Despite slightly tweaked controls and a few other improvements over "06," it's still the same - for ice hockey fans only. [Nov 2006, p.70]

As good as we were expecting and hoping, it delivers on its promise to make an 'always on' Xbox Live race world, plus the car handling, sheer size of its island and the way you're left to make your own fun in your own way makes it a breath of pine-scented air in this world full of bland race games. [Oct 2006, p.108]

Aged, dated, decrepit and repetitive! [Nov 2006, p.107]

Perhaps the most likeable cult oddity on XBox 360. [Oct 2006, p.98]

Deals a very poor hand. [Aug 2007, p.84]

An amazingly limited game - so basic that you can't quite believe it's not free on Xbox Live Arcade. [Nov 2006, p.102]

Solid - but lacks the intelligence of "GTA"... Without a doubt, Saints Row's biggest contribution to the genre is multiplayer. This also happens to be the most fun part of the game. [Sept 2006, p.8]

With Xbox Live play, leagues and mini-games you're never going to be bored - unless you just don't like American football. [Nov 2006, p.100]

The big word this year is 'depth', and with 217 new and classic teams (yes, we counted), tons of new gameplay features and both an in-depth Franchise Mode and an all-new Superstar Mode, there's plenty here to keep fans happy until 08 inevitably rears its helmet-wearing head. [Oct 2006, p.74]

Beautiful graphics do not a good game make. [Oct 2006, p.104]

But Despite the artful simplicity of the game we just can't justify paying money for this. Throwback kudos and nostalgia value aside, the game involves too little skill in comparison to the likes of Joust or the aforementioned "Geometry Wars."

The greatest triumph is that it'll make you laugh and go 'wow' for the entire seven hours and then some. [Oct 2006, p.8]

If you've a nostalgic bone in your body that needs breaking, this is the game.

FlatOut 2's a more interesting racer than most, one that's smooth, nice looking and as easy to get into as a really big hole. It's not exactly moved on in any way since the original FlatOut, but if you missed out on that one, or really loved it and want more of almost exactly the same arcade racing insanity, go for it.

The problem that this and indeed any retro shooter has nowadays is Bizarre Creations 2D tour de force, Geometry Wars. Still one of our Xbox Live download favourites, Galaga by comparison is a poor substitute.

A generic shooter at best. [Oct 2006, p.76]

It's nothing we haven't seen done before with more energy and enthusiasm in countless other mech games. [Aug 2006, p.91]

On occasion, what no doubt seemed like a crazy-cool idea down the pub just didn't work well in practice (spirit death-defying in particular) and fun has taken the edge off challenge, but you'd have to be an extremist alien sympathiser not to thoroughly enjoy Prey from the moment it sucks you into its viscera to the moment it squeezes you out again.

Our main gripe with BMEII? The battles aren't big enough. Though the unit sizes have been increased from the previous PC version, they're still pitifully small. [Aug 2006, p.8]

In spite of its unspectacular style and its translation-glitch quirks, Over G is a little weird, but lots of fun. [Aug 2006, p.92]

A no-nonsense shooter that combines brutal violence and utter pandemonium with clever and varied mission objectives. [May 2006, p.74]

If you're a fan of the series then that will either be enough for you or it won't. We suspect that it will, because stability is as important as progress in those sports updates that already lead their field, and hey, the addition of some serious next-gen sense-candy doesn't exactly hurt.

Fine in multiplayer, but endless tricking makes games against Xbox tiresome. It's slow-paced novelty basketball. [Aug 2006, p.66]

So, no major surprises then, and ultimately Cars is a mediocre racing game for anyone over the age of about 13. But taken on its own terms, as a game geared towards pre-teens and fans of the movie, its flaws and shortcomings don't matter one bit and will probably pass young 'uns by quicker than Lightning McQueen himself.

Hitman: Blood Money is a unique and hugely enjoyable experience. Sure, it's violently amoral and the controls aren't fantastic, but what really makes it is a palpable sense of freedom.

A lot of people were disappointed with the last Hitman game. This one's better. Not by much, but it's more user-friendly, has had a slight visual upgrade and the plot and game settings are a big improvement over the lacklustre "Contracts." [June 2006, p.52]

Jaws Unleashed isn't a terrible game, but it's riddled with control, camera, and difficulty issues that take the fun away. [Nov 2006, p.74]

This is solidly built, quality gaming, made by a team that's put a lot of care into adapting the license. [June 2006, p.62]