Snoopy Flying Ace has leapfrogged to the top of the downloadable pile and easily makes the shortlist of the best games on XBLA. Highly recommended.

If you like Splinter Cell: Conviction and want to get stuck into more action without any annoying narrative to get in the way, the Insurgency pack is likely just what you're looking for. Just don't expect quite the level of execution the original is deservedly acclaimed for.

A must buy for any first person shooter fan - if only to learn a bit of history.

If you like puzzlers and fancy playing them on your 360, this is a pretty decent and unique experience.

Blur may not be a top tier title as such, but it certainly is worthy of being in your online arsenal. The game is pure arcade candy.

UFC Undisputed: 2010 might not be as "real as it gets", but this year, it's as close as we are likely to come.

UFC Undisputed: 2010 might not be as “real as it gets”, but this year, it’s as close as we are likely to come.

Being compared to a game as universally loved as LBP sets some pretty high expectations, but I have to say: ModNation Racers effortlessly meets (and sometimes exceeds) them.

Sure, it's a little bit easy / forgiving but there's a lot of challenge in the stuff you unlock once you "finish" it. This is every bit worthy of a place in any discerning Shmup gamer's collection.

Really, there's not much here, and for 500 points I can think of plenty of better examples.

There is enough here to keep you busy for ages, and the game is remarkably imaginative and fun. It was just never going to be as earth shattering as Mario 64 or the first Super Mario Galaxy.

A challenging and genuinely frightening experience...As a survival horror, Alan Wake succeeds admirably, and comes highly recommended. But as a self-proclaimed "psychological action thriller", it falls short of its ambition.

On a personal note, this reviewer has a new favourite of all time: see ya later, Ocarina... we had some good times.... [RDD is] NZGamer.com's first ever, and eminently deserving, ten out of ten. Play it until the credits roll. And then keep on going.

For the most part Split/Second: Velocity hits the mark like a cargo ship through your windscreen. It's extreme fun and effortless to get into, like the best weekend party games should be, but may struggle over the longer term.

For the most part Split/Second: Velocity hits the mark like a cargo ship through your windscreen. It's extreme fun and effortless to get into, like the best weekend party games should be, but may struggle over the longer term.

For the most part Split/Second: Velocity hits the mark like a cargo ship through your windscreen. It’s extreme fun and effortless to get into, like the best weekend party games should be, but may struggle over the longer term.

Just don't expect it to do more than tread water in anyway whatsoever and you won't be disappointed.

ocket Knight is one of the best downloadable games available and Climax, and Konami deserve all the acclaim they are bound to get from it.

It’s a beautiful game to watch, but so insanely frustrating to play single player that you wouldn’t care if the game was hand-drawn by a mermaid riding a gold unicorn. The multiplayer co-op adds a lot more playability but usually multiplayer features like this should add to the solo experience, not justify it.

Aside from the challenges, truly mastering the controls of this game and really exploring the available environments will keep you busy forever.

As it stands, though, you'll need to be really hankering for some old-school gameplay to enjoy 3D Dot Game Heroes. I wasn't able to manage it, but I suspect there are quite a few of you out there who would actually enjoy this game from start to finish. You know who you are.

If you're a fan of the original, snap it up but otherwise consider what else you might buy with your $15 before you decide on this.

If you're looking for something with an edge that's able to say "look at me, I'm different" and pull it off, look no further. Zeno clash is a winner and comes with a shiny NZGamer.com recommendation.

As part of the PSN mini series of games, and for just $8.45, Car Jack Streets is good value for those looking for a console copy of the original GTA game, packed with plenty of urban mayhem and with a real time twist.

Compared with other high profile RPGs and Square Enix's own recent big budget release, the inventiveness of NIER is well ahead. However, the graphics and the bad choices keep it well out of their league.

This is the very best fighting game ever made, literally bursting with content and even more hinted to be on the way through DLC. You cannot pass this up and still claim to be a fighting game fan.

All these tweaks and changes are nice, but it’s the new modes that provide most of the value here.

After Burner's high-energy action, combined with next generation visuals and arcade pricing combines for a stellar package.

It feels a lot like a 99c iPhone game from a year ago (you'd expect more variety from a 99c iPhone game today), making it disappointingly low value at PSN prices. It does what it does well enough, but it's super niche and probably of interest to relatively few.

Overall, despite the issues with clipping and load screens, Monster Hunter Tri shows off what the Wii is capable of visually. And when it comes to online play, this is the best for the system.

All of the narrative and story-driven dialogue is beautifully pitched throughout, making the plot meld seamlessly with the gameplay.

Hopefully this proves to be a massive success because with this solid a framework to build on, a sequel could be more addictive than crack!

As the plodding narrative progresses, these repetitive fighting and stealth tasks grow quickly tedious.

If you've still got a 14" monitor or are looking for something to play on your GeForce 2 equipped monster of a PC (this would probably work well on a netbook), Din's Curse is a pretty addictive way to flit away the winter hours.

As the plodding narrative progresses, these repetitive fighting and stealth tasks grow quickly tedious.

As the plodding narrative progresses, these repetitive fighting and stealth tasks grow quickly tedious.

Disappointingly, there's not a hell of a lot you can do with a completed game, aside from play it yourself.

If you're at all into shooters and like the idea of something bitesize you can consume whenever you feel the need, there's just no reason to leave this on the shelf.

Despite being a few early hiccups and almost being put off by the controls, I pushed through like a good reviewer. And the game did start to charm me.

Although it's not an original game, Just Cause 2 takes standard ideas and pushes them to the extreme. While it might be lacking in originality and flair, there is no doubt that it's fun and at times thrilling, in a violent and destructive kind of way.

Red Steel 2 has a fantastic control system, finally delivering on the promises made by the original, and the Samurai and cowboy sensibilities make for an interesting mashup and a fun premise.

This might be one title that is best left in the past, where rose tinted glasses and time itself can protect it from the games that it no doubt inspired. Those which have long since (and far) surpassed it.

This game feels like a shadow of its predecessors and is only saved by the phenomenal impetus this series already has.

If post-nuclear apocalyptic thrillers are your thing, then Metro 2033 should be on your “must buy” list.

But if you're looking for a narrative driven experience that is going to shock, scare, perplex and amaze you, then Metro 2033 might just be your next stop on the line.

God of War III is polished from (severed) head to (bloodied) toe, and is an enjoyable, ridiculous experience perfect for the moments where you just want to switch your brain off.

Shatter is a solid little number, with loads of features to guarantee replayability, and the sort of manic speediness that you would naturally expect from a game where you smash things into little bits for fun.

Pokemon games are getting deeper, more complex and ever more exciting with each iteration. The only thing to do is keep catching em all. It would be rude not to.

Final Fantasy XIII is a fantastical foray into a magical imagination. Ably supported by gorgeous visuals, the gameplay ramps up at a rate than can only be described as perfection as you fall in love with the characters in your party and the environment in which they adventure. It's not perfect in every way but the imperfections that are to be found are like dust on a diamond - there, certainly, but utterly irrelevant.

Yakuza 3 has more depth to it than the Titanic and although this strange combination of gameplay elements might deter a lot gamers, you just can't help but admire it at the same time.

An essential purchase for any Tower Defense fan or anyone who just likes good games. It has that "Crimson Skies" feel, eloquently executing a combination of presentation and gameplay that outweighs the sum of its parts.

If you're a fan of military shooters like Modern Warfare, and/or are looking for an extremely solid multiplayer game, look no further.

Diehard fans of the franchise are going to be disappointed with the way that Gas Powered Games has dumbed down the game mechanic. But while this results in a game that is in many respects a shell of its former self, it’s still a fun and exciting title that has a compelling narrative and solid game play.

Watching a robbery go down with detached movie-convention-predictability and suddenly realising you have to intervene can freeze you up like Paul Henry spotting a mustache on a lady. It adds the third dimension that makes this game a game. In any case, it's an entertaining variation on screaming, "Don't go in there!" at a flickering screen in the dark.

The cannon may be the final argument of kings. But the Total War series is undoubtedly the king of the real time strategy genre - and Napoleon: Total War could very well be Creative Assembly’s crowning jewel.

Of course, it’s more fun in multiplayer.

I'd say it was a pleasant experience, but forgettable.

If you consider Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels to be the pinnacle of platforming and want something with that level of difficulty combined with similarly challenging puzzles to solve, this is the perfect game for you. It looks great and is as hard as hell - that alone should tell you whether or not you should buy it.

Socom is a solid package; it looks good, has loads of options with a detailed single player and extensive multiplayer. It moves at a good speed, never gets boring, has boatloads of content and the core gameplay is not just well executed it's also a hell of a lot of fun to play as well.

It’s definitely worth a rent, but it has limited re-playability and its multiplayer value is only going to last as long as its community.

BioShock 2 is a game developed for all those square-eyed shooter fiends who wanted to explore the ocean floor, shoot-em-up with others online, and never play one of those annoying pipe-puzzlers again so long as they lived.

On the whole, the game has enough extras to keep it from being too dull - puzzle levels for example - but apart from some of the boss battles the combat as a whole is a little underwhelming and a bit same-same, even on the higher (punishing) difficulty levels.

It's fun to play, looks great, has plenty of content, only costs 400 points and that money goes to charity - if you're at all interested in Lumines, Tetris, electronica or having a good time, it would be churlish not to plunk down the cash.

Although it's easy to lose track of what's happening aurally in any game with an action element, the music in White Knight is consistently brilliant.

The highlight of the pack, however, has to be the 10th Anniversary ‘gifts’ that also come in the stuff pack: three favourites from previous Sims titles. Yes, the vibromatic bed is finally back, as is the large (now stockable) aquarium, and an awesome electric guitar.

Not something we can recommend - to anyone. Obviously built on a too-small budget or by a B-team, it's slow and unrewarding to play. The graphics are ugly and nothing from the puzzling itself through to the meta RPG or even the narrative have anything significantly valuable enough to suggest tolerating any other part of it to experience.

Basically this is Mass Effect but with the next chapter of the epic story and every gameplay mechanic refined or tuned in one way or another.

Bioware has produced an RPG hybrid that gels really well with its setting and series. Hardcore fans of Mass Effect or even the RPG genre will not be disappointed.

It’s in these areas that MAG succeeds in what it set out to do – delivering some epic, heart-pounding and bullet-ridden multiplayer action.

Twin stick shooters are normally awesome - this one isn't. Avoid it unless you like extremely hard games or pretending things are good to just to annoy people.

It's nothing new, kinda hard and far from the prettiest game in the room.

Fun to be had, but ultimately disappointing.

Ultimately if you're into tower defense games and have a hankering to play one on your DSi, this is a no-brainer.

There is little doubt that The 40th Day packs in a barrel load of action and is an ideal way to bond with a male friend over a couple of beers and some beef jerky.

A mixed bag.

Yes, it's pretty rough around the edges and yes, it can be frustrating to interface with. What it is, however, is a very good story with an engaging combat engine, lots of content and a good bias towards action.

If you can get through the first few hours, you'll probably finish it and look back on it with mixed (but mostly pleasant) emotions.

The combat is sublime (even the dodging is fun), the environments are bizzarre and the action incredibly intense. Bosses are spectacular, many and varied and there's lots of it to go around.

Yes, it's pretty rough around the edges and yes, it can be frustrating to interface with. What it is, however, is a very good story with an engaging combat engine, lots of content and a good bias towards action.

I can't help but feel that perhaps this game should have been left as downloadable track packs for Van Halen fans and not a full-fledged release with a high price-tag.

All in all, it works pretty well - it looks nice, is fun to play and has an awesome "Crusader: No Remorse" kind of feel to it, something no game in recent memory has managed.

In the end this latest little offering from developer Q-Games (little in terms of file size - good, and story length - not so good) probably should have been called PixelJunk Puzzler. But, it has a great control system, enough enemies to shoot, and the concept of mixing the lava and water, ice and gas is inventive and fresh.

While the hand-to-hand battle mechanics are a bit spongy - the targeting system especially so - the gun fights are a joy to control.

If you like survival horror games and you have a Wii, buy this immediately. Buy a second copy in case the first one wears out. If you don't have a Wii, hire one to play this. It's that good. Just don't play it alone - it's that good.

A list of each small nuance would make for a pretty boring review, so as superficial as it is we've given away as little of the story and the temple-to-temple action as possible. Much of the joy is discovering it all for yourself.

The third-person madness was a nice change from the typical FPS experience but many seasoned gamers will probably find the simplified gameplay mechanics a bit too tame for their liking.

While it hasn’t lit my world on fire, Reflex is solid fun.

Gravity Crash is an old fashioned two dimensional fight against inertia. While there are a few things that bring it into the 21st century such as the bright neon colour palette, the online/multiplayer components and the build-a-level editor, it’s a simple game (simple in a good way) that is engaging, interesting and hard. Just like games in the olden days.

It makes good sense as a PC downloadable, where the interface and audience align, but here? Not so much.

A true successor to the Puzzle Quest throne and the new puzzle game RPG champion.

The sequel possesses hours of extra activities, a more complicated plot and still manages to maintain a great gameplay engine while adding some much appreciated tweaks to expand the controls slightly.

One can only hope that Tony Hawk: Ride marks the end of these pointless bits of plastic, and not the end of the series itself, which surely calls for a more sophisticated makeover.

I am going to have to point out that the guts of the action is really quite basic: see zombie, kill zombie. But this game was always meant to be more of the "see zombie, make pithy remark to friend via Xbox live, kill zombie" type.

If you haven't played the first Lego Indy, this may still be a worthwhile purchase, but even then it's hard to recommend when you can't simply play through all of the original film's levels. Give this one a rent and see how you like it.

If you can deal with the fact that you can't play it with your friends, there's no reason to hesitate.

The PC version mirrors all of the good stuff and can be confidently defined as a title that is going to be hours of fun to PC gamers the world over.

World Adventures brings an intriguing addition to the Sims game mechanic, some beautiful new locations and tons of great new material.

All I'm saying is that is does kind of feel a bit like Nintendo are resting on their laurels. All the effort has gone into developing a classic Super Mario Bros. game on a new system, with new controls and new visuals. It can't help but be good because it's SMB.