Praise the sun! Dark Souls vanquished

After 123 hours, countless deaths and some of the most amazing gaming moments I've ever experienced, I finally delivered the coup de grâce and sent Gwyn, The Lord of Cinder into eternal slumber. Yes, I've finally completed Dark Souls.

Over the course of the weekend, I knuckled down and made my way through Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, dispatching four bosses before finally coming face-to-face with Gwyn in the Kiln of the First Flame.

It was an amazing feeling to finally finish what I consider to be one of the greatest games ever made and even though the 123 hours logged was perhaps a bit extreme, I used that time well, exploring every inch of the game world - which, incidentally, features some of the best level design I've ever seen - and repeated sections to farm souls and upgrade weapons and armour.

Now, NG+ awaits, but I'm considering starting a new character and going through the whole experience again, playing in a completely different style.

So thank you to the spirited brawler who helped me take down Ornstein and Smough, to the multitude of invaders who made my heart beat significantly faster, to the horned Capra Demon for teaching me patience and new swear words, to the person I heard ringing the first Bell of Awakening which raised my flagging spirits, to those goggle-eyed curse frogs who taught me the true meaning of terror, and finally to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team for delivering a truly epic experience.

Klonoa - Wii

Despite the fact the Klonoa series offers colourful, solid and brilliant platform fun, our long-eared cat-like chum has been criminally overlooked by large sections of the gaming public in the past.

Now, 12 years after Klonoa made his debut on PS1, Namco have resurrected his original adventure and brought it to Wii.

Despite being more than a decade old, Klonoa puts the majority of recent platform games to shame, with games such as the recent Sonic titles failing to come close to matching Klonoa's brilliance.

The game is played across pseudo 3D levels, which twist and turn, giving the game a real sense of depth. Although Klonoa can travel 'into' the screen from time to time, most of the action plays out like a familiar left to right platformer.

The one thing which sets the series apart from games such as Mario and Sonic, is Klonoa's ability to grab enemies to either use as projectiles, or to launch himself high into the air.

Although the game is a strict platform romp, the ability to use enemies to aid Klonoa adds a strategic element to the game. Nothing is ever too taxing, but sometimes you'll have to engage the old grey matter when tackling some sections.

Visually, the game is beautiful. Namco have lavished a lot of love on Klonoa and by incorporating progressive scan and widescreen features, the game looks simply gorgeous running on a HD TV.

Sweeping pastoral levels, giant clockwork treehouses, spooky ruins, ice caverns and rusting temples are all gloriously rendered, with a depth of field filter used to make foreground objects look even sharper. Special mention goes to the lovely water effects, especially in level 2-2, Over the Rising Waterfall.

Aside from Klonoa's traditional run and jump gameplay, other elements creep in occasionally, and riding a wooden mine cart and being swept down a river make a nice change of pace.

The one downside to the plethora of platform fun is the length of the game. Klonoa isn't the longest or the most challenging game on the Wii, although it does have its moments - the last few levels are tricky - but with optional collectables peppered throughout every level, there's plenty of reason to go back and explore.

Namco have also included the option to just use the Wiimote to control Klonoa, although adding the nunchuk is advisable for the tricky leaps towards the end of the game, while Gamecube pad support is also included.

All in all, Klonoa is a top notch game. It's packed with charm, good looks, a memorable soundtrack and is a title that all platform fans should check out. It might not be quite as good as Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil on PlayStation 2, but with a price point around £20, there's enough here to keep platform fans more than happy.

Fragile - Wii

Namco released their excellent RPG Eternal Sonata a while ago on 360, and the game is heading to the PS3 later this year.

It was a great looking RPG that featured bright, beautiful visuals, a wonderful musical score and a story that was a refreshing departure from the usual bog standard RPG fare.

It was developed by Tri-Crescendo, the same team behind Fragile, a gorgeous looking game on the Nintendo Wii.

The story centers around a young boy named Seto, who finds himself wandering through seemingly deserted cities in a post-apocalyptic world.

Seto is on the lookout for fellow survivors and trying to understand why the vast majority of people seem to have disappeared.

There is plenty for the player to discover, and as you explore, you'll discover mementos - which hold memories of their owner - and pieces of art and sketches left by the recently departed.

To aid you in the exploration of the city streets and buildings, the Wiimote can be used as a torch, helping to light your path.

As you can see, the graphics are lovely, and the main character looks as if he's been lifted straight out of Eternal Sonata.

There is no word of a European release, but as Namco have released Eternal Sonata over here, hopes are high that Fragile will eventually see the light of day in the UK.

Images courtesy of Namco/Bandai