A rare balance of playfulness and genuine strategic depth, plucked from the margins of history. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Anybody with an actual Sims fetish will love it to bits. Granted it can be fiddly and confusing to start with (why hide so much of the critical new stuff in the depths of the catalogue?), but once you're up and running there's a definite attraction to it.

The lighting system more than makes up for this lack of colour though, with pyrotechnic multi-coloured dynamic lighting, and full day and night cycles.

It is the best looking space combat sim we've seen so far... Unfortunately it is let down all too often by poor mission scripting and incompetent wingmen, not to mention the occasional random crash.

A beautiful but flawed game, with easy controls and imaginative design marred by a surplus of platform hopping puzzles and a disappointing finale. It's also rather short.

Sure, as we've mentioned a few times, the quality of the writing, the voices and the humour are absolutely spot-on, but rather than disguise the mediocre game within, this excellence merely serves to amplify the crushing disappointment of the one dimensional gameplay, and we're left wanting much, much more than this half arsed effort.

Radiant Dawn's core of creamy white strategy nougat does shine through its horribly drab exterior, but only just. We've seen it all before, and this can't help but seem like a wasted Wii opportunity.

When it's firing on all cylinders, AlphaBounce can be a riotous diversion; full of inventive ideas and bold scope, the potential's clearly there. But rather than make a tight, focused design that continually entertains, MotionTwin waste far too much of your time.

Unexpectedly original.

An undeniably alluring little isometric shoot-'em-up with some tolerable flaws, and if, like me, you plan to get stuck into the PC sequel in the near future, then it offers a succinct and vital refresher of key plot points.

Offers a smorgasbord of treats to delight and infuriate in almost equal measure. The mean, almost contemptuous difficulty curve is something that shouldn't be celebrated, but almost everything else is golden.

A new developer doesn't rock the boat in what's an enjoyable if only gently iterative outing for the construction and management sim.

Grid Autosport is a fine racing game, though it's never a thoroughbred one. It's the muscle car that was Grid 2 stripped out and retooled for the track, but too often you can see the solder-work at the seams. In 2008, Race Driver: Grid was a partial reinvention of the racing genre, equipped with a handful of fresh ideas. Six years on, Grid Autosport - while a definite return to form for Codemasters - is simply a rediscovery of it.

But if you can break through the periodic pain barrier that comes with such exacting physics-based challenges, you'll be able to bask in the warm glow of manly gaming satisfaction. And with around six hours' worth of it to roll through, it'll put hairs on your chest. Not so good if you're a lady, obviously.

Infinity Ward had a chance here to throw down the gauntlet for the next hardware generation, to set the new standard, to show that this hugely popular, much derided behemoth can dance to a different tune. It's chosen to play a Greatest Hits package instead.

This glorious game about movement and adventure also feels like a rumination on something deeper and more personal. [Eurogamer Recommended]

Supporting up to four players at once, the game lends itself brilliantly to playing with your mates (locally or online), but is equally good fun against the computer in the hugely challenging campaign mode.

Among the Ruins is The Walking Dead doing what The Walking Dead does well, but it's spinning its wheels when it should be racing towards the finale.

Despite something of an overdeveloped plot, Crisis Core Reunion goes beyond just a quick upgrade, making some fundamental improvements to visuals, sound and controls, and implements them with care. There are flaws, but it remains a joy to spend time with favourites Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth once more. [Eurogamer Recommended]

The games that are presented on Metal Slug Anthology are a marvel of art and design. There are, frequently, excruciatingly tough but all of their peaks are surmountable by the persistent and/or the talented.

It might not have quite the same wow factor second time around, but Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 builds on its astonishing predecessor with intelligence and precision - making an already impressive achievement richer and more welcoming.

There's plenty to like here, and Blitz is an undeniably enjoyable arcade game in short bursts. But it feels like an awkward offshoot for the Rock Band name, a little desperate in its push to get people downloading more songs, and an altogether lightweight experience that is unlikely to reverse the decline of the music genre.

As for the new cards, the cunning behind many of them is likely to echo throughout the seasons, even though not all of them are showing up in regular play at the moment. And if you're anything like me, you won't want to be without them.

The weather effects are quite wonderful, and there's something perfectly cosy about having a snowstorm fluttering outside the window, but they only change the game as much as you want them to. After the tenth rainstorm, the novelty starts to wane.

It's almost too playable and satisfying for its own good, or in other words, not quite annoying enough to lure you back endlessly. Perhaps there really is only enough room for one game as annoying as Angry Birds.

More elegance in the interface, fewer lulls in activity and a better way of gently directing you towards its hidden delights would have carried the score higher, but even with its flaws Viva Piñata is a game that deserves to be played and refreshes your belief that games can be friendly as well as fun.

Offering encouragement and useful tips, as well as warnings about common exercise mistakes and pitfalls, the on-screen trainers are a fantastic resource.

Despite the silly roulette wheel thing, it's still addictive. I've played it for hours.