Guitar hero 3 should most definitely be praised - for its almost entirely original recording song list, for its attempts to introduce something new into a near perfect formula, and for picking up where Harmonix left off effortlessly. The songs are diverse, hard-rocking and challenging, but in all honesty, these new tracks are the most exciting new thing about GH3.

The key is that you can get a hell of a lot of enjoyment out of Civ Rev without getting completely bogged down by the game's statistics.

Nintendo is known and loved because of the fun experiences that it creates, and WarioWare Smooth Moves delivers spades of crazy fun from the moment you pick up the Wii-mote.

Neo Cab is a captivating exploration of a cyberpunk city, not including the pretty visuals and ambient synth soundtrack. However, its satellite stories gripped me and the core narrative feels like a detour.

Bionic Commando will frustrate many gamers, but get past the initial swinging learning curve and you'll find a highly entertaining action game that tries to do something a bit different.

With a cursory wireless mode that lets you share the famous landmarks you have unlocked with other players, and a number of new buildings and concerns, this is definitely worth the money for anyone with an interest in simulations.

Monkey Island 2 is a sacred property to many - me included - and we expect the game to be treated with an appropriate amount of respect. It isn't.

If you fancy singing along to some classic tunes or have grown tired of the tracks included on previous releases, SingStar Legends is an essential purchase.

Octodad is an engaging, unique game which crashes the everyday and the uncanny head-on with aplomb, and one particularly enjoyable to onlookers. Simple tasks inevitably degenerate into Buster Keaton-evoking farces – with soundtrack nods to silent film accompanists to boot – and my only gripes with Dadliest Catch are an occasionally wayward camera and a few cruel difficulty spikes necessitating repetition of short sections ad nauseam. Otherwise, it’s a blast.

From control to innovation, Madden 23 delivered one of its best full game experiences to date. However, a push for creativity has led to stark inconsistencies from year to year, leaving many unsatisfied with modes like Face of the Franchise.

Through a blend of a Metroidvania structure and a dutiful nod to its side-scrolling past, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a lean and assured mechanical treat.

With record breaking as the foundation and a strong selection of fun mini-games to play, a well as leaderboards and multiplayer games, Guinness World Records: The Videogame is an excellent party game.

For those that have grown up with video games, 3D Dot Game Heroes is a celebration of everything that encapsulates the concept of retro. It wraps you up in a blanket of nostalgia and whisks you off to a world that just isn't seen in video games today.

BlazBlue does, however, make a case for 2D sprites, much more so than King Of Fighters XII because the graphics are a lot smoother and they don't go all pixelated if you get too close to the screen.

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.

For kids into fashion this would make an ideal gift.

Fundamentally, this is a very satisfying puzzle game, and one that manages to stay surprising throughout by keeping things incredibly tight. It escalates from the start and doesn't stop, providing more than enough reason to spend a couple of hours pushing around brightly covered blocks.

Helldivers 2 delivers hilarious fist-clenching moments with rock-solid co-op shooter fundamentals but is held back by repetitive missions.

If you're a fan of the "X-Men Legends" games that have appeared over the last few years you'll know what to expect from Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but you'll probably still be surprised at how polished and lengthy the game is.

A highly entertaining, 15 hour plus adventure, with some gorgeous visuals, devilish puzzles and exciting action. Fingers crossed the no doubt planned sequel will build on this very impressive debut.

Resident Evil 3 is a play for our imagination as much as our memory. It understands that the fear we felt long ago didn’t fade; it took root in our brains and mutated into myth. And this is what it might look like.

The non-twin-stick controls won't be for everyone, but once you've got to grips with the system Doublesix has created there's no end of fun to be found here. With enough depth to keep you coming back for weeks, if not months down the line, high score junkies won't be disappointed.

The wonderfully designed characters and intriguing plot do just enough to elevate NIER above much of what is coming out of Japan these days. It is, in many ways, the kind of game critics of the Japanese RPG have been calling for: different, fresh, and in parts distinctly un-JRPG. Not all of it works, but it's a commendable effort, and a memorable experience.

While Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is in many ways a retread of what's come before, it's exactly what anyone could ask for from the series while also being open enough to win over those who play it for the first time.

Most importantly, DS owners in general who are looking for something a little different will find Revenant Wings loads of fun. It's perfect for a medium length commute, never gets too complicated and has an excellent learning curve.

Firewatch feels like a natural and smart evolution of the adventure game, offering choices without as many constraints, but at the same time expertly funneling players down a path.

It's one of those games that can quickly get stuck in your head if you let it.

PES 2009 is a better game than PES 2008, on account of the technical issues being ironed out and solid but basic online support, but, disappointingly, it's practically the same game.

Lies of P is a masterclass in utilising passion and inspiration to create something distinct. While its execution isn’t perfect, the enthralling grimdark world of Krat and the overall excellent gameplay make for a fun experience many Souls-like fans are sure to enjoy.

Sure, in terms of the core gameplay (that being combat) you don't actually do a whole lot. You swing, dodge and cast the odd spell every now and again, and that's about the crux of it. However, the experience wrapped around these mechanics gives the game an alarmingly addictive nature.

Even though there isn't a whole lot here that we haven't seen before, if you dig the sport, this purchase should be an obvious choice. And if you have an Xbox 360, well then, all the better.

Even a heinous final boss encounter can’t dampen the mood. Saints Row 4 is a comedy gem; built by creators that are clearly on our side, and totally in love with what they do. It’s pretty easy to love them back.

A solid and often spectacular effort from Codemasters. The core racing is thrilling yet accessible and the amount of content on offer will keep players enthralled for some time.

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.

It brings the tried and tested formula to the Wii without as much as a hiccup, offering the most user-friendly experience yet. The game still requires patience and a solid investment of time, however, meaning that Tri is still very much reserved for the core gamer.

That the game feels overly familiar is undoubtedly a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, F1 24 is by no means a bad, or even average game, and if you’re a fan of the series, you will absolutely have a great time with it. The new changes there are meaningful, especially for veterans of the series who enjoy getting to grips with the deeper mechanics. But if you’re a casual player just looking to jump on and do a few races now and then, F1 24 may feel less like a brand-new title, and more like a $70 update to a game you already own.

With a little more effort, DMC4 could have been a genuine contender for 2008 game of the year. As it is it's a brilliant, addictive, just plain cool hack and slash action game which goes some way to bringing the series back to its initial lustre.

As positively nostalgic as all of this is, it's not surprising to find that Sonic Generations' emulation of past greats extends to its duration. Despite the fact that there are nine main stages per Sonic, seven bosses and ten side-missions per Zone, it will take an experienced fan just a few hours to blast through to the main ending.

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.

As positively nostalgic as all of this is, it's not surprising to find that Sonic Generations' emulation of past greats extends to its duration. Despite the fact that there are nine main stages per Sonic, seven bosses and ten side-missions per Zone, it will take an experienced fan just a few hours to blast through to the main ending.

FAST Racing Neo is a simple game, its roots clearly planted in a simpler time. It's good, honest, fast, arcade fun, priced perfectly to match its ambitions.

While things do get a little repetitive after a while, there's a huge amount here for your money, and though it will likely be little more than a passing fad, Pain deserves plentiful success. With several planned expansions, Pain is another gem in Sony's underrated PSN crown.

Ratchet & Clank is an easy recommendation. It's great fun, looks lovely, plays well and almost serves as a palate cleanser to the usual video game releases. Newcomers to the series will likely find a fresher experience (even though it's a proper remake, familiarity does creep in), but fans will love what Insomniac has done here. A remake done right in a series that rarely puts a foot wrong.

Judged purely on how good the driving is, GT5 is top class, perhaps even king - but as a game it could and should have been a whole lot better.

If you can cope with the archaic gameplay elements you'll find a JRPG that shames many of its more modern cousins with its entrancing plot and bewitching charm.

Everything is a challenge, everything does something, and there's never a moment when you can't interact with the world around you in some way.

There's a scrappy little multiplayer brawler to be had with this game, but the fact DiRT Showdown feels a lot like DiRT 3 with a new lick of paint is both the game's greatest strength and its ultimate downfall.

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.