. Plays March 18, 2012

Tom Orry, Editor - Professor Layton and The Lost Future, DS

I hadn't played a Layton game before, but after seeing this for a decent price in gamestation I picked it up. I've been playing it most evenings with my girlfriend and it's great. Initially the goal was to avoid using hint coins, but after one nasty puzzle involving a route to a flower shop our hands were forced. Layton is the perfect game to play with someone else as two heads are certainly better than one, and you can share in that moment of joy when you solve a puzzle and believe yourself to be a genius. I even did a small fist into the air motion after correctly solving a puzzle on the first try.

Martin Gaston, Reviews Editor - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I should probably write about Mass Effect 3, seeing as I spent thirty hours between Friday and Tuesday playing BioWare's magnificent wondergame, but I spent thirty hours between Friday and Sunday playing Mass Effect 3 so I'm kind of trying to get away from that at the moment. Which leads me back to Skyrim, which is a game I can still play despite having it in my machine every week since January.

That's something I've been trying to figure out, actually - how come it's so easy to nip back in to Tamriel for a couple of hours a week? Most of the people I know (like ex-VG staffer Jamin Smith) played it for about six weeks straight when it came out in November and completely bashed through it by the end of December. I, however, like to dip in for a couple of quests every week. It's kind of like a pleasant routine now, where I like to have a bit of a walk about, and maybe bash a troll in the face with a hammer.

It really is a wonderful game, and I'm sure it will win the BAFTA for best game on Friday (we write this article before it goes live - it's actually Friday afternoon right now!) even though I think the gong should go to Portal 2.

Emily Gera, MMO Editor - Mass Effect 2, Xbox 360

I finished Mass Effect 2 for the second time and I cried like a tiny human baby. I mentioned last week how it went all wrong or me – forgetting about Legion, my hate-loathe relationship with Tali – and needless to say the Suicide Mission didn't go to plan. Tali got a shot to the helmet, and Miranda was left sprawled out on the ground by the end of the fight. Needless to say I'm not bringing this save over to Mass Effect 3, but from what I hear about the issues everyone is having with that, it's better that I'm not too emotionally attached to my playthrough anyway.