An endearing tale of courage and responsibility, and one of the most delightful titles you’ll find on Xbox 360.

Left 4 Dead transcends the black and white of 'single player' or 'multiplayer' – suddenly there's a realisation that four players have amalgamated into a single, unified body during play. It's an incredibly exhilarating feeling, and other games offering co-op modes that amount to little more than running and gunning together suddenly appear a little juvenile. Left 4 Dead has indefinitely raised the bar for true co-operative play.

Splinter Cell Conviction may still demand patient planning but when a well-conceived scenario pays off and the air fills with the cries of frightened soldiers, the sense of empowerment becomes palpable – indeed outright addictive.

Countless lauded exclusives have spectacularly flopped since the PS3’s launch and the console’s market share is still less than glowing; there’s a sense that for history to repeat itself twice with another Killzone debacle, given the expectations, the jaw-dropping preview footage and the hordes of illiterate fanboys chomping at the bit, would have been catastrophic. Instead, the end result is nothing short of triumphant.

Empire is distinct, challenging and immensely gratifying. Easily the finest example of the genre.

There are so many moments throughout Dead Space that will have you frozen to the spot, either through awe or sheer terror, and each of the game’s twelve chapters are just as entrancing as they are horrifying. A spectacular sci-fi romp from start to finish.

While it might not bring anything particularly new to the formula, the wealth of features and enhancements ensure that WipEout HD is the best iteration in the time-honoured series so far. For the incredible price, it’s an unmissable package.

EA has done a commendable job at listening to its community and giving them what they want by way of the included movie maker, style creator and integrated online store, crafting not only a well-rounded package that bests its predecessor in every area, but a game that is, much like its virtual stars, filled with charm and character.

The story may be overambitious, inconclusive and undermined by some queasy sentimentality, but the fine-tuning made to the game's core shooting and cover mechanics make Gears of War 2 Epic's finest work to date.

It’s a euphoric example of tight, well-constructed narrative and strong game design, and ultimately a title that won’t only be remembered as the best superhero game to date, but also as one of the PS3’s finest moments.

While not as great a progression as it could have been, LocoRoco 2 still manages to squash, bounce and squeeze its way into must-have territory, and is as pristine a slice of portable gaming as one could hope for. Visually arresting, a pleasure to play and an aural triumph (we dare you not to hum along to the soundtrack!), the love and attention that has been lavished on its production veritably oozes from the screen.

Bash Party isn’t a huge leap from the previous game, but then it really didn’t need to be.

For all its achievements in aesthetics and game structure, perhaps the most significant feature of Red Dead Redemption is the way Rockstar has invested the experience with such a sense of nostalgia and poignancy, by stripping the open-world back to an era in which the telephone is the height of technology, an era which, in all its naivety, doesn't yet realise how fast the tide of progression and modernity will be.

For all its achievements in aesthetics and game structure, perhaps the most significant feature of Red Dead Redemption is the way Rockstar has invested the experience with such a sense of nostalgia and poignancy, by stripping the open-world back to an era in which the telephone is the height of technology, an era which, in all its naivety, doesn’t yet realise how fast the tide of progression and modernity will be.

Flower is an epiphany moment for the SIXAXIS: a game that outright wouldn't work without the motion controls, and one enhanced tenfold by their perfect execution. Disregard it for its unconventionality and you'll be missing out on one of the finest (and definitely most exquisite) titles to hit PSN so far.

Peggle is a rare, but clear example of a game that utilises a simple concept to create a limitlessly satisfying gameplay experience. There are no end of level bosses, ostentatious cut scenes or superfluous button layouts to memorise, Peggle is simply gameplay refined.

It’s not for everyone; if the idea of a tribute to hard-as-nails adventuring turns you off, then walk away.

Until then it’s very much a case of damned if they do/damned if they don’t – to those whose obsessive desire for collection and completion has been hard-wired over the last thirteen years, the thrill of the search will likely never fade.

It’s engaging, unique, humorous and hugely polished, and earns its place as one of the top original titles on PSN with ease.

It’s a flawed work of art, but a work of art nonetheless.

The Beatles: Rock Band raises the bar to such a nosebleed-inducing height that we also wonder where the genre is going to take us to next. The rate of acceleration is phenomenal.

FIFA 10 is a game that’ll make you run around your living room, shirt pulled over your face screaming in unbridled delight. It’s a game that’ll make you fall in love and obsess over its every detail. It’s a game that’ll make you smash your pad in anger, swear like a sailor and curse the day you bought it.

Insomniac have a gift – the ability to forge games of such a high quality – and to ask them to stop would be a crime against gaming humanity.

Super Street Fighter IV is a celebration of the Street Fighter series that adds a final, glossy lick of paint to the already sublimely polished original and, while it is unlikely to woo new fans, those already hopelessly addicted to Had?ken’s and Tatsumaki-Senp? Kyaku’s will be in their absolute element.

Undoubtedly there will be those that question the games raison d’etre – was it really worth Sony investing in the title just to put Sackboy in your pocket? Does another portable version of a Playstation 3 title do anything to bolster the PSPs somewhat malnourished library? For our money, the answer to both these questions is a resounding ‘yes’.

It’s rather difficult to fault the game on any conceivable level, but one minor criticism is that the game-length-to-game-price ratio is a bit uneven.

Whilst it wears its influences on its sleeve and won’t supersede Mario Kart DS as the handheld racer of choice, All-Stars Racing ensures a thrilling duel to the finish line.

In this instance however, developer Etranges Libellules have crafted a game of rare quality, movie spin-off or not.