Mad as a brush and all the better for it, Katamari’s combination of a very simple concept coupled with some wonderful physics, brilliant level design, challenging objectives and charming visuals gives it a goofy charm that’s hard to dislike.

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.

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.

A near flawless combination of old-school Sega magic and exciting new track deformation technology, Sega Rally effortlessly delivers a fast and accessible, yet deep and competitive arcade racing game that should appeal to both diehard Sega fans and newcomers alike.

A brilliant blend of visual perfection and gameplay finesse. PGR4 merges both to create a wonderful racing game that is involving, deep and immensely rewarding to play. If you’re even remotely interested in racing games, then this is essential.

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.

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.

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.

Where so many RPGs deliver dry experiences that adhere too closely to traditional type, Mistwalker delivers an RPG that pushes the genre in all the right directions. With supreme technical qualities and gameplay to match, it’s little wonder that Blue Dragon has revived the 360 in Japan. [JPN Import]

It could have been an excellent action title, but as it is, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is unlikely to appeal to either Dynasty Warriors fans or Gundam nuts. The gameplay is stale, the AI is bad and the action is repetitive. The strongest part of the package is the mecha and getting into the cockpit is great. It’s just a shame that the rest of the game falls so short.

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]

As essential a download as you’re ever likely to find, Sonic belies his age by delivering a rip roaring 2D rollercoaster of a game that even to this day, retains a wonderful sense of speed and challenge that will please both retro fanatics as well as those simply looking for a great game. Timeless.

Project Sylpheed is a very decent shoot-'em-up, full of spectacular set-pieces and blessed with tight controls, but it lacks real depth. [Issue 22, p.66]

Decent stealth elements and a fun Live play can't quite redeem what is a deeeply shoddy game. This is the next-gen era of gaming, so why does this feel like it's from 1997 and not 2007? [JPN Import, Issue 24, p.75]

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]

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.

While it was never going to be a contender for Game of the Year, Monster Madness has failed to deliver in nearly every sense. It could have been worse, but by the same token it could have been a whole lot better.

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.

Awkwardness resulting from the terrible camera and hopelessly lazy last-gen elements will soon see your Spidey Sense telling you to bite through the control pad in abject frustration.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

It's too short, missing a multiplayer and plays too much to a market alienated by its 12+ rating. [Issue 25, p.60]

Packing all the charm and charisma of a shareware PC game (only considerably more expensive), Tetris Evolution is as dull as it is tedious. Don’t be seduced by its empty promises of Tetris goodness at a bargain price, get something else instead.