On the whole we admire what NFSU2 has brought to the table in terms of customisations and we’re even swayed by the glitzy graphics and excellent audio. It’s just a shame that the racing isn’t quite as exciting.

It's certainly not the game to convert anyone from one camp to the other. It delivers a new story, new features and kick-ass multiplayer functionality, but still has exactly the same gameplay as we've all seen before.

As a game Everquest II improves on many aspects of the original, boasting some of the most detailed graphics in any game to date, a feature rich community toolset, a very well thought out crafting system, meaningful character choices, highly interactive combat and a lot more besides.

After a while it’ll begin feeling like you’re playing the game in auto pilot, but that won’t last long because, well, the game doesn’t last all that long.

Sometimes it’s too complex and sometimes it leaves you feeling hopelessly powerless over certain situations, but these facts are more of an inconvenience and don’t significantly affect your chances of success.

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault isn’t a revelation that puts new life back into WW2-based first person shooters. It is, however, a revelation for the series, pushing the adrenaline-fuelled action away to make for a much grittier, involving and entertaining experience.

All of the mechanics for a great game are there, yet the more intangible aspects of great game making seem to have been overlooked entirely.

Despite there being only one major change to the game, and a couple of slightly smaller ones, Ratchet & Clank 3 is still an improvement and genuinely one of the best platforming games on PS2.

Sega Superstars’ many minigames may be of a decidedly variable quality, but those that are decent easily make up for the duds. All the Sega hallmarks are there, from the robust and colourful graphics to the faithful and sometimes nostalgia-inducing soundtrack.

As it stands though, Killzone isn’t a triple-A title. It is, on the other hand, a sporadically entertaining and perfectly adequate FPS which any PS2-owning fan of the genre will probably enjoy.

If you take it at face value and realise that it is a simple game that provides an element of fun especially in 2-player mode you wont be disappointed.

It’s not an awful game by any scale, but it is tepid and flawed in its execution.

On the one hand it’s a fantastic game, and on the other, so was Here Comes the Pain, which has a good deal of what SvR does and some things that it doesn’t.

Longevity issues aside, Duel Masters is still one of those games that are great to play if you only have 10 or 20 minutes spare at a time.

Considering the sparse amount of survival horror titles on the Xbox, it's no surprise that Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly – Director's Cut drags itself to the top of the pile with ease.

The Incredibles will still be an adequate Christmas present to go with the branded action figures, books and random merchandise that children will be finding under their vastly over-decorated artificial trees, even if marginally more effort goes into making a Happy Meal.

But don’t forget we’re gamers, and you can be sure that if we get on two knees and kiss some ass, it’s not because we’re paid to, it’s because we’ve just played the kind of game that reminds us why we’re doing this in the first place.

Don’t be fooled by the bright, cartoony exterior – RCT3 offers a detailed and sometimes complex package.

So. It's GTA. On the GBA. But… it's just not GTA. Not really. Like Max Payne Advance before it, what you're getting is a watered-down experience, but still the closest thing you're going to get on the handheld (if that counts as a plus-point).

Dead or Alive 3 is the better game overall, but for fans of nostalgia and those desperate to beat each other up over Xbox Live, Dead or Alive Ultimate is as good as it's going to get right now.

No matter how many bad songs there are, no matter how many planes you’ll never pilot or how much you want there to be multiplayer, Ace Combat: Squadron Leader is still a fantastic game.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a hit and miss affair. That’s just the internet for you.

To be fair, the game is aimed at kids and it’s by no means poor – the fact that it’s available for less than twenty quid doesn’t exactly hurt either.

To be fair, the game is aimed at kids and it's by no means poor – the fact that it's available for less than twenty quid doesn't exactly hurt either.

As far as it goes, Men of Valor hasn't really exceeded expectations, but nor has it failed to live up to them, assuming your expectations were a Medal of Honor clone set in Vietnam.

Whether or not the single player was necessary (it certainly wasn’t unwelcome), T:V is definitely a highly enjoyable multiplayer experience.

As great as it is to be sliding down a banister firing off both guns before holding out your blades to slice into two anyone unlucky enough to be standing near the bottom as you pass, the sloppy controls and quirks in the design do prevent BR2 from being anything more than a reasonably-decent third-person action-slasher.

As great as it is to be sliding down a banister firing off both guns before holding out your blades to slice into two anyone unlucky enough to be standing near the bottom as you pass, the sloppy controls and quirks in the design do prevent BR2 from being anything more than a reasonably-decent third-person action-slasher.