Brothers In Arms DS is a good little action-shooter that makes great use of the DS's unique interface. With the tactical aspect of its gameplay removed in favour of a linear action approach, it loses some of its style and identity, but it's nevertheless the first war shooter for DS, and sets a high standard to beat.

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]

For a series that started the whole World War II shooter experience, Medal of Honor now finds itself occupying a strange middle ground, neither floundering as it so obviously did with "Rising Sun," nor presenting any kind of serious challenge to the innovative "Brothers in Arms," or even "Call of Duty."

Presentation aside, the only real gripe I have is the lack of any transfer options in the Championship mode, which makes a losing streak almost impossible to break.

This is a game that knows its small target audience (basically anyone who's played an Ys game before) and sticks to it without even trying to appeal to anyone else. Good luck to you if you fall into that category. [PSW]

In essence, the game mechanics are as rough as a butcher's dog, yet it remains a game that will make you smile, and one that you'll finish - not least because it's so damn short.

It's entertaining in all the right ways, but just like Gates and Price, it's all a bit too predictable.

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]

Neither scary nor particularly engrossing, Area 51 is an exercise in keeping the trigger pressed and the aliens streaming out of the screen. The truth, it is sad to say, is still out there. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Simply put, Blood II is more of the same: more guns and more enemies. Although it's not quite as pant-browning as we would've hoped, it's a stunning achievement considering the time Monolith have had to put it together. [PC Zone]

It's certainly not the greatest platform adventure ever, but it's imbued with the same charming humour as the film, with all manner of sight gags that tip a knowing wink to fans of the movie.

You have to have some motivation to get you through the sticky patches (a love of Sonic, or the fact that you're being paid to play it, etc), but the high points are just the platforming tonic you need if your holiday on Isle Delfino is just a fading memory.

It's a shame, because the action can be hugely entertaining, but without a satisfying structure to hold it all together, FlatOut is at best a fun diversion. [PC Zone]

But on its own merits, TO is brash, energetic, none too taxing and more than capable of providing some solid midtable entertainment, while GTA and the like get on with battling it out at the top of the tree. [PC Zone]

All Stars proved that simple ideas could create a pick-up-and-play WWE title without sacrificing depth for the hardcore, and WWE 12 would have done well to learn from its arcade-focused cousin.

2007's game in the snow - an accessible, content-filled party game. Take some risks next time Sega.

Putting aside N64 loyalty, GoldenEye is not a great game. Not, at least, in the context of the current 360/PS3 shooting scene.

Deimos or human, if traditional role-playing games rock your world, Arc will draw you in and hold you spellbound. The gameplay basics may adhere unashamedly to the tried-and-trusted RPG formula of exploring, talking, levelling up and shopping, but if it works, why change it just to be clever? Why? WHY!!??

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

Perhaps the finest game to strap on its space-trading boots since the seminal "Elite." It's better than "Freelancer," better than "EVE Online," better than the original "X: Beyond The Frontier," better than any number of Privateers, Battlecruisers, Freespaces and Frontiers. Best, best, best. Am I making this clear enough? [PC Zone]

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 big downer is that both games have some animation censored (no bouncing boobies), and no blood.

There is fun to be had here - a lot of fun in fact, if you're prepared to dig and claw for it. For those people, anarchy will indeed reign, but everyone else will find themselves wishing for a little more law and order.

This is a craply-plotted sci-fi novel meets a game of chess meets Industrial Light & Magic meets Yu-Gi-Oh!. Fanboys: silence.

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

Total Overdose is certainly fun if all you're after is a quick blast and something that doesn't tax your mind meat, but it isn't nearly as multi-faceted as it thinks it is. [PSW]

Roadkill's impression of Grand Theft Auto is almost as cringeworthy. Most of the ingredients that made Rockstar's crime 'em up so successful are here but, like your dad's Pound Shop Ali G, it lacks the special something that made GTA so amazing.

Missions generally consist of bludgeoning your way from A to B; sometimes you'll have to retrieve an item, sometimes you'll have to flick a switch. Take away the specifics though and it boils down to walking across an island of hungry corpses and back again nine times out of ten.

Surprisingly enjoyable stuff while it lasts, and just as amusing as the film. Short and easy, but only because it's primarily aimed at the kind of people who still having trouble fastening their shoes (and we're talking about the Velcro ones here). [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Sure, the action could be seen as mindlessly repetitive, but then to an extent you're only limited by your own creativity. Just kick back and lap up the theatrical gunplay in this sizzling shooter, and you won't get burned. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

It's this very quirkiness and unpredictability that makes Marc Ecko's Getting Up what it is - not like any game you've played before. [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]

You could say FlatOut is a bit like your favourite page three girl. Great to look at, boasting accentuated physical attributes that sometimes defy gravity, yet underneath is a filthy minx who loves to get dirty with a group of mates. Fun, enjoyable and instantly playable. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you want to look at pert bottoms and women sucking each others' necks while wearing stockings, you'd be better off doing it on the internet for free. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There are lots of buttons, doors, and items to interact with in Breakdown so you can understand how this gets frustrating. Yet, you take this all on the chin because the level design and overall artistic quality of alien beings and their worlds is high.

It's just balls-out shooting from start to finish, with 50 Cent tunes to bop along to as you go. It's not too tough and not overly complicated. You just have fun with guns, and that's all there is to it.

It's a cute platformer that fills the gap between the overly-kiddified TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2 and Sony's more challenging Jak and Ratchet games. [PSW]

It's just a bit too flawed in its execution and weak in the storytelling department to make it anything truly terrifying. A reasonable effort, just don't expect it to give you really horrible nightmares. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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]

Frustrating but still enjoyable, full of character and quirky charm, with a bit more spit 'n' polish and tighter game design Tak could so easily have been a classic.

All the stages are based around areas in the cartoon like Bikini Bottom and Jellyfish Fields, but it's all so low-res and blurry that everything looks plain bad.

Missions are equally dull - blow up this and collect that, nothing you haven't seen before. You can have a mate join the killing in co-op mode, but that's only fun for an hour. After that you'll have exhausted most of Raze's Hell's potential - apart from its potential as a makeshift frisbee. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Relies on good looks over gameplay to grab your attention, and that breaks one of the first rules of gaming.

An inviting but subtly deep singing game - but it needs to grow its song library to take on SingStar.

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]

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]

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]

This is a lazy, by-the-numbers sequel to a game that didn't exactly grab us by the throat first time around. Ladling on the gore and heaping on the sex can't disguise how average BloodRayne 2 really is.

It's Crackdown 1.5. Lower your expectations, then you'll have a fantastic time with an update of one of the most enjoyable open-world games around.

Sticks to the Silent Hill formula like glue. But Homecoming feels clunky and looks old compared to today's horror games.

Classic horror, average action.

Derivative but fun and the EyeToy support is a great bonus. Won't win over Harry-haters but fans will be willy, er, wand-waving into the wee small hours.

A more than decent game.

Unfortunately, this ninja dream too often becomes a nightmare of infuriating control issues, camera problems and soul-destroying restart points.

If you're a quality-deprived adventure game fan or simply looking for a refreshing, unique alternative to the current crop of me-too titles on other systems then you absolutely owe it to yourself to give Another Code a whirl. Just be aware that the game's brief playtime and innate genre flaws mean that you probably won't be playing for all that long.

Get FlatOut and prepare for the most fun you've had since that day you laughed so much you splurted milk through your nose. It's one of those driving games that tickles all your fun buttons at once, leaving you with a massive grin.

Certainly a big departure from the traditional Sims gameplay and it's all the better for it. It's extremely accessible - although the longish loading times are a bit of a pain - and a hoot to play, with a constant stream of details that'll keep you smiling. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you've an unhealthily high pain threshold and enough caffeine in your bloodstream to power a small Lincolnshire village for a week, GripShift is worth a spin. [PSW]

In real life, Tasmanian tigers have been hunted to extinction, so we're getting our NOM shotgun ready to finish the job and kill Ty off.

Overall this isn't bad, it just takes a lot of getting used to, particularly the isometric view. It's worth persevering, because, apart from actual skating, this is the most board-based fun you'll have on the move.

Worse still (by about a million times), is the fact that you have to visit the exact same bloody temple at least ten times during the course of the game, solving its baffling 'mysteries' every time. [PC Zone]

Breathlessly imaginative in everything but gameplay. Only die-hards need to journey down this particular rabbit hole.

There's no denying that SWG is hardly in the best of health right now and something drastic needs to be done to restore balance to the force. Certainly something more than a simple expansion pack, that's for sure. Help us Lucas-Wan, you're our only hope.

The art style is superb and there's something compelling about the simplicity of an extremely linear experience. [PSW]

At times, too creatively conservative - but an engrossing, cleverly realised shooter with CoD-beating multiplayer.

Despite its lack of innovation, Septerra Core proves to be perfectly playable, and at times even quite enjoyable. [PC Zone]

There are a few good moments here and there, but sadly, there's an unfinished aura to this game that permeates throughout. [PC Zone]

A solid tennis game but underwhelming in most areas.

The upcoming film makes for decent source material, and you couldn't ask for a more faithful or inventive game. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The single-player campaign, though over too quickly, is immensely enjoyable, and the relentless action never becomes monotonous thanks to the brilliant array of weapons. Multiplayer is a riot.

While The Bard's Tale is told amusingly enough, the disappointing combat fails to lift it from the upper end of mediocrity.

At its core, Mayhem is a leaner, less confusing entry to the Worms universe than Forts Under Siege, returning the series to a time when worm-killing was simple and death came in the form of an exploding sheep.

It looks good, but when you get to know it better you realise it lacks depth.

Missions are just too long and leave your hands feeling numb. By the time you've shot down your 20th enemy plane before the first save point comes along, you really don't have much interest in seeing what comes next.

Ty 2, for all the effort (and don't get us wrong, a lot of effort has been applied), retreads such a familiar path, and feels so utterly vacuous, you might just as well look at the box and consider the game completed. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Nowhere near as good as the full-priced alternatives - but you're still guaranteed a pretty good time.

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

A generic, below-average first-person shooter experience marginally cushioned by robust online options.

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]

Unfortunately, the conversion to PC is a sloppy affair, leaving it with a number of issues, such as a frame-rate that's at times slower than a bed-ridden sloth, a bizarre lack of sound effects, an option to change resolution that doesn't work and the fact that the game defaults to running in a small window.

Battles are buzzy, entertaining affairs, full of energy and outrageous special moves, but as a complete package this falls way short of what we'd expect, especially when for the same money (thirty quid) you could probably pick up "DOA Ultimate" or "Soul Calibur II." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There's just something weird and catchy about Getting Up. It feels so different. It's more relaxed and laid back than most wannabe 'gangsta' games. [PSW]

While Chaos League: Sudden Death is an intriguing take on fantasy tactical sports, the effort required to get going coupled with the repetitiveness which starts to creep in after a tournament or two will dissuade many. In all, it's a bit of a missed opportunity to polish up a flawed, but novel, piece of entertainment. [PC Zone]

The game can and will entertain, but both myself and its creator were clearly expecting better, brighter and more narratively-coherent things. [PC Zone]

Obviously not the most groundbreaking title out there, but a solid title that, with a bit more concentration on the presentation front, could have scaled the heady highs of platformers.

Overall, the multiplayer game modes are far more engaging than the story mode, whose biggest failing is a lack of variety. One for Xbox Live maniacs only.

Polish is the key word in fact, when describing Broken Sword II. The one area that Revolution shine brighter than any other software star is in the look and style of the game. Graphically, this title is very impressive.

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]

Newcomers tempted by the budget price will be put off for life right away by the horrendous controls and vertical learning curve, while fans of the series will struggle to spot the visual and gameplay differences between this and "Armored Core 3." [PSW]

Call of Duty 3 is, even without multiplayer, undoubtedly a better game than "Red Steel" mostly thanks to its greatly superior controls, more varied gameplay, better AI and constantly more intense action from start to finish. The lack of multiplayer stops it from getting a 9, but consider its score to be the highest kind of 8 there is.

It feels like The Matrix Online was released six months too early, with an avalanche of bugs and glitches (inaccessible revolving doors, crap camera, malfunctioning mission goals), compounded by poor presentation and somewhat repetitive gameplay and locales.

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]

Sure, there are a few problems too, most notably some cringe-worthy graphical oversights - weapons spinning in mid air for example - and the fact that you can't climb over low walls or fire through higher, thinner ones when enemies are using them for cover, but ultimately, this is a game of huge quality and entertainment. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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]

A game where you have to kill a seriously stupid amount of vicious creatures, who lack the brains to do much other than charge straight at you. It's an absolute apocalypse and in terms of body count makes "TimeSplitters 2" look like Songs of Praise.

There's just not enough here to warrant a score of your hard-earned readies. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

With a few more buttons to play with you could have a broader list of moves for the Hedgehog and also a decent amount of control.

If you want a game with good fight mechanics that stands up well on the PC, you should get "Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within." If you want a standard shoddy port of a console game, you should get this. It's fun, but it doesn't belong.