Metroid Prime 3
: CorruptionWii. Available now, £39.99
The first two Metroid Prime games were among the best of the decade: gorgeous sci-fi adventures that saw bounty hunter Samus Aran investigating alien ruins and killing off alien creatures with equal elan. The problem was that they were for the Gamecube, so few people had the chance to play them.
Now that the series has a proper platform - the all-conquering Wii - the designers are taking no chances: the third in the series is more cinematic than ever, expanding Samus's world and driving the action forward with all the panache of a Halo 3. It doesn't generate quite as much adrenaline, but that's because the Metroid games have always given the exploration and puzzle-solving as much prominence as the critter-blasting. With its excellent point-to-look control system, and pitch-perfect game design, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption caters to the Wii's strengths while making light of its technical limitations. A treat. - Robert Colvile
Tabula Rasa
PC. Available now, £29.99
The work of online role-playing pioneer Richard Garriott, Tabula Rasa is meant to breathe new life into the genre. Abandoning the fantasy setting of its competitors in favour of a sci-fi theme, it sees the remnants of mankind taking on the Bane, a xenophobic race that has destroyed the Earth and now battles humans across richly detailed alien worlds.
Although traditional aspects of the genre such as casting spells and "grinding" to develop skills are still present, they've been repackaged as cloning technology, which lets your character follow a new direction, and the use of Logos, an ancient alien language that can manipulate matter. The intense action of a first-person shooter combined with the longevity of an online role-playing game makes this title stand out from its peers. If you prefer robots and aliens to Dungeons & Dragons, this is the online role-player for you. - Joy Acharjee
Source: Telegraph