Stylish, simple and elegant. A budget price and a compulsive social ethic make this one of the most surprising and desirable games of the season.

The gameplay is tight, the AI of the 360-controlled opponents is excellent. [Issue #3]

There's certainly a lot of fun to be had here, although as the game lacks a distinct lack of difficulty you're often left to feel a little under challenged, which can sometimes make you feel a bit bored.

This is not a game for relaxing. It’s a frantic fight for survival and making it through three minutes of gameplay before 'game over' is a struggle – but you’ll find yourself chugging virtual coins in the virtual slot over and over.

Bully is an absolute joy and the perfect warm up to Grand Theft Auto IV. In fact, compared to some entries in the GTA series, we’d have to say Bully’s story is more engaging and, overall, it’s got a charming sense of fun that’s often missing in the car-jacking, prozzie-shagging world of San Andreas or Liberty City.

Despite hitting many highs that are far beyond the ambitions of nearly every other game on the 360, Far Cry 2 is slightly hamstrung by its own ambition, some design missteps and a learning curve that rolls itself into a handy noose. Like Africa itself, it’s beautiful, complex and massive. However, less methodical or patient gamers may find themselves questioning where the line between ‘challenging’ and ‘pain in the ass’ is actually drawn.

FIFA matches tend to be something of a goal-fest - thanks in no small part to some truly myopic goalkeepers. [Issue 17, p.64]

No matter what your skill level, you’ll receive constant gratification from the mainstay slice ‘n’ dice gameplay on offer here, but then you’d have to be a fool to not notice how ‘unfun’ its boss encounters really are. Add a camera system that doesn’t even make geometry translucent when it’s in the foreground and you’ve got a beautiful arcade experience that’s marred by some obvious but not insurmountable flaws.

It’s beautifully haunting with top-quality visuals providing a unique style that shows a welcome originality, rarely seen in a time where destructible environments, squad commands and multiplayer options often draw preference from many a games developer.

It's so gritty and intense that at times you can suspend your disbelief to such an extent that the couch, TV and controller simply melt away. [Issue #2]

Very much a conventional RTS, Halo Wars doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the genre – except for the massive appeal of the Halo universe, which it blends in impressively well. However, with a comfortable control system, the game is easy for allcomers to pick up and play, while the savage challenges laid down by the higher difficulties should keep the hardened RTS fan just as happy. Either way, it’s a hugely impressive indication that there’s a lot more to the Halo franchise than Master Chief.

It may seem like nothing’s changed at first but on closer inspection you’ll see that DOA has burst out its training bra and into a fully-fledged Wonderbra.

It feels both incredibly easy and almost impossible at the same time. This game could take over your life and you’ll go willingly, dreaming of Black Pearls.

Good fun and original. [Issue #16, p.77]

Horribly frustrating but deeply satisfying. [Issue #7]

A lot of fun after all these years. [Issue #16, p.78]

Despite a shameful lack of two-player online mode you'll find yourself dreaming about Galaga and itching for another go. [Issue #16, p.77]

This is a definite improvement in the series, but not a particularly large one as it’s very much as case of sticking with a successful formula. Better visuals, a few new tricks, features and more career options are all great for the franchise but Skate has laid down a new challenge that Proving Ground hasn’t quite risen to.

As an MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI is ace - in some ways fresher and funkier than "World of Warcraft," but as an RPG it pales in the light of "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion." [Issue #8]

Even now it is still an endearing and addictive game. [Issue #23, p.72]

Although the tweaks and alterations since the last version are only minor, Pro Evolution Soccer is still a decent footie game. But this year the gap between "FIFA" and PES has grown ever tighter. The overall experience of "FIFA" is certainly better but PES still has the hardcore gameplay.

Relentlessly packed full of gunfire as well as requiring duck-and-cover defensive play Quantum of Solace blends a balls-out shooter with modern sensibilities to create a game that’s refreshingly fast paced and therefore swift to complete. If played on its highest settings you’d be better served by Rainbow Six and if played on lower you’re paying for just a few hours of entertainment. Thankfully multiplayer promises much, and we’ll tell you how it delivers once we’re all online and you’ve seen Mr Bond die several times.

A fine, glossy racing game. [Issue #3]

At best it's supreme fun and at worst it's still worth a spin. [Issue #2]

It does what it says on the tin, and delivers heart-pounding explosions, pant-wetting big alien monsters and hordes of minions to slay. If you can overlook the fact that it doesn't challenge your Xbox 360 either intellectually or technically, and you can just get down and dirty with some big guns and even bigger odds, then you and Lost Planet are going to get along just fine. [Issue 20, p.50]

Outpost Kaloki X features a lot of depth and offers some challenging play for fans of strategy games. Shame there’s no Live multiplayer though.

There's not been a huge gameplay jump snice we last saw NBA Street, but it's certainly wearing far fancier clothes. [Issue 24, p.65]

Although significantly streamlined compared to the last wave of DBZ titles and perilously confusing at times, Burst Limit looks and feels at home on today’s meaty hardware. Mechanics are generally tight and far more intricate than you might expect from a game like this so while more traditional fighters may still have the edge for all but the most devout anime fans, this is a surprising treat for those with the patience to get to grips with it and the good nature to overlook its relative lack of content.