3. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Blizzard)
The changes – oh gosh, the changes – that Blizzard wreaks upon its (still!) abnormally successful MMO are something to marvel at. A generally evil dragon called Deathwing has erupted from beneath Azeroth, and in his wake has left nothing but destruction. I can still always go back to the original Mass Effect, Zelda, or whatever, but MMO players are rather attached to their old worlds, and huge changes like this make previous content inaccessible forever. Thankfully, they’ve replaced almost every zone with a superior version of itself. Feralas, Silverpine Forest, Westfall and Stonetalon Mountains are actually – and shockingly - the most fun I’ve ever had levelling. The storylines are interesting! The quests aren’t repetitive! More subtly, they’ve calibrated all the stats in the game: the effect is to return to a game where healers can’t just mash their buttons and never have to worry about mana. This has enabled them to make the endgame a much more interesting experience. This is a prime example of how to revitalise a franchise, and I have nothing but respect for it.

2. VVVVVV (Terry Cavanagh)
The Letter V Six Times (a ridiculous title) is a harkening back to something more simple. There are 3 buttons in the game: a straightforward 2D platformer based around a basic concept. You can move left or right, or you can switch gravity and jump to the ceiling. The rather bizarre title is a reference to the fact you have to keep jumping up and down. The level design here is incredibly inventive, and you’ll scratch your head at really how much crap they can throw at you. You’ll die hundreds of times. There’s a save point basically every screen. But you’ll try again and again. The controls are snappy and the puzzles always feel ‘doable’. That doesn’t mean you’ll find them easy.

1. Minecraft (Mojang)
If you haven’t heard of Minecraft, now is the time to start finding out about it. I’ve not only got my long-suffering, videogame despising girlfriend to play, but get her positively addicted to it. I find it a massive problem to describe just quite WHY this game is so amazing. The principle of Minecraft is that you can build. You mine, and then you craft things with your materials. Then you can build. At night, zombies, skeletons, and exploding abominations called creepers come out to kill you. That’s it. But why the hell would anyone want to play that? There seems little overall point, little reward, little achievement. You know that proud feeling you get when you used to make Lego? Sod the official instructions, it was fun making crap that YOU wanted to make. Minecraft captures this childlike joy perfectly. After your first primitive cave, you’ll want to hollow out a proper bunker. After that you might want to make the outside a bit nicer, maybe have a little shed. Then a tower. Before you know it, you’ve got an underground lava castle, a pig pen, and are constructing real life replicas of the pyramids. Making stuff is fun, and Minecraft knows this far too well.

You can even set up a server and make things with your friends. Lord save us all.