Sometimes tense, sometimes hilarious, it's a must have for all 360 owners. [Issue #15]

Fans of the base game will discover plenty of new features and surprises in an experience that tops some of the best moments from the original. [Issue 24, p.58]

Beautiful, engrossing and addictive as hell, Retro Evolved 2 is among the best XBLA has to offer right now. It plays just as well as you remember the games that inspired it used to (although Mr MAME would recommend you remove the rose-tinted specs) and for the asking price, you simply can’t go wrong.

While not miles away from "VF4: Evolution," the new features, characters and possibilities here propel this to the top of the genre with style, poise and unending potential. Once you get a taste, you’ll never want to go back to the simplicity of DOA or the retro charms of the XBLA fighters – the finest fighter known to man is here in one definitive 360 package.

The Orange Box is a fantastic package and the best deal you’ll find for a long, long time. We’d happily pay full-whack just to play Half-Life 2 on next gen, so to get another two Episodes, albeit shorter ones, plus another two full games and The Orange Box becomes the kind of gift usually reserved for sick kids on TV Christmas specials. If you’ve ever liked a single shoot-’em-up, you absolutely have to put this on your most wanted list.

We’ve been beside ourselves with excitement about this finally arriving at GAMER towers, and it hasn’t disappointed. Great fun in two player, a decent challenge and lots to do in single player – and we haven’t even taken it online yet. Fan-bloody-tastic.

As fun as it is to play alone against the AI or with strangers, nothing can beat you and three mates sitting around playing UNO all night. [Issue #16, p.78]

A triumph. While there are one or two minor niggles, Virtua Tennis 3 is a superb arcade game, a quite brilliant recreation of the sport, and a title so addictive that you'll need a calendar, rather than a watch, to measure how long you'll be playing it for. [Issue #23, p.66]

Well, it’s pretty much everything we expected it to be. And given the massively high expectations we had for Rock Band, that’s damn good going. Not only are the individual parts a joy to play but the sense of camaraderie, of accomplishment and of ultimate success you get when it all comes together is just incredible.

RB2 improves on the original and does enough to distance itself from main rival GH, although uncanny similarity to the first game might leave a sour taste in the mouths of those that already bought one Rock Band game this year. Still, it’s the most refined and thorough example of the genre so far and for that alone must be applauded.

The first-person mêlée combat is just downright exceptional as is Condemned 2’s often overwhelmingly grotesque atmosphere.

Exactly what you’ve come to expect; the best golf game available on any format, with a few tweaks and cosmetic touches, and perhaps just a tiny bit of dumbing down for the newcomers. Until this time next year no gaming/ golf enthusiast is likely to want for more, though we can’t see the annual updates carrying on for much longer – there isn’t much left to improve without changing the formula altogether. EA: one point docked for taking away our stats. We want them back next year.

Addictive, challenging and more fun than a game deserves to be. It may not beat Geometry Wars for sheer difficulty but with a two-player gaming mode it has got something that little bit extra up its jet engines.

Visually stunning and wonderfully tight, SCIV is an unquestionably accomplished brawler. Questions still linger over just how much attention it will command for the solo gamer beyond simply rounding up weapons, characters and costume parts. But as far as multiplayer games go, IV triumphs in being that rare breed of fighter that can entertain casual and hardcore players alike.

Tougher rivals that only improve an excellent game to the point of making it essential. [Issue #6]

A sublime blend of old and new, Battle Fantasia has both the hardcore mechanics and depth to attract devout beat-’em-up fanatics and the style, polish and approachability to rope in the less devoted gamer. It could use a few more characters and perhaps a little more substance but still, BF is easily one of the better fighting games to grace the current generation of consoles so far. [JPN Import]

New shooting controls make this version stand out. [Issue #15]

If you’ve got Xbox Live then Left 4 Dead is a definite 9. As it is, with the limitations and occasional annoyances, the lone gunman will find we’re obliged to keep the score down to cater for this offline review. However you play though, there’s nothing quite like slaughtering zombies and Left 4 Dead is one of the most intense, exciting, frantically paced and simply-good-old-fashioned-fun shooters on the market – and a game that you’ll find very hard not to love.

Additional features, from on and offline co-op to the new playable characters and revamped classic levels give it a wide appeal, meaning every type of gamer should at least give it a go.

A brilliantly fun racer that feels more like a rollercoaster ride. An excellent mix of speed and tricks, along with some wonderful tracks, great scenery and cool music all brought together with rock solid controls, makes Pure a thoroughly entertaining racing experience.

Trouble in Paradise only suffers in that it feels like more of an expansion pack to the previous game. Yes, many of the improvements help the overall experience and it still offers the same incredibly addictive gameplay, but there’s the niggling feeling for piñata experts that we’ve seen and done a lot of it before. Of course, if you’ve never played the original, then bump that score up to a nine.

Looks stunning and plays beautifully. [Issue #2]

Appealing to a wider audience, Infinite Undiscovery replaces methodical, inventory management and turn-based pondering with action – and is all the better for it. There’s no time to explore, what with all the running and slashing, but there’s endless depth in the game once you’ve got to grips with it.

A gem in Live's already glittering crown. Roboblitz shows any potential Arcade developers that it's possible to pull off some amazing stuff within that 50MB limit. [Issue 20, p.69]

It's not perfect, can sometimes be a little too fiddly and has moments of frustration. But given the minions, the depth and breadth of the challenge, the ideas and the seer strength of the entertainment it provides, there really is little you wouldn't forgive it. [Issue #24, p.72]

A rough diamond, only a few strides behind the best games on the PS3 and 360, Saints Row 2 is a bit like the kid with the best trainers who still hasn’t learned to tie their laces. It’s all over the place, and frequently opts to cram more in where it should be refining what it already has, but overall you’d have to be a complete snob to not get a kick out of playing through it. And to play through everything on offer would take a very long time indeed.

Things aren’t getting any simpler in EA’s sporting conquest, and new features tapping into resources we’d never dreamed of leave us dribbling. NBA 365 and the Dynamic DNA system are two such additions guaranteed to give you more basket for your buck and you’ll be hard pressed to find a slicker, more accurate representation of the sport anywhere.

The finest Hitman yet takes first prize for best stealth-based title ever made, as well as a special award for its ability to make dark and bloody work worthwhile (and often as hilarious as a clown getting punched in the nose).