Not even worth it for fans of either series. [Issue#44, p.85]

One hell of a taster. [Issue#45, p.100]

Infinite has squeezed far more than it has a right to out of simple geometric shapes. [Issue#46, p.101]

A little too simplistic. [Issue#46, p.100]

The value is unquestionable, but Assault on Dark Athena is half the game of its predecessor. A worthy purchase, then, but not an essential one. [Issue#44, p.72]

A tired city crime epic that might have looked good five years ago, but even that would have been a bit of a stretch. Now it’s barely passable and a bit of a shame in pretty much every respect.

Ninja Blade is fun, but it’s fun that wears thin very quickly and when it’s gone you’re left with a game that’s shallow, repetitive, and can quickly become annoying and frustrating.

For a single designer, though, a cracking effort. [Issue#40]

Terrible controls. [Issue#46, p.87]

With a track list that can rival anything on the market, this has captured the essence of Metallica perfectly. An incredible experience for fans. [Issue#45, p.78]

If you've got the original, keep your virtual wallet firmly shut. If you haven't, just buy the original Uno. [Issue#46, p.101]

Fun, fast and, on occasions, furiously agitating, Wheelman is a rental-worthy release through and through.

With so many better RTSs to play there’s no need to even look at Stormrise.

Considering the beyond-favourable roster, the fact that you can import every character from SmackDown 2009, all of which come packing the new approach that Legends takes, and the back-to-basics gameplay, which is ultimately more fun, and THQ’s next step in the wrestling market is one of the finest sports entertainment experiences in years.

What Wanted does well, it does well enough to warrant a look, if it wasn’t so short we’d be raving about it. But no game should last a few hours, it doesn’t matter how good their gameplay is.

Not atrocious but lacks any sense of originality and is far too tedious. [Issue#46, p.87]

The real problem lies with RE5's focus. Played with two people it's a delight, showing the world that co-op in campaign modes is becoming a necessity in any game that can incorporate it. Even played on the same console, with the most hideous splitting of the screen we've ever seen, it works. Unfortunately, a vast array of individuals will play this as a lone wolf and, to be honest, done this way it can be aggravating. Sheva is simply not competent enough, and her irregular bouts of hopelessness transform a sublime portion into a testing run. [Issue#43, p.76]

It's just a shame you'll lose all interest in friends or sleep when in Peggle's inescapable grasp. [Issue#45, p.101]

The tactical pace of events will ensure you won't feel ripped off, making this an inoffensive enough waste of time for fans of the genre or the Final Fantasy series. [Issue#45, p.101]

A strange one, this. Fun to play with friends for a while, but the questions range from interesting to just plain stupid, and this really should be DLC. That’s what DLC is for!

If you hadn't seen the price tag, you'd wonder what all the internet furore had been about. [Issue#45, p.100]

Not quite a revolution, but Halo Wars captures the essence of Halo and presents a fun and demanding RTS experience. [Issue#43, p.70]

With some really innovative gameplay, exciting missions, fantastic set pieces, and the overall lack of competition, H.A.W.X. is probably the best game in its genre. [MC Issue#43, p.88]

A warm-hearted parody but pretty repetitive game, Eat Lead may sometimes be the victim of its own jokes, yet few titles have ever sent up our hobby in such a passionate and enjoyable way.

Steep learning curve. [Issue#51, p.93]

You always feel at odds with the control system on offer. [Issue#45, p.101]

Light, silly and undemanding but also surprisingly fun, Blood On The Sand will never compete with the big boys of the shooting genre but it’ll keep you amused more than you may think. It’s worth a look.

An excellent and fairly innovative combat system find itself hamstrung by a frustrating cast and grinding that...well, grinds. [Issue#46, p.85]

Shellshock 2 is one of the most poorly designed and unplayable games this generation. Not even its admittedly interesting premise can keep it from feeling unfinished and completely unnecessary.

Ahh, good times. [Issue#39]

Just about adequate, but RACE Pro feels about five years old in places. It will certainly get buried beneath the existing pile of cracking 360 racing titles of all stripes and colours, and deservedly so.

Don’t let the lack of a third dimension fool you. Street Fighter IV is possibly the best beat-’em-up ever made. A must-have.

Lost and Damned is an absolute behemoth of an expansion, providing a fresh perspective on the same city and setting a devilishly high standard for DLC in the future.

If you're looking for something a little bit different from Live Arcade, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is an addictive and seriously fun title that definitely deserves some attention. [Issue#44, p.98]

Another Live Arcade offering that would be better replicated with pen and pad. [Issue#44, p.99]

It’s great to see a developer building on its original game with such love and care. One of our favourite shooters in living memory.

As good as some of the games in this package are, these golden memories come with a price tag to match.

As strange as they come, with the shallow twist of centering on a group of women who bare all. You already know if this is for you or not.

X-Blades fails to excite on any level and falls flat in everything it attempts. Probably best to ignore this and pretend it doesn’t exist.

At long last, a Live Arcade release that is actually a videogame rather than some stupid parlour game your granny wouldn't swap her pen and newspaper for. [Issue#43, p.115]

Headache of a game. [Issue#39]

Good enough to recommend to fans of gore, swords, hip-hop, anime, martial arts and, of course, Afro Samurai, but too lightweight and insubstantial to recommend to everyone. [Issue#44, p.76]

A truly fine sequel and one that goes beyond the original. If you’re looking for a game that represents skating in a genuine and authentic way, Skate 2 will serve your every need.

An accessible platformer that bears more relation to Lemmings and Katamari than it does Mario. [Issue#43, p.114]

A pointless, unfinished, unpolished, joyless, broken experience.

Playing Interpol is like reading a "Where's Wally?" book, only without Wally. Or Woof. Or even Wenda. [Issue#37, p.117]

It manages to capture that game show sheen remarkably accurately for a small game. [Issue#42, p.113]

Stupid, stupid game. [Issue#35]

Relatively amusing. [Issue#42, p.112]

The fighting is okay, a few design decisions commendable, but ultimately there is just not enough great game here. Tiny levels with nothing in them? Looks like we are the ones being golden fleeced.

Put simply, it works exactly how you'd expect a tech demo for touch screen to work when the touch screen's taken away. [Issue#39]

It lacks the tight, focused gameplay of something like "Geometry Wars," but it's entertaining enough. [Issue#42, p.112]

If there's one genre the 360 is short of it's platformers, and Banjo is still one of the best within it. [Issue#41, p.113]

Big, dumb, and loads of fun. Enjoyable throughout, but even though it’s never quite intelligent enough to push the genre very far forward, it’s still worth your money.

For those who can look past the game’s flaws there are a few hours of mindless destruction and anal-probing to be had here, but only if you’ve exhausted every other game out there.

A huge crowd appeared the second we turned Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on. [Issue#40, p.115]

Not terrible, but so dry it’s pointless. If videogame paintball appeals you may be entertained, but boredom will set in.

As a JRPG, The Last Remnant is about as accessible as they come. An amazing battle system is wonderfully combined with an interesting group of characters, an epic storyline and huge amounts of gameplay.

Terrible stuff, and what’s more quite predictably so. The problem’s made worse by how much better things would be if its fat was simply trimmed. Oh Sonic, where art thou?

Matters are soured by fundamental errors, this time fairways harder than concrete and green speeds that are punishing to say the least. [Issue#41, p.112]

Such innocence with a secret mean streak pleases us immensely, and even if you play fair there must be many hours of gameplay trying to see your little guys into a fortified castle. [Issue#37, p.117]

One of the finest adventure games you're likely to find on the 360. [Issue#39]

There are much better games out there for the same audience. [Issue#44, p.84]

A beyond-solid karaoke title and one that should have some staying power thanks to the world of DLC. Near essential if you like pop music, but it does have Duffy in it.

The frankly rubbish Summer Athletics by another name, and therefore still utterly depressing. Don’t even think about wasting your money on this.

It delivers your exact RDA of dancing neon lights and evasive excitement. [Issue#41, p.112]

While it’s easy to say that it’s not so great offline, Left 4 Dead is supposed to be played with friends and when you do it’s hard to find any flaws. Very fun, very slick and very dead.

Beset with technical flaws and with ideas slightly above its station, Need For Speed: Undercover is nonetheless loveable and at times thoroughly enjoyable. If you squint.

A worthy idea but one that just isn’t deep enough to sustain the experience. After one playthrough you’ll feel as if you’ve seen all there is to see and you’d be right.

Entertaining, amusing, enjoyable but ultimately shallow, MK Vs DC is brilliant in short bursts but won’t ever take up more than an hour of your time. We bet you find yourself coming back in the long run, though.

Should have concentrated on being a master of one trade, and not a jack of all. What’s there is accessible and fun, but largely between friends. The inevitable sequel should be better.

If you're a fan of side-scrolling shooters, this offering is at least a little visually different. [Issue#41, p.113]

There’s a lot to love in Mirror’s Edge, times when it reaches potential game of the year material, times when mind, body and control come together to create something almost euphoric on screen. But when that transcendence is shattered by a poorly designed combat section or a moment of utter confusion, it leaves a bitter taste. Kudos, then, for EA’s commitment to new IP, but it’s one that ironically, leaves us wanting a sequel.

Crazy acting, crazy units and a crazy story but the gameplay is solid and the visuals are highly stylised. A great edition to the Red Alert series.

Nuts & Bolts is a fantastically fun game. It may threaten to overcomplicate itself from time to time, but it’s impossible to play and not come out with a smile on your face.

Second place in a two-horse race for Konami, due in part to the law of diminishing returns, and also to EA’s unexpected brilliance.

COD: World At War is a battered warrior that more than earns its stripes. Leading the charge with a meatier and lengthier single-player campaign, Treyarch has won the battle in producing a true standout in the series.

Along with the redefined tag team matches, Road To Wrestlemania and create-a-finisher, the multiple tweaks and touches make this the best SmackDown for a while.

Although fun at first, SBK holds longer lasting appeal for Superbike fans that want to customise, tweak and ride their way to winning the World Championship. [Issue#35, p.95]

A fabulous surprise. [Issue#40, p.103]

A masterclass in design. Brutal, epic, beautiful and harrowing in equal measure, Gears Of War 2 announces Epic’s reign as the king of the action videogame. Absolutely essential.

Although it's undeniably fun, the gameplay hasn't aged that well and after 30 minutes or so your eyelids will start to get heavy and fatigue sets in. [Issue#40, p.114]

Strangely it’s not the voice recognition that limits EndWar but the RTS and tactical choices that are overlooked. The single-player is left wanting in favour of a strong multiplayer.

So many cliches, so little time. [Issue#40, p.103]

This is an unexpected game. Everything points to the fact that by all accounts it should be awful. Licenses like this hardly ever work, but amazingly it comes off feeling like a fun, throwaway shooter with a workable shooting mechanic and some quite enjoyable moments that, while strictly not very Bond in nature, make the game well worth a look if you’re either a Bond fan or even just enjoy a good shooter.

Absolutely savaged by constant loading screens, it’s hard to appreciate the seven or so gems in Namco Museum.

Brilliant fun, humorous and entertaining without being condescending to its audience. [Issue#41, p.97]

The tracks are fantastic, but the bare bones package is upsetting. If this had been DLC we’d be all over it, but as it stands, it falls quite short of expectations.

You're going to have to go a long way to find an Xbox Live Arcade title as funny as this. [Issue#40, p.114]

Vast, epic, engaging, absorbing, terrifying, horrific, amusing and thoroughly brilliant. Fallout 3 is easily one of the best games ever made and one that deserves and needs to be played.

While 08 offers greater accessibility to novices, we can’t help but feel it’s had a troubled development and ends up making little improvement.

Every bit as fun as the last Scene It?, Box Office Smash adds online multiplayer and an energetic interface that elevates this year’s outing above all other similar games.

The gameplay you’ve come to know and love is better than it ever has been and the new additions are downright fantastic. Another step up for the now veteran franchise.

It's easily the best puzzle game to come along in quite some time and arguably up there with some of the best we've seen within the world of videogames. [Issue#38, p.114]

Peter Molynuex was recently quoted as saying, pre-release, that he felt Fable II is a nine out of ten game. You know what, Pete? You’re spot-on mate.

As kids’ games go this is a step in the right direction but too many of the old problems raise their ugly head, not that the kids will notice mind you.

One of the best Spider-Man games yet. [Issue#40, p.101]

Far Cry 2 is a drawn-out yet ambitious FPS that doesn’t quite align its many ideas into an effective game, due to the confused nature of the open world. Nice atmosphere, though.