May 2012: Best Release

Rockstar's best shooter yet scoops up the prize for May's best release!
Rockstar have always had a talent for creating video games. If you ever needed proof of that, you'd only have to look at titles like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, pinnacles of their respective genres which will never be forgotten by the gaming community. Now, with Max Payne 3, the developers have created a breathtakingly compelling third-person shooter that essentially revolutionises the entire genre in a way that no-one else could have ever hoped to do. Max's personal storyline is hugely engaging, as are the tales of those around him who get caught up in his personal vendetta for vengeance after the murder of his wife and children. Best of all, though, the gameplay blends near-seamlessly with the cutscenes and 'movies' of the game, and the graphics are so astounding that there'll frequently be times when you can't tell non-playable sections and playable sections apart for a moment. When you do realise, you're thrust back into some of the greatest third-person shooter gameplay ever, as well as one of the most detailed linear game worlds in a long while. What excites me the most about Max Payne 3 in fact lies outside of it- despite its difficulty spikes, the game serves as an amazing appetiser for how far Rockstar may have evolved the Grand Theft Auto series for GTA V, and I quite frankly cannot wait to see the main course!
JANUARY 2012: SHERLOCK: THE REICENBACH FALL (RUNNERS-UP: WAR HORSE; SHERLOCK: A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA)
FEBRUARY 2012: THE MUPPETS (RUNNER-UP: KINGDOMS OF AMALUR)
MARCH 2012: MASS EFFECT 3 (RUNNERS-UP: GLEE: YES/NO; THE HUNGER GAMES)
APRIL 2012: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (RUNNERS-UP: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS; THE WITCHER 2)
MAY 2012: MAX PAYNE 3 (RUNNER-UP: HOUSE: EVERYBODY DIES)