You're welcome to nod knowingly, and call Kessen a tremendous game, a work of art; it is. But think very, very carefully before actually buying it.

Fun for a while but lacks the madcap pace of previous incarnations. Why change it so much for consoles? [Xbox World 360]

A confident, playable, arcade shooter that almost does justice to a fantastic licence. Too short and fiddly to be a classic. [GamesMaster]

Equal parts kooky characters, clever game design and addictive battery recharging, Chibi-robo satisfies that part of all gamers that simply wants a decent challenge, no matter what kind of cute wrapping it wears.

Plays a great game of basketball and is entirely entertaining. The only problems are the loss of a few moves from the PS2 version and a lack of extra game modes. [PSM2]

Being part of a battle on such massive scale has never been as convincingly portrayed before.

It's truly everybody's game - if you can swing a stick, you can play this (even if you're a lefty). It's perfect for parties, or for players willing to trade next-gen graphics and fancy options for the chance to swing a club instead of button mashing.

And the world is huge. If it was more packed with opportunities for us to use those tools and stunts, this could have been a GTA-killer.

It's so simple. Like most block puzzlers out there, your task is to match the colours into rows of three or four. But despite its rudimentary aim, it's ludicrously addictive. [NGC Pocket]

Lost man-hours this week are a solid testament to this game's gripping compulsiveness. It's one of the most addictive PS2 games yet produced. Strange, but true.

What Spartan lacks in depth is made good by some top-drawer visuals and satisfying combat. A corking console debut for Creative Assembly. [PSM2]

Handsome in motion but PSP's D-pad stops it being more than a pretty face. [GamesMaster]

NFSUR's down 'n' dirty street racing complements "Ridge Racer's" arcadey day-glo driving perfectly. [GamesMaster]

Easier on the eye than "Virtua Tennis 2," but lacks the diving ability of that game. Otherwise it's perfectly balanced and offers all the tension of the real sport. [PSM2]

You're getting the same far-reaching anime fighter that impressed us six months ago, now loaded with sprinkles of new content and a pretty hot multiplayer mode. If only the presentation was up to par with the fighting (enough with the talking heads), we'd be looking at a complete package.

We are, already, looking forward to next year's version, which hopefully will be that much better.

No actual treasure, unlike its Defender/Robotron-packing predecessor, but you get a few near-classics for 20 quid. [GamesMaster]

A game whose characters and storylines are far more engaging and confrontational than any number of big-balled third-person grit-'em-ups, presenting subjects like domestic abuse, politics and grisly execution without getting bogged down in them.

Superior visuals and enjoyable user-friendly combat make this one of the best adventure games on PS2. Onimusha fans will love it for sure. [PSM2]

We've had our problems with an aiming system continually hampered by a camera that doesn't give you a free look...it's enough - along with the bleached-clean looks and cramped levels - to knock this out of the realms of "Devil May Cry." [PSM2 Magazine]

It's the most manic cartoon fun that you can have on your PC right now, and in a world full of ever bloodier FPSs and beardier strategy games, that's a breath of fresh air we should all be grateful for. [PC Gamer UK]