Call of Juarez: The Cartel surprised us, and not in a good way, as it took everything that was good about the last game and pretty much ruined it. The technical flaws are numerous, and The Cartel just isn't fun in any way, shape or form. This is like that terrible one night stand that happened when you'd had one too many and, frankly people, you can do much better than this.

Beautiful to behold, pleasing to the ear, Child of Eden can nonetheless be extremely punishing to play at times. There's not really much to do in the game either, but it's worth playing just for the experience. Go on. Take the trip.

While it lasts this game is a solid and entertaining shooter, but as a FEAR game you should be expecting a bit more than just that. A return to the horror roots and a few more innovative twists in the tale would push the series back into greatness, but as it is this is a by the numbers experience with just enough novel features to keep it interesting.

A wonderfully realised fantasy world that is equal parts entrancing and disturbing. The story is well realised and will keep you enamoured until the credits roll. There are a few niggles here but nothing to stop Alice: Madness Returns from being a wonderfully different slice of entertainment. Now who's for tea?

With Shadows of the Damned though, Grasshopper nearly has the makings of a franchise that could have a decent future. It does lack replayability and longevity though, and with some repetitious gameplay mechanics in terms of shooter and puzzle action, it's by no means a perfect start. In truth, if it wasn't for the likeable cast of characters, engaging story and Grasshopper's unique take on hell, Shadows of the Damned would almost certainly be a complete let-down.

We all wanted this game to be good, and perhaps that sense of expectation has proven to be too much. But even then you can look at the shabby graphics, woeful humour and dull gameplay and realise that this game would have been underwhelming whenever it was released. A real shame.

This game is a mash-up of a few successful ideas but as a finished product it never quite adds up to the sum of its parts. You may well find it fun to blast through in co-op, but don't expect it to leave you with any lasting memories.

It might not be as big as Red Faction: Guerrilla or offering the same open-world, but Armageddon is nonetheless a worthy sequel with enough new ideas of its own to set it apart. Play around with the magnet gun and the plasma weapons, and you'll be hard-pushed to find something as mindlessly fun.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is hardly a world beater, and it certainly doesn't have anything that you haven't seen before, but it is a strangely entertaining way to pass a few hours.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean is a great kids game, with a well realised story and fun characters, but it's also more of the same. In terms of the LEGO series to date then this is probably one of the better incarnations, but you just can't help but wonder where things could go from here.

DiRT 3 is Codemasters' finest attempt to totally obliterate the competition in the off-road racing genre, but it seems once again that the title suffers from a lack of direction and concentration at... Ooohhhhh, look! A rainbow!

MX vs. ATV Alive provides a fun experience, for what there is, but the gamble to keep the content off the disc makes for a shallow racing game that requires you to grind through the same events time and time again just to get access to new areas.

Virtua Tennis 4 though feels like it was a little too safe after the backlash fans had towards VT09, and as such has not really taken the series forward in any way. Sure, it's still a more than enjoyable tennis game, but you could play any title in the series and get pretty much the same impression. Things are at risk of becoming a little too stale if truth be told.

On paper, LA Noire sounds like an open-world sandbox fused with an interactive movie, but in truth, it's so much more. It's groundbreaking, effortlessly engaging and utterly sublime. To miss playing LA Noire would be a heinous crime. Simply put, it's a work of unbridled genius.

A decent enough start for Ubisoft if they're looking to crack the dance-minded Kinect owners market, but unlike on the Wii, the Xbox 360 already has a trend setting rival to their musical offerings and they're going to have to do a hell of a lot better to one-up the brilliance of music maestros Harmonix. You could say, Michael Jackson: The Experience is to Dance Central what Bubbles was to Michael Jackson. Ironic, right?

Operation Flashpoint: Red River will please fans of the last game, but will still leave players of the PC originals out in the cold. It's the best military sim on consoles yet, as far as we're concerned, but in the time since Dragon Rising launched, we expected a bit more from the sequel.

With a ropey plot and woeful graphics, Thor could have easily been a last gen title and it'll feel like a real letdown to any fans of the comics. Perhaps it's time that game makers went through the same modernization process that comic book films have undergone – as this type of title is becoming a relic.

Mortal Kombat is a great return to form for the franchise though and a veritable gore-laden treat for fans. A joy to play in any mode, MK simply needs its multiplayer refining to make the experience smoother and more gratifying to play. Its roster could have used a new character or two, but the 25 on the disc and two unlockable pugilists will keep the hardcore players happy.

Billed as a game that will blur the line between single-player, co-op and multiplayer, Brink actually does the opposite and reaffirms the general consensus on Xbox Live that multiplayer is king. Frankly put, unless you're playing Brink with and against human players, the game is mediocre at best. Get into a game with players that want to co-ordinate as a team against a group of like-minded foes, and Brink will almost certainly satisfy on every level.

MotoGP 10/11 successfully builds upon the last game in the series with improved visuals, overhauled handling and physics and new modes that make this the most comprehensive in the series yet. However, it still feels like MotoGP has a way to go before it really comes into its own. MotoGP 10/11 is good, but still a few laps away from achieving greatness.

On paper (or celluloid) Yoostar 2 is a great idea, but it's hampered by a sloppy user interface, blocky outlines, Kinect tics and a weird mix of movie clips. It's guaranteed to provide a few hours of entertainment and some hearty belly laughs, but ultimately, Yoostar 2 is a bit of a box-office flop.

EA seems to be the master at adding subtle changes to their yearly updates while never straying too far away from their tried and tested formula. The few tweaks do make Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters a more well rounded game, and one that is great for newcomers, but most golf fans will have seen this formula time and time again. If you like the Masters, and bucket loads of DLC, then give this a shot.

Shift 2 is a better game than its forebear, although it's still perhaps a bit of an acquired taste. Visually, it's an improvement and the handling and gameplay can be as realistic or as forgiving as you like. Hats off to Slightly Mad for taking on-board the criticisms levelled at the first Shift, addressing them and then some. Shift 2 kicks things up a gear, that's for sure.

Valve has worked its magic yet again with Portal 2, creating a mind-blowing game that's simply superb in both single-player and co-op. In other words, it's hole-ly essential.

After the brilliant Lair of the Shadow Broker episode though, it's a shame that BioWare ends Mass Effect 2's run on such a substandard piece of DLC... a piece of DLC that strips everything that we loved from the main game and left us with nothing more than a run-and-gun shooter.

For WWE fans past and present, WWE All Stars has plenty about it to enjoy, the only problem is the fact that the core combat is nowhere near as intuitive or slick as the actual presentation.

For every step forward the latest LEGO game takes, it takes another step back. Disappointing, to say the least.

Crysis 2 is a sterling follow-up to the benchmark setting original from Crytek, boasting an epic campaign in terms of scenarios and mayhem, and a multiplayer arena that is satisfying as long as you can get over the anti-newbie barrier. Perhaps we expected more of the plot itself from Morgan, but you can't knock the campaign in terms of sheer scale, ambition and flair.