I have bought a bunch of new games now: Dead Space, Fable 2, Far cry 2 and Fallout 3. Although it was costly, each game delivered for me and here are my first impressions so far:

Dead Space: This game reminds me of Resi 4 in space. The atmosphere is chilling throughout and you will never know when the next necromorph will pop up. The melee is a bit rubbish though; sometimes I cant get a hit in! So far so good.

Fable 2: Ill admit that the story is kind of just your usual hero tale, but the game has depth. There is tons to do and see, ranging from jobs, some of which are quite repetitive and time consuming, to various side quests. Co-op is fun but it is a shame you cant bring your own character into the game. The dog is awesome. So far so good.

Far cry 2: Out of these games, far cry 2 is probably not the best in my opinion. While the gameworld is massive, trudging to each mission can be time consuming and annoying when passing through guard posts all the time. However gunplay is still fun but the ai is inconsistent. Still though, it is an impressive game.

Fallout 3: This game has had a big amount of hype surrounding it and in my opinion, it delivered. The atmosphere creates a dark and disturbing picture of a post nuclear world. Gunplay is not the usual twitch shooter, and the addition of VATS creates a tactical element. However I normally find that I choose get close to an enemy, use vats, pop a few rounds, retreat, pop a few rounds and repeat. Still, it is a truly immense game and so far, very good.

I first stumbled upon Roots Manuva when I saw a review for his new album "slime and reason", receiving 5 stars (the newspaper was the sunday times).

I knew I had to listen and I loved it! This mixture of hip-hop with elements of reggae and funk was great and I encourage you to listen to him.

Roots Manuva - witness the fitness

It is really hard to choose one game out of all the great games already out this year and the ones appearing later. Although I haven't played some of these games, it seems pretty clear judjing from previews and impressions that they are great games. These games are: Fallout 3 - I haven't even played the previous games and I want this; the depth of exploration not seen since oblivion, the great array of quests, the graphics; it just seems brilliant.

Fable 2 - Again, I haven't played the first but this seems like a new step in gaming, with the seamless co - op options, it is sure to be a top contender for GOTY.

GTA 4 - with the move away from the "fun" elements of san andreas *jetpacks* GTA 4 seems to immerse you in its world with a compelling storyline, improved controls and more.

MGS4 - I don't own a PS3 and cant tell much of this, but judging from reviews, it surely must be a contender

Far cry 2 - The exploration seems immense; 50 km of world has me drooling and it seems like a game which will last for ages, also with the replayability value of the map editor.

I probably havent mentioned all contenders - fill in the gaps and tell me what you think!