Whenever a hyped game hits the market, I tend to start playing it expecting the very worst – a hype countermeasure, if you will. I attempted this same tactic for Mass Effect 2, but after being treated to an opening worthy of Spielberg, all reservations were blown away in an instant.

This alone remedies my main complaint for the first game – Mass Effect suffered a substantial pacing problem during the first few hours of gameplay – the sequel begins to an explosive start and the game keeps up the pace through the main story arc.

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Indie physics-based platformer Trine has been widely praised for its beautiful graphics, puzzle-solving mechnanics and combat system however its price point has drawn some criticism from the gaming community.

There is little doubt that developer Frozenbyte has created a compelling 2.5D platforming offering here, but is it really worth the £16.99+ price tag?

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The 500th game to hit the Wii Virtual Console comes in all-star Nintendo form. The original Super Smash Bros. for the N64 graces our screens once again to give us a chance to replay the roots of what is now a staple per-Nintendo-console-generation title. Looking at the game makes you realise how the franchise hasn’t really developed all that much over the past ten years. But why fix it when it isn’t broken, eh?

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The first Assassin’s Creed had promise and a huge lot of hype when it arrived in stores back in 2007 however many gamers found the game to be a massive disappointment – repetitive tasks and lengthy travelling made the whole experience feel like a chore.

Ubisoft Montreal has done a great job of fixing most of the issues with Assassin’s Creed in its second installment – actually, it’s done more than that, it has improved the whole gameplay to make it one of the year’s best games.

The game is set in the Italian 15th and 16th century and is focused around a new character, a charismatic Florentine named Ezio. Unlike the robotic Altaïr before him, the protagonist breathes life into the game’s storyline and injects a little human touch to otherwise cold-blooded missions. The visual flair also adds to this vibrant feel of the gameplay; from carnivale in Venice to the beautiful reconstruction of Florence, everything looks stunning and really add to the game’s overall appeal. With five of these highly detailed and expansive city states to explore, you’ll find it even more fun to leap from roof to roof, stalking, stabbing and sneaking around in the environment’s cinematic style.

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