A massively capable game designer with almost innumerable options allowing limitless application.

Every aspect of Tekken 5's production is of the highest quality save one area - the game's Devil Within mode - the latest take in the Tekken Force series. Visually bland and repetitive in a way only the very worst scrolling beat-'em-ups can be. It's a crime then that completing it is the only way unlock Devil Jin. [JPN Import]

Easily the cleverest game to emerge in some time and making your way through it's intricate innards is one of the most rewarding experiences the PS2 can currently offer. A slice of gaming heaven.

Although not very technical, there is still a great deal of fun and the Disney sparkle just shines through.

Rallisport Challenge 2 is bigger and better than any other rally game, leaving one simple equation - play this game or miss out on what could be the finest racer of 2004. [XBM]

Capcom has produced the perfect interactive movie. RE is horribly, horribly addictive -- it tests your reflexes, satiates your bloodlust, stretches your mind (and temper) and leaves you both thrilled and drained.

The story has been used to make a highly entertaining game and once you get involved in the action you only want to blast all the aliens and save the planet.

There really is a good, solid wrestling simulation under all the brashness of the WWE. Finally the GameCube gets something to properly rival the "Smackdowns" on the PS2.

The Dreamcast may be dead and buried but Virtua Tennis lives on in this essential GBA purchase. Excellent!

A package more desirable than Neve Campbell wrapped in a lottery cheque!

A title that really has to be played to be believed and if you want to get the most out of the game, see everything and take advantage of the unlockables you'll be playing and believing for a long, long while.

It may not be a "Halo"- or "Halo 2"-beater, but at the moment Pariah is the best alternative - and that alone is high praise indeed.

The biggest letdown of this game is just how short it is, though to open up everything does take a couple of runs through and you will want to play it again after that for sheer fun value alone! A truly gorgeous game, Onimusha Warlords is a must-buy for fans of the genre.

The title may well have been one of the best-looking games to ever grace an Xbox but compared to the PC offering it resembles an early beta version.

This really is classic stuff. Most games of this ilk can be effortlessly breezed through within a couple of goes, but not this monster. Despite having ten continues as standard, you''ll lose them within the first three levels -- leaving vast chunks of unexplored terrain that''ll have you begging for extra credits. [JPN Import]

Hit top speed on a lengthy straight and the world slips into a stylised flat-out blur that offers an impression of unblinkable speed almost unparalleled since the original "WipEout" on PlayStation.

From the moment you kick Tony Hawk's 3 into action there’s this overwhelming feeling of perfection.

Animation of the beautifully rendered characters and unit models particularly livens up the screen, and the attention to detail is often quite remarkable.

Get your fix of mindless killing right here, you won''t regret it - this is after all ''Unreal''.

The Midas touch that has served so many Rockstar games has found its way into Midnight Club II, and although the game is by no means perfect, it is the breath of fresh air that should lift it above the glut of average racers that have wormed their way onto the console recently.

So many games nowadays fall short when it comes to life span, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 is the very definition of value for money.

Underneath all the 'hilariosity' though, are some rock solid physics.

The presentation of the game is spot-on and it's an interesting challenge for those hardened adventurers who prefer a who-dunnit puzzler to a comical romp in the park.

It’s got more longevity than a lot of games out there today and offers a style of gameplay that we’ve loved ever since the original Tony Hawk’s game. Acclaim, we salute you.

Mario Kart 64 is much more of an arcade combat game than before but its lastability, like the 16bit original, will be measured in years not months.

You’ll have a constant smile on your face as well as enjoying an addictive and satisfying game of hockey. Excellent.

We've had a great deal of pleasure at the hands of evolution, even those of us who still swear quite vehemently that Tekken is The Daddy (Bonjour Chris) admitted that it’s a damn fine game. [Import]

Ultimately, Lucifer's Call is a brave RPG and for that, it deserves both your admiration and your gaming time.

Those who do most of their gaming alone may well prefer "Far Cry," but as far as multiplayer shooters go, this is the best game on the market, and well worth a gander.

As well as upgrading the visuals and modes though, the controls have also been tweaked; while the original game was considered a bit too fast to play properly, Smackdown: JBI has been slowed down ever so slightly to allow for more strategic and authentic action… which is always a good thing.

With beautifully realised fantasy words to explore and depth that belies its surface-sweetened nastiness, this is one that will satisfy all who feel the need for unbridled platform action. And attitude.

The response of each craft, no matter how demanding, feels gloriously authentic and exudes the same order of weighty behaviour which so successfully separates A-Spec from GT2.

It's not significantly superior to 2000, but we defy any fighting game fan not to be totally entertained and impressed by the scope for astonishingly satisfying and complex battles in both titles.

It's engrossing and amazingly, imparts a deep, genuine love for numbers.

For all of its failings though, Skies Of Arcadia Legends is a worthy game. The atmosphere draws you in completely, and the wonderful characters make your journey through this massive game a total joy.

To put them in order we'd say that TC3 is better than TC2 but both of them still hover behind Titan. This is an excellent lightgun game that just misses being truly great and goes on to kill an innocent bystander.

Another fantastic game from the masters of extreme sports.

A game whose high-resolution graphics, expansive levels and creatively devised puzzles will delight Xbox owners everywhere.

For those that have completed the game the credits are one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a game. The credits run on for quite a while and almost make having completed the game an afterthought.

Does exactly what it sets out to do, and as such it comes highly recommended to anyone with more than one controller to their name.

It looks a hell of a lot better, runs smoother and feels faster. So there’s no confusion here then: this is not a straight port. Got that? Good.

Looks gorgeous, handles sweetly and is ‘totally bitchin’ when played against other like-minded, bloodthirsty players – there must be some price to pay amongst all this triumph.

It's supposed to be fun and with this it has no problem, and no equal. If the first game was ‘hole in one’ perfect then Tiger Woods 2004 doesn’t even need to take a swing – it's cool enough already.

A fantastically frantic, competitive, addictive and exhilarating racer that manages to take the XG series to a whole new level.

Considering that we're still ploughing through the 2004 edition without complaint, we daresay there'll be more than enough to fill the time between now and next year, when we'll inevitably see Tiger Woods 2006 if his career-skid interface hasn't become any more severe.

Not only is it the most beautiful racing game we’ve seen since SEGA’s "Ferrari F355 Challenge," but it’s also more playable—amazingly—than "WaveRace 64."

All things considered, this is one of the best games to try and merge two genres, and it does so very successfully - despite a few minor flaws that don't detract too much from the gameplay.

The good things: The ten thousand-odd lines of spoken dialogue. The choice-driven story. The sheer number of quests and mini games. The ability to construct your own lightsaber: green, blue, purple or yellow; double-ended, single blade or even a short and long lightsaber in each hand. This is a game made by Star Wars fans for Star Wars fans.

Faithful fans will have a good solid game in their collections with six new tracks and an unthinkable amount of extra horsepower to play with.

The latest all-action game that still has lots to offer the strategy gamer so go, go go!

My favourite touch is that your forces have only limited ammunition, while in many RTS games your guns seem to have an infinite supply of bullets.

The huge array of skills and the depth of character development stay true to Fallout's predecessors while the play is a devious mix of precision and inspired tactics with a healthy dose of an army motto, "Check, check and check again!"

A very fast arcade-style game that is positively overflowing with character.

The pace is always utterly frantic, usually over in under a couple of minutes, and gives players an uncontrollable urge to come back for more.

Well, now Fahrenheit is here in all its understated, slow-burning glory; and chances are most gamers will probably be blissfully unaware that the adventure genre has changed for the better in Quantic Dream's latest masterpiece.

Few adventures out there give you a world as detailed and lush as Beyond Good & Evil.

Lords of the Realm was one of the best selling historical simulations ever but there was room for improvement. Lords 2 takes all the elements of the original and embellishes them, with added graphics, sound and gameplay.

This is one of those infamous games that you'll pick up long after completion just for the fun of it.

It’s certainly a great game, but doesn’t break ground in the same way that Onimusha did.

One of those rare games that is beyond criticism. It plays beautifully, and gives you the opportunity to become at one with it - provided you're willing to put the hours in. Try playing this one at 3am and you'll see what we mean. The best shooter in years.

The best golf game available.

A dark horse of Grand National-winning quality. The stunning graphics, immaculate playability and entirely original handling make for a game like no other. As much as with "Mario 64," Wave Race 64 alone justifies the cost of the N64.

A beautiful, skilful, tactical and intense experience that will test you in many different environments, each demanding a different approach if success is to be achieved. Occasionally you have to rely on a little luck, but that's war, and this is cracking game.

An excellent techno break beat soundtrack featuring the likes of Mix Master Mike and Rahzel puts the ice on a very tasty snow cake. The only thing that really lets this game down is a lack of game modes.

An impressively complete product, able to coax anyone with the slightest interest in its subject matter onto the ice – just don’t forget to bring a potential convert with you… it’s THAT kind of game!

It's a remarkable achievement and watching Kratos zig-zag throughout ancient Greece destroying everything in his path is a surprisingly empowering experience.

Pure undiluted fun. After an hour or so of play any grudges with the control system or the textures are soon forgotten.

If you like your racing fast, fun, highly controllable and mouth-wateringly gorgeous to look at, however, then this is definitely one title you want to add to your pool of games.

There are just about enough moves to avoid repetition to keep the combat consistently exciting. The animation on all of the moves is superior to just about every other game of its kind.

Simply flying around and admiring the scenery is an enjoyable enough pass-time. When you get serious with the game, it's demanding but fair, constantly pushing you further in mastering the various craft and the environment.

The game’s coup de grace, however, lies in the intelligence of the other characters you encounter.

It's strange but there is something even more satisfying about capping a stranger on Live than there is killing a friend sat next to you.

Without a doubt, Pokémon Snap is a game of the highest quality and brings a new genre to the N64 … but if you hate the little creatures, we’d recommend that you give it a miss.

But once you get past the amazing new backgrounds, funky tunes and endless different game options, the best thing on this cart is just the basic Tetris game, played the same as it’s always been.

As addictive as its predecessor thanks to its hypnotic racing, perfect feel and disregard for videogame rules.

A fantastic achievement and a must buy for any Resident Evil fan. The new gameplay additions may even sway those of you who couldn’t get to grips with Remake.

Apart from the oversight of not including 3D greens, leaving putting a little to guesswork, Tiger Woods 2003 really is one of the best golf sims ever made.

A little more innovation would have been appreciated, but this is one case where a more or less straight update of the SNES original was all that was needed to produce a great game.

Far more complete and polished than the last Tiger Woods. There's so much in there that it will take months to win everything.

The bottom line is that Smackdown!: SYM is the only wrestling game on any console (not just the PS2) to have everything that the fans want… and a whole lot more. If that’s not enough of a reason to go out and get it, we don’t know what is.

How much fun you can have just hosing down iron with bullets is something for you to decide, since we’ve gone beyond that and are only truly happy with precision. But that’s the whole Time Crisis point, ain’t it?

The immense satisfaction when you finally pull yourself towards that vertigo-inspiring exit or leave Dahaka behind is unmatched by any other game.

Exceptionally well designed, plays on a greater scale and requires more thought than Volition’s pretty baby ["Red Faction"] and so comes highly recommended.

Easily a contender for game of the year and, potentially, the last great piece of original gaming left for current-gen Xbox owners to discover.

As far as racing games go this is currently unrivalled and you would be more than hard pushed to find a better motorbike title.

The sheer quality of V-Rally 3 from its graphical detail and effects through to the depths of the Career mode shines through. It’s only the lack of a multiplayer option that spoils the party.

Get it, it makes all other flight titles feel like you're flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog sh.t out of Hong Kong.

Put simply, Fantavision is a work of art. It’s beautiful.

The basic thrill of playing Starfighter cancels out these minor gripes and most players should find this an engrossing and explosive experience.

As a standalone product it’s wonderful and offers (save for an official license) everything a rally fan would desire: brilliant handling, sumptuous visuals, deformable cars and much more besides. But if you’ve played the last game to death there may not be enough of a difference to make you want to buy it.

Future Perfect has the perfect blend of challenges and the best multiplayer gameplay around.

The game is practically faultless and comes recommended to all, but it won’t last forever and is over too soon. Then again, the same could be said for sunset, but people don’t stop watching that because the onset of night is inevitable and quick.

Coupled with the unrivalled level design, the marriage of elements is a strong one... one that easily claims the extreme top spot and raises the bar that one notch higher.

The closest you’re going to get to a realistic war simulation. Oh yes there’s no doubt about it we’ve been waiting for Commando’s 2 for a long time and now it’s finally here we’re far from disappointed.

I know that there will be people reading this thinking the idea is the dullest one in history, but so did I until I played it. Give this a try and you won't regret it - just expect to want to spend more time with your virtual friends than your real ones.

The town is massive and the whole style of the game just brings a huge smile to the face.

We've played "Starfighter" and "Ace Combat 4" and they are both excellent titles, but if you want to be engrossed in a battle that looks great and plays like you always wanted a game to play, Dropship is certainly for you.

The single most impressive thing about this game is the visuals. It ‘s quite remarkable to behold. Not in a “isn’t that pretty as an oil painting” kind of way, but in the sheer grand scale of it.