Aside from these nit-picks, Hybrid is a brilliant game and deserves its place in the Summer of Arcade. While there are better squad-based games available out there, Hybrid offers a very different style of gameplay and has a decent levelling system that will have you fighting for your side for quite some time. If you have the spare MSP it might be worth giving this one a go.

Vandal Hearts represents a good thirty hours of gaming, though much of it remains quite repetitive, the story really isn't particularly interesting and is also quite slowly paced.

Flock is an Xbox LIVE Arcade title you’ll either totally love, or udderly despise. If you enjoy the demo, the full game is worth a purchase, even at 1200 Microsoft Points.

Overall Pid is an artistic, visually and audibly beautiful game that offers a lengthy experience for the Xbox LIVE Arcade. The majority of the game has the fun, retro platforming we all know and love, but comes along with the extremely tough boss battles that haunt us in our dreams.

MotoGP 10/11 is a solid enough racer once you get to grips with the somewhat iffy handling. There are plenty of options to play with, a career mode that will keep you going and although the online racing aspect is likely to disappoint due to lack of opponents, it's decent enough when you find a lobby to your liking. The real drawback here is that things are identical to MotoGP 09/10, which again is identical to MotoGP 08. If you already have the previous title, it's debatable as to whether there's enough content here to warrant a full-price purchase, especially given the free 2010 season update for the last game. It's one to wait till the bargain bin beckons.

Fighting game enthusiasts will have a great time with Arcana Heart 3 and probably spend a decent amount of time playing it well into the next year, but for those who only like to dabble in the fighting genre every now and then this may be one to miss. Unless you are truly bored until the big titles come out at the end of the year, I'd say save your cash, unless of course you have a fetish for girl on girl action…of the fighting variety.

MotoGP 10/11 is a solid enough racer once you get to grips with the somewhat iffy handling. There are plenty of options to play with, a career mode that will keep you going and although the online racing aspect is likely to disappoint due to lack of opponents, it's decent enough when you find a lobby to your liking. The real drawback here is that things are identical to MotoGP 09/10, which again is identical to MotoGP 08. If you already have the previous title, it's debatable as to whether there's enough content here to warrant a full-price purchase, especially given the free 2010 season update for the last game. It's one to wait till the bargain bin beckons.

It's certainly a worthwhile investment for the intended audience, particularly in co-op, but one to trial before a purchase for the more hardcore audience.

If you're prepared to put up with a little bit of grinding and can deal with some of the more repetitive missions outside of the main quest, there's a lot here to enjoy. For those hankering for an Elite style fix, there's definitely an amount of homage and given that there's a distinct gap in this genre, DarkStar One is ahead of its competition.

Anyone looking for the fun, stress free pleasure of a sandbox game then this is for you.

If you're an avid fan and follower of the Creed, you're sure to find plenty to please you but for those longing for answers and a step further for the series will find one step forward, two back, along with a thick fog covering up the path ahead.

Superstars V8 Racing is a very good racing title, despite a few flaws, which will undoubtedly pass through almost everyone's radar. This is ideal for racing fans looking to pass time whilst awaiting Forza Motorsport 3 with great anxiety.

Overall, Cars 2 is surprisingly enjoyable. While there's a distinct lack of storytelling, this isn't a particularly bad thing for a racing title. The campaign could have done with being a bit longer and there's little replayability after it has been completed but, other than that, this is a great title that shouldn't be overlooked for being a kid's game.

Nonetheless, if players are willing to dedicate some time to the title and adapt to the game's slightly-unforgiving gameplay, the reward is a thoroughly entertaining Xbox Live Arcade title.

Rocket Knight certainly bares it's 16-bit brethren well, taking an interesting character with plenty of uniqueness and not spoiling it with a remake and re-visioning.

The game is still enjoyable, taking down a metallic T-Rex and seeing those limbs fly off in all directions as your katana rips through an enemy’s body is extremely satisfying. The issue is that the game feels empty, soulless; Tecmo seem to have released it for the sole reason to generate additional revenue as they no doubt begin designing Ninja Gaiden 4.

Whilst the steampunk atmosphere is really enthralling, the soundtrack delightful, the cut-scenes interesting, and complete with a level of sense of humour to the whole thing, the battle system really does have a massive and infuriating learning curve.

This is a great starting block for what future MMO gaming and online gaming could be like on consoles and while some seasoned MMO players may be left wanting more, for me it’s enjoyable enough.

Overall Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a love letter to the 1980s cult classic. Sticking to its platforming roots, the game presents a classic difficulty with a new twist on the genre. While it may not be the best of its class by today’s standards, if you’re looking for a challenging platformer with a new visual twist, you may want to give this title a shot.

Keita Takahashi should be saluted for releasing something that could have so easily fallen flat on its face. Adventurous and inventive software such as this, definitely deserves a look.

To conclude; James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game is one of the better movie-to-game tie-ins. The amount of replayability and closeness to the film, outweigh the slight repetitiveness and short-lived online play to rate the title as a one to consider.

Capcom have produced a competent racer, one with a good range of option twiddling, that's accessible to all levels of skill. However, there's nothing here that hasn't been seen before, and there are no surprises waiting to be discovered.

There are a zillion game modes to keep both hardcore and casual fans happy, and minus my troubles with Xbox LIVE I’ve enjoyed my 2K experience.

Chances are that if you liked the movie you will love the game, and if not, by all means rent the game for a week as it’s definitely worth it.

It is aimed at the wrong market, they should have made MUD suitable for the hardcore MX fans, despite this Milestone have done it again, well, they nearly did it again.

Whilst the steampunk atmosphere is really enthralling, the soundtrack delightful, the cut-scenes interesting, and complete with a level of sense of humour to the whole thing, the battle system really does have a massive and infuriating learning curve.

For some strange reason the cost of this game has gone down rapidly and can be found for as little as five pounds, so even if you find it's not the game for you, you can't complain at that price.

With no major update to the visuals or sound and a lack of online players, you really have to ask the question; is it worth it for a few mechs? If you are a cult fan of the series, then yes it is. But for the new players and the guys sitting on the fence, there are far better things to spend a tenner on.