2011 is the most complete representation of the sport to date.

It's about controlling the terror levels of the countries you need money from, calming the alarm of your squad members as their leader is killed and their behaviour grows erratic and your own fears as you try to remain level-headed in the face of a terrified populace, a concerned council, and the sharp, poisonous appendages of a trio of chittering creatures advancing towards your wounded sergeant. After all, remaining calm under such overwhelming pressure isn't so easy when the person in mortal danger is named after your partner or best friend.

Yes, you could get by with last year's game, but you will be missing out on what will probably be the best sports game of 2010.

Little Nightmares is frightening, in a way that gets under your skin. A way that whispers in your ear that you won't sleep well tonight. Little Nightmares takes things you were afraid of when you were a kid, and reminds you you're still afraid now.

Put simply, if you love Fallout 3, Broken Steel is an essential purchase.

Thankfully, small touches, such as ‘Apprentice Mode’, help the overall concept: players of different levels can still crawl together without the lower levelled character feeling useless.

Yes, you could get by with last year's game, but you will be missing out on what will probably be the best sports game of 2010.

Do you like first-person shooters? If the answer is yes, buy Battlefield: Bad Company 2. If there's a weakness it lies in the slightly brief single-player campaign, but the brilliant, potentially Modern Warfare 2 beating multiplayer more than picks up the slack.

Helsing's Fire has inventive levels and immediate charm, making it an instant iPhone classic you'd be a fool not to pick up post haste.

The streamlined, pin-point accurate controls set a new precedent for first-person games on the Wii, and the game itself will keep you busy for more than a few weekends with its excellent achievement-like reward system and lengthy quest that easily took us 20 hours to collect every item, scan every object and obtain the best ending.

Splinter Cell was in need of a refresh and that's exactly what Ubisoft has delivered. Conviction manages to tweak the tried and tested formula without ruining the stealth gameplay, delivering some of the best action gaming I've played this year.

Super Meat Boy taps into the exact kind of things I want from a video game - it's bold, challenging and, above all, rewarding. I can certainly understand how people might not be attracted to a game that takes a sadistic delight in coming up with inventive ways to frustrate players, but you'd be missing out if you let Super Meat Boy pass you by.

Whether you fancy skulking in the shadows, smashing slow motion fists in into a goon's skull, or simply using some cool gadgets, you can do no wrong with what is Eidos' best game in years.

Online play does pose a few more problems; not just technically, but simply in being able to find a race. Unless you're already involved with an online racing community, you'll probably struggle to find people on open servers to race wheel-to-wheel with.

There are games you want everyone to play, just so they can experience what you've such a good time with, and Left 4 Dead is one of them. It's unlike any other game I've ever played and demonstrates the true power of cooperative gameplay.

We defy you not to enjoy Pure. In an age where simulation reigns supreme, Pure's over the top arcade fun is a refreshing change of pace. Somehow Black Rock has managed to make a game that is infectious, spreading the joy to all who touch it, even to onlookers who gather around the TV in awe at the incredible visuals.

Cordy is simple enough for beginners yet also packs in a decent challenge for more experienced players.

A spin-off of the Might & Magic series, but it's such a refreshing departure from that tortuous franchise that we can't see it being a one-off. It's a stunning effort from a developer that's surely destined for great things.

With HeartGold and SoulSlver the Pokémon series has reached a point where it can't get any better. It's like a level 100 Pikachu; it's as good as it can possibly be, but it's probably about time it evolved already.

With a main game mode that spans 50 levels, numerous unlockable modes that extend the lifespan significantly, stupidly addictive gameplay and fun-infused presentation, you'd be a fool to pass up Plants Vs Zombies.

It's an exercise in perfecting what you've already got working; you're not going to find much in the way of completely new material, but this is a superior game to its predecessor and a solid bridge to the next entry in the series.

I've considered myself a Call of Duty fan for many years, and I've held a deep-seated distrust of Treyarch since Call of Duty 3. No longer.

Yakuza 3 combines visual splendour with superb sound design to create an unparalleled atmosphere.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is one of the best and most welcome surprises of the year.

This isn't just the best Wii golf game we've played, but the best golf game we've played on any system.

Combine a thoroughly entertaining single-player campaign with a stunning and challenging time trial mode and you'll soon forget that you managed to run through the story in six hours or less. There's depth here that you'll only discover hours into time trialling a single stage, and as we said, no other game released this year comes close to being as cool.

A brilliant RPG that delivers on all fronts including quite possibly the most enthralling piece of narrative the series has ever seen.

A top-quality shooter with oodles of style.

In the beauty stakes and beyond, there are very few, in the rarefied realms of indie or AAA, who can challenge it.

Had Red Faction Guerrilla's campaign been at a consistent high throughout we might have had a real game of the year contender on our hands.

GRAW 2 is unquestionably a huge success. A short campaign aside, it does everything GRAW fans would want from a sequel and once again confirms Ubisoft as one of the leading next-gen publishers.

Perhaps more appealing than the brain teasers is Fez's mesmerizing setting. I'm not usually a fan of low-fi aesthetics for the sake of looking retro, and initially Fez might resemble an 8-bit throwback, but upon closer inspection it's a finely detailed world simply made out of cubes with scenery as varied, atmospheric, and inspired as any triple-A title I've played.

The best thing that Yuke's has made in years. It's stylish, fresh and deeply engaging. It is, in short, a bruising powerhouse of a game.

In parallel with the superlative Chinatown Wars, The Ballad of Gay Tony restores a sense of playfulness to the GTA franchise, cementing Rockstar's status as King of the DLC.

Oblivion will consume you. It'll consume your life, your performance at work will suffer and you might not see friends in weeks. With hundreds of hours of gameplay, and an unprecedented amount of quests to be completed, I couldn't possibly recommend Oblivion enough.

And any game that features characters who perform one-arm pullups to go up ladders is automatically in my good books. Gears of War 4 features such characters. There's no doubt that the long-term appeal of Gears 4 lies in its suite of multiplayer modes, but I would 100 per cent recommend playing through the campaign. It's some of the best fun I've had in a shooter for quite some time.

There are no other dynamics quite like it in games; they acquaint us with an array of miseries and charge us money for the privilege.

Storytelling in The Lost and Damned is also of an exceedingly high standard, with Rockstar once again showing the rest of the industry how it should be done. While we prefer Niko over Johnny as a leading character, the quality of acting here is top notch, perhaps even better than it was in the original, and the tension within the gang is portrayed exceedingly well.

Last Hope International is the definitive Star Ocean 4 experience, and as far as I'm concerned, the best next-gen RPG money can buy.

Chains of Olympus is at its core a remarkably simple game, but it's presented so well and plays so smoothly that the end result is a must-own PSP title. It'll make you question the visuals of every other PSP game you play and have you longing for more.

A system seller. It's a Nintendo-published game that is rarely seen, and a game that will legitimately make non-Wii U owners jealous. It's everything I want from a hardcore Nintendo title, offering genre-leading combat and eye-popping visual spectacle.

The true beauty of GTA Online is its endlessness. There are bigger worlds, but none as dense and rich with possibility and hilarity. This is a game that will give and give, and that makes its technical hardships mere distant blips on its radar.

It is short, at around 4-6 hours depending on ability and difficulty level, but they are 4-6 hours of intense, taught and finely tuned gameplay the like of which you're unlikely to find in many other games. Once you're ensnared by the charms of Episode One you'll be chafing at the bit for Episode Two to arrive.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is a bold move into a new generation. There are technical hiccups, but those pale in comparison to the bustling Wild Area and the charming Gen 8 additions.

Part puzzle game, part retro experience, part mindfuck, I haven't played anything as engaging and interesting as Pony Island in a long time.

It's not often that I get excited about handheld games, particularly handheld action games, but Chili Con Carnage has completely blown me away and changed my view on what Sony's handheld is capable of...As an action packed shooter it's far and away the best the PSP has to offer.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is a bold move into a new generation. There are technical hiccups, but those pale in comparison to the bustling Wild Area and the charming Gen 8 additions.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is a bold move into a new generation. There are technical hiccups, but those pale in comparison to the bustling Wild Area and the charming Gen 8 additions.

It's painfully addictive, screen-shatteringly frustrating at times but so moreish it's like the computer game equivalent of Chocolate Fingers. The improvements are significant without breaking the fundamentals, and it seems that Sports Interactive has thought long and hard about how it can implement changes that would bring back the disillusioned without enraging the devotees. Roll on FM 13.

A superb second instalment, and one which shows off Hitman's greatest strengths.

Although this sequel could be labelled as Viva Piñata +, in that it more or less builds on the original rather than doing anything drastically different, it's still an absolutely must-own Xbox 360 game.

P3R’s poignant tale of acceptance is bolstered by smart combat refinements, deeper friendships, and a soundtrack you already love.

Minor problems aside, DIRT 2 is everything racing fans will want from an off-road racer. The driving is fast, fun and be tailored to your skill level. Hardcore fans will work hard shaving split seconds off their best times, while novices can still work through the career and have fun with their fiends online.

It is short, basic and ferociously hard, and these are just some of the reasons it is assured a place in the schmup hall of fame.

By yourself there are a few games that provide as much of a thrill, and when playing with friends Guitar Hero II reaches even greater heights, making it a must own game.

One of the finest examples of bringing the essence of arcade gaming to modern consoles and a game no adrenaline junkie should pass up.

It could have done with more franchise crossover moments, but Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is wonderful, warm and fantastic at making you feel clever. Cleverer than you actually are anyway.

In relation to the other titles on the Live Arcade, it's a high price, but this is a game that you'll be coming back to months down the line, making it an essential download.

Capcom’s called it “the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles”. We’re inclined to agree. When all is said and done, if you’re a fighting game fan MvC2 is an essential purchase.

The new lick of paint is nice, but it’s the changes under the hood that make the significant difference.

The best FIFA game ever made. Over to you Konami.

Some will think the game too short, the gameplay repetitive and the experience too similar to the original to warrant forking out another £20, but those people are heartless grouches who no doubt spend their time scaring children and trampling on daisies. For everyone else, LocoRoco 2 is the most uplifting game available, not only on the title-shy PSP, but on any platform.

Perhaps the strongest compliment I can pay Eidos Montreal is this: with its grand design, dynamic play and sheer wealth of ideas - not to mention its old-fashioned pre-occupation with air vents - Deus Ex: Human Revolution is reminiscent of the best efforts from the golden era of PC gaming at the end of the 90s. It's a modern release imbued with the finer qualities of an age gone by.

But with one massive, graceful, Welsh-tinged sweep, the combined might of Level-5 and Studio Ghibli has reinstated credibility to a flagging area of gaming. It's taken years of craft and - likely - a hell of a lot of money, but Ni No Kuni is a wonderful, wondrous experience and will keep you captivated and enchanted for dozens of hours.

New Super Mario Bros. treads the retro platformer line beautifully, adding just enough originality and imagination to the mix.

What makes Gunpoint so good, is how it makes the player feel like a genius. Each solution feels like your own. The game hands you a Swiss Army Knife made out of other, smaller Swiss Army knives and lets you loose in the shed, with ALL the wood.

Its simple aim-and-shoot mechanics draws you in for repeated plays and with the short completion times needed to complete levels, you can easily fall prey to ‘Just One More’ Syndrome.

It might not have the jaw-dropping visuals to rival Killzone 2, but it's a hugely satisfying shooter that'll have you clinging onto that controller or mouse throughout its tension-filled campaign. If you like your combat meaty and with a solid dose of supernatural scares, there's every chance this will rank as one of your favourite games of 2009.

There can be no doubt that the game's over too soon, but the journey is still worth travelling. When water meets lava... Well, that's worth the asking price alone.

Link’s Awakening is happy to be history, and it defies you not to be, as well.

It's a game where focus is rewarded, and as such there's a welcome emphasis on using the PS4's hardware to relay information to the player without compromising their concentration, such as the pad-based speaker barking instructions.

One of the most ambitious, darkest, and legitimately smart additions to the genre you'll have the luck of playing. Just get yourself a bloody decent PC.

Sims 3 for console is the first time the franchise has been presented as a near-match to its PC counterpart.

It'll teach you things, broaden your horizons, and give you a damn good time; think of it as the Mrs Robinson to your brawling Benjamin Braddock. As Taokaka might say, meow can you resist?

it's one of the most creative examples of casual gaming.

Sims 3 for console is the first time the franchise has been presented as a near-match to its PC counterpart.

This is a gold standard expansion, one that's briefer than the GTA IV add-ons, but otherwise just as good. In a happier world, all DLC would give you this much to play with.

I've considered myself a Call of Duty fan for many years, and I've held a deep-seated distrust of Treyarch since Call of Duty 3. No longer.

Put simply, if you love Fallout 3, Broken Steel is an essential purchase.

Shadow of Mordor is a triumph, its final irony being that it's arguably the best and most pure Assassin's Creed game to date.

Aside from the minor issues that I've mentioned, the only real complaint I can level at Undead Nightmare is that it makes the previous two DLC packs - which were on sale at the same price - look a little bit lightweight.

The Last of Us Part I is a beautiful thing to behold, honouring your recollection by surpassing it.

Buying Subsistence should be a no-brainer, even for those of you who have spent countless hours already mastering the original.

It'll teach you things, broaden your horizons, and give you a damn good time; think of it as the Mrs Robinson to your brawling Benjamin Braddock. As Taokaka might say, meow can you resist?

With a secret world so good it'll make long-term fans (and me) squeal with glee, and how easily it oozes personality and skill, Super Mario 3D World is the best entry the series has offered up in years. It may not hit the highest of highs that the plumber has done in the past, but it's awfully close.

With a whole heap of content to unlock, including the brilliant Mercenaries mode (playable cooperatively off and online), a campaign that begs to be replayed and top of the line production values there's very little to be disappointed with.

According to my manager stats, I've spent approximately 35 per cent of my life (since my team was created) logged into FM Live. Either I've got nothing better in my life to be getting on with or FM Live is the greatest football management game ever created.

With an epic online mode, dozens of unlockable characters and stages and hundreds of collectible trophies, Brawl deserves its place in every Wii-owner's collection.