GamesRelay

With Portal 2 delivering a PlayStation 3 flavour of Steam next week, Sony's console will have an edge over its console rivals from a most unexpected source, a source that no one previously expected, Valve.

With the recent release of Nintendo's new portable handheld, the 3DS, the launch lineup was far from perfect, even with games such as Pilotwings. But does a launch lineup really contribute to a platforms success?

Since time began, communication has been a key factor in everyone's life, whether it's having a conversation over the phone, or shouting "Boom headshot!" down the microphone at someone who's head you just blew off.

What an interesting 12 months its been for Sony - The PS3 went from problem child to serious contender following a rather successful re-launch and re-branding exercise.

There's two ways to talk about Final Fantasy XIII. The first is to take the fanboy approach and bitch about the fact it's not a slavish remake of VII or XII – whether openly stated or not, that's the subtext around which people criticize the game.

The Nintendo Wii has had quite a beating from the so-called core gamer crowd. Not least from me. But actually, it begs the question which needs asking, is the system a poor buy for the hardcore masses?

The recently released BioShock 2 is a very interesting game, it starts out very promising and then builds up, getting better and better, only really hitting its stride about two thirds of the way through.

Let's get this straight. Mass Effect 2 is undoubtedly one of the best games you'll play this generation. It's a masterpiece and one of BioWare's finest achievements in a long line of RPG games.

Sometimes you learn something that just blows your mind. Take Uncharted 2 for instance – for many it was game of the year in 2010 and it took the cinematic presentation of the first game and expanded on it in every conceivable way.

I've always thought that the hype around the Wii's success has been overstated. Sure the Wii sells and sells… 3.8 million units sold last month in the USA alone. To put that into perspective, that's more than the PS3 and 360 combined.