Nathan Blades looks at the polarising RPG for PS3 & 360.
Jason Rose brings us a buyers' guide to smartphones available this Christmas.
Nathan Blades covers some console and industry-defining titles for the Sony PlayStation
Nathan Blades burns rubber in Mario kart 7.
Michael Tansini - My Top 5
Amnesia: The Dark Descent (PC) There are very few truly horrifying games out there. Sure there are games that have blood, and games that have scary moments but there are few games that can grab you by the lapels and drag you screaming across a floor for a sustained period of time, which is what Amnesia does. Although you don't see very much of the Lovecraftian monsters, the atmosphere and presence of the game hangs over you like a blanket. Available on Steam and well worth your time
Angry Birds (iPhone) If you have an iPhone (and most of you will) you will have played this game. It is simple, fire a variety of birds at pigs using your fingers, destroying them and structures in an attempt to win back your eggs. It is the definition of addictive and replayable. You can play it almost anywhere, on the bus, at the dentists, and no one will look at you strangely because they'll be doing it too. Unless they have a Blackberry, in which case they're silly. Available from iTunes for £1.89
God of War 3 (PlayStation 3)
'The God of War series has never been subtle but it has been enormous fun and it continues in this vein. You play Kratos, an angry muscular Spartan set in mythical Greece whose goal is to eradicate Zeus, king of the Gods. The cream of the game is the wonderful fight system, supplemented by gargantuan boss battles. Ripping the head off a god with your bare hands then using said head as a lantern to find hidden doorways is an over-the-top experience that few other series can offer. With the PlayStation 3 running at pretty much full capacity, the graphics are gorgeous and give the gore an added tint. A must-buy.
Limbo (Xbox 360 Download only)
A beautiful monochrome game that is almost unlike any other game out there. You play a small boy journeying through two dimensional levels, solving puzzles and avoiding traps and beasts. While this sounds boring, the beautiful graphics and eerie atmosphere make it an amazing experience. Something everyone should try
Just Cause 2 (Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation3 A sandbox (open-ended game) in the style of Grand Theft Auto that is truely huge on another scale. Playing the alliterative hero Rico Rodgriuez you help to overthrow the fictional South-East Asian island of Panau, using rocket launchers and explosions. It's over the top ridiculous fun in a world so massive it genuinely has to be played to be understood. Replay value is boundless.
Cieran Douglass - My Top 5
Minecraft (PC) The indie sensation has really found its footing in 2010, having reached year-end sales of almost a million copies. I can't express just how enjoyable this game is in text form, especially now we have a semi-working survival multiplayer. Killing zombies with a TNT cannon your friends made is awesome! Some of the things people have built really need to be experienced to be believed.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (Nintendo DS) Nintendo's yearly Pokémon offering was this year a remake of Pokémon classics Gold and Silver. Offering enough to keep the series fresh, interesting and enjoyable, while still harking back to what made the original games great, these are some of the best Pokémon games yet. Strangely, the same basic gameplay never seems to get old!
Kinect (Xbox 360) It's not technically a video game, but it's definitely a major change in the gaming environment. Despite not actually owning one (or a 360 for that matter), having tried the Kinect in GAME, I'm really rather impressed. Let's home we can get some good games utilising this tech, though many are arguing that it's being wasted on video games, with software already out there for using it on PC.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
It's a sequel which doesn't seem to add anything new to the series, right? It's just Mario in space again. Wrong. SMG2 goes above and beyond its predecessor in every way. I was surprised by how well-received the game was, expecting a rehashed sequel. Instead I found some deep and involving platform action, highly enjoyable. It just shows that Wii games don't have to be rubbish!
Super Meat Boy (Xbox 360, PC) If you want a genuinely difficult 2D platformer, Super Meat Boy is what you need. A superbly well-crafted game, with levels requiring absolute precision in order to beat. Despite 200 levels, the gameplay never feels repetitive (even when half the levels are essentially harder versions of the other half). Numerous nods to other games and a host of third party support characters make this one of the most fun games I've played this year.
It's worth noting that Angry Birds has been released for Android and the Nokia N900 as well as iOS. Good list! But look at what's coming in 2011: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/01/03/the-exciting-list-of-2011s-excitements/
Dammit Greg, you beat me to the post (albeit by several hours). Wanted to point out as well that it's free on Android, and every bit as good as on the iPhone. I've got Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons on mine, both for free! Its popularity is certainly indicative in terms of trends towards more "pick-up-and-play" gameplay though...
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