A charming game, as you’d expect from Natsume but one that won’t attract anyone new to such a bizarrely implemented concept.

If you want a game to be realistic but not so real you need an MOT, buy this game. If you feel that games should offer boundless enjoyment and make you smile like a ten year old at Christmas, buy this game.

A must have for fans of the series, or lovers of mechs, but a definite avoid for pirates, and people with two fingers.

How such a raft of glitches and mistakes and bugs got through the test phase (perhaps the testing team was a group of trained gorillas?) defies reason.

The main downfall comes with the closing areas of the game; they seem rushed and are indicative of the sale of Rare to Microsoft, but don't let that prevent you from thoroughly enjoying one of the best videogames of this year.

Very little has changed since when it first graced home consoles on the Super Nintendo and that is no bad thing.

The camera system is utterly dreadful. If you can handle the camera and enjoyed the Terminator movies then Dawn of Fate will entertain you.

Composer Yoko Shimomura (his first Square title since Legend of Mana) creates a very impressive score that alternates between filling you with excitement as you start your next battle to pulling at the heartstrings when some of the game’s more poignant scenes are onscreen.

Harmless fun, highly addictive and somehow appeals greatly to both the post-Pokemon generation and grizzled hardcore gamers like myself equally.

Nothing more than an aggressive version of dodge ball, which does contain some initial attraction that unfortunately, quickly, wanes.

Given the importance of the flamethrower, the fire effects are splendid and are consistent with excellent lighting throughout.

Not the most in-depth or daunting example of the genre, however the accessibility of the game and enjoyment with a friend should endeavour its charms to more than a select few.

Although, I wish I couldn’t go “ooh”. I wish I went “Bloody hell! Everything’s a God Damn blur!” instead.

A fun release, but nothing more than a brief distraction or quick session with little longer-term appeal.

A game that manages to deliver an online experience which completely overwhelms the single-player mode.

It features playability by the bucket full, a superb main character and some of the most amazing graphical effects seen on any next generation system so far. It pulls you towards it like a moth to a flame and just like a doomed insect you can do nothing but succumb to it.

The levels are so much more diverse, so much more rich, solid, 3 dimensional even, than in the first - the levels just move so much more.

Achieving high scores becomes incredibly addict[ive] and is a great alternative to standing placidly at a bus stop, while you await the no 37.

Strictly a single player event and with no additional modes outside that of the repeating chapters or limited mini games there is no reason to return.

There's nothing wrong with the video game as such, the sound and presentation are both exemplary and the graphics are crisp, but as the sport is inherently complicated it doesn't go out of it's way to make new friends.

The blend of presentation, visuals, sound, animation and commentary combines to create a believable and hugely enjoyable experience.

Excels in a superb multiplayer mode that will keep your friends glued (or gawking at the screen).

But the Defence phases and the length of a match (count a good 40 minutes with all the tactics selection screens) prove to be a bit tedious and repetitive and will demand perseverance from the player.

A shoddy piece of license work with flashes of potential (which the film has in bundles) but too much is gaming by numbers, and overall it leaves you cold.

The large levels are deceptive, as these do not provide freedom to explore. Even the much-maligned "Wild Metal" managed to offer some degree of exploration, and atmosphere.

Regardless of innovation, if you are looking for an adventure with plenty of action, this is a worthwhile candidate.

Voice acting throughout is superb, and again really gives the whole game an impressive cinematic feel.

It makes you laugh and frustrates in equal measure and that is surely the games main problem, for every yin it has a yang and never reaches the sum of its parts.