Still, if you're still a plastic guitar aficionado then Warriors of Rock is undeniably fun; it just severely lacks in ambition, and its ostentatious new coat of paint is little more than a sleight of hand designed to trick you into thinking you're in for a different ride this year. You're not.

For now this stands alone as something a bit different from the norm. It's brief but discovering everything will take considerable time and effort.

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.

The game is certainly rewarding and fun if you can get into it. Unfortunately we can't see the average gamer having the patience to do just that.

A curious game that will seem a little uncomfortable to some factions of both the shmup fanboys and casual players. Still, it is a great piece of software that manages to offer plenty of variation through well-designed level objectives, and at a price you can afford with pocket change.

I certainly found more here to enjoy than I expected, and at times it's riveting stuff, but my interest frequently dwindled as turn-based fatigue rose.

If you are a rookie to the series then by all means sign up for combat, but everyone else should probably just wait to stroll down "Hell's Highway" if they want a new experience.

Indeed, if, like me, you have a weakness for the zombie-hued, and for the sway and flail of first-person platforming, then Dying Light 2 is easy to recommend.

What I didn’t expect from the new Call of Duty was downtime, and the suggestion, at least in the first half, that guns, while great for going in blazing, can provide just as potent a thrill when holstered.

Where Little Orpheus differs from its predecessors, and what marks it as a curious mobile game, is that you appreciate it most when you aren’t playing.

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.

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.

If you enjoy games with decent plots, developed characters and brilliant dialogue, this violent, offensive and witty action game is probably worth your attention, and if you're a shooting game purist, try not to expect too much and you'll still have plenty to enjoy.

Knee Deep's swampy noir mystery play is one of the most interesting and entertaining ways to frame a game you'll ever see. Just a shame the final act doesn't rise to the humid, neo-gothic heights of the rest.

In the end, Gotham Knights is, like the studio’s earlier contribution to the saga, Batman: Arkham Origins, a decent game haunted by the notion of not being the main event.

It's a simple port of a console game and as such is best played on a console.

Ultimately, Hotline Miami 2 improves upon its predecessor in a way that is pleasing, but non-essential. And to get there, it undercut the one thing that made the original great. Hotline Miami was nasty, brutish, and short. Hotline Miami 2, sadly, is not.

Despite varied factions and excellent maps, XDefiant’s shootouts are let down by a lack of identity and sluggish weapon progression. Outside an emphasis on making skill-based matchmaking optional, the game plays like every shooter from the last decade, leaning into nostalgia over attempting a breakthrough. While technical pitfalls can be resolved with seasonal updates, XDefiant needs novelty to sustain a player base.

If you're a hardcore fighter fan, you'll be annoyed by the button layout and the associated lack of precision. If you're a newcomer who has yet to play Street Fighter IV, you're better off picking up one of the previous editions; it'll cost you little more than a tenner, rather than the £30 you'll pay for the 3DS version.

PES 2010 is simply not good enough to challenge FIFA's dominance. It's an improvement on last year's effort, and fans of the more arcadey virtual football will find plenty to enjoy, but as a simulation it pales in comparison. PES 2010 is a return to form, but it is not a return to past glories.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is one of the most visually unique titles I've ever played, glossing over a fairly by the numbers third-person shooter. The deranged duo's return is worth experiencing and is far more accomplished than its predecessor, but the gameplay on offer still doesn't match the quality of the characters IO has created.

Super Crate Box is a darling of a game, then, hindered somewhat by the platform it's on. It's absolutely impossible to not like it, but this version is easy not to love.

The satisfying action and relentless chaos of Rage 2 peppers a formulaic open world with thrills.

It's obvious that sweat has gone into translating all of Sims 3's features onto a hand-held device, but beyond the core game - the eating, buying, working, cleaning Sims - the game feels too lightweight and its features too incidental.

American football and tennis let the side down, but overall this is another fun, albeit slightly flawed, party game for Kinect.

It's fun, with a compulsive quality and a constant glut of rewards to keep you playing and earning more weapons, perks, and Yet More Stuff for your build(s), even if it lacks the time pressure and one-more-go appeal of Mercenaries. At five quid, however, there's no going wrong here.

I'd rather play this than any other game currently available for the system, but that doesn't forgive the many signs that Namco rather rushed this out of the door.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is one of the most visually unique titles I've ever played, glossing over a fairly by the numbers third-person shooter. The deranged duo's return is worth experiencing and is far more accomplished than its predecessor, but the gameplay on offer still doesn't match the quality of the characters IO has created.