Guitar Hero 5 focus more on gameplay rather than new plastic features and that´s the right way to go. The career mode has never been better, the versus mode is great and the design is fantastic. Now what we lack is just a good setlist with more hits.

Magical Melody is a decent game and if you have the time to invest in it your affections toward it will grow.

A ‘must-have’ for Queen fans; a ‘should-have’ for regular SingStar players.

We can’t recall the last time we frothed over sweaty topless men, or were so engrossed with slipping the jab. As expected, Fight Night Round 4 is the best boxing game available, and fans keen to get their uppercuts on with other fellow humans should bulldoze their way into the nearest game store and pillage a copy immediately.

We’re surprised to hear ourselves say it, but we actually had as much fun playing The Conduit, as we did with Metroid Prime Corruption. It really did blow us away!

Though the frame-rate sputters now and again, watching dozens of mounted little gremlins scurry about causing havoc at your bidding is an absolute riot. It’s a guilty pleasure. Don’t worry, we won’t tell if you don’t.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game does not quite have the charm of the films, nor does it have the depth and technical prowess of either system’s AAA titles, but we’re all better off for its existence. When it’s on form the game is a thrilling blend of pretty visuals, great physics and challenging action and when it loses its way it still never tramples on your childhood memories, providing the voices, the music and the icons that’ll keep fans happily busting on to the very end.

As far as we know there’s no other game on the market that allows you to swallow a human for health, while being chased by a mutant twice your size, hurl a car at a helicopter, hijack a tank, cleave a soldier in twain with an enormous biological blade, transform into an invulnerable steel behemoth, tear apart vehicles with your bare hands, stealth consume and mimic any NPC in the city, and run up the walls of any building in Manhattan. Surely that’s got to count for something, right?

As far as we know there’s no other game on the market that allows you to swallow a human for health, while being chased by a mutant twice your size, hurl a car at a helicopter, hijack a tank, cleave a soldier in twain with an enormous biological blade, transform into an invulnerable steel behemoth, tear apart vehicles with your bare hands, stealth consume and mimic any NPC in the city, and run up the walls of any building in Manhattan. Surely that’s got to count for something, right?

As far as we know there’s no other game on the market that allows you to swallow a human for health, while being chased by a mutant twice your size, hurl a car at a helicopter, hijack a tank, cleave a soldier in twain with an enormous biological blade, transform into an invulnerable steel behemoth, tear apart vehicles with your bare hands, stealth consume and mimic any NPC in the city, and run up the walls of any building in Manhattan. Surely that’s got to count for something, right?

Grand Slam Tennis still comes highly recommended, both as an epic party game, a great online experience, and one of the better tennis experiences on the system.

It’s outrageously awesome entertainment that forgoes taking itself too seriously to ensure you’re grinning ear-to-ear throughout, smiles gleefully lit up by the biggest explosion-fest in gaming history. And we have no problem with that, whatsoever.

It’s outrageously awesome entertainment that forgoes taking itself too seriously to ensure you’re grinning ear-to-ear throughout, smiles gleefully lit up by the biggest explosion-fest in gaming history. And we have no problem with that, whatsoever.

While it certainly isn’t the graphical revelation it has been hyped to be, this is a game that is very much deserving of any PS3 owner’s hard earned cash. Or, to put it another way, Infamous can successfully generate 1.21 Gigawatts of fun, without the danger of setting anybody’s eyeballs on fire.

We were both literally and figuratively gob smacked by UFC Undisputed. The nuances to the hand-to-hand/fist-to-face/foot-to-face combat were ridiculously deep, and far from the realm of button-mashery. Top it off with some of the most sexified graphics we’ve seen, and an intricate leveling-up system, and there’s little wonder it’s…undisputed.

Punch-Out!! is still a stellar classic that is guaranteed to hit casual and hardcore Nintendo fans fair in the face with fun.

There has been a surprising amount of thought and attention to detail put into Battlestations: Pacific, even though it often plays like an arcade title. The problems with the game are few and far between, so if you’re after an epic historical action title with plenty of bang for your buck, this should definitely be your port of call.

If you desperately want to know what being an unstoppable kick arse fighting machine is like then X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the Big Mac for which you have hungered. Sure it may not have the class and flavour of a $50 steak, but it tastes f..king awesome when you’re drunk.

The game has three game modes and 50 levels, so even when you’ve beaten the ever-increasing-in-difficulty Inventor Mode (basic puzzles and mechanics) you can take them all on again in Time Challenge Mode (30 second time limit) and Move Challenge Mode (ten moves only).

As is to be expected with such a realistically-driven simulator, the learning curve is huge and if you don’t regularly frequent the genre, be prepared to invest large quantities of time before determining whether it’s for you.

It hides its flaws gracefully.

Repetition is the biggest flaw in the game, but it doesn’t ruin the experience, by any means. As mentioned earlier the graphics are a lot crisper, the gunplay is a lot tighter, and the managerial side of the game isn’t without the odd moment of satisfaction. The Godfather ii is a decent enough sequel of a decent enough game, diehard fans of the movie should hit it up, to everyone else: this is an offer you can refuse, if you’d like to.

Nintendo has put on the DJ Phones and taken a firm hold of MS Paint and somehow managed to create pure madness on your NDS. If you previously didn't find it enjoyable to have shaolin monks hit you in the face with different dishes, all to the rhythm of techno beats, then you definitely will love it now!

It’s an almost perfect example that any other similar projects in the future should follow ­ a game that creates a gaming experience that Metallica fans will cherish.

We couldn’t really recommend purchasing Wheelman – not at full price anyway. For the sheer fact that it isn’t necessarily painful to play, you might want to chuck some cash in Wheelman’s general direction when it inevitably hits the bargain bins, but that, as they say, is your whack.

Innovation and frustration tango before your eyes.

The game is also unashamedly adult in its content and we, for one, see as a breath of fresh (marijuana scented) air on the platform. Dealing drugs, hand making molotovs, chainsawing people in half, swearing up a storm, blowing people’s heads off with a sniper rifle – it’s all in here, and if you’re underage you had better check with your olds before getting it. Or don’t, and just hide it really well. Whatever works.

It may be a different beast, but it’s still a whole lot of fun. Resident Evil still has the chops to rock our world. However, if Capom do decide to continue down this action-packed path they’ve begun, they’d better get their sh.t together when it comes to “run ‘n gun” gameplay mechanics.

We’re left with something that’s entertaining in small doses, but doesn’t really offer us anything more. This is sorely disappointing when you consider that these were the same guys that brought us the sublime arthouse videogame Okami - which, ironically, didn’t sell well at all.

The real surprise was the final level against Underboss, where you chase him up an under construction building with crews of underlings coming out the woodwork, packing some nasty hand to hand weaponry, like wrenches, pipes, crowbars and baseball bats.

While hardcore fans will recognize and love the references to the early novels, everyone else may be underwhelmed with the lackluster story and characters on offer here. In terms of getting its strategy on, Halo Wars won’t wow the space boots off of Command and Conquer veterans, but it is a recommended purchase for anyone seeking to break out of their vicious first person shooter cycle.

If you’ve got the time and patience for it, there’s literally hundreds of hours of gameplay to be found in the single-player portion of the game (specifically, World Domination). This is also a game that rewards various play styles and encourages you to try new things, all the while becoming more and more addictive with each hour that passes.

H.A.W.X feels more like a Top Gun movie than Ace Combat ever did. It mixes in some refreshing new innovations that keep the missions exciting, and the appeal of that four player online co-op mode simply cannot be denied. If you’re an Ace Combat diehard, we recommend deviating from your usual flight pattern to acquire this target. Alternatively, if you’ve been ground-based gamer all these years and you’re looking for an accessible game that looks and plays great, we recommend you grab a copy of H.A.W.X and buzz the counter at your local game store.

Killzone 2 is a stunning game best suited for FPS aficionados, rabid graphics whores, and all proud Ps3 owners in general. Guerrilla Games have stepped up to the plate and delivered very comparable results to “that preview video” that blew our collective minds in 2005. Using Guerrilla’s proprietary ‘deferred rendering engine’ Killzone 2 squeezes a lot more juice out of the Ps3 than anything we’ve seen thus far.

Indeed, Eat Lead is like Domino’s Pizza…satisfying in its initial moments, but after a while it sits in the pit of your stomach leaving you wondering what the hell ever possessed you to indulge in the first place.

We really had an absolute riot playing this bad boy. It was a mesh of the best aspects of a bunch of different titles we dug and a blast to knock out, though the repetitive boss battles irked us a little.

By incorporating gameplay mechanics not because they’re new, but because they work, they have created a game that is different enough to warrant taking notice, and familiar enough that anyone who’s played an RTS in the past 5 years can jump in and play without worrying about the learning curve.

RACE Pro may not have the content to hit the market like a wrecking ball but it has focused its resources on excelling on the road and adding variety.

Street Fighter IV has returned from a nine year hiatus (man, that makes us feel crusty) to successfully wrest back the crown of ‘most awesome fighter on the market’. It is a shining beacon of quality and hope in an otherwise dying, largely forgotten genre of video gaming. Recognising this, Capcom has wisely kept it accessible to newcomers, sufficiently evolved for veterans, and chock full of the chess-like depth that made the series so infinitely playable in the first place.

It tells an intriguing tale, the very definition of value for money, and the environment of Liberty City is just as amazing as ever. That said, if you weren’t a fan of GTA IV in the first place (yes, all three of you), this DLC doesn’t reinvent the wheel enough to win you back to the fold.

F.E.A.R. 2 is just a solid video game: nothing more, nothing less. It won’t blow your mind, and it won’t change your life, but it most certainly won’t disappoint.

Despite a disappointing lack of online multiplayer, Sega Ultimate Megadrive Collection is one of the best old school compilations that money can buy. It’s well presented, sports interesting behind-the-scenes unlockables, and all the games have been converted so that they play as good as we remember them (except for Alex Kidd, which has aged like a 19th century milkshake).

Unlike Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, Overkill doesn't take itself remotely seriously. It harkens back to an age of entertainment that, if not more innocent, was a lot more honest. This is good, dirty fun.

We have no doubt this went gangbusters in Japan, but for those with slightly more discerning tastes, blood and bikinis are simply not enough, regardless of how impressive the jiggle physics are.

It’s exciting to see something that is simultaneously comfortably old school yet refreshingly new school hit our Wii screens.

Perhaps best of all, though, the developer has managed to create a graphically rich and detailed version of 13th Century Japan that’s positively dripping with atmosphere.

There are a lot of creative ideas, and the look, as a whole, is dead sexy, but a bit more spit and polish and a tad more life in the non-combat areas could have really helped put this on the map.

A brilliant game. For the most part it takes the brilliant template laid down in the original and injects it with a smartly integrated new move-set, an exciting world to rip to shreds, and the same addictive, unquestionably stylish gameplay which saw the Tony Hawk series bolt for the hills.

A brilliant game. For the most part it takes the brilliant template laid down in the original and injects it with a smartly integrated new move-set, an exciting world to rip to shreds, and the same addictive, unquestionably stylish gameplay which saw the Tony Hawk series bolt for the hills.

You get a lot of maths for your money in Maths Training. The randomised content across the dozens of different puzzle types should be enough to keep one busy (if not amused) for some time.

While die-hard Tolkienophiles will doubtless find something to go rabid over with Conquest, the average gamer may find themself slightly disappointed with this offering. It just feels too much like "Battlefront" with a new lick of paint, rather than a groundbreaking improvement of an aging formula. If you plan on going into Conquest with single player action on your mind, you may find the plot to be an afterthought, and the gameplay overly repetitive.

Considering that Buccaneers was created by just two individual developers, the end result is quite impressive.

While it may not have the staying power of a New Super Mario Bros or creative juices flowing out of every orifice, it’s enough to put a big smile on most gamers’ faces.

If you’ve already conquered Liberty City on PS3 or Xbox 360, there really isn’t enough extra stuff to demand that you fork out more money for the PC version. But if you have yet to savour the GTA IV experience, this is a must have because of the unforgettable single-player experience and frantically fun multiplayer as well as the extra PC features.

Rest assured, Prince of Persia is every bit the game you wanted – it is the game you were promised and a whole lot more.

The gameplay is refreshing and addictive, the strategic elements have you constantly assessing the situation and working the angles, and it has a decidedly non-Japanese, JRPG feel to it. Slick, fun, intelligent and rewarding, let’s hope this is the direction turn based affairs take in the future.

Like we said, if you look at Skate It as a place to screw around and have a little fun on a skateboard you’ll have a tremendous time. It’s not a particularly complete game in any other sense. One for real skating fans, for sure dudes.

Gripes aside, Left 4 Dead is a well polished experience that is an absolute blast to play co-operatively with mates (or randoms for that matter).

NFS of old was about hot cars, hot pursuits and miles and miles of open road, and Undercover make a semi-successful fist of recapturing some of this magic. Looks great, plays fine. There’s no getting around the fact, however, that Undercover is basically Most Wanted with a new lick of paint. Can somebody please green-light Hot Pursuit 3? Surely the open-world horse has been well-and-truly flogged?

A surprisingly charming game – more charming than initially expected. It features a reasonable cast of characters that represent both franchises and is choc-a-block with impressive moves and exhausting combos. It might not have the depth and content to win the respect of fans of other franchises, but unfussy brawlers will get a kick out of taking it for a rumble.

The more time you’ll spend with Shaun White, the more the lack of polish makes itself apparent.

The feeling of progression and development is a great draw as well.

It’s brilliant, inspired and will easily secure their supremacy as the leader in the MMOPRG market.

The consistent humour of the game as well as the hours of gameplay that can be casually enjoyed cooperatively with friends makes Sacred 2 stand above the usual clone variety of fantasy RPG.

Digital Illusions has made revolutionary inroads on perspective and the relationship it shares with movement and combat, but simply couldn’t build the levels to allow it to unfold in a consistently engaging way. It deserves to be seen, played and experienced by any discerning gamer with an interest in the progression of the industry, but is unlikely to resonate with the majority of consumers.

It breaks our Rare-loving hearts to type it, but Banjo Kazooie is a game that is best rented and demoed extensively first, rather than bought on an impulse.

While acceptable as a guilty pleasure or five-minute filler with a friend, we’re not quite sure what sector of the Star Wars fanbase Lightsaber Duels will appeal to. With none of the original characters or locations to help older fans overlook the game’s foibles, and a control system that might not suit Star Wars-loving younglings, it could end up missing the mark completely, which is a shame as with a little more attention this could have been a fan favourite.

Outside of the new “Be A Legend” mode, there’s very little reason here for existing PES owners to upgrade. "PES5" on PS2 is still the pinnacle of the series.

Call of Duty: World at War has had a lot of time spent on it, it takes full advantage of (and in some places improves upon) one of the best FPS engines there is, and its unflinching approach to the mature subject matter gives the immersion-factor a kick up the guts. Does all of this make Codwaw worthy of a purchase? Hell yes.

There’s a staggering array of moves to be done here, many of which you’ll apparently discover quite by accident while waggling sticks with a dim optimism.

This may seem like a dumbing-down, but if memory serves the ninjas in Naruto’s world never had to use seals to perform those feats in the first place. Authenticity wins the day.

Gears 2 is a lesson in masterful pacing; whether it’s lulling you into a false sense of security, dropping you into an inescapable situation, or blowing your hair back with a ‘speeder bike’ vehicle section. It’s a ripping good yarn that is continually one-upping itself by belting you upside the head with yet another over the top action sequence that eclipses the last awesome thing you just did.

Calling EndWar shallow would be unfair — streamlined would be a far better descriptor. Unit detail and animation is intricate, and stacks of research went into concocting the sleek weapon systems of 2020AD. Each skirmish is brutally acted out before your eyes, but these animations are the icing, not the cake. For you are not a soldier — you are a general. Once you get into the mindset of a commanding officer, EndWar takes on a life of its own.

The overall experience left us with a bad taste in our mouths and an almighty “WTF?” resonating from our lips. Sigh.

This is a niche product. It has an anime look, and a novel-like pace. Yet the biggest difference from your run-of-the-mill WWII shooter is that you have to think very carefully about what you are doing. The combat system is straightforward, yet merciless. You will make mistakes, and you will be forced to learn from them. But if you're into this sort of thing, you will get your rocks off — and that's what matters.

It succeeds because it doesn’t just try to throw more humans into the same old environments and gameplay. It offers a smart three class system that encourages savvy team-work, an experience meter that builds to enable special attacks and uses levels designed specifically for the mode to maximise the resulting gameplay. It also dynamically shifts the action to take into account the number and skill of players in each game, making for near endless replayability. It’s a hit, pure and simple.

The tracklist is epic. It’d want to be, because it’s really the only thing the game has going for it.

If you can get past the shortcomings of the single-player experience and buy into the hammy humour, you’ll enjoy this game. But the cover says it all really; a sexy Russian commando in hotpants, flanked by a Big Daddy-rejected concept design on one side and an armoured bear on the other. If you’re going into this game expecting to take it seriously, you’re missing the point.

It looks amazing, its immersion factor is second to none, and the whole experience is like a good book; addictive and impossible to put down. Packed to the gills with the incredibly deep Fallout mythos, you can play through the twenty odd hours of main quest but come back to experience the 50+ hours of side quests dotted throughout this freaky, radiated reality.

The game makes many improvements over the original – it’s just hard to now recommend this title over the many superior racers that arrived in the wake of the first MotorStorm.

LittleBigPlanet is like a magic trick, and in that respect it feels less like a videogame than an incredible concept executed perfectly. LittleBigPlanet is like LEGO (the blocks, not the game), it’s like Monopoly, it’s timeless... it’s lightning in a bottle – and if Sony play their cards right it could well save the PS3, and propel the console into the stratosphere.

This is officially a must-have product.

The combat handles well, it’s visually stunning, the voice acting and musical score are brilliant, and the epic storyline doesn’t end before it begins (like the first game did). But the most appealing thing about it is that it delivers everything that Molyneux has promised, plus it is oozing with wit and charm - something sorely lacking from many games nowadays. At the end of the day, Fable II is a triumph and a must buy.

Another year, another fair-to-average open-world Spider-Man action game.

Another year, another fair-to-average open-world Spider-Man action game.

The combat feels haphazard, reckless. The voice acting is flat and emotionless. There is a shallower sense of progression, and far fewer opportunities to make meaningful choices. Granted, it is unfair to compare an action game and an RPG too closely. Yet with "Fallout 3" still fresh in our minds, so many of the design decisions in Far Cry 2 seemed off-balance.

The game is also a visual feast with striking environments, meticulous vehicle models, and adrenaline enhancing post-production effects. While its true the series hasn’t made a massive evolutionary leap forward in terms of gameplay, it still offers up plenty of unforgettable racing moments where you’ll get P.I.T. maneuvered by an opponent on the last corner but manage to desperately slipstream turbo your way back to win by the span of a diamond encrusted hood ornament. In other words; it’s got fun factor out the chrome-plated wazoo.

If Nintendo had either ponied up for some proper songs people would want to listen to or, preferably, found some way to allow you to make up your own tunes entirely, this could’ve been something even more special.

Above all, there's the sense that every aspect of the game has been designed not to challenge, but to frustrate. Like the witch doctors who can summon rocks to fall from the sky and crush you, or the just-barely-visible bear traps scattered about.

Though it does have its flaws, Saints 2 still manages to feel like a Van Damme action movie - a very, very guilty pleasure. Sure, the production values aren’t up to scratch, and the over-the-top action scenes are a bit seedy - but it can make up for most of these shortcomings by being chock full of big dopey fun.

Dead Space is a pearler of a horror ride. For fans that love gory adventure and classic flicks like the Alien series, Predator, or any other marriage of gore and suspense, this must be played. Just be sure to book in a recuperating massage for when it’s over.

Pro Evo, for me, is a better single-player game. FIFA is a better multiplayer game, and also, this year, a better football game overall.

Generic space marines fighting upon a generic future landscape will be tough to sell, terrain deformation or otherwise. The proof will be in the pudding, we guess – but we’ll be surprised if this moves the Earth.

Generic space marines fighting upon a generic future landscape will be tough to sell, terrain deformation or otherwise. The proof will be in the pudding, we guess – but we’ll be surprised if this moves the Earth.

If you like either Sonic, or RPGs, you have to buy The Dark Brotherhood. It’s as perfect a handheld RPG as we’ve ever played.

If you’re after something dramatic that makes good use of Wii controls, Disaster is well worth a look.

Intuitive team controls, fantastic presentation, superb sound and impressive visuals (particularly the paratrooper models) make Hell’s Highway far better than we ever would have guessed. That said, it’s going to be divisive for all manner of reasons.

It looks gorgeous, it has an addictive ‘one more turn’ feel to it, and it has a truly awesome soundtrack packed full of some seriously phat beats. At the end of the day, Pure is a shinning example of an arcade experience done right and it delivers on this with big air, big thrills, and a whole lotta dirt.