General ugliness, poor presentation, ropey tactics, and a general lack of charm all doom Shattered Union to that bargain bin in the sky. The plastic CGI storytellers and the fuzzy, characterless maps just leave you with the sour sense of wasted-time rolling around in your skull.

Stripped of unnecessary narrative nonsense and forced to use new camera views and level designs, it's simply a more satisfying rendition of the same thing, more faithful to the original series and undoubtedly the version that Sonic fans should pick up.

There's plenty to admire in this smart and adventurous horror, though you'll have to endure some missteps to get there.

In short, EA Playground is fun for neither kids nor adults. The mini-games don't have the depth of those in Wii Sports or the quirky innovations of those in Wario Ware. The visuals don't have the appeal or charm of a Disney/Pixar game, or even that one about the puppets in the garden Tom likes so much.

Turtles is about as shallow as gaming gets, with even less to offer than Renegade, a game already three years old by the time this hit the arcade...Even at 400 points, that's pretty shoddy value.

Short-lived, it seems a very wasted opportunity to not take advantage of the full capabilities of the DS and cram in far more levels, and have them as teasing unlockables to reward successful play.

Any prospective patron should be well-prepared for an extremely challenging relationship that will strain even the most-committed Rogue-devotee. But, for the very few fans still looking to recruit in that toughest of niche sectors, Izuna is a worthy hire.

A remarkably solid and substantial game. Certainly no one should be ashamed of owning it or giving it as a gift this yuletide.

Endearingly odd.

It's a hard game to sum up. The flashes of genius in Concursion's construction are some of the freshest and most engaging gameplay I've seen from the indie scene in years. I want to be able to recommend it for that reason alone. But there's a lot of game surrounding those moments, and a lot of that game isn't particularly good. It's fiddly and annoying in a way that the best hardcore retro games - the Mega Mans and R-Types - never were.

Soundfall plays like an extended pop album, each level a three minute burst of music that initially fizzes and delights. Yet playing on repeat proves shallow. The music is killer, but the gameplay is filler.

Like so many plying their trade in 2D action adventures, Rogue Sky wins the day through eye-catching art and simple, effective mechanics that always manage to avoid straying onto the wrong side of the challenge/frustration divide.

A cheerful, happy little game - it's got some lovely ideas in places and doesn't take itself too seriously - but it was far more at home on the PSP than it is on a home console, and it has gained pretty much nothing in the transition to the PS2.

Despite doing its level best to offer impressive variety, slick 3D visuals, and a decent raft of challenging stages, it's a game that seems determined to irritate the player.

I wouldn't give Strike Suit Zero to my dog - and he can't even play video games.

The curious structure of Burnout Crash makes the overall experience one of giddy highs punctuated by fist-clenching lows, and as such it's very difficult to recommend with any confidence.

Although there's not a great deal of substance to this downloadable chunk, it's nevertheless a pleasant bonus for those of you who've already shelled out for PlayStation Plus.

Camera and pacing issues aside, there are few real flaws, but equally there's very little you'll remember once the credits have rolled on the 15-hour campaign.

Despite all of the positives, the game underneath, for all its features and ideas, remains a broken one, thus continuing the Mana series legacy of being a series that tries its hand at new things to get noticed but fails to match up to the brilliance of its forefather.

Air Traffic Chaos is, basically, terribly, perfect.

Another Code R is a finely-crafted mystery adventure that's recommended for fans of the form with some time and patience on their hands, but anyone else looking for something engaging to read and solve might want to consider alternatives. Including the kind that comes printed on paper.

It does its job reasonably well, but blandness abounds, and the whole thing just looks like it's been rushed out to fulfil a contractual obligation, rather than a labour of love.

Its old-fashioned mentality won me over: while other sims can seem to favour a rather coldly analytical approach to management, here you feel as much a fan as a manager, cheering your team on from the sidelines. It might take away much of what makes a truly authentic sim, but in doing so it gives back plenty besides.

A decent arcade tennis game but not a classic - and this New Play Control! conversion isn't anything more than a more-or-less functional reboot that gives away a little precision, and doesn't add much in return apart from a sore arm the morning after.

Armored Core 4 is more accessible than its predecessors; and at its core, beneath the complicated controls and imposing arsenal of body parts, it's a pretty simple, superfast, graceful and smart mech-combat game, and it deserves your attention. [JPN Import]

If you're the kind of person who eats F-Zero for breakfast, Rocket Racing is a brutally enjoyable take on the top-down racer, but maybe a little too punishing for its own good on occasion.

The way the game manages to weave simple RPG mechanics on top of the narrative works surprisingly well, even if, ultimately, it all feels like a curious throwback to the days when even the most basic graphics were something of a luxury.

Perhaps biggest problem with the game: it's too short.