One of the biggest surprises of the year. Played alone or with a friend the campaign here is of the highest order, providing an experience that feels different to the competition while managing to finally build on what the series has always had going for it.

Even though much of Orcs Must Die! 2 feels like it's an expansion rather than a fully-fledged sequel, Robot Entertainment adds and refines just enough to get away with it. Besides, you'll be having too much fun knocking back waves and waves of all those nasty Orcs to care.

Despite improvements Metro 2033 can’t shake its slightly clunky roots and Last Light isn’t quite the game it had the potential to be. PC gamers could simply opt for the cheaper originals.

Octopath Traveler is a deep, diverse, interesting, sometimes risque and sometimes funny JRPG that you should play.

It's more than just a nostalgia trip, mind; this is a trilogy that plays great, looks even better and gels together more seamlessly than any other HD collection I've played to date.

One of those games you can happily dip in and out of over a period of weeks.

A game high on fun, packed with action, but not without a number of infuriating problems.

With a combat system that cleverly overcomes button mashing, wonderful design work and a story that spans far longer than your average video game, Lords of Shadow is exactly what the Castlevania franchise needed to find popularity with a new generation of gamers - and us oldies too.

The familiar soundtrack, environments and fleshing out of back story will delight the game's fanatical army of followers. More importantly, however, is that Crisis Core's overall quality makes it a must buy for all PSP owners, whether you're into your materia or not.

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.

Minor modifications to Pac-Man's basic gameplay mechanics have resulted in a new pace and intensity that the original lacked.

While Sucker Punch should be applauded for its efforts (and successes) in adding user-generated content to an open world game, there's a real sense that the developer should have sorted out the foundations of its own house before inviting others to come over and redecorate.

Time will tell if it can hold up in real world conditions, but I found myself playing comfortably against American players, which felt remarkable in a world where Tekken 6 became a stuttering, wheezing mess as soon as you even considered taking it on the Internet.

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.

Suffers from some problems, many of which can't be helped given the tiny iPhone screen, while others take the edge off the game's believability. Despite this, the game still manages to have a bizarre hold on me, nagging from within my pocket to play a few more games or to check if my transfer offers have been accepted.

There's not much more to Triple Town, but it's easy to get hooked into a gentle rhythm of item placement and the climbing satisfaction of watching your shrubbery transform into a glorious castle. This isn't the most complex game in the world, but when the time comes to invest £2.49 it's likely you'll have already worked out if Triple Town is your perfect match.

The levels are massive - although there are only seven of them - and the sense of being in a conflict can only currently be matched by CoD4.

Dredge: The Pale Reach is a rewarding, albeit bite-sized slice expansion that taps into what made the base game one of this year's most compelling indie efforts. For those after more of that unique, unsettling coziness, The Pale Reach should scratch that nautical itch.

A superb overall package, one that has me interested in Call of Duty again. For a future warfare title with drones and jetpacks, Sledgehammer's success is partly to be found by looking to the series' past, and by combining its own ideas with COD's natural appeal it has reinvigorated the franchise.

Gris plays to your aural and optical senses by delivering something exquisite in that area, but lacks a compelling story to prop itself up alongside equivalents.

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.

No problem proved bad enough to significantly tarnish my experience and on the whole Sports Interactive has tweaked an already brilliant game to make something even better. If you want a high stress virtual job on top of your real one, have hours to burn each day looking at an interactive database, and fancy yourself as the next Alex Ferguson, Football Manager 2009 might be the only game you'll need until this time next year.

While Project Cars is certainly demanding, I remain willing to put the time in because the reward of nailing a perfect overtake or completing a clean lap is so satisfying.

A stunning game that doesn't miss a beat from start to finish and includes one of the most feature packed multiplayer components of any game released this year.

The most entertaining fighting game on next-gen. It’s bonkers in the best possible way, serving up some eye-watering kills (Cassie Cage’s X-Ray move will make every man wince, every time) and entertaining matches that don’t require great skill to create.

The absence of London Life is particularly grating, as it's arguably the lone element of Spectre's Call (or rather, Last Specter) that tries to do something new. The game we're left with will still please the Professor's long-term supporters, but it's clear that the next instalment needs to bring in a fresh idea or two. Simply being Laytonesque won't cut it anymore.

There's something about World Cup's appeal, though, that works on psychological levels. We all feel compelled to play it not because of a game mode we can play, or improved graphics we can see, but because there's something very special about the World Cup, and playing the official World Cup game taps into it.

Despite a few lengthy load times, a terrible name and an unimaginative character introduction, Gravity Rush quickly became a very enjoyable game indeed. It doesn't feel like a typical handheld title, either: Gravity Rush has the depth, length and graphical prowess of something you'd see on consoles. The mission-based structure is great for portable play and the story is worth the investment despite the many unanswered questions. It's easily the best experience I've had on the Vita thus far.