In terms of pure, unadulterated fear, Condemned is practically beyond reproach... The most notable problem is a lack of variety in the all-too linear gameplay, as well as the disappointingly small selection of enemy types. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

Not exactly groundbreaking and there are very few noticeable play alterations, but it plays well on the Xbox 360 controller thanks to the repositioned Black and White shoulder buttons (the buffers). [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's not quite the untouchable dream game we were hoping for, but it's still the best Xbox 360 racer you can buy right now. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A refreshing diversion that'll provide you with weeks if not months of entertainment and gaming intensity - whether you're already a hockey fan or just stepping onto the ice for the first time.

It serves as a good addition for those who enjoyed the main game, but in its own right it's too shallow to sustain much interest and gets xtremely repetitive xtremely quickly. [PSW]

It's the carefully judged pace and variety of Gun that tightens your grip on its pommel and adds the real beauty to the sunset you'll pause to enjoy after a grueling shootout. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The whole package is undermined by the same problems that afflicted our RoboJordan. It looks stunning and has all the moves, but if you're in the market for a long-term basketball experience you're better off with the old Xbox version. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It may not be the next-gen golfing revolution we were hoping for, but it's still a hugely enjoyable round that captures the ambience of the sport better than any other current-gen game. Just don't expect it to knock your plus-fours off. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Accept it for what it is - the best (and only) single-player and Xbox Live footy game you can buy for Xbox 360 until "FIFA 07" or "Pro Evo 6} shows up. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's the undisputed court king, sure, but alas, also just a mere hefty 'nudge nudge, wink wink' of what we can expect in months to come. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

With a story mode that demands to be finished and pacing so good that it'll steal big chunks of your life, Amped 3's one of the best extreme sports titles since the original "SSX." It's cool, it's edgy, it's irreverent and it's fun. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Half loose arcade racer, half tight tuner epic, Need For Speed Most Wanted gets caught in a rolling roadblock between "PGR3"'s graceful racing and "Burnout"'s burning intensity, neither of which it can begin to match. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's a shame then, that the Franchise mode omits goals, mini-camps, morale, and spring training. Want even less? You can't challenge calls after a play, and the promised 'hard-hitting' animations during a tackle turn into a weird and glitchy dance. And tragically, there's no Superstars mode. Once you've done feasting on the visuals, you've got a bargain-basement Madden at a real-world price. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There are redeeming features, a few nice touches of scripting here and a cool boss there, but generally the fabled shitty-stick of non-touching is going to have to make another one of his increasingly common appearances. [PC Zone]

At least the level design in this one is vaguely interesting at some points. As a competitor to the likes of Ratchet and Jak, though, Pac-Man is starting to look ten times his age. [PSW]

It's definitely a step in the right direction for a series we were getting well and truly bored with. So if you can forgive it a slight feeling of wooden-ness, Need For Speed Most Wanted is a really slick racer with stacks for you to do.

A great all-round package with a definite edge over the PS2 version. And how often do we get to say that? [PSW]

You'll be hard pressed to find a more intelligent, involving and entertaining game on Xbox today - it even gives "Halo" a run for its money. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you're a die-hard and quite old Sonic fan, Shadow the Hedgehog will probably disappoint with its weird mish-mash of styles and the same awkward and flawed 3D play of "Sonic Heroes." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

We're not claiming Most Wanted to be the best urban racer money can buy, but at least your get your 40 quid's worth out of this one, instead of some mediocre old night-time racer with an over-hyped modification element welded onto the bonnet. Good effort. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The four Narnia kids all have skills which complement one another, and they can be upgraded by exchanging the many tokens that can be found around the levels.

But if you're looking for an entertaining postwork action/adventure romp, this simply isn't worth the moolah.

Sure it might not be the best looking version (although it's damn pretty and make no mistake) and, okay, certain modes have been done better before, but it's hands-down the absolute most complete Mario Kart package yet.

Those who bought last year's game might find themselves disappointed by the lack of genuine innovation and new thrills. It's still a truly amazing game, but one that's in need of a freshening up and a different slant before they chuck out next year's version. [PSW]

One of the few games that has the power to engage your imagination with pretty pictures, then actually live up to your imaginings when you get your hands on it. Bring back the bloody internal docking next time and it'll probably be the first game in ZONE history to get 100 per cent. [PC Zone]

Looking past the nostalgia, you realise a lot of the games are a bit wank by today's standards, but Taito Legends scrapes being worth it for the first games listed alone. [PC Zone]

Quite possibly our game of the year. It really is every bit as good as we could have hoped for and every bit as good as the hype would have suggested. [PC Zone]

But make no mistake, the single-player game isn't where SOCOM excels. The gameplay is linear and basically involves moving from one checkpoint to the next, with the strategy required being fairly minimal. It's more like a prolonged training mission for the real action found in the superb multiplayer mode. [PSW]

A welcome newcomer to the tumbleweed-strewn Wild West genre, with its big vision, good looks and explosive temperament. A little more free-roaming woudn't have gone amiss, but it's still a rip-roarin' ride. [PSW]

'Lightweight' probably best describes Suikoden Tactics - it's not without a fair bit of excitement and some clever moments, but it's not particularly memorable either, and it certainly won't make strategy lovers break into a sweat. [PSW]

The film's distinctive environments are employed to great effect - hills and ridges mean characters with different specialities come into their own when used properly, and the buildings and natural obstructions add to the game's surprising depth. [PSW]

One of the most engrossing, realistic and downright challenging squad-based shooters on the Xbox, and if you've ever wanted to know what real war is like - but don't fancy running the risk of having your intestines shot out - it's by far your best, and safest, bet.

This latest Potter effort is rather damned good. It looks superb, it encourages teamwork without screwing up too much when you're only in single-player mode, and when a change of pace kicks in, it usually involves Potter being murdered by a 60-foot-long fire-breathing lizard. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Gun is such a rich, panoramic story, chock-full of sneering bad guys, shoot-outs, can-can girls and jailbreaks, you'll wonder why no one ever thought of it before. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

For every fault there's another brilliant set-piece or fight just around the corner to make up for it. The game captures the essence of the films, including all the most memorable set-pieces. [PSW]

It's like people just can't bring themselves to accept the truth here: The Matrix: Path Of Neo is an irredeemable abortion of a game that Atari, Shiny, the Wachowski brothers and anyone even remotely associated with it should be ashamed for ever thinking about releasing in this form. [PC Zone]

It's a very deep and sophisticated adventure with enough visual va-va-voom to keep even the most hardcore gamer gripped from start to finish. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Fans of the first game won't believe the treat Atari's dished up, and anyone looking for a hugely impressive brawler fused with a great story and lots of guns will find everything they want. If nothing else, this is a vast improvement - it undoubtedly is The One. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The main problem with Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is its sheer monotony. Most of the levels, although graphically sumptuous, barely vary as you progress through them. But worse than that, the core gameplay itself becomes immensely tedious as you find yourself battling exactly the same set of limited creatures over and over again. [PSW]

There's no denying what unabashed, volatile fun Without Warning is. But blowing people and stuff up over and over again soon gets tiresome and it's precisely then that the early promise evaporates. [PSW]

Unfortunately, the cut-scenes throughout the game just rub salt into the wound, their slick animations contrasting with the clunky in-game action. Yes, From Russia With Love creaks like the 75-year-old Connery's knees, but it still has style. [PSW]

Unlike some of the movies, everything about Star Wars Battlefront II is an improvement over its predecessor - exactly what a sequel should be, and then some. [PSW]

After five minutes of this you'll be bored stiff. [PSW]

No other console WWII game has ever produced such a technically stunning or emotionally involving experience. Big Red One has been polished to perfection. [PSW]

Underground and underwhelming, it's a shame none of that Pixar magic rubbed off on this. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

It's a refreshing premise, but it isn't executed as well as it should be. Approach with caution.

So take a chance, stop with this utterly average scripted nonsense and dare to be different, EA. You owe it to the nation. England expects... [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A walloping, beautiful example of what Xbox Live can do. It's bigger than the first, it's better than the first, and if there's any justice, it'll be what everyone will be playing come release. Impressive. Most impressive. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Striking visuals (it's not at all grey) and ear-piercing sounds make the action intense, engaging and very cinematic. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It might not be the super-villain game of our dreams (that was probably "Evil Genius"), but given the nature of MMOs, it's probably the best we're going to get until someone decides to really push the online genre to its very limits. [PC Zone]

Fiddly control issues aside, Star Wars Battlefront II on PSP is a miniature miracle. [PSW]

Text can't be skipped, which may be fine for a dramatic piece of dialogue, but is eminently frustrating when you're having to wait for your character to lengthily tell you that you can't do something for the umpteenthmillionth time.

Sniper Elite could well have been a terrifically good simulation of being a wartime sneaky fella had there been a greater sense of ambition displayed in the design process. As it is, you're left with a game that doesn't really offer a great deal more in terms of ammo delivery that we haven't seen done equally well in more popular, less subject-specific shooters. [PC Zone]

With some lacklustre mission design (shoot enemies, find keycode, go through door, repeat) and an even flatter multiplayer mode, Ghost in the Shell feels like a wasted opportunity like "Coded Arms" before it. [PSW]

To sum up, Heroes Of The Pacific is big, it's not really clever, but you'll have a blast playing it all the same. [PC Zone]

If you want to admire the game's beauty, you'd best watch a friend play. After the shock, the gore and suspicious stains in our undergarments, we've only got one thing to say. Welcome back. [PSW]

For an action packed take on the ever popular Roman hack and slash genre, Spartan is the most spectacular example yet. [PSW]

Soul Calibur III's crown jewels - its unrivalled blend of accessibility and multilayered combat - remain as dazzling as ever. If anything, it's a touch faster and smooher, and maybe even sharper. [PSW]

Infinity Ward wants screaming, smoke, flying bodies, chaos and you running around with goggle-eyes, jaw-hanging and tongue lolling, wondering where the next hail of bullets is going to come from. It doesn't want to make you feel cool, it wants to pulverise you. [PC Zone]

A great game even though there's little else to do than run around and blast things that get exponentially huge from planet to planet, but it's blasting in such a smooth, quality style your brain has no time to get bored of it. Quality shooting. [PSW]

Now, however, it's been nailed: simultaneous turns, variable game speeds, the ability to join a game on the hop by taking over an AI opponent and game dynamics that leave you despising your best friend. Quite frankly, you needn't buy another game for the entirety of next year - Civ will suffice, and it gets deeper each time you play. [PC Zone]

It's just a pity about the lacklustre responsiveness of the characters, as that downfall makes this a decent game as opposed to a good one. Hopefully Shrek will triumph in the next, inevitable tie-in. [PSW]

The game takes the proverbial pants off every other GBA shooter, and leaves them flailing around their ankles.

Spartan is great fun, but we can't help but feel a little disappointed that the mighty Assembly's console debut isn't much more than a pretty-looking "Dynasty Warriors." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

We'd have liked to see a more controllable camera as it's pretty static and doesn't allow for too much close-up action, but with such a bright and batty Shrek universe to demolish, we didn't find ourselves caring that much anyway. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

A brilliant game whether you buy it for the single-player, the multiplayer or both. [PSW]

The GTA formula we all know and love has been flawlessly integrated in this handheld edition, complete with an insane amount of new story content padded with hours of potential car chase action. [PSW]

That's the thing about The Sims, if you want a gigantic, long term game that you can learn to love over many months and aren't fussed about a few flaws, this is approaching perfection. A great game for people who like tidying up and washing their hands 100 times a day. [PSW]

Considering just how much the FPS genre has progressed, specifically the squad-commanding, war-themed FPS sub-genre, it's really not worth your time unless you're particularly fanatical about the original. [PC Zone]

The game draws on the rich material inspired by Lovecraft's twisted world, and actually recreates its creeping, claustrophobic horror surprisingly well. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A brilliant multiplayer game and an entertaining single-player one wrapped up in one shiny package. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's the same old Sims, and yet so utterly different. Draw the blinds and say goodbye to your friends - real life doesn't get any better than this! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A sprawling adventure that offers plenty, but delivers it in a strangely disjointed format that makes it less than the sum of its many parts. [PSW]

Quite frankly it's an insult to have to pay 35 quid for something that starts getting irksome in under half a day and is only genuinely entertaining in 20-minute bursts. Mindlessly fun and manically intense it is, innovative and essential it seriously isn't. [PC Zone]

If you enjoy squandering time away on the original title, you're bound to find more joy and excitement from the additional animals and buildings included in this expansion.

Fusing two genres into a single game might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but with neither part offering up anything particularly impressive you have to wonder why they bothered. It's more crash victim than Crash Bandicoot. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's surely the best-looking traditional real time strategy game out there at the moment, and more importantly it's a real blast to play. Boom! [PC Zone]

It's a game that'll remind you why you got into games in the first place. Essential. [PSW]

The forgiving handling and a near-Burnout level of speed make Jak X arcadey, but there's strategy too.

So while Sniper Elite is tense and fairly riveting, it's never exciting or completely satisfying. The game feels like a chore to play through and the concept is just too limited to be truly enjoyable. [PSW]

Enemies are now far more intelligent. Less likely to be hemmed in by your squad's suppressing fire, they themselves will try to sidle down the blindside of your position and take pot shots at you. [PSW]

The presentation, solid storyline and good use of the X-Men characters lift Rise of Apocalypse into the top echelon of PSP games. [PSW]

You still won't bother with the walking bits, but with two-player cooperative Classic levels, online play and a smart new version of LA to open up and tear apart, this is a return to form for the Hawkster. [PSW]

It really is the most accurate depiction of a scope we've seen in a game, easily outstripping "Halo's" sniper mode or the arcade nonsense of Konami's "Silent Scope." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

But if you don't have Live, World Poker Tour is little more than a glorified game of cards against the computer. It does put a lot of effort into catering for the single player, with a full career mode and several real-life players to challenge, but it won't take long for any half-decent player to figure out how to exploit the somewhat basic AI. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you're a Fable virgin now's the time to pick up one of the most unique, entertaining games to appear on Xbox. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Sadly, The Warriors is never more than running about smashing people's heads in to cool 1970s music and listening to clichéd gang speak. We demand more these days. [PSW]

Grumpier gamers will find fodder to gnaw upon, but the fact remains that it's a prima donna of a game that more than succeeds in its attempts to scare and scintillate. Despite everything, I adore it - and strongly suspect you will too. [PC Zone]

It's really faithful to the film too, but you don't have to be a fan to appreciate it - this is basically Rockstar's take on "Streets of Rage," a jolly ghetto romp where the streets are paved with smashed-in faces. And it really works too! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's certainly a refreshing departure from the usual slew of first-person shooters and urban driving games. But it could have done with a more thoughtful conversion - stripped back from its PC roots and with a less headache-inducing camera, this could have been good.

Admittedly, there are some people who enjoy hitting the same button all day long, but don't be surprised if after ten hours you're left with nothing more than thumb ache and a weird sense of regret. [PSW]

The multiplayer mode adds some long-term appeal, but while it lasts Rag Doll Kung Fu is an enjoyable and unbelievably funny game, featuring hilarious low-budget FMV starring developer Mark Healey. [PC Zone]

SOCOM 3's brilliant online gameplay is what makes it. Zipper Interactive has played to its strengths, making the internet experience the best that it can possibly be. However, the franchise's core weaknesses - juddery graphics and a dull single-player mode - have only been partially addressed. [PSW]

Replete with buckets of sometimes stupid-sounding skills and a new, massive quota of really loud shouty-rock, On Tour is the nearest you'll come to snowboarding without getting a) frostbitten or b) snow-blind. [PSW]

Ultimately, this is just as stylish as the PS2 version, sporting the same cool sketchbook-style animation, weird selection of menus and hip soundtrack. You won't be missing much at all if you choose to participate in this portable tour instead of its bigger brother. [PSW]

By all means, enjoy the single-player game, marvel at its visuals, groan at its clichés and enjoy its firefights. However, I can guarantee that six months from now, as you fly through the air firing rockets and screaming in rage in an attempt to take out that railgunning bastard who's just fried your brains five times in quick succession - while all around bodies explode into a thousand blood-caked giblets - you'll have forgotten all about it. [PC Zone]

One of those rare games that, although in reality, is no more than a bog-standard shooter, somehow manages to still seem fresh and innovative. More to the point, it's brilliant fun to play. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

But if bling is your thing and you're in need of a dire hit of nitrous oxide, then LA Rush will deliver enough of a fix to tide you over until the next 'big' racing title hits Xbox. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]