The presentation is smooth, the enemies are fun and varied to take on (and the dismemberment feature adds some dynamicity to the battles) and the boss battles are absolutely superb. This is a ridiculously fun ride, even if it does delve into the ridiculous at times. But it wouldn't be a Japanese action game without that.

Dead Space 3 isn't necessarily a full blown improvement over Dead Space 2 but it comes pretty damn close. The team have done a great job at keeping the key aspects of the universe mysterious and yet expanding on them considerably to tell a very engaging story of an alien race.

Regardless of what you think of Devil May Cry, or Ninja Theory as a developer, or Capcom as a publisher – DmC: Devil May Cry is a fun game.

This is not to say it's a bad game, it's just not different enough from previous Call of Duty titles. The story isn't memorable, the maps and weapons aren't any different to what we've previously experienced, the gameplay is near identical to previous games, and when it's not identical it falls flat and fails to impress.

Far Cry 3 is a marked improvement from its predecessors though I feel as though it's effectively lost its identity and instead attempts to mirror everything about other franchises to make itself successful.

Assassin's Creed III is a pretty damn fine game. It loses none of what makes the series fun with the translation to another time and continent, and creates a whole new set of experiences which define the franchise. The biggest issue, if there is one, are the small technical issues, but these niggling technical issues only seem worse because everything else is such a great experience.

It is no secret that I loved Forza 4, I gave it perfect score and still play it regularly so what does a Forza fan think of Horizon? Forza Horizon looks gorgeous, feels great and really is a fun game to play. It is easily one of the better arcade racing games on the market, but I lost interest very quickly. There is no way that I will be playing Forza Horizon in 12 months, I will be lucky to be still playing it in 12 days! That is not to say that you should not try it for yourself, just do not expect it to hold your interest for months to come.

Welcome back, Halo. It's been a long, long five years.

There is just so much to like about this year's FIFA and the series is still making important improvements that justify the annual purchase. It's finally the game last year should have been, and although there are some niggling little issues, overall it feels like a solid simulation of the wonderful world game of soccer.

I can't recall a more convincing successor than Borderlands 2, which has undoubtedly and so convincingly crushed the original to smithereens.

Worth your time, although your mileage may vary.

It's not without shortcomings, nor does it reinvent the wheel, but Rock Band Blitz is a fun deviation from a recipe that Harmonix has conquered and moulded to their whim.

Death's escapades make for one hell of a sequel that, for a while there, I thought would never bloody end. There's a whole lot of bang for buck here that Vigil have managed to squeeze in; where the story may lack replay value, the wave-defense Crucible mode should ensure you hold onto your disc for that little while longer.

Sleeping Dogs is a very well put together action game that manages to keep your interested throughout the whole story (as well as through most of the non-essential content). It manages to pick and choose components from other games that really work well, tweak them to give them their own unique touch, and provide an experience that manages to cover all bases and do a generally better job at them than other heavyweights in the open world genre.

So what did I think of my first Ghost Recon experience? Well, I think it did a lot of things well. Despite lacking any kind of coherent plot, Future Soldier's campaign had the hooks in me and I couldn't help but finish it off, despite having no interest in the pay-off. Chalk this up to a great combat system and some pretty satisfying stealth segments.

Prototype 2 is a great open world action game that manages to take everything that made the original game so great and streamline it to the point where it was more enjoyable to play without compromising any features found in the previous game.

It is a solid RPG that looks the tits but does not do anything amazing to elevate it to a class of its own. I enjoyed my time with the game and found it refreshing to play an adult game with adult themes without feeling like the developers vision was censored in order to protect my fragile mind.

Trials Evolution is fantastic fun. Its simplicity and beguiling depth encourages replay, and the addition of social functions encourages a competitive streak in even the most placid of players. It's the perfect sequel to an almost perfect game.

The presentation is first rate, there's a campaign worthy of multiple play throughs and the two arcade modes, plus the multiplayer should keep fans busy for quite some time.

Running for a short and sweet couple of hours, "A New Day" is a damn cool introduction for what promises to be another sprawling saga from those talented guys and girls at Telltale Games. The cast is brought to life by intelligent writing and just about forces us, in no time at all, to find a soft spot for just about each and every one of them.

Not having played a fighter since the first iteration of Street Fighter IV probably did me favours in making this mash-up of cosmic proportions appear fresher than it will for others, but if you're a fan of either franchise there's a whole lot on offer bound to intrigue and satisfy.

Syndicate is an excellent shooter that does a lot of things right in the gameplay department. A fun combination of excellent gunplay combined with an okay range of abilities and powers and some well put together melee moves makes the game a mixed bag that never gets too old.

Birds of Steel is a great combat simulator that will appeal to those who really know their World War II knowledge, as well as those who have a fine appreciation for the airplane.

Choplifter HD is a worthy remake and a fun addition to the arcade library. Its pick up and play gameplay will make it easy for new and old players but difficult to master and complete the game. If you're looking for a quick game of something when time is short then Choplifter HD is the type of game for that situation.

Overall, Binary Domain is worth picking up if you've exhausted yourself on Gears of War 3 and found Mass Effect 3 was too much of an RPG for your liking. It's almost like Gears of War was torn down, and remade by Capcom. It goes from being made by fist-bumping American frat boys to whacky Japanese anime fans.

In terms of laying the groundwork for future iterations, Reckoning does an incredible job of establishing the lore as well as the world of Amalur itself. On the other hand, it fails to dish up a compelling single-player narrative, as the main plotline lacks substance and culminates in an almost cliché boss encounter by today's standards.

UFC Undisputed 3 is a bit of a weird one. On one hand, the developers have done a good job and made a clear effort to improve everything that was wrong with previous games. But on the other hand, a lot of the improvements are too minor to warrant any extraordinary amount of merit. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game, in fact it's probably the best one thus far out of the series. But the real problem here lies in the game's general structure – the career mode is sorely lacking and in need of a complete overhaul.

Mass Effect 3 is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that manages to put the best parts of Mass Effect 1 with the best parts of Mass Effect 2. Sure, it will never be as much an RPG as the title that started it all, but as a result the game is actually, surprisingly, more fun to play and feels like a very well put together third person shooter that is bolstered by an in depth customisation system for both your weapons and your skills.

While The Darkness was a very atmospheric, story driven shooter with an incredibly gritty artistic direction, The Darkness II is an action packed, colourful story driven shooter that ramps up the action and provides players with an incredible amount of tools to have fun with. Many players will enjoy ripping enemies apart, wielding four different kinds of weapons and, of course, beating the bad guy. To put it quite simply, The Darkness II makes you feel like a real bad-ass.

Whether it's the story that will remind you of your favourite Japanese animation series, the relentless action and fast paced gameplay or even the unusually likeable angry Asura, it's an action game that many fans of the genre should have a go with at least once.

Rayman Origins is a breath of fresh, colourful air to the industry that sadly I think will go largely ignored by the masses. Ubisoft and Michel Ancel have managed to craft something that has clearly had a lot of love and effort gone into it, both presentation wise and gameplay wise.

Overall Shank 2 is a really beautifully presented game, with a sharp, distinctive art style, and mostly awesome button-bashing gameplay, let down slightly by a few odd design choices here and there.

If it wasn't for the stupid Kinect features and lack of the original multiplayer, Halo CE: Anniversary would be perfect. Even considering this, I loved every second with Halo CE: Anniversary and just know that I will be going back to it time and time again. For an aging Halo fan, it does not get much better than this.

The game may not be a technical marvel nor does it masterfully tells a compelling story but as a fun action game, it excels. If you are looking for a fun diversion and are not easily offended, I highly recommend that you check out Saints Row: The Third.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a game that unfortunately doesn't provide a lot of revelation, but it is a fitting send off to both Altair and Ezio.

While a few bugs are evident, Skyrim is the most solid effort Bethesda has launched and it's an even more impressive feat given the scale and scope of the world on offer. A captivating land, filled with captivating people, does more than enough to keep us as gamers and fantasy-enthusiasts to keep us coming back for more.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is one of the best fighting games available on the Xbox 360 thus far.

Every FPS game has its place but if you loved Battlefield 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 and sunk hours into the multiplayer of those games, then be prepared to sink another few hundred hours into Battlefield 3.

Overall, The Sims 3: Pets on the Xbox 360 is a fun and addictive game where the time will fly by and you will not notice it. A few bugs do affect the gameplay from time to time but do seem to be rare.

The additions this year make this a worthwhile pick up, but this year more than ever I wish the game wasn't a yearly event. Although nothing new breaks the game, and with practice you'll develop an appreciation and even fondness for the new changes, it's the little flaws which indicate that perhaps EA didn't get enough time to do everything they wanted. If the game was given more time for polish on the new features, this would easily be the best FIFA since 2010.

PES 2012 offers no remarkable new features, no amazing new teams, no real advancement to the soccer game genre. This is a problem if you're looking for something else, or something better than last year's version, but it's still as fun as PES always has been.

Dance Central 2 is a great dance game that manages to fix all the problems that I initially had with the original game, and totally blew away my expectations at the same time. The multiplayer functionality is extremely well thought out, offering both competitive and co-operative modes for the keen dancer.

Dead Rising 2: Off The Record is a very interesting retelling of the events of Dead Rising 2. Unfortunately, many of those who have already experienced the game that came before this will inevitably be put off by the repetition, as most of the content here is not new nor is it compelling if you've spent so much time on the original.

Sequels this good rarely come along. To best a game as technically and thematically sound as Arkham Asylum takes some doing and Rocksteady have delivered in spades. It matches its predecessor's narrative finesse, and excels in every other aspect. What it lacks it 'whoa' value, it makes up for with a host of side quests, collectibles and nods to Gotham's history that is sure to keep any Batman enthusiast occupied.

If you're looking for another post-apocalyptic shooter that offers an interesting take on both the racing and shooter genre, RAGE is the place to look. Though I understand why some may be disappointed after such a long wait with no real revolution here but instead a continuation of what id Software are known for.

Forza Motorsport 4 improves on the last game in the series with superior graphics and a brand new tyre model that gives a much needed boost to the game's physics engine.

Enough loose ends are accounted for in the campaign to give fans a sense of closure to what has been an epic slice of gaming history.

Approach it as a puzzle game, not a driving game and you should be fine.

Driver: San Francisco has allayed most of the concerns I had when it was first announced, fixing most of the problems that the previous games were marred by.

If you go into Human Revolution expecting an RPG you will most likely be disappointed. Human Revolution is a light RPG at best but more accurately it is a FPS with the odd conversation and some choice in how you go about things.

Space Marine offers up a decent amount of third person action and tries to offer something new. As a first attempt to a brand new franchise it does everything pretty well and no doubt ticks most of the boxes laid out during its development but it's a shame that certain areas such as the melee combat weren't given a bit more depth.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition is a very well put together package that not only manages to pay homage to the original games that had such a cult following in the past, but also in adding a whole bunch of well thought out features that really bring the game up to speed and sometimes even surpassing other games that are available from retail.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a great platformer / twin stick shooter hybrid game that I can safely recommend to anyone who has a fine appreciation for great artistic design and competent gameplay design.

Fortunately Child of Eden has arrived, and it's a game that completely absorbs you when you're playing it. A game which makes you laugh for no reason when playing it. A game which expresses pure joy at simply being a game. And it's brilliant.

Fruit Ninja Kinect is a game that many people will instantly enjoy, and the Kinect controls make it much more accessible to those who may be averse to traditional control schemes.

From Dust is a very well put together puzzler that's obviously had a lot of thought and effort put into it. Not only does it offer a rather breathtaking setting to the player, but the various simple mechanics all come together to create a fun and compelling gameplay experience that hasn't really been duplicated on the Xbox Live Arcade before.

Trenched is, at the most basic of explanations, a tower-defense game crossed with a third-person mech shooter. But that's a pigeonholed description that doesn't do it justice because it's so much more.

Shadows of the DAMNED is a great action shooter but some parts of it really bring it down, namely a lack of content following the completion of the game and a few issues with the game's pacing as well as a bit of a disappointing couple of boss battles.

It mightn't be the return to F.E.A.R. some fans wished for, but it's a competent and able shooter that doesn't let up.

Virtua Tennis 4 is a great tennis game that features more of an arcade like, less realistic feel when compared to the recently released Top Spin 4. The career mode is robust and very interesting, featuring some obscene mini-games that teach the player the ins and outs of the game. If I had to say, though, Virtua Tennis 4 definitely provides a much more accessible and less technical tennis simulation and it is bound to appeal to more people.

There will no doubt be some gamers taken aback by the amount of listening required and lack of control in L.A. Noire. It's a certainty that a large amount of the public could be expecting a GTA clone set in the 40's, and they may be disappointed by the result. Enter L.A. Noire with an open mind and readiness to experience something you've never experienced in gaming before and there's something special waiting for you.

If you have any interest in intelligent multiplayer puzzle games at all then Clash Of Heroes is well worth a trial. The more you delve into its mechanics that more rewarding it becomes. Just don't think this is a game that can be played in short, casual bursts.

Outland is a great platformer that brings together a unique artistic visual style with well-crafted and perfect feeling gameplay. It's just a little bit of a shame that it feels a tad shallow compared to other titles on the market. Still, at 800 points, this is an absolute steal that every platforming fan should pick up.

Valve took a great concept, and turned it into an interesting, intellectual marvel that stopped the gaming world. They then took that marvel and made it better again. Portal 2 is an achievement in writing, and I'll be stunned should it be robbed of appropriate accolades. Not many games this year will be as funny, charming and intellectually puzzling as Portal 2, and that's no surprise – because it's so damn good.

All in all, Mortal Kombat brings together everything that made the franchise great and brings back everything that players will love and remember from all those years ago in arcades. The gore is in full force, the characters are still as memorable, and the controversy has piled on in huge amounts. It's a nice touch that the game is very accessible to the wider audience too (as long as they're old enough, though).

The main reason that I cannot put the game down is the overwhelming sense of immersion that I get from playing it. It may not be the most anal simulation of driving available but as a simulation of the exhilaration of racing, Shift 2 Unleashed has no equal.

I absolutely loved Crysis 2 from start to finish. The game looks amazing, sounds amazing and plays like a dream. The singleplayer campaign was a satisfying 10 hours and left me wanting to play it again at a higher difficulty setting. Multiplayer borrows a few ideas from other games but overall is a unique and highly enjoyable experience even if it does force you to put in the time to get the most out of it.

It seems like a seed has been planted for Champion mode and it's exciting to think of where EA can take the franchise in the future. There's definite potential for the development of a story that's on par with what Rockstar Games delivers and even if you don't like watching cut-scenes and playing along with a story, there's enough freshness here to keep fans of previous Fight Night installments satisfied.

Top Spin 4 is definitely one of the best sports games I've ever played, and obviously a great tennis simulation.

De Blob 2 is a fantastic, fun game. Its cute characters will have you giggling throughout playing, and the clever game design will have you marveling at how something pretty simple can be so engaging. There's enough variety and challenge to never leave you bored, even with the lack of features such as leader boards and online play.

Homefront succeeds in many areas. It's an improvement in storytelling and multiplayer in every way over their first game, Frontline: Fuel of War, and Homefront shows that in many areas they've clearly listened to the fans of their (underappreciated) first game. It's not the killer single player experience that having someone such as John Milius onboard should have given us, but it's still an enjoyable, if slightly dated, and short, experience.

The only concern for buyers is the overall lack of content. There are certainly enough modes, but sadly the two that matter weren't fleshed out quite enough.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is probably one of the best fighting games I've ever played, and it's a nice change to see a fighting game be so accessible to newcomers while still having the depth that all those more hardcore players can appreciate.

An argument could be made that Continuum Shift only offers true value to those who missed out on the 360 release of BlazBlue the first time around.

It's the most unique, charming take on the common puzzler since Portal – a must buy.

It's a shame that so many gamers will never even hear about FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan and the Raincoat Killer, because the game has so much to offer.

Visceral Games have used all of the source material to, yet again; expand upon the Dead Space universe, crafting the sequel the original game sorely deserved.

If you like fast paced arcade shooters be it with patchy Japanese sci-fi story with utterly forgettable characters and dialog, Vanquish is your bag.

In essence, it's a poor man's FIFA.

I wish I could say that Fable III exceeds expectations and blows predecessors away, but sadly some bizarre development decisions from Lionhead Studios have marred what is otherwise a terrific fantasy tale where industry and darkness threaten the city you are destined to rule.

While the single-player is laughably transparent and Sam Worthington makes me want to punch a kangaroo; Black Ops still offers one of the generation's very best online modes, vastly improved from previous ventures – we've got a new juggernaut, kids.

Brotherhood manages to stand out as one of the better games in a year that has been fairly lacklustre for sequels. A game once feared to be a mere expansion not only manages to do everything Assassin's Creed II did; it brings a few tricks of its own to the fray.

When I first played the original DJ Hero, I was floored by how addictive and entertaining it was, and while the sequel doesn't hold with it that same essence of surprise it is a vastly improved outing.

Lords Of Shadow is the revitalization Castlevania needed and deserved.

As the multiplayer king that it is, it is safe to say that the machine has, again, risen. All I can say, in the end, is kudos Bungie and thanks for the memories; I have loved Halo.

If you've played through the game previously on another platform then it's dependent on how much you love the game as to whether the console upgrade is worth it. However, if you're someone who has never experienced the humble joys of a Popcap gem such as this then it's a more-than-worthy purchase.

R.U.S.E is by no means the greatest game you'll play. It's campaign in slow, the battles can take too long, and after a certain point all the games against the AI play out the same. And if you're simply not into RTS games, then there's nothing here to change your mind. However, if you are a fan of RTS games, you'll definitely find one deep, lengthy and engaging game to sink your teeth into.

If you're a lover of comics, or just third-person brawlers that show respect to fans with a carefully crafted product, then you'd do well to at least rent this.

In the end, though, for the now below-average cost of 800 Microsoft Points there is enough to love about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to make it a worthy addition to your XBLA collection.

A triumph for independent game development, which manages to transcend all that came before it without having to re-write the genre.

Singularity won't win any end of year accolades, nor does it re-write the book on how shooters should be made; but it does stand up and is noticed in the winter period we often expect very little from in our industry of game.

War for Cybertron is a fairly basic corridor third-person shooter than draws comparisons to the Gears of War games; though, it lacks a cover system, which I found to be unfortunate as it feels the game could have benefited from one.

The fun of Blur is unparalleled in any other recent driving game. It could have been simply Mario Kart in real looking cars, but Bizarre Creations have looked hard at what is fun about racing games, what is fun about competitive play, what is fun about online gaming, and worked out how to get all of that in one game and more importantly, get it to work well and remain fun.

Superior storytelling, audio and graphics all come together to create one of the most enjoyable games in years.

The game creates an excellent and believable sense of ‘reality', as much as a video game horror story can. You'll suspend your disbelief for the most part, and there are some very cool and spooky moments early in the game that will really put you on edge.

If arcade racers are your bag, I can highly recommend Split/Second and with its split-screen multiplayer it would be a great one to keep the kids entertained. Longevity will vary based on your personal tastes and attention span but Split/Second will be a blast while it lasts.

Skate 3 sadly fails to take the leaps and bounds that Skate 2 made; it's not as progressive or original. However, it is still the undisputed king of skateboarding games, and if you're new to the franchise, you'd do well to pick it up.

By adjusting the control scheme and difficulty to suit your skill and experience FIFA World Cup South Africa is capable of simulating an extremely realistic and entertaining game of soccer.