An absolutely essential landmark title for the games industry. In terms of the sheer scope, emotion, ambition, and the stupidly high fun factor it offers, there is no better available in the genre today. In fact, no one else comes anywhere near.

Four different control options as well as an as-deep-as-you-want-it combat style mean that whether you're a parent looking forward to seeing Mario and Sonic have a punch-up, or a Nintendo fan wanting the Nintendo Chronicle (of love), Brawl can offer you an outstanding game.

Every aspect of Left 4 Dead has been refined and tweaked to perfection. It's addictive and atmospheric, and it contains undoubtedly the best co-op gameplay we've seen yet.

Every aspect of Left 4 Dead has been refined and tweaked to perfection. It's addictive and atmospheric, and it contains undoubtedly the best co-op gameplay we've seen yet.

The developers should be applauded for creating a profoundly personal work that still overtly appealing to the audience at large. But even though it is not the best platformer out there, the game can quite easily be classed as something entirely original for the genre, casting off a brand new tangent filled with wondrous sights and provocative ideas that are enchantingly imaginative and creative enough to be considered truly exceptional.

On the whole, the game is still full of fantastic little touches that you can't help but love, all presented and executed in a simply timeless fashion. You can't ask much more than that.

Persona 4 is the Playstation 2's new king of JRPGs and is awesome sending off for the system. Every single man, woman and child who has any interest in the story or has even the tiniest interest in the RPG genre has to check it out.

The fact is, Braid is art. There, I said it. Not only can it be appreciated aesthetically, but it was clearly created with the intention of the finished product being a work of art.

Rocksteady have proven that they're a company that really care. They actually 'get' Batman, they've looked at the character from every conceivable angle and strived to make this everything anybody could possibly want from a Batman game.

Rocksteady have proven that they're a company that really care. They actually 'get' Batman, they've looked at the character from every conceivable angle and strived to make this everything anybody could possibly want from a Batman game.

World of Goo falls into a special category that only a select few games fall into. Do you remember when you first got your hands on Super Mario 64, the excitement that oozed out of you when you picked up the pad and controlled Mario around in 3D for the first time? Or when you were pulling out the Master Sword from its stone placement in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? These were special moments in a gamer's life and playing World of Goo deserves to be placed alongside such events.

World of Goo falls into a special category that only a select few games fall into. Do you remember when you first got your hands on Super Mario 64, the excitement that oozed out of you when you picked up the pad and controlled Mario around in 3D for the first time? Or when you were pulling out the Master Sword from its stone placement in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? These were special moments in a gamer's life and playing World of Goo deserves to be placed alongside such events.

No-one else but Rockstar could've made Chinatown Wars what it is, because no one else has that kind of commitment and finesse to pull it off. It's been a while since such a must-have game has come to the DS.

Street Fighter IV is not just a top notch next-gen version of Street Fighter, it is in essence what Capcom always wanted the Street Fighter franchise to be.

Street Fighter IV is not just a top notch next-gen version of Street Fighter, it is in essence what Capcom always wanted the Street Fighter franchise to be.

It's the amalgamation of years of action games, adventure stories and box office smashes rolled into one ten hour action sequence. It's Indiana Jones meets Broken Arrow, meets Cliff Hanger, meets Bad Boys – and then some. The production values are through the roof and the level of polish that's gone into this game are something else.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is as complete a package as you could ever ask for. Multiplayer-heavy titles can be a fickle beast, but we're pretty sure we'll be playing this one for quite some time to come.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is as complete a package as you could ever ask for. Multiplayer-heavy titles can be a fickle beast, but we're pretty sure we'll be playing this one for quite some time to come.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is as complete a package as you could ever ask for. Multiplayer-heavy titles can be a fickle beast, but we're pretty sure we'll be playing this one for quite some time to come.

But it all boils down to the fact that you need to play this game. Because once this trilogy is done, we might well be looking at one of the greatest science-fiction works – in any medium – of all time. Mass Effect 2 is an utterly absorbing, satisfying and rewarding journey that you absolutely will not want to end, ever.

But it all boils down to the fact that you need to play this game. Because once this trilogy is done, we might well be looking at one of the greatest science-fiction works – in any medium – of all time. Mass Effect 2 is an utterly absorbing, satisfying and rewarding journey that you absolutely will not want to end, ever.

If this is truly the last Ratchet and Clank release then rest assured that the series goes out with a bang. It's one of the games of the year and an outstanding exclusive for the Playstation 3.

It is just that good, an incredibly fun game to both watch and play, and one that fills a thirty year old franchise full of life once again. It is hard to think of a more exciting and inventive way Pac-Man could have been re-envisioned in 2010.

Dead Space 2 simply adds more to that already excellent foundation, and in doing so, it has become the survival horror franchise to beat. An absolutely brilliant video game, and certainly the best survival horror game since Resident Evil 4.

In conclusion, Portal 2 is a textbook example of how to make a great game, but nothing more.

It's an engaging, exciting, fearless and endlessly imaginative masterpiece with a clarity of vision that is so, so rare in traditional big-budget releases.

Game of the year? Probably.

Rage may not represent the gigantic leap into the next era of games that's usually embodied by titles by id software, but it has reaffirmed their position as a premier developer when it comes to everything first person shooter-y.