But given that we gave Half-Life 2 one of our very rare five-star ratings, it would be pretty tough to improve upon perfection. The mere fact that Episode One comes close to matching the greatness of the original is impressive.

Though it has the odd rough edge, Mass Effect pushes BioWare's trademark character development, dialogue and storytelling to new levels.

An absolute must for any retro gamer or PSP owner.

Aside from a few frustrating spikes in difficulty and a slower-paced final act, God Of War II is about as perfect an action game as you could ever hope for, and a worthy sequel to one of the PlayStation 2’s crown jewels.

A phenomenal game if it runs on your machine. While it is not exactly the dynamic battlefield that EA had hyped, it is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer first person shooters to come out in years.

It’s unfortunate that the Xbox controller can’t possibly be as accurate as a mouse (this game originally was released for PC a few years back) but you actually get used to it quickly enough.

The new A-10 Warthog will be worth the purchase price for many, but there is still enough here to keep any fan of Battlefield 2 amused for quite awhile.

It would have been nicer if the storyline was a little longer, but the ability to go back and replay the game, but choosing to be evil instead of good, or a spellcaster instead of a fighter, will allow you to enjoy this game for some time.

A sure bet on any platform, GTA on the PSP is the beginning of a portable revolution, setting the bar even higher for any future games that dare challenge it.

What's refreshing however in these times of relentless retro makeovers, is that despite the simplicity, there's considerable depth and longevity here, thanks to the varied outcomes of your every action.

The action is exciting and varied, the puzzles are challenging yet rarely frustrating and the environments are simply gorgeous.

In many ways, The Godfather is much better than "GTA". The producers have taken the "GTA" gameplay concept as a starting point and then made it their own by surrounding it with a well-established storyline that gives everything purpose and charm.

One of the best strategy game franchises gets even better with the addition of new DS-specific features and tweaks.

With its wide variety of vehicles, numerous tracks and racing modes and its undeniably addictive sense of speed, Burnout Legends is by far the best racing experience to be had on the PSP.

Other than its steep PC system requirements and the merely adequate multiplayer modes, it's hard to find any fault with this gripping gem of a shooter.

In the history of gaming, there are a few releases that warrant the cost of purchasing an entire system. 'Goldeneye' and 'Perfect Dark' for the N64 and the groundbreaking PS2 version of 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City' are a few of those extraordinary titles. In my mind, based on its astonishing graphics and feral gameplay, you can now add 'Peter Jackson's King Kong' to that list of rarities.

Newcomers might want to try the first two outings in the series just to be sure they don’t get lost playing the third, but other then that small issue, there’s little to complain about.

The graphics, the sound, the level designs, the characters and their voice acting - everything about this game is truly terrifying and horrific all at the same time. Revel in one of the scariest video games ever made.

Achieves something many role-playing strategy games fail at. It provides a fantastically involving adventure strategy for those who live and breath RPG, but also allows those who just want the strategy to ignore the wrapping paper and get straight to the gift.

While the story and gameplay are identical, the PS3 iteration of Oblivion is slightly better than its Xbox 360 cousin from a visual and technical standpoint. Standing on the top of a tall hill and gazing at the landscape below is even more breathtaking than before, thanks to a greater level of distant detail in the environments. Loading times have also been shortened a bit, making transitions between areas a little smoother.

Double Agent's level design and scenarios will keep you on your toes while blowing your mind at the same time.

A few niggling flaws — or maybe just impossibly high expectations — keep Halo 3 from perfection. But on the whole, it’s a heartfelt and worthy conclusion to one of the most beloved video game series of all time.

A perfect merging of sneaking and shooting missions, Dark Mirror’s gameplay flows rapidly from scenario to scenario.

Although it doesn't bring anything radically new to the formula, The Sims 2 has enough amazing twists and tweaks to make it one of those rare sequels that outdoes the original in every conceivable way.

Sega's best football game to date.

More than any other release in the past, 'The Show' captures all of the intricacies and the essence of the great game itself.

While film aficionados will get more out of it than your regular Joe who will pay full price to see anything starring Rob Schneider, The Movies is for anyone who not only think they can make movies better than Hollywood, they know they can.

The only real fault with Resistance is that its inspirations are sometimes too obvious. It’s a little too much like Call Of Duty here or Half-Life there, and one of the later tank-driving segments feels like it was lifted straight out of the original Halo.