Among Thieves is not a reinvention of the genre, more a definition. A sumptuous adventure that enthrals from start to finish, a cast that you'll fall in love with and a tale that's better scripted, directed and paced than most Hollywood blockbusters. It is a testament to the extraordinary talent at Naughty Dog and a glorious celebration of what video games can be when they play to their enviable strengths.

The only thing that shocked us more was the fact that we instantly wanted to play it again from the beginning. With Mass Effect 2, BioWare have created an astonishing video game which is likely to entrance casual and hard-core players alike. The only requirement one needs to enjoy Mass Effect 2 is an inclination to become lost in its dark and wondrous universe. Oh, and perhaps a week off work.

An awe-inspiring game. The gameplay and structure may be beginning to show their age a little, but the storytelling, characters and world-building is on a par with the best the medium has to offer. It's a sprawling and engrossing experience, epic in scope and size and offering a gigantic amount of playing time. With their latest open-world game, Rockstar have produced nothing less than the finest recreation of the Wild West on a console, and one of the best video games of this year.

It's a work of masterful craft, mechanically constructed with military precision, artistically wrapped in a tremendous story and environment. Most impressively, its achievements feel effortless.

Modern Warfare 2 crosses into the must-have category of video games effortlessly. It offers an unmatched shooter experience, a compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth.

A wonderful, startlingly complete package tailored for the single player. In these days of multiplayer crowbarred into any old game, it's a relief, a bold statement of intent that Rocksteady have created such a supremely focused but hugely expansive video game. It's a brave, committed, confident piece of work.

Any gripes with the action are washed away when the narrative flexes it considerable muscle. It’s a fabulous piece of storytelling, thick with foreshadowing to a gut-punch of a finale. Most importantly, like BioShock before it, Infinite could only work as a video game, finessing the art of player agency and interaction. Proof positive that with the right talent and drive, games can plough their own narrative furrow. And excel at it.

Modern Warfare 2 crosses into the must-have category of video games effortlessly. It offers an unmatched shooter experience, a compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth.

Chinatown Wars isn’t a case of squeezing GTA onto the DS but crafting it around a console that, while not having the power of its home console brethren, has its own uniquely interesting strengths.

One of the most exciting titles available. It is, in short, a game any sort of player – casual or hard-core – will take a shine to.

For anyone else interested in or already on board with RTS games, Starcraft II isn't just an amazing, it's required reading.

A brilliant touch is the option to turn on a feature that allows Live/PSN players to challenge you even when you’re playing the singleplayer modes. In this era of home entertainment, it’s the closest you can get to someone coming up to challenging you in an arcade. The competition is likely to be ferocious and the fight for online supremacy is likely to continue for many, many years.

Minecraft is by far one of the most fascinating and progressive games ever made, both in terms of its leanings towards procedural generation and emergent gameplay, and the way it has been so openly developed. In an era where the development of most games is a closely-guarded, PR-managed secret, millions were invited to buy and play Minecraft years before it was even finished.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fallout 3 is how effortlessly it combines so many gameplay mechanics, storylines, characters, expansive environments and complex in-game intricacies into one fluid package.

Sure it's uncouth at times, but it stands tall as an example of just how heart-poundingly exciting games can be.

While the individual parts of Mass Effect 3 aren't perfect, the whole is a remarkable achievement. It's an adage that's true of the entire series. Each game has its flaws and do not escape criticism as standalone titles. But the commitment to the long-game reaps its own rewards for BioWare, with five years of dedication from creators and players alike coming together for a suitably heart-wrenching end to arguably the finest video game series of this generation.

Every moment is a joy. As Skyward Sword progresses, each new area or item feels like The Legend of Zelda shedding some of the trappings of its past. It never veers too wildly from its time-honoured formula, but in every sense this is the freshest, most contemporary Zelda game in over a decade. An ingenious collaboration of design and motion control, the only shame is that it's taken the Wii so long to come to such fruition.

The fact that Rock Band 3 is both easy to pick up and play while offering an intricate learning tool is a remarkable thing.

Despite being slightly on the easy side, PvZ is an absolutely stellar package, overflowing with so much charm and charisma that It's almost impossible not to be swept up in this wonderfully zany world.

But despite God of War III being afraid of flying too close to the sun -lest those carefully crafted wings should melt- the journey is relentlessly exciting; a blistering spectacle told in blood and thunder. Truly epic, then. And I defy anyone to argue with the definition this time around.

Naughty Dog have rediscovered an art that seemed lost with those Hollywood adventures. Conjuring a Spielberg-esque bounce and flow, sweeping you along for the ride and, in Nathan Drake, offering a hero that's neither emo, arrogant or Shia LeBeouf. Just cocky, vulnerable and a bit handy at climbing around and kicking people in the head.

Learning, improving, mastering. Three tenets Super Street Fighter IV is built on, its greatest strengths and the reason for its existence. Without them, it’s a game that would have never been made. Without them the games industry would stand still. Super Street Fighter IV embodies that ethos. Another defining moment for Capcom’s world warriors.

With Forza Motorsport 3 Turn 10 have made great strides towards accessibility, but have managed to do so without compromising what remains the most open, detailed and enjoyable racing simulation on the market.

With a series of combat and stealth challenge rooms with online leader boards rounding off the package, Arkham Asylum is a brilliantly polished and wholly engrossing prospect. Few licensed titles have captured so authentically and completely the ethos of its inspiration as Arkham Asylum.

Intelligent Systems has produced some fine games for Nintendo over the years; Awakening can proudly sit next to fellow strategy gem Advance Wars as the studio’s best work to date.

The art, too, is wonderfully realised, both making the world a dangerous but curious place, and giving a great deal of life to the characters. Just look at Clementine's expressiveness even without words. It plays right into the hands of its comic book counterpart, and leaves the game anything but lifeless.

Some will find Journey too slight and too sparse an experience to justify the asking price. And that's fine, it deliberately speaks to an audience that will fall head-over-heels for its painterly style and worthy metaphors. But whatever camp you fall into, never say Journey isn't a video game. While it is one of the most expressive and unique titles of the medium, it is a video game. A magnificent one. Embrace it.

Whether you're new to this unique pairing or you've played one or both before, this splendid collection is pretty much a compulsory purchase.