Ninja Gaiden 2 (pictured above)
This game is very tough and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Limbs fly everywhere and, as Eurogamer pointed out, there is so much gore that there is no need for a map to help you navigate - you just avoid where you've already been by looking out for the remains of your enemies.

It is brilliantly playable and mastering the initally awkward control system is very satisfying, while the act of clearing a room of ninja attackers is a joy. The choreography, if you can call it that, is brilliant and fluid. The rich and colourful scenery takes in unconventional ninja backdrops like New York alongside more traditional ninja locales.

However, too frequently the game seems to cross that thin line between challenging and seemingly impossible. But if you have the patience, and the hand-eye coordination, and the reflexes of a fighter jet pilot, there is much to recommend Ninja Gaiden 2. And, as one reviewer so aptly put it, "you had me at 'ninja'".

Alone In The Dark
The real standout feature is the object interaction; almost everything that you pick up can be manipulated in some way to help further your progress. The constant use of fire is also great. It crackles, jumps, slides along walls, and slowly burns down almost everything in sight.

And as zombified New Yorkers stalk you throughout the game, setting alight one of the many chairs littered throughout the levels and wafting it in their direction relentlessly until the flames catch them is often the only way to progress. Atari's tech video describing fire in the game is below

There are small problems with the games' controls but they are minor quibbles. Moments like a taxi chase through the rapidly disintegrating streets of Manhattan along with the game's more cerebral challenges will have you whooping with joy.