Japanese gaming development has arguably begun to feel the pressure of the immense US development budgets. Modern Japanese games often seem to lag behind the lavish, polished displays offered by Western titles, and it's cause for concern in an industry initially fuelled by Japanese inspiration. Fortunately, Square Enix continue to amaze with unrivalled graphical beauty.

A huge number of scenes in Final Fantasy XIII are literally jaw-dropping, proving that the Japanese RPG giants still have it when it counts. But can gameplay and graphics both continue at US pace?

In the God of War series, Kratos has been through quite a lot. A combination of his own ambition and mistakes, along with the temptation offered by scheming gods has left Kratos with nothing, and he holds Zeus responsible. Revenge, is a dish best served in the third part of a trilogy.

The inevitable final confrontation is a great moment in gaming, especially for those that have enjoyed the full God of War series, and completes an incredibly polished game.

It's rare that a sequel improves so comprehensively on the original, but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves manages this feat, providing one of the greatest games, and most enjoyable stories, of the generation. Helped by a good cast of characters, the plot is thoroughly enjoyable, and watching it unfold is a true joy.

With moments like Drake and Tenjin exploring the ice caverns, and the tense chases with Chloe, Elena, Drake and Jeff on the run from heavily-armed soldiers, there's a huge amount to enjoy in this incredible game.

Red Dead Redemption came as a little bit of a surprise. It wasn't expected to outdo GTA, having a more limited scope, but somehow it's far exceeded expectations and is easily one of Rockstar's best. In particular, just grabbing a horse and riding across the Wild West is an unrivalled experience.

With numerous authentic towns, acres of unique desert, cliffs, foliage and more, just riding around is a thrill in itself.

Growing attached to characters in Final Fantasy games isn't uncommon at all. After following Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Nanaki and co. through Final Fantasy VII, it was perfectly normal to find a strong attachment to the main cast. Final Fantasy XIII was no exception, but it was an unexpected member of the team that became the stand-out character.

Fang joins the party later than some, and starts slowly, but as her backstory unfolds, and her loyalty to her friends is demonstrated, it's difficult not to like her by the end of the game. The conclusion to her story in the game was inspired, and Fang has left a lasting impression.

Many PS3 gamers will disagree, favouring the more-recent online thrills of Modern Warfare, but for some, there was no online experience as good as Resistance: Fall of Man when it first arrived on PS3. The best moments were always the games where a team faced overwhelming odds, but somehow found a way to succeed.

With a lot of clans getting organized early, it was easy to end up on the wrong side of an unfair battle, but that just made every kill and every inch of ground won feel like an unrivalled victory.

Wipeout HD has one of the hardest sets of trophies on the Playstation 3. One of the toughest is Beat Zico, based around beating a developer's time (following an internal competition, won by Zico) set on a specific track at Venom speed, using the Piranha ship.

Beating Zico might take hundreds of laps practice, and finding every opportunity to improve your time by even a split second is crucial, but the feeling of achievement when you finally do it is superb.

Though some of the major enemies you face in Demon's Souls have a crucial weakness, it's likely that your first confrontations with many bosses will end in disaster, but that only serves to increase the feeling of immense satisfaction when you finally pull off the win.

A particular favourite would have to be Flamelurker, whose fearsome leaps and deadly swipes were my undoing on numerous occasions before finally managing to dodge successfully and cast spells. Demon's Souls is unrivalled for the elation you feel when a boss is finally beaten.

Steering well clear of spoilers, the ending of Final Fantasy XIII, like so many Final Fantasy games before it, uses the strength of its main characters to great effect, and provides a spectacular conclusion. Multiple bad bosses? Impending doom? Heroic leads? With Square Enix at the helm, it was always going to be great to watch.

Though some might not rate Final Fantasy XIII as highly as other classics in the series, none have been critical of the ending. The music is somewhat down to personal preference, but if you immerse yourself in the ending, it's an emotional and powerful ride.

Perhaps it was simply that it was one of my first online gaming experiences, or perhaps it was simply that we were somewhat confined to one good online game in the early days of PS3, but whatever the reason, an unrivalled set of memories and a whole host of unforgettable moments can be credited to online games of Resistance: Fall of Man.

Playing clan matches, playing hide and seek when the servers were dodgy, playing together against incredible opposition... it was all amazing, every second of the way. If just one more online game as good as that arrives on PS3, then there's little more we can ask for in the world of online gaming.