This is a decent online shooter with a fairly bland and mildly repetitive single-player component added on.

I always new that it would never live up to expectations but I had hoped for something that would have a bit more character than just being an average shooter with Duke's face and humour plastered over it. Still, I can't bring myself to hate it or bash it vociferously. It could never be anything other than what it has been and actually, that's fine.

A great fighting game that proves the same excellent home console experience can be translated to handhelds. And whilst the 3D aspect is lacking and even compromises the experience at times and the narrative is flawed in delivery and presentation, the fighting is exemplary.

Ultimately, you have to admire Red River for at least attempting something with such a unique sense of character.

A decent package, only let down a little by its lack of ambition.

PES 2011 3D is a great first attempt on the 3DS, with the slick controls carrying over swimmingly. For next year's inevitable release, we're hoping to see some online features, single-cart local play, some stat-tracking and a few extra modes that use the 3D capabilities to their fullest.

There's also the point that you'll need to put the disc in every single time you play, whereas if you grab each game from the Marketplace, it sits on your hard drive and can be booted sans-disc.

As a game to stick into your DS and play from time to time, Mini-Land Mayhem will not disappoint. It really does the basics right - very right in fact. Keen puzzle-goers, though, may feel that if it had the charm of Mario and the simple touch controls stripped away, then the game would be a bit too forgettable.

It doesn't skimp on the imagination or level design, and while it might feel a little patronising to some in terms of constantly telling you what buttons to press, it still offers some very enjoyable fun.

It has issues, sure, but it's an ambitious game with a character all of its own. My only hope is that next time Eden put a little more thought into that tasteless narrative.

GoldenEye doesn't tarnish the original and doesn't try to be a carbon copy either, but it is hindered by problems which were always going to be hard to surmount. If you're panging for a bit of Bond and something to play with friends round, you could do a lot worse than what is a fine revival of a classic.

It's such a shame Blood Stone is so average and lacking impact because it does do some things right.

The truth is that as a result of Splatterhouse design, its real strength is the combat and the humour lose their appeal with repetition. And the platforming sections... well, it's hard to be kind about them. Not without appeal, Splatterhouse is a disappointment.

Accessibility is SingStar Dance's biggest drawback, in fact it's arguable its only one, as it's an otherwise fun and engaging package and at the very least it offers additional songs for SingStar fans.

Shaun White Skateboarding attempts to do something fresh and interesting with the skate genre, but ultimately fails with fudged controls and glacially-paced gameplay.

If there's one thing that pisses me off without exception it's a full-price retail tag slapped shamelessly onto a distinctly half-arsed product. Now there's a quote for the box.

The game still feels a bit light on content at $10, but Sonic fans will still find it a worthy investment.

Medal of Honor certainly has some great elements and ideas but they aren't brought together in the most convincing way. The campaign lacks widespread appeal due to aspects of its realistic setup and narrative, and the multiplayer is too focused to draw a substantial crowd from the established shooters already out there.

Manage to grab it on the cheap though and you may find it becoming something of a guilty pleasure, a game to be popped into the Wii when all you really want to do is disengage your brain and kill thousands of bad guys while mutilating your own fingers in the process.

Playing HAWX 2 is still as accessible and arcade-centric as ever, meaning that it's uncomplicated, if slightly throwaway fun. Settling in for a long session with the game can be interminable stuff though, so we'd recommend tackling HAWX 2 in small sittings.

It delivers a solid gaming experience that will at no point blow you away but will chug along nicely for about ten hours, and so will probably deliver your moneys worth.

As for what was actually made, Transformers: War for Cybertron is a solid but unremarkable effort that occasionally shows glimpses of its true potential. It provides a complete, if a little too short, package of modes and features in a genuinely interesting setting. It just needed a little more spark.

Alpha Protocol isn't a bad game, it just often happens to feel like one when you're playing it. There's a distinct impression that whenever Obsidian rolled up to a design crossroads during development they ended up invariably choosing the wrong path.

We'd get rid of power-ups completely, or at least, implement them so they don't murder the flow of each race.

Ultimately though, Lost Planet 2 leaves a sour taste in the mouth as an immense disappointment, because it really should have been one of the year's biggest blockbuster action titles, yet it sadly falls some way short.

This is a glorious, wonderful world to explore, a painterly land bristling with character and emotion. It pains me that I can't recommend it wholeheartedly.

It's a gigantic, beautiful game, but it's one that irreparably hurts itself with an unforgivably slow introduction.

Despite the undeniable quality of the games themselves, for everyone else who's probably played these exact games various times before, the motivation to put your hand in your pocket is probably a lot weaker.

The additional material in Venice gives the impression that it should have been part of really great enhancement patch, rather than a fully featured and fully priced expansion.

Only the truly dedicated RPG player will persist through to the bitter end of Risen, as there's a great deal of perseverance required to even make it through the first section without tearing your hair out. The combat really lets the side down and the 360 visuals leave a lot to be desired, but stick with it and Risen will eventually suck you inexorably into its uniquely absorbing fantasy world.

It's definitely worth a look, if only to have something on the shelf that's gently mesmerising and a very nice break from the norm.

The bottom line with Aliens vs. Predator is that its worth as a dependable first-person shooter is inexplicably linked to the fear and foreboding running through its Marine campaign, which leaves the Alien and Predator missions as surprisingly flat additions that quickly drain the fun meter by granting the player far too much power.

The fact remains that, as cutely appealing as Step & Roll can be, it essentially equates to yet another Wii offering that works in some ways but fails to make the grade because of an inability to fulfil the promise of the console's innovative controls.

Pretty visuals and in-depth character evolution fail to gloss over the disappointment caused by a hackneyed story, an annoyingly flawed real-time battle system, and a shocking lack of difficulty.

What Airtight Games needed was more confidence: their pedigree with the flight sim genre would have probably been better served if they'd kept their game in the skies. Gears of War might be a popular game, but a sloppy imitation with tacked-on flight bits isn't going to win anybody over. Dark Void might want to soar, but it never finds a way to get its feet permanently off the ground.

Silent Hill Shattered Memories will probably feel like a shallow version of the series to veteran players. But as a standalone title it represents a niche that is intelligent, thoughtful and meaningful.

Pride, squabbling and calamitous design decisions have ultimately left the game a meagre shadow of its potential self. Its biggest problem, outside of its lacklustre design, is that you and the band have to ask yourselves, in the midst of a music game session, "shall we bother fumbling around the shelves looking for that copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen?"

The Saboteur could have been excellent. It has presentation, usually solid mechanics, characters that you are at least interested in if not actually engaged by, and things look pretty when they explode. However, the simply unforgivable control and climbing mechanic is justtoo hard to get past - constantly interfering with your game to the point of swearing and projectile gamepads.

Completists might get a kick out of collecting every last item and Pandorapedia article, but everyone else might find themselves getting very bored, very quickly. Still, as far as movie titles go, you could certainly do a lot worse.

Even with this solid track list, and the sensible step away from Simon Cowell, Karaoke Revolution still fails to answer what makes it unique.

The title completely lacks innovation, engagement, or for want of a more empirical term, soul. It does not even have the accolade of being actively bad, it is instead just utterly mediocre.

The core mechanics are solid, but the challenges of putting out a licensed product - and starting with a company as fussy as the FIA probably wasn't a good idea - have clearly got the better of them. Though I imagine if you're a devout F1 nut you can add 10% to the score.

While I can appreciate the attraction Wii-owning Shaun White fans might feel when faced with the latest entrant in Ubisoft's burgeoning snowboarding franchise, there's simply not enough new and worthwhile content in World Stage to justify me doing anything but twisting consumer shoulders towards last year's offering instead.

Despite their continued lack of charm the Wii version of Rabbids Go Home is by far the fluffy maniac's best game.

Still, when it all clicks in place it's quite easily the fluffiest, most lovable experience you're going to get on Sony's black monolith.

Cities XL lacks any notable innovations, though, and those additions it does have are under-developed and certainly over-priced, insufficient to differentiate itself or to make its mark on the genre made by SimCity. Yikes - someone hold her hair, would they?

Quibbles and gripes aside it's safe to say Star Wars fans have had to often put up with worse, with last year's abysmal Lightsaber Duels immediately springing to mind. The biggest flaw of Republic Heroes, other than its generally unlikable source material, is that it feels unfinished. As a result, poor execution mars what could have been a likable child-orientated platformer.

With the exception of the combat nearly every part of Saw the Game works in isolation. The visual styling is an excellent reiteration of the sets, and the recreation of the movie ordeals is handled well, including such classics as bobbing for a key in a toilet full for syringes or going swimming in vats of liquefied pigs guts. However, as soon as the player is forced to repeat the trials and traps over and over, down identical grimy corridors, pestered by identical combat instances, the excellent head start is blown and what started as a smartly made, genuinely scary experience degenerates into unimaginative straight-to-DVD splatter, gorily painting by its own repeated numbers.

It often feels half-finished. The basic premise and idea is often better than its inelegant execution, and the game exhausts its pool of ideas by the end of the third level. There's a good concept resting within Undead Knights, but Tecmo have completely failed at bringing it to life.

The game is in fact at its best in the opening tutorial levels where your only purpose is to gather and grow and wreak splendid havoc on the scenery, before any of the fire sprite collection, bonus objectives or special moves are added to the mix, bogging down the gameplay.

While it remains very much an acquired taste, Forever is ideal for newcomers to the series, but perhaps a roll too far for Katamari veterans. As fun now as ever, we still think that only truly dedicated rollers or Katamari newbies need apply.

Ultimately, WET only occasionally transcends average status, its brand of excessive action marred by a lack of depth, unrelenting repetition and a dearth of imagination. Strangely likeable, those seeking straightforward, uncomplicated shooting thrills may happily overlook the game's issues and enjoy a solid, fun-filled blast for a good few hours or so.

A marked improvement over the first game, this sequel is really only worth seeking out if your Spider sense is tingling for more Marvel action. Otherwise, you may want to use your common sense and avoid.

As a full-price purchase Mini Ninjas is hard to recommend to anyone other than those keen to snap up some easy Achievement Points by rushing headlong and unimpeded through its lacklustre adventure - for which a rental would be best advised.

Champions Online holds a lot of promise and is the type of game that brings a smile to your face as you play despite its flaws, but it does still need some work.

Sadly the lack of variety and repetitive nature of what's there does little more than throw the half hearted story telling and horrible voice acting into even sharper relief.

If you are a parent who is looking for a game to play with their child that both of you can enjoy: this succeeds quite admirably. It even offers a multiplayer mode if you want to compete together, although this consists solely of mini-games rather than any co-operative sections within the game.

Superb controls aside, when properly assessed by the FPS genre's merciless yardstick of quality, The Conduit echoes the same linear design disappointments as Resistance: Fall of Man and finds itself languishing uncomfortably close to Turning Point: Fall of Liberty in terms of dour quality.

Revenge of the Fallen is exactly what we were expecting. No more, no less.

Overlord II is solid enough, but it doesn't go quite as 'over-the-top' as we'd have liked.

The truly frustrating thing however is that with some rather elementary things fixed (AI that isn't so terminally stupid, environments that don't look like they were made out of papier-mache, an involving combat mechanic) DW games would become not only more enjoyable for the mainstream but also surely more enjoyable for their fan base too. Until then however this is, and will continue to be, an experience to excite the devoted few rather than tempt the masses.

The result of this attention to detail and commitment to develop an ongoing Wii version of the game is a great little experience. If you have even a slight inkling towards darts and a smattering of patience to persevere for a few hours with the controls you will find a lot of fun here.

The sad thing is that Guitar Hero has actually done more than enough over the last few years to deserve some kind of back slapping celebration of it's success, it's just a shame Activision have decided this quick and easy cash in is the best way forward.

Considering the wealth of amazing movie content spawned by the creative powers at LucasFilm, it still boggles the mind that LucasArts is seemingly incapable of crafting a truly worthy gaming offshoot that encapsulates the wonder and excitement of Indiana Jones or the star-gazing imagination of Star Wars.

When that ambition fails to live up to its promise by delivering a hollow and disappointing experience, you can't help but feel somewhat nonplussed by the final product. This should have been incredible, but having tried our very best to like Codemasters' latest racing IP, we can't help but feel like we've been taken for a ride. Fuel-ed, if you will.

The draw of an irresistible cast of characters - all nicely rendered as endearing retro sprites and stylish anime portraits - should already seal the deal for the core audience, but for everyone else, Cross Edge will seem like nothing more than an obscure curio.

The RTS foundations are in place and there are plenty of core and online missions to test player mettle (and patience), but, as with Battlestations: Midway, the control interface is still unwieldy, the action is still stodgy and unfulfilling, and the aesthetics are still hampered by distinctly last-gen failings.

The problem is it's a one trick pony. The shock of the violence and the speed of the gameplay initially grabs your attention, but it lacks the spectacle to keep itself feeling fresh and inventive, then before long a sense of banal repetition sets in. And you're not even a third of the way through the game. I can't deny that it gives you quite a lot of game for your money, but it also outstays its welcome.

If you've always fancied the idea of having the genuine OutRun arcade cabinet experience with added online support then OutRun Online Arcade does exactly what it says on the tin while managing to be a lot of fun to boot.

As the studio responsible for the ace Total War series, it's difficult to understand how they've managed to get this so very wrong. It's a real shame that what seems like a decent idea ultimately emerges as a visually unappealing, impenetrably tough and devastatingly unrefined sci-fi strategy title.

It's a real shame that Legends of WrestleMania turns out to be such a slight affair as otherwise it's quite possibly the best wrestling game that developer Yuke's has made in a long time. The control system is a genuine improvement over previous efforts and the strong roster of legends is highly appealing. Had Yuke's fleshed out the WrestleMania Tour portion of the game into a fully-fledged story mode, this could have been something pretty special. As it stands however, Legends simply feels like an incomplete experience, which is a real shame and a major missed opportunity.

A largely unremarkable point-and-click offering that's unlikely to spawn a radical revival for the genre or lure PC gamers away from the (still) superior mouse controller. Wii owners looking for a richer, more modern gaming experience that comes packed with charm and convincingly tests grey matter would be well advised to seek out the criminally unappreciated Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.

Weapons of Fate does a perfectly serviceable job in continuing the film's story, delivering decent enough in-game likenesses and equally accomplished voice acting, but the end product just doesn't boast the level of polish we had hoped for.

It might not add anything new to the genre but it's still reasonably entertaining, especially if you're keen on the period it's set in.

When it's all added up, Uprising is a generous package. Not as extensive as Kane's Wrath, but released at half the price, it offers you about a third of the original game. It's not remarkable, by any means, and though it's never dull it also never escapes the feeling of being an expansion by numbers.

It just lacks passion for me. It all feels very, very functional; much like a slice of white bread in fact. You may eat a slice of white bread and there is nothing wrong with it but you would never think it was the best food you had ever eaten; it'd just fill you up until something better came along. Codename: Panzers - Cold War is the white bread of the RTS world. It is perfectly adequate, it'll keep you occupied while there's nothing better to do, but you'd never choose it over the chocolate of the RTS world, Dawn of War 2, or the cake: Empire: Total War.

Potential is a key word for discussing HAWX. There's a lot of hope within the engine, and the core gameplay is competent enough to secure its position as an emerging IP. It's still a bit rough around the edges, though, and Ubisoft should perhaps be a little bit ashamed for not allowing its natural potential to shine through.

As it stands this is an interesting development in the struggle to divine a way forward for the blue hedgehog. But unfortunately it's an experience that isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds.

Those who've always wanted a portable slice of Phantasy Star will find hours of content to enjoy, especially if they have a like minded friend or two. The rest of the world however may find it more of an acquired taste.

In some ways Prinny succeeds in spite of itself.

Deadly Creatures is an interesting concept that is commendable from a technical point of view, and is only let down by a few niggles.

It's inferior to developer Cing's own Hotel Dusk and occasionally rather dull, but as far as Wii titles of this ilk are concerned, Code: R is your best bet.

Fallout's strength has always been found in the moral decisions and branching pathways. There is simply none of that to be had in this episode - it is simply combat. While it can be fun, and possibly challenging with a lower-level character, it's not what Fallout is about. There is no real plot, either - it is background information to the Fallout universe, and that's all.

In some areas (like the moveable furniture) it adds interesting enhancements, whilst less successful innovations can simply be ignored. But what it fails to do is to keep the momentum of the first game.

Bottom line with Lord of the Rings: Conquest is that it fails on almost every level to re-create the breathtaking scale and impact of its source material. Generic at best, the game's poorly staged battles and uninspired set pieces drag the player on a plodding journey through a world of imagination and invention where both of those vitally important facets have clearly been lost in translation.

Mirror's Edge is an impressive feat as a realistic first-person simulation of parkour across the towering roof-tops of a dystopian future. Unfortunately it's also fairly dull and frequently doesn't do enough to motivate the player to continue, this is not a game I was thinking about when I wasn't playing it.

This kind of thing has been done so much better so many times before there's no reason to invest your time and money here, even if you've a hankering for ancient Greece.

Just don't expect too much from it. It likes to give with one hand and take away with the other.

It's a sparse game, and after you've sunk about ten hours into it you'll feel suitably empty, too. It's not rewarding, satisfying or endearing.

As a family game with a really low barrier of entry this game is a reasonable success. It does a great job of involving everyone in the room, as a part of the scenery if not in a starring role. Hopefully this isn't a flash in the pan and is a sign of a more healthy supply of games using the 360's previously dusty camera peripheral.

Impressive visuals and physics don't make up for frustrating controls and a sense that the game is lacking a certain congruency. I'd rather be playing one of the old SSX games to be honest.

The basic gameplay appeal lives on in City Folk, but Nintendo's laziness is there for all to see.

Clunky physical combat, lifelessly linear level design, horridly ill-fitting segue animations, a bland narrative, shallow characters, and an unforgiving first-person viewpoint all conspire to shatter the game's wafer thin novelty value, which all-too quickly reveals Mirror's Edge to be a fabulously innovative concept mired by the old 'all style and no substance' adage.

Five, perhaps even ten years ago Dawn of the New World would have seemed somewhat mediocre, in 2010 is just depressing.

This game has graphical beauty but in many other areas it fails to excel. On the other hand, it is still a good game, but it's just a few levels below where it really needs to be to compete with the reborn version of "FIFA."

There's a lot of competition in the DS market, and Monster Lab doesn't quite have the raw talent to go up against that. But, there's a good amount of fun in there that a player could eke out if they were so inclined, and I'm certainly glad I got to play it. It's fun atmosphere can't ultimately redeem the fact it's too confused by its own design.

Its playable, its easy, its simple, its entertaining, and its got a bit of good multiplayer; but it wouldn't challenge an amateur gamer and it'll most likely be back in the box and filed away as "done with" faster than a day in the office.

It's not that Dungeon Maker does all these things in a bad way exactly, it just does it in an extremely uninspiring way that makes it instantly forgettable once you turn your DS off.