Perhaps the strongest compliment I can pay Eidos Montreal is this: with its grand design, dynamic play and sheer wealth of ideas - not to mention its old-fashioned pre-occupation with air vents - Deus Ex: Human Revolution is reminiscent of the best efforts from the golden era of PC gaming at the end of the 90s. It's a modern release imbued with the finer qualities of an age gone by.

One of the year's best games, even when it forgets to hand over the controller and let you have a turn.

I don't think I've ever seen a game do such a great job of catering to its target audience, and at every step Harmonix displays a deep understanding and appreciation for the Beatles license.

There's something entrancing about the way this game plunges you into the violence, the corruption, and the sadness of post-war Los Angeles. Each of the four major desks has a remarkably different tone, and while the slow reveal of Phelps himself is the major narrative thread, it's equally true to say the dark heart of the city itself is an equally important protagonist.

Whether you're a platformer fan or fancy some frenetic blasting action, Tools of Destruction fits the bill. Combine the enjoyable gameplay (that's fun for all ages) with some of the best visuals the PS3 has seen and you have a game that every PS3 owner should own.

Its simple aim-and-shoot mechanics draws you in for repeated plays and with the short completion times needed to complete levels, you can easily fall prey to ‘Just One More’ Syndrome.

New Super Mario Bros. treads the retro platformer line beautifully, adding just enough originality and imagination to the mix.

Horrendous difficulty spikes aside, Peace Walker is great. It has all the blisteringly beautiful visuals, impressive production values and rewarding stealth gameplay you expect from a Metal Gear game.

Veterans and newbies alike will be impressed with how sumptuous the game looks. It's easily the best looking fighter on a console.

If you love FPS gaming you owe it to yourself to get The Orange Box. Hell, if you love gaming, you owe it to yourself to get it.

Let's face it: it's unlikely you're going to pick this up instead of FIFA 11, but as an alternative to play when football isn't on your brain, this does the job very well indeed.

Let's face it: it's unlikely you're going to pick this up instead of FIFA 11, but as an alternative to play when football isn't on your brain, this does the job very well indeed.

Dark Souls isn't a game you play for fun. It's something you do to say you've done; like running a marathon or climbing Everest. You won't enjoy it like you will other games, but you won't forget it either, and you'll be damn proud of yourself for seeing it through to the end.

Going back to the standard menu-driven system of the past was pretty jarring after spending days cruising from event to event in Paradise. I was simply having more fun in Criterion's latest racer.

I don't think I've ever seen a game do such a great job of catering to its target audience, and at every step Harmonix displays a deep understanding and appreciation for the Beatles license.

Shadow Complex is a triumph, a new standard for downloadable games. It’s a game in the purest sense, but is as “next-gen” as any Xbox 360 owner could hope for. And at 1200 MS Points it’s an absolute bargain guaranteed to fill rival XBLA developers with fear.

Modern Warfare 3 doesn't do anything new, but it also doesn't do anything wrong. For better or worse, this is a slick and well-metered trio of modes that make an entertaining package, but Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward are simply looking to augment previous games rather than expand the series into pastures new.

Despite the game's myriad achievements, Dishonored never really rises up to the greatness of its potential. Arkane Studios' effort isn't quite as clever as it needs to be: it doesn't really build up to anything momentous, or have anything special to say, and it's particularly galling to see a world that's been so painstakingly created not live up to its potential when it comes to narrative and context.

DJ Hero 2's multiplayer modes might not strike as anything special, although it is a social and accessible game, but the robust content is tailored to be the most hypnotic single-player rhythm game on the market.

The boss fights are distinctly underwhelming - presenting yet another great big thing to kill when you might have hoped for something more subtle, intelligent, and perhaps disturbing, to tackle.

In many ways BioShock 2 is a game about refinements, rather than wholesale changes.

Although Crysis on the PC has wiped the floor with every game available, on the console front Uncharted is right up there with the best. The jungle settings are gorgeous and make use of some stunning lighting, while the indoor settings are detailed and moody.

The number of options you have to tackle each situation makes for some great unscripted moments, and the visuals and sound help create an atmosphere that wouldn't be possible on older hardware.

All of the changes, all of the tweaks, all of the graphical upgrades, remixed music and refinements to the online experience make SSF2THDR one of the best remakes of a classic game in recent memory.

This is a comprehensive iOS title, and with so much quality content on offer it's very hard to imagine what RedLynx could possible add for DrawRace 3.

Do you like first-person shooters? If the answer is yes, buy Battlefield: Bad Company 2. If there's a weakness it lies in the slightly brief single-player campaign, but the brilliant, potentially Modern Warfare 2 beating multiplayer more than picks up the slack.

This isn't just the best Wii golf game we've played, but the best golf game we've played on any system.

Do you like first-person shooters? If the answer is yes, buy Battlefield: Bad Company 2. If there's a weakness it lies in the slightly brief single-player campaign, but the brilliant, potentially Modern Warfare 2 beating multiplayer more than picks up the slack.