This is definitely a case of evolution over revolution and, although the franchise makes a confident leap into the future, 2142's engine and gameplay are firmly rooted in the past. The action is still fast and frantic, the warfare is epic and exciting and the loading times remain as excruciating as ever.

I reckon 15-year-old chavs should be forced to play A Boy and His Blob after they put videos of themselves having a fit over Modern Warfare 2 on the internet. I wonder if David Crane would approve.

There's a lot of choice to be had for your money, but the campaign feels a little bland compared to its predecessors, and the idea of repeating it over and over for each of the six races is hardly a pleasant one.

A challenging and at times flawed experience - one that serves up plenty of frustration along with the rampant good times. Because no matter how hard you try or how carefully you plan your outings, you're almost certain to hit some kind of wall.

A cyberpunk exploration of humanity, manipulation and getting tanked, The Red Strings club is lovely and melancholy and well worth a look.

The game is as close to Pong as the London Philharmonic Orchestra is to a caveman banging a rudimentary drum and, continuing that analogy, Virtua Tennis 3 is just as primal and instinctive as its most ancient of relatives.

As a long-term PES acolyte who has favoured FIFA for the last four seasons, I'm heartened to see Konami's series finally approaching something close to its best form – even if it's not the domineering force it was in its glory days of 2004/5.

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.

The game is as close to Pong as the London Philharmonic Orchestra is to a caveman banging a rudimentary drum and, continuing that analogy, Virtua Tennis 3 is just as primal and instinctive as its most ancient of relatives.

Even nine months into the system's life, this 'should have been launch title' is right up there with the best the Wii has to offer, delivering solid controls and a thoroughly entertaining single-player storyline.

With loadouts to assemble and coordinated teams laughing to the bank, every breath of The Finals’ destruction does justice to its game show ambitions.

When the atmosphere and level of action on offer is this great, the fact that I can't wander off to see what's behind a tree half a mile to the East really doesn't bother me.

Revengeance is pretty sweet, then, but the aftertaste it leaves can be disappointingly bitter.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 would have been without doubt the best game in the series for years had it not been for the high number of bugs and uneven graphical presentation.

If Dragon Age didn't float your boat, neither will Awakening. Dragon Age enthusiasts, however, should consider it an essential purchase. It offers more of the same - no bad thing - in a great value package.

Its world, story and survival gameplay create a unique first-person shooter, and Last Light is a worthy successor to the original game, even if it carries similar problems. In a pre-apocalypse world, Last Light's roughness would perhaps not be so forgiven, but it feels somewhat suitable here.

It would be easy to dismiss it with the cutesy Miis and two games in one approach, but in spite of this, FIFA has been given what it needed to draw in the first timers and the old hands, snatching the title of best football game on the Wii with a last minute flick of the remote.

Entrenchment makes Sins of a Solar Empire more playable and accessible to 4X strategy and RTS gamers alike and builds on its predecessor’s success to create a memorable experience with both depth and spectacle. At this price, what more can you ask for?

The art design is unique, the story akin to one of Square Enix's RPG DS titles and it's a great game to play for short bursts of time, perhaps on a regular commute, because the battles themselves don't take too much time to complete.

Full of gags, bawdy humour and pratfalls (what other game gives you the chance to shoot bananas at the feet of citizens for comic relief?) it's got charm to spare. Unlike Sakaguchi's biggest hit, The Last Story's title is more likely to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it represents compelling proof that there's still life in the old JRPG yet.

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.

Ultimately, it’s kind of hard to judge Lego City Undercover as a typical open world effort, because in truth, Lego City Undercover isn’t actually that much of an open world game. Some missions do let you smash the place apart in a car chase or pootle about in a chopper, but outside of this there’s little to do.

It's a workmanlike interpretation of what makes an RPG tick, placing a spotlight on all the right mechanics and features that most titles struggle to perfect. Regardless of the game's bland exterior, Reckoning is considerably well crafted.

Stealth Bastard Deluxe is a competent little head-scratcher, then, and while the death of your anonymous clone subject is constant, it is rarely aggravating.

And as a game adults can get something out of at the same time as younger gamers, it's perfect.

This is basically exactly what fans of the last few LEGO games will be expecting: fun, not-too-taxing, enjoyable gameplay with tongue-in-cheek humour, loads of stuff to unlock and plenty of replay value.

It won’t blow anyone away, but it’s another decent Kirby game, with smart levels, puzzles and unlockables that’ll keep the Kirby Hardcore happy. If the Kirby Hardcore exists. Don’t Google that.

The novelty alone is worth a punt.

Somehow, against the odds, Guitar Hero: Live has given life back to a series thought long dead. I laughed like a pissed hyena when it was announced, but Freestyle has achieved something close to excellence here.

Madden NFL 15 is an excellent return to form for the series. Yes, it’s still plagued by legacy issues, but the leaps taken on defence, coupled with the spiffy new graphics and excellent gameplay, make this an essential purchase for longstanding fans and a great starting point for players looking to jump on board.

Despite the myriad troubles, Granblue Fantasy: Relink has turned out to be rather excellent. But with several lacklustre aspects, there is a real sense of disappointment that Relink could have been so much better.

The big question hanging over Euro 2008 is if it's worth its price tag, given that it's essential a tweaked FIFA 08 and FIFA 09 is only a few months away? The core gameplay has been tweaked enough to make FIFA 08 feel slightly dated, but chances are FIFA 09 will improve on this even further.

Beaterator works simply because it provides a decent set of audio tools, and clear instructions on how to use them. At first you may feel a little overwhelmed by all the menus and libraries, but ultimately its sheer user-friendliness, the common controls, and omnipresent video tutorials win out the day.

The DLC as a whole doesn't take long to complete, a couple of hours at the very most, but it's incredibly well paced, peppered with memorable set pieces, some narrative bombshells and just the right amount of combat to stitch everything together.

At around two hours long, The Assignment is a reasonably-sized add-on which fleshes out The Evil Within's story while building on what made it so enjoyable in the first place. Let's hope its follow-up, The Consequence, lives up to it.

United falls just short of brilliance and will always be overshadowed in my mind by its slightly uglier older brother and its free expansion pack. Despite the obvious benefits offered by the new cars and track pieces, two of the best game modes have been removed and that's hard to understand.

Crucially, though, that intangible PES magic remains and expands with the potential of the new engine; matches take on their own personalities (helped by new player emotions – perform well and your play will visibly improve during the game) and you’ll discuss great goals for years, especially now that shooting and heading are weightier, more natural feeling. Even Master League is better.

The Division is not a perfect game. There are flaws. But the flaws are mostly because it's straddling genres, and this is also what gives it so many different things to enjoy. There are complicated inventory systems, daft explosives, a big open world to explore, and incredible multiplayer, but you don't need to get invested in any of them to play the game. The Division is not a perfect game, but it's really fun. Which is sort of the point, isn't it?

Built from the ground up by a new developer, the DS has finally got a Lego Star Wars game to be proud of. Whether you're a Star Wars fanatic or DS owner looking for a polished, fun time, you could do a lot worse.

Sunken King is a promising start to Dark Souls 2’s DLC: if From Software can build on it, and address the traversal issues of this pack, we could see some of the best moments in the series to date.

Thanks to the benefit of PC gaming resolutions and superior anti-aliasing Driver San Francisco looks best on PC.

There's been enough alterations and inclusions to justify a purchase by Retro Evolved fans (it certainly feels like more of a fleshed out game now) and its simple, unique and easy to get into gameplay should keep the more casual among us engaged for hours on end.

It's not a solution to weight problems, but it's definitely a good addition to your fitness routine. The mini-games are really just the icing on the cake, opening Wii Fit up to everyone. People of all ages will love how you control the games using nothing but your balance and competing for new high scores is great fun.

Despite plenty of issues, A Knight to Remember isn't a terrible start to the adventure, just a rather unnecessarily tedious one. If The Odd Gentlemen can increase the overall game speed and introduce some smarter puzzles, future chapters could indeed be a lot of fun.

Gamers brought up on the likes of Halo and Call of Duty might struggle to see what's so great here, but that's their loss.

A nice, weird walk and a philosophical lecture, both unfortunately ruined by how hard the game drives its point home. Everything would be cleverer if it wasn't seemingly trying to be so clever.

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.

So, whether online Worms floats your boat or it's a nostalgia trip you're after, this is the Worms game to get.

Skate 3, to be blunt, doesn't offer a great deal that's different to the previous two games in the series, with the added team, online and sharing functionality being the key additions.

There are certainly better hack 'n' slash games on the market, built around deeper combat, but few games can match Enslaved's excellent fusion of gameplay and storytelling.

If you can't get a sick sense of joy from using a man as a stone in a stone skimming competition, making him convulse as he bounces off the water's surface, what kind of mentally deranged person are you?

Judgment tinkers with the Yakuza template enough that it provides something for fans, as well as those who have always thought about visiting Kamurocho.

Every moment is exhilarating, and Drivatar isn't just a buzzword but an example of what the next-gen can do.

Dustforce comes into its own after you've invested some time, transforming into a frantic and occasionally frustrating experience that manages to eke out repeat play.

Occasionally you'll witness flashes of brilliance, glimpses that suggest Io could yet salvage something from this wreckage for its next Hitman game. And then you finish a stage with a tedious quick-time event, snapping the neck of a morbidly obese Danny Trejo-alike in a wrestling match watched by hundreds - astonishingly earning yourself a Silent Assassin rating in the process - and you shake your head sadly and wonder how it all went so badly wrong.

SDvR09 is better than last year's effort, no question, and it's a better game than TNA Impact! on account of it being yet another iteration of a tried and trusted game engine and packed full to bursting with features old and new. So yes, on the whole it has met the challenge.

In short bursts, it's everything you'd assume it would be, and if your expectations don't go any further than that you won't be disappointed. Ignore the (awful) narrative, shoot some fools and enjoy...As a total package, though, Wolfenstein continually feels disjointed and doesn't know exactly what it wants to be - the overall experience is jarring. And the boss fights suck...

The new game world looks great, and the omnipresent vegetation is a real change from the barren rock and destroyed highways that we’re used to. At times the frame rate seemed to take a bit of a hit, but this issue never became serious enough to affect gameplay - the action was just a bit less smooth than usual.

Lost in Nightmares is a shining example of what DLC should be; a short but sweet extension to the original story that offers something different from the main game whilst retaining its overall tone.

It's a breath of fresh air to the racing genre and features some of the best online integration to date.

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

MotoGP 24 scratches the itch it needs to thanks to the strong foundation laid down by previous entries. But while new features and increased realism are appreciated, they rarely feel like meaningful additions to last year’s game, leaving MotoGP 24 sometimes feeling more like an update of MotoGP 23 than a whole new title.

This is the best handheld football game ever, but it'll undoubtedly be convincingly beaten once EA has got to grips with the hardware - hopefully in time for FIFA 13 later this year.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has a string of wisely chosen influences, and it delivers on the long-overdue promise of a fun Jedi action-adventure. Bugs and design wrinkles irritate.

Unplugged manages to bring the band experience to the PSP in a way that works for the system and is highly addictive to boot. The lack of multiplayer is disappointing and we'd have preferred a few more tracks, but for finger tapping fun on the move this comes highly recommended.

It will be years before a game made by the big budget software houses like Ubisoft or EA is brave enough to attempt anything remotely similar, but The Path shows promising signs that gaming is starting to grow up.

Metroid Other M is one of the most accomplished action games on the Wii, but it's let down slightly by some clumsy controls and awkward storytelling.

Nuts & Bolts offers true next-gen gameplay, with user created content being core to the experience. Simply making vehicles is good fun, and with the ability to instantly test them out you can sink hours into one creation alone. It certainly won't be for everyone, but with spectacular presentation, highly entertaining Robot Wars style multiplayer and a lot of good hearted humour, the bear and bird are back.

Soma's slowly-unfolding story, and the choices you live with, make the experience one that will stay with you for some time, the ending hitting all the right notes.

While MMA might be the better game compared to UFC Undisputed 2010, it would be folly to ignore the void left by the lack of the UFC license. The Strikeforce league might be increasing in popularity, much like the sport in general, but it barely commands the weight of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Its branding is sorely missed, alongside Joe Rogan's and Mike Goldberg's industry-leading commentaries.

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.

NHL 07 has its glaring flaws, particularly with its lousy AI and shoddy online play, but the skill stick breathes new life into a sport that hasn't seen much innovation in over a decade. The eye-candy visuals and terrific puck physics don't hurt either.

The quality of the platforming is hard to fault, however.

Graphically - both in terms of character design and use of 3D - Street Fighter is the better game. It also proves itself far more competent online, which is a huge deal for fighting aficionados. DOA fans with an itch to satisfy should pick it up regardless, if only for the rather interesting tease at the end.

Feels like a hardened old-skool title wrapped up in some lavish next-gen visuals. Annoyances with the save system, checkpoints and difficulty spikes are likely to mar the enjoyment for a fair few players, but there's still no question that Lost Planet should be experienced.

A very impressive new slice of Dishonored. With Daud's story left on a cliffhanger, we hope Arkane keeps up this form with the next installment.

Still, we can't help but feel that there's going to be thousands of PES fans who embrace the power of the dark side this year, on account of the fact that it simply doesn't feel like Konami is putting much effort into the so-called 'next-gen' versions of PES these days - and that includes PC.

Trepang2 is an excellent ultra-violent shooter that balances intensely satisfying combat and stealth gameplay with a tight, engaging narrative full of mystery. With perfect pacing, immersive boss fights and a thought-provoking ending, it achieves everything it aims for with the precision and technique of a super soldier.

This mesmerising harmony of pastel colours and peerless audio is without doubt one of the 360's most significant RPGs, and it is essential for fans of the genre. It suffers from repetition with regard to battles, but it is still worth every beat of your heart that passes as you play.

A glorious return to the hay-day of 8-bit gaming; a fantastic challenge built on the back of some of the most refined mechanics the genre has ever seen.

An interesting and imaginative remix.

Gamers brought up on the likes of Halo and Call of Duty might struggle to see what's so great here, but that's their loss.

The longer South Park: The Fractured But Whole went on, the less I laughed. Exploring the mountain town, however, is a delight, and the battles are a marked improvement on the original's combat.

A great LEGO game - my favourite to date. The risky addition of dialogue pays off, allowing Traveller's Tales to run wild in a way previously impossible with the series.

An adeptly handled game. It's an exciting, occasionally thrilling online shooter with a genuinely engaging hook, and a clever hodgepodge of many pre-existing trends to boot.

Even when the trappings are more traditional, as they are in Return to Dreamland Deluxe, Kirby is Kirby. You get to the end with the distinct feeling that the tilts and tumbles haven’t stopped, that you haven’t quite pinned down its charm, and that you will be back, before too long, with an urge for more.

The whole thing is wrapped up in a darling Fisher Price aesthetic and presented with wit and style. A lack of offline multiplayer and Microsoft's dodgy dictionary compromises the package, but it's got more modes than you deserve and a ridiculous 400 point price tag.

It's not as engaging or memorable as we remember the originals to be, and the puzzles won't blow anyone away, but it's still hugely exciting to play a brand new Monkey Island game, such is the enduring popularity of the early 90s classics.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron doesn't come close to recapturing the magic of fighting Autobots and Decepticons in the bedrooms and playgrounds of our youths, but High Moon Studios has created something that allows us to fondly recall those bygone times.

Studio Liverpool also reasserts its uncanny ability to perfectly match a contemporary soundtrack to its games, though the amount of tracks is a little limited and there's no support for your custom tunes...The loading times, however, are simply unforgivable.

A well-executed, cleverly designed puzzle game. It won't last you particularly long - while the latter stages are fiendishly difficult, the game isn't infinitely replayable like Tetris, for example.

A middle of the road, B-tier serving of polygonal slop that, while decked out with some power fantasy-satisfying grand-scale combat, quickly turns into a repetitive slog with very little in the way of a meaningful pay off.

Prey gives you all the tools you need, but allows you to decide how to get to your goal. The fear is constant, as is the joy from getting to safety. Despite a largely forgettable main story, I'll remember my own experience in Talos-1 for some time.

The game is as close to Pong as the London Philharmonic Orchestra is to a caveman banging a rudimentary drum, and continuing that analogy, Virtua Tennis 3 is just as primal and instinctive as its most ancient of relatives.

For all its originality, Dead Rising 2 smacks of old-school design. Perhaps I should be more critical of that, but it's hard to be stern when the game offers such a good time.

In terms of gameplay mechanics it's incredibly simple, but that works in the its favour, leaving you to become fully engrossed in the thrilling and malleable storyline. If you fancy a gory treat that hits plenty of high notes, Until Dawn is highly recommended.

In a year destined to be remembered as the one that saw the resurgence of the fighting game, Tekken 6's star is too dull to shine brightest.

Though it comes with a crop of upgrades, and its graphics have been brushed to a smooth shine, what it offers, despite its title, is the joy of the old.