For hardcore Skate players the new moves, altered city and new features (getting off your board, moving objects) will make Skate 2 essential, but at the same time perhaps not as big a leap over the original as they'd have liked. For everyone else, if you've got time to kill and fancy yourself as the next Tony Hawk, Skate 2 is well worth it. It's hard and often punishing to the point of frustration, but the rewards make up for all the effort.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is slight in terms of storytelling – the one area seemingly skimped on to keep costs down – but everything else here is worthy of a full retail release.

Borderlands is unique, it's different, and it's hard to classify. But it's not for everyone. It's not for the stereotypical CoD/Halo crowd. It's not revolutionary, but it is interesting. And, crucially, it's a hell of a lot of fun, but only, long term at least, in co-op.

Blending both adventure and management sim, the player cares for these characters and wanders into the wonder of this world, which lights up with each new island discovered. It explores the role of both parties in death; is it the responsibility of the spirit or the Spiritfarer to sew together the uncomfortable threads of loss?

A point and click adventure for the now, Thimbleweed Park takes everything great about classic Lucasfilm games and leaves out the flaws. You might not love all the central characters, but this is as weird and compelling a town as Twin Peaks.

They've put more than enough bells and whistles in to make Battle for Middle-Earth II seem extremely fresh and, most importantly, a lot of fun. When it comes down to it, for the LOTR strategy fan, this game is a must.

Hitman 2 walks familiar ground and provides the type of delightful moments you expect in the maps on offer, as well as a multiplayer mode with bundles of potential.

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

Over and above its impressive game engine, successful vehicle implementation and inventive map design, the way the game welcomes newcomers is almost unheard of in games of this type.

It is a next-generation title at a last-generation price that boils gaming down to its purist form. Warhawk is a cheerily violent and fantastically developed version of playing with a dusty box of army-themed toys, and it is enormous fun.

14 is very good. It feels different, and while it may not necessarily be superior, it easily matches its predecessor's quality.

A fantastic game hindered by a disappointing opening act. It feels like a game of present and past, where the first half reminds us why today's games greatly miss the second half's nostalgic excellence.

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.

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.

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

What really endures about BioShock is the beauty of the design. Rapture and Columbia are fantastic and very cohesively thought out, so they both feel like distinct but fully realised worlds.

Close your eyes after playing, and a carnival of neon sea-creatures and fluorescent shapes will pulsate under your eye-lids. Child of Eden will linger in your conscious long after playing. While it's a fleeting and - on rare occasions - frustrating experience, it'll leave its mark on 2011 in just the same way.

Shift 2 is technically very impressive, but like Hot Pursuit, it's the social features surrounding the game that define it as an experience. If you're a serious fan of the genre, know that Shift 2 does several things better than anything else on the market right now, which makes it an essential purchase.

Whilst the concept is there in the title, the intricacies of Ape Out’s are revealed the more you play. Every aspect creates a dazzling jazz mixtape that reverberates from eyes, to ears, to thumbs. And you’re an ape. Which is great.

While the opening chapter proved to be a lesson in re-learning how to play, once it all clicked again it became apparent just how much I love Capcom's highly-celebrated game. For me it's easily the best Resident Evil title, and an absolute must-buy for anyone interested in action or horror. Resident Evil 4 remains one of the greats.

Control is Remedy at its best: pulpy, weird, and immensely satisfying to play. Its setting is a potent concoction of '60s brutalist style and wacky sci-fi. Performance issues hamper the shootouts, and the characters are a little cold, but it's the setting and atmosphere that win the day.

FIFA 16 is an incremental improvement, but with legacy issues still plaguing the on-field action the changes feel hollow in light of PES 2016's overwhelming turnaround.

FIFA 18 is the best FIFA game in years. There are some obvious flaws — some of which are more frustrating than others — but as a complete package, the series is making progress, once again.

If you enjoy shooters then you absolutely must experience Vanquish; just know that you're not going to be getting much more than a weekend's play unless you get addicted to high scores and challenges.

Is this the best F1 game this generation? Without a doubt, and it's the biggest advancement the license has seen for a very long time.

If you enjoy shooters then you absolutely must experience Vanquish; just know that you're not going to be getting much more than a weekend's play unless you get addicted to high scores and challenges.

Unquestionably the best golf sim available on consoles.

Super Mario RPG is unapologetically fun. While a simple combat system and lack of challenge may not appeal to hardcore RPG fans, brilliant writing, iconic characters, and a world bursting with charm make it a delight to experience all the way through, and a perfect example of a remake done right.