A game that feels vaguely like chewing an endless pile of cream crackers. The cream crackers of vaguely interesting turn-based combat, interspersed with the odd sultana of story and the out-of-date marshmallow of film footage. [PSW]

It's great when it sticks to the story, but too often it gets caught up in a seemingly pointless loop. Even so, it's still the best looking Spider-Man game yet. [PSW]

It's not an exciting, adrenaline-pumping game and it does border on the easy side, but with multiplayer options (online and offline) for up to eight players, we could soon see the birth of tomorrow's generation of FPS warriors.

Retro purists will like it but most will find the gameplay too basic. The graphics and technology behind the game have obviously improved and grown over the years; it's just a pity the same can't be said of the actual gameplay. [PSW]

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]

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]

Offers lots of cars to unlock, and plenty of challenges and game types to keep you amused - it's not by any means the worst driving game ever made, and it's a snip at 20. But, much like the Ford brand itself, there isn't really much in the way of glitz or glamour to it either. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Sure, you can save up energy and then turn into a bloody great beast, but it's just a gimmick really. Bloody Roar isn't original enough to innovate and isn't polished enough to epitomise the genre like "Soul Calibur II" does.

If you can put up with acting which is more wooden than Pinocchio with a semi, and want a simple but entertaining strategy game to help pass the long winter nights, then SpellForce may be your vial of poison.

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]

We've all got a soft spot for SpongeBob here at OXM towers (Ben T in particular), but our osmotic obsession can't mask the fact that this is a by-the-numbers platformer, albeit a charming one. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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]

Not bad, then. And cheap. And sometimes actually funny. While still being massively predictable, though.

It's ironic that a game featuring a jawless, semi-putrid swash-buckling skeleton is essentially the re-animated gaming carcass of a 1999 PSone title.

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]

Solid iPad racer let down by a lack of content and poor weaponry.

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.

If you're enough of a fan to forgive its frustrating moments, Dark Motives' five cases will give you a few evenings' worth of semi-interactive intrigue, but not much more.

A bogstandard platformer that'll strike a chord with younger gamers, though not a lot of others. [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]

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]

Races feel more like a monotonous chore than a speed thrill, purely because the tracks fail to inspire exciting burn-ups. [PSW]

The biggest disappointment in this otherwise fairly enjoyable shooter is the lack of content once you've finally grasped the formula. There are only nine similar-looking maps to choose from, with more expected down the line via downloadable content.

Great production values but the unforgiving gameplay and loose controls don't sit well in 2007.

Game-starved Xbox owners raved about Top Spin a couple of years back, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is anything special. [PSW]

You'd also have thought there'd be a fair share of humour in there, what with a Goblin's lack of social etiquette but it's a poker-faced affair, with your troops acting more like honourable Knights of the Round Table than dirty, thieving, man-flesh eating gits. Damn shame.

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

Avoid this one like you would an elderly relative at a wedding reception who's suffering from the plague. [PC Zone]