Quick fun.

Despite these few annoyances, Guitar Hero 5 is still an excellent example of a band-based rhythm action game done right. This is a true evolution of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, simple but devastatingly effective changes that really bring the best out of the genre.

Despite these few annoyances, Guitar Hero 5 is still an excellent example of a band-based rhythm action game done right. This is a true evolution of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, simple but devastatingly effective changes that really bring the best out of the genre.

Despite these few annoyances, Guitar Hero 5 is still an excellent example of a band-based rhythm action game done right. This is a true evolution of the Guitar Hero phenomenon, simple but devastatingly effective changes that really bring the best out of the genre.

Incidentally, if they bring this game out for the Xbox 360 like they keep saying they want to, it'll probably be amazing. So I'll see you on there… in two years. Good-day!

Meanwhile, everyone who’s already played Resi 4 can see that Cursed Mountain is, without a shadow of a doubt, a bit pants.

Rocksteady have proven that they’re a company that really care. They actually ‘get’ Batman, they’ve looked at the character from every conceivable angle and strived to make this everything anybody could possibly want from a Batman game.

Rocksteady have proven that they’re a company that really care. They actually ‘get’ Batman, they’ve looked at the character from every conceivable angle and strived to make this everything anybody could possibly want from a Batman game.

For £6.99 you’re getting a worthwhile package and there’s a demo for you to see if it’s the right game for you. For most it will be an engaging and addicting, if somewhat rage-inducing later on.

Despite the issues Madden NFL 10 has, the bottom line is the gameplay is as tight as it has ever been, with the new tweaks adding to an already accurate American Football experience. A few niggles here and there prevent this from being an essential crossover sports title, so for now, Madden NFL 10 will satisfy the current fanbase rather than appeal to a new one.

Despite the issues Madden NFL 10 has, the bottom line is the gameplay is as tight as it has ever been, with the new tweaks adding to an already accurate American Football experience. A few niggles here and there prevent this from being an essential crossover sports title, so for now, Madden NFL 10 will satisfy the current fanbase rather than appeal to a new one.

It’s worth it just to spend a little more time on Mars with some bombs and some high powered lasers, just don’t expect anything drastically new.

It’s worth it just to spend a little more time on Mars with some bombs and some high powered lasers, just don’t expect anything drastically new.

There aren’t many games that justify the 1200 MS points price-tag on XBLA, but Trials HD is one of them. It’s addictive, accessible, competitive, and there’s plenty to do.

Who am I kidding? I’ve tried, but this game is just rubbish. Utter crap. Another steaming pile of movie-based compost to throw on the pile. Avoid this game like your brain depended on it.

Who am I kidding? I’ve tried, but this game is just rubbish. Utter crap. Another steaming pile of movie-based compost to throw on the pile. Avoid this game like your brain depended on it.

Wii Sports Resort serves as more than just a tech demo for WiiMotionPlus, and more than just a collection of minigames. It does well as a proper sequel to Wii Sports, being easy to pick up and fun to play alone or with friends. There is far more below the surface than meets the eye in this title that is far more hit than miss.

Although a competent beat ‘em up, it lacks not only the accessibility but the depth of Street Fighter IV, the classic gameplay of Mark of the Wolves or Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and the hardcore technical side of Blazblue.

Although a competent beat ‘em up, it lacks not only the accessibility but the depth of Street Fighter IV, the classic gameplay of Mark of the Wolves or Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and the hardcore technical side of Blazblue.

For those who crave a bit of old-school platforming with a few unique twists, it’s an essential purchase.

It’s fast, colourful and most of all fun, and at the bargain price of 800 MS points (£6.40 in real money) you can’t really go wrong. A must buy for fans of fast paced arcade shooters.

This is one of the worst types of tragedies that can befall a game – to be brimming with potential and fun gameplay, only to get ruined with technical blunders.

Battlefield 1943 sets a high standard for the quality of downloadable games, and at only a tenner is an almost essential purchase for any online FPS fan.

Battlefield 1943 sets a high standard for the quality of downloadable games, and at only a tenner is an almost essential purchase for any online FPS fan.

You’d have to be a real dummy to spend any money on this.

The difficulty of the problem-solving you're tasked with is perfectly pitched, and if you do get stuck, the very subtle hint system may be all you need to help you along. You never feel overwhelmed and the gameplay doesn't become tedious or as frustrating as it can in other adventure games.

While combining three different play styles doesn’t result in three times the game, it does equal into a polished 2D experience that’s well worth your time.

Retro-styled adventure games are a spectacularly lonely niche and Time Gentlemen, Please offers a modernised variation of everything you adored about the point-and-click dynasty once dominated by the likes of Time Schafer.

The best thing about Bound in Blood is that it feels different from all the modern first person shooters on the market.

The best thing about Bound in Blood is that it feels different from all the modern first person shooters on the market.

The best thing about Bound in Blood is that it feels different from all the modern first person shooters on the market.

It’s clear this game is aimed at the Games Workshop crowd, and those who understand what Blood Bowl is are the ones that will gain the most pleasure from the game. Others will have to fight through the game’s resistance to stop newbies from playing.

Give the developers some money for their hard work. It’s just kind of sad that such a great game makes you feel like such a mug for actually paying for it.

Great production values from EA, which hasn’t rested on its laurels and has gone all out to make a great game. Cracking.

Despite its flaws, The Conduit is undoubtedly the best Wii-exclusive First-Person Shooter, it’s just a shame that particular accolade doesn’t mean much. Graphical prowess is no substitute for great art design, great controls are no substitute for fantastic gameplay, and when it comes to First-Person Shooters, the Wii is just no match for other consoles.

Point Lookout is the most interesting of the Fallout 3 DLC so far. While there’s obvious little change in the general game mechanic, and combat is as it has been throughout, it’s the immersion within the newly created setting that sets Point Lookout aside from the rest of the available expansions.

It will eat up your life; maybe even take it away with the insane amount of quests you have to take upon.

Rocket Riot is a great little game, one of the best I’ve played on Xbox Live Arcade in quite a while. There’s something about it that almost makes you feel like you’ve played it before, and several elements are reminiscent of other games.

Sam & Max Save the World is undoubtedly one of the funniest games I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. It’s as easygoing a game as you’re ever going to get, and provides a superb change of pace from the barrage of space-marines-with-guns titles that seem to plague the Xbox 360.

An outstanding and thoughtfully assembled title.

If you can make it past the horrible audiovisuals and laborious gameplay then there is some fun to be had here, but you really have to work for it.

At the end of the day ABDUCAO have done a good job of scaling down the game without losing the feel of it’s console cousin.

It can provide some brief frantic fun, and perhaps a glimpse into how repetitive and tiresome the career of a health care worker can be.

At the very least, the game's main theme is one of the most catchy heard in years, that has to be worth a few plaudits. [JPN Import]

It is absolutely the best game for wasting away those hot summer days. If you’re a fan of superhero games or just love gratuitous violence, you can’t go wrong with Prototype.

It is absolutely the best game for wasting away those hot summer days. If you’re a fan of superhero games or just love gratuitous violence, you can’t go wrong with Prototype.

It is absolutely the best game for wasting away those hot summer days. If you’re a fan of superhero games or just love gratuitous violence, you can’t go wrong with Prototype.

But unless you are serious about golf, or videogame golf at least, then you may find it frustrating.

But unless you are serious about golf, or videogame golf at least, then you may find it frustrating.

Ronimo Games has created a light hearted take on the RTS genre. Swords & Soldiers has enabled a gateway for people who don’t normally venture into the real time strategy genre, to be able to pick up their Wii remote and play.

Red Faction: Guerrilla never ceases to excite or satisfy. It constantly rewards players throughout the single player campaign and always manages to introduce something new to change the way the game is played. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable adventure in an original and believable (if not exactly realistic) setting, and sets a totally new benchmark for technical achievement in a video game.

Red Faction: Guerrilla never ceases to excite or satisfy. It constantly rewards players throughout the single player campaign and always manages to introduce something new to change the way the game is played. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable adventure in an original and believable (if not exactly realistic) setting, and sets a totally new benchmark for technical achievement in a video game.

It is an improvement in every conceivable way from previous games and allows for much more scope that ever before.

Confounding puzzles aside, “Fright of the Bumblebees” functions nicely as an adventure game for just about any audience or age group. The humor is varied, the gameplay is accessible, and the challenge is substantial without being frustrating.

Both graphically astounding and incredibly fun, it would be disillusioning to own a Playstation 3 and not have this rightfully placed at the top of your collection.

Sure, it would be nice to have more throws, more submissions, more customization and such, but hell; they need SOMETHING to add to the next one. For those of you who are UFC/MMA fans, this is an essential purchase, no questions asked.

Sure, it would be nice to have more throws, more submissions, more customization and such, but hell; they need SOMETHING to add to the next one. For those of you who are UFC/MMA fans, this is an essential purchase, no questions asked

If you buy EA Sports Active expecting a FUN game, you’ll be disappointed despite the overuse of that word in all of the marketing, promotional and instructional material. If you buy it looking for a product that can actually help you get some exercise, lose some weight and even change your lifestyle then this is probably the best such product on the market right now.

Even these best intentions cannot hide the fact the game never consistently hits the epic feeling most will feel it should.

Even these best intentions cannot hide the fact the game never consistently hits the epic feeling most will feel it should.

While it’s still a way off being a title to remember, it’s a massive improvement on KoD and shows promise for the franchise that appears to be on the up, addressing key areas like the difficulty.

If you are one of those few who enjoy a hardcore experience you will dive into the game and never look back. I applaud the developers of AI War – Fleet Command for the complex system they have created and with a few more updates this game will be close to perfect.

Despite the tedious missions, wonky controls and piss-poor visuals, it can cast a strange spell over you.

Despite the tedious missions, wonky controls and piss-poor visuals, it can cast a strange spell over you.

There’s no doubt that Night at the Museum 2 will satisfy the needs of the younger fans of the two films.

It has its flaws, and is by no means the perfect game, but it is the perfect Wolverine-simulator, at least for the time being.

It has its flaws, and is by no means the perfect game, but it is the perfect Wolverine-simulator, at least for the time being.

This is for all of you gamers and journalists who have found the series “dull”, “repetitive” or even “boring” in the past.

It’s poorly executed and ends up being a boring, generic title that can’t justify a place for itself in your DS collection.

Apart from some shiny new graphics, and a some multiplayer game modes it is exactly the same game as all those years ago.

Because no matter how many ways in which our beloved hobby may change over the next couple of years, smashing up hundreds of massive robots will always be fun.

Because no matter how many ways in which our beloved hobby may change over the next couple of years, smashing up hundreds of massive robots will always be fun.

It’s a pleasant romp through a funky world that might be a touch too exotic for narrow-minded audiences, but the gameplay is entirely accessible. For a fresh world to vent your frustrations and fulfill your violent fantasies in, Zeno Clash is the way to go.

A highly polished and entertaining game.

The budget price and quaint visual style makes Cogs as addictive and satisfying as the old-school toys it references. It'll certainly last longer than a ball-in-a-cup.

A combination of cooperative gameplay and ferocious versus modes keeps things fresh in the game’s online multiplayer.

It’s far from perfect but it supplies gamers with a decent action experience with an awesome QTE mechanic to show off scenes that are totally outrageous, but so memorable.

Elven Legacy is mercifully conservative in its design, though it does not seem to be executed as smoothly as it should have been. With more time in development, future releases for the series should turn out to be more entertaining.

AYIM is a great distraction for any fan of casual puzzles who doesn’t want to blow a lot of cash.

Bonsai Barber stands out as one of the better WiiWare titles available to buy, but it isn’t an absolute must-have. Cute visuals and a quirky style accompany this entertaining if somewhat shallow game.

If Activision had found a way to allow importation in to Guitar Hero World Tour a la Rock Band AC/DC, or at minimum allowed Death Magnetic DLC to work on the Wii version, it would have been exceptional.

A simple design idea for controllers created a massive chain reaction in how the game is played, and frankly, it’s for the worst.

A simple design idea for controllers created a massive chain reaction in how the game is played, and frankly, it’s for the worst.

A simple design idea for controllers created a massive chain reaction in how the game is played, and frankly, it’s for the worst.

Those of you who do know your Ric Flairs from your Rick Rudes, this is a decent jaunt through the history of the biggest wrestling company on the planet, but the lack of depth means it just falls short of an essential purchase.

Those of you who do know your Ric Flairs from your Rick Rudes, this is a decent jaunt through the history of the biggest wrestling company on the planet, but the lack of depth means it just falls short of an essential purchase.

Confounding puzzles aside, “Fright of the Bumblebees” functions nicely as an adventure game for just about any audience or age group. The humor is varied, the gameplay is accessible, and the challenge is substantial without being frustrating.

The bizarre music and strange noises and beats do take away from the experience somewhat, but it’s still an enjoyable game.

Selecting whether you play as the depressed emo girl or the teenage slut might add some replayability, but only if you enjoy the game’s generally sluggish and strange presentation. If it sounds like your cup of tea, you need only shell out ten dollars to walk The Path.

No-one else but Rockstar could’ve made Chinatown Wars what it is, because no one else has that kind of commitment and finesse to pull it off. It’s been a while since such a must-have game has come to the DS.

It is a great game, one that is a faithful update to a game that only four years ago attained universal acclaim, but in that time, things have changed and, for better and for worse, Resident Evil 5 has only made baby steps when compared to the giant leaps that its predecessor made, and because of this, won’t be getting near that perfect 10. The issues with A.I and the controls will put off some of the more fickle gamers, but for those of you who part with their £40, like an A.I controlled Sheva to a horde of zombies, you’ll find plenty here to get your teeth into – fans and newcomers alike.

It is a great game, one that is a faithful update to a game that only four years ago attained universal acclaim, but in that time, things have changed and, for better and for worse, Resident Evil 5 has only made baby steps when compared to the giant leaps that its predecessor made, and because of this, won’t be getting near that perfect 10. The issues with A.I and the controls will put off some of the more fickle gamers, but for those of you who part with their £40, like an A.I controlled Sheva to a horde of zombies, you’ll find plenty here to get your teeth into – fans and newcomers alike.

If you did enjoy Red Alert 3’s single player missions, then Uprising is more of the same and you’ll want to give this a look. Everyone else will be left a little underwhelmed, particularly if you believe the series has gone downhill since the 1996 original.

Peggle is unique among puzzle games though, in that despite never being particularly challenging, it’s still great fun to play and is the very definition of that ‘just one more go’ feeling that some games evoke. A very pure, fun experience that appeals to gamers of all ages, and a great example of simple, but effective, gameplay. Top draw.

Despite its shortcomings, MadWorld still deserves heaps of praise for the things it does right. Its mix of visceral but strategic combat with stunning visuals, memorable characters and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments easily earns its place on anybody’s shelf.

Boing! Docomodake is a difficult game to gauge. At times it can be painfully frustrating - with some puzzles requiring a complete level-restart if failed initially – and it’s criminal just how short it is. But on the contrary, Boing! is filled with intuitive puzzles, a genuinely creative control scheme, and some truly amusing moments.

This is a brave first attempt at something new in the world of Lara Croft, but it doesn’t quite manage to match the levels of accomplishment seen in the rest of Tomb Raider Underworld.

It asks a lot of the player, but if you can hack it, you’re in for a truly unique experience.