The story is as good as ever and backed by some of the best sound of any PSone game and a smattering of smooth FMV scenes the atmosphere is bang up there with the best.

A particularly good example of why SEGA and Sonic Team are so revered within the games industry.

This has got to be one of the nippiest first-person shooters we have ever played. It just reacts so well that you can''t fail to feel that you''re performing a useful role in the battle and are not just there to stomp around while looking fierce.

The question on everyone's lips though, is whether all of this is enough to take it up to the heights of Ace Combat? Well sadly no and we get the feeling that this is never going to be lethal enough to take on the Namco shooter.

The game represents an interesting twist on the traditional hacking and slashing themes but at the end of the day, it is still just that to anyone who can't be swayed by some RPG-lite elements and a few more enemies on screen.

A game that does everything it needs to do with just a touch of garnish here and there.

Quite simply Outtrigger IS better than "Quake III Arena" and "Unreal Tournament," even if it is lacking in Internet options. If you want to look at it in percentage terms, think about it like this; Outtrigger with online play would probably get around 96%.

If you can adjust to the tricky controls and the shockingly hard difficulty setting, then you'll find a fun, original title that mixes current 3D game design with the style and atmosphere of a retro classic.

Shadow Hearts has some intriguing elements, but disappoints with its battle dynamics and some terrible scripts.

If you want destruction and racing get "Burnout 3." This feels as fun as throwing a Lego car around a bathtub while a bald man shouts in your ear about how pissed off he is. Oh, right, there's the music volume down switch. Damn.

This could have been Activision's finest hour, but it looks likely to be nothing more than an agonising five minutes of fame.

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.

We’d recommend Primal to those of you who like games to act as a dictator rather than an instigator. And those who find fetching cups off coffee comparable to the heroic tasks undertaken by the heroes of Greek mythology.

For fans of the films and of fast future racers there is no better alternative to "Wipeout: Fusion" on the PS2.

A high watermark for where epic hack'n'slash games should be at this stage of the Xbox's lifecycle.

Fighting games are based on fast reactions and timing; this game doesn’t bother to interpret either of these fundamentals with fights being far less engrossing and hands-on than playing with plastic dinosaurs while making “grrroooar!” noises.

Yes, this is the best AC yet, but come on, how about a new approach that includes a sense of scale?

Aside from some dodgy camera work (as always) this is a simple and at times fun game, which will be enjoyed by very young players. But there are plenty of better games like this out there.

There is enjoyment to be had here but it is so short lived that there is no point donating much more than one evening to the game. For a franchise that started out so well this does indeed seem to be the fall of Max Payne.

There's no denying the snippets shine with sheen, but while Frodo et al are off saving the world, your party feel like impostors - the real adventure is elsewhere. And it is - in a legion of other superior RPGs.

The multiplayer is okay, with nine additional maps, but it's otherwise a fairly short adventure without much variety and, annoying as it is, you won't return too often.

There are enough varied magical effects to keep the action interesting and fill the screen with the occasional burst of bright, explosive light effects.

What the original was intended to be - but it's still no "Alpha Centauri." [Feb 2001, p.78]

But of more importance to fans will be the array of movies, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, which pads out the back end of the game. This isn't just squeezed in for added value either.

Most unforgiveable of all though, is the abysmally bad combat. Once your army is built, there is really nothing for the player to do other than point them at the enemy and hope to be last man standing.

It's very insistence on realism is what makes it so successful as an experience. It makes you feel that you're just an ordinary person (not a videogame hero, for example) in extraordinary circumstances and with very little chance of survival.

Those who have always wanted to have the chance to star in a real life cartoon should look no further than this fun little game. The cult starts here!

A slight update of a decent game but with other similar titles making significant additions to their gameplay itís in danger of stagnating.

A pleasant surprise. It's a game that focuses on having fun and the fact that it stretches your grey matter at the same time is an added bonus.

The game’s full of such annoyances, but it manages to (almost) balance up its frustrating nature with the weight of its truly black heart, good looks and the questionable joy of emptying out a Soho ponce bar to the sound of an AK-47.

The fact that you can't control the camera beyond a 'bring to rear' command is still very annoying when you've got enemies approaching from all sides.

The graphics are not too bad and the water effects are quite nice, but what you end up with is a side-scrolling-perform-as-many-tricks-as-you-can-in-the-time-limit game - which becomes boring after a few turns.

The camera angles are poor to the extent that Demon Stone plays almost like a side-scrolling game, progressing slowly and mundanely from one cluster of enemies to the next.

It just feels like no effort has been made to make this a killer game – this is the type of game that might do well in the arcades but not at home. There isn’t even a two-player mode in the game to add any form of variety – a criminal act for scrolling shooters.

Playing through those 30 or so hours is one of the most enjoyable Xbox experiences around, as the game can be played at the player's own pace. There's no rushing to meet timed events or missing out on special items that only appear for half an hour.

While the game may be some distance from Bungie's massive shooter in terms of quality, it's well worth a look for anyone after a quick blast in a game that will remind us all that the "X-Files" was once a decent TV show.

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

Pirates works as a kiddie game, but has no real redeeming qualities for a tougher audience. It just lacks any attention to detail.

The two things that platform games rely on the most - the level design and your degree of interaction with them are both massively flawed, and to add insult to injury the usual Sonic technical misgivings are all correct and present: good looking graphics, but prone to tearing and glitching.

As you can probably tell, the main problem with this game is that it’s scrappy and disjointed. The areas that show flair and imagination are cut short by generic and shockingly unoriginal elements that make you cringe and turn away in embarrassment.

Koei certainly knows how to sell an add-on without leaving its consumers feeling cheated - basically, this is how expansion packs for console games should be employed.

Whether each play is successful or not is therefore something for which one rarely feels wholly responsible, although the overall sheen ensures that your suspension of disbelief can easily compensate.

Despite improvements, the game does look visually dated, and as such can't hope to top PGR2 in a beauty competition.

Think of it as PSO I+II… though not as good and minus the online features. Make of that what you will.

This is really just an upgrade to DW3, so if you’ve got that, you’re probably better off waiting for DW4, but then it does open up new features in DW3 and has an extra hard difficulty level, so if you’re a DW nut... But if you fancy taking your first foray into the series, this is definitely the best one so far.

Unfortunately, the slightly awkward camera angles can make it tricky to see where enemy shots are coming from, which is very frustrating in the heat of combat.

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

The Quest mode is too loose and culminates in boss battles that do away with the puzzle element completely, in favour of random dice turning. The result is a game that's great with some friends, but fails to ignite when played alone.

This touchy-feely emphasis might not be to everyone's taste but if sheep herding, bowling, stroking a tiger's nether regions and teaching a chicken to breakdance is your idea of fun, then Creature's Isle is the creature feature for you.

From the title screen to the sound effects, everything here is right. You can even see the outside decals of the machine around the screen as if you have just popped down to the arcade!

Running at a rate which manages to put "Time Crisis" to shame, HOTD3 is an accelerated, highly detailed, classic arcade shoot-íem-up which will keep you in a constant state of high alert verging on panic, right through to the final frame.

For all this complexity the cards can actually prevent you from really getting into the game.

A very accomplished F1 product that will ignite the passion of fans. The rest of us however, should wait to see if the inevitable F1 2003 drives any better.

It's all a bit like typing while wearing oven mitts.

There is nothing wrong with this game universe or the adventure within it, if only we all the had the time to enjoy it properly without the need for work, study or sleep getting in the way!

It's a Japanese RPG in the truest sense and conforms to all the clichs of the genre. It has its misfits, its central (male) character with a mysterious past (and a strange birthmark on his shoulder) and a turn-based battle system with magic and hit points. It has its world map.

This game is a good, solid beat-’em-up, but it’s no Street Fighter or Tekken. Despite the fact that the fighters are in 3D, the game is really a 2D experience.

It’s all a vaguely swashbuckling load of fun, with action and strategy thrown in together, but nothing outstanding.

The difficulty level is very high, even on baby-mode and the AI is no slouch on mixing up the special attacks. Fans will love the new additions and enormity of the game, although some might be put off by the pared down attacks but those new to the series may be put off by the rock hard difficulty level.

EA has turned in a shockingly playable Bond game that looks as good as it plays – and that is damn fine.

Admittedly, if you liked the first game, then your going to love this to bits - but it'll be a bit boring for your average gamer.

Maybe it's the surprisingly enjoyable mini games, or the general humour that's packed into every level, but there's something about the game that could arouse a brief flicker of enjoyment for around 90 per cent of all hardened Xbox snobs.

Yeah, this is what videogames should be all about -- indiscriminate carnage on a massive scale without a trace of cuteness, "nurturing and trading" or thought.

A surprisingly addictive game.

With so many World War II games on the market, Earned In Blood's dedication to creating an understanding of what the war meant to those who fought it, as much as providing the player with a recognisable game, should be lauded.

The races are slow and one mistake can mean the difference between first and last, but that’s the addiction, and whipping your horse to a slight, nosed victory is a mighty satisfying feeling.

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.

Quite a challenge to control, with his Sonic-style attacks, and many acrobatic skills.

The general feel of the game is a very slow and clunky fighter – a feature that ironically does suit the whole Godzilla setting quite well, but sadly does not work for the beat-'em-up genre. Perhaps the two were never meant to meet.

This game just isn’t finished. The frame-rate drops at the smallest suggestion, the mainstay combat is as orchestrated as band practise for the stillborn. Quite honestly this is a shambles of a magnitude that astonishes.

This sequel isn't as approachable. We also get the pheeling that you already know if you'll like this without reading the review.

Gameplay is great, the graphics are fine (without being jaw-droppingly good), the presentation is good and the difficulty level can be tweaked to your exact specifications.

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.

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.

Think about it: How many other games out there can keep our collective attention for so long without even giving us anything as tangible as the thrill of completing a single level?

We can't help but feel that videogames should be exciting and exhilarating to play rather than have the slightly plodding pace that this game offers.

Whether you're frantically picking up letters to give to the Shy Guy postman, or mowing as much grass as you can, the games are inventive, manic and most importantly fun. [JPN Import]

Doubts aside, if you're after a quality shoot-'em-up that's as filthy as you like then Roadkill is for you.

Unlike the original Kessen, KII is far more accessible and the fantasy element gives the whole show a far more epic feel in the style of TV’s Mahabarat (okay, it’s a Hindu show, but you get the idea).

To us it began to feel a little stale during the loading screen.

In such a saturated genre perfection is necessary but Vexx only comes off as average.

Step aside, gaming connoisseurs and parents, because it's most definitely a kids' game.

The meat of the game is, for lack of a better term, utter garbage.

Demon Stone's epic battles are also its biggest failing. For all its multiple combos, dynamic looking spells and various magical items (which can all be handily purchased at the end of each level) the hack and slash gameplay is still extremely basic.

One of the most fantastically rubbish games of the year. It's a game that combines awesome with awful, cool with crap and it could tear the nation in two. Will you love it or hate it? Sorry, we can't help you out with that one because this is a Marmite moment and it's spread very, very thick.

It’s this ‘just one more go’ addiction that the very best classic puzzle games thrive on, but ZooCube sadly seems to lack.

As far as a war game goes, Conflict: Desert Storm II is fun and easy to play and it manages to be realistic without getting bogged down in its own intricacies. However, we did find the much vaunted AI to be flawed, which soured our overall enjoyment of the game.

A game which while enjoyable at first, is neither all out brutal or skill–full enough a simulation to make you want to hone either your fighting or football skills for months to come.

For today’s player, Shinobi will quite simply be too frustrating to see it through to the end. Sad but true. Making this one for the masochists of yesteryear.

FlatOut wants to be a cool racing and rallying game with an arcade edge, but it ends up being a routine disappointment. [XBM]

Basically a game that is split between repetitive combat and annoying pole swinging sections.

Those seeking a new challenge to rival "Tekken Tag" should steer clear, but for fans of the series and players just looking for a quick fix of frenzied and fantastical fighting should sign up now.

The grognards out there will find much of value in Desert Rats, and I recommend it to them. Other gamers may want to think long and hard before investing their cash in a major niche title such as this.

One of the biggest disappointments on the PS2 so far, simply because it promised so much and should have been so much more impressive than this lazy rushed piece of software.

Fans everywhere can rejoice.

We can’t help feeling that this half-hearted PS2 port has no place on the Xbox.

Given the subject matter we can’t knock the developer for this but the relative limitations set by the cast of characters makes this the perfect microcosm for The Hulk: bludgeoning, loud, unthinking and very occasionally, as soft as muck.

Another annoying aspect of the game is that the Artificial Intelligence is hardly cutting edge, in fact, it couldn't cut butter.