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.

It just falls short of anything higher because it lacks the polish and well-balanced gameplay that we'd expect from any full-price title. [Issue 25, p.63]

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

Kane & Lynch promises much more than it actually delivers. It’s still a fine game, but is let down far too frequently by a number of minor issues that could have been corrected with more development time. It’s got some great elements, just not enough of them.

Overly complicated and almost no fun to play. [Issue 17, p.68]

There are plenty of flaws in the gameplay, meaning the game doesn’t run as smoothly as we’d like, but there’s possibly enough for fans of this type of game keep them interested enough to battle it out right to the end.

An entirely competent, at times downright entertaining, rendition of basketball. [Issue #2]

Featuring a solid frame rate, masses of detail and some amazing character clothing, Call of Duty 3 is without a doubt a fantastic looking game (albeit unfortunately out-classed by "Gears of War" right at the last minute), the problem is, the same level of effort, style and execution simply hasn’t been put into the gameplay which, unfortunately, feels like a regression from "Call of Duty 2" and wastes a lot of time with unwanted cut-scenes that only serve to interrupt the action.

Combat is largely optional, as is fitting an assassination game. But then so is actual assassination. It’s as entertaining as having a balcony with a beautiful view, hence the score.

There are three great hours here of simple underwater fish munching fun. [Issue #16, p.77]

When it works, it’s glorious. But rather poorly, it doesn’t work with enough consistency or regularity to reward the kind of extended play most users would expect to get from a new PES title. FIFA is better this year in almost every way possible and while it may grate on long-standing ISS fanboys to go into a shop and buy a FIFA game, there’s no shame whatsoever in simply wanting the best you can get for your money.

Squanders its potential with poor level design, repetitive gameplay and no Live content. [Issue #2]

Jericho works really hard to build up a tense and involving game environment, but then can’t quite deliver the game to match. Confusing at the points where it needs to be clear and, only sporadically showing glimpses of what should have been, Jericho is a perfectly reasonable experience, but hardly essential.

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.

This could be a standard Xbox release.

No quibbles on the game itself, which marries the glitz you expect of EA with a very good football engine. But sooner or later, surely a stand needs to be made against being expected to pay so much when so little - in gameplay terms - has actually changed? [Issue #23, p.60]

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

The multiplayer seems to work well enough and we hope for some tasty downloadable content to coax us back in later in 2008. However, it’s a tough market out there right now for average fantasy fayre and as a single player game, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements just doesn’t quite have the spark to stand out.

Solid but uninspired. [Issue #2]

And while it’s a solid enough shooter that’ll largely cure the itch for frag-heads, it just fails to do anything to particularly excite.

Surely Namco could've offered a slightly updated approach, rather than the original game set inside a high definition-ready border, with possibly the most boring Pac-Man mural known to man? [Issue 22, p.63]

Hard and furious paced play from this eighties arcade classic. We would have preferred to have seen a port of the superior NES version though.

Relatively small game world does it no favours. [Issue #15]

There are far worse games out there, sure, but few that tackle such big issues in such a blinkered and cringeworthy manner.

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.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a solid title whose next-gen credentials are offset by a concept that’s starting to show its age. Those with a penchant for all things Croft will relish this overhauled blast from the past, but ultimately this alone isn’t quite enough to make Tomb Raider: Anniversary a must have title for most other people.

The physics that enable you to make the earth move certainly work and will provide laughs in abundance for the first hour or so. However, when everything else about Fracture is a retread of shooters past, it’s hard to feel anything else but disappointment that the brilliant gimmick has been squandered on a brief, just above average shooter.

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]