Something we were actually outraged by was the fact that that in two-player mode there are no AI cars at all.

Assessed solely on the single-player mode this game is a sizey, different and diverse lump of still-classic Resi gaming. Add online and add 5% to that score. [JPN Import; PSM2]

Packs so much action and excitement into its story that it's easy to forget its flaws. [PC Format]

The sheer originality and inventiveness of Pac-Pix inevitably wins through, making this one of the most memorable games you'll ever play. [NGC Pocket]

As a game, MLB 2K6 feels more than competent, but it fails to excel. Much like last year's Cubs, it has its shining moments, but in the end you're left with the distinct feeling that it could have been so much more.

Rogue Trooper may not be cutting edge, but as a simple, straightforward shooter, it's more than capable of delivering a quick action fix.

Looks a bit rubbish at first, but scratch the surface and you'll find one of the strongest and most rewarding Xbox games yet. [GamesMaster]

It may be for hardcore fans and sadists only, but this is still a rewarding race. [GamesMaster]

A "Sims"-Lite with a 12-year-old's vision of life painted glossily (and thinly) on top. You'll either love it or hate it depending on your view of games and the world. [PSM2]

Despite the missteps, the whole of FRWL satisfies with a combination of excellent graphics, (literally) jazzy tunes, and varied gameplay.

A genuinely good third-year romp for Harry. Accomplished and absorbing, it's not quite magical but it's certainly no muggle either. [GamesMaster]

If you're looking for a more classical style of game where you can turn off your brain and annihilate wave after wave of enemies as you dodge obscene amounts of enemy fire, Xyanide is for you.

Thanks to the easy-to-use controls and smooth action, it has set a high benchmark for others to try to reach. [PSM2]

NBA Ballers: Phenom is built around a solid core but has gone beyond its limits, like when Michael Jordan quit the NBA to play minor-league baseball.

The graphics offer an enticing mix of cutesy Anime portraits and lovely 3D environments, while the gameplay is an original twist on a classic genre with gentle pacing masking fiendish puzzles. Who said point & click was dead? Another subtle smash on the divine DS. [GamesMaster]

Brilliant, brilliant and brilliant. Everything the last game was plus everything you ever wanted. [PSM2]

Four seasons for the price of one is quite a little bonus, and the F1 action is sound. But there are plenty of better 'pure' racers.[GamesMaster]

Not a terrible game as such - it tries to be entertaining - but it's a repetitive and technically poor use of a license. [NGC]

The lack of ambition to break new ground will prove unpalatable to most gamers; most RPG fans, even.

This is competent, if uninspired stuff that will no doubt please Bat-fans. [NGC]

It's not a great fighting game, but its wide array of characters, scenarios, and unlockable junk could be just the thing for less critical fans.

A gorgeous, big, weighty, important event-game that makes good on most of its grandiose promises. Easily in the top two first-person shooters for PS2 alongside "TimeSplitters 2." [PSM2]

Half the games aren't really up to much these days but they still provide the quick-fix gaming that the GBA is designed for. [NGC]

Whichever version you play, Cars is a likable little racing adventure. The gameplay is nothing outstanding, but it's fun enough while it lasts, and overall it looks pretty slick.

Inevitably, you have to compare this to "Final Fantasy VIII." While Septerra Core has a reasonable story behind it, it just doesn't match up in any other way. So, if you only want to buy one RPG then "FFVIII" has to be the number one choice. Sadly, Septerra Core is rather disappointing.

It's good stuff, even if tactics tend to be beyond all but the most talented of players at the kind of speed the game reaches. And because it's so fast, the touch screen in pointless. [NGC Pocket]

The prayer-answering adventure game, this is a jaunt the term 'cracking' was invented for. [Xbox World]

Carefully crafted, big and sprawling and, more to the point, fun and exciting, GTA2 retains the best qualities of its predecessors, and its new gang warfare element improves upon and expands upon the original idea, giving the gameplay a little more depth.

Once you get around the surface misgivings you'll find a punchy, one-time thrill ride of a game. With multiplayer added it's indispensable. [Xbox World]

Nobody makes lightgun shooters quite like Sega. But while this would have you happily pumping in the pound coins at the arcade, it doesn't have the longevity to make it an essential home purchase.

A sequel that delivers more, but not quite enough.

Technically speaking, Lost in Blue is a very annoying, and often clumsy, but the emotions it often invokes - the feelings of hardship, reward and companionship - are, at times, second to none, making it very much worth the laborious effort. [NGC Pocket]

An unholy level of difficulty squelches the fun, and bullets will frequently find your grunts unless they're behind the most fortress-like of cover.

Redundant or not, it's also worth pointing out that the whole game only takes ten hours - tops - to finish, and honestly, that's just long enough before the tedium begins to set in.

This Sega classic just needs to change its routine. [XGamer]

What is really impressive about Sudden Strike is that it creates a more realistic battlefield than other RTS games without bogging everything down in statistics.

Cut away all the unnecessary flab and there's a decent game in here somewhere, but in terms of gameplay, Deep Fighter is more than 20,000 leagues below par than 20,000 Leagues Below the Sea.

While Parallel Lines is a decent offering, it feels very much like a watered-down Grand Theft Auto, with a more linear storyline and fewer random fun things to do outside of missions.

As a short game, there's little to moan about. It's basically all silly arm positions, freakish leg moves and improbable jumps. In a good way. And as Valve is publishing it, it can even be delivered to your PC painlessly. [PC Gamer UK]

The sparse menus aren't up to Nintendo's usual standard and the game is lacking in an abundance of minigames, but with a storming collection of songs covered and fun and challenging gameplay, Donkey Konga 2 is perhaps the best party game ever. [NGC Pocket]

A great entry point for newcomers to the series and 3D is welcome, but definitely not a game you should feel too bad about missing out on. [Xbox World]

The bottom line is that NBA Live 07 is a pretty darned good hoops sim - once you adjust the wonky default sliders. Without it, the shooting doesn't give an inch, no matter how well you time your release.

Kids will probably have a blast with this, but anyone else will find it brain cell-destroyingly tedious. But we'd like more games with Zebras please. Zebras are ace. [PSM2]

Top presentation is let down by technical problems and poor map design. They ported the graphics but struggled to fit the gameplay in. [Xbox World]

Listen: Insane works. It works because it's multiplayer, it works because it's simple, and it works because it's fun. You'd do well to remember that, but you won't, because you're so desperate to replay the cliched gaming you've already experienced on your thousand-pound calculator. Stupid. All the best...

It's a hit. But only by a pixellated margin.

As technically astounding as it is inept, Path of Neo is one of the most stylish and empowering games on PS2. Not a game to respect, but one to guiltily enjoy. [PSM2]

Chances are that NFL Head Coach won't cure your football jones unless heavy-duty statistical simulators are up your alley.

Short, confusing, ugly to handle and curious, but still has an undeniable eerie charm that will get under your skin. [GamesMaster]

The encouraging thing about IG's niggles is that they're patchable. In a few months players should be positioning troops with confidence and dispensing orders on a far more regular basis. Without these improvements, however, IG will remain annoying and silly. [PC Gamer UK]

Tremendously fun, and the co-operative mode is a thing of brilliance. It might look a bit scrappy but it works a treat. [GamesMaster]

Add 20 to the score if you absolutely love this stuff. But for casual hack 'n' slash fans, DW5 is unremarkable, slightly lasy and a grave missed opportunity. Sorry. [PSM2]

Painkiller: Hell Wars is the very definition of a mindless kill-crazy rampage, and while simple experiences certainly have their place, the time this game spent in development purgatory seems to have made even the high points feel limp.

A compelling and brave interpretation, let down by an obtuse single-player mode. [PC Gamer UK]

The way forward is to embrace the future, and let the games of old contained on this disc finally Rest In Peace. [Xbox World]

More four-player fun than even Ron Jeremy could offer.

A Lord of the Rings clone that's a bit like an ice sculpture: solid and pretty, but doesn't last long. [GamesMaster]

It's an improvement on the original but still far from offering you the time of your life. [GamesMaster]

More violent than San Andreas? Yep. More violent than Manhunt? Maybe. But this isn't just about the gore - it's solid fun. Capital punishment indeed. [PSM2]

Solid and reliable - good qualities in a dog, but we hope for more originality in a game. [PSM2]

Not actually bad but you won't get lost in it either. For top-down, classic GTA, the original games are more fun to play on a TV. [GamesMaster]

If you're looking for groundbreaking gameplay and a thrilling story, then you'll be disappointed. Justice League Heroes is a pretty standard action-RPG that's neither offensive nor alluring.

The sporadic and rote boss battles don't ooze as much personality - sitting back and shooting rocks at eyes on stalks as they open isn't exactly epic - and none of the grunt henchman, from reptiles to rhinoceros beetles, provide any combat challenge against Scrat's surprisingly powerful kicks and frantic tail-smacks.

It proves just as addictive as it is on DS, and should be checked out by anyone who's yet to invest in the dual-screen handheld. [NGC Pocket]

We've made up better games involving elastic bands and office chairs. A treat for Quidditch lovers but proper sports fans'd be better off with basketball. [NGC]

A perfectly competent game, but it falls notably short of the original brilliance. [PSM2]

It's a big old adventure which provides hours of escapist blasting. It's packed to the horns with beautifully realised creatures and it's good fun, too. Just don't expect the next "Halo." [XGamer]

If technical difficulties like a choppy framerate and a maddening enemy targeting system didn't get in the way, this would be one of the year's best games. As it stands, however, it's a darn good one.

It's not terrible, by any means. It's just that, considering the degree of expectation surrounding it and the power of Xbox itself (Halo, anyone?), it should - and could - have offered so much more. [GamesMaster]

The gameplay is engaging, and you can withstand the (s)loading times if the rewards come at the end of them. Its biggest drawback then is its shortness.

It's got less appeal second time around and, while it's unique, as a game it isn't much fun. [GamesMaster]

It's only £20 and if you're an anime or a shoot-'em'up fan then it'll have instant appeal. Otherwise it's too short and simple. Fun in short bursts. [PSM2]

The single-player campaign doesn't cover much new ground but the multiplayer takes no prisoners. [GamesMaster]

It handles something like a granny on roller skates and its graphics are distinctly vague and blocky: surely disappointing for a latter day PlayStation game.

Chaos isn't quite as deep as the Dreamcast's "Powerstone," but outdoes it for raw fun and as a multiplayer game it's tough to beat. [GamesMaster]

Why did Namco have to mess with the tried-and-tested formula? Subdued and, frankly, disappointing. [GamesMaster]

Guilty Gear's opponent AI isn't so much bad as utterly non-existent. [Edge]

This is as close as you'll come to a sense of believable espionage this side of MGS2.

An underwhelming conversion can't quite obscure its brilliance. [XGamer]

The ineffable sense of charm, the hypnotically addictive gameplay, and the sheer cartoon histrionics on offer offset any minor niggles. [Edge]

It doesn't always make sense, but it's so big, daft and loud that you can't help but join in with all the shouting. [PSM2]

A genuinely good third-year romp for Harry. Accomplished and absorbing, it's not quite magical but it's certainly no muggle either. [GamesMaster]

Thanks god Vicarious Visions delivered the delectable Spider-Man 2 on PS2 before this soulless dross. Treat this like an eight-legged creature on your wall and squash it flat. [PSM2]

An entertaining day, and a day in which you'll learn the full story of The Hobbit. But still, just a day. It needed to be much longer, and much far more difficult. [Advance]

Even with its limitations, Wayfarer of Time is consistently engaging throughout its lengthy gameplay.

An old-fashioned frantic high concept videogame that, like Wetrix, takes the baton offered by Tetris and runs with it in a weird new direction. [NGC]

This is the simplest Tony Hawk to date.

A genuinely good third-year romp for Harry. Accomplished and absorbing, it's not quite magical but it's certainly no muggle either. [GamesMaster]

What Commandos 2 does, and does exceptionally well, is push itself far enough away from dry tactical planning and into the world of quick-fire gameplay and addictive puzzling. [Playstation Max]

Best tennis game on the PC. [PC Format]

A faithful conversion of the enjoyable arcade original, but a game with no longevity whatsoever.

It's virtually identical to the mono-screened GBA version and, given that the SP is a significantly smaller and cheaper machine, The Urbz' DS incarnation is all but redundant. [NGC Pocket]

Batman Begins feels more like work than fun. Look at Spider-Man 2 to see how superhero games should be done. [NGC]

Unfortunately, it's obvious that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was developed as a glimmering next-gen title and subsequently shoe-horned into the power-challenged Xbox. The result is simply too much for the Xbox to handle. It feels stripped down and lacking in too many crucial areas.

Something we were actually outraged by was the fact that that in two-player mode there are no AI cars at all.

It looks pretty and the controls work well, but overall MediEvil lacks in excitement and is slow to get good. You'd only buy because there aren't any other decent action adventures around yet. [GamesMaster]

If Rumble Roses didn't feature near-naked girls, this just wouldn't have a point at all. OK, the fighting has a sense of power and speed about it, but it's lacking in diversity and is no more than a shameless display of jiggling polygons. [PSM2]

As a game, MLB 2K6 feels more than competent, but it fails to excel. Much like last year's Cubs, it has its shining moments, but in the end you're left with the distinct feeling that it could have been so much more.