The difference between unlocking things in a Mario Kart game compared to a random game, is that the unlockables in Mario Kart games are incredibly rewarding.

It doesn't play with the formula too much, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Complicated characters with rich personalities, a thoroughly complex and enjoyable story-line, massively entertaining interactive action sequences, intriguing mysteries, stylish sex, beautiful scenes, and a lack of flaws make Fahrenheit one of the best games this year.

The most entertaining and humorous game available.

Zipper Interactive has done a great job by bringing the enjoyable gameplay of the console versions to the PSP with minimal change to the classic formula.

Four things that made Prince of Persia Sands of Time stand out: the wonderful 3D animation, the design of the puzzles, sensational game play, and the new look at an old franchise.

The new game mode Lone Rush is incredibly addictive to play. Black Arrow has become the best Xbox Live game to date.

It may not be the most realistic in terms of solider damage and battlefield strategy, but for bringing across the atmosphere, and pure chaos of World War II, Call of Duty 2 is the still the best around.

The vast environments coupled with simplistic objectives offer a refreshing approach to the genre, allowing you to progress as you please, destroying anything in your path and using either your robotic or vehicle form to traverse land.

Has its highs and its mediums, but no lows.

Just fun to play. Fans of the series will be more then satisfied and newcomers will be amazed at how addictive this game is.

Keeping alive the 2D platform on the little handheld that could make a retro junkie like me all warm and fuzzy inside, and it's an excellent throwback to the days of the 16-bit era where robots were ass kicking machines and a wrong step would have you plunging to your death, impaled through your metal chassis on a pit of spikes.

The gameplay is fast, furious and responsive, with some incredible context sensitive throws and counters.

With so much variation in game play challenging levels, and the amazing visuals it is a must for any PC gamer.

Warhammer and other old-school RPG'ers will definitely be drooling all the way through this one, and even strategy gamers who have not been exposed to the Warhammer "universe" previously will get a lot out of this game, simply because of the great storyline.

With rockin' visuals, sound and gameplay, it shines as the antithesis to churned out sports sequels and World War II FPSs.

All the extra and different stars, compiled with the new playable characters, multiplayer, and the dozens of mini-games makes Super Mario 64 DS THE launch title to pick up, hands down.

It bridges the gap between the original and Metroid Prime better than Metroid Fusion did. Unfortunately, it's so similar to the others that it almost seems like 'just another Metroid'. It's not.

The master of storytelling and gameplay excellence.

Here Comes the Pain will give you hundreds of hours of gameplay in Career mode, and plenty more in Exhibition mode and with your friends.

So much on offer in the game that you might pop!

With its outstanding gameplay along with a combination of excellent graphics, quality storyline and the variety offered in the gameplay throughout the game, it’s the complete package.

Stupid observations like "It's important to hit your shot in the fairway on this hole" and "A birdie will help here" makes you want to throw your clubs at them.

It is a masterpiece that will last for one to two weeks.

While not the most difficult or longest FPS game on the Xbox, or PS2 it is a competent shooter, and is worth checking out.

The audience, commentary and noises in the game are superb.

It actually seems as though there aren’t too many features in FM 2005 that didn’t already make an appearance in CM 4, and the features that have been added are flawed or unnecessary.

It’s not quite the free-range RPG that we’ve been hoping for where we can prance along the fields on horses playing as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli permanently, but its close enough to make for a great game.

With a new fighting system, four player battle mode, story mode, hot girls, over forty hip hop persona’s, twenty interactive environments, and stunningly brutal moves make this the most appealing fighting game in 2004.

It's not quite the free-range RPG that we've been hoping for where we can prance along the fields on horses playing as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli permanently, but its close enough to make for a great game.

Not only does it have 20 of the hottest cars in the world, but customizing them is THE game. Need for Speed: Underground sets a new standard for racing games.

Still a great game, but is nowhere near as innovative as we found "THPS4" and "THUG."

The idea of playing as both Kain and Raziel is great and their intertwining journeys bring the game to a spectacular close.

Scary as hell in parts with a lot of intense action with robust narrative with a perfect mix of storyline to action.

One of the best Star Wars games out there and also, in the process, proves to be one of the best GameCube games out there.

Some parts of the game have you on the edge of your seat with your heart racing as you can really feel for Vattic when attempting to be stealthy and sneak through an area.

The in-battle game engine is entirely unmatched for realism and its unique vast - and yet personal - nature, while the turn based world map is both complex and involving.

If you’ve played or owned the Dreamcast version though, there isn’t much new to do.

MX Unleashed has got to be the best motocross game on the PS2, and possibly the best ever. It’s addictive, it’s packed with gameplay and unlockable tracks and the soundtrack beats any of those featured in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series by a mile.

You'll use the DS to its fullest capacity, with games utilising the both screens, the stylus and the microphone. But as has become the norm with the series, it is way too short.

If it weren't for the dodgy doubles partner and the near-impossible putting system, Mario Golf: Advance Tour would deserve a score well into the 90's.

As for those of you who are only keen on the Mario themed courses, keep in mind that Toadstool Tour will start off slow and you'll be playing on normal realistic-type courses to start off with.

Its unique Hero system is fantastic and the gameplay is very addictive.

Just remember that the online play is where Battlefront shines the most.

It's solid gameplay along with the comical and loveable characters make Tak an overriding success. Outstanding graphics and a splendid voice acting dialogue are all apart of a package that appeals to the masses.

Combining some entertaining moments, some good cheeky humour, and of course a great Ninja theme, i-Ninja will keep you playing... and may just have you calling out Hei ya! just a little too loud.

If you like the big hits, then you're going to love ESPN NHL 2K5 as it keeps it realistic, but still makes it incredibly fun as you line up your opponent and knock him out of the rink.

A very sleek motocross racing game that combines awesome tricks system and great physics.

Metal Gear Acid 2 is a great strategy game, and its gameplay keeps the Metal Gear spirit close to heart, despite radical differences. MGS fan or not, this is much better than the first and a recommended purchase.

It may be a long full game, but other racing games on the market are faster and more action packed.

What is impressive about the game is the massive amount of replayability available to you.

A solid game even considering the few problems I mentioned previously and is a cut above most of the RTS titles available.

United Offensive still suffers from the same problem with the original, all three campaigns are short. And because they are so short, once you start to interact with your character and me, and become immersed within the campaign, it's over.

Solid gameplay, an excellent story-line, interesting moments, unique puzzles, and massive environments, however every game has its down points and unfortunately Devil May Cry’s biggest down points are annoying ones.

There is the slight hint that it may need a bit of a fresh direction if the GTA series is not to become just another set of endless and ever-increasingly bland sequels.

A title which a lot of Australians will have fun with. A lot of gamers here are curious about American Football with the hype, big hits and spectacular plays but get turned off by the strategies in which ESPN NFL 2005 will be a perfect match.

How the story develops is fantastic and keeps you playing through the game due to the cut scenes between missions and the mission driven storyline.

What's not to like about this game with 30 vehicles, 50 weapons, 4 playable forces, support for 24 players online and over a dozen maps?

Voice acting is outstanding; your character is even voiced by Temuera Morrison, Jango Fett himself.

In terms of gameplay and balance, Battlefront II is a massive improvement over its predecessor.

A breath of fresh air amongst other games lacking in uniqueness and creativity.

The intros and the voice-overs of the WWII veterans is what helps bring a sense of realism to this game.

A pretty good street racing game.

While the online modes stand out as superb, the career mode can’t be overlooked and ends up being a great deal of fun. Put simply, this title is also amazing to look at.

The best golf game available so far. The game features excellent graphics, a large range of detailed real life courses and a large number of controllable characters.

There's no doubt that Battlefield Vietnam is more like an expansion pack than a sequel, and it's not significantly different from the original nor is it a vast improvement on the Desert Combat mod. Fortunately, there are more vehicles and on a lot of maps the points are close together, making the action faster.

Innovation, gameplay and realism is what makes ShellShock a fantastic game. The game does a great job at portraying the brutal atrocities and controversial actions of the Vietnam War Continually fighting through the game your surroundings change enough to keep you interested.

The best Incredible Hulk game yet. A fun and enjoyable game which will have any action fan rapt.

Not only does it have 20 of the hottest cars in the world, but customizing them is THE game.

The wall move, Groundbreaker, Groundbreaker 2, character over styling and the wacky over the top showmanship from the characters keeps the game play fresh.

You can see for yourself that Fable has damn fine looking graphics. The attention to detail can not really be underestimated in this respect. The character models look brilliant and the aesthetic changes in your hero’s look over time add just that little bit extra to the game’s finesse.

On a side note my wife played through XIII and enjoyed the title immensly, she found XIII playable, challenging and rewarding.

The gameplay kept me interested and made me want to continue the story line. It is almost a total package type of game, I If you like “stealth action” type thinking games.

With the Quick Mission Maker, competitive multiplayer and Co-Op, there is good replayability and you will be getting plenty of flashbang for your buck.

It takes about 5 – 8 hours to beat Revenge mode, but Exhibition mode and King Of The Ring will keep you occupied for many more hours, not to mention the multiplayer possibilities.

It provides a good solid story, heaps of weapons to choose from and a good challenge.

The game fits on two discs, meaning it will take you at least 30 hours to beat, however they say it takes 60 hours, but we're pretty sure that includes all the side quests.

Mio and Mayu hug each other quite a lot creating the perfect sense of fear as there's nothing scarier than watching two young girls being frightened out of their skins by ghosts.

Two new campaigns, new units, and an entire new playable army makes for a great expansion pack.

A fantastic game, the more I play, and the more I like it. Sure there is no real single player, but the online game makes up for it.

The game has a good balance of action and puzzle solving which should keep you playing through right to the end.

The best way to describe Burnout Legends is "Burnout 3" on the PSP.

There are a lot of side missions and secrets to find too, as just playing through the missions for each level will only see the level with about 30% completion.

The game is entertaining and challenging missions, excellent writing, terrific voice acting, and the way it recaptures the feeling of one of the greatest American films of all time.

The Suffering is more about exploration and action and less about surviving does a great job of providing us a horrific action game.

While MX vs. ATV Unleashed does bear flaws that its predecessor did not, such as the long load times, superficial use of vehicles and questionable championship layout, these are outweighed by the terribly entertaining gameplay and pretty graphics that it delivers.

The single player portion of Guilty Gear literally rocks. The graphics and presentation are top notch, despite a few lacklustre menus, and the sound fits the game like a glove. The lack of VS options is what really hurts this title and really affect the longevity.

It's great being able to play through all three of the latest movies in one sitting, even if their storylines are a little watered down.

The controls will drive you mad, the camera angles will frustrate you, and some of the design ideas will have you wondering what the hell Capcom puts in their water.

This game works well on the Xbox due to the simplified controls and is a major improvement on the past 2 console versions.

The best part is, you can then control the rest of your Sim's life after they complete their major, so you can set them up for a perfect life of health and wealth.

Dragonshard has a core of a solid graphics engine, adequate sound and introduces some innovative gameplay elements such as the dual realms.

The game's detailed tutorial and isolated storyline pave the way for newcomers to the series, so if you've been contemplating becoming a pilot in the series that is Ace Combat, now is the time to do so.

The action is fluid and fun, though some of the difficulty is a bit off. It looks gorgeous, and I give top props to the developers for the engine in both the normal stages and 3D boss battles.

Technically brilliant; it just doesn't offer any innovation or game play variation.

Construction mode and WiFi give Mega Man Powered Up almost limitless replayability.

As far as theme park sims go, RCT 3 is the bees knees. It's detailed, beautiful, complex, and with a few extras thrown in. Any fan of this genre will love this game.

"Deadly Alliance" was a great title, but Deception sticks its head out of the hole a little bit further.