With a gazillion top racers on 360, you'd have to be bonkers to drive this home. [Feb 2008, p.79]

Halo was remarkable in the ambition and innovation that made it so fresh, but the mighty number three doesn't have quite that same freshness - instead, it has a reassuring maturity to it, crafted as it is by a team who have learned from every mistake they've made and every word of feedback the community has offered over the years. Halo 3 is the best Halo has ever been, and you won't find a greater accolade than that.

Innovative, pretty, interesting at first glance... but ultimately: boring, boring, boring. [Oct 2007, p.96]

Marginally superior to the original but too many rough edges remain. [Nov 2007, p.85]

The genre's game of choice, but the better game of a bad, bad mix. Forget about it. [Dec 2007, p.85]

If Oblivion is the equivalent of a month-long trek across the Serengeti, then Sonata's like being chauffer-driven through Tuscany on a Sunday afternoon.

Full of different modes, but it's ultimately just too easy and riddled with nuances. [Dec 2007, p.82]

Very much its own game, Skate is a great start to what should be a stellar series. [Dec 2007, p.62]

NHL is easily the best ice hockey game available - a must for fans. [Dec 2007, p.85]

A timeless classic, but one we've played to death before. Still, 400 points isn't bad value. [Dec 2007, p.96]

A brave concept fails to disguise a lame racer not worthy of sniffing "F-Zero"'s fumes. [Oct 2007, p.84]

Endlessly dim foes and equally dull swordplay undermine any samurai appeal. [Christmas 2007, p.76]

Inadequate next to EA's title. [Jan 2008, p.79]

Despite the game's undoubted scope for replayability, it is decidedly low on play time. But in the cold light of day, we're not too bothered with all that - because Stranglehold offers something so raw and so hyper-energetic that the next game you play after it will feel positively tired and lethargic in comparison. Woo hoo.

You'll need to be a serious American football/robot fan to get stuck in now. [Dec 2007, p.96]

Average even on release. If you have "SF2 Turbo," you don't need this. [Dec 2007, p.96]

An enjoyable and solidly designed Nati-fragger, but one with a series of small niggles. [Nov 2007, p.82]

It's the definitive version of SPF, but still one for the experts or those with lots of time to spare. [Nov 2007, p.96]

The scrolling fighter may be dead, but this is the genre's finest relic. Get involved. [Dec 2007, p.96]

Blue Dragon definitely has the pedigree and quality to appeal to RPG gamers, however long they've been putting the hours in over the years, with enough peculiar touches to keep the old hands engrossed, even if it won't be the best they've ever had.

Hugely, hugely frustrating but there is a good game hiding deep beneath.

Middling fun in small doses, but how many times can you play the same game? [Dec 2007, p.85]

Too arcadey to match "Links," but still plays a cracking round of golf. [Nov 2007, p.81]

More of a biking "Project Gotham" than "Forza 2" - which is no bad thing. Thrilling. [Nov 2007, p.82]

An RPG needs to entertain for hours, to fully immerse you in its universe and not let go, but Two Worlds starts to show cracks before the tutorial is over. It's a -10 for execution, with no chance of a saving throw. [Nov 2007, p.76]

It's a shame, as what initially looked promising all those months ago when we first saw it, is in fact one of the worst games on Live Arcade. Avoid.

Play it until the scoring system clicks and it'll have you forever. At 400 points, it's a bargain. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Bioshock leaves you to figure things out for yourself. It's a gruelling game of resource management, and as the ammunition dries up, you end up having to improvise. And more often than not, Bioshock will reward you heavily for thinking outside the box.