GAMERS have been spoiled with a bumper crop of games this year – everything from blockbuster shooters to ingenious 3D puzzles.

Here, are the titles that have made consoles and PCs shine over the past 12 months.

 

SKYRIM (PS3, X360, PC)

The fifth Elder Scrolls game throws players into a beautifully-realised fantasy world plagued with dragons and chock full of quests, side quests and more dungeons than you can shake a sword at. A simple character and battle system makes the game an easy one to get into and even after 40 hours of gameplay, you'll have barely scratched its surface.

 

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY (PS3, X360, PC)

Arkham Asylum broke new ground in gameplay mechanics and beauty – and this follow-up, unleashing the Caped Crusader on an open-world city full of maniacal thugs, trumps it in every way. Fans of the comics and films will delight in soaring on a zipwire and using a stunning array of deadly gadgets to rid the streets of crime in Batman's unforgiving way.

 

LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD (Wii)

From the start, with its origin backstory telling how Link and Princess Zelda became so loved up this was an effortless joy to play. It's what the console and its motion controls were made for, making the combat, the swimming, the flying, feel so intuitive and natural. Jaw-dropping artwork and a delightful soundtrack make it one of the year's best games.

 

PORTAL 2 (X360, PS3, PC)

It's a simple premise: use a portal device to figure out how to get from one side of a cavernous, heads-scratching puzzle room to the other. But add to it a simply hilarious script, full of black humour and voiced in part by Stephen Merchant, together with a simple plot and basic but fluid controls and you have an addictive and fun title that will have you hooked from start to finish.

 

BATTLEFIELD 3 (PC, PS3, X360)

It's single player campaign was universally panned but it is with multiplayer where BF3 excels, offering players a vast, staggeringly presented warzone in which they take gun in hand and do battle. This instalment sees the return of controllable jet fighters, meaning the infantry on the ground face off on the huge maps while fierce dog fights rage overhead, making it much more immersive and, in many ways, realistic than its competitors. Its fabled destruction engine, where almost all of the geography can be blown to shreds, makes it a game where gung ho action might work but tactical thinking with your teammates, finding flanking routes and anticipating enemy tactics, is the only real way to triumph.

 

MARIO KART 7 (Nintendo 3DS)

The world's favourite plumber and his mates are back in pole position with the latest in the phenomenally successful Mario Kart series. This 3DS instalment introduces underwater driving and gliding, adding an extra element of fun and giving you control of your kart from the start line to the chequered flag. The circuits have lots of different routes to choose from instead of the traditional single one, meaning you can try to outfox your opponents in new ways, and with devastating new power-ups. This and Super Mario 3D Land, make the 3DS a must have.

 

UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE'S DECEPTION (PS3)

The second game in this series was always going to be a tough act to follow but there are moments in Drake's Deception that propel it to the top of the pile – in particular, the cargo plane scene. As with the other Uncharted games, this one plays out as much as a movie as a game and does have a tendency to make you watch, rather than play. But its cinematic beauty, vertigo-inducing ledge hopping and seamless third-person shooter controls keep you entertained. These, combined with excellent acting, a clever and witty script and an almost coming-of-age story make it a sublime end to the trilogy.

 

MODERN WARFARE 3 (PS3, X360, PC, Wii)

MW3 is less a leap forward for the Call of Duty franchise than a shuffling step, borrowing heavily from Modern Warfare 2. But with a much improved campaign, an excellent set of Spec Ops co-op mission, tricky Survival mode and, of course, multiplayer, it is essentially four triple-A games in one box and worthy of your time.