IGN

Heavy Rain is a hell of an experience. Its controversial control scheme actually works really well in allowing the fantastic story to dictate how events play out, and many of the game's scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat. It starts slow and the presentation isn't perfect, but the character development, dialog and story twists will hook you like few games can. Heavy Rain is not to be missed.

It's the game's astonishing presentation and assured sense of narrative that captivates most. Unlike Uncharted though, it's idiosyncratic, unfamiliar - not to mention utterly pessimistic - and a much tougher recommendation as a result. Despite that, Heavy Rain's undoubtedly a sophisticated, fearless and often remarkable piece of entertainment. As a game it's not always successful but, as an experience, it's absolutely unforgettable.

Anyone looking for a first-person shooter that offers more than flat, stereotypical characters and copy-and-paste supersoldier plots, one that attempts to establish a sense of right and wrong and loops you into the decision making process, and one that's set in one of the most vividly realized settings around should pick up BioShock 2. It's a game in which story, setting, and gameplay are expertly blended to create an experience that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

If it wasn't for that expanded, heightened, desperate combat, and how neatly that sidesteps into a surprisingly characterful multiplayer mode, this would be a lacklustre sequel. It's redeemed by the surfeit of combinations, upgrades and gene tonics which allow you to truly specialise, creating a psychedelic, explosive fighting style all of your own. If there's a third game (of course there bloody will be), it cannot be set in Rapture again. We've seen enough of it now. This second tour of duty with far superior toys is everything it needs to be, though.

With Call of Pripyat, GSC Game World delivers its most stable and playable version of the Zone yet. Though it's not quite as surprising as the original, it's still a standout game that deserves to be given a chance by anyone that reads this. There aren't many titles able to offer up such an affecting atmosphere mixed with enjoyable mechanics, and even if some bits of the game remain uneven, it's an experience that will stick with you long after it's over.

Dante's Inferno takes a bold, visually impressive take on a literary classic and adds in an intriguing action focus to create a different kind of action title. Unfortunately, some derivative combat sequences and a shallow combo system prevent the title from becoming a truly great experience. The ending is obviously setting up a full-fledged series, but Dante's Inferno suffers from unoriginal gameplay features that action fans have seen before, which keeps it from making its true mark.

Ultimately, our issue is simple - if you're going to shamelessly riff on a formula popularised and pretty much perfected by another massive game title - yes, God of War in this instance - you better be damn sure you do it better. And, sadly, aside from its excellent combat system, Dante's Inferno misses the mark in almost every way. It's dated, uninspired, repetitive, clumsy and almost totally forgettable. But - and this is a big but - there absolutely is fun to be had from Visceral's superb fighting engine and, truthfully, the simple act of hitting things until they explode is a pleasant enough distraction.

With all my criticisms on the table, it might be easy to dismiss White Knight Chronicles as an awful game. It's not. But it certainly isn't as good as the developer's previous efforts, and the few intriguing plot twists and smart ideas that went into this title just can't save it.

Blood Bowl is a respectable attempt at bringing the ideals of a board game to a videogame. It has decent elements of personality, but the abundance of text and rule memorization can be a downer when all you want to do is get into a game. With so many other great games from the holiday and early in 2010, it's difficult to recommend Blood Bowl unless you have a serious hankering for a board game on your TV screen.

Dark Void is all over the place. The story's never explained adequately, the combat's pretty much always a chore, and flying isn't nearly as fun as it should be. I don't hate Dark Void, but I don't care for it, either. This is one of those titles that just exists; I doubt few will remember it this time next year.