The most creative and compelling experience of its generation, BioShock is a stunning piece of work. It blends great ideas with brilliant gameplay, a superbly immersive storyline and quite simply gets just about everything right. [Issue #31]

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.

It really will take you only around six hours to complete the Campaign on the standard setting, but you will have such an exhilarating time playing through it you will probably start all over again on Insane difficulty...However, Gears longevity is sure to be guaranteed by its multiplayer modes that we predict could be the game to finally topple "Halo 2" from the top of the Xbox Live 'most played' stats.

It manages to raise the normally stagnant RPG genre into the upper echelons of gaming and it's unlikely we'll lay something as staggering, open-ended and entertaining as this in a long time. [Issue #8]

With its sights set not only on being the first for fast-paced military action offline, but also on being a strong contender in the online multiplayer scene. The verdict? A stunning success on both counts.

The single player campaign is not anywhere near as compelling or as epic as is billed. Anyone new to Halo probably won't see what all the fuss is about, completely confused as to why this third installment is so important to so many people. It's good, and there's enough here to make for a memorable game, but how memorable depends mostly on how invested you are in the franchise already.

Street Fighter II was great. Street Fighter III was great, but for different reasons. But Street Fighter IV… well, it’s great. Or, to be more specific, GREAT carved in 300-foot high letters into the side of a mountain for all to see. True, it’s taken over fifteen years for Capcom to get it right but now, finally, we have a beat-’em-up that truly lives up to the name it represents. Perfection achieved, Capcom – best quit while you’re ahead, eh?

Another must-have title to make wallets weep and players rejoice, Fallout 3 live up to expectations and only seldom stumbles, even then in expected areas where scale and scope get the better of it slightly. Regardless, it’s an undeniable classic and if you only plan on buying one or two games this winter, we couldn’t name a title that could give you value for money in the way that Fallout manages.

We could be critical of Gears of War 2 simply offering more of the same, but the fact that it simply does everything better than the original in delivering a fantastic display of shoot-’em-up mayhem its quality simply shines through. With some awesome level design, supported by unsurpassed visuals and relentlessly entertaining action it is a compelling experience from start to finish. Forget the crack at putting emotion into the storyline; it’s almost irrelevant as Gears of War 2 is an allguns- blazing extravaganza and, as such, it’s just a glorious shooter that very few can match.

More or less the perfect video game - as entertaining, as challenging and as absolutely infinite as you want it to be. [Issue 24, p.52]

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.

Mass Effect is a rare example of a game that shouts about how many things it can do well for years and then actually delivers upon its promises on release. Every bit as good as it ever could be, this is right up there with the best of what the Xbox 360 both is capable of and has to offer.

Horribly frustrating but deeply satisfying. [Issue #7]

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.

The rather functional-at-best visuals aside, Forza 2 excels in a way no other racing game has managed this generation. If losing yourself in a vast world of excellent handling and top notch realistic racing is something you crave from videogame racing (and admittedly, this sort of thing isn’t to everyone’s taste), ensure you get hold of Forza 2 as soon as you can - it’ll keep you occupied for months.

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]

Simply the best example of a retro game on Live Arcade. It's flawless in its design and outstanding as a game, even ten years on. [Issue 25, p.67]

Few games can pull off such a complete world that is so endearing with characters, while nameless, managing to be so memorable. The lush world and level of detail are spellbinding and your pet dog feels as vital to play as your sword arm. The love, attention and effort put into the game shines through and makes it a true joy to play – as well as immensely challenging – whether you decide to be a good guy or a bad one. It's simply one of the 360's strongest exclusives.

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.

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

Gruesome. Visceral. Engrossing. Stunning. There are just so many words you can use to describe Dead Space and not one would be negative. EA has excelled itself on both technical and mechanical levels, pushing Dead Space up from ‘one to watch’ to ‘one of the best games of the year, nay generation’. Just go ahead and try not to be impressed by it. We dare you.

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.

By taking you down to an open city Burnout Paradise has just hidden its sublime greatness behind what really could be regarded as an interactive menu built into a city. If there were an option to just line up races we wouldn’t bemoan this padding at all, but there isn’t and so we have. Regardless, Paradise is yet another elegant foray into the world of Burnout and the tightest experience yet. It’s two steps forward, one step back and one to the side.

Due to the easy-to-use squad control, advanced A.I., gorgeous visuals, realistic physics, and intense action, Rainbow Six Vegas is easily the best in the series. While the game has been slightly simplified - and is not a massive next-gen leap forward - the result is a fantastic, intense experience that few others can rival. [Issue 18, p.62]

Looks stunning and plays beautifully. [Issue #2]

So FIFA – the series that has epitomised EA’s cynical ‘annual updates’ business model for so long – has suddenly turned the game on its head. No longer playing second fiddle to Pro Evo, the series now stands up brilliantly on its own merits and has set a lofty standard for Konami to match. Consider it EA’s way of saying sorry for churning out the same sh.t – year in, year out – for so long. And as apologies go, they really don’t come much more sincere than this.

GRID may not do anything dramatically new, but what it does do, it does phenomenally well. Challenging enough to push you, yet rewarding enough to keep you going when things get tough, the sheer amount of variation and the immensely satisfying handling model make this a triumph of a game.