The carnival atmosphere makes Rock Band a total blast to play, or to even just watch, waiting for your turn. Even with the high price of admission, Rock Band is well worth purchasing.

If you’re looking for a cheap Wii shooter and have some friends around, give this a go. If not, stick to the arcades. You’ll find better there.

The floodgates have finally been opened and we are starting to see what the console is good for.

There is nothing here for anyone - not even the most ardent of Godzilla fans. It’s like if someone took your favourite ever franchise, made a half-arsed game out of it then spat in your face asking for money.

An enjoyable strategy game which needs more depth and variety to be truly arresting. It does what it does well, however developer 4J Studios have succeeded in making the game perhaps too simplistic, and definitely lacking any narrative pull or long-term appeal.

It's still worth buying UT3, for those who enjoy modding and hacking. For everyone else: there have been far better PC games this season.

Uncharted is a superb but linear action adventure that doesn’t last too long, but anyone with a PS3 or even a soft spot for a grand adventure should definitely check out it.

While I make it a goal to play every game I review to completion, there’s just no way that I am going to waste more my life playing this game.

The story is uninspired, but the actual game is a stunner.

The single-player/co-op mode is underwhelming at best. With poor AI and thematic blurring, even the easiest difficulty – Aspirin – will leave you with a throbbing headache.

Assassin’s Creed is quite possibly the coolest game I’ve ever played. Not only is it satisfying to play, but it looks incredible and is easy to control. Each city is alive with activity, designed with care and attention to detail. Assassin’s Creed may not be perfect, but it offers one of the best singleplayer experiences you’ll play this year, and that’s saying a lot.

Umbrella Chronicles is a must-purchase for Wii owners. While it isn't a killer app on the level of Mario Galaxy, it's probably the best multiplayer game on the system.

The PS2 may have thrown out its last classic titles with Okami and God of War II, but for those waiting to make the next gen leap then you could do a lot worse for yourself in the mean time than picking this up.

SimCity Societies feels familiar, but the change is clearly a move in the wrong direction for long-time fans.

It’s great to see that well-made games that are entirely capable of kicking our asses can still be made and here’s to another 20 years of Contra-ing to come... hopefully.

So, King Of Fighters might be a much-loved series amongst its hardcore fans and it might deliver in all the areas that those familiar with the franchise would expect, but measured toe-to-toe against modern fighting games it just doesn’t fare well.

It's not a bad game, it's just one of the most tediously easy, generic and downright bland games of the year.

The multi-surfaced design is a refreshing take on an otherwise stale gaming genre. The simple, responsive controls and steady learning curve ensure that any gamer, be they the child who gets this for his or her birthday or the weathered gaming vet, can sit down and give this game a spin.

A great online-enabled emulation of a so-so fighting game (plus a lame puzzle game) which looks rather anaemic now that violence in video gaming is nothing to rave on about.

Switchball is an innovative new take on the traditional marble game, with a plethora of interesting additions to spice up the old formula, and stunning graphics to please the eyes.

Quite simply Empire Earth III is a game you should never play in your life. It’s boring, it’s structured as well as the leaning tower of Pisa and in one of the best seasons gaming has ever seen, it really shouldn’t be on the shelves.

There is nothing inherently wrong with LifeSigns, but the ratio of hospital soap opera to actual gameplay is insanely high, making most of the experience a wordy one that will fail to draw in those who couldn’t care less about which bone is connected that bone.

For conundrum fans though, this should be welcomed with open arms, as the relaxing nature of the title is sure to fit into the lives of many with a delicate ease.

The strength undoubtedly lies within Extraction Point, as the story and setting is completely terrifying throughout.

Despite the lackluster narrative and dated graphics, Perseus Mandate still delivers a lot of the fun of the previous games. It isn’t perfect, but it still manages to be a worthy addition to the F.E.A.R. franchise despite the story.

I can honestly say that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a superb accumulation to the series, incorporating just enough new additions to keep the hardcore happy and the new players excited.

The intense and difficult experience should be played by anyone who enjoys a good story. Even with an anemic singleplayer offering, the full game is worth a purchase for the multiplayer experience.

Newcomers to the genre may be put off, but the ethically ambiguous questions faced do present a certain kind of draw.