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]