Full Spectrum Warrior's heritage as a US Army training tool is all too evident. Pandemic nearly forgot they needed to make a game too, and as a result FSW is too realistic, too automated - and not enough fun. [PC Gamer UK]

A beautiful and intense RPG, mixing turn-based strategy with graphics that, although pre-rendered, are mind blowing in terms of crispness, colour and detail. [GamesMaster]

Put simply, this is the best 2D beat-em-up that we've played on any format so if you're a fan of the genre and choose to veer away from stunning 3D fighters like "Soul Calibur," this is the game for you.

Still the top wrestling game you can buy but it's not without its faults. The series is becoming dated. Here's hoping for a major make-over next year. [PSM2]

This is a brave, slow-paced WWII shooter with tons of character and verve. Valve will update it with more content, and when they do DoD will be worth another 5%. Until then... [PC Gamer UK]

But if it's so splendid, what's wrong with it? The main problem is that V:TBM is completely ridden with bugs. From minor things (graphic glitches) to mid-range stuff (regular frame-rate problems) to absolutely shocking ones (bugs that stops your progress, crash-bugs), it's infested. [GamesMaster]

A remarkable online experience but it suffers as a single-player game. Get broadband in and you'll be laughing. [GamesMaster]

Ace, and yet strangely subdued. We still reckon the series peaked with "Tricky." [GamesMaster]

A great idea done just about well enough to warrant a close look, but with slightly over-complex controls for what it does. Top fun, though. [GamesMaster]

Bigger and, in many ways, better than previous GPs, but the lack of real depth may leave enthusiasts reaching for the (Riding) spirits. [PSM2]

Not without its flaws but this is the best super-hero game we've seen and is unlikely to be matched for some time. [NGC]

If the players had some personality to go with their looks, this could have been the best FIFA yet. [NGC]

A balls-out, seat-of-your-pants ride that shows the lesser known motor sport of rallying in all its rugged glory. At the very least, the most brutal racer on PS2 yet. [PSM2 Magazine]

While solving these puzzles is great fun, the crane work gets a bit repetitive and it's not the seamless platform adventure we'd hoped for.

One of the most refreshingly racing games in a long time and the clear, concise, interfaces and controls make it a delight to spend time with - especially if you're playing alongside some mates in the split-screen mode. It's awesome stuff. [Xbox Gamer]

Hardly the deepest but certainly the coolest game of its type. [NGC]

Xbox Live carnage on a profound scale - this is easily the best multiplayer game on the system since Bungie's opus. [Xbox World 360]

A stunning visual banquet, masterfully blending all the necessary ingredients for a cracking fantasy RPG. We're not likely to see many better PS2 titles this year.

Compared to the all-powerful "SmackDown!" it gets pummelled into the canvas in terms of variety of moves and subtlety. (Relatively speaking, or course. Neither are exactly delicate games). [GamesMaster]

Imagine taking a swig from a can of beer, only to find that, not only is it flat and warm, but some git's been using it as an ashtray. Prepare to experience Vanishing Point.

While Empire Earth II may not have the sense of character that a more era-focused RTS brings to the party, it scores big for its naked ambition. If you've got the staying power, it will reward you with months of sabre-rattling goodness. [PC Gamer UK]

Sadly, the result is more Benny Hill than Silent Hill, there's no claustrophobia or tension, it's just hack-shoot-hackshoot- sod-this-where's-Halo. [XGamer]

It's something different, a fighter that refuses to succumb to more worldly pretentions, but one that feels so right. [Xbox World]

It is just a pity that, ultimately, the missions become all too similar.

This is not quite a classic RTS, but a brave attempt by Westwood to consolidate their strategy finesse - and it's in 3D, to boot.

None of its core ideas, good though some are, are really explored well enough. The linear levels offer little in the way of exploration, and the Geo-Mod technology doesn't add anything especially worthwhile to the game. [NGC]

If there's a nit to pick with Gun, it's that it's short. Depending on how much you poke around, you can beat it in anywhere from six to ten hours. To us, that's no problem; we'll take a short amazing game over a long lackluster one any day.

If you loved them the first time, and want to savour the ghosts of RPGs past, then this is for you. Everyone else will probably give up after the first half hour. [NGC]