While certainly not perfect – the game is short and could have benefited greatly from LAN or online multiplayer support – there really isn't a more versatile arcade-style shooter for the GameCube system.

The controls are confusing and encumbering but they’re not impossible to get used to so, given a bit of dedication you might just find that you budding generals out there might get all the right buttons pushed with this game.

The imprecision of The Fancy Pants Adventure's platforming segments leave a lingering feeling that it's still trying to appeal to an audience that's OK with a quirky-yet-limited platforming game.

Most of the writing's cleverly done. The soundtrack is pitch perfect. It successfully executes on the concept of an exploitation film in videogame form. The creativity's somewhat marginalized beneath commonplace mechanics but it's still there, itching to get out. This time you'll just have to dig for it.

Although it becomes frustrating at times, the short bursts of gameplay hold enough style and adventure to warrant a stumbling return.

Just Cause reeks of wasted potential. The story could have been interesting, but the generic characters and bland execution aren’t endearing in the slightest.

Where the modern FPS has become bloated with features and alternate gameplay styles, this is focused on delivering a simple experience that’s true to its origins.

SOCOM 4 is a light and breezy third-person shooter that's pretty good by genre standards, but perhaps a bit lacking in comparison to SOCOM 2.

But the game's appeal is short-lived despite its unusually large amount of content, and its lack of an addictive gameplay hook won't knock Peggle off its pedestal any time soon.

Though the lack of very original gameplay ideas hurts Area 51, it does have a lot of good things going for it, including a very cool graphics engine and a cool infection mode, which, combined with a low price tag, do justify a purchase of this game.

Though the game lacks the kind of epic presentation that Ikaruga fans enjoy, the levels are still something worth looking at while you’re dodging unfriendly fire.

The Bonfire of the Vanities is a definite improvement on the disappointing Battle of Forli, though it’s still difficult to call it a must-buy.

It may not be as showy or flashy as some of its peers on PSN, but for just a few pounds and a tiny 80MB download, it’s a good purchase for retro fans and those who can’t get enough of the sub-genre.

Razor’s Edge doesn’t reach the same heights of fast, brutal action that its predecessors did, but it’s a huge step forward and warrants Team Ninja’s flawed sequel one more chance.

Had care and attention been given to those (not to mention some reworked visuals), it would've made for a far more compelling package instead of two classics saddled with three duds.

Technic Beat also provides some of the best two-player action around.

It's plain as day that Tank Universal is not a professional game - the basic animation, the chunky graphics, the lack of any voice acting whatsoever - but it clearly has heart.

The lack of all the assorted tweaks & tune-ups that the series has seen since 1987 diminishes its appeal somewhat, with the more Final Fantasy games you’ve played likely to correlate with less enjoyment you’ll be able to extract from this one (fanboyism withstanding).

It doesn’t push any boundaries or feature anything worth copying, but My World, My Way takes an amusing idea and runs with it.

The character models in the cutscenes look embarrassingly poor, with Mary Jane not even looking like Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire looking fat.

One of the best gaming compilations on the PS2. Period.

The overall experience of Adventure Time is just fine if not hampered by its reliance on old design. It’s inoffensive and is a fun one-off novelty at best.

If you feel like dragging your friends into the maw, then the four-player-co-op is always open - just don’t expect anyone to last long.

So without relevant characters, we’re left with a tennis game that’s dysfunctional and a list of superb mini-games.

Its large cast of likable characters and engaging, swashbuckling story go a long way in redeeming the game as a whole despite its several niggling problems.

As long as Lexis Numerique continues down its exemplary path, the trouble with point-and-clicks might as well be considered an open and shut case.

DC Comics fans, take the plunge if you must, but realize that you will be paying money for a not-quite-finished product that will only partially satisfy your spandex-wearing, world-saving fantasies.

Made from the same people that gave us the rather loveable "Links 2004," this really is a game, let alone a tennis game, that you shouldn’t be without.