Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai

"The scale of the project undertaken here is impressive. Forget about this as an expansion pack, because it is much more than that."

Warlock: Master of the Arcane

"Warlock: Master of the Arcane is set in Ardania. The world best known from the Majesty games..."

Spec Ops: The Line

"He'll slowly drown in each and every decision made. A flash of bloodied sand dunes vomiting out blackened, crawling figures is still burned into our mind's eye."

Mass Effect 3: The First Hour

"With little more than a word of thanks to staff, we walk out. There's little more to be said: the end of the world is here, and it feels great."

Syndicate: Co-Op Hands-On

"Once more advanced tactics are used in the battles Syndicate co-op stands out as an experience you won't find elsewhere."

War of the Roses

"From the very brief demo of the technology that runs the game it is clear that there is massive potential here."

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

"In Ghost Recon, AI is what you make it. In three of the four single player levels we play for this preview, we're slowly reintroduced to the idea that 'I' equals team."

Darksiders II

"Compared to the previous game with its open and expansive dungeons this takes things one step further..."

Rainbow 6: Patriots

"They've not been privy to his terror, his fear. The dual perspectives of conflict cast a sense of uneasiness over the situation."

Mass Effect 3

"I'm not sure if it'll ever become natural for me to yell at my Xbox 360, although the results are undeniably satisfying."

Hitman: Absolution

"It's no less a convincing portrayal. With low-grade pixelation filters from the previous title scrubbed, Glacier 2 can finally shine."

The Settlers Online

"Rectifying problems became compulsive, and with so much going on, there's always something going wrong."

MUD

"It's as if Milestone has exchanged the prim and proper dedication of a 9 to 5 for a debauched and wild weekend in the country."

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog's latest wowed at the VGAs: but what's the real story behind The Last of Us? We headed to the creator's studios to find out.

Hands-on: Binary Domain

"Shoot off the head of one of the many robots you're fighting and it's not long before they're staggering about aimlessly, shooting at their robotic brethren."

Ridge Racer Unbounded

"There's liberal exuberance in its two-ton metallic flings; exciting in its voraciousness, but suitably bizarre in the extremities in which drifts play out."

2012's Most Wanted - Aliens: Colonial Marines

"This is an opportunity for Gearbox to really put itself on the map. All it needs to do is deliver a game worthy of the series. If only it were that simple."

Resistance: Burning Skies

"Stepping onto a balcony with a stunning view of, among other things, the Statue of Liberty, it's easy to see how Sony's little device flexes its muscle."

2012's Most Wanted: Prey 2

Our latest Most Wanted for next year is Prey 2: a title that trumps the identikit sequel stylings of many series with something wholly unique and exciting.

2012's Most Wanted: Halo 4

"Chances are that 343 is going to serve us up an entertaining game. Just how good it will be remains to be seen."

Furmins

"Pride wants you to complete the level perfectly first run round. You won't. But you won't be alone - there'll be plenty of other folk swearing alongside you."

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

"The action looked a lot like in War of Cybertron, but the variation in levels and bots was much better than anticipated."

I Am Alive

"Visibility is poor, the high density of the air pollutant a killer - excursions below the dust line are high risk, but can yield collectables essential to your survival."

Mass Effect 3

"Seeing all the story threads come together in Mass Effect 3 is going to have a massive impact."

UFC Undisputed 3

"Yuke's took on the criticisms it received and developed a completely new system, which at first feels too hard. Way too hard."

Final Fantasy XIII-2

"It's Terminator with a sexual predator twist...though we're aware that's the cynicism talking."

Hands-on: Syndicate

"Don't expect the old Bullfrog Syndicate, and don't expect Deus Ex and you're likely in for something very entertaining come February."

Hands-on: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

"You're the chosen one, brought back from the dead, to save a world where the mortal races are well on their way towards extinction."

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

"There's a fervent wish that 343 had the time to reupholster the entire game as such, even though such a grand undertaking its purely a pipe-dream."

Soul Calibur V

The newest info on Soul Calibur V has been revealed, as we go hands-on and round up all the latest on Namco Bandai's returning fighter.

Hands-on: Star Wars: The Old Republic

Arriving at Korriban a disgraced slave, stripped of my Sith rank as my master had fallen - we're the Sith Inquisitor.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

"We've lived a lifetime already, and we've barely scraped three hours. We've barely scraped the world."

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

"Ezio may be 52, but he's still one of the strongest characters in the medium. If Revelations lives up to its promise, it will more than do justice to his memory."

Skyward Sword: the first three hours

"It's perhaps a self-referential nod to the franchise's twisted and confused timeline. If so, it's a clever, and knowing, wink between Nintendo and its fans that'll delight."

Max Payne 3

"Max was bald and sported an impressive beard, wore a Hawaiian shirt and spent his time in the colourful city of Sao Paulo..."

Syndicate

"This is a game that's captured the mood and world from the original, but not the gameplay..yet so far that's looking to be a good decision."

Dragon's Dogma

"Much as in chess, proper management of pawns are key to your success in Dragon's Dogma."

Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

"It's easy to enough to peg Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure as Professor Layton meets Elite Beat Agents."

Diablo III

"This is not a game like Diablo. It is Diablo. For connoisseurs of the series, that's likely the best praise one can give to the title."

Lollipop Chainsaw

"Before the boss clash, the UI flashes up a brief text description. Juliet promptly pushes it aside with a glib comment. It's classic fourth wall-breaking Suda51."

The Secret World

"The game, set in a contemporary world, has an intriguing premise: all the myths, conspiracies and tales of the extraordinary that we have all heard, are very real."

SSX

"EA makes a convincing case that these additions will better the brand rather than dilute it. And from the strength of content we're seeing, we're happy to come along for the ride."

Black Knight Sword

The studio's goal: a straightforward game based on an almost-forgotten genre, but with the look of "something original, never seen - something completely unique".

Darksiders II

"Playing as Death offers something different to his brother-in-arms: he's agile, fast, and has no qualms in using more extreme measures if they achieve results."

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7

"We wanted to introduce some details that only the most careful readers of the books could notice. So we created a game inspired by both films and novels," the studio explains.

Hands-on: Soul Calibur V

Rasmus Lund-Hansen slipped into Hilde's costume and took Soul Calibur V for a spin in Cologne.

Ridge Racer Unbounded

"Even at its current alpha version, Unbounded shows a lot of promise in becoming one of the best arcade racers around."

Aliens: Colonial Marines

"While not completely enthusiastic by what we've seen - more due to sensory exhaustion than anything - we leave the presentation feeling cautiously optimistic."

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded

"GoldenEye 007 Reloaded looks to be a good pick for Bond fans, and for those who are looking from something other than modern war titles."

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor

"We're in the technological Stone Age and, as much due to the lack of easily-accessible porn as the world being thrown into disorganised chaos, war breaks out."