The problems are even more compounded because, on the 360, this is supposedly a next generation game, it simply isn’t. Even Superman will struggle to save this disjointed effort from the bargain bin and only hardened collectors should seek out this disaster.

The Co-op play, the online multiplayer and everything associated with the single player campaign is more than worth the asking price.

The biggest disappointment for the Wii version of Call of Duty 3 is the complete lack of any form of multiplayer.

If there's one core flaw to Resistance, it's that it just doesn't look like a PlayStation 3 game. Sure, the levels are massive and sprawling, and the architecture boasts some admirable detail from a distance, it really is what we were seeing on Call of Duty 2.

After countless releases Rayman has finally got a foothold in our hearts. It might become largely forgotten once we finally get our teeth into "Wario Ware: Smooth Moves" but for now it’s the party game of choice only slightly bettered by "Wii Sports" and "Super Monkey Ball" for sheer enjoyment on the Wii.

Anyone with even a passing interest in rhythm action titles who missed out on PS2 original simply owes it to themselves to pick up one of the finest games the genre has ever produced.

Only the Nintendo Wii could pull off a game like this with such style and grace.

All in all I’d have to say avoid. The camera is a real let down.

EA will have their work cut out to even approach what Take2 have got here, if you want a hockey game and have the Xbox 360, there is no real choice, you just have to get 2K7.

In terms or sheer gameplay and polish we think the crown this year firmly belongs to NBA2K7.

Gears of War cuts straight to the chase and its innovative controls are so intuitive that you’re fighting at full speed before you even realize it.

Elite Beat Agents is wonderfully original in its own right and features some of the best presented and lavish comic strip animations seen in some time.

Don’t get us wrong it’s still highly playable but it’s not vastly different enough to warrant another purchase if you already own Most Wanted.

Developers SuperVillain has taken the educated decision to make the series more accessible to the PSP, and while they may make a few enemies along the way, the real winners are the ones that give the title the chance it deserves.

Not much has changed for the third Guild Wars release but that’s not necessarily a bad thing either – especially when you look into some of the less talked about refinements.

One of the most enjoyable co-operative games the 360 has seen. Marvel fans should rejoice, this is probably the finest game to use the franchise to date.

Put simply JetPac is a classic, and JetPac Refuelled is a wonderful testament to the 1983 game.

The best Arcade game currently [10/19/06] available for download. It’s still good value; even if it’s one of the highest priced Xbox Live arcade out there, and with the additional content planned, it’ll be a while before you drain all the enjoyment out of this one.

Refreshing, fun and addictive.

Anyone who has a fond memory of the original classic from Microprose will instantly fall in love with the game. Sid Meier’s decision to go back to basics after the over complicated Railroad Tycoon 3 has paid off.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon is the box-set of the Mortal Kombat series and just about every character ever digitalized for the series is available to use and of course abuse.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon is the box-set of the Mortal Kombat series and just about every character ever digitalized for the series is available to use and of course abuse.

Star Trek Encounters isn’t really worthy of it’s license. It seems to be stuck together by black holes instead of a plot, which would’ve so easily have been afforded with all of the various Treks at their disposal.

The looks, story line and huge amount of missions and freedom that gave this game so much potential are greatly let down because of the glitches, bugs and terrible AI.

Both EA and 2KGames have produced fine simulators but in terms or sheer gameplay and polish we think the crown this year firmly belongs to NBA2K7.

All in all Okami is an important treat for the senses. I urge you to... indulge.

With language fruiter than a Puccini cocktail, The Godfather is definitely not for the kids. The game will shock, however it should entertain, and if you don’t take it too seriously it’ll probably end up being one of the better releases this year.

Kingdom of Fighters was an interesting experiment but its impact, I’m sorry to say, will be less than to the maximum.

A nice job in bringing a little real history to the hack ‘n slash genre, but far too much of the same kind of thing in every character and every battle.

The learning curve in this title may put some people off, certainly later in the missions, but there is enough to make the game enjoyable to green strategists while the veterans will find these same late missions give them something to think about.

The Co-Op mode alone makes this an essential purchase and now with the ability to take vehicles out for a spin and create new characters, Lego Star Wars II is every bit as great as we would have hoped.

The Co-Op mode alone makes this an essential purchase and now with the ability to take vehicles out for a spin and create new characters, Lego Star Wars II is every bit as great as we would have hoped.

Cinemotion allows a better view of the action whilst still showing you the ice surrounding you.

The main factor here is the playability, and bar the aforementioned niggles we came across we can't deny that 'Cooking Mama' uses the Nintendo DS touch screen in every conceivable and more importantly, fun, way.

The Co-Op mode alone makes this an essential purchase and now with the ability to take vehicles out for a spin and create new characters, Lego Star Wars II is every bit as great as we would have hoped.

Nothing even comes close to matching the appeal of Test Drive Unlimited. You’ll be hard pushed to play a more involving, evolving and down right enjoyable racer this year. Eden have pulled out all the stops to make Test Drive Unlimited the most polished and realistic racer the Xbox 360 has seen to date.

If you are a serious player then another slice of deep role-playing may be appropriate, personally I didn’t feel devoid of this in my life (God knows I felt I could still squeeze more out of the original instalment!) enough to need Disagea 2, but then again I do also review a wide-ranging portfolio of games, those who purely RPG are likely to see this as a second coming.

You might hit problems reading text on a standard television but that shouldn’t really spoil the game as even on a normal widescreen the game looks outstanding.

Moving about the map and changing views quickly to cover all your troops during the movement turn isn’t easy and the path-finding ability of some of the units leaves a bit to be desired but on the whole Combat Mission Anthology can be highly recommended to all the armchair generals out there.

It’s Civilization IV, only better. The inclusion of new nations, including the welcome return of the Zulu’s along with a general tweaks for the others adds to the overall strategy of the game.

It’s not too far into the micromanagement side of city construction to make it too difficult to get into and play the game and difficult enough to make the game last.

Storyline aside, visually, aurally and atmospherically the game does a much better job and really starts to push the PSP hardware.

If you loved the Diablo series, get Titan Quest it’s a simple as that. Newcomers really do have the most to gain though; Titan Quest has taken the best of the genre and polished it up for the 21’st century.

The fact of different groups and their interaction adds another dimension to an already neat idea. Budding Mayors will love it.

It could have been done so much better, there are so many little flaws that add up to a missed opportunity for a decent game. The graphics and physics are very good but the faults with it cancel these out.

There are far more offsides than I was used to (negating the through ball), the foul count is horrendous – a whistle every few seconds till you wise up, and passes go astray from even the best of your talent.

The interface could have done with some tweaking, as it’s not immediately obvious what everything does, but aside from that there really isn’t any reason why you should give Factions a run.

Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? is unique, compelling and in the long run, ultimately rewarding. The end result is a game that whilst graphically inept, deserves to be scooping up awards at the end of the year regardless.

What it does have is quality rather than quantity though and the excellent Croft Manor level will add hours of fun to the value.

It might not push the capabilities of the PSP, but it’ll still be ‘that’ game you constantly come back to.

An enjoyable experience, and the animalistic twist on the usual weaponry is a nice idea, but as all of us who shelled out on the new Microsoft console should be asking ‘is the 360 really being stretched by this?’

It’s like the strafe along the fuselage that still allows the pilot to limp home. I think the finger must point at the content rather than the execution.

It’s a space sim, it’s a text based adventure, it’s a 3D shooter, and it’s a trading game. And it comes with the original game as well. A very impressive package with something for everybody.

The game will shock, however it should entertain, and if you don’t take it too seriously it’ll probably end up being one of the better releases this year.

The game will shock, however it should entertain, and if you don’t take it too seriously it’ll probably end up being one of the better releases this year.

The story is very good and the puzzle numerous and that is the point of the game really. We would think it would have a quite select fan base that would really enjoy it but its mass appeal may be limited.

The game will shock, however it should entertain, and if you don't take it too seriously it'll probably end up being one of the better releases this year.

Those prepared to give Kao the love and attention it deservers will find a more than capable adventure waiting inside.

All told this is a quality game, offering very real value in terms of detail, variety and length.

Topical, political, preposterous, dynamic, frustrating and addictive in equal measure.

TOCA 3 is like a brand new game, and the added features make the game even better than TOCA 2. One thing that doesn't look like it is going to go anywhere though, is those cardboard spectators.

Fun and enjoyment wise nothing has touched Galactic Civilization II this year and we’ll be surprised if that stance changes in December. Stardock and Paradox have without doubt created a hugely enjoyable and highly customizable space simulation that deservers every ounce of your attention.

A colossal game from the geniuses that brought us all "Command and Conquer."

So, Dead or Alive 4 has it all: sexy looks, sexy women, sexy sound, sexy gameplay, sexy online play, sexy... you get the picture.

The idea of a Cold War Russian agent infiltrating the ‘enemy’s’ sector could (and should) have been so much more, but the frustration and abundance of small flaws induced by Hammer and Sickle sadly point to another missed opportunity in our books.

For those that haven't it will require some work to get in to the gameplay, but it is worth the work.

If you love the FPS genre then Chrome Specforce is certainly a worthy contender for your time, just do not expect anything vastly different here. Yes, we did enjoy the original, and this prequel is slightly better, however many will justifiably be left disappointed with the lack of progression that Tachland have made in those two years since Chrome.

The simplistic battle mode and lack of micro-management might not tax every single brain cell but when you become successful, nothing quite beats popping into first person mode and walking past the bustling marketplace that you created.

Sure it looks good and sounds great, but not ‘the next generation of gaming’, in fact given the current availability and quality of FPS games I’m not sure in terms of gameplay it’s even this generation.

Sure it looks good and sounds great, but not ‘the next generation of gaming’, in fact given the current availability and quality of FPS games I’m not sure in terms of gameplay it’s even this generation.

It’s repetitive and lacks any kind of real long lasting game play. This is more of a game to play to pass a bit of time.

Sure it looks good and sounds great, but not 'the next generation of gaming', in fact given the current availability and quality of FPS games I'm not sure in terms of gameplay it's even this generation.

If you are sick of the countless WW2 RTS games on the market today you’ll be a fool if you let Earth 2160 pass you by. With four campaigns and an extensive multiplayer mode we can see this one lasting well into the development of "Earth 2170."

This feels rushed.

Magnacarta ticks all the right boxes in terms of typical RPG elements – swords, magic, storyline involving friendship/loyalty/betrayal, and so on, but it seems to throw them all into a big pudding bowl and comes out with a rather stodgy fruitcake instead of the intended appealing sponge.

There are some suitably impressive graphics on offer and the career mode is probably one of the most impressive seen in the series to date.

The magic of the 2D versions have all but been lost in a search for technical accomplishment and it suffers terribly for it.

True Crime: New York City just doesn’t cut the mustard. There are a lot of good basic concepts and ideas that unfortunately lost their way in the development process.

True Crime: New York City just doesn't cut the mustard. There are a lot of good basic concepts and ideas that unfortunately lost their way in the development process.

The magic of the 2D versions have all but been lost in a search for technical accomplishment and it suffers terribly for it.

There are some suitably impressive graphics on offer and the career mode is probably one of the most impressive seen in the series to date.

The magic of the 2D versions have all but been lost in a search for technical accomplishment and it suffers terribly for it.

Kids with better patience than adults will marvel at the great visuals and probably forgive any of the shortcomings we have picked out. For starters it’s immensely frustrating in places and perhaps a little on the short side.

Kids with better patience than adults will marvel at the great visuals and probably forgive any of the shortcomings we have picked out. For starters it’s immensely frustrating in places and perhaps a little on the short side.

The greatest wrestling title so far, on any format. It’s not without its minor flaws, but the graphics are some of the best the PS2 has to offer, the gameplay is there in buckets, the realism is the best yet, and the game is just so damned fun.

Kids with better patience than adults will marvel at the great visuals and probably forgive any of the shortcomings we have picked out. For starters it's immensely frustrating in places and perhaps a little on the short side.

What Lionhead have done is truly given us the real control we have craved for all this time... The Movies is simply dripping with style and substance, and will reward you long until the inevitable expansion packs hit the street.

As solid as it is, this is just not the game for me. I view the title as ideal as an introduction for the novice to a plethora of different poker games prior to that intimidating first live experience.

Fans of the three movies will probably love everything that the Path of Neo throws at them. Essentially it’s just a basic brawler with some pretty linear missions thrown in; but every now and then you cant fail to be impressed with some of the fighting sections you get to play out.

Fans of the three movies will probably love everything that the Path of Neo throws at them. Essentially it’s just a basic brawler with some pretty linear missions thrown in; but every now and then you cant fail to be impressed with some of the fighting sections you get to play out.

The tracks themselves are not performed by the genuine artists but they are so good as to be near as damnit.

Fans of the three movies will probably love everything that the Path of Neo throws at them. Essentially it's just a basic brawler with some pretty linear missions thrown in; but every now and then you cant fail to be impressed with some of the fighting sections you get to play out.

It is rushed, cheap looking, repetitive and gets old fast, and for the price it’s not worth it.

It is rushed, cheap looking, repetitive and gets old fast, and for the price it's not worth it.

A game based on the creation of ingenious and deadly traps sounds like a novel and interesting premise, sadly the execution proves to be the equivalent of being slowly buried alive.

It is very much ‘the game of the book’ and as such has to be played as events in the book dictate.

We weren't particularly bothered that we had to wait while our health/power gauge increased slowly, but what we didn't like was the fact that Spartan couldn't protect himself at all when praying at the statues.

We weren’t particularly bothered that we had to wait while our health/power gauge increased slowly, but what we didn’t like was the fact that Spartan couldn’t protect himself at all when praying at the statues.