Keen to push forwards and revolutionise control, NHL 2K8 bafflingly manages to take a step backwards over previous incarnations. It’s still fun enough but it’s a shame, as with a little more time to perfect its core ideas, this could have been great. The franchise isn’t going anywhere though, so it’s still one to watch out for a few more years yet.

Bullets and punch-ups flow together with a level of zeal and if you accept that you are in for a dumb action movie of an experience you’ll be served with something special. This is easily the most exciting tie-in title for a long time but some may find its constant action tiring and repetitive.

As far as sports simulations go, World Snooker Championship 2007 doesn’t quite have the same finesse or that extra touch of quality that "Tiger Woods" or "Fight Night" can provide. However, it brings the sport to life with impressive detail, is good fun and very easy to pick up and play – an attribute that may appeal to those who merely curious about the game.

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]

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

Capturing the feel, if sometimes not quite the look, of the universally loved animation, The Simpsons Game displays momentary glimpses of ‘the game that got away’ before falling back on tried and tested design and easy laughs to carry it through. It’s a generic romp, albeit one guaranteed to tickle you on at least a few occasions.

The single-player isn't very good, it lacks pace, excitement, variety and feels like one giant training mission. [Issue #11]

It's a fairly lazy conclusion to say that Tiger Woods is the 360's best golf game...That's true. [Issue #2]

Yeah, it’s alright, especially if you’re new to the series or just want to play something that spreads on your bread like ‘I-Can’t Believe-It’s-Not-Silent-Hill-2.’ The monsters are great, the combat is workable and the mystery is intriguing. But if you’ve ever played a survival horror game then chances are you’ve already played this, down to the last ‘put strange object in bizarre vaginal slot’ puzzle. As with Hollywood’s trend for remaking J-horror movies, fans may well prefer to fondly remember the original instead.

For the single-player, re-treading your steps is frustrating. [Issue #6]

With a satisfying campaign, backed up with a truly unique multiplayer experience, TimeShift certainly isn’t a run-of-the-mill title anymore, and for sci-fi fans this may be one of your most rewarding titles this year.

This could be a standard Xbox release.

A deliciously shallow, easy-to-pick up marriage of arcade racing and wanton destruction. Hampered by occasional confusion, slowdown and questions over its long term appeal, it’s nonetheless – while it lasts – one of the 360’s most enjoyable games.

Aerosmith’s presence works impressively well with a decent mix of GH-friendly tunes and some great animations but without the band this is simply a scaled-down version of Guitar Hero III with fewer tracks and no option for DLC to add some of your own favourite anthems to the playlist.

Frustrating and cheap when playing against the computer. Once you're online things do get better, but nothing can fix the 360 control pad, which isn't ideal for all but the quick button taping between finishing moves. [Issue 18, p.89]

A frustratingly straightforward game to rate, courtesy of the fact that it sells for at least twice the price it should. [Issue 20, p.64]

It’s average. It’s the sort of by-the-numbers fantastical nonsense you’ve played, completed and discarded a million times before and doesn’t offer anything new besides high resolution graphics and a slight reliance on the ‘A’ button.

It's dumb, it's derivative and it's cheap. Yet neither of those are the reason you should consider spending a bit of cash here. Instead, it's the vintage gameplay, the mindless arcade blasting entertainment and an ability to rise above a bedrock of flaws to emerge victorious. [Issue 25, p.56]

A last-gen game, lazily ported over to the 360. But, on the upside, it's an extremely entertaining last-gen game that takes a different approach to its sport. [Issue 22, p.58]

It's simple, fun and it looks especially pretty on the 360, but there's not much new here. [Issue #16, p.77]

Stylish it may be, but ICON's core mechanics are simply too slack for us to recommend it to anyone that wants to splash out on a decent fighting game. [Issue #23, p.55]

Turok isn’t just another below average shooter. It’s slightly better than that. While it may seem a little short and over-familiar come the end, its positive points are at times excellent and it does come with an extra layer of polish that's often lacking in other games. Plus, you can stab dinosaurs in the neck. And that’s awesome.

Some may dislike the shocking pace of Quake Wars while for others, it might just be that step too far into the land of confusion. But if your reactions have been honed in the more uptempo shooters of our day – TimeSplitters and UT to name but a few – rather than trudging around in Halo or Battlefield, this could well be the blend of speedy action and team-based mechanics you’ve been holding out for.

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

Although initially slovenly and unresponsive there’s some fun to be had taking on multiple opponents and enjoying the resulting spurts of viscera. There’s some fun in sneaking around watchtowers and exploring caves, too, but Viking’s problem is that what fun it provides is heavily watered down to give it a fake epic feel.

Burnout is a better arcade racer, but Juiced 2 has other qualities including Driver DNA. It is a gimmick, but it works and it adds that element necessary to make spending money on a game of the like you may already own reasonable.

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 solid enough game that will suck away a frightening number of hours from your day. [Issue #16, p.78]