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.

In many ways BioShock 2 is a game about refinements, rather than wholesale changes.

Visually the game is fantastic. In-game the graphics are among the best on the PSP, and alongside the occasional, highly polished traditional cut-scenes, there are a wealth of comic book style semi-animated cut-scenes that are presented with panache, and in some way explain the creatively inspired Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel, as a kind of precursor to Portable Ops' styling.

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.

Blowing things up is cool, and no game lets you see the destruction caused better than Volition's latest.

Criterion has made no attempt to disguise the fact they're making a game designed to be played socially, so it's no surprise that Most Wanted only gets better once you party up.

The number of options you have on how to tackle each situation makes for some great unscripted moments, and the visuals and sound help create an atmosphere that wouldn't be possible on older hardware.

With up to an incredible sixteen players battling against the AI it's a truly great gaming experience, providing you can get into a game that's lag free.

But when the actual game is compared to the finest of its score-hungry contemporaries - Trials HD, Super Stardust HD and Geometry Wars 2 - Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is a titanic event of equal worth.

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 the praise I’m about to heap on Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2, it’s a game I never want to play again. An odd thing to say, but one said with the best of intentions.

Complex systems are made simple, by committing their clutter to muscle memory, and play—good play, at any rate—requires that you, like Selene, ride its enigmatic loop.

This is a massive game: in a month that's seen the release of five or six of the year's best titles, I reckon this is the absolute peach. It's packed with interesting places, with choices to make, with that nebulous sense of adventure you only find in the best RPGs.

Flower is a brilliant little piece of work, gorgeous and moving in equal measures.

This quest line is the biggest yet and keeps you hooked right to the end. While the dungeons are not as big or as maze-like as the previous expansions, the chance to really explore Cyrodiil really makes this quest much more effective and allows for a greater appreciation of the graphical tweaks and new locations.

On paper, this sequel reads much the same as the original. But it's not - it's a vastly superior game with a sharper focus, better quests and more enjoyable blasting. Borderlands 2 is a gamer's game, so if you like shooting things, levelling up and exploring every cubby hole across a massive, varied world - if you love games, basically - then it's definitely for you.

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.

For us, Rock Band 2 is brilliant, just like Guitar Hero: World Tour is. We can't pick between them. Slightly boring conclusion, we know, but the right one.

On the Wii, Shadow of the Templars: Director's Cut was a great game slightly marred by a few minor flaws; on the DS it's a great game that makes the best of its platform.

Thumper is a great rhythm action game, with strong visuals, fantastic design, and more speed than Keanu Reeves on a bus rigged to explode.

I had a great time with The Pitt, and it single-handedly reinvigorated my interest in Bethesda's masterpiece. It's what DLC should be: good value, interesting, exciting and a concentration of what is best about the game it's expanding upon.

All of the changes, all of the tweaks, all of the graphical upgrades, remixed music and refinements to the online experience make SSF2THDR one of the best remakes of a classic game in recent memory.

Nidhogg is a game to be enjoyed with friends while in the same room together, and it may be the best title you play that way this year.

If you’re a tactics nut like me, Card Hunter is wonderful stuff. Deep, smart, and lovingly crafted - this is proof that free-to-play can work even without costumes and hats.

Modern Warfare 3 doesn't do anything new, but it also doesn't do anything wrong. For better or worse, this is a slick and well-metered trio of modes that make an entertaining package, but Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward are simply looking to augment previous games rather than expand the series into pastures new.

DJ Hero 2's multiplayer modes might not strike as anything special, although it is a social and accessible game, but the robust content is tailored to be the most hypnotic single-player rhythm game on the market.

Remedy and Microsoft haven't made a perfect masterpiece, but Alan Wake may well be one of my favourite releases of 2010 – an escapade I'm going to remember for a very long time. It's a stunning action game, a superbly scripted adventure and a technical showcase for the now-ageing Xbox 360 hardware.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is a stunning virtual reality game, and a damn-good workout. Yes, you feel like Batman, but the game is more than just a simulator for Dark Knight roleplayers. It’s proof that any game concept can be adapted to a VR platform with enough care and skill, and it’s proof that VR has the sauce many claim it doesn’t. If you have a Quest 3, you need to play Batman. If you like Batman, you need a Quest 3.