A true cinematic gaming masterpiece, Max Payne 3 is not just another triumph for Rockstar, but it's also testament to what the developer can do when it turns its hand to linear storytelling. Max Payne 3 might be a stylistic shift for the series, but it's also a raw and brutal portrait of a man pushed to the edge that deserves a place alongside Rockstar's superlative open-world efforts.

Dishonored is this year's must-have new IP, with fresh ideas, plenty of charm and inventiveness, and tying them together in a stylish fashion. Who said creativity in the games industry was dead, huh? Dishonored says hello. Your free time says goodbye.

Brilliant. The last big release of the year, Far Cry 3 may well top them all. Almost unfalteringly entertaining, it's a game that will have you coming back for more long after the credits have rolled, in order to seek out every nook, cranny and secret of the game's tropical island. Chuck in a decent multiplayer suite, a fun co-op mode and staggeringly impressive map editor and you've got a winner. A must buy.

Remedy set out to create one of the most intense and gripping story experiences of the year and they delivered on their goals with sublime ease. An utterly compelling cast of characters and the most engaging story we’ve experienced in years means that Alan Wake is a must buy. The best survival-horror thriller we’ve seen for quite some time. It’s more Resident Evil than Resident Evil 5 was! Move over Capcom, Alan Wake’s in town!

The great combat system is paired up with tight controls, while superb graphics, audio, and storytelling will keep players rapt from beginning to end. Horror fans will have a blast with this game.

While this game may not be as strong as the original in terms of suspense or plot, it does make up for it with some neat innovations and a multiplayer mode that can be a lot of fun. For anyone in the mood for a good slice of storytelling then this is the game for them... and for those of you yearning for a return to Rapture, then this will be the perfect tonic.

Filled with epic boss encounters and memorable battles, RE5 provides a thrilling ride, supported with enough extra content to keep the game interesting for a long time.

Dead Space 2 is a worthwhile sequel to its predecessor, delivering the same brilliantly foreboding atmosphere, outstanding audio and peerless lighting. Despite the somewhat tedious final sequence that far outstays its welcome, fans of the original won't be disappointed by Visceral's latest instalment. Everything else that comes before moment though is pure video gaming gold, which is both fantastically paced and an unreserved joy to play.

Yet another masterful entry in the world-beating series, NHL 13 is an exemplary ice hockey game and the perfect example of how a sports game should be done. The presentation is second to none, the gameplay is nigh-on perfect and the wealth of content on offer is genuinely mind-boggling. NHL 13 is pucking fantastic.

Assassin's Creed III is a fantastic game that's marred only by a glacial few opening hours, a surfeit of history and exposition, and the odd glitch. That aside, ACIII is a triumph and the perfect way to say hello to Connor.

This is undoubtedly one of the best RPG games to emerge in recent times and has a perfect balance between out and out fun, mixed with action, romance and comedy.

Boasting unrivalled visuals, an engaging career mode, fluid, responsive gameplay, and plenty of features to boot, the only real criticism we have is that they possibly haven't advanced the series as much as we'd have liked them to have done for the fourth iteration.

Don't be put off by the NBA lockout causing a lack of rookies in the game, NBA 2K12 is still a massive basketball game with unfathomably deep gameplay and an astonishing array of game modes that'll easily last you until next year's instalment.

A fantastic sequel full to the brim with colour, verve and personality, excelling as an enjoyable shooter with involving RPG elements despite more fetch quests than several dogs will experience in a lifetime. It's all wonderfully well-executed and fun to play.

There is no other game like it and probably never will be which is a shame. It’s perfectly simple to pick up and play but also has enough depth and wonderful energy to keep you interested too.

It looks great and plays great and that is more than enough for me.

Unique, original, beautiful and innovative ... What else can you ask for?

The game has taken Tiburon’s first outing, shaken it by the horns and ironed out any flaws that last year’s game had, replacing them with some great new features.

With a fantastic soundtrack and a unique and superb look, Prince of Persia is a platformer that you shouldn't miss. Granted, it's not the hardcore platformer that fans of the series yearned for, but if you're looking for a rich story in an even richer setting, then Prince of Persia is for you.

Clocking it at 3-4 hours, Operation Anchorage isn't extremely long, and some gamers may wish for more for their 800 points. However, most of that time is spent in combat, and the quest line feels intentionally designed to provide the best experience, with absolutely no fluff or filler to artificially pad the expansion's length.

Bad Company 2 took the solid foundations of the original and built a skyscraper on it. Improving in pretty much every discipline, the sequel boasts a much more robust and comprehensive set of online tools, a pretty engaging campaign and one of the most immersive battlefields in the history of consoles.

Point Lookout provides players with an expansive new area to explore, an intriguing new story, and several side-quests to extend the amount of play time in the new content, making this the biggest and longest expansion yet.

Few will find themselves longing for things to return to the way they used to be, and Super Street Fighter IV updates the already winning formula in a logical, progressive manner to create an end product entirely deserving of its superlative moniker. Others will eventually follow, but for now Super Street Fighter IV is the undisputed fighting game champion of the world.

Facing non-stop attacks for virtually the entire length of the chapter, players will not be able to breathe easy until the credits roll. Providing truly intense action, Desperate Escape is absolutely worth the price of admission alone, while the additional 100 achievement points and two characters for Mercenaries Reunion are merely the icing on the cake.

With a tantalising story with some truly gripping and edge of the seat moments, new gameplay elements and some more of that previously promised deeper character interaction, The Lair of the Shadow Broker is what we call in outer space, a doozy.

FIFA 11 is almost as perfect a football game as you could ever expect to play and it does pretty much everything right. The passing requires a more deft touch and fine aim than previous, which can throw you off a bit at first, but other than that, FIFA 11 is the beautiful game in every sense. Personality+ seems like a far too subtle addition from our uneducated football perspective, but Be A Goalkeeper, Be A Pro, Career and other modes will keep you irrevocably hooked for months on end. It's a cliché, but FIFA 11 hits the back of the net, every time.

Not really a major leap forward over Fallout 3, but certainly not just more of the same either. The variety of missions and random tasks will keep you entertained for hours and the few new additions serve to provide a welcome distraction in terms of crafting, gambling and reputation management. Jump in, but make sure you come up for air now and again.

Undead Nightmare might not tie-in to Red Dead's overarching story, but as an entertaining journey into an alternate tale set within that rich and compelling universe, it's an add-on that proves utterly indispensable for any self-respecting fan of the game.